Grand Strand Fishing Report: A spotted seatrout bonanza is happening up, down the coast
Estuary
Look For: Spotted seatrout, black drum, red drum, flounder, sheepshead.
Comments: The water temperature in area estuaries has finally dropped into the lower-to-mid 60s after a prolonged warm spell, and the prolific bite of autumn is kicking into gear. Sizable live shrimp are like gold to anglers in late autumn, as floating shrimp is producing excellent catches of spotted seatrout along with scattered black drum and red drum. “We’ve caught a bunch of trout and some small reds,” said Capt. Patrick Kelly of Captain Smiley Fishing Charters in Little River. “Black drum too. It seems like the incoming tide is where it’s at. It seems like fishing is where it needs to be up here.” Kelly has produced a nice grade of trout, with many over 18 inches, well above South Carolina’s 14-inch minimum size limit. Kelly notes only a few flounder being caught. “We normally catch a few this time of year, but there’s not much going on with that,” said Kelly. The trout action is ramping up on the south end, too. Capt. Mike McDonald of Gul-R-Boy Guide Service has had a trout bonanza in the Winyah Bay vicinity. On Monday, McDonald and crew caught 41 trout most in the 16-17 inch range, all on artificial grubs. McDonald noted a water temperature of 64 degrees Monday. On Tuesday, the water temperature had dropped to 60 degrees after a chilly night and McDonald produced 13 trout. It’s the same story in Murrells Inlet. “Trout, trout and more trout,” said Capt. Dan Connolly of O-Fish-Al Expeditions. “We’ve also seen some really nice black drum here and there.” Connolly observed a water temperature of 61 degrees Tuesday afternoon after seeing 58 degrees in the morning. Connolly noted there is still at least one pest pecking at live shrimp in Murrells Inlet – pinfish. “The pinfish are still a pain, just horrible,” said Connolly. The fifth annual Speckled Studs Trout Tournament will be held Dec. 5 out of Marlin Quay Marina and is a fundraiser for the Student Angler League Tournament Trail. The event is hosted by O-Fish-Al Expeditions and YAK Kayak Fishing & Outdoor Guides and features both boat and kayak divisions. The tournament is a live-release event. For more information, contact Capt. Dan Connolly at 843-241-7022.
Inshore
Look For: King mackerel, Spanish mackerel, bluefish, weakfish, flounder, red drum, black drum, black sea bass, whiting, croaker, pompano, spots.
Comments: Capt. Chris Ossman of Fine Catch Charters in Little River has recently observed ocean water temperatures in the mid-to-upper 60s, meaning there’s plenty of action within five miles of the beach. “There’s still a good bit of bait scattered along the beach,” said Ossman. “It still feels like October for those fish.” Ossman has found a good population of weakfish at the Jim Caudle Reef, located three miles south of Little River, along with plenty of black sea bass under the 13-inch minimum size limit and a few flounder. A few bull red drum can still be found on near-shore hard-bottom areas, along with weakfish. Ossman has also noted false albacore “busting on bait right outside the inlet” this week. Late November marks a time when larger, keeper black sea bass begin moving into shallower water. “They are definitely starting to move into 70-80 feet and you can probably get some keepers in 50-60 feet,” said Ossman. “There’s still a few kings at the live bottom areas such as the Jungle, 65-Foot Hole and Belky Bear.” Action has remained decent from Grand Strand piers for late November. “We had lots of nice whiting until Sunday (when) we had an influx of river water come in,” said Steve Gann of Cherry Grove Pier. Water conditions returned to normal Monday afternoon, and Gann has also seen croaker, pompano, flounder under the 15-inch minimum and a few bull reds come over the rails. Whiting and croaker have been the top catch from the Apache Pier, reports Calvin Dickerson. “We’ve also had a few Spanish come back through but not a lot of them,” said Dickerson, who noted a water temperature of 64 degrees on Tuesday. Dickerson has also seen bluefish, flounder and black drum landed this week plus a few spots.
Offshore
Look For: Wahoo, blackfin tuna, yellowfin tuna, dolphin, king mackerel, barracuda, grouper, vermilion snapper, red porgy, black sea bass, white grunts, grey triggerfish, amberjack.
Comments: Ossman slipped out to a wreck in 80-feet of water on a rare day with decent seas in search of grouper, but found red snapper and some reef donkeys, or large amberjack, in residence. Best overall action for bottom fishing is in depths of 80-120 feet, with fish trending shallower as the water continues to cool. Also look for vermilion snapper, grey triggerfish, black sea bass, red porgy and white grunts on the bottom spots. Red snapper must be released for the foreseeable future in the South Atlantic Region, unless a mini-season is set for some time in 2021. Opportunities to get offshore for trolling action have been scarce this November, but when conditions permit wahoo, blackfin tuna and scattered yellowfin tuna should be there for the taking. Conditions look decent for offshore trips Friday and Saturday.
Freshwater
Look For: Bream, crappie, catfish, bass.
Comments: A quick look Sunday at the Wacca Wache Boat Ramp on the Waccamaw River at Murrells Inlet showed a scene local river residents and anglers are weary of – flood waters, which extended from the river well up into the parking lot. As of Wednesday at 9:15 a.m., the Waccamaw near Conway was at 12.32 feet, above the minimum Moderate Flood Stage level of 12.0 feet. The river is not expected to drop back into Minor Flood Stage (below 12.0 feet) until Saturday. The Little Pee Dee River at Galivants Ferry, the Pee Dee River between Marion and Florence and the Santee River at Jamestown were all in Minor Flood Stage Wednesday. It’s simply advisable to stay off the rivers due to the high water at this time.
This story was originally published November 26, 2020 at 10:27 AM.
