January 21
Morning surface water temperatures are about 49 degrees at the mouth of Little River Inlet. Water clarity is high.
It’s a funny time to fish inshore at the top of the South Carolina coast, and Captain Buddy Love of Captain Smiley Fishing Charters (843-361-7445) reports that with water temperatures generally between about 48 and 52 degrees inshore it’s not unusual to fish the exact same pattern two days in a row and have a great day and a terrible day. That’s because fish don’t have to eat every day, and so there will be times when you are on top of them but they just won’t feed.
Basically there are trout and redfish around right now, and reds are frequently found in deep holes in the creeks at low tide where trout can also be mixed with them. However these trout are commonly very lethargic. The more productive schools of trout are often in the Intracoastal Waterway, especially if you can find some water that’s a little warmer. But regardless you have to present either live bait or artificials very precisely to them to get bites. The other place where there are some good groups of trout are at the jetties, and on the falling tide that can also be a good place to catch red drum.
Again, nothing is having to eat every day and so if you pick warmer days to fish you dramatically improve your chances of catching and not just casting.
Off the beach at the Cherry Grove Pier (843-249-1625) there has been a little fishing activity and the catch is mainly small croaker and whiting.
December 23
Morning surface water temperatures are about 51 degrees at the mouth of Little River Inlet. Water clarity is high.
The trout are still around inshore at the top of the South Carolina coast, and Captain Buddy Love of Captain Smiley Fishing Charters (843-361-7445) reports that with milder conditions he expects them to continue biting as long as there is no major freeze.
The bites are usually subtle, and fishing with Vudu Shrimp or soft jerkbaits they will often inhale it very lightly or just slap at it. But fish are very bunched up, and when you find them feeding you can catch a lot of fish in one area. Holes and various kinds of structure are magnets for winter trout schools.
They are also targeting redfish and finding them in back creeks and holes in 1-6 feet of water. The best time to fish for them is on the low rise. They bite just as well on falling water but in the areas where they are hanging out for the winter it’s very easy to get stuck when the bottom drops out.
Juvenile black drum should be around structure if you put out dead shrimp.
Off the beach at the Cherry Grove Pier (843-249-1625) there haven’t been a lot of trophies caught, but there has been scattered action for the fishermen who come out. They are catching short flounder, small spadefish, undersized black drum, and small croaker and whiting.
December 17
Morning surface water temperatures are around 50 degrees at the mouth of Little River Inlet but in the mid to upper-40s in the creeks. Water clarity is high.
The trout are still around inshore at the top of the South Carolina coast, but Captain Buddy Love of Captain Smiley Fishing Charters (843-361-7445) reports the fish are very lethargic and it’s that time of year where they just don’t have to feed consistently every day.
There is a pattern to the bite, though, and when you get a burst of warmer weather it seems to turn the fish on and get them feeding better – just a couple of degrees can make a huge difference. But even then fish are still not feeding very aggressively, and fishing with Vudu Shrimp or soft jerkbaits they will often inhale it very lightly or just slap at it. The good news is that the fish are very bunched up, and when you find them feeding on a warm day you can catch a lot of fish in one area. They managed 19 trout they could have kept from a single spot on a trip after it warmed up this week.
They are also starting to target redfish more and finding them in back creeks and holes in 1-6 feet of water. The best time to fish for them is on the low rise. They bite just as well on falling water but in the areas where they are hanging out for the winter it’s very easy to get stuck when the bottom drops out.
Off the beach at the Cherry Grove Pier (843-249-1625) there has been little fishing activity but some croaker and whiting are still around.
December 4
Morning surface water temperatures are around 57 degrees at the mouth of Little River Inlet and water clarity is getting high.
The inshore trout fishing is still strong at the top of the South Carolina coast, and Captain Buddy Love of Captain Smiley Fishing Charters (843-361-7445) reports that this week they have had some big trout up to about 22 inches. Now that the water has gotten clearer the tide is making less of a difference, and as long as you have moving water in either direction and shell beds fish are biting. About 3-6 feet of water has been the best depth range and both live shrimp and Vudu shrimp are working.
