December 22
Inshore surface water temperatures on the north end of the Grand Strand have dropped into the lower 50s, to about 51-53 degrees. The water is super clear.
It’s gotten pretty cold, but Captain Patrick “Smiley” Kelly (843-361-7445) reports that the trout bite is still really hot. For the past couple of weeks the trout fishing has been excellent pretty much everywhere – from the jetties to the ledges and drops in the ICW to deeper sections of shallow creeks. A good depth to fish is 3-5 feet down in 8-10 feet of water.
With fish at that depth one good way to target them is with a slip bobber, and a few area bait stores can still provide live shrimp. Artificial lures will work well, too, and sometimes fish are biting DOA shrimp just as well as the real thing.
Tide has not seemed to matter very much, as long as there is moving water in any direction. At slack tides the fish turn off.
The fishing should stay good for a few more weeks until water temperatures get very, very cold.
On lower stages of the tide there has been good fishing for redfish and black drum at low tide in shallow water. Fish will get in deep pot holes in the shallows. Gulp!, fresh cut shrimp, or live mud minnows will all work.
There have been lots of small ten-inch flounder around but the big ones seem to have left.

Jay A’Hern
Angler’s Headquarters (www.AnglersHeadquarters.com)
P.O. Box 50225
Columbia, SC 29250
jay@usfishingreport.com