Fishing report (Jan. 29)
Estuary
Look For: Spotted seatrout, red drum, black drum, tautog, flounder, sheepshead
Comments: After a frigid stretch, the weather turned nice for January earlier this week and a couple of Grand Strand guides took advantage. Capt. Mike McDonald of Gul-R-Boy Guide Service in Georgetown produced 13 spotted seatrout and two red drum on a Tuesday trip and topped that on Wednesday with 19 trout and two reds. McDonald, fishing in the Winyah Bay area, used 1/8 and 1/4 ounce jig heads with Saltwater Assassin and CAL Bait grubs to catch all the fish. McDonald noted the trout measured from 16 to 21 inches. “Generally, what you run into this time of year is bigger fish,” said McDonald, who noted a water temperature in the 47-49 degree range. “They were scattered. We caught one or two here and one or two there.” Capt. Mark Dickson of Shallow-Minded Inshore Charters caught trout in the creeks of the Little River area on Monday and at the Little River jetties on Tuesday, landing nearly seven to eight each day, along with a few red drum. Dickson caught the trout on DOA shrimp in chartreuse or clear with a green tail. “I let it drop to the bottom and then just twitch it,” Dickson said of his fishing technique. Dickson said black drum can be found around the Sunset Beach Bridge.
Inshore
Look For: Black sea bass, sheepshead, black drum, tautog, whiting, weakfish, croaker
Comments: Jessica Perry of Perry’s Bait and Tackle in Murrells Inlet says near-shore reefs such as 10-Mile Reef and Pawleys Reef are producing sheepshead, black drum and tautog. “I’ve sold out of fiddler crabs,” said Perry. The same near-shore reefs are also holding black sea bass, which have a 13-inch minimum size limit and a 5-fish per person daily bag limit. The ocean water temperature along the beach has increased slightly this week, to a reading of 50.7 degrees at 9:30 a.m. on Thursday at Springmaid Pier. Fishing is generally slow on Grand Strand piers, with a few whiting, croaker, black drum and trout being caught, along with dogfish and skates. “All the fish are small right now,” said Leo Vereen, Piermaster at Springmaid Pier.
Offshore
Look For: Wahoo, blackfin tuna, vermilion snapper, black sea bass, amberjack, vermilion snapper, triggerfish, porgy
Comments: The ocean finally laid down earlier this week and a few commercial boats got offshore to catch deep-water snowy grouper. Snowy grouper are currently closed for recreational anglers, however. In general, bottom fishing is very good for black sea bass, vermilion snapper, porgy, grunts, triggerfish, amberjack and possibly cobia, but the annual shallow water grouper spawning season closure is in effect and lasts through April 30. Also, red snapper must be released indefinitely in the South Atlantic Region. Wahoo are the best bet for trolling action, with blackfin tuna and dolphin also a possibility.
Freshwater
Look For: Bream, catfish, bass, crappie
Comments: There is good news on the freshwater front. The Waccamaw River near Conway is below 10 feet and continues to recede. A few fishermen have returned to the river to target crappie and catfish. “They are getting out on the Waccamaw,” said Rick Woodward of Rick's Bait and Tackle in Conway. “I've seen some nice crappie being caught and we’ve had some people going catfishing.” Woodward looks forward to spring and, hopefully, lower water levels, which should produce excellent bream fishing. “I know this trying time will pay off in the long run,” said Woodward. “There's going to be some fat fish come spring time. They’ve been feeding, feeding, feeding. There will be some nice flatfish caught this spring. It’s just a matter of having patience for it.”
This story was originally published January 28, 2016 at 2:13 PM with the headline "Fishing report (Jan. 29)."