North Myrtle Beach June 25, 2009
Zachary Kopka, of Denver, NC, with a dolphin he hooked on a blue/white-skirted cigar minnow at the 90/90 while trolling with Capt. Eric Kopka on the "Kan't Get Rite" out of Little River.
Mark, of Shallow Minded Inshore Fishing, reports that anglers are still hooking plenty of flounder in Tubbs Inlet while drifting with mud minnows, peanut pogies, and other live baits. Many are still small, but anglers are pulling up decent numbers of keepers each trip.
Some keeper flounder are also feeding around the Sunset Beach Bridge, where anglers are hooking them on the same baits.
The Little River jetties are hosting some good fishing for speckled trout and red drum, and anglers are hooking both while drifting live shrimp under float rigs. Some black drum are also mixed in with the trout and reds.
Spanish mackerel and bluefish are feeding heavily on the shoals just outside Little River Inlet, and anglers are hooking lots of them on 3/4 oz. Deadly Dicks while chasing schools of breaking fish.
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Eric and Jan McMaster, from Wisconsin, with red drum they hooked while fishing with Capt. Patrick Kelly of Capt. Smiley's Fishing Charters our of Little River. Eric's fish fell for a Gulp Alive shrimp, and Jan's took a Clouser Minnow on 7-weight fly gear.
Patrick, of Capt. Smiley’s Fishing Charters, reports that anglers have been catching plenty of red drum all over the area. The Sunset Beach Bridge, other spots in the ICW, many of the area’s shallow creeks, and the Little River jetties have all produced reds over the past week. Live shrimp, mud minnows, and Gulps are all producing action with the reds. Float rigs and jigheads are drawing bites around the deeper structure, and anglers are casting split-shot rigs and light jigheads to the fish in the shallows.
Some sheepshead are feeding in the creeks along with the reds, and anglers can hook them on crabs or live shrimp fished on split-shot rigs.
A few speckled trout are mixed in with the reds around the jetties and the Sunset Beach Bridge, and live shrimp are fooling them as well.
Flounder are feeding throughout the area. Anglers are hooking some nice ones around the Sunset Beach Bridge on Gulp baits. Plenty of fish are also falling for live mud minnows and tiger side minnows drifted on the sandbars of Little River Inlet, although anglers must weed through the short fish to find the keepers.
Spanish mackerel and bluefish are also busting bait in the inlet, and anglers can hook them while free-lining live baits or with a variety of lures.
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Jonah, Donnie, and Wells Ballantine, from Charlotte, NC, with a 40.7 lb. king mackerel they hooked while live-baiting in 60' of water off Ocean Isle. They were fishing with Capt. Roger Gales aboard the "Carolina Cat" out of the Ocean Isle Fishing Center.
Cameron, of Little River Fishing Fleet, reports that anglers are still experiencing some excellent fishing on Gulf Stream bottom trips to 100-125’ of water. Anglers dropping cigar minnows on bottom rigs are hooking up with scamp, gag, and red grouper. Squid baits fished on the bottom are drawing bites from big black sea bass, triggerfish, and some stout beeliners, along with plenty of other miscellaneous bottom feeders.
Anglers fishing weightless drift lines on the surface are finding action with good numbers of dolphin and some nice king mackerel (14-18 lbs.).
Inshore, divers are spotting amberjacks on structure in the 10 mile range, and the Sherman and similar structure are covered in spadefish.
Spanish mackerel fishing remains excellent for boats trolling Clarkspoons, and plenty of sharks are falling for cut baits in the same areas.
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Mike, of Cherry Grove Pier, reports that anglers fishing fresh and live shrimp near the bottom are hooking up with good numbers of black drum (most in SC’s slot limit).
Live-baiters landed on king mackerel last week.
The water is 88 degrees.
