Cooler weather has settled in and a solid shallow water redfish bite is the highlight of inshore fishing right now. The speckled trout bite continues to improve as speck schools are running the tide, and there are also some flounder still around.
Redfish have been the strongest inshore action. Anglers have been catching them on Gulp Shrimp, Swimming Mullet and various other soft baits with jig heads. Curly-tailed lures have been working and anglers have been using green, chartreuse, white and new penny soft baits. Live shrimp are also good at this time of year under a popping cork or fished on a sliding cork about two feet from the bottom. Carolina rigs with live shrimp works well to using a 3/8 oz. weight, working slowly along the bottom.
Redfish can be caught around the creek mouths as the tide starts really moving toward low. They are also schooling around bridges, piers, and docks. There are also reds in the surf that can be targeted with cut bait, especially fresh mullet. When the tide is high, the best place to find the reds is in the back of the creeks along the grass and oyster bars.
Speckled trout are staging strong morning bites around creeks, structure, and points. If you can get them, live shrimp are still the best bet as long as they remain available. You can also use Gulp Shrimp and Swimming Mullet on jig heads. Popping corks with Gulp Shrimp also work great. Some trout have been caught using MirrOlures by casting or trolling them along the grass. Topwater or spinnerbait lures work great in the morning before the sun gets up high.
Flounder are still around and are hitting live minnows. Finger mullet or mud minnows are the best offerings. The best flounder fishing is near structure now and not drifting or trolling. Big flounder can be found close to pilings.
As always, black drum are around and hitting well if anyone is fishing for them. Cut shrimp, thrown right against bridge, pier and dock pilings after dark will catch them.
The king mackerel fishing around Frying Pan Tower is still going well. Kings at this time of year can be found in schools with fish ranging in size from the 6- to 12-pound “snakes” to the 30+ pound “smokersā.Ā Kings can be found in areas where the surface temperature is between 66 and 68 degrees and located over bottom structure, such as ledges, wrecks and any rough bottom, holding baitfish for feeding kings. Water color change or temperature breaks may also hold kings, as bait seems to gather up along these conditions. Typically we find our kings in the fall over depthfinder marked bait, usually cigar minnows.
The best way to catch kings this time of your is to use cigar minnows or small ballyhoo. The key to dead bait king mackerel fishing is to troll your baits slow enough so they donāt spin. If they spin, you are going too fast. You can prevent bait spin by using a Barefoot 7/0 J Hook Chin Weight from Barefoot Fishing or a 1-oz Pirate Plug from South Chatham Tackle. Our best colors for the Pirate Plugs are green/yellow or pink. With Pirate Plugs and a Barefoot Chin Weight you can troll 2.5 to 3.5 knots without the bait spinning. Rig the Pirate Plugs with five feet of 60-pound Surfstrand 1×7, a 4/0 nose hook, and two #2 4x Strong Eagle Claw Laser Sharp treble hooks.Ā The Barefoot 7/0 J Hook Chin Weight is rigged with five feet of 60-pound test Surfstrand 1×7, a āJā hook on the Chin Weight, and two #2 4x Strong Eagle Claw Laser Sharp treble hooks.Ā When using a cigar minnow or jigger ballyhoo for bait, the Chin Weight or the Pirate Plug hook goes under the baits chin and out its head. The treble hooks should be placed in the baitās side in a manner that allows the bait to remain naturally straight, and not in any bind. If it is bent by the hook placement, a bind will be created and the bait will spin.
Wahoo action can be extremely good in November as schools of big wahoo congregate along the edge of the Gulf Stream.Ā If a fisherman can find water temperatures between 70 and 75 degrees with baitfish over structure in 180-350 feet of water, the bite will beĀ AWESOME!! The average size of the wahoo will increase in November, with fish over 60 pounds becoming the norm.Ā Occasionally, 90- to 100-pounders are caught.
If you would like to book a backwater, inshore, offshore or Gulf Stream trip, there are still some days available. Donāt miss out on this experience of a lifetime!
FORECAST BY:
Capt. Keith Logan, Feedinā Frenzy Charters ā¢ Holden Beach ā¢ Little River, SC
843-907-0064Ā ā¢ www.feedinfrenzycharters.com ā¢ www.southcarolina-offshore.com