Fishing report (March 25, 2016)
Estuary
Look For: Flounder, red drum, black drum, spotted seatrout.
Comments: On the north end, Capt. Mark Dickson of Shallow-Minded Inshore Charters found plenty of spotted seatrout on a Tuesday trip, with keepers a little hard to come by. Dickson’s crew caught 25 trout with six keepers using mainly ½-ounce Vudu Shrimp and fishing predominantly in the Sunset Beach Bridge area. Dickson also noted numerous bluefish were present. “If you throw a mud minnow out, you’re going to catch a bluefish,” said Dickson, who also produced one keeper flounder that was over 15 inches on the trip. He observed a water temperature between 60 to 63 degrees. Jessica Perry of Perry’s Bait and Tackle reports keeper trout, some in the 20- to 21-inch range, have been caught in Murrells Inlet this week. Perry reports keeper flounder are available along with some slot reds in the creeks. Capt. Mike McDonald of Gul-R-Boy Guide Service didn’t catch a tremendous number of fish but did produce a Carolina Slam of trout, flounder and redfish on a Thursday trip in the Winyah Bay vicinity using artificial grubs. McDonald noted a water temperature of 62 to 63 degrees in the bay and 65 to 66 degrees in North Inlet.
Inshore
Look For: Black sea bass, sheepshead, black drum, bluefish, whiting, flounder.
Comments: Look for black sea bass, sheepshead, black drum and possibly tautog on the near-shore reefs within 10 miles of the beach. Black sea bass can be thick in some spots, with keepers over the 13-inch minimum size limit tough to find. Fiddler crabs are a choice bait for sheepshead, but, as Capt. Jeff Maples of Reel Salty Fishing Charters notes, they won’t be on the reefs much longer as the water temperature is quickly warming up. Capt. Jay Sconyers of Aces Up Fishing has had good success with white grunts this week about 15 miles offshore in 50 feet of water, observing a water temperature of 64 degrees out there. Head to at least 50 feet of water to find a better ratio of black sea bass keepers. The time is near for fishing to pick up significantly on Grant Strand piers. For now, look for whiting, bluefish and flounder on the piers. The ocean water temperature at Springmaid Pier had zoomed up to a reading of 63.3 degrees Thursday at 6:18 p.m.
Offshore
Look For: Wahoo, blackfin tuna, barracuda, bonito, vermilion snapper, black sea bass, triggerfish, porgy, grunts, amberjack.
Comments: Capt. Austin Aycock reports on OIFC.com a productive trip to the Winyah Scarp on Tuesday. Aycock noted he caught seven wahoo in the 30- to 40-pound range while inshore of the break in 160 feet of water, using Bluewater Candy lure heads. Trolling can also produce blackfin tuna, and the arrival of dolphin is now on the horizon. Bottom fishing is producing vermilion snapper, black sea bass, porgy, grunts and amberjack. The annual Shallow-Water Grouper Spawning Season Closure is in effect and lasts through April 30. Red snapper must be released indefinitely in the South Atlantic Region.
Freshwater
Look For: Bream, catfish, bass, crappie.
Comments: The rivers continue to recede and fishermen are finally having some success. “It’s like the warm weather turned (the fish) on,” said Miki Woodward of Rick’s Bait and Tackle in Conway. “Everybody says it’s getting just about right. We’ve had the best week we’ve had in the last six months.” Woodward notes fish including crappie, bream (including morgans) and catfish are being brought in from the Pee Dee, Little Pee Dee and Waccamaw rivers. Bream and crappie are still deep, with the bream hitting crickets and red worms and crappie hitting minnows. Cut eel is a prime bait for catfish.
This story was originally published March 24, 2016 at 9:12 PM with the headline "Fishing report (March 25, 2016)."