North Myrtle/Little River – October 2026
Fletcher, of Dave’s Outpost, reports that the local piers and inshore anglers saw good flounder action during the short season.
Inshore anglers continue to pick away at red drum, sheepshead, and black drum.
Bottom fishing from the surf and piers has been producing whiting, though anglers are starting to gear up for pompano.
A couple kings were caught off the piers, which is hopefully a good sign moving into early fall.
Nearshore anglers are finding a good mix of bluefish and spanish mackerel.
Chris, of Fine Catch Fishing Charters, reports that red drum are absolutely all over the place. Anglers are having success targeting the reds around oyster mounds, near creek mouths, along grass line ambush points, and in the deeper channels.
Flounder fishing has been great and remains a good option in South Carolina. Sandy bottoms with some structure (such as oyster bars) nearby are the types of areas to target.
Sheepshead can be found around these same oyster bars during the higher tides.
Out around the jetties, flounder and speckled trout are up against the rocks, and sheepshead, black drum, and nice-sized red drum are along the rocks as well.
Schools of spanish mackerel can be found from the inlet and out along the beaches for anglers looking for sight-casting action.
With so much bait moving along the beachfront, there’s likely some king mackerel around, too.
Curtis, of Captain Smiley Fishing Charters, reports that anglers are finding a decent black drum bite while fishing around deeper oyster banks or around the rock jetties. Live or cut shrimp on the bottom is the best bait option in either area.
A bunch of smaller red drum, with slot fish mixed in, can be found while fishing with finger mullet. The reds are pretty scattered, so expect fish to be anywhere from holes way back in creeks to out along the ICW banks.
Flounder fishing has been good, with plenty of keepers around. The key right now is to be targeting areas off the beaten path, as many popular areas have been hit hard. A 3-4” finger mullet really can’t be beat for targeting flatfish.
Dan Krieger, of Calabash, landed this red drum in the Ocean Isle area on a finger mullet. He was fishing with Capt. Tim Disano of Tideline Charters.
Anglers fishing with live shrimp have found a few speckled trout, though most of the specks are small.
Out at the jetties, there has been a good red drum bite, with most of fish being over-slots (to 30”). The best tactic is to fish cut mullet or menhaden on the bottom.
Keep an eye out for any bird action in the inlet and out along the beaches, as the spanish mackerel have been getting thick.
Jessey, of Shallow Minded Fishing Charters, reports that the inshore bite has been really good, with plenty of flounder being caught throughout the area. Live mullet has been the go-to bait, and it’s been producing fish around the inlets, along sandy areas, and back in the creeks. Anglers are also seeing better quality flounder holding on the nearshore reefs, including AR-460, the Ron McManus Reef, and the Three Mile Reef.
The red drum bite has been phenomenal around the Little River Inlet and jetties. Live and fresh cut mullet have both been producing consistently, with plenty of quality reds being caught.
Offshore, the wahoo bite was fired up around the full moon. The couple of days leading into the moon cycle were especially productive, with multiple boats catching seven or more wahoo in a day.
Some blackfin tuna are mixed in with the wahoo.
Bottom fishing has remained very consistent, with plenty of American red snapper, assorted grouper, and a good mix of the usual smaller bottom species.
The king mackerel bite has been slower than normal so far this year. Some kings are around, but it’s been difficult to find a consistent bite.
A few cobia are still hanging in the area.
Bob, of Strange Magic Fishing Charters, reports that plenty of flatfish are still around, and soft plastics have been working well. If out at the nearshore reefs, large live mullets are the better option.
The large red drum run has started in Little River Inlet, with the reds aggressively going for large live mullet and shrimp.
Mike Blackmon, of Greensboro, NC, caught and released this 39” red drum in the Cherry Grove area while drifting a live mullet minnow on a Carolina rig.
Black drum are being caught in backwater holes and under docks in the ICW. Fresh shrimp rigged on a jig head works great for targeting them.
Speckled trout will start to move into the forefront soon. When the water temperatures get into the mid- to low-70’s, it’s game on. Live shrimp on a popping cork usually provides the most action, but soft plastics such as Gulp or Z-Man will also work extremely well.
Josh, of Little River Fishing Fleet, reports that vermilion snapper are all over the place, with anglers easily getting their limits on the Gulf Stream bottom trips.
Triggerfish are biting well, with a mix of Key West porgies, white grunts, and almaco jacks around, too.
The biggest change from September is the king mackerel are starting to show up. That 10-mile range has kicked out quite a few kings, though a lot of them are smaller fish.
Bob, of Apache Pier, reports that the pier has seen a bunch of spanish mackerel being landed, and the quality of fish only gets better as temperatures cool down.
A good amount of slot-sized red drum are being caught, and bottom fishing efforts are also producing flounder and black drum.
Ed, of Cherry Grove Pier, reports that the spanish mackerel fishing has been awesome for anglers sight-casting Gotcha plugs and other metal jigs around bait balls and surface-feeding schools.
Bottom fishing is generating a mix of black drum, flounder, and some spots.
