July 22
Morning surface water temperatures are around 82-83 degrees at the mouth of Little River Inlet.
Once again there have been some really big flounder caught inshore this week in the Little River area, and Captain Buddy Love of Captain Smiley Fishing Charters (843-361-7445) reports that they have had 25.5- and 24-inch fish as well as a bunch of others in the 20-inch range. One day they had a 17-, 19-, 20-, and 22-inch fish, to go along with a 22-inch trout!
The key has been fishing the falling tide around creek mouths with oyster beds, and both finger mullet and mud minnows have been working. They have even caught some fish on pink paddletail grubs.
But it hasn’t just been flounder, and as mentioned on the rising tide they have been picking up a fair number of trout in some particular spots. Then this morning they had a handful of reds in the slot on finger mullet fished around oyster beds.
Besides flounder, though, the most exciting catch has been black drum. Fish seem to be highly concentrated, and when you find the right structure you can do well quickly. On one dock this week Captain Mark with Captain Smiley Fishing Charters picked up ten black drum from 16-28 inches to go with four reds from 16-25 inches. They all came on live shrimp fished on the bottom.
Just off the beaches there have been a decent number of Spanish mackerel around, and yesterday Captain Buddy caught 7 or 8 trolling before the wind got up. The fishing is much better in the morning and there also seems to be more bait around.
The nearshore reefs have been very slow.
We apologize that these reports are running a few days behind – the author had some unexpected issues in his other job arise.
July 10
Morning surface water temperatures are around 82-83 degrees at the mouth of Little River Inlet and finger mullet have gotten a little more scarce this week.
The inshore fishing has picked up in the Little River area this week, and Captain Buddy Love of Captain Smiley Fishing Charters (843-361-7445) reports that there’s little doubt that the full moon brought in the big flounder. This week they have had four fish over 20 inches, and Tuesday on back-to-back casts a young angler caught a 22.5 inch fish and a 24 inch fish weighing approximately 4 ½ and 6 pounds!
For flounder and redfish the best bite has undoubtedly been on the high falling tide at creek mouths, and even with area tides about an hour later each day the bite has come at the same stage of the tide each cycle regardless of time of day. With finger mullet harder to find they are catching both species on mud minnows.
They are also just now starting to see a fair number of young-of-the-year redfish under the slot, as well as some fish in the slot and over.
The one exception in terms of tide has been trout, and it works nicely that trout are biting better on the rising tide when the water is cleaner around creek mouths and oyster beds. Baby mud minnows or live shrimp under a cork have been catching trout.
With the water getting dirty the quality of the bite off the beaches has dropped off, and the Spanish mackerel are now about 5 miles out.
That’s consistent with the report from the Cherry Grove Pier (843-249-1625), where the water got really dirty after the storm and is only just starting to clear back up. That mostly ran off the Spanish, but they have had some sheepshead over five pounds, flounder over three pounds, black drum, croaker and whiting caught.
July 3
Morning surface water temperatures are around 81 degrees at the mouth of Little River Inlet and there is now plenty of bait including finger mullet and shrimp around.
Strong winds have kept most anglers inshore at the top of the coast this week, but Captain Buddy Love of Captain Smiley Fishing Charters (843-361-7445) reports that the bite has been pretty reliable and they are catching fish every time they go out. Low tide has fallen in the morning this week and they are catching redfish at low tide around structure with both mud minnows and finger mullet. The bite isn’t as good on higher tides, but that could be as much a function of time of day as the tide itself.
The flounder bite has also been decent this week, and really the only issue is finding bigger fish. There are enough flounder around that Captain Buddy can count on catching fish at most of his spots on the falling tide, but getting ones that are 16 inches is hit-or-miss. While mud minnows will still catch flounder they are noticing a strong preference for finger mullet.
Note that the North Carolina trout season has opened, but be conscious of the regulations (and of course have a license) before targeting them if you go. We understand there is a slot as well as restrictive creel limits.
In the surf, last week the fishing was pretty amazing on the Cherry Grove Pier (843-249-1625), but unfortunately it has really fallen off this week – probably in large part because of the dirty water. Flounder, a few Spanish mackerel, and mostly small sharks have been the main catch.
