Inshore: Captain Smiley Fishing Charters (843-361-7445) reports that January typically offers some of the clearest, prettiest water of the year, and as a result it can be an excellent month for sight-fishing on the north end of the Grand Strand. Redfish will be grouped up in large winter schools that are easy to spot, and it is hard to beat fresh cut shrimp fished on a jighead to entice them to bite. Black drum can also be caught on shrimp fished around docks and ledges in the Intracoastal Waterway or holes in the creeks. If water temperatures stay in the upper 40s then trout should continue to bite right through January. They will be caught on artificial lures such as Vudu Shrimp in the ICW and around the jetties, and at times they will even be mixed in with redfish on the shallow flats. Storms and dirty water can slow the bite and spread the fish out, but they will usually return to eating once conditions improve.
