Fishing report (July 15, 2016)

Estuary

Look For: Flounder, black drum, red drum, spotted seatrout, bluefish, sheepshead.

Comments: “We’ve got 87-degree water but the fish started to turn on a little bit yesterday,” said Capt. Mike McDonald of Gul-R-Boy Guide Service in Georgetown. McDonald’s crew on Wednesday caught 19 red drum – many just below South Carolina’s slot limit of 15 to 23 inches – five flounder and a bonnethead shark. McDonald fished in Winyah Bay and North Inlet, using live finger mullet. “Everywhere I went we had a bunch of fish,” said McDonald. “That was one day – let’s see what the next day brings.” Capt. Patrick Kelly of Captain Smiley Fishing Charters has also had a good week in the Little River vicinity. “It’s good fishing for what it is, summertime fishing,” said Kelly. “We’ve been getting action, morning or afternoon, it hasn’t mattered. The afternoons have been physically demanding but it doesn’t seem to be bothering the fish.” Kelly has been drifting the channels of Tubbs Inlet using live finger mullet and Berkeley Gulp swimming minnows on a Carolina rig to catch flounder and trout. Kelly also notes an abundance of black drum in the 13-inch range, hitting live or cut shrimp, particularly around docks.

Inshore

Look For: Spanish mackerel, king mackerel, cobia, bluefish, whiting, croaker, pompano, flounder, weakfish, spadefish.

Comments: There finally have been some decent weather days for fishing the inshore waters, and the artificial reefs have produced a variety of species. Look for flounder laid up near structure on the reefs hitting live bait such as finger mullet or mud minnows. The same bait will entice weakfish, black sea bass and sharks, especially blacktips and Atlantic Sharpnose. Use large, dead baits to catch larger sharks such as tigers and bulls. Slow-troll live menhaden or mullet near the surface to catch Spanish mackerel, king mackerel or possibly cobia. Cobia must be released in the South Atlantic region for the rest of 2016. Use cannonball jellyfish to catch spadefish. Look for Spanish mackerel around inlet passes and along the beach, especially near the inlets or hard-bottom areas. Troll Clark or Drone spoons on No. 1 planers to catch them. Some nice Spanish well above the 12-inch minimum size limit have also been caught off Grand Strand piers this week. The piers are also producing scattered catches of bluefish, whiting, pompano, croaker, black drum and possibly spadefish. The ocean water temperature was 83.5 degrees Thursday at 6 p.m. at Springmaid Pier.

Offshore

Look For: Grouper, black sea bass, vermilion snapper, triggerfish, red porgy, grunts, amberjack, blackfin tuna, wahoo, dolphin, sailfish.

Comments: Trolling near the break and the Gulf Stream can produce decent catches of blackfin tuna, wahoo and a few dolphin but water temperatures are soaring and the fish are scattered. In the heat of summer, dolphin and even sailfish can be found closer to shore in areas such as the Parking Lot. Bottom fishing is good, especially in depths beyond 70 feet, for vermilion snapper, black sea bass, triggerfish, grunts, porgy and grouper. Amberjack are common on ledges and artificial reefs. Cobia must be released for the remainder of 2016 and red snapper must be released indefinitely in South Atlantic waters.

Freshwater

Look For: Bream, catfish, crappie, bass.

Comments: There’s been plenty of rain causing a rise in the rivers and it’s hot as blazes, but the fish are still biting. “I’m still seeing some pretty fish even though the Little Pee Dee is back on the rise from all the rain we’ve had,” said “Catfish” Stalvey of Stalvey’s Bait and Tackle in Conway. “It ain’t slowed anything down.” Use crickets, worms, beetle spins or popping bugs in two to four feet of water along the banks to catch bream. Catfish are hitting cut eels. Stalvey notes more hardy baits such as goldfish or black salties are preferred over shiners for bass or catfish during the heat of the summer. “The shiners can’t take the heat,” said Stalvey.

This story was originally published July 14, 2016 at 7:59 PM with the headline "Fishing report (July 15, 2016)."