They are not catching very many redfish but that is mainly a function of not targeting them often. The reds have moved into very skinny water, and they are in back creeks and holes in 1-6 feet of water. The best time to fish for them is on the low rise. They bite just as well on falling water but in the areas where they are hanging out for the winter it’s very easy to get stuck when the bottom drops out.
They are picking up a few black drum, and they are easier to target now that most of the bait stealers have disappeared. They will be found around any structure including docks, downed trees, or shells, and there are also plenty out at the jetties. Cut shrimp is all you need.
Off the beach at the Cherry Grove Pier (843-249-1625) the fishing has slowed down and they are catching croaker, whiting, and a few bluefish.
November 20
Morning surface water temperatures are around 61 degrees at the mouth of Little River Inlet. The water is getting clearer.
The inshore trout fishing is only getting better at the top of the South Carolina coast, and Captain Buddy Love of Captain Smiley Fishing Charters (843-361-7445) reports that as long as there is moving water they are catching fish. The rising tide has been better than falling tides because the water is cleaner, but fish are feeding so well that at the right depth they will bite on either. In general the best action is coming around structure that creates a current break in 3-5 feet of water, and both live shrimp and Vudu shrimp are working. They are also picking up some occasional black drum and a fair number of redfish in the same areas, but if they fished slower moving water they could greatly increase the catches of redfish.
Overall trout have been a mixed grade, with lots of short fish but also plenty of schools of better ones.
While they have not needed to target the jetties, both trout and redfish are abundant there as well.
Off the beach at the Cherry Grove Pier (843-249-1625) the action for whiting has been very good, and they are also catching croaker, weakfish, and a few bluefish. Decent numbers of black drum and flounder have also been picked up but they are mostly undersized.
At the nearshore reefs both bluefish and weakfish are abundant, but to get down to the
big weakfish you basically need heavy weight or a ½ or ¾ ounce spoon.
Finally, Captain Buddy went offshore trolling this week and they caught four nice wahoo and four blackfin tuna. There are tons of blackfin around right now.
November 6
Morning surface water temperatures are around 62-63 degrees at the mouth of Little River Inlet but 58-60 inside the creeks. The water is getting clearer.
The inshore trout fishing has gotten really good at the top of the coast, and Captain Buddy Love of Captain Smiley Fishing Charters (843-361-7445) reports that for the first time today they caught fish at every stop. They are getting about twenty or more fish on each trip, and on either the rise or the fall they catching fish in 5-6 feet of water along shell banks, creek mouths, or anywhere else where a current rip is created. Live shrimp have been the key, but on slack tides they are also catching fish with artificials. Today they had four nice keepers on Vudu Shrimp when the tide slowed down.
The flounder are about gone, although they did get one two days ago, but the redfish are starting to form schools at low tide in the skinny water. They caught a half-dozen sight-fishing on a recent trip.
There are lots of sheepshead at the jetties, while nearshore at the 3-Mile Reef there are small bluefish and weakfish.
Finally, off the beach at the Cherry Grove Pier (843-249-1625) they report that the bull drum run has ended, but they are picking up some slot-sized red drum and a few whiting. They are also getting a good number of big whiting and some spots. A few late-season flounder are being caught but they are pretty much all under-sized.
October 30
Morning surface water temperatures are around 65 degrees at the mouth of Little River Inlet but 61 inside the creeks. Shrimp and finger mullet are getting harder to find but are still around in certain areas.
Inshore fishing at the top of the coast has finally turned a corner in the last 48 hours, and Captain Buddy Love of Captain Smiley Fishing Charters (843-361-7445) reports that as temperatures have finally dropped the trout, redfish, and late-season flounder that were so scattered out just a few days ago have started to really tighten up. While this is almost certainly the very tail end of the flounder fishing, redfish and trout (and the last of the flounder) are holding in similar locations and larger schools along creek banks with oyster beds. The best action is in 3-5 feet of water, and moving water in either direction at the top of the tide cycle has been the most productive.
Live shrimp under a popping cork have been working well, but they are also catching more fish on artificials.
Off the beach at the Cherry Grove Pier (843-249-1625) they report that there are still a very few, very large, bull red drum being caught, but the greater part of the catch is now spot, croaker, whiting, and even pompano. They are also getting some nice flounder, perhaps as they migrate out of the creeks towards offshore waters.
