Fishing report (Feb. 5, 2016)
Estuary
Look For: Spotted seatrout, red drum, black drum, tautog, flounder, sheepshead.
Comments: Jessica Perry of Perry’s Bait and Tackle reports flounder are available in the creeks of Murrells Inlet, along with spotted seatrout and red drum. Capt. Mark Dickson of Shallow-Minded Inshore Charters in North Myrtle Beach had successful trips on Monday and Tuesday, including a few flounder over the 14-inch minimum size limit. Trout provided the bulk of the action for Dickson, who used Trout Trix lures on 1/8-ounce Mission Fishin’ jig heads. Dickson's crew caught 20 trout, four red drum and a few flounder on Monday and 15 trout and a flounder on Tuesday. On the south end, Capt. Mike McDonald of Gul-R-Boy Guide Service in Georgetown found a water temperature in the 54- to 56-degree range while on the water Tuesday, but not many fish. “It’s cold one day, hot the next, they don’t know what to do,” said McDonald. “They’re scattered, they're not grouped up right now.” Look for black drum, spotted seatrout and tautog at area jetties with red drum also a possibility.
Inshore
Look For: Black sea bass, sheepshead, black drum, tautog, whiting, weakfish, croaker.
Comments: Best action on the inshore waters continues to be at the near-shore reefs, where sheepshead, black drum, tautog and black sea bass can be found. Weakfish and flounder are also possibilities. Fiddler crabs are a good bait for sheepshead, while black drum and tautog prefer fresh shrimp. Black sea bass will hit about anything including mud minnows, shrimp, squid, cut bait or even plastic grubs. Black sea bass have a 13-inch minimum size limit but keepers can be hard to find on reefs and hard-bottom areas near the beach. Try spots in depths of 50 feet and beyond to find a better ratio of keepers. Grand Strand piers are producing scattered catches of whiting, croakers, black drum, stingrays, skates and puffers. Most of the fish are small, but one angler landed a 22-inch keeper black drum off the Cherry Grove Pier on Saturday, reported Ronnie Goodwin. A 20-inch black drum was also caught from Springmaid Pier the following day. The ocean water temperature was 52.9 degrees at 2:48 p.m. Thursday at Springmaid Pier.
Offshore
Look For: Wahoo, blackfin tuna, vermilion snapper, black sea bass, amberjack, vermilion snapper, triggerfish, porgy.
Comments: It’s simple. Find a good weather day and get offshore – the fishing is superb. Seas were nice last weekend and early this week, and several boats headed out to reap the benefits. Catches of wahoo are excellent, with most boats landing three to five fish and missing more per trip. Blackfin tuna are also making a good showing with a few dolphin also in the mix. Bottom fishing is also very good. General Manager John Horton of Georgetown Landing Marina reports Capt. Eric Heiden and crew aboard Eric’s Ark brought in a great catch of black sea bass, vermilion snapper, red porgy and gray triggerfish on a Monday trip. Some of the black sea bass landed by Heiden’s crew weighed close to four pounds. The annual Shallow-Water Grouper Spawning Season Closure is in effect and lasts through April 30. In addition, red snapper must be released indefinitely in the South Atlantic Region.
Freshwater
Look For: Bream, catfish, bass, crappie.
Comments: More rain is just what area rivers didn’t need, but received a heavy dose of it Wednesday and Thursday. Thus a rise is in the cards for the rivers, with the Waccamaw River near Conway and the Little Pee Dee near Galivants Ferry both projected to move into minor flood stage within the next four to five days. Miki Woodward of Rick’s Bait and Tackle in Conway reports anglers had good success with crappie on minnows around structure and catfish on cut eels earlier this week before the rain arrived.
This story was originally published February 4, 2016 at 5:29 PM with the headline "Fishing report (Feb. 5, 2016)."