Murrells Inlet’s reputation as a great coastal fishery brings anglers to the area for a wide range of species, and in November, it’s the peak of speckled trout fishing that fills the overflow lot at the public boat ramp on a daily basis.
From the jetty rocks to the shallow, estuarine creeks near US 17, speckled trout can be just about anywhere, and J Baisch of Fishfull Thinking Guide Service loves every minute of it.
“This is my favorite time of year, when the trout and the redfish are thick as thieves,” said Baisch (843-902-0356). “We have schools of trout here all-year long, but we get a big flow of fish and bigger fish into our area this time of year that makes the fishing about as good as it gets.”
Trout are ambush feeders and can be found anywhere there is a good vantage point to ambush bait; this could be along any bank with deep water, oysters, structure or around creek mouths. Some places that are always better than others.
“The jetties are always a good option, especially for big trout,” Baisch said. “We regularly catch some big ones out there, and there are typically several fish caught out there over 8 pounds this time of year,.”
Live shrimp are deadly fished in the lower third of the water column under a popping cork. It helps that most bait-stealers are gone from the jetties by November, and a live shrimp can drift freely until a big gator trout or redfish decides to eat.
Creeks can offer hot action this month, but the action can be better in some places. Baisch often trolls to find fish, then stop, anchor, and resort to casting.
“I will troll MirrOlures in Christmas-tree color, blue/silver and green,” he said, “or I will troll grubs on ¼-ounce jigheads in electric chicken or opening night, and I troll against the current.”
When he finds a school, he will cast the same lures or switch to artificial shrimp or live shrimp under a float.
The most-important aspect to finding a good school of fish is to find an area of broken current or an ambush point in deeper water.
The jetties are a good starting point, especially on an incoming tide. Baisch will fish from Oaks Creek to the south all the way to Garden City Creek to the north.
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