North Myrtle Beach September 25, 2008
Capt. Brian Kelly, of Ocean Isle Beach, with a sailfish caught and released around 18 miles off Holden Beach. The sail fell for a dead cigar minnow under a pink Blue Water Candy skirt.
Mark, of Shallow Minded Inshore Fishing, reports that anglers have caught the largest red drum of the year over the past few weeks in Little River Inlet (with fish up to 48″ and 30+ lbs. hooked and released lately, though most are in 28-38″ range). Live finger mullet fished on Carolina rigs are tempting strikes from the reds.
The tides have also been extremely high lately, meaning anglers can chase smaller reds inshore on flooded grass flats where weedless spoons, particularly the Cape Lookout Flatsmaster, have been producing plenty of bites.
At lower tides, the reds are feeding along the edges of the waterway, where jigheads and live or Gulp baits should get their attention.
Flounder fishing has been decent despite the high winds lately, and anglers fishing small live baits on Carolina rigs are hooking up with the flatfish around Little River Inlet as well as drop-offs, creek mouths, and other structure inshore.
There are still plenty of spanish mackerel feeding on abundant schools of mullet just offshore of the Little River jetties and Sunset Beach, and anglers can hook them on a variety of topwater and sub-surface lures like MirrOlure Top Dogs, MirrOdines, and Catch 2000’s.
Lee Refalo, from Aiken, SC, with a red drum caught in the ICW near Little River on a live finger mullet. He was fishing with Patrick Kelly of Capt. Smiley's Fishing Charters.
Patrick, of Capt. Smiley’s Fishing Charters, reports that anglers are finding a solid speckled trout bite inshore around the Sunset Beach Bridge, Fort Randall, and throughout Dunn Sound. Popping cork rigs baited with live shrimp will attract attention from the specks.
Red drum have been feeding along flooded marsh grass flats off the ICW behind the barrier islands, and anglers can target them with light soft plastic baits or other lures.
Larger reds (30+”) are feeding in Little River Inlet, and live finger mullet fished on the bottom will tempt them to bite.
The jetties along the inlet are holding some more speckled trout, and they’ll fall for live shrimp on split-shot rigs cast towards the rocks.
Drew, of Crowd Pleaser Sportfishing, reports that while the winds have made it difficult to get there, the Gulf Stream bite is heating up. The boat’s last trip produced several wahoo and a release on an estimated 350 lb. blue marlin. Some sailfish have been feeding in the Stream lately as well. The action has been hot up to the north of the area around the Blackjack Hole, but anglers should also be able to find action further south around the 800-900’s and the Georgetown Hole.
Ballyhoo rigged beneath Ilanders and Blue Water Candy Mini Jags are producing most of the action with the Gulf Stream predators.
Mike, of Cherry Grove Pier, reports that anglers are hooking up with a lot of red and black drum in the surf zone (with many of the reds over the slot limit). Most are falling for live shrimp or finger mullet.
Anglers bottom fishing with cut shrimp are landing some whiting.
There have been plenty of bluefish (ranging from 12″ to 7 lbs.) eating nearly everything anglers can get in the water lately.
A live baiter fishing from the end of the pier landed a 22 lb. king mackerel on a bluefish last week.
The water is 82 degrees.
