North Myrtle Beach/Little River – June 2022
Patrick, of Captain Smiley Fishing Charters, reports that redfish action remains strong. Target some of the shallow potholes back in the creeks on a rising tide with live mullet, pinfish, or Gulp soft plastics.
Speckled trout are feeding on ledges along the ICW, with live shrimp being the top producing bait. Anglers are also finding trout action out along the rocks at the jetties.
Black drum are hitting live or cut shrimp fished on these same ledges that are holding the trout, and fiddler crabs fished around structure are producing strikes.
Plenty of sheepshead are being caught, as they have returned inshore and are staged up around rocks and similar structure. There are quite a few smaller fish to pick through, though, when searching for keepers.
Flounder are being hooked in the Little River area, but by far the best action has been in Cherry Grove. The smaller inlet there seems to give the fish less room to spread out, having the action more confined. Drifting live mullet or mud minnows works well, as does fishing Vudu shrimp.
Nearshore reefs are loaded up with spanish mackerel and bluefish. Both species can be caught by casting Gotcha plugs or small spoons.
Ali Cook, of Charlotte, caught this 25″ flounder with a mud minnow on a Murrells Inlet rig while fishing near Little River, SC.
Bob, of Strange Magic Fishing Charters, reports that red drum anglers should be looking to target the hard to get to backwater areas during higher tides and then deeper creek holes on the lower tides.
Redfish have mostly broken out of their large schools and will be patrolling the creek edges and mouths dumping out of the marshes on falling tides. Soft plastics on jig heads work great for the reds.
There have been mostly smaller to medium-sized flounder moving around. Live minnows and Gulp or Z-Man soft plastics fished on the bottom are fooling the flatfish to strike. The general rule with soft plastics is to match darker baits in darker waters, and then the reverse in cleaner water.
Black drum are pretty scattered, but they will still fall for a bottom-fished shrimp or quartered crab. Target docks for both of the drum species.
Trout action has generally cooled off, but anglers fishing live shrimp and soft plastics are still finding a few.
Out at the jetties, all these inshore species are also holding along the rocks. Rigging bottom rigs or slip corks with live minnows, cut mullet, or fresh shrimp will find some action.
Chris, of Fine Catch Fishing Charters, reports that anglers fishing the nearshore reefs are finding good action on both spanish mackerel and flounder. The spanish have been hitting while trolling mackerel trees behind a planer or casting gold spoons at surface-feeding schools.
The flounder have been holding closer to both the larger structures and scattered rocks. Carolina-rigged finger mullet bounced off the bottom around these areas will get strikes.
Around the jetties, anglers are catching a mixed bag of speckled trout, red drum, sheepshead, and black drum. Live shrimp floated about 5-10’ deep along the rocks has been a great tactic for the trout and black drum.
Sheepshead and redfish at the jetties have been hitting fiddler crabs on 1/4-1/2 oz. jig heads tight to the rocks.
Backwater and ICW fishing has been producing red drum, black drum, speckled trout, and flounder.
Red drum are being found in some deeper holes back in the mainland creeks and out along creek mouths and ICW docks. Artificial bait anglers are finding success with Gulp or Vudu shrimp, with natural baits such as mud minnows, mullet, and shrimp also producing strikes. When red fishing in the ICW, look for areas with the combination of deeper docks around creek mouths. In these areas, use soft plastics on heavier 1/4 and 3/8 oz. jig heads to keep baits down.
Some of these same deep holes in the creeks will produce smaller flounder and black drum while using the same baits.
Speckled trout in the creeks have been smaller, with only a few keepers mixed in. Target the shell banks and deeper channels with live or cut shrimp on a slip cork rig to find some action, and shrimp fished on the bottom in these creeks will produce good-sized black drum.
Bevan, of Chilly Water Fishing, reports that bottom fishing has been a mixed bag of triggerfish, vermilion snapper, pinkies, white grunts, and black sea bass. There has been action in the 70’ range, with deeper water (100+’) being more consistently productive.
Anglers have finally been able to put some grouper in the box, but only after getting past the red snappers that are aggressively populated in the same areas. The grouper action has been best in the 110-120’ range.
Larry, of Voyager Fishing Charters, reports that anglers are returning from Gulf Stream trips with mixed bags of vermilion snapper, triggerfish, grunts, porgies, and nice-sized grouper. Most of the success has come from fishing squid or cut cigar minnows in the 120’ depths.
Large amberjacks have also moved into this area.
Trips targeting nearshore structures are catching black sea bass, porgies, and smaller sharks on cut squid or Boston mackerel.
Spanish mackerel action has been great for anglers trolling outside the inlets with Clarkspoon setups.
Trolling trips out to the Gulf Stream are producing a few mahi, blackfin tuna, and scattered wahoo. As more mahi move into the area, anglers will find success at many of the favorite offshore areas such as Blackjack, the 100/400, and Winyah Scarp.
Andrea, of Cherry Grove Pier, reports that spanish mackerel fishing has been steady for anglers sight-casting plugs. Bluefish have been mixed in the action, with some large bluefish (to 7 lbs.) making a showing.
Bottom fishing has been producing whiting and croakers.
Richard, of Apache Pier, reports that bottom fishing has provided most of the action. Both whiting and croakers are feeding on cut pieces of shrimp and artificial bait strips.
Anglers casting jigs are landing bluefish and some spanish mackerel.
