07/20/14
Tide: High & Falling
Temp: 93F
WaterTemp: 85F
Wind: SSW 12MPH
Having grown up fishing in Murrells Inlet and Georgetown, I moved to Little River a few months ago and have struggled to catch anything worth reporting. Most Sundays or Mondays I can be found either in CGrove, LR inlet or Tubbs trying to figure it out.
I got off to a late start today with the tide nearly high and struggled to catch a bucket of mullet. Spent the first couple hours around the jetties and in a few creeks drifting for flounder. Managed a few dinks and a couple blues and it was HOT. It seemed like it was going to be another slow day with little to show for it but sunburn and dehydration. I forgotten my nicotine back in the truck, and the cold beer and lunch at Crab Catchers was oh so tempting.
But the tide was turning so I decided to give it another hour and I switched methods. It would turn out to be one of my best hours fishing.
I found some shell banks with good moving water and plenty of bait around them. Rigged a mullet under a popping cork and a second rod with a carolina rig. The popping cork I worked along the bank and soaked the c-rig in the deeper channel.
My popping cork almost immediately went under and I brought a 23" Speck into the boat! There’s nothing like the anticipation of seeing that cork dive and then seeing that silver spotted jewel of a fish thrashing on the line.
I had just re-set the popper and the c-rig rod got a big hit. Grabbed it and set the hook and it was a serious slug fest making multiple laps around the boat with me palming a too loose set drag, but I finally landed a 28" spottail that I quickly measured, photoed and released healthy.
Then, the popping cork gradually submerged. I thought I was stuck on an oyster but set the hook to find a 14 1/2" flounder. The day had gone from complete bust to an inshore slam in less than an hour!
Finally, I picked up the c-rig rod and moved the bait a few feet and something about jerked it out of my hand. After a drag peeling fight, I