North Myrtle Beach May 7, 2009
Trask Cunningham, Chris Critz, and Jeff Cunningham with a 60 lb. wahoo Jeff hooked at the Blackjack Hole on a mediuym ballyhoo behind a silver Mylar jet head. They were fishing out of Holden Beach aboard the "Critter."
Mark, of Shallow Minded Inshore Fishing, reports that the red drum bite has been excellent around the Little River jetties recently. Many of the fish are large (up to 13 lbs. last week), and chopper bluefish and big speckled trout are also in the mix.
Live shrimp fished under float rigs are the top baits for all the fish. The shrimp can be difficult to come by, but live mud minnows are a good second choice.
There’s also been a solid trout bite in the Calabash River lately. Most of the fish are smaller, but they’re making up for their size with big numbers. Billy Bay Halo shrimp underneath popping corks are drawing most of the trout bites.
Flounder fishing is getting better all the time around local inlets and inshore structure. The bite has been especially hot around Cherry Grove, where double digit catches are common, but many of the fish are just shy of legal. There’s a ton of baits in the area, however, so the flatties should grow into keepers relatively soon. Less fish, but more keepers, are coming from the Sunset Beach Bridge and similar inshore structure.
Live mud minnows or peanut pogies on Carolina rigs are the top flounder producers.
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Austin Woody and Braeden Wright, from Southport, with Braeden's first wahoo. The 'hoo fell for a ballyhoo beneath a chartreuse/orange jet head between the Blackjack Hole and the 100/400 while fishing aboard Braeden's father Mike's 25' Contender "Spread M Wide."
Patrick, of Capt. Smiley’s Fishing Charters, reports that black drum and a nice class of reds (most mid-20″ range) are feeding around the Sunset Beach Bridge. Chunks of blue crab fished on the bottom have been the most effective bait on both drum.
Around Calabash, anglers are catching some black drum, small flounder, and speckled trout in Mullet Creek. Live shrimp are the best baits when anglers can get them.
The trout bite has also been decent at structure in the ICW on rising tides.
Out at the jetties, anglers have been catching good numbers of sizeable red drum (many 30″+) along with speckled trout and some chopper bluefish (5-8 lbs.). Live mud minnows or shrimp drifted by the rocks beneath floats are the top baits, and anglers have also been hooking up while casting mud minnows and Gulp baits on 1/4 oz. lead heads.
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Cameron, of the Little River Fishing Fleet, reports that nearshore 1/2 day trips have been productive lately. Spanish fishing has been excellent, with 20-30 fish days not uncommon. Trolling Clarkspoons along the beaches and the inlet tidelines is producing the mackerel.
Nearshore bottom fishing in the 5-10 mile range has been producing plenty of sea bass, with a decent number of keepers in the mix.
Offshore, Gulf Stream bottom fishing produced good numbers of scamp grouper last week. Also mixed in were plenty of big black sea bass, beeliners, triggerfish, and other bottom dwellers. Squid and sardines produced most of the action, and the best fishing was in 110′ last week.
Trollers found good fishing for dolphin and wahoo around the 100/400 the last time they were able to make it to the Stream. Skirted ballyhoo produced most of the action.
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Mike, of Cherry Grove Pier, reports that anglers have been catching lots of spanish mackerel and bluefish recently. Gotcha plugs and mackerel tree rigs have been producing most of the fish.
Those fishing live mud minnows on the bottom are catching good numbers of flounder, with about 1/3 measuring legal size or better.
Bottom fishermen are hooking good numbers of whiting on shrimp.
