North Myrtle Beach December 15, 2011
Robert Hughes with a 47" length, 33" girth (est. 60-70 lbs.) black drum that bit a curlytail grub at the Little River jetties while he was fishing with Todd Helf on the "Lil' Bro Bro."
Mark, of Shallow Minded Inshore Fishing Charters, reports that this is one of the best speckled trout seasons in history for numbers of fish, but many are on the smaller side. The specks are feeding just about everywhere between the Little River swing bridge and the Sunset Beach Bridge, and deeper channel edges, creekmouths, docks, and other structure are some of the best areas to try. D.O.A. and Billy Bay Halo shrimp imitations have been very effective on the trout lately.
South of the Little River Bridge, anglers are finding consistent action with speckled trout and striped bass while trolling Rat-L-Traps and soft plastics.
The warm weather has the reds stuck between their fall and winter patterns. Anglers aren’t yet seeing the big schools in the shallow backwaters yet, but there are still plenty of smaller groups of fish around for the catching. As the water continues to cool off, more reds will head for the shallow flats and the fish will form into tighter schools. Casting live mud minnows, Gulp baits, and crab chunks to the fish that anglers find should produce fast hookups.
Patrick, of Capt. Smiley’s Fishing Charters, reports that anglers will be finding red drum in the area’s shallow backwaters all winter long. Dunn Sound, Bonaparte Creek, and Tubbs Inlet are all good areas to begin looking for the reds, and slower-moving water is generally better in the wintertime. Gulp baits on light jigheads are the way to get the reds to bite when anglers find them.
Trout are feeding strong in the area right now and should be for some time. Soft plastics like paddletail grubs and D.O.A. and Billy Bay shrimp imitations will tempt bites from the specks. The Little River swing bridge, Coquina Harbor, and Mullet Creek have all been holding good numbers of the trout lately.
John Hunt, Rick Gravatt, and Larry Rodgers with speckled trout and a sheepshead that struck live shrimp near Holden Beach.
Ronnie, of Cherry Grove Pier, reports that anglers are connecting with some pufferfish, sea mullet, bluefish, and black drum (including a few in the 7-9 lb. class) while bottom fishing. Shrimp are producing most of the action.
Plenty of dogfish and stingrays are also coming over the rails.
The water is 59 degrees.
