Anglers are catching big trout on rock jetties

Christopher Ossmann of Fine Catch Fishing Charters said the big trout are biting at the jetties.

Live shrimp is the top producer right now

Anglers are catching some big trout along the Carolina coastlines. And the bigger female trout appear to be sticking closer to jetties and groins than the smaller fish, many of which are being caught in the inshore creeks.

Christopher Ossmann of Fine Catch Fishing Charters out of Little River has a theory about why the bigger trout are hanging close to the rocks.

“If you can get shrimp to the bigger female trout right now, they’ll bite it. The shrimp haven’t made their way into the creeks yet though. So the bigger fish are out on the rocks where the shrimp are,” said Ossmann (843-655-6440).

Ossmann and his clients have caught numerous fish over 24 inches around the jetties lately. Including a 30-inch trout and a 28-inch trout on the same day earlier this week.

Creeks are also giving up quality fish

“We have also caught plenty of good quality trout in the creeks, but the bigger ones are coming on the rocks,” he said.

Aside from fishing with shrimp around the rocks, Ossmann said paying attention to the tide is also important.

“The bite is really driven by the tide. This time of year, I find that the outgoing tide works better for me. This is especially true around the rocks,” he said.

Ossmann uses a slip cork with medium-light rods and 20-pound Power Pro braided line on 2500 and 3000 series spinning reels. His trolling motor is another important tool.

This 30-inch speckled trout came from the rock jetties near Little River, S.C.

You have to be prepared to move when fishing around the rocks. You might not get a bite in one spot for 10 minutes. But once you move 50 yards away, you’ll catch several really quickly. The day we caught the 30 and the 28, we hit three different spots with no luck before finally getting on that hole. And that hole also gave up a 22-inch trout along with two 26-inch redfish,” he said.

Anglers should also pay close attention to the depth their catching fish at, then adjust their slip corks accordingly as the tide goes out, he said.

When he’s not using live shrimp, Ossmann is also catching these fish on Z-Man Trout Tricks.

About Brian Cope 2726 Articles
Brian Cope is the editor of Carolina Sportsman. He has won numerous awards for his writing, photography, and videography. He is a retired Air Force combat communications technician, and has a B.A. in English Literature from the University of South Carolina. You can reach him at brianc@sportsmannetwork.com.