FLOUNDER
Flounder have much in common with azaleas, baseball and air conditioning. Their arrival in inlets and coastal marshes means winter is officially over, spring is finally here, and summer is only right around the corner. Once inside, they are available to boat- and bank-anglers until well past the last out of the World Series.

The majority of flounder hole up offshore near structure, mostly live bottom spots and artificial reefs, during winter. A few really serious fishermen try for flatties at these spots at that time, but most of us wait for them to come inside once the inshore waters begin to warm.

Flounder are found along the entire South Carolina coast, but there seems to be a strong effort for the fish along the upper coast. Places such as North Inlet, Pawleys Island and Murrells Inlet are legendary flounder fishing holes.

Captain Tommy Scarborough of Georgetown Coastal Adventures ( www.captaintommy.com or 843-546-3543) can’t wait for spring to arrive because he knows the flounder will be biting.

“By May, flounder will be moving into North Inlet and around the jetties of Winyah Bay,” Scarborough said. “To catch flounder, troll mud minnows along the creeks just inside the inlet or alongside the rocks of the jetties.”

Lyn Smith of Capt. Dick’s Marina (843-651-3676, www.captdicks.com) in Murrells Inlet echoes much of what Scarborough said about flounder.

“Flounder are the big thing that most people come to Murrells Inlet to fish for,” she said. “Trolling mud minnows at the inlet is the best technique. I don’t even recommend that anglers leave the inlet for any of the side creeks.”

Many anglers still plow the inlets for flounder as summer progresses, but Capt. Rich Harris of The Reel Deal Charters (843-761-7663 or www.thereeldealcharters.com ) suggested that fishermen check out some deep-water spots for flounder.

“Flounder can be found at the mouths of feeder creeks during the summer, but I find them in other spots,” he said. “They like to hang around structure, and the Cooper River is loaded with it. During the low tide, I fish for flounder at the base of rockpiles and metal walls found along the river. Some of these spots could be as deep as 20 feet.”

To fish for flounder in these deep spots, Harris chooses a rod with 17-pound-test line and a 30-pound-test monofilament leader. While heavier than the conventional inshore rig, it protects against abrasions from the structure. The Carolina rig is completed with a No. 1/0 hook.

“My favorite bait for flounder is finger mullet,” Harris said. “The bait’s hardiness is hard to beat. I don’t hesitate to use a large bait either.

“A 14-inch flounder has no problem inhaling a 6-inch finger mullet.”

Although most flounder are taken by boat-anglers, shore-bound fishermen can find success, too. The best places to fish for flounder from shore are fishing piers.

Several piers are concentrated along the Grand Strand, but there is also the Folly Beach Fishing Pier outside of Charleston and a pier located on a tidal creek at Hunting Island State Park near Beaufort. From piers, work mud minnows or finger mullet around all of the pier pilings, especially those near the surf zone where crashing waves disorient prey.

KING MACKEREL
Many anglers find that the hot weather of August makes for tough fishing. If you are after some of the traditional inshore species, you do have to adjust to the conditions. But one of the species that can be hotter than the weather is king mackerel.