Morning surface water temperatures have dropped to about 68 degrees inshore in Little River and clarity has improved.   

With some beautiful weather this week they have been able to venture out a little more, and Captain Buddy Love of Captain Smiley Fishing Charters (843-361-7445) reports that the fishing for weakfish has been pretty incredible.  They are on the nearshore reefs and off the beaches on any sort of structure in 10-20 feet of water, and you can catch them a variety of different ways.  Jigging spoons, fishing live mullet or mud minnows, and cut shrimp are all working.  It’s not unusual to catch 40 or 50 even though you can only keep one per person.   

At the 3-Mile Reef they are also catching bluefish and Spanish mackerel casting at them, which is partially making up for the fact that the big red drum fishing is still spotty at best in the inlet and around the jetties.  They are scattered and mixed with the sharks, and the numbers just aren’t great.   

Inshore the redfish bite is still good around the tide cycle, and live finger mullet, cut mullet, Vudu Shrimp and more are all working.  Most of the fish they have been catching are in the slot or over, but there are also still tons of smaller redfish around.  If you fish shrimp or smaller pieces of bait you will catch them.  

More trout are also showing up, and even though tides have been a little tricky for trout – and they have not really been targeting them – they are picking up some fish in moving water throwing artificials.  They also caught a nice one on a topwater lure yesterday.   

The flounder are also biting this week, and it seems that there are still decent numbers around.  The best place to look for flounder has still been creek mouths on falling tides.   

Finally, it’s been a really good week for black drum fishing with cut shrimp.  The fish have been around creek mouths, and both the rising and falling tide have been good.    

Morning surface water temperatures have dropped to about 70 degrees inshore in Little River and the ocean water is dirty.  

Even if the species are a bit re-arranged this week it’s still wide open fishing at the top of South Carolina coast, and Captain Buddy Love of Captain Smiley Fishing Charters (843-361-7445) reports that it’s hard to find a tide right now when the redfish are not chomping.  He’s catching them on the high fall, the low fall, and throughout the rising tide. They are even catching them on dead low sight-fishing in a foot of water or less when they see fish pushing water. Overall, live finger mullet, cut mullet, Vudu Shrimp and more are all working.   

Most of the fish they have been catching are in the slot or over, but there are also still tons of smaller redfish around.  If you fish shrimp or smaller pieces of bait you will catch them.   

While not the numbers they will be soon, there are also a few nice trout around.  They are catching them in moving water, generally with live mullet on flounder rigs since they aren’t targeting trout as much yet.  

Speaking of flounder, they are catching less fish right now and the bite is bit tricky.  Perhaps some of the finicky bite is because they are having to use big finger mullet that are harder for the fish to swallow.  Support for that is that, while they are catching less fish, what they are catching has been bigger.  The best place to look for flounder has still been creek mouths on falling tides.  

They are also catching black drum on fresh cut shrimp around rock piles, oyster beds, and creek mouths.  Again, the falling tide is better.   

In the Little River inlet the bull red drum fishing is still hit-or-miss, and it seems like you either strike out or catch 6-10 good fish.  It’s unclear why.  

Finally, before yesterday’s rain there were still some Spanish mackerel off the beaches that could be caught trolling in 15-30 feet of water.  They were also catching some casting at schooling fish.  However, this bite can’t last much longer.