North Myrtle Beach/Little River – August 1, 2019
Patrick, of Captain Smiley Fishing Charters, reports that trout are feeding particularly well. The best bite has been out at the Little River Inlet jetties on the bottom of the falling tide and at the top of the rising tide, and live shrimp suspended under a floating cork and drifted along the rocks has been working best.
Inside the creeks, there have been some trout caught on the outgoing tide, again with shrimp under a float. The strongest action has been around ledges and oyster beds in 5-8’ of water.
Some redfish have been mixed in with the trout at the jetties, but the best place to target redfish has been along the ICW fishing with cut mullet, menhaden, or even bluefish. The reds are a little deeper (in about 12’ of water), and the outgoing tide has been the most productive.
There have been some small black drum caught in the same areas on shrimp.
Flounder fishing has been pretty steady, and drifting the bottom in the inlets and surrounding areas with live finger mullet has been the go to tactic. The best fishing has been on the rising tide.
A lot of Atlantic sharpnose sharks are around the inlet areas as well.
Leyton Cudar, from, Clemmons, NC, with a 22″ red drum caught while fishing with his father and brother. He caught the red on a finger mullet on a Carolina rig between Sunset Beach and Ocean Isle.
Bob, of Strange Magic Fishing Charters, reports that the flounder action has been strong. The flounder are falling for mud minnows on Carolina rigs and jig head/Gulp combos, and the best way to cover water and find fish is to use both tactics at the same time. Let your trolling motor pull your mud minnows parallel to creek banks while casting Gulps towards the grass, and your chances of getting a bite will increase exponentially.
Red drum and the occasional speckled trout have both been hitting soft plastics in the same places that the flounder are biting. The specks prefer live shrimp under popping corks, and they’re showing up in better numbers and sizes.
Black drum have been responding well to fresh shrimp fished near docks, deep holes in creeks, and in the ICW.
Cameron, of Little River Fishing Fleet, reports that for nearshore action, large sharks are showing up. Spinners and blacktips are being caught on live pogies.
Bottom fishing has been producing beeliners, large black sea bass, triggerfish, gags, and scamps. All species are being brought in primarily on squid and sardines.
King mackerel are biting 20-40 miles out. Large sea bass, grunts, flounder, and plenty of sharks are being landed in the 20-40 mile range, too.
Zachary Hood (age 12), from Holden Beach, NC, with a 22″ red drum caught using a finger mullet on a Carolina rig in the Shallotte River.
Larry, of Voyager Fishing Charters, reports that the waters 3-5 miles out of Little River Inlet have been holding a lot of spanish mackerel and barracuda, while the 5-8 mile range has been producing plenty of black sea bass and small sharks.
Trolling in the 25 mile range has seen boats limiting out on kings and catching plenty of mahi, as well as large numbers of bonita.
Fishing the bottom in 120’ of water has produced a good mix of fish, with vermilions, grunts, triggers, snappers, big scamp grouper, and some cobia all coming over the rails.
Michael, of Cherry Grove Pier, reports that anglers are seeing a lot of action, but many of the fish coming up have been small. There has been a plethora of croaker, lots of whiting, a few nice spadefish, some pompano, small black drum (with a few keepers mixed in), and a handful of under-slot reds in the suds.
Flounder are starting to come in more frequently, and while most of them have been small, a few keepers have been mixed in.
