While there don’t appear to have been any 12-pound flounder caught again in the last week in the Grand Strand area, inshore fishing around Murrells Inlet continues to be very strong.  Perry’s Bait Tackle (843-651-2895) in Murrells Inlet reports that flounder are still being caught drifting live mullet and mud minnows as well as casting and reeling in in the inlet.  However, with temperatures dropping and fish starting to head offshore for the winter a good fall bite for flounder is probably beginning to wane.

As the flounder fishing begins a seasonal decline, however, a very good trout bite is replacing it. Trout are being caught in the Oaks Creek and Charlie Cut areas, and there have also been good reports from the Garden City Canal.  Live shrimp are always hard to beat and live mullet have also been catching their fair share of trout, but Mirrolures and Vudu Shrimp have also been productive.

Captain J. of Fishful Thinking Guide Service (843-902-0356) reports that trout fishing has also been good around the Murrells Inlet jetties and in the inlet in general, and he has been having success floating live shrimp under a cork, throwing grubs and Mirrolures, and even fishing some surface plugs.  Either side of high tide has been most productive for his boat.

Beyond trout and flounder, fall fishing for a number of other species is also strong.

Black drum: Good.  Perry’s reports that the black drum bite is really starting to pick up, and in the last week anglers have been starting to wear out the black drum.  Back in the creeks, in deeper holes, around the sea walls, around the jetties, and in the surf and pier black drum are being found.  Captain J. reports that black drum are a nice counter to the trout as the best fishing for them is both sides of low tide, and he suggests fishing cut shrimp on the bottom.  While anglers will get lots of bites from pinfish, if you are in a good spot he suggests staying put and weeding through the bait stealers as the more methodical black drum will eventually find the bait.

Redfish: Fair.  Perry’s reports that they have had reports of redfish being caught in Murrells Inlet and around Pawley’s, but overall slot-sized redfish have been fairly hard to come by.  Cut mullet, live minnows and live shrimp have worked at times.

Surf and Pier: In the surf but particularly Murrells Inlet the spot run continues, and Perry’s continues to see coolers full of spot brought into the store.  Blues and whiting are also being caught in the surf.

Nearshore: Captain J. reports that this is probably the tail end of the bull drum fishing, but around nearshore reefs and rock piles his boat continues to tangle with big red drum that average in the 25-35 pound size but that can run up to 50 pounds or more.  Although past its peak the bite is still very good, and his boat is jigging up a variety of smaller fish and finding the drum equally receptive to eating a number of fresh cut baits.   Weakfish are also being caught around rocks in shallower water, and Spanish mackerel as well as a bunch of bluefish can be found out in 35-40 feet of water around artificial reefs.  There are also some flounder in the same areas.   Perry’s reports that at Belkie Bear and The Jungle king mackerel continue to be caught on cigar minnows and ballyhoo rigged with blue and pink skirts.