Josh Benton, Jordan Causey, and Weldon Boyd with king mackerel they hooked while trolling around the 390’s off Little River Inlet.
Mark, of Shallow Minded Inshore Fishing Charters, reports that the speckled trout bite is on fire around Little River, and anglers are finding the fish all over the area’s inshore waters, with solid action around the Little River swing bridge, Coquina Harbor lighthouse, Little River Inlet, and many places in between. Catches well into the double-digits have been the norm lately (with fish averaging around 18” and some much larger). A few healthy flounder have been feeding in the same areas. Anglers are hooking most of the fish on live shrimp drifted beneath popping corks and slip floats. The shrimp have been far outproducing artificial lures recently, but anglers are on many days able to locate the fish with the live baits and begin casting soft plastics or suspending hard lures with success.
The trout action should hold up for weeks to come as the fish school up tighter and the water temperatures fall.
Koppy Williams, of Huntersville, NC, with a 17″ flounder that bit a hard shrimp lure in a creek at Cherry Grove, SC.
Patrick, of Capt. Smiley’s Fishing Charters, reports that anglers are hooking excellent numbers of speckled trout around Little River at present (with most keepers and some fish 3-4 lbs.). They’re feeding along shell and grass banks, inshore structure like docks and bridges, and around the Little River jetties. Live shrimp fished under floats are fooling the majority of the specks but anglers are also hooking decent numbers on artificial shrimp like D.O.A. and Vudu imitations.
Black and red drum are feeding in many of the same areas and also taking an interest in the live and faux shrimp.
Ronnie, of Cherry Grove Pier, reports that anglers are connecting with plenty of black drum from the pier (most too small to keep however). Sea mullet, croaker, a few spot, and small flounder have also been finding anglers’ bottom rigs, and shrimp are fooling all of the panfish.
The water is 62.4 degrees.