Blackfin Tuna Arrive at Grand Strand, Signaling Spring Offshore Season

Blackfin tuna are stacking up roughly 65 miles off the South Carolina coast, and for Dan Carey of CareyOn Charters, that's the signal he's been waiting for. Out of Crazy Sister Marina in Murrells Inlet, Carey runs a 30-foot boat offshore every day conditions allow, and March is when the season genuinely kicks into gear.

"We catch tuna and wahoo all-year long. But some months are far better than others," Carey said. "They bite great in spring and fall. Our spring season begins in March."

Blackfin are the primary target this time of year along the Grand Strand, and Carey reports they're plentiful. The 65-mile mark off the coast has been his starting point, with water temperature the first filter he applies when deciding where to set up. He prefers water at 68 degrees or warmer, and his approach sharpens from there. "Anything over 70 degrees is usually a great spot to find them," he said.

Temperature alone doesn't close the deal. Carey reads chlorophyll data alongside sea surface temps, hunting for the kind of differentiation in the water column that bunches baitfish and, by extension, tuna. "We check for changes in temperature, chlorophyll and anything that creates something different to stack up the bait and concentrate the fish," he said. Blackfin are pelagic and opportunistic; wherever bait concentrates, the fish follow.

Once Carey is on the right water, the spread goes out fast. He runs eight rods, rigged with cedar plugs and ballyhoo, deployed across outriggers, planers and flatlines, with a bird in the mix. Managing that many lines without tangles is its own discipline, and Carey keeps it methodical. "We use eight rods efficiently on outriggers — the bird, planers and flatlines — without being tangled. And one of the presentations will work to make it happen," he said.

Tuna and wahoo are on the hook at CareyOn Charters in every season, but the spring run off the Grand Strand is where the fishing shifts from reliable to exceptional. With blackfin counts rising through March and water temperatures climbing toward that 70-degree threshold, the offshore season off Murrells Inlet is already delivering. Carey can be reached at (914) 760-6452.