Nearshore the Spanish mackerel fishing can still be really good trolling spoons, but Captain Buddy reports that the challenge is finding days when the wind lays down enough to do it.
June 27
Morning surface water temperatures are around 81 degrees at the mouth of Little River Inlet and bait is getting more and more abundant.
Brutally hot temperatures have not made for the best inshore fishing this week, and Captain Buddy Love of Captain Smiley Fishing Charters (843-361-7445) reports that you really have to be cognizant of temperature factors if you want to catch fish. Another captain saw a 91-degree surface temperature at his boat slip, and so right now time of day is often more important than tide. And tide may be more important as it affects water temperature than for its own sake – low tide is hotter because there is less water and so (combined with afternoon low tides) high tide has been fishing better than low this week.
Overall the best thing going inshore is flounder, and they are basically targeting fish on the last of the rise and the first of the fall. Casting jigheads with finger mullet at creek mouths has been working the best, but fish will also eat mud minnows and menhaden. They are catching a decent number of redfish up to about 34 inches as a by-catch and then a trout about every other day.
Either because they aren’t there or because there are so many bait stealers around it’s almost impossible to fish for black drum in the creeks, but with shrimp you will definitely get all the bites you want from an assortment of species.
For some reason sharks have not been very easy to catch in the inlets.
In the surf, Cherry Grove Pier (843-249-1625) reports that the pier fishing has been pretty fantastic, with bluefish, whiting, croaker, and keeper redfish being caught. But there have also been some headline catches, and Wednesday there were three king mackerel between 17 and 26 pounds. Big Spanish have also been around but no small ones. And then yesterday an angler caught four or five flounder over 20 inches at the end of the pier!
Nearshore the Spanish mackerel fishing has been world-class when conditions allow, and Captain Buddy caught 16 good ones in 30 minutes one day trolling in 25 feet of water. Fish are everywhere and they are all nice-sized. In 50-80 feet there are also lots of cobia and barracuda around.
June 19
Morning surface water temperatures are around 80 degrees at the mouth of Little River Inlet and bait is getting more and more abundant.
The inshore fishing at the north end of the Grand Strand has picked up significantly this week, and Captain Buddy Love of Captain Smiley Fishing Charters (843-361-7445) reports that the biggest improvement is with the redfish. The best action has been on the falling tide, and they are catching fish on mud minnows at the creek mouths and around oyster beds.
They are still picking up some black drum on structure with cut shrimp, and the sizes of flounder are improving. Captain Buddy notes that the grade varies from day to day, but they are seeing more and more keepers caught on the falling tide where creek mouths are draining out. However, some days they can only get into smaller fish. Overall, it seems they are schooling by size and if you run into a good school it can be a good day. And luckily more schools of better fish have arrived.
They are still not pursuing trout very much.
Sharks are around if anglers are looking for them, and with cut bait in the inlets it’s hard to miss.
In the surf, Cherry Grove Pier (843-249-1625) reports whiting and croaker have been consistent and they are picking up a few flounder. Today good-sized black drum have been abundant, while sheepshead were yesterday, but Spanish mackerel have been few-and-far-between. They have not had a king mackerel since June 12.
June 11
Morning surface water temperatures are around 80 degrees at the mouth of Little River Inlet and bait is getting more and more abundant.
The inshore fishing at the north end of the Grand Strand continues to be reliable, and Captain Buddy Love of Captain Smiley Fishing Charters (843-361-7445) reports that the bait situation is also getting better and better. More and more mullet are usable each day, and shrimp are also getting more common.
Most of the major species are feeding well, and redfish are eating at the creek mouths and around oyster beds. The best time to fish for them has been the high falling tide when water is draining out of the grass, and then the low rising tide when oyster beds and structure is first getting flooded. Mud minnows have been working as well as anything.
They are picking up some black drum on structure with cut shrimp, and the population of flounder is improving. Captain Buddy notes that the Little River area is usually the last to get flounder each year, but they are seeing more and more keepers caught on the falling tide where creek mouths are draining out. Some docks are also holding flounder.
