Links of Interest
Pick a location in the Bay area, then scroll down to select date and time.
NOAA Detailed Point Forecast for North Inlet
from Weather Underground
National Estuarine Research Reserve
Tom Yawkey Wildlife Center Heritage Preserve
Managed by the SCDNR
T h e B i g M a r s h
South Carolina has over 344,000 acres of salt marshes, more than any other state on the Atlantic coast. The salt marshes of the Winyah Bay area, from North Inlet to the Santee Delta are some of the most biologically productive environments on the planet rivaling tropical rainforests.
Salt marshes tend to occur on the land side of barrier islands where tidal action and erosion are gentle allowing grasses to take hold. The daily tidal surges bring in nutrients that settle in the shallow unshaded water in which the marshes thrive. Each fall the marsh turns a brilliant gold as it begins to die off and decompose. The nutrients are distributed throughout the mud flats and creeks and become the first level of the salt marsh food chain.
As the waters warm each spring, shrimp, crabs, and minnows return to the marshes to feed on these nutrients, luring in our area's most sought after gamefishes; the trout, flounder, redfish, and tarpon. Big Marsh Guide and Charter Service can take you into their world!
The "Miller Hilton", on a sea of savannah...