Fishing Report
The Spanish mackerel fishing has been as good they have ever seen it at the north end of the Grand Strand, and Captain Buddy Love with Captain Smiley Fishing Charters (843-361-7445) reports that they are catching them as fast as they can reel them in. On Father’s Day they caught 45 fish in two hours! Most of them are keepers and there are also some fish in the 20-inch range. They are within a mile of the beaches around the menhaden schools, and you can either troll or cast spoons for them.
While there are a few king mackerel and cobia close in around the bait, most of the kings seem to be out in 35-40 feet of water. However, there are tons of sharks to be caught.
Inshore it’s typical summer fishing, and that means they are catching a few redfish, trout and flounder but overall things are settling into a slower summer pattern as the water warms. Flounder are probably the best of those, and there are tons of keepers in North Carolina but they are rarer south of the border. Dragging mud minnows or finger mullet on a Carolina rig is tough to beat for flounder, but you can also fish the bait on a jighead.
Trout have been pretty sporadic but fish can be caught on live shrimp fished in creek mouths, while the best redfish action is usually on low tide mud flats in depressions and around oyster beds.
Morning surface water temperatures are about 71-74 degrees around Little River and the water is still pretty dirty with all the wind.
With windy conditions it’s been all about the inshore fishing the last week or two at the top of South Carolina’s coast, and Captain Buddy Love with Captain Smiley Fishing Charters (843-361-7445) reports that the flounder fishing has been pretty good if a bit inconsistent. It seems that because of the fronts and wind some days they bite well and some days they do not, but yesterday even though they only caught 8 fish they had an impressive 5 keepers.
In general the falling tide has been best, and fish are feeding in 3-8 feet of water around creek mouths and oyster beds. Mud minnows are working but some finger mullet are also showing up and producing.
They are also catching a few redfish in the same areas on mud minnows, cut mullet and sections of blue crab. On cut mullet they caught a monster 41 ½ inch fish this week and on a crab they had a 37 ½ inch bull. With crab you can also catch black drum, but with most of them running a little on the smaller side cut shrimp are working better.
You will also pick up the occasional trout on mud minnows, and they are averaging 3 or 4 each day. If you had live shrimp you could slay them, but shrimp are hard to net right now.
While they have picked up a rogue Spanish mackerel or two in the creeks, if you could get off the beaches in 20-25 feet there are plenty. However, it’s been too rough this week.
Some larger trout have been showing up at the top of the coast this week, and Captain Buddy Love with Captain Smiley Fishing Charters (843-361-7445) reports that they have caught fish up to 24 inches. The key is live shrimp, and the best place to fish is creek mouths in 3-8 feet. It doesn’t matter if the tide is rising or falling, but it has to be moving. Black drum have also been in the same areas eating the same bait, although they will also take fresh cut shrimp.
There are also flounder scattered everywhere right now, especially in the Intracoastal Waterway and at creek mouths. The tide hasn’t made too much of a difference, but they do seem to be catching a few more on the falling tide. Mud minnows are working great, but the crabs are so bad right now that artificial lures like Gulp! are sometimes less frustrating.
Unfortunately redfish have been a little rare recently, but they are picking up the occasional one drifting shrimp. Reds may also be feeding better on low water which they have targeted less often.
The jetties are also holding redfish and black drum, but it’s been too windy to get out there. The same is true for the nearshore reefs, and when they were last able to get out to the 3-Mile a week ago it was covered up in bluefish and Spanish.
The Spanish mackerel fishing is on fire this week, and Captain Buddy Love with Captain Smiley Fishing Charters (843-361-7445) reports that from the beaches out to about 5 miles offshore they are wearing them out. Fish are running up to 3-4 pounds, and the numbers are excellent. Spoons are working very well.
At the nearshore reefs there are also bonito, summer trout, bluefish and more around.
The flounder fishing has picked up with better weather this week, and there continue to be a good number of flounder in the creeks. As the snot grass disappears they will get easier to target on the bottom.
Trout are being caught at creeks mouths, along banks and at the jetties. Fish are biting on both the rising and falling tide, as long as there is moving water. The best depth range has been 5-8 feet of water.
While they are catching some fish on Vudu Shrimp, Gulp! and even on the fly, live shrimp is hard to beat.
