North Myrtle Beach/Little River – June 2023
Buddy, of Captain Smiley Fishing Charters, reports that anglers are catching some nice-sized speckled trout (to 24”). Targeting a moving tide has been key to capitalizing on this fishery.
Flounder have moved in and are staged up just about everywhere throughout the ICW and around creek mouths. Live mud minnows and Gulp soft plastics both work well in enticing strikes.
Red drum are scattered around these same inshore areas, but they are now moving in smaller groups.
Anglers bottom fishing at the jetties are hooking both red and black drum.
Nearshore runs are catching spanish mackerel and bluefish from the beachfronts out to the Jim Caudle Reef.
Bob, of Strange Magic Fishing Charters, reports that nearshore anglers have found the spanish mackerel action to be very reliable, with success being found using both trolling and sight-casting tactics. It’s a good idea to have some variation to the spread, such as pulling one spoon behind a planer, one spoon behind a trolling weight, and one deep diver plug. Also be sure to have your casting metal rigged up for the schools that pop up in a surface-feeding frenzy.
Bottom fishing at the ARs has produced a mixed bag of black sea bass, flounder, gray trout, bluefish, spadefish, and small sharks. The top bait choices have varied from fresh shrimp, live mud minnows, cannonball jellies, cut squid, and cut mullet.
Inshore, the red and black drum are a bit hit or miss as they scatter throughout area waters. Live shrimp are the premium baits for these warmer months, as long as you can find some. In lieu of live shrimp, anglers have found success with pieces of crab, fresh dead shrimp, or mud minnows. Black drum will rarely go for an artificial bait, but the reds can be fooled with both Gulp or Z-Man soft plastics. A little Pro-Cure is helpful with the Z-Man baits.
These soft plastics will also garner attention from flounder mixed in the same areas. Structure is really important for the flatfish. Target areas such as grassy banks, marsh openings, intersections of creeks, and creek bends where deeper holes are formed.
Speckled trout are still mixed in, though it gets a bit difficult to target them in the middle of the day with the increased fishing pressure and boat traffic. Anglers targeting trout will do best by hitting the water at either the crack of dawn or holding back until dusk.
Joe Bullock, of Purcellville, VA, caught this flounder on a Gulp bait. He was fishing with Capt. Bob Strange of Strange Magic Fishing Charters.
Chris, of Fine Catch Fishing Charters, reports that anglers fishing the jetties have found some over-slot red drum while fishing live pogies or menhaden on the tide changes.
Speckled trout fishing has been pretty decent for late spring. The specks have been striking live shrimp fished under slip corks, and the best areas to target have been over shell bottoms that are in the deeper channels or around creek mouths.
Good numbers of flounder have been moving into the Little River area and are staging up along the ICW. There isn’t much that will beat a bottom-rigged live bait when targeting the flatfish, but it seems the higher tides (with cleaner water) have been producing best.
Out on the nearshore ARs, anglers are finding good spadefish action, large sharks, and some scattered (smaller) cobia.
Structure out in the 70’+ range has been holding some keeper grouper for those bottom fishing with live bait.
Bevan, of Chilly Water Fishing, reports that offshore fishing has been in full swing. After a spring of strong black sea bass action, it is great to be adding more variety to the box, including some good-sized vermilion snapper in the 85’+ range. Heading a little deeper (90’-115’) has also produced triggerfish and pinkies. All these species are feeding on cut squid.
There are good numbers of gag and scamp grouper being caught, with most action out on structure in 100’+. Anglers have found more quantities of larger fish the deeper they head out (120’+), and this is most likely due to less fishing pressure. The grouper have preferred cigar minnows and pinfish.
Some bottom areas (in 70-90’) are also producing a few cobia.
Mahi are around, and anglers are having success pitching baits around some of the offshore grass mats. Water temperatures have been moving up, and with the climbing water temps, these mahi are starting to move their way shallower.
Jerry Stogner, of Erie, PA, caught this queen trigger on cut squid in 110′ of water. He was fishing offshore of Little River, SC, with Capt. Bevan Hunter, of Chilly Water Fishing Charters.
Larry, of Voyager Fishing Charters, reports that offshore bottom fishing in the Gulf Stream has been red hot as we move into the summer months. Both fish quality and numbers have been much better than the past few seasons, with no sign of it slowing. The stringers have included large grouper, amberjacks, triggerfish, grunts, and tons of vermilion snapper.
Trolling out in the Gulf Stream has been producing high counts of mahi, as these fish migrate up into our area.
Nearshore trips are loading up on plenty of spanish mackerel, porgies, and some tasty black sea bass.
LeAnn, of Apache Pier, reports that bottom fishing anglers have done well catching whiting on cut shrimp or artificial bait strips.
Sight-casting Gotcha plugs has been producing some good numbers of spanish mackerel
