North Myrtle Beach – May 22, 2013
Kate Thomas, from GA, with a red drum that struck a chunk of blue crab in the Sunset Beach bridge canal while she was fishing with Capt. Mark Dickson of Shallow Minded Inshore Fishing Charters.
Mark, of Shallow Minded Inshore Fishing Charters, reports that anglers are seeing good numbers of cobia on the nearshore wrecks and reefs off Little River. Live menhaden and bucktail jigs have been tempting bites from the cobia.
Spadefish are beginning to school up in the same areas. Anglers can chum the fish to the surface with whole and chopped cannonball jellyfish, and then use small pieces of the jellies as hook baits to tempt the unusual and tasty fish to bite.
Spanish mackerel have been chasing bait around the Little River sea buoy over the past week, and anglers are hooking them while trolling Clarkspoons or casting and jigging metal lures like Deadly Dicks.
Inshore, more keeper flounder are showing up by the week, with about 1/3 of the fish legal at present. Tubbs Inlet and Cherry Grove are producing the best flatfish action, and anglers are fooling them with live mud minnows and soft plastic baits.
Red and black drum are looking for meals around the Sunset Beach Bridge, where anglers can tempt them to bite fresh shrimp, live mud minnows, and chunks of blue crab.
Casey and Taylor Miller and Drew Wilkinson with a citation 45.3 lb. wahoo that bit a skirted ballyhoo near the 100/400 while they were fishing with Mike Miller.
Patrick, of Capt. Smiley’s Fishing Charters, reports that anglers have been finding some action with red drum around Sunset Beach Bridge, Dunn Sound, and off Bonaparte Creek. Pieces of soft shell crab or live mud minnows pinned to 1/4 oz. jigheads are fooling the reds right now.
Flounder fishing is still improving, with Tubbs Inlet and Cherry Grove still the best bets for anglers looking to take a flatfish home for dinner. Live mud minnows and Gulp baits will fool the flatfish.
Bluefish and speckled trout are feeding near Little River Inlet, and anglers found fast action with the blues while still picking up decent numbers of specks last week. Gulp baits and MirrOlures are getting attention from both.
Mike, of Cherry Grove Pier, reports that anglers working Gotcha plugs and mackerel tree rigs from the pier have been finding action with bluefish and some healthy spanish mackerel.
Sea mullet (some over 1 lb.) and smaller croaker are taking an interest in bottom rigs baited with shrimp.
Some smaller flounder are biting live mud minnows under the pier.
One angler released three large red drum last week (39-46”) after they attacked cut baits on the bottom.
The water is 70 degrees.
