May 20
Morning surface water temperatures are in the mid-70s inshore around Little River.
With calmer conditions there have been better fishing conditions this week, and Captain Patrick “Smiley” Kelly (843-361-7445) reports that they have had some exciting inshore opportunities this week. In the Intracoastal Waterway 40-plus inch red drum have showed up, and they are catching them on a Carolina rig with cut ladyfish or mullet. There are also plenty of Atlantic sharpnose sharks around which are giving good action
Redfish can also still be caught in shallow potholes back in the creeks on the low to rising tide. Live mullet, pinfish and Gulp! can all work.
Around shallow sandbars in less than three feet there have also been a mix of ladyfish, trout and bluefish caught on light tackle this week. The key has been having moving water with a good current, and casting silver spoons with a fast retrieve has been the best technique. Trout can also be caught at the jetty rocks on live shrimp which are becoming more widely available.
There are also still some black drum being caught on live or fresh cut shrimp on ledges, and they will also take fiddler crabs fished around structure. There are plenty of sheepshead that have returned inshore around the rocks but some days it’s hard to weed through the little ones. Still, there are keepers.
The flounder fishing is getting better as fish start to spread out more, and they are catching fish in deeper holes and sandy bottoms. The fish are starting to filter out into all the creeks and inlets, and they can also be caught around docks and oyster beds. In addition to live bait, Gulp! new penny, white or chartreuse shrimp are all working.
The storm two nights ago temporarily dirtied the water off the Cherry Grove Pier (843-249-1625), but before (and likely after) that it has been a really good week off the pier. They have had two kings and plenty of people have been limiting on 12-18 inch Spanish mackerel to go along with lots of mid-sized bluefish. They have had a few flounder over 16 inches to go along with lots of short fish, while decent numbers of pompano, whiting and croaker are being caught.
Water temperatures are 75 degrees in the surf.
At the nearshore reefs there are plenty of Spanish mackerel and bluefish around which can be caught casting or trolling spoons. There are also tons of small black sea bass.

May 12
Morning surface water temperatures are around 69 degrees inshore around Little River.
The conditions have been tough for fishing this week, as Captain Patrick “Smiley” Kelly (843-361-7445) reports that 25-30 mile per hour winds have been super challenging. They are still catching some fish but they are really, really having to work for them.
There are still some redfish in shallow potholes back in the creeks on the low to rising tide. Live mullet, pinfish and Gulp! can all work. For trout the key is still having live shrimp, available at Perry’s in Murrells Inlet or Dave’s Outpost in Sunset Beach, North Carolina. They are biting along the ledges in the IntraCoastal Waterway or around the rocks at the jetties. There are also redfish at the rocks.
There are also still some black drum being caught on live or fresh cut shrimp on the same ledges where the trout are located, and they will also take fiddler crabs fished around structure. There are plenty of sheepshead that have returned inshore around the rocks but some days it’s hard to weed through the little ones. Still, there are plenty of keepers.
There are some flounder being caught in the Little River area, but by far the best action continues to be in Cherry Grove. Cherry Grove has a smaller inlet which confines the
fish and gives them less room to roam, and so they are much denser. Drifting live mullet or mud minnows is working but Vudu Shrimp are also effective.
Unsurprisingly the action has also really slowed on the Cherry Grove Pier (843-249-1625), and while they were catching really good numbers of Spanish mackerel before they are only getting a very few since the water conditions got bad. They are also getting the very occasional whiting and croaker, but overall the fishing is just poor.
If someone could get out there, at the nearshore reefs Spanish mackerel and blues should both be plentiful. They can be caught casting small spoons and Gotcha plugs.

May 4
Morning surface water temperatures are around 71 degrees inshore around Little River.
The fishing has been strong recently at the top end of South Carolina’s coast, and Captain Patrick “Smiley” Kelly (843-361-7445) reports that inshore they catching lot of redfish in shallow potholes back in the creeks on the low to rising tide. Live mullet, pinfish and Gulp! are all working.
The trout fishing is also pretty good but the key is still having live shrimp, available at Perry’s in Murrells Inlet or Dave’s Outpost in Sunset Beach, North Carolina. They are biting along the ledges in the IntraCoastal Waterway or around the rocks at the jetties. They are also picking up some redfish at the rocks.
There are also some black drum being caught on live or fresh cut shrimp on the same ledges where the trout are located, and they will also take fiddler crabs fished around structure. There are plenty of sheepshead that have returned inshore around the rocks but some days it’s hard to weed through the little ones. Still, there are plenty of keepers.
There are some flounder being caught in the Little River area, but by far the best action continues to be in Cherry Grove. Cherry Grove has a smaller inlet which confines the
fish and gives them less room to roam, and so they are much denser. Drifting live mullet or mud minnows is working but Vudu Shrimp are also effective.
There’s been some exciting fishing at the Cherry Grove Pier (843-249-1625), and last week they had the first king mackerel of the year while this week has been an excellent week for Spanish mackerel and bluefish. They are getting tons of 16-19 inch Spanish, while bluefish are a range of sizes up to 3 or 4 pounds. Today the water has gotten muddy and so they are only catching whiting and croaker, but when it clears the Spanish should turn back on. They are also getting some keeper flounder.
Speaking of Spanish and blues, at the nearshore reefs both species are plentiful. They are being caught casting small spoons and Gotcha plugs, and when the weather is calm enough to get offshore the action is hot.