North Myrtle/Little River – July 2025
Coach, of Daves Outpost, reports excellent flounder fishing inshore, along with plenty of sheepshead under bridges and docks.
Red drum are scattered along the banks of the waterway and in creeks. Some speckled trout are mixed in with the reds.
The surf is producing smaller bottom fish and sharks.
Nearshore, anglers are catching spanish mackerel and the occasional king mackerel.
Chris, of Fine Catch Fishing Charters, reports that stripers, red drum, and flounder are around docks and broken pilings and hitting live or cut menhaden.
Black drum are near deeper bottom structures, such as rocks and docks in the ICW, with shrimp or crabs as the bait of choice.
Off the ICW, slot-sized red drum are biting around grass banks and creek mouths. Targeting shell banks would be the first place to cast a variety of options, such as topwater plugs, soft plastics, and Carolina rigs or jig heads with live or cut baits.
Large speckled trout are widely scattered in these same areas.
Jetty fishing is producing over-slot red drum (27-37”) that are hitting live bait and larger cut bait.
Nearshore reefs are holding flounder, while deeper structure (50-70’) catches include amberjacks and the occasional cobia.
Garrett Prelipp, of Rockingham, with a black drum caught in the ICW behind Ocean Isle Beach using a live shrimp on a Carolina rig.
Buddy, of Captain Smiley Fishing Charters, reports that most inshore anglers are focused on red drum, with live mullet or mud minnows fished on falling tides around creeks being the top tactic.
Some speckled trout are hitting the same live baits, especially around docks and creek mouths.
Anglers are hooking flounder both inshore and out around the Three Mile Reef.
Black drum are being caught, although croakers and other bait stealers make targeting them tough.
Schools of spanish mackerel are just off the beach.
Bob, of Strange Magic Fishing Charters, reports that flounder are hitting everything from live mud minnows and shrimp to soft plastics with scent. Targeting structure, such as around marsh drains and creek intersections, is key for the flounder bite.
Red drum, in smaller groups of 1-3 fish, can be found cruising the creek banks, especially at higher tides. Throwing a soft plastic on a jig head or a popping cork with a live shrimp or mud minnow will entice strikes.
Black drum are near the Tilghman’s dock curve, with fresh shrimp on the bottom as the preferred bait.
Speckled trout are still in the mix but not quite as plentiful. Free-lining a popping cork with live shrimp is a productive technique and covers a lot of ground.
Jessey, of Shallow Minded Fishing Charters, reports that the red drum action inshore is seeing plenty of slot-sized fish scattered along the waterway on out to the jetties. On higher tides, the drum can be found up on flooded grass banks, around docks, and near feeder creek mouths. Use cut mullet or softshell crabs on jig heads.
Out on the end of the jetties is where the larger (28-35”+) class of reds are, and they’re mostly hitting Carolina-rigged menhaden or cut mullet.
Just about any of the same areas that are holding redfish are holding flounder. The Three Mile Reef is also starting to produce flounder in numbers.
Sheepshead fishing has improved, with a better class of fish (to 9 lbs.) now being caught off of hard structure and rocks with live mud crabs.
A few big speckled trout are around, and they’re mostly hitting live shrimp.
Off the beach, spanish mackerel numbers are good for anglers trolling spoons.
Some cobia have been caught at the local ARs.
Spadefish are finally showing up on the local reefs and are feeding on jelly balls.
Deeper structure (100-120’+) is producing scamp and gag grouper.
Mahi are scattered now that hot water temperatures have taken over. Finding weed lines is really important this time of year.
Outside of mahi, smaller blackfin tuna and the occasional wahoo make up the offshore trolling bite.
Bevan, of Chilly Water Fishing, reports that as the gag grouper season has closed, that leaves scamps, strawberry grouper, and the occasional black sea bass out deeper (100-130’). Cigar minnows or live pinfish are the best options.
Structure in this range is also producing vermilion snapper, triggerfish, porgies, and grunts. Cut squid has been the best bait.
Mahi are moving closer as waters warm. The 70-120’ range is seeing loads of bait, which is bringing a lot of action (and the occasional cobia).
Amy Taylor, of North Myrtle Beach, caught this snowy grouper slow pitch jigging near the Winya Scarp in 800’ of water. She was fishing with Capt. Jessey Vereen of Shallow Minded Charters.
Larry, of Voyager Fishing Charters, reports the 45-50+ mile area has been the focus for bottom fishing with cut cigar minnows and squid. The catches include vermilion snapper, triggerfish, big grunts, grouper, and cobia.
Keeping a drift line out can entice a strike from king mackerel, false albacore, and flurries of mahi that run by while bottom fishing.
The nearshore bottom fishing trips are catching good numbers of black sea bass, porgies, and sharks.
Nearshore anglers are hooking spanish mackerel and big blacktip sharks.
Josh, of Little River Fishing Fleet, reports that anglers are catching mahi as they begin to spread out in summertime fashion.
Bottom fishing is producing scamp grouper, along with limits of vermilion snapper and some cobia (to 40 lbs.).
Large amberjacks are hitting on the deeper structures (45+ miles).
Nearshore anglers are catching king mackerel, which are scattered along the beaches to further offshore.
Lynn, of Apache Pier, reports that bottom fishing is producing catches of flounder, as well as red drum, whiting, and plenty of croakers.
Anglers sight-casting Gotcha plugs are hooking bluefish.
Trevor, of Cherry Grove Pier, reports that bottom fishing anglers are catching a mix of spots, black drum, red drum, and a lot of baby sharks.
Anglers casting Gotcha plugs are landing smaller bluefish, and a tarpon was caught recently.