October 22
Morning surface water temperatures are around 69 degrees at the mouth of Little River Inlet and the water is a bit dirty. Shrimp and finger mullet are still prolific.
The top of the coast is in an in-between stage for inshore fishing right now, and – while Captain Buddy Love of Captain Smiley Fishing Charters (843-361-7445) reports that they are picking up some flounder, trout and redfish – nothing is really on fire. Basically they are past the best of the flounder fishing as particularly the better fish are heading offshore, but temperatures need to bump down a few more degrees before the best trout fishing starts. Today they had two short flounder, two slot red drum, and five trout, and so it does seems like the trout fishing is close to firing off. They usually look for mid-60s for it to really get going.
The best pattern for trout and redfish has been fishing the last of the rise and first of the fall along creek banks. Live shrimp have been the best bait.
As the flounder started to slow for a while the bull red drum in the inlet were keeping most charter boats busy, but that bite is now on the wane, too.
Unsurprisingly then, off the beach at the Cherry Grove Pier (843-249-1625) they report that the bull red drum are much more sporadic than a week ago. Now they are getting a ton of ½ to 2-pound bluefish, croaker, whiting, and spot.
October 15
Morning surface water temperatures are around 70 degrees at the mouth of Little River Inlet. Shrimp are still everywhere and, while there are less finger mullet inside the creeks, there are still plenty around.
It’s definitely good fall fishing at the top of the South Carolina coast, and Captain Buddy Love of Captain Smiley Fishing Charters (843-361-7445) reports that – while some of the bigger flounder may be starting to leave inshore waters to head out – you can still catch a ton of small fish as well as decent numbers of keepers. The best fishing for flounder has been on the dropping tide at creek mouths, although in North Carolina where there are more flounder they are also biting on the rising tide. Finger mullet have been the best bait.
Redfish of various sizes are also mixed in with the catch, and they seem to be biting best on the falling tide as well. We are getting into a fall/ winter pattern where redfish are more likely to be found around structure. With shrimp you will catch black drum in the same areas, too, and they are also biting best on the dropping tide.
Today they caught a giant 25 ½ inch trout on a finger mullet fished on the bottom, but overall the trout fishing hasn’t quite gotten going. They expect it to fire off once temperatures drop a couple of degrees.
With some clearer water again the bite off beach at the Cherry Grove Pier (843-249-1625) has picked up for everything except bull reds, which have slowed a little, and they are getting lots of bluefish, some Spanish mackerel, small flounder in the morning, black drum, red drum, and the occasional big sheepshead.
In the inlet as well as off the beaches the bull reds are still biting well on cut mullet on the bottom, but it does seem that they bite better the rougher the conditions.
From the jetties to nearshore there has not been much of a Spanish mackerel or king mackerel bite.
October 9
Morning surface water temperatures are around 76 degrees at the mouth of Little River Inlet. Bait is abundant.
The hottest thing going now at the top of the Grand Strand is the bull red drum fishing, and Captain Buddy Love of Captain Smiley Fishing Charters (843-361-7445) reports that off the beaches and in the inlets the rough weather really has them chewing! All you really need to catch them is cut bait on the bottom, but mullet seems to be working the best.
Unsurprisingly then, Cherry Grove Pier (843-249-1625) reports that they have had a steady catch of bull drum in recent days, and their anglers are releasing lots of fish 20 pounds and up. There are also a fair number of blues (sizes all over the places), lots of 11-15 inch Spanish mackerel as well as a few bigger ones, and in the morning and at night spot are running. The last king was caught on October 4 and they have also had a few big flounder and sheepshead.
Inshore Captain Buddy reports that it’s just good fall fishing, and they are still catching a large number of flounder, trout and redfish. As temperatures drop all three species are biting better and more black drum are in the mix. Everything will eat shrimp while flounder, trout and redfish will also eat finger mullet.
Once again we are in a series of very high fall tides, and the key to catching fish remains fishing when the tide is moving slower. As soon as it speeds up in the middle of the cycle everything shuts down, but then if you are willing to wait it out it gets good again. Creek mouths and oyster bars have provided the most consistent action.
There’s not much to report from the jetties or nearshore because it’s been too rough to get out there consistently.