Hey folks! Gonna be taking a trip down to Fripp Island area in mid March with the wife and will be taking the boat with us. Haven’t boated or fished this area before, and I’ve already done a good bit of research online, but wanted to get some local knowledge on a couple things, if possible.
First of all, my rig is a 13 foot Boston Whaler. The plan is fish the creeks and possibly cruise to lunch in Port Royal if the weather permits.
We will be staying on Fripp, but I can’t get a read on the marina (heard it’s like 20$ a day to launch there) and according to google and DNR, Russ Point is permanently closed. I dont mind trailering a bit to launch, and it looks like Butches Island is only 15 minutes from where we are staying. I hear that creek is really tough to launch or load at low tide, but would I be able to do it with my rig?
Ive read up on and looked at the charts for the inside route between St Helena and PR, via Harbor River/Fripp Inlet to Story River to Station Creek. My question there is how long does it roughly take to make that run, say, from Butches Island to Port Royal? Or is that something I should even try if I’m not familiar with the area?
Lastly, any good fishing tips? I like to keep my set up simple. 3 rods: a Carolina rig for live bait, a popping cork for live/ artificial, and one for a weedless artificial.
Unless it has closed again, Russ Point was reopened after residents complained this past June. It was an emergency $95,000 repair and is expected to be fully redone in the future. As far as I know it is still open. We have very high and low tides compared to most areas so you need to take that into consideration when exploring. Beaufort Boat and Dock would be a good place to find recent fishing info.
There is also a small landing suitable for your boat on Butch’s Road just off Hwy 21 right before you go over the bridge onto Harbor Island. I have put in with kayaks there several times and have seen boats larger than yours use it.
I think you’re on point with your 3 setups. Highly recommend Boat and dock supply…they’ve helped me a lot over the last year; they are like what Haddrells used to be like. Great spot to get your bait both live and artificials as well. Lots of good fishing down that way, I’d ride around at low tide to find/mark good oysters/points and fish them when the water starts coming in. Be sure to mark your spots of interest, everything looks similar after the tide comes up as you probably know. Good luck, looking forward to hearing how it goes!
Thanks man! I’m for sure now gonna check out the tackle shop. Have fond memories of going into the old Haddrell’s with dad back in the day too. Really preciate yalls input! I live inland, right up on Lake Murray, but thankfully the coast is never too far away!
I’ll give you one freebe. Approach the new harbor island bridge from the Fripp Island side. At about 100 meters before the bridge, start looking for a small creek on your right side. Fish the mouth on a rising tide. Live shrimp under a popping float and success is guaranteed!