What we can expect from Winyah Bay

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Our last stop on the Catch a Cure tour was to preview the upcoming tournament in Georgetown, S.C. This is an especially interesting location for a tournament, because you’ve got a river system flowing into a brackish, then saltwater fishery. I’d been to Winyah Bay before, near Georgetown, to fish for redfish with Captain Tommy Scarborough, but I’d never fished for largemouth bass further inland on the river system.
Our last stop on the Catch a Cure tour was to preview the upcoming tournament in Georgetown, S.C. This is an especially interesting location for a tournament, because you’ve got a river system flowing into a brackish, then saltwater fishery. I’d been to Winyah Bay before, near Georgetown, to fish for redfish with Captain Tommy Scarborough, but I’d never fished for largemouth bass further inland on the river system.
Finding help, at first, was tough, because many of the area guides are saltwater experts, and there aren’t as many largemouth bass guides as you might find on bodies of water that are exclusively freshwater fisheries. But after prowling around the local tackle shops and explaining my cause, I finally got some help. Brian Roberts is a local angler on the Winyah Bay system in South Carolina who does some guiding, and he offered to lend a hand. He and his friend, Dustin Morrison, offered to show me the river system to help Catch a Cure.
Finding help, at first, was tough, because many of the area guides are saltwater experts, and there aren’t as many largemouth bass guides as you might find on bodies of water that are exclusively freshwater fisheries. But after prowling around the local tackle shops and explaining my cause, I finally got some help. Brian Roberts is a local angler on the Winyah Bay system in South Carolina who does some guiding, and he offered to lend a hand. He and his friend, Dustin Morrison, offered to show me the river system to help Catch a Cure.
The fishing was tough at first, and the initial fish that bent a rod was not the target species. Still, an abundance of panfish in the river system gave me hope that there was ample forage for our desired species.
The fishing was tough at first, and the initial fish that bent a rod was not the target species. Still, an abundance of panfish in the river system gave me hope that there was ample forage for our desired species.
These feisty sunfish weren’t afraid to attack a lure, and perhaps might serve as a clue for the pros as to what bass might be feeding on in the system. When you get a fish like this to hit a lure, you’ve just got to laugh and learn what you can.
These feisty sunfish weren’t afraid to attack a lure, and perhaps might serve as a clue for the pros as to what bass might be feeding on in the system. When you get a fish like this to hit a lure, you’ve just got to laugh and learn what you can.
Finally, we landed one of the target species. This was far from the largest fish of the trip, but the fat little bass was better than nothing and gave us hope that the fish in the river system were moving, hungry and could be fooled given the right presentation.
Finally, we landed one of the target species. This was far from the largest fish of the trip, but the fat little bass was better than nothing and gave us hope that the fish in the river system were moving, hungry and could be fooled given the right presentation.
It’s a good idea to inspect every fish you catch closely for signs of what they might be feeding on. Sometimes a bass that’s gorging on baitfish will spit up a specimen, and sometimes you’ve got to look closer. If you look near the back of this bass’s throat, you’ll see he had almost finished a crayfish before he went after our offering.
It’s a good idea to inspect every fish you catch closely for signs of what they might be feeding on. Sometimes a bass that’s gorging on baitfish will spit up a specimen, and sometimes you’ve got to look closer. If you look near the back of this bass’s throat, you’ll see he had almost finished a crayfish before he went after our offering.
And as you can probably tell, with the warming water temperatures, these fish were at least starting to put on the feedbag.
And as you can probably tell, with the warming water temperatures, these fish were at least starting to put on the feedbag.
The key in this system seemed to targeting structure like this submerged treeline, which provided ample cover for feeding fish. Especially when you’ve got moving water, even if the current is minimal, finding structure were bass might ambush their prey can be crucial.
The key in this system seemed to targeting structure like this submerged treeline, which provided ample cover for feeding fish. Especially when you’ve got moving water, even if the current is minimal, finding structure were bass might ambush their prey can be crucial.
And it’s always a good sign when you see other species, like this osprey, on the lookout for the same forage species. This bird was undoubtedly hoping to pick a few unsuspecting fish from the surface, just like the largemouth bass beneath the water’s surface.
And it’s always a good sign when you see other species, like this osprey, on the lookout for the same forage species. This bird was undoubtedly hoping to pick a few unsuspecting fish from the surface, just like the largemouth bass beneath the water’s surface.
I did get an added bumper sticker for the Jeep out of the day (if not the fish we were after). Roberts is attempting to create his own bass baits, which he calls Keeper Reaper jigs, and it looks like he’s got a good start on the branding.
I did get an added bumper sticker for the Jeep out of the day (if not the fish we were after). Roberts is attempting to create his own bass baits, which he calls Keeper Reaper jigs, and it looks like he’s got a good start on the branding.
The key for the pros here will be imitating a crawfish forage, and targeting structure like the submerged treelines we encountered. Orange or brown crankbaits, fished around shallow structure, might very well produce. And hopefully they have better luck than we did while pre-fishing the system. But it was exciting to get a crack at this unique fishery, and I’m grateful to Brian Roberts for showing me this beautiful body of water. To get in touch with Brian if you’re interested in fishing Winyah Bay, call or text him at 804-629-1015.
The key for the pros here will be imitating a crawfish forage, and targeting structure like the submerged treelines we encountered. Orange or brown crankbaits, fished around shallow structure, might very well produce. And hopefully they have better luck than we did while pre-fishing the system. But it was exciting to get a crack at this unique fishery, and I’m grateful to Brian Roberts for showing me this beautiful body of water. To get in touch with Brian if you’re interested in fishing Winyah Bay, call or text him at 804-629-1015.
And on a personal note, it has been an honor and a pleasure previewing these upcoming tournaments. Thanks to our sponsors, Get Vicious Fishing, Native Eyewear, Hanes and Rick Roth at Mirror Image T-shirts in Rhode Island and Sunology Sunscreen, these fish have meant more to me than any I can remember. The support from the fishing community, from Oklahoma down to Florida up to South Carolina, has been overwhelming, and this trip is one I’ll remember forever. And to all of you that took the time to read, watch, get on the water, stop to talk, purchase a T-shirt or even hit ‘Like’ on social media, your help on this venture is one I’m eternally grateful for. The fish were fun, and I’ll make every effort to stay in touch with those of you I had the chance to meet, but the dollars we were able to raise for The Melanoma Research Foundation, that’s the part of this project that I’m most proud of and grateful for.
And on a personal note, it has been an honor and a pleasure previewing these upcoming tournaments. Thanks to our sponsors, Get Vicious Fishing, Native Eyewear, Hanes and Rick Roth at Mirror Image T-shirts in Rhode Island and Sunology Sunscreen, these fish have meant more to me than any I can remember. The support from the fishing community, from Oklahoma down to Florida up to South Carolina, has been overwhelming, and this trip is one I’ll remember forever. And to all of you that took the time to read, watch, get on the water, stop to talk, purchase a T-shirt or even hit ‘Like’ on social media, your help on this venture is one I’m eternally grateful for. The fish were fun, and I’ll make every effort to stay in touch with those of you I had the chance to meet, but the dollars we were able to raise for The Melanoma Research Foundation, that’s the part of this project that I’m most proud of and grateful for.