North Myrtle/Little River – October 2025
Chris, of Fine Catch Fishing Charters, reports steady success hooking flounder using 4-6” finger mullet on Carolina rigs around creek mouths. This same setup is also getting strikes from red drum and larger speckled trout.
The speckled trout action is best when working longer grass banks that have shell bottoms while using live shrimp under a slip cork. Anglers set on fishing artificials can also have success with Vudu or D.O.A. shrimp.
Black drum can be found in deeper channels with live shrimp.
Red drum efforts are focused mostly around flooded oyster beds and grass lines. One key is to hone in on areas with plenty of mullet running through. Topwater plugs are an effective option in the early morning, but live bait will work throughout the day.
Bull red drum are around the inlet, with larger live or cut bait as the best options. These drum can also be found around the pods of menhaden off the beach.
Spanish mackerel and bluefish are all over the beaches, with sight casting spoons being the top method.
Curtis, of Captain Smiley Fishing Charters, reports that flounder fishing with live bait (mullet, menhaden, or pinfish) rigged on a 3/8 oz. jig head dragged across the bottom is producing catches. If out on the nearshore reefs, bump the weight up to 3/4 oz.+ to keep the baits tight to the bottom.
Speckled trout are starting to school up, especially on the rising tides. Live shrimp is plentiful, and rigging them under a slip cork and drifting over structure, ledges, and deeper banks (5-6’ depths) is the main tactic. If using artificials, pick your favorite brand’s shrimp imitation lure and add Pro-Cure scent. These early season fish are smaller, but a few better ones are mixed in.
Slot red drum are plentiful up in the creeks.
Black drum are hitting live shrimp, especially when fished around shell structure.
Bull red drum are around the jetties. Rigging larger menhaden chunked or whole on the bottom works best.
Sight-casting anglers are finding bigger spanish mackerel showing up off the beach, with the occasional school of false albacore also around.
Bob, of Strange Magic Fishing Charters, reports that flatfish are falling for live minnows and soft plastics fished on the bottom. Look for structure with deeper holes in the backs of creeks at lower tides, and then focus on grass or shell banks on the higher tides.
Live shrimp are all over the place and will put speckled trout, red drum, and black drum in the boat. Rigging the shrimp under popping corks is producing the most action.
The speckled trout bite is heating up, and these fish can be caught on everything from live shrimp to hard baits or soft plastics. Target grass banks that transition to shells along the ICW.
The bull red drum bite has kicked off at the Little River jetties, and these reds will readily bite on mullet fished on the bottom.
Spanish mackerel are off the beach and can be caught while trolling spoons or sight-casting 1-2 oz. jigs to surface-feeding frenzies.
Logan St. Cyr, of Little River, caught this 27″, 5 lb. speckled trout in the Little River area using a live mullet.
Jessey, of Shallow Minded Fishing Charters, reports that the red drum bite around the inlets is excellent, with most fish in the 20-30” class. The bigger bulls should show up soon in more numbers and run through the full moon in early October. The slot and over-slot fish are keyed in on 6-8” mullet on a Carolina rig or jig head fished around the rocks, and the bulls will dial in on large cut mullet or live menhaden.
Flounder are around in good numbers, especially out on the reefs. Live mullet is the go to bait.
Nearshore, the king mackerel bite has picked up with the abundance of bait on the beaches.
Bottom fishing is producing plenty of gag grouper (catch and release) as they begin to move into the 65-80’ structures.
Bevan, of Chilly Water Fishing, reports that bottom fishing trips are producing good numbers of scamp grouper, triggerfish, vermilion snapper, and black sea bass. The vermilions are in the 85-120’ range and hitting cut squid. Anglers looking mainly for scamps are doing better deeper (100-140’) and fishing live pinfish or menhaden.
Trolling efforts are producing wahoo, with a few blackfin tuna also in the mix.
Larry, of Voyager Fishing Charters, reports that full day and overnight bottom fishing trips to the Gulf Stream are seeing plenty of vermilion snapper, triggerfish, grunts, and a variety of grouper species.
Wahoo fishing is picking up, with better action coming from the Scarp and Blackjack areas.
The nearshore bottoms (<10-mile range) are seeing the better-sized black sea bass start to move back inshore.
Sandra Groff, of Vass, NC, caught this red drum in Little River Inlet on cut bait.
Josh, of Little River Fishing Fleet, reports that nearshore waters (12+ miles) have been producing big gag grouper (to be released).
Most amberjacks are in the 50-mile range.
Gulf Stream bottom fishing action includes scamp grouper, strawberry grouper, and a few hogfish, and some late season mahi have come from the drift lines.
Melissa, of Apache Pier, reports that slot red drum are being caught, with a few over-slot fish in the mix.
Flounder fishing has been steady.
Those casting plugs and metal are finding plenty of bluefish and a few spanish mackerel.
Bottom fishing with smaller baits has been producing croakers.
Ed, of Cherry Grove Pier, reports that bottom fishing is producing mostly whiting and croaker, with spots and other smaller species sprinkled in.
Flounder are being caught, mostly on live bait.
Anglers looking to cast are catching some spanish mackerel and the occasional bluefish.
