North Myrtle Beach March 27, 2014
Laine Dickson with a red drum that bit a live mud minnow in the ICW near Little River while she was fishing with her husband, Capt. Mark Dickson of Shallow Minded Inshore Fishing Charters.
Mark, of Shallow Minded Inshore Fishing Charters, reports that despite the up-and-down weather, inshore fishing in the area has been excellent over the past few weeks. Big numbers of red drum (and bigger fish—22-30”) are schooled up under area docks and providing fast action to anglers who find them. Not all docks are holding fish, however, so staying on the move until anglers find a productive structure is the way to go. Shallotte Inlet and the Shallotte River have been some of the better areas to prospect lately. Anglers are hooking the reds on a variety of baits and lures and even a few on fly tackle.
Smaller red drum are feeding around Coquina Harbor, where they’ll attack cut shrimp or shrimp-imitating lures.
There’s also been some solid action with larger reds (to 30”) around the Little River jetties, though high winds and rough water have made them a bit difficult to fish on many recent days. Working 4” Vudu Shrimp under floats along the jetty rocks has been the way to go for the reds at the inlet.
Jason Shannon with a pair of black drum that struck live shrimp near Southport.
Speckled trout are feeding in the Ocean Isle canals and around Tubbs Inlet. Most are on the smaller side, but NC anglers can’t keep trout until June so they’re all providing rod-bending catch and release fun. Soft plastic shrimp imitations are also top producers on the specks.
Patrick, of Capt. Smiley’s Fishing Charters, reports that anglers are connecting with speckled trout and red drum in the Ocean Isle canals and around ICW structure like the Sunset Beach Bridge. Both are taking a hearty interest in D.O.A. shrimp and other soft plastics on leadhead jigs.
Anglers are also seeing some solid red drum action in Tubbs Inlet and at more spots along the ICW. Live and cut baits or Gulps and other shrimp-imitating soft baits are fooling the reds.
The fishing should improve over the next few weeks as the weather warms up, but the transition from winter to spring patterns can prove challenging, so anglers should be prepared to stay versatile to keep on the bite.
Steve, of Cherry Grove Pier, reports that anglers are starting to see some action off the planks and hooking small sea mullet, silver perch, flounder, and croaker. Shrimp on bottom rigs are fooling most of the bottom feeders.
The water is 52 degrees, and anglers will see action with all the bottom feeders improve (and a wider variety of other fish) once it approaches the 60 degree mark.
