Hi All,
First let me say thanks to everyone here who so kindly shares their wisdom. I’ve already learned a lot just lurking and reading.
I have a 2072 aluminum boat with a 75 on it that I have used mostly in lakes and rivers, aka calm waters. For those who dont know, that is a 20’ boat that is 72" wide in the bottom - the beam is around 92". The sides are 28" deep.
I have been reading and watching videos about fishing the nearshore reefs for spadefish and I am itching to try it. My Dad loves bream fishing and the thought of a 5 pound “saltwater bream” has him excited too. So I want to try fishing the nearshore reefs but am not sure how far I should venture out in my boat and still be safe - assuming I take all normal precautions like watching the weather while we are out. I would like to hear your thoughts on how far out I should limit my travels, what wave size should be my cutoff, and where I should start my quest. I’m around 2 hours from Murrels Inlet and could easily try anywhere from Little River down to Georgetown. I’ve been studying the maps and reef layouts from saltwaterfishing.sc.gov and it seems there are lots of options. I think my first trip may be next weekend, weather permitting.
Please let me know what you think and any pointers are also greatly appreciated!
Thanks and good luck out there!
Best Regards
You should be good on a nice day at the nearshore. No difference in some of the flats boats that go out on nice days. If it was me, I would want very light wind and no more than 1ft or 1.5 ft wave height at 8 or 9 second periods. I use the app SailFlow and find it pretty accurate for the most part. If you make it out and you’re not comfortable, fish the calm side of the jetties in the inlet for big spotail, trout, and sheeps.
Out of Charleston, the closest reefs are the Charleston Nearshore, about 2 miles past the end of the jetties, Capers Reef, about 10 miles north of the jetties (off of Capers Island). Charleston 60 is a popular spot, it’s about 15 miles past the jetties.
4KI is a popular place for spades - it’s about 14 miles out from Seabrook Island/Kiaway with a nice ramp at Cherry Point on Wadmalaw Island (near Camp Ho-Non-Wah Boy Scout Camp.)
Y-73 and Commanche are good spots to go for decent bottom fishing. About 35 miles offshore. I think it’d be pretty ballsy to take your’s that far.
Check the weather before you head out. Look for seas around 2.6 or less with 8-9 seconds for comfortable rides. All bets are off if a thunderstorm rolls in from the coast.
We went last Saturday and the spades were every where, but they would not eat. They can be that way. We tried shrimp and cannon ball jelly fish. We did see a couple get caught.
Lot of folks recommend light tackle. Good idea if you like a long hard fight…I like medium to less than heavy - plenty of fight but can get the job done.
I got no advise about your boat’s abilities…just don’t know. I’d think you’d definitely pick a blue bird day.
“I am constantly amazed at the stupidity of the general public.”
~my dad
Equipment:
2007 Grady White 222 Fisherman / 250 Yamaha
Simrad NSS evo2 and G4
1- 23 boy that won’t move out)
1 - 19 year old (fishing maniac)
1 - wife (The Warden)
I was considering 2-3 foot to be my max wave size but looks like I need to back that down a little. My boat is very similar to a Carolina Skiff only lighter and runs a little shallower. Not self bailing so I definitely don’t want to get into waves breaking in the boat!
I am considering my first run to be from MI and felt that would allow us to try Paradise, Pawleys, and North Inlet and stay within 3 miles of land. Was really questioning if Ten Mile would be too far out for me.
Thinking about the thunderstorms mentioned by claim, how should I handle that if one comes up. If you see a storm approaching, is it best to head directly towards land and then run parallel to the beach or make a straight line for the inlet? I’m thinking of a situation when I may be 2 miles from shore but 5 miles from the landing - ex. fishing north inlet reef from MI. I understand waves will dictate the course to a certain degree. Just thinking out loud here.
I ordered a PLB unit just in case. Never had one before but it seems to be a worth while insurance plan.
Bandito,
Would you please explain your concerns? What are the risks you see with my boat?
I agree with El Bandito. I venture offshore with my 23 Regulator, deep V and weighs in at over 8,000 pounds, only on really really nice days (at least forecast wise?). I almost always find the last 5-10 miles when returning from offshore to be the choppiest. This has to do with the typical afternoon sea breeze. I get bounced around pretty good, can’t imagine being in a boat like yours. If you must go, plan a morning trip with an early afternoon return. Things can change in a hurry out there (talking a matter of mins from calm to white caps)! I don’t go past the jetties without SAT phone (you should be good with VHF on your boat 5-10 miles from shore, Epirb, life raft (perhaps over-kill, but I’m afraid of sharks), and Type 1 life vests, and some sort of signaling device (flares, mirror). Always be thinking about worse case, because it can happen in a hurry! If you are going offshore, there will most likely be plenty of other boats out there as well to hopefully render life-saving help. I personally would stick to the jetties on a nice day, sheepshead and redfish.
My suggestion is to catch a ride with a friend that has a boat suitable for fishing in the ocean, or hire a guide to take you out there and see how you like it. From there you’ll have a much better idea of how comfortable you would be in your boat, or if you want to get a boat to run out there more, you’ll have a much better idea of what you want to look for.
