The Cooper River gang arrived and fanned out on what everyone says is worth the run to fish a few hours and then turn back around and head back. Meanwhile there are about 26 or so boats fishing local. My hotel room overlooks the confluence of the Pee Dee and Waccamaw rivers. Just minutes after takeoff I noticed a lot more boats heading those directions than yesterday. More went up the Pee Dee and the BASSTrakk map shows it.
Based on all of that here is something to watch for. The tide is about 50 minutes later each day. At the Waccamaw River entrance the NOAA tide prediction chart shows a low tide of 10:33 a.m. today, 11:34 a.m. on Saturday, and 12:34 p.m. on Championship Sunday. Keep in mind the tide is later the farther inland you are.
What that means is the later low tide evens the playing field for the crowd running to Charleston. For most anglers—either way—the low tide is their preferred window of productivity. The low tide for them hits around 11:30. But there is a wrench in the plan.
The gutsy move comes with a race against time to chase the tide and make the most of it until it bottoms out. On top of that is an approaching front that could turn on the bite. On the flip side, the run back could be rough—very rough. So prolonging the stay won’t matter as much. Some of the guys I spoke with this morning said they are anticipating it taking 30 minutes, more like 45, to get back to Georgetown.
Photo by Bassmaster Marshal Brad Rushton