Nov. 3, 2011
Saltwater Fishing Trends:


Little River - Grand Strand - Charleston - Beaufort - Tides - S.C. marine recreational fishing regulations (PDF file). Saltwater Fishing License site.

Fishing trends courtesy www.SCFishingReport.com. Check the site for recent updates and detailed reports.

Little River

Cherry Grove Pier reports that good numbers of bluefish and some Spanish mackerel are being caught. Small flounder and spot are also being picked up.

Grand Strand(unchanged from Oct. 27)

Spottail Bass: Very good. Perry’s Bait and Tackle reports that fishing is hot! Bull red drum are being caught off most of the area beaches from Pawley’s Island to Myrtle Beach and at the Murrells Inlet Jetties on cut bait. A few slot-sized fish are being caught in the surf, but most of the fish are 30-42 inches. Slot sized redfish are feeding well in the creeks where the best action has been on the incoming tide. Live mud minnows, live finger mullet, live shrimp and a variety of artificial lures will all work.
Bluefish: Very good. Perry’s reports that the bluefish run is on, and very good numbers of fish are feeding well in the surf. Most fish are in the 12-inch range, but there are 3-5 pound bluefish mixed in. Cut mullet are hard to beat.
Spot: Good to very good. Perry’s reports that spot fishing is off and on, but in the last few days they have been hot in Murrell’s Inlet. Bloodworms fished on the bottom are tough to beat – especially on a two-hook rig.
Flounder: Good. Perry’s reports that flounder fishing is still strong, and although numbers are down sizes are up. Flounder are being caught on the ledges off the beaches and in the inlets. Cast or troll Carolina rigged live mud minnows on the bottom over sandy bottoms and around hard structure. Fishing is often best for a couple of hours either side of low tide.
Black drum and sheepshead: Fair to good. Perry’s reports that small black drum and good sheepshead are feeding well at the Murrell’s Inlet Jetties on fiddler crabs and shrimp. Fish fiddler crabs vertically on a Carolina rig close to the hard structure.
Trout: Good. Perry’s reports that off Garden City weakfish are feeding well on cut mullet fished in the surf. Spotted seatrout are feeding well in the creeks on live shrimp under cork against the grass or around oysters, but most fish are in the 11-13 inch range.
Surf and Pier report: In addition to the above, bull whiting have been strong off the Garden City Pier. They are feeding best on fresh shrimp fished on the bottom on the low to middle rising tide.

Charleston

Spottail bass: Good. Haddrell's Point reports that redfish are feeding very heavily. Live bait is sure-fire, but this is also the time of year when artificials can be just as effective. Gulp! shrimp and jerkshad, Zman PaddlerZ, DOA Shrimp, Chatterbaits and more will all catch fish. Fish are schooling on the flats at low tide, and there are also plenty of redfish hanging around docks and rockpiles.
Trout: Good. Haddrell's Point reports that the trout bite has become much more consistent, and some good fish in the 18-22 inch range are being caught. Shell rakes in 4-6 feet of water with a good flow are most productive, and DOA shrimp, Zman MinnowZ, suspending Mirrolures and Super Spook Jrs. (for the early topwater bite) will all catch fish. It's also hard to go wrong with live shrimp.
Sheepshead: Good. Haddrell's Point reports that sheepshead fishing is about to explode, and this is the time when live shrimp under a float can be just as good as fiddler crabs. Fish near heavy structure in 4-12 feet of water.

Beaufort

Spottail Bass: Good to very good. Bay Street Outfitters in Beaufort reports that fish are beginning to school up on low tide when they can be caught on bait and lures. There is abundant bait in the water, but when it leaves the bite will still remain very strong for a period since fish will be used to eating. There is still good tailing activity, but it shouldn't last too much longer as fiddler crabs will soon go into hiding.