North Myrtle – July 17, 2014
Thomas Suggs (age 13) with a 17″ flounder that bit a mud minnow near Murrells Inlet, SC.
Mark, of Shallow Minded Inshore Fishing Charters, reports that anglers are still running into cobia around nearshore structure like the Sherman and Little River Offshore Reef. They seem to be hanging around large sand tiger sharks at both spots, so if the sharks are around, the cobes likely are, too. Anglers can tempt them to bite live baits like menhaden or bucktail jigs with soft plastic trailers.
Spadefish are schooling around the same structure. Anglers can chum the spades to the surface with cannonball jellyfish, and then use small pieces of the jellies as hook baits to entice bites.
Spanish mackerel are feeding just off Little River Inlet and along the beachfront, and anglers are hooking plenty while trolling Clarkspoons within a short distance of land.
Large red drum are still feeding around the Little River jetties and biting live and cut menhaden on the bottom. The best action is when the water is fairly clean, which has been rare due to the southwest winds this past week.
Drifting live shrimp through the inlet is producing a mixed-bag catch of black drum, ladyfish, gray trout, pompano, bonnethead sharks, and more.
There’s been a decent speckled trout bite inshore of Little River Inlet and in Dunn Sound, with most of the fish falling for live shrimp and Vudu imitations.
Anglers are seeing some decent flounder action in Tubbs Inlet while fishing live mud minnows and peanut menhaden on Carolina rigs.
John Mannix, of Marietta, OH, with a flounder that struck a live mud minnow while he was fishing in Tubbs Inlet with Capt. Patrick Kelly of Capt. Smiley’s Fishing Charters.
Patrick, of Capt. Smiley’s Fishing Charters, reports that anglers are hooking some red drum and speckled trout while fishing grass edges and oyster rocks along Bonaparte Creek. Live shrimp fished under floats are fooling both, and anglers can also hook up on soft plastic shrimp imitations. Live mud minnows on jigheads and light Carolina rigs are effective as well.
Flounder fishing has been decent in Tubbs Inlet over the past week, with anglers hooking most of their fish on Gulp baits and live mud minnows on jigheads and Carolina rigs.
Black drum are also feeding around structure in Tubbs, where they’ll pounce on live and cut shrimp fished around docks and oyster rocks.
Some large red drum are feeding in Little River Inlet and biting live menhaden on the bottom.
Steve, of Cherry Grove Pier, reports that bottom fishermen are still hooking plenty of sea mullet, croaker, and other panfish on shrimp.
Anglers baiting up with pieces of jellyfish are hooking some spadefish.
Anglers are hooking some bluefish and plenty of ladyfish while working casting lures from the pier.
Flounder fishing has improved, with decent numbers of keepers coming over the rails for anglers using small live baits.
The water is 83 degrees.