There are black drum mixed in with the trout being caught on the same live shrimp, but you can probably pick up more black drum fishing on the bottom with fresh cut shrimp. The best concentrations are also a bit deeper in 10-15 feet of water.
Unfortunately most of them are small right now.
A few redfish are being landed as well, mostly on low tide in skinny water or holes. Some are also being caught around creek mouths on the dropping tide when everything is being flushed out of the creeks. The fish are generally now in medium-sized schools on low water.
Fresh cut shrimp is also working the best.
When you can get out to the nearshore reefs the fishing is phenomenal right now, and Captain Buddy Love with Captain Smiley Fishing Charters (843-361-7445) reports that 3-5 miles offshore there are tons of Spanish mackerel, bonito, summer trout, bluefish and more around. They aren’t seeing mackerel and bonito schooling on the top quite yet, but both species will take spoons. Trout seem to prefer Gulp! baits fished slowly on the bottom.
Cooler weather temporarily hurt the inshore bite over the weekend, and today on the water they had to work to catch trout and flounder. Still, there seem to be a surprisingly good number of flounder in the creeks because they are catching them just on float rigs without really targeting them. The snot grass is still prevalent and makes it hard to fish on the bottom.
Trout are being caught at creeks mouths, along banks and at the jetties. Fish are biting on both the rising and falling tide, as long as there is moving water. The best depth range has been 5-8 feet of water.
While they are catching some fish on Vudu Shrimp, Gulp! and even on the fly, live shrimp is hard to beat.
There are black drum mixed in with the trout being caught on the same live shrimp, but you can probably pick up more black drum fishing on the bottom with fresh cut shrimp. The best concentrations are also a bit deeper in 10-15 feet of water.
Unfortunately most of them are small right now.
A few redfish are being picked up as well, mostly on low tide in skinny water or holes. Some are also being caught around creek mouths on the dropping tide when everything is being flushed out of the creeks. The fish are generally now in medium-sized schools on low water.
Fresh cut shrimp is also working the best.
Morning surface water temperatures are about 57-60 degrees around Little River, and due to all the wind the water is fairly dirty.
The fishing has picked up at the top of the coast, and Captain Buddy Love with Captain Smiley Fishing Charters (843-361-7445) reports that the most consistent thing going is the trout bite. Some bigger fish are also beginning to arrive.
They are catching trout at creeks mouths, along banks and at the jetties. Fish are biting on both the rising and falling tide, as long as there is moving water. The best depth range has been 5-8 feet of water. While they are catching some fish on Vudu Shrimp, and even on the fly, live shrimp is hard to beat!
There are black drum mixed in with the trout being caught on the same live shrimp, but you can probably pick up more black drum fishing on the bottom with fresh cut shrimp. The best concentrations are also a bit deeper in 10-15 feet of water. The jetties have been good for black drum.
A few redfish are being picked up as well, mostly on low tide in skinny water or holes. Some are also being caught around creek mouths on the dropping tide when everything is being flushed out of the creeks. They are not seeing big groups of reds anymore.
Fresh cut shrimp is also working the best.
The weather has made nearshore fishing tough, but at the last warm patch a few Spanish mackerel showed up. They should return as it warms again. Bluefish, sheepshead and black drum are also around.
January 5
Morning surface water temperatures are around 51 degrees inshore around Little River and the water clarity is very good.
There has been some really good fishing at the top of the South Carolina coast this week, and Captain Smiley Fishing Charters (843-361-7445) reports that in particular they have found a strong trout bite. On the outgoing tide they have found good action inshore in the smaller creeks, and then at low the Little River jetties have been productive fishing over the rocks. They have also caught black drum, small sheepshead, and redfish on low at the jetties. Then on the rising tide they have found the best action back inshore fishing the ledges in the Intracoastal Waterway. In addition to a few keeper trout they have found tons of sub-14 inch fish in the waterway.
The key to everything has been live shrimp, and the hike down to Perry’s Bait and Tackle in Murrells Inlet has been worth it. While the fish will bite artificial lures like Vudu Shrimp, Gulp! and Zman scented plastics, the action is much faster on live shrimp. Black drum seem just as happy with fresh dead shrimp on the bottom.
The other major pattern right now is sight-fishing for redfish, and in the clear conditions you can find the fish inside the creeks stacked up in the shallow potholes. The best time to target them is on the low to rising tide.
