March 13 Inshore surface water temperatures on the north end of the Grand Strand have reached the upper 50s, and the water is still fairly dingy. As water temperatures have warmed fishing has picked up in the Little River area, and Captain Patrick “Smiley” Kelly reports that the bite for both redfish and trout has turned on. Both species are being caught on lower stages of the tide both rising and falling, and they are mixed together in the same shallow potholes in the backs of creeks. Finger mullet, mud minnows, Gulp! and Vudu Shrimp are all working. While clarity is not really good enough for traditional sight-fishing, you can locate the fish when you see them pushing water. When you do actually see them in super shallow water it is usually too late to catch them. Black drum are likely to be found around docks where they will take cut shrimp on moving tides going in or out. They have been a nice 17-18 inches. Some redfish have also been found around docks. Cherry Grove Pier reports that water temperatures are about 55 degrees and only a few whiting are being caught. Black sea bass fishing is still good about 30 miles offshore. Jay A'Hern