North Myrtle Beach/Little River – May2023
Buddy, of Captain Smiley Fishing Charters, reports that the nearshore action has been phenomenal. Anglers running out to the 3-5 mile range have been finding tons of spanish mackerel, bluefish, and Atlantic bonito.
Jigging the structures in this range has also produced some nice-sized gray trout.
Inshore anglers are starting to find good numbers of flounder in the creeks.
Speckled trout are staged up around creek mouths and banks, with the 5-8’ range being the top water depth. Both Vudu shrimp and Gulp baits are getting strikes, but live shrimp is the top producing bait. The trout are also being found out at the jetties and along deeper ledges near the inlet, and no matter where you find them, they have been feeding best at times of moving water, either falling or rising.
Black drum are being caught by anglers fishing with live shrimp. The best action has come from those targeting deeper (10-15’) areas with a bit of structure.
Red drum are mixed in the inshore action, though most seem to be holding back in the skinny water. Anglers can target holes during low tide or focus on creek mouths as the tide falls out.
Bob, of Strange Magic Fishing Charters, reports that flounder have started to show up, and these first fish seem to be preferring live baits over the typical soft plastic offerings.
Red drum have mostly broken out into smaller groups and are moving up and down the creeks.
Speckled trout action has been pretty hit or miss, with the bite being a bit finicky with these recent water temperature fluctuations.
Black drum are feeding well around some of our inshore hard structures such as docks. Anglers are having success with both live and dead shrimp fished on heavier jig heads or Carolina rigs. It is best to not spend too long in one area but keep moving until you locate where these schools are staged up.
With warmer water, anglers are seeing more of the “trash species” (croakers and pinfish) around, and they also will pick at these bottom-rigged shrimp.
Nearshore runs have been finding bonita schooled up off the beachfronts.
Fisher Dill, of Greenville, SC, caught this 26″ red drum while floating a live shrimp. He was fishing with Capt. Chris Ossmann, of Fine Catch Fishing Charters.
Chris, of Fine Catch Fishing Charters, reports that anglers looking to avoid the crowds have been finding some good bottom fishing action out at the 15 mile ledges. Carolina or grouper rigs tipped with pogies or cut bait have been producing snapper, sea bass, and some grouper.
Nearshore structures (in the 3-mile range) are holding bluefish, gray trout, scattered flounder, and spanish mackerel. Live peanut pogies or spoons have been best for the spanish and blues. The flounder and trout are being caught with white or chartreuse colored jigs worked along the bottom.
Anglers fishing the jetties are catching a mix of sheepshead, larger speckled trout, red drum, and spanish mackerel.
The reds, trout, and sheepshead have mostly been deep and tight to the rocks and feeding on live shrimp or fiddler crabs (for sheepshead).
The spanish mackerel are often just breezing by the rocks, so be rigged with some sort of glass minnow style jig to cast at these schools.
The backwater creeks are still holding some red drum and black drum in the deeper pockets and around oyster beds. When targeting both species, Carolina or jig head rigged shrimp, mud minnows, and cut bait have worked well.
Fishing live shrimp under slip corks has also put anglers into some speckled trout action, including both smaller and scattered large fish. This push of trout has also been out along the ICW and staged around shell bottoms and channels off docks.
Bevan, of Chilly Water Fishing, reports that offshore fishing is here now that water temperatures are finally reaching into the mid-70s offshore.
Bottom fishing anglers are seeing some of the jumbo black sea bass starting to move out, only to be replaced with good numbers of triggerfish and vermilion snapper in the 80-100’ range.
Anglers have already been seeing some nice scamps and gags over live bottoms and ledges in the 90-140’ range.
Another sign of late spring fishing is the occasional mahi being spotted, and some offshore anglers have already been getting hooked into these early fish. Anglers anticipate the numbers only getting thicker moving into May.
King mackerel are still out in the 70’ and deeper areas. With menhaden now on the beaches, it’s only a matter of time before these kings move inshore to take advantage of all that bait.
Lad Hunter, of Conway, SC, caught this wahoo offshore of Little River. He was fishing with Capt. Bevan Hunter of Chilly Water Fishing Charters.
Larry, of Voyager Fishing Charters, reports that the offshore bottom fishing trips have been just on fire for anglers looking to load up the boxes with meat. Recent runs out in the 40-mile range have been finding a mixed bag of big black bass, grunts, triggerfish, large porgies, almaco jacks, large amberjacks, and plenty of vermilion snapper.
Moving into May means grouper season. For anglers, this will mean also adding catches of gags, reds, and scamps.
The nearshore bottoms (inside 15 miles) are holding plenty of black sea bass and porgies.
Spanish mackerel have moved into the area and are schooled up in the three-mile range.
Norma, of Apache Pier, reports that anglers have started to find some casting action with spanish mackerel moving into the area.
Bottom fishing efforts are producing croakers, black drum, and some larger whiting.
