North Myrtle Beach November 17, 2011
William Cauley, Sr., of Pleasant Garden, NC, with a 34" black drum he hooked on cut mullet near Little River Inlet while fishing with Terry Elrod on the "Tarheel Red."
Mark, of Shallow Minded Inshore Fishing Charters, reports that anglers are still catching big numbers of trout all over the area (with around half keepers). The mouth ofCoquinaHarbor, Little River Crossroads,CalabashRiver, and Tillman’s Dock have all been producing good results lately, and anglers are finding feeding trout just about everywhere they look right now. Live shrimp under float rigs are the top trout tempters, but Gulps and other soft plastic baits and a variety of other lures are also hard for the trout to turn down.
Floating live shrimp around the Little River jetties has been producing action with consistently larger specks than most of the inshore spots.
A few striped bass have been mixed in with the specks up and down the ICW, and anglers are also connecting with some red drum while looking for the trout.
The falling water temperatures mean that the area’s reds will soon be moving far up the creeks into the holes, pockets, and flats where they’ll spend the winter. Anglers with shallow-draft skiffs, flats boats, and kayaks can find these fish through the cold months and enjoy some incredible sight-casting opportunities when most have put away their gear for the winter. It takes some searching to find where the fish are feeding, but they usually will continue to use an area day after day, so the effort should prove worthwhile. Gulp baits, live mud minnows, and chunks of crab will tempt bites from the cool-water reds.
Patrick, of Capt. Smiley’s Fishing Charters, reports that the speckled trout fishing is on fire around Little River right now. Anglers are hooking the trout along the ICW, in the creeks, and in Dunn Sound. Live shrimp are difficult for the specks to turn down, but anglers have had excellent results while working D.O.A. shrimp lately as well.
Phil Floyd, of Conway, SC, with a 7.7 lb. flounder that bit a Gulp shrimp in the ICW near Ocean Isle Beach.
Steve, of Cherry Grove Pier, reports that anglers are connecting with some sea mullet from the pier, but the spot action has slowed down. Big numbers of small black drum are also around, and all the bottom feeders are taking an interest in shrimp.
Some flounder are still feeding around the pier (though most are undersized). Live shrimp and mud minnows are the most effective offerings for anglers looking to hookup with the flatfish.
