North Myrtle – August 28, 2014
Capt. Harold Rohrback with a 28″ red drum that struck a MirrOlure topwater plug near Little River while he was fishing near Little River Inlet with Capt. Patrick Kelly of Capt. Smiley’s Fishing Charters.
Patrick, of Capt. Smiley’s Fishing Charters, reports that fishing’s been good over the past week around Little River. Anglers are seeing some action with some stout slot and over-slot red drum, speckled trout, ladyfish, and bluefish at a variety of local spots. Some of the best action has been just inshore of Little River Inlet and in Dunn Sound and Bonaparte Creek.
Mullet are running the banks of the ICW and creeks, and the fish are taking advantage. Anglers are hooking good numbers of slot and over-slot red drum along the grass edges and oyster bars in the area. The reds have been very willing to bite topwater plugs recently, which has been providing some exciting visual action for anglers. Soft plastics and live and cut baits fished on jigheads and under popping corks are fooling the reds when they won’t commit to the topwaters.
The specks (some 3-4 lbs.) are falling for live shrimp and finger mullet fished on jigheads and float rigs. Bluefish and ladyfish aren’t picky eaters and are biting all the same baits as the specks and reds.
A few flounder have been mixed into the same areas as the reds and specks, and anglers are also hooking good numbers in Tubbs Inlet and other known flatfish spots in the area. Live finger mullet and Gulp baits are both hard for the flatfish to turn down.
Mark, of Shallow Minded Inshore Fishing Charters, reports that anglers have been seeing some good action inshore around Little River recently.
Joe Gregorinci, of Willow Springs, NC, with a pair of flounder that bit Gulp baits while he was fishign the Southport waterfront.
Little River Inlet has been producing mixed-bag action with some large red drum, black drum, ladyfish, bluefish, sharks, and more. Live shrimp and live and cut finger mullet and menhaden are producing most of the action in the inlet.
Back in the creeks, anglers are finding some upper and over-slot red drum along with respectable numbers of keeper flounder. Live shrimp and finger mullet will also get the job done inshore.
Anglers are finding more reds along with some black drum, flounder, and speckled trout around Tubbs Inlet and ICW structure like Sunset Beach Bridge.
The flounder bite remains decent in the ocean as well, but the weather hasn’t let anglers get out there on a daily basis lately. Dropping live finger mullet and menhaden to nearshore structure like the Jim Caudle Reef is the way to connect with the ocean flounder.
Steve, of Cherry Grove Pier, reports that bottom fishermen are hooking some sea mullet and croaker on shrimp pinned to double-drop rigs.
Some keeper flounder are falling for live baits fished under the pier.
Anglers landed a few spanish mackerel while working gold hook rigs from the pier last week.
The water is 84 degrees.
