Flounder Fishing Is On Fire!
[dropcap]T[/dropcap]he spring flounder bite is at full speed! The water has warmed up and bait is showing up in the creeks and waterway. We are catching 10 to 15 flounder on our half-day charters with six to eight being keepers in the 15″ to 18″ range. There also have been a few doormats, too. Drifting mud minnows on Carolina rigs has been the most productive way to catch them. When the bite slows down, we anchor at the creek months or around docks, casting mud minnows or Gulp baits on Carolina rigs and 1/4-ounce Blue Water Candy jig heads.
The redfish bite in the Intracoastal Waterway has been awesome. When the tide is high, fish near the grass at the edge of the docks and when the tide is low, fish out in front of the docks and in the deep holes in the creeks. The best baits for redfish have been mud minnows or Gulp baits. The key in the spring is not to work the bait or lures too quickly, as redfish won’t chase your bait very far. By far, live shrimp have been the best baits but they are hard to find this time of year. A secret weapon for the redfish in the spring is a cut soft shell blue crab.
Gulf Stream Fishing Is On FIRE Right Now!
Love the sweet sound of multiple reels screaming as each rod doubles over when your bait spread is suddenly ambushed by pack of monster wahoo or a school of yellowfin tuna skyrocketing on an outrigger bait and burning 300yds of line off of a 50 wide? Better yet, there’s the beautiful yellow, green, and blue colors of a mahi-mahi as it jumps to free itself from the end of your line Wahoo are being caught in numbers in the 40- to 60-pound range. Mahi are showing up in schools in the 10- to 15-pound range with some bigger 25- to 30-pound mahi mixed in with them. Come and join in on the high speed action of stand-up tackle as you battle the fierce fighting creatures that call the Gulf Stream their home.
The cobalt blue water of Gulf Stream is located some 60 miles offshore. The wahoo are hanging around structure on the bottom and bait that is in the column.
Mahi are schooled up around the sargassum patches. Blackfin and yellowfin tuna are running the rip and hanging around the temperature breaks. Trolling ballyhoo on Capt. Joe Shute’s Fish Finder Skirts in black/purple or red/black. Capt. Joe Shute’s Fish Finder Wahoo Flasher with a horse ballyhoo on the planer line is a bomb. Barefoot Chin Weight with ballyhoo on the long line works great for wahoo, mahi and tuna. South Chatham’s new “RPG” high speed wahoo lure is putting a hurt on the wahoo trolled at 12 to 15 knots.
The king mackerel fishing around Frying Pan Tower is awesome. Kings this time of year can be found in schools with fish ranging in size from the six- to 12-pound snakes to the 30+ pound smokers. Kings can be found in areas where the surface temperature is between 68 and 72 degrees and are located over bottom structure, such as ledges, wrecks and any other rough bottom, holding bait fish for feeding. Water color change or temperature breaks may also hold kings, as bait seems to gather along these conditions. Trolling cigar minnows on one-ounce and four-ounce Pirate Plugs will produce the most kings for you. Kings will be moving in closer to shore as the water warms up. They can be found at the Horseshoe, 65-Foot Hole, Jungle and Shark Hole. We will also have a run of big kings that are just of the beach that will be here around Mothers Day. Live bait is the only way to go for them when they are on the beach.
Recreational grouper opens on May 1. Grouper can be found in 75- to 180-feet of water. The best bait is live bait. The next best bait to use is Boston mackerel. Also recreational vermillion snapper season opened on April 1. Vermillion snapper can be found in 75 to 150 feet of water. The best bait is cut Boston mackerel, but any kind of cut bait will work. Be sure to fish about 10 to 20 feet off the bottom. It’s hard to get through the black sea bass to catch to grouper and vermillion snapper. Be sure to take a lot of bait with you. You’ll need it.
Come fish with one of the most successful captains in the business, Captain Keith Logan and North Myrtle Beach Fishing Charters. Call us to book your fishing charter today, as we are booking up fast. Call Captain Keith at 843-907-0064 or visit us at www.northmyrtlebeahcfishingcharters.com to book your fishing trip.