North Myrtle – October 23, 2014
Mason and Davis Atwell, of Raleigh, with a 43″ red drum they caught and released in Little River Inlet after it struck a live finger mullet in 30′ of water.
Patrick, of Capt. Smiley’s Fishing Charters, reports that anglers continue to connect with some large red drum in Little River Inlet while fishing large menhaden on the bottom. Plenty of smaller reds are feeding in the inlet as well, and they’re taking an interest in live and cut mullet and smaller menhaden.
More reds are looking for meals in the shallows of local backwaters like Dunn Sound and Bonaparte Creek, where anglers are fooling them with live finger mullet and shrimp pinned to jigheads and light Carolina rigs. Fishing flooded grass beds at higher tides and oyster bars and potholes when the water’s lower has been anglers’ best bet recently. Some black drum are feeding in the same areas and will pounce on live shrimp as well.
Speckled trout are looking for meals along shell and grass banks, particularly those with some decent current flow. Allowing float-rigged live shrimp to drift down the banks with the current is far and away the best bet for the specks, but anglers can also hook up while working soft plastics or other artificials.
Jackson Boehling with a 21″ flounder that bit a live finger mullet in the ICW near Holden Beach while he was fishing with his grandparents.
Mark, of Shallow Minded Inshore Fishing Charters, reports that anglers are still finding action with some healthy red drum in Little River Inlet. The largest fish are feeding further out in the inlet and taking an interest in live and cut menhaden.
More (but smaller reds) are looking for meals along the rocks as well and taking an interest in live finger mullet.
King mackerel action remains steady just off the inlet out to a few miles offshore, where anglers are slow-trolling live menhaden to get in on the action.
Inshore, there’s still solid speckled trout and puppy drum fishing going on in the marshes and around ICW structure. Live shrimp are tough for both fish to turn down.
Steve, of Cherry Grove Pier, reports that anglers are connecting with sea mullet, croaker, spot, and some black drum while bottom fishing with shrimp and bloodworms.
Those soaking live baits on the bottom are connecting with some keeper flounder.
Some large red drum are biting cut baits off the end of the pier, particularly at night.
Anglers working Gotcha plugs and mackerel tree rigs from the pier have had some excellent spanish mackerel action on several recent days, and they are also catching big numbers of bluefish.
The water is 73 degrees.
