North Myrtle Beach October 9, 2008
Toby Fulford, Dan Mason, and Tony Fulford with a 55 lb. wahoo, dolphin, red grouper and king mackerel they off caught Lockwood Folly Inlet aboard Mason's 20' Trophy "Gone Again."
Mark, of Shallow Minded Inshore Fishing, reports that the speckled trout bite has been excellent lately. Anglers are hooking the specks around marker 19, Tillman’s Dock, and the Sunset Beach Bridge off the ICW and in the Calabash River. Live shrimp fished under floats are top choices for the trout, and anglers have also had decent action lately while casting topwater plugs.
Red drum and bluefish are feeding well inshore. The best redfish action has been around docks and creek mouths; so much the better if the two are close together. Live baits like finger mullet will produce action with the reds. A few black drum are holding in the same creek mouths, and they will take an interest in Gulp baits.
The big red drum bite is on in Little River Inlet. Many of the fish are 20-30+ lbs., and anglers should use beefier tackle than they do for smaller reds or flounder in order to avoid over-stressing the fish with long fights. The reds are in the inlet to spawn, and the healthier they are released, the better for future generations of the fish. Live pogies drifted through the inlet are out-producing finger mullet, but half a finger mullet has been effective as well.
The king mackerel action has been wide open along the beaches over the past weeks, and anglers have had good action around the Little River sea buoy, the Jim Caudle, and other nearshore structure. Live pogies are the best baits for the big kings.Patrick, of Capt. Smiley’s Fishing Charters, reports that anglers are catching some big red drum (15-30 lbs.) around the Little River jetties on live, Carolina-rigged finger mullet and shrimp.
Anglers are also hooking some gray trout, sheepshead, and smaller reds while drifting the inlet and casting towards the rocks.
There are a lot of bluefish in the inlet as well, sometimes making it difficult to keep a bait in the water long enough to hook a red.
Spanish mackerel and more bluefish are feeding on the shoals just outside the inlet, and live finger mullet free-lined on the surface will produce fast action with them.
Anglers are also hooking some gray trout, sheepshead, and smaller reds while drifting the inlet and casting towards the rocks.
Inshore, speckled trout are feeding around Dunn Sound and off the ICW. Live shrimp fished beneath popping corks will attract attention from the specks.
In the ICW, anglers are hooking some puppy drum on live finger mullet and shrimp around the Sunset Beach Bridge and the Little River Crossroads.
Amber Kasey, from Goldsboro, NC, with a pair of red drum she and her husband Sonny caught at the Little River Jetties on live shrimp.
Annie, of Cherry Grove Pier, reports that bottom fishermen are catching some black drum on shrimp.
Plug casters have been hooking bluefish, spanish mackerel, and some speckled trout on Gotcha plugs. Cut baits are attracting attention from all three as well.
One king mackerel was caught on a large live bait last week.
Gary Robbies, from Ohio, with a red drum he hooked on a live finger mullet in the ICW near Little River. He was fishing with Capt. Patrick Kelly of Capt. Smiley's Fishing Charters out of North Myrtle Beach.
