Friday, Nov. 06, 2009

Area Fishing Report

Saltwater

Estuary

Look for Spotted seatrout, red drum, flounder, black drum, sheepshead.

Comments Spotted seatrout and red drum are the best bets in local estuaries. "We've been hammering the trout on live shrimp," said Capt. Mark Dickson of Shallow-Minded Inshore Charters in Little River. "Live shrimp is the difference between picking at them and killing them." Dickson has also had good success with red drum in the 15- to 18-inch range, also on live shrimp. Dickson has found trout at Sunset Beach Bridge and near Coquina Harbor and red drum in Dunn Sound and Bonaparte Creek. On the south end, Capt. Mike McDonald of Gul-R-Boy Guide Service in Georgetown had good success on trout and red drum in the Winyah Bay vicinity, catching the trout on grubs and the red drum on live shrimp. Tom Craddock of Inlet Convenience notes trout, red drum and flounder are available in Murrells Inlet, including the jetties. Anglers continue to catch spots, especially on bloodworms, in the inlet.

Inshore

Look for Whiting, spots, pompano, weakfish, Spanish mackerel, black drum, flounder, red drum, sheepshead.

Comments Catches of spots on Grand Strand piers were good until the north wind arrived early this week. Since then panfish have been hard to come by. The best bet on all the piers is whiting, with weakfish (summer trout) also showing up at their normal locations. Other species landed on the piers this week include flounder, sheepshead, black drum, pompano and Spanish mackerel, although Spanish have been scarce. Look for weakfish and whiting on near-shore hard-bottom areas. Capt. Larry Horowitz of Super Voyager Charters in Calabash, N.C., reports good catches of black sea bass on half-day trips to hard-bottom areas in depths of 50 feet with grunts and flounder also mixed in.

Offshore

Look for King mackerel, wahoo, dolphin, blackfin tuna, grouper, black sea bass, triggerfish, amberjack.

Comments The best action is for king mackerel in depths of 60 to 80 feet of water, reports Horowitz. "There's a load of kings out there," said Horowitz. Trolling boats can also encounter wahoo and dolphin a little farther out starting in about 100 feet of water. Plenty of reef species are available on bottom fishing trips despite the recreational fishery for vermilion snapper being closed as of Nov. 1. "They did a terrible thing, shutting (vermilion snapper) down. We're trying to stay away from them," said Horowitz, who noted a 10-hour trip to 25 miles south-southeast of Little River in 80 feet of water produced grouper, black sea bass, triggerfish and grunts.

Freshwater

Look for Bream, crappie, bass, catfish.

Comments With the water cooling, Jay Booth of Fisherman's Headquarters reports catches of crappie have heated up this week in 6 to 8 feet of water on minnows near Samworth WMA, and in the Yauhannah and Bucksport vicinity. , Bass activity has picked up and Booth reports fish are taking shiners in 2 to 3 feet of water on a falling tide around cypress trees at Bucksport and in ditch mouths near Samworth. Morgans and bream are biting worms in 4 to 5 feet of water, also at Yauhannah, Bucksport and Samworth, with morgans biting particularly well. Look for catfish biting shiners and cut eels. Booth reminds boaters that river levels are low in many areas.

State Fishing

Santee Cooper System Bream: Very good. Captain David Hilton reports that he continues to find a strong bream bite over deep brushpiles in the 22-to 24-foot range. He is catching upwards of 100 fish on many of his trips but all sizes are mixed together. Night crawlers are good bait. Striped Bass: Good to very good. Lil N8s Bait and Tackle in Sumter reports that striped bass fishing continues to be strong with very good numbers of fish being caught. However, few fish are over the legal minimum of 26 inches. In the morning, good schooling activity is being reported and the rest of the day free-lining live bait seems to be the key. Catfish: Good. Captain Jim Glenn reports that falling water temperatures have blue catfish on the move, and good catches are being reported both deep and shallow. Right now deep water means 30 to 40 feet and shallow water is 4 to 10 feet deep. Shallow water is better at night, even with chilly winds, because the water is usually too clear for good daytime fishing; however, the shallows will also produce during the day when there is some wind to break up the surface. On nights when there is current in the diversion canal, that area can be hot. The best baits include cut herring, shad and mullet, and both drifting and anchoring will work. Largemouth bass: Fair to good. Captain Inky Davis reports that the lake is full of boats fishing the Bassmaster Southern Open this weekend, and some good sacks up to about 20 pounds have been weighed in - but no exceptional weights by Santee standards. Captain Davis is still finding that most fish he is catching are in the 2- to 3-pound range, but some larger ones are also mixed in. The best bite continues to be around shallow structure with soft plastics or crankbaits. Crappie: Fair. Captain David Hilton reports that crappie fishing has slowed a bit in the last week although his boat continues to catch fish. He is still finding the best action around brushpiles in 15 to 18 feet of water on the upper lake.