The weakest fishing is with trout, but again they have not been pursuing them very much.
Sharks are around if anglers are looking for them, and with cut bait in the inlets it’s hard to miss.
Off the beaches Spanish mackerel have really slowed and they seem to have pushed further offshore.
Consistent with that, Cherry Grove Pier (843-249-1625) reports that the Spanish have been almost non-existent but overall catches have been very good. They are reporting black drum, redfish, flounder, trout, whiting, croaker, and spot – mostly in good numbers!
May 29
Morning surface water temperatures are around 76 degrees at the mouth of Little River Inlet and bait is getting more and more abundant.
This week the inshore fishing at the north end of the Grand Strand has continued a pretty normal progression, and Captain Buddy Love of Captain Smiley Fishing Charters (843-361-7445) reports that they are seeing more and more bait around.
The bite has been pretty consistent, and the catch right now is still predominately flounder and redfish. There are good numbers of flounder on both the South and North Carolina sides, but keepers are still a little hard to come by. However, a few more keepers have showed up this week than last week and the keeper ratio should only get better in the near future. The best time to fish for flounder has been the falling tide, and they are biting the best around creek mouths. They still seem to want to hold over sand or mud more than oysters.
The best redfish action has still come in skinny water, and if you can find a low rising tide then you can watch redfish pushing shrimp along the banks. You can also find reds around docks and other structure at a variety of stages of the tide.
Trout catches have been pretty thin although they are not primarily targeting them, but they are catching lots of juvenile black drum when fishing with shrimp.
Fishing off the beaches is fairly steady, and Cherry Grove Pier (843-249-1625) reports that they are still getting smaller flounder, Spanish mackerel, and lots of spots. Still no king mackerel.
Further off the beaches Captain Buddy reports that Spanish mackerel are still around, while nearshore there aren’t as many right now.
Our family is travelling for our annual beach vacation next week, but we will resume regular fishing reports the following week.
May 21
Morning surface water temperatures are around 77 degrees at the mouth of Little River Inlet and the ocean water is clean and clear. Bait is getting more and more abundant.
More and more life is arriving inshore at the north end of the Grand Strand, and Captain Buddy Love of Captain Smiley Fishing Charters (843-361-7445) reports that with water temperatures in the mid- to upper 70s they are seeing more mullet and starting to find some bait-size shrimp. However, neither have gotten thick enough that they are easy to catch and so they are looking more to mud minnows for bait as busy as they have gotten with charters.
The bite has been pretty consistent, and the catch right now is predominately flounder and redfish. There are good numbers of flounder on both the South and North Carolina sides, but keepers are still a little hard to come by. Even at night they haven’t seen very many big ones, but there are a lot of boats out gigging. The best time to fish for flounder has been the falling tide, and they are biting the best around creek mouths. Right now they seem to want to hold over sand or mud more than oysters.
The best redfish action has come in skinny water, and if you can find a low rising tide then you can watch redfish pushing shrimp along the banks. They have caught some jumbo fish up to 34 inches on this pattern. You can also find reds around docks and other structure at a variety of stages of the tide.
They are not targeting trout right now but have caught a few incidentally, but there are still a fair number of black drum around. Generally the ones they catch are smaller than a month or two ago, but the real problem is that you have to wade through a lot of smaller fish when using shrimp for black drum. Of course, with youth anglers (and some adults) that can be part of the fun!
Fishing off the beaches is fairly steady, and Cherry Grove Pier (843-249-1625) reports that they are getting whiting, spot, croaker, black drum, and occasional flounder. They have also had a very few Spanish mackerel caught but no kings.
Further off the beaches Captain Buddy reports that they trolled for a while and caught about 20 Spanish with twelve keepers yesterday, and he was pleased to get a bite about every five minutes. He suspects there are some big kings lurking around the Spanish.
Nearshore the reefs are pretty crowded but there aren’t as many Spanish as closer to the beaches, and the cobia have not yet arrived. It’s also hard to get menhaden right now with the schools up around Holden Beach.
May 8
Morning surface water temperatures are around 73 degrees at the mouth of Little River Inlet and bait is arriving. Menhaden are becoming more common and they are seeing more mullet, but bait-sized shrimp are not yet around.
