Fishing Report
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
Morning surface water temperatures are around 76 degrees inshore around Little River, and there are a ton of shrimp and finger mullet in the creeks. In the ocean the big mullet are running.
It was a good week for fishing at the top of the Grand Strand, but Captain Patrick “Smiley” Kelly (843-361-7445) reports that yesterday when the wind started to gust a little and they could tell a storm was coming the bite began to slow. After the storm the fishing should get hot again.
The flounder fishing has been good for most of the past week, and the North Carolina season will close to harvest again on Saturday. However, the bite on this side of the line has also been pretty good. Fish are mainly in the main creek channels and around the mouths of smaller creeks, and 3-8 feet has been the target range. The rocks in the inlet have also held some fish.
Mullet and Gulp! are both working.
Black drum have also been plentiful, and on the outgoing tide they are catching fish around oyster bars and docks. Live and fresh cut shrimp are both working.
The big bull red drum have been a little hit-or-miss in the inlet, but they can be caught around the rocks on mullet or menhaden. Slot reds have not been great either, but they are in the usual places and especially creek mouths. Live shrimp, cut mullet, and live finger mullet are all working.
Trout have been slow.
Inshore there have been a surprising number of small gag grouper, and even though they usually only get 3 or 4 all year they are catching a couple most places they stop and 10 or so per day. They are in the creeks in shallow water. Release them with care because they still have a lot of growing to do!
Despite the weather Cherry Grove Pier (843-249-1625) reports that today they have been catching a lot of spot, croaker and whiting. Last Sunday they had three kings and there are plenty of Spanish being caught every day the water is clear. There is a lot of life close in right now.
Nearshore out at the Caudle Reef there have been abundant flounder, and Spanish mackerel are also around.
September 8
Morning surface water temperatures are around 82-83 degrees inshore around Little River, and most of this week conditions have been calm.
The mullet run is underway along the Grand Strand, but with the brief window where you can keep a North Carolina flounder open right now Captain Patrick “Smiley” Kelly (843-361-7445) reports that it’s been hard to focus on much else. For a while now they’ve know just how many big ones were living in North Carolina waters, and that was proven this week when they caught a 24-incher! Mud minnows, finger mullet, live shrimp, Gulp!, Vudu Shrimp and more will all catch fish.
With calm conditions, they have also still been able to get after the Spanish mackerel and the bite has been pretty outstanding. Fish can be caught anywhere nearshore that there are pods of bait (and usually birds diving on them), but probably the best fishing has been out by the jetty rocks. Live chumming and then casting out live baits has been working really well for nice fish up to the 3-5 pound range, and they have found the hook-up ratio is better hooking the baits through the tail. You can also cast topwater lures at the fish.
Inshore the usual early fall patterns for redfish are working, and Captain Smiley reports that you can catch fish around docks, oyster beds and downed trees. While you can certainly get into an area where there are more very small redfish regardless of bait, in general it seems like live shrimp are getting more little bites while cut mullet are catching bigger fish.
Out at the jetty rocks the big breeder-sized redfish have moved in, and you can catch them on live or cut menhaden or mullet.
Trout have not been especially prolific yet but if you drift with live shrimp you will find them.
The last couple of days the water got dirty and so the fishing on the Cherry Grove Pier (843-249-1625) fell apart, but before that the fishing was pretty good for Spanish mackerel and spot. Today they did have a cobia just under the limit but under than that it has gotten pretty slow.
Bluefish and small cobia can also be caught out at the nearshore reefs, but the flounder fishing has been really good out there.
August 30
Morning surface water temperatures are around 83 degrees inshore around Little River, and on the beach side the water is very clear.
More calm days have made fishing outside the creeks accessible again, and Captain Patrick “Smiley” Kelly (843-361-7445) reports that the Spanish mackerel bite has been pretty outstanding. Fish can be caught anywhere nearshore that there are pods of bait (and usually birds diving on them), but probably the best fishing has been out by the jetty rocks. Live chumming and then casting out live baits has been working really well for nice fish up to the 3-5 pound range, and they have found the hook-up ratio is better hooking the baits through the tail. You can also cast topwater lures at the fish which is a blast.
Bluefish and small cobia can also be caught out at the nearshore reefs, but the flounder fishing has been really good out there.
Inshore the flounder patterns are about the same, but the big news is that starting this Thursday you can keep one flounder per day out of North Carolina waters for the month of September. All summer the flounder population has been excellent in the Tar Heel State, but every fish has had to be released, and so this is an exciting opportunity.
Inshore the usual early fall patterns for redfish are working, and Captain Smiley reports that you can catch fish around docks, oyster beds and downed trees. While you can certainly get into an area where there are more very small redfish regardless of bait, in general it seems like live shrimp are getting more little bites while cut mullet are catching bigger fish.
Out at the jetty rocks the big breeder-sized redfish have moved in, and you can catch them on live or cut menhaden or mullet.
Trout have not been especially prolific yet but if you drift with live shrimp you will find them.
The ocean is beautiful right now and so it’s no surprise that Cherry Grove Pier (843-249-1625) reports that they have had four or five king mackerel in the last few days and also jumped some tarpon. For now they are catching pretty good numbers of mostly smaller flounder, trout and Spanish mackerel while eating-sized whiting have been fairly abundant.
August 18
Morning surface water temperatures are around 82 degrees inshore around Little River, and with less wind the last few days water clarity is picking up.
With a couple of calmer days Captain Patrick “Smiley” Kelly (843-361-7445) reports that they have been able to get out to target the Spanish mackerel around the inlet. If you chase the birds you will see the fish feeding on small pods of glass minnows or menhaden, and you can cast topwater plus or castings jigs at them. Bluefish in the 18-20 inch range are also mixed in with the Spanish mackerel.
Inshore fishing is still pretty good for a wide variety of species including redfish, trout, croaker and more. Live shrimp and mud minnows have been working in holes in the creeks as well as around oyster beds and grass lines.
The black drum fishing has finally slowed down, and while there are still some fish at the Tillman docks it’s not like it was a couple of weeks ago.
There are also big drum at jetties, and they have been caught on the bottom with live menhaden. Sharks are also mixed in.
You can also float live shrimp off the rocks for trout.
The flounder fishing continues to be outstanding, although inshore it’s best on the North Carolina side where it’s strictly catch-and-release. Small live menhaden, live finger mullet and mud minnows are all working.
With the cleaner water the king mackerel fishing has turned on off the Cherry Grove Pier (843-249-1625), and they report a 28-pound fish today, another good one lost and a 16-pound fish yesterday. Other than that the bite has been a little spotty with small flounder and occasional croaker, whiting and sharks.
