Grand Strand Fishing Report: Black sea bass among the species biting at near-shore reefs

Estuary

Look For: Spotted seatrout, black drum, red drum, flounder, sheepshead.

Comments: Superb trout fishing continues in estuaries along the South Carolina coast, locally from Georgetown to Little River, along with Brunswick County, N.C. A variety of methods are producing trout. Live shrimp worked under popping corks or slip floats are a sure-fire method, as well as a variety of soft plastics, including baitfish and shrimp imitations. Don’t forget to try top-water lures at daybreak and dusk. Jetties are hot spots to find trout, along with dropoffs adjacent to the bank in about 3-7 feet of water. Red drum, black drum and flounder are also available in the same areas.

Inshore

Look For: Black sea bass, weakfish, flounder, whiting, croaker, black drum, sheepshead.

Comments: The Murrells Inlet crew of Painkiller headed out to 55-60 feet of water for the latest Wednesday excursion, and found black sea bass receptive. They found keepers in the 13-14 inch range, plus red snapper were caught and released. Keeper black sea bass (13-inch minimum size limit) are also available on the near-shore reefs and hard-bottom areas within 15 miles or so of the beach, but many fish are undersized. Also look for weakfish, flounder, sheepshead, black drum and tautog in the same areas. Grand Strand piers are producing scattered catches of whiting, croaker and black drum, with the majority of black drum under the 14-27 inch size limit. The ocean water temperature was 56 degrees surface and bottom Wednesday afternoon.

Offshore

Look For: Wahoo, blackfin tuna, grouper, red snapper, amberjack, vermilion snapper, triggerfish, red porgy, black sea bass.

Comments: Early this week, Capt. Danny Juel of Fish Screamer Charters in Little River headed offshore and had good success with grouper and other assorted reef fish along with king mackerel. Juel was fishing in 75-120 feet of water, but the sweet spot was on live bottom areas and ledges in 90 feet, where he found a water temperature of 70 degrees. Juel reports trolling for wahoo has been productive near the break. “There seems to be quite a few wahoo still hanging around,” said Juel. “Of course I think they’re year round out there. It seems like the bigger fish hang around in the winter.” Aside from grouper, which will close to harvest Jan. 1 through April 30, bottom fishing is producing good catches of amberjack, vermilion snapper, black sea bass, triggerfish, porgy, white grunts and red snapper. Red snapper, however, cannot be harvested and must be released in the South Atlantic region.

Freshwater

Look For: Bream, crappie, bass, catfish.

Comments: The official start of winter is just a week away, and the fish on local rivers are in their winter mode. Bream have completed the transition away from the banks and are now being caught on the bottom lead-lining, using red worms or nightcrawlers. Bream are grouped up in holes 8-15 feet deep according to Ronald “Catfish” Stalvey of Stalvey’s Bait and Tackle in Conway. “If you catch one good one, there’s a lot more hanging around,” said Stalvey. “The crappie are grouped up the same way.” Look for crappie on structure, in creek mouths and in the middle of lakes, hitting medium shiners. For bass, Stalvey recommends working crank baits and Texas-rigged worms in ditch mouths in 4-8 feet of water. “Imitating crawfish and bream is what we’re shooting for now in tree tops, ditch mouths and points and ledges,” said Stalvey. Catfish continue to hit live bream and cut eels. “They’re still deep and shallow, on rod and reels in deep holes and shallow on bush hooks,” said Stalvey.