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SailfishOff seasonBay · South Carolina
Long Bay
33.59°N · 78.96°W · Bay · Coastal waters from Little River Inlet to Murrells Inlet SC out 20 NM
Species here · tap to switch
- Best of all
- Crevalle jack70
- King mackerel70
- Atlantic croaker69
- Spot67
- Atlantic tarpon64
- Florida pompano63
- Summer flounder63
- Red drum62
- Gray snapper61
- Gray triggerfish59
- Spanish mackerel59
- Black sea bass58
- Red snapper58
- Gag grouper57
- Red grouper57
- Mahi-mahi53
- Greater amberjack52
- Little tunny52
- Black drum50
- Sheepshead50
- Southern flounder50
- Weakfish50
- Cobia49
- Wahoo45
- Spotted seatrout44
- Bluefish35
- Sailfish35
- Yellowfin tuna35
Best score today · 7 AM · Sailfish
- Now
- 354 PM EDT
- Best window
- 4 PM-12 AMEbb tide
- Tide now
- Flooding4.4 ft ▲
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Long Bay scores 75+
Checked every morning against the 14-day forecast. Free by push and email.
14-day forecast
Best days to fish
24-hour conditions · rolling from now
Conditions · 4 PM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS + Open-Meteo Marine
78Tide: FloodingCurrent: 0.2 knWind & pressure
ECMWF
76Wind: 10 kt NNEPressure: SteadyWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
86Water temp: 82°F, primeLight: OvercastSolunar: Between periodsSeas: 2.6 ftSeason & habitat · Sailfish
Species seasonality
34Off season · capped at 35Season: Off seasonHabitat: Usable structureDepth: Out of rangeRegulations: no rule on file
Current regulations
What you can keep here today
No rule for Sailfish is on file here yet, so its status is unknown, not closed. Confirm limits with SCDNR before you keep a fish.
Source: SCDNR · synced today
Seasonality · 52-week view · this week ringed
When Sailfish is best here
Out of season for Sailfish · shoulder season starts in 6 weeks
- Peak
- Shoulder
- Off
- This week
Spot profile
Long Bay
- Depth
- 25-30 ftFlat bottom
- Structure
- Bay · Outer · ExposedBay · flat bottom
- Season
- Off seasonSailfish
NOAA NCEI DEM, sampled Sep 13 on a 3.4 m grid. Depths are feet below NAVD 88, not chart datum (MLLW), so they can differ from a chart by a few feet. Not for navigation.
About this spot
Fishing Long Bay
Long Bay is a bay in Coastal waters from Little River Inlet to Murrells Inlet SC out 20 NM, South Carolina. Depth is 25-30 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads bay, outer water and exposed.
Waterlands scores 28 species here; the best right now are crevalle jack, king mackerel and Atlantic croaker. It is peak season now for crevalle jack, king mackerel, Atlantic croaker and spot, and shoulder season for Florida pompano, gray triggerfish, Spanish mackerel and black sea bass. Crevalle jack peak from July through October. King mackerel peak in May and from September through October. Atlantic croaker peak from August through October.
Tackle & technique
- Sailfish
- Sailfish feed along reef edges and color changes, usually in 80 to 240 feet off Southeast Florida and farther out along the Gulf and Carolina shelf edge. Fly live goggle-eyes, pilchards or threadfins from kites, or slow-troll live ballyhoo, on non-offset circle hooks. In winter the best bite often comes the day or two after a cold front, when north wind stacks bait along the edge.
- Crevalle jack
- Jacks roam in schools through inlets, passes, bays, river mouths and along beaches, pushing bait to the surface, and big fish also hold on nearshore reefs and wrecks. Watch for birds and surface blowups, then cast a popper, a spoon or a bucktail into the school and retrieve fast. Bring heavy spinning tackle, because a jack over 15 pounds runs hard and fights for a long time.
- King mackerel
- Kings roam from beaches and pier ends out to reefs, wrecks and ledges in 40 to 200 feet, usually feeding in the upper half of the water column. Slow-troll live menhaden, blue runners or cigar minnows on a light wire stinger rig, or pull spoons and ribbonfish past bait schools. Look for clean green water above 68 F with bait and birds on it.
Scores and forecasts are for planning only and can be wrong. Conditions on the water change fast; check the marine forecast before you go. Regulations change during the season, so confirm limits and closures with SCDNR before you keep a fish.