November 3
Morning surface water temperatures are still in the lower 60s inshore around Little River. It’s definitely trout time at the top of the South Carolina coast, and Captain Patrick “Smiley” Kelly (843-361-7445) reports that the fish have arrived right on schedule and now they can be found about everywhere. The best action has been coming with the bait about 4 feet down over 5-10 feet of water around drops and ledges, and moving water on the incoming tide has been fishing the best.
They are mostly using live shrimp on a slip float rig for bait, but you can also use Vudu Shrimp and an assortment of soft plastics.
There are also black drum in all the same areas.
There has also been some good fishing for redfish recently, and particularly on the smaller end of the slot they are catching plenty of reds on the shrimp rig. While they can be found in the same areas as the trout, redfish are more commonly found in small potholes, little feeder creeks, along the edges of grass and around rocks right now. Finger mullet are working well too, and they are also picking up some big trout as well as reds in potholes.
Reds will also take finger mullet or Gulp! fished on a 3/8 ounce jighead, and particularly when they fish this way on the bottom they are catching some nice keeper flounder. But even though there are flounder around in the same areas as the reds, they are not biting as well as this summer. The area just has really good summer fishing for flounder.
The jetties continue to be slow for big red drum, but they have caught some good trout and slot redfish at the jetties. There are also sheepshead around.
October 21
Morning surface water temperatures have dropped into the lower 60s inshore around Little River.
The trout fishing continues to pick up on the north end, and Captain Patrick “Smiley” Kelly (843-361-7445) reports that fish are still not as prolific as they will be in a few weeks but the areas that are holding trout are fishing very well. They are catching fish drifting live shrimp on a #6 treble hook under a bobber, and the best action has been coming with the bait about 4 feet down over 5-10 feet of water. Moving water on the incoming tide has been fishing the best.
The trout fishing should get better and better then stay good right through December, or even to February with a mild winter.
There has also been some good fishing for redfish recently, and particularly on the smaller end of the slot they are catching plenty of reds on the shrimp rig. While they can be found in the same areas as the trout, redfish are more commonly found in small potholes, little feeder creeks, along the edges of grass and around rocks right now.
They are also catching lots of black drum on shrimp, and of course the drum will also eat cut shrimp on the bottom.
Reds will also take finger mullet or Gulp! fished on a 3/8 ounce jighead, and particularly when they fish this way on the bottom they are catching some nice keeper flounder. But even though there are flounder around in the same areas as the reds, they are not biting as well as this summer. The area just has really good summer fishing for flounder.
The action for bull red drum has picked up marginally, and while you can catch some fish in the inlet and around the rocks there are also some drum showing up on the beaches. Anywhere there is a bait ball there could be big drum and they will eat live or cut mullet or menhaden.
However, it just hasn’t been a banner year for them and they never showed up in the numbers they usually do.
October 13
Morning surface water temperatures are in the upper 60s inshore around Little River.
While it will only get better in the coming months, Captain Patrick “Smiley” Kelly (843-361-7445) reports that the troutfishing has really picked up on the north end of the Grand Strand. They are catching fish drifting live shrimp on a #6 treble hook under a bobber, and the best action has been coming with the bait about 4 feet down over 5-10 feet of water. Moving water on the incoming tide has been fishing the best.
For now the trout are only in certain creeks, but over the next couple of months they will get more numerous and widespread. The good trout fishing could continue right through December, or even to February with a mild winter.
They are also picking up black drum the same way, and of course the drum will also eat cut shrimp on the bottom.
Redfish on the smaller end of the slot are abundant, and they are catching plenty of reds on the shrimp rig. While they can be found in the same areas as the trout, redfish are more commonly found in small potholes, little feeder creeks, along the edges of grass and around rocks right now. They will also take finger mullet or Gulp! fished on a 3/8 ounce jighead.
Unfortunately the bite for bull red drum has slowed down, and even though they are picking up a few fish the numbers are not good. You can fish for hours and only get one or two bites. It seems there just aren’t many around their inlet this year, and generally for most species the jetties have been less productive than usual recently.
The pattern is the same, and 20-30 feet is a general target depth. Sometimes they will be in holes, sometimes they will be near the rocks, and sometimes they will be a little out from the rocks. A lot depends on the stage of the tide. Cut or live mullet or menhaden are all good baits
