Fishing America

STATE # 35 - SOUTH CAROLINA SEPTEMBER 2018 - MURRELL’S INLET (ATLANTIC OCEAN)

SPECIES CAUGHT - Flounder, Redfish, Grouper, Toadfish, Lizardfish, Eel

As part two of our two state vacation together, Billie Jo and I chose Myrtle Beach to enjoy for a few days while visiting South Carolina. After a bunch of beach walking, attending Myrtle Beach shows and having such an awesome week with my wife, I took her to the airport early and headed to Murrell’s Inlet as she headed home.

We had heard of Myrtle Beach for many years from family and friends but had never been. I recommend this for couples and family vacationing. We had a ball. I was thinking the only way for Myrtle Beach to get any better is to have a great morning fishing.

I met Adam Goodwin who was working for Jason Burton-Crazy Girl Charters at the time, for a morning of inshore fishing. Adam is a great guy, loved his job, and obviously knows fishing very well. He let me know when we started that reports were the fish were not biting good.

Flounder was our target and I caught about a dozen of them. In with the flounder fishing came many other interesting fish and sea creatures. I love all the fish that are already famous for good eating and sport, but I really love catching many different kinds.

So, while catching these flounder and keeping a few of them, I caught some other weird ones too. After catching a lizardfish, I thought how much more weird can it get than this one. And then I caught a toadfish.

I asked Adam if they were edible and he said he didn’t know but thought he’d heard of people eating them. I looked at it and told him I’d try it. He laughed and told me he’d never cleaned one but would do it for me. I laughed while just looking at my ugly toadfish.

Most of the fish I caught was near the edge of the Atlantic with some of them closer in as we hopped around while Adam put me on the fish by hunting until he found them. He obviously has a talent for this as I noticed several other guides coming in empty handed.

A lot of people can fish, but it means a lot to have somebody who can run them down when others can’t find them. Adam was the man that got it done. I had a pretty nice catch for a morning in this bay that was so obviously not yielding up any of its fish easily.

So, we called it a day about 11 a.m., and Adam cleaned my fish for me before I headed to NC for some afternoon fishing. The toadfish didn’t yield a whole lot of meat for his size but proved to be a good experiment. My son Austin Hale at this fish when I had my next fish fry back home. When he informed me how good it was, I got one single bite of it and it was delicious. So there ya go, pretty is as pretty does.

This trip of fishing three states sent me home with many of good-eating fish. The flounder is my most favorite saltwater fish to eat still to this day. Its smooth, mild, premium flavor is hard to beat. I still have a few more on my list that I have not caught yet. It was so good I tried it pan fried in a non-stick skillet with nothing added. No oil, no seasoning, nothing. It is a delicacy to me and needs no help in being one.

Adam operates at Murrell’s Inlet with his own company now. He is on Facebook at Tide Chaser Enterprises LLC and on the internet at www.tidechaser.net He offers inshore and nearshore fishing and sunset cruise tours. I recommend his guiding service. Thank you, Adam for putting me on the best tasting saltwater fish I have eaten yet while Fishing America.