Fripp Island anglers getting plenty of inshore action

Influx of shrimp has helped turn on reds, trout, black drum

Anglers in the Fripp Island area are catching big numbers of a variety of species on a wide array of baits. Capt. Rick Percy of Reel Chance Charters said on some days, he catches trout, redfish and black drum all from the same fishing holes. And that’s not all that’s biting.

Percy said the best fishing has been on the outgoing tide, and that more shrimp are available for the fish to eat. This adds to what Percy said was already a good collection of baits and lures that are producing fish, including live mud minnows, cut mullet, Gulp! soft plastics, and Vudu Shrimp. These are all catching black drum, flounder, redfish, and speckled trout. Percy said he has had success with some topwater lures as well, especially on trout with Zara Spooks.

And while Percy did say that while falling water has been more productive, not to ignore the other tide cycle. On some days, he has had good catches on the incoming tide as well.

“I started fishing just as the tide was coming in and got right on the fish immediately,” he said after an outing when his party caught 16 redfish in short order, as well as some trout and flounder. Live mud minnows under a popping cork did the trick.

Percy has been having success around inlets and creek mouths, especially around current breaks, but said he has also had some success at the nearshore reefs and wrecks like the Fish America Reef and the General Gordon.

The inlets and creeks are mainly giving up redfish, trout, black drum and flounder. The wrecks and reefs are giving up the same, as well as black sea bass and bluefish. Percy said while many of the sea bass are small, he is catching his share of keepers, and they are biting pretty much any baits. Weakfish are also still biting in these nearshore areas, and most of them are keepers.

Atlantic sharpnose sharks are also biting off the beach and near the reefs. Live bait and cut bait are working well for the sharks, which Percy (803-535-6166) said should continue to bite for the foreseeable future.