Not having a self bailing cockpit and a boat with relatively low gunnels is a legitimate concern. When water starts coming in the boat from waves, heavy rain or a combination of the two it doesn’t take much to add a lot of weight very quickly. You may have a bilge pump, hopefully you have a backup and the battery capacity to run them for a long time, but can they keep up with the rate that water is coming in? That is how trouble starts.
The ocean may be flat calm in front of the beach, but the inlet you have to run to access the ocean is often a different animal. That boat won’t last very long at all if the bow stuffs into a wave, takes on 20-30 gallons of water (the weight of adding an average adult) and before you can react a second waves sloshes in. Things go south very fast, much faster than a bilge pump, and the backup pump can keep up.
As far as what to do if the weather turns while you are outside, there are no set rules to “always” do. You need to size up the situation and react as best as you can. Some days you can avoid the thunderstorms by getting off the water mid day before they start to form. Other days they form in the morning while you are headed out. The inlet may be flat as glass if you hit it at slack tide. You run out to fish and everything is going great until you see a line of storms building over the beach and coming offshore. The tide may be running hard when you have to cut your trip short due to deteriorating weather. Tide running hard against the wind and waves and the inlet will be stacked up with steep waves that are nearly impossible to navigate without taking some water over the gunnel.
Circle Hook for the win here…hire a guide or hitch a ride with a buddy with a real offshore capable boat for your first trip. Best money you’ll ever spend.
I had thought about taking a guide to learn the ropes. I even sent an email to one yesterday who advertised for spadefish. No response yet. Any charter recommendations for spades?
I believe you should stick to the CHS or Georgetown jetties at most. Let’s say the weather is nice for 3 hours but a thunderstorm crops up (happens all the time)? Do you really want to be 12 miles out in a metal boat depending on a 12v bilge pump to keep you from being swamped. No Bueno.
Jetties have lots of options including sheepshead, those guys are a fun challenge. As big as spades and TASTY!
My suggestion is to catch a ride with a friend that has a boat suitable for fishing in the ocean, or hire a guide to take you out there and see how you like it. From there you’ll have a much better idea of how comfortable you would be in your boat, or if you want to get a boat to run out there more, you’ll have a much better idea of what you want to look for.
Not having a self bailing cockpit and a boat with relatively low gunnels is a legitimate concern. When water starts coming in the boat from waves, heavy rain or a combination of the two it doesn’t take much to add a lot of weight very quickly. You may have a bilge pump, hopefully you have a backup and the battery capacity to run them for a long time, but can they keep up with the rate that water is coming in? That is how trouble starts.
The ocean may be flat calm in front of the beach, but the inlet you have to run to access the ocean is often a different animal. That boat won’t last very long at all if the bow stuffs into a wave, takes on 20-30 gallons of water (the weight of adding an average adult) and before you can react a second waves sloshes in. Things go south very fast, much faster than a bilge pump, and the backup pump can keep up.
As far as what to do if the weather turns while you are outside, there are no set rules to “always” do. You need to size up the situation and react as best as you can. Some days you can avoid the thunderstorms by getting off the water mid day before they start to form. Other days they form in the morning while you are headed out. The inlet may be flat as glass if you hit it at slack tide. You run out to fish and everything is going great until you see a line of storms building over the beach and coming offshore. The tide may be running hard when you have to cut your trip short due to deteriorating weather. Tide running hard against the wind and w
I wouldn’t consider taking that boat past the jetties, and even that would be pushing it for me unless it was pretty flat and you paid close attention to shipping traffic. That’s just my comfort level though. This is my first season venturing out there. My deep-v center console is a little over 22’ and I still pick and choose when I go offshore or nearshore based on wind, wave, and weather conditions. And that’s with a PLB, back-up VHF, and a Garmin inReach.
That being said, we’ve usually got room for 1 or 2 more when we head out there!
Ok guys, I have considered all the input here and have decided I better stay inshore. I appreciate all of your input and experience. I also appreciate the offer to join you. I will keep lurking around here and maybe will get to hook up with one of you sometime in the future.
I may go ahead and book a charter for my dad, son, and I to try the spades. Consider it a late father’s day present
Good thinking. Pilots have a saying: “I’d rather be down here wishing I was up there than up there wishing I was down here.” Worded a little differently, the same applies to being on the ocean.
“You don’t have a soul. You are a soul. You have a body.” - C.S. Lewis
Hey guys,
Just a quick update. I booked a guide to try for some spades next Saturday. The guide has a 22’ Nautical Star and offers nearshore reef trips if the weather permits. I’m hoping we get to go out because I would like to see how a flats bay boat can handle a little chop.
The guide also mentioned that he has caught some spades inside the jetties recently. Have any of you ever caught spades inshore? I’ve read that they are very structure oriented fish. What would they hang around inshore?
I went back and read his email again. He said “around” the jetties, not exactly “inside of”. I booked a 6 hour nearshore trip so I asked what we would do if the weather did not permit going out to the reefs. His response was fish the creeks and jetties and he had been catching spades around the jetties. I guess I will find out.
