Local fishing report (Sept. 17)
Estuary
Look For: Flounder, red drum, black drum, spotted seatrout, sheepshead.
Comments: The four most highly sought species in the estuaries - red drum, spotted seatrout, flounder and black drum - are all active with cooling water temperatures thanks to this week's cool front and the impending arrival of fall. Capt. Mike McDonald of Gul-R-Boy Guide Service in Georgetown used cut shrimp and mullet to catch four keeper black drum and four red drum Monday in the Winyah Bay vicinity. McDonald noted a water temperature of 78 degrees. Area jetties are producing red drum, most well over the 15-23 inch slot limit, trout, black drum, flounder and sheepshead. Capt. Jason Burton of Fly Girl Charters in Murrells Inlet reports the trout bite has picked up, with some nice fish caught on lures early and late in the day. Burton, known as the Flounder Pounder, unsurprisingly has had good success with flounder in the last week and notes the size of the flatfish is improving. Use live or cut mullet or menhaden to catch the reds at the jetties. Anglers should remember the red drum currently frequenting the jetties, inlet channels and near-shore bottom spots in the ocean are the big spawners and it is imperative they be carefully released to preserve the future of the species.
Inshore
Look For: Spanish mackerel, king mackerel, whiting, weakfish, flounder, bluefish, pompano, red drum, black drum, croaker, spadefish, sheepshead.
Comments: Fall fishing is certainly kicking in along the beach and in the near-shore waters. “The weakfish have shown up and the Spanish bite has been really good, a lot of 3-4 pounders,” said Burton. “It's been pretty good.” Weakfish (summer trout) have arrived on the hard-bottom areas near the beach, but anglers can only harvest one per person per day. Burton reports good catches of whiting and a few pompano in the surf on sand fleas. Burton also noted king mackerel, most in the 10-15 pound range, can be found on bottom spots in 50-60 feet of water. Spanish remain the best bet on Grand Strand piers, with a few kings available too, such as the 25-pound, 10-ounce specimen caught Wednesday on Cherry Grove Pier. A few spots have shown up, including one angler who caught 20 spots on Cherry Grove Pier on Thursday, but the real run has yet to come. A few of the bull red drum have also been caught on the piers this week. If the large reds are brought up on the pier for a photo op, anglers should carefully lower them back into the water on a landing net to release them. The surface ocean water temperature at Springmaid Pier was 78.4 degrees at 4 p.m. Thursday.
Offshore
Look For: Wahoo, blackfin tuna, dolphin, grouper, vermilion snapper, black sea bass, amberjack, vermilion snapper, triggerfish, porgy.
Comments: Conditions haven't been the best for offshore fishing this week but wahoo catches have been good for trolling boats in recent weeks. Anglers can also look for a few blackfin tuna and even fewer dolphin. The Winyah Scarp vicinity has been the go-to spot for wahoo. Bottom fishing is excellent on ledges in depths of 80-120 feet for grouper, vermilion snapper, black sea bass, red porgy, triggerfish and amberjack. Red snapper are available but must be released indefinitely in the South Atlantic Region. NOAA Fisheries service has announced the commercial harvest of snowy grouper and vermilion snapper in South Atlantic waters will close at 12:01 a.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 22.
Freshwater
Look For: Bream, catfish, bass, crappie.
Comments: With the water temperatures falling and the river level rising a bit, super fall fishing is right around the corner. While bream action has been status quo, for now, catches of crappie have picked up a bit this week. Look for bream a little deeper, in 3-5 feet of water, hitting crickets and worms. Crappie can be found on brush or other structure, especially near creek mouths, hitting crappie minnows. Miki Woodward of Rick's Bait and Tackle reports the Little Pee Dee River remains low, with some sandbars still exposed. Boaters should beware. “You can't go wide open (on the Little Pee Dee),” said Woodward. Cut eels or mullet will entice bites from catfish.
Gregg Holshouser
This story was originally published September 17, 2015 at 5:22 PM with the headline "Local fishing report (Sept. 17)."