Fishing Report
It’s hard to put a finger on why, but Captain Buddy Love with Captain Smiley Fishing Charters (843-361-7445) reports that the action for flounder has been surprisingly good over the last few days. There are still more, bigger fish in North Carolina because of the harvest closure, but in South Carolina creeks they are finding a ton of them compared to a just a week or two ago. They are moving around a lot and feeding best on the falling tide, although they have caught a few on the rising tide. Larger mud minnows seem to be working the best.
It's still a pretty fair bite for scattered redfish and black drum in the creek mouths with live shrimp on a slip cork rig. The falling tide has been best, and you can also pick up redfish on live finger mullet.
Trout are scattered in the same areas, but they have been pretty small and honestly don’t merit a lot of focus right now.
It’s still a pretty incredible Spanish mackerel bite most days, and the last time they went after them they managed to get ten per hour. They also seem to be getting bigger. But they were most surprised by how good the bite was even after the water got dirtier after storms a couple of nights ago.
Twenty-five feet of water is the magic depth, and you can catch them trolling spoons on #1 or #2 planer boards. There are also still some times when you can cast at them.
It’s not fall inshore fishing, but Captain Buddy Love with Captain Smiley Fishing Charters (843-361-7445) reports that they are doing pretty well catching scattered redfish and black drum in the creek mouths with live shrimp on a slip cork rig. The falling tide has been best, and you can also pick up redfish on live finger mullet.
Trout are also around in the same areas, but they have been small.
The flounder are fairly prolific, but south of the border most of them are short fish right now. There are some keeper fish that can be caught at creek mouths, but it seems like most of the better fish have headed out to the jetties or nearshore.
It’s still a pretty incredible Spanish mackerel bite some days, and the last time they went after them they managed to troll up one about every ten minutes. Twenty-five feet of water is the magic depth, and you can catch them trolling spoons on #1 or #2 planer boards. There are also still some times when you can cast at them.
It’s July on the South Carolina coast, and Captain Buddy Love with Captain Smiley Fishing Charters (843-361-7445) reports that some days you have to work to catch the inshore species. But they are still biting, and each trip they are managing to pick up some combination of flounder, trout and redfish. Unfortunately most of the keeper flounder seem to be north of the border in North Carolina, but if you weed through smaller fish you can still find some in South Carolina waters.
While for flounder you will have the best success dragging baits along the bottom, to pick up a mixed inshore bag live shrimp or finger mullet under a slip cork have been the best bait. Target moving water and look around shell beds. Recently the falling tide has been the best. You can also pick up redfish as well as occasional black drum with cut shrimp on the bottom in holes and around oysters.
Even as the resident fish can slow down in the heat, the Spanish mackerel bite is still red-hot. Trolling spoons is a great way to catch them, but recently they caught 30 fish casting at the schools. Spanish are generally off the beaches in 20-30 feet of water, although sometimes they will come closer. Birds will usually show you the way if the fish are schooling.
Finally, the best fighting fish easily accessible right now are sharks, and there are some big ones inside as well as off the beaches. In 25-30 feet of water they have gotten into some hammerheads recently.
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.