It’s not every December when the inshore fishing in South Carolina is improving!  About a month ago Guide Kevin “Stump” Grant of Pawley’s Island Guide Service (843-833-4477) reported that the bite for the “big four” inshore species – redfish, trout, flounder and black drum – was good in the Georgetown area, although the flounder bite was declining as the black drum bite was getting stronger.  Today I spoke to Stump again, and he says that even though last month was good this month is even better!  All the species that are in the area are “chewing” with this warm weather.

The best inshore fishing at the moment is for spotted seatrout, and a lot of trout are being caught on both live baits as well as artificial lures.   Live shrimp, DOA Shrimp, Savage Gear Shrimp, and Vudu Shrimp can be fished under a float rig.  With water temperatures still in the upper 50s and lower 60s there has even been decent topwater activity, and Mirrolures and Rapala SW-08s are both catching fish.  Trout activity has been good at the Georgetown jetties as well as in big, open bays such as Bulls Bay, Mud Bay, and around the Cape Romain area.

Redfish are being caught just about everywhere, including shallow flats, ditches around oyster beds and at the jetties.  With very warm temperatures they are still out cruising and looking for food and have not pushed up into their big winter schools in the very backs.  Reds will eat just about anything, from artificials to live bait to fresh cut bait.

Black drum are also doing well, and they are being caught from nearshore areas well back into the creeks.  At the jetties fish will be tight against the rocks, while in the creeks the best areas to look for black drum are around deeper holes.  These holes could only be mild depressions, such as a 4-foot deep hole surrounded by 2 or 3 feet of water.  Live shrimp under a float as well as cut or whole dead shrimp on the bottom will catch black drum.

There are still a few juvenile flounder around, but for the most part they have moved away.  In their place Stump’s boat is targeting sheepshead at the jetty rocks, either fishing with fiddler crabs, cut shrimp, or whole live shrimp.

Offshore: Georgetown Landing Marina (843-546-1776) reports that typical of the season nearshore and offshore bottom fishing is hot!   A number of boats have headed out in the beautiful conditions and report impressive catches of grouper, vermillion snapper, triggerfish and black sea bass.

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