The inshore fishing continues to be strong at the north end of the Grand Strand, although Captain Buddy Love of Captain Smiley Fishing Charters (843-361-7445) reports that outside of the Cherry Grove area they aren’t seeing many big flounder yet. Black drum continue to be very consistent on low to mid-tides both on the rise and the fall around structure, with cut shrimp working very well. On low water redfish are still schooled up, and they are eating minnows or shrimp. They have even been able to sight-fish for reds at low tide, targeting them with both artificial lures and flipping mud minnows.
While they are not really targeting trout because of concerns about the numbers, they did catch a 22 ½ inch fish recently and so there are certainly a few good fish around.
Fishing off the beaches continues to improve, and Cherry Grove Pier (843-249-1625) reports that good numbers of 17-21 inch flounder are being caught. Additionally they are getting croaker, black drum and bluefish, but so far no king mackerel have been landed.
Nearshore the bonito are gone in the warmer temperatures, but good numbers of Spanish mackerel and bluefish are around. Cobia should be arriving any day, but so far they have not seen them. There should also be some flounder on the reefs but Captain Buddy has not yet targeted them.
Buddy has been offshore trolling a good bit, and while the numbers of dolphin are decent – especially way out – they also had strikes from four marlin yesterday. They also caught a blackfin tuna.
April 24
Morning surface water temperatures are around 67 degrees at the mouth of Little River Inlet and bait is flooding back in. Schools of mullet are starting to be seen as well as tons of small menhaden.
Everything is getting better around Little River as temperatures approach 70, and Captain Buddy Love of Captain Smiley Fishing Charters (843-361-7445) reports that all the major inshore species are taking off. In addition to plenty of smaller fish they caught three nice flounder last week, with the best action coming on the falling tide at creek mouths with mud minnows. At the last of the fall cut shrimp on the bottom are working very well for black drum around most any structure, while the rising tide has been best for trout. If you can get them live shrimp are far better than anything else and fishing them on a slip cork in 3-5 feet of water around creek mouths and oyster beds has been effective. It’s been interesting to see the great diversity in sizes of trout right now, ranging from some very small to large fish. Finally, redfish are mostly broken out of their large winter groups, scattering out, and feeding up. They aren’t too picky about baits and will eat around the tide cycle.
Fishing off the beaches continues to improve, and Cherry Grove Pier (843-249-1625) reports that good numbers of bluefish and Spanish mackerel are being caught to go along with whiting and croaker. There are plenty of king mackerel fishermen out there trying to get a jump on the season.
Speaking of kings, Captain Buddy reports that yesterday they caught their first king mackerel of the year while fishing nearshore for bluefish and Spanish mackerel. When you can get after them the bluefish and Spanish bite is absolutely fantastic, and even though bonito are dropping off there are still plenty around. Weakfish have been very rare.
April 9
Morning surface water temperatures are around 67 degrees at the mouth of Little River Inlet but seeing low to mid-70s in the creeks is common during the day.
The inshore fishing in the Little River area is chugging along, and Captain Buddy Love of Captain Smiley Fishing Charters (843-361-7445) reports that the exciting news is that the flounder have started to show up. They usually arrive in shallower inlets like the Cherry Grove area first, and already some keeper-sized fish are being caught there. In the creeks around Little River they have mainly been catching sub-keepers.
But still the best action is for black and red drum, with fish feeding pretty well around the tide cycle although the falling tide has still been slightly better than the rising. Most fish are being caught around oyster beds in 3-6 feet of water and dead shrimp has been working the best for both species.
They are also picking up a few trout as a by-catch while pursuing other species, but honestly trying not to target them too much for now to allow the population to regrow.
Fishing off the beaches continues to improve, and Cherry Grove Pier (843-249-1625) reports that whiting, flounder, croaker, black drum, and a few Spanish mackerel are being caught, as well as a large number of bluefish.
Nearshore, Captain Smiley Fishing Charters reports that Spanish mackerel are just starting to show up but the bonito have arrived in really good numbers. They caught 21 trolling plugs and spoons one day this week.
