January 29
Morning surface water temperatures are in the low-40s in the creeks around Little River and the water is very clear.
While the temperatures are mostly in the lower 40s inshore at the top of South Carolina’s coast, Captain Buddy Love of Captain Smiley Fishing Charters (843-361-7445) reports that it’s not unusual to see shallow areas with temperatures only in the upper 30s right now. Which makes it all the more impressive that they continue to find a decent bite for three species!
Like everything the redfish are heavily schooled up, and while you can definitely sight-fish for them in skinny water they are finding the best action around structure. Rock, shell banks, and docks can all hold fish, and when you find one there are almost certainly more. However, don’t expect them all to bite in the cold conditions.
There are also some good schools of black drum around, and inshore they are relating the most to oyster beds. However, the biggest concentrations are at the jetties. Fresh cut shrimp is hard to beat.
While time will tell just how much of the trout population survived, they have been pleasantly surprised at the numbers of trout they have caught even since the snow. Like everything else they are in big groups, and schools could be found along creek banks, at creek mouths, or around shell beds. Live shrimp are available at some area tackle stores but they are also eating artificials.
January 8
Morning surface water temperatures are around 48 degrees in the creeks around Little River and the water is very clear.
It’s an interesting time for inshore fishing at the top of South Carolina’s coast, and Captain Buddy Love of Captain Smiley Fishing Charters (843-361-7445) reports that – like largemouth bass fishing in the winter – the fish don’t have to feed every day and certainly not on every tide. Additionally, most if not all species are extremely grouped up, all of which makes for some really feast-or-famine fishing. The result is that they have had some outstanding days and then some days where they feel lucky to scratch out a few fish.
With the tide cycles recently the falling tide has been most conducive to fishing, and they have been catching redfish, black drum, sheepshead, and a few trout. For some reason the trout seem to feed a lot better on the rising tide, and so if we can get back on that cycle and it’s not too cold the trout should bite better – particularly around creek mouths.
Right now everything they are catching is coming around structure like docks, shell beds, or rock in 5-8 feet of water, and most of the time fresh cut shrimp on the bottom is working the best. They have also picked up some redfish on artificials like Gulp! and Vudu shrimp. The jetties are also holding fish.
There are also some schools of redfish on the skinny water flats, but again they will have to wait for a well-timed rising tide cycle to fish that or else get stuck!
Perhaps the most important consideration for fishermen is to try to target the warmest periods each day, and it can be extremely noticeable how on a day that starts off very cold the fishing can turn on when water temperatures bump into the low 50s. At those times even croaker and perch will start biting, showing that many species haven’t left but are just feeding when it’s warm.
Finally, along those lines check out this two-plus pound flounder caught over the Christmas break! While most of the better flounder leave in the winter some obviously don’t – as Captain Buddy sees gigging in the dead of winter…
December 19
Morning surface water temperatures are still about 55 degrees off the beach at Cherry Grove and wildly fluctuating in the creeks.
Not too many people are doing it right now, but Captain Buddy Love of Captain Smiley Fishing Charters (843-361-7445) reports that the inshore fishing is pretty fantastic right now. In fact, he reports that all along the Grand Strand from the state line to Georgetown it’s a great time to fish.
Mostly that’s owing to the trout and redfish bite, and in 5-8 feet of water around shell beds and creek mouths fished are grouped up together. Rising versus falling tide doesn’t matter a whole lot as long as the water is moving. While live shrimp are outstanding, fish are also eating well on Gulp!, Zman and other artificial lures. Some of the biggest trout of the year are being caught right now.
There is another group of redfish that is schooled up in very, very shallow water on flats, and with temperatures pretty mild those fish have been willing to eat if you can find them.
Fishing are also still being caught off the Cherry Grove Pier (843-249-1625), and small croaker and whiting are around but the most exciting catch has been legal-sized black drum. Of course some are also below the slot.
At the nearshore reefs the bluefish are abundant, and they are so aggressive they seem to have pushed the weakfish out right now. There are some big red drum hanging around.
December 4
Morning surface water temperatures have dropped all the way to 56 in the surf and about 51 degrees in the creeks.
After weeks and weeks of saying the inshore water temperatures had not dropped enough to really turn the trout on, Captain Buddy Love of Captain Smiley Fishing Charters (843-361-7445) reports that things changed really, really fast. And accordingly the trout fishing has picked up – as long as you can get your hands on live shrimp. They will also eat artificials but not as well.
Trout are mostly coming on the last of the rising tide around creek mouths and banks with current, and they have pulled a bit deeper with the cooler temperatures. Fish can also be caught on the high dropping tide as long as there is clean water moving.
There are also some redfish around on the shallow flats, but they have mostly been occupied with the trout the last two weeks.
The fishing is still fair off the Cherry Grove Pier (843-249-1625), and they report decent numbers of whiting and croaker. There have also been a fair number of keeper black drum and sheepshead.
At the nearshore reefs the bluefish are still abundant and there are some weakfish around.
November 20
Morning surface water temperatures are in the mid- to upper 60s inshore around Little River, 66 this morning in the surf, and there are still lots of shrimp and decent numbers of finger mullet around.
We won’t be able to say this much longer, but Captain Buddy Love of Captain Smiley Fishing Charters (843-361-7445) reports that for now the temperatures are still too warm for the strong inshore trout bite to really take off. It’s been like that all fall, and while they have no doubt that when temperatures drop the fish will start “acting right,” except for a brief cold spell back in October it just hasn’t happened yet. Nonetheless it’s obvious that the trout are around, and they continue to pick up decent numbers, but they are not in the concentrations they will be.
