Grand Strand Fishing Report: Cold temperatures, wind putting freeze on bites

Estuary

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

Comments: Capt. Dan Connolly of O-Fish-Al Expeditions checked out conditions in Murrells Inlet Wednesday and found the water temperature has dropped dramatically since winter finally arrived early in the week. “The water temperature in the back waters was 43 and I didn’t see anything over 46,” said Connolly. Still, Connolly used live shrimp and found a some fish despite the cold and blustery conditions, catching a few spotted seatrout in the 20-inch range and some slot red drum. “I caught six fish or so but the conditions were not good, so you’ve got to factor that in,” said Connolly. “The water was dirty from it being so windy. The fish were caught in 45.5 degrees. That 2 degrees in water temperature (from 43 degrees) means the difference in them eating and not.” Capt. Chris Ossman of Fine Catch Fishing Charters also went out to catch bait and check conditions in the Little River area. Ossman noted a water temp ranging from 43-48 degrees. “In a week it dropped over 10 degrees,” said Ossman. “The water was really dirty. Hopefully when this wind dies down it will clear up and get these fish biting again. They need a stable temperature to bite.” Kayak angler Rob Birchmeier found 46-50 degree water in the backwaters of Murrells Inlet and landed four trout in the 18-20 inch range on plastic grubs Wednesday.

Inshore

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

Comments: The water temperature also took a sharp plunge in the surf zone. The reading at Apache Pier in Myrtle Beach was 51 degrees Thursday at 1 p.m., down six degrees from a week ago. Norma Madaras of the pier reports a few anglers have been fishing but with little luck, catching only a few small whiting and croaker. Since the cold front, sea conditions have been nasty in the near-shore waters and few boats have been out. When conditions stabilize, anglers can look for black sea bass and sheepshead on the reefs within 10 miles of the beach. Also look for weakfish, flounder, black drum, red drum and tautog on the bottom spots and artificial reefs within 3 miles of the beach.

Offshore

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

Comments: After the strongest cold front of the winter pushed through early in the week, there has been little angler activity in the offshore waters. The marine forecast doesn’t look too good for the weekend, either. Wahoo and blackfin tuna are available when conditions permit for trolling boats. Large black sea bass can be found in depths of 50 feet and beyond. Further out, in the 90-120 foot range, amberjack, vermilion snapper, triggerfish, porgy, grunts, grouper and red snapper are all available. There are a number of species that must be released however. The annual shallow-water grouper spawning season closure is in effect and continues through the month of April. Species included in the closure are gag grouper, black grouper, red grouper, scamp, red hind, rock hind, yellowmouth grouper, yellowfin grouper, graysby, and coney. Also, red snapper are common on the ledges and live-bottom areas but the species is closed to harvest in the South Atlantic Region and must be released.

Freshwater

Look For: Bream, crappie, bass, catfish.

Comments: “Between the wind and the freezing cold, I haven’t seen much going on,” said Ronald “Catfish” Stalvey of Stalvey’s Bait and Tackle in Conway. Not to mention the high water. The Waccamaw River at Conway was in the best shape for fishing at midweek, with a reading of 8.68 feet Wednesday at 2:15 p.m. The Little Pee Dee at Galivants Ferry was still in Minor Flood Stage at 8.93 feet Wednesday at 2 p.m. The Pee Dee River at Pee Dee, between Marion and Florence, was still in Minor Flood Stage Wednesday but was dropping sharply. Fish can be found despite the conditions. Bream are on the bottom in 8-15 feet of water hitting worms. Crappie are hitting minnows best, but also jigs and beetle spins, in 4-12 feet of water on structure. For bass, finesse worms, small crawfish baits and small crankbaits are top lures. Catfish are hitting eels and live bream, but fresh shad is a prime bait this month..

This story was originally published January 24, 2020 at 2:43 PM with the headline "Grand Strand Fishing Report: Cold temperatures, wind putting freeze on bites."