For now the trout are mostly coming on the last of the rising tide around creek mouths and banks with current, and live shrimp are working the best. As the tide slacks off then artificial lures can be just as good.
While the flounder are mostly gone they are catching plenty of red and black drum, and these are coming mostly on cut shrimp around oyster beds or other structure. The tail end of the falling tide or the low rising tide has been best.
Finally, when the inshore fishing has been a little slower and they can get out to the nearshore reefs the bluefish and weakfish have been abundant. The weakfish are mostly in the 15-18 inch range.
Accordingly, it makes sense that they are also catching a bunch of keeper weakfish off the Cherry Grove Pier (843-249-1625) on cut bait and shirmp. A few winter trout are also mixed in, and they continue to catch plenty of nice whiting to go with a few spot and croaker. They are also catching some bull reds and few slot-sized reds.
November 8
Morning surface water temperatures have jumped back to 70-71 degrees inshore around Little River and there are still lots of shrimp and decent numbers of finger mullet around.
Overall the inshore fishing has been good at the top of the Grand Strand to start off November, but Captain Buddy Love of Captain Smiley Fishing Charters (843-361-7445) reports that the weather has frankly not been ideal. A couple of weeks ago water temperatures were in the mid-60s and the trout were biting like crazy, but with the warmer weather fishing has just been steady recently. They are catching some of everything, and yesterday their boat had redfish, trout, flounder and black drum.
Because of the mild conditions the flounder fishing has gone on longer than expected, and yesterday Captain Curtis’s boat caught a 24-inch fish on shrimp under a cork! Overall flounder are favoring the falling tide around creek mouths, and they are also finding them around docks and oyster beds.
Again, trout are more scattered than they were and will be, but they are catching trout in 5-6 feet of water around current rips. The key is moving water. Live shrimp are working very well, but if they don’t have shrimp Vudu Shrimp, Gulp!, and mud minnows are all catching fish.
Black drum and redfish are both just kind of mixed around and not particular to any tide, but there are some schools of redfish grouping up in areas they have not been. This week on one spot they caught a half-dozen reds with even more bites in an area where fish just showed up. Both species are shallow. Reds will eat anything and they are catching the black drum on shrimp under a cork or on the bottom (live or dead).
October 30
Morning surface water temperatures are about 67-68 degrees inshore around Little River.
The inshore fishing has been good this October at the top of South Carolina’s coast, but based on the brief glimpse into the future they got last week Captain Buddy Love of Captain Smiley Fishing Charters (843-361-7445) expects November to be outstanding, particularly for trout. When water temperatures dipped to about 65 degrees for a few days the fishing was incredible, with better numbers and bigger fishing showing up. As soon as temperatures returned to the upper 60s the action fell off, but they are still picking up some trout.
Meanwhile the redfish and black drum have still been biting well on live shrimp fished on slip cork rigs around oyster beds and creeks mouths on moving tides. The rise has been best, although the falling tide has also been productive for both species as well as some flounder and trout. But moving water is imperative to get fish eating.
While 90% of the flounder are already gone, it’s clear that the trout are just starting to show up in real numbers. In addition to live shrimp they will take Vudu shrimp, Gulp!, and other artificials bounced along the bottom.
The red drum in the inlet continue to be hit-or-miss, but even though there are some very good days they are too inconsistent to mess with that often – especially on charters who expect to catch fish! Off the beaches and at the reefs weakfish are around, and bonita will also take small spoons if you have them ready to throw.
Fishing off the Cherry Grove Pier (843-249-1625) has been strong this week, with lots of spot, croaker and whiting caught as well as trout and some keeper weakfish. They had a push of bull drum a week ago but not much action this week, and with a run of king mackerel to the north they hope there is still one more cycle to come.
October 16
Morning surface water temperatures are about 67-68 degrees inshore around Little River and the mullet are running.
With very rare exceptions the inshore fishing has been outstanding at the top of the Grand Strand, and Captain Buddy Love of Captain Smiley Fishing Charters (843-361-7445) reports that even though the flounder are about gone everything else is turning on. While trout numbers aren’t what they will be they are catching some bigger fish, and on this pace November will be pretty phenomenal. Fishing with live shrimp in known trout areas they would probably be catching more, as the fish they are getting so far have just come on mullet. There are also a decent number of redfish around and they have have also picked up some striped bass in the IntraCoastal on mullet, which is always exciting for saltwater anglers. They are also catching black drum and even sheepshead around structure on live shrimp.
The last of the rise and the first of the fall has been the best time to fish for pretty much everything inshore, and the high fall has been particularly good.
At the jetties the bite for big red drum has been hit-or-miss, and there have been some phenomenal days where every boat hooks up 20-plus times. But then the next day they might only catch two.
On the nearshore reefs the weakfish don’t seem to have made it up yet.
October 3
Morning surface water temperatures are about 75 degrees inshore around Little River and the water is murky with all the freshwater inflow.
While storm-related factors have limited their fishing trips at the top of South Carolina’s coast this week, things are getting back to more normal and Captain Buddy Love of Captain Smiley Fishing Charters (843-361-7445) reports that today on the water they continued to find a very good bite. As the tide began to fall they caught a big bull drum at the jetties. For now there are some around although they are not getting them every day, but it is getting better.
Inshore the fishing continues to be wide open, and fishing the creek banks in 2-5 feet of water with live mullet you can catch nice trout, redfish and flounder. Very quickly today they released several under-sized flounder as well as 17- and 20-inch fish, several slot reds, and multiple trout up to 20 inches.
A mixed grade of black drum is also still around, and the time to catch them is still the last of the falling tide around structure. They haven’t caught any today because they are not fishing shrimp.
Wind has limited the ability to get nearshore, but when they last could there were good king mackerel around.