# Fishing Holden Surf on Thanksgiving ?



## Gearhead (Nov 13, 2013)

New member here and have been lurking for a while . love the site and forum. Im just getting into surf fishing recently. I am taking my weeks vacation this year at Holden beach the week of Thanksgiving . Rented a house on the beach and plan to surf fish all week ,night and day , off and on . What should my target species be ,there at that time and what will I need to catch something ? All help and suggestions welcome . Thanks in advance .


----------



## Ghostrider (Jul 27, 2010)

Will be down there as well...fishing off the pier...I have caught trout on a mirrolure on calm days from the surf...


----------



## Gearhead (Nov 13, 2013)

Thanks Ghostrider, I don't have any mirrolure's but will start looking in to get a few for thre trip. Thanks again


----------



## Gearhead (Nov 13, 2013)

Would Gotcha plugs work casting from the beach there ?


----------



## [email protected] (Jul 12, 2006)

Gearhead said:


> New member here and have been lurking for a while . love the site and forum. Im just getting into surf fishing recently. I am taking my weeks vacation this year at Holden beach the week of Thanksgiving . Rented a house on the beach and plan to surf fish all week ,night and day , off and on . What should my target species be ,there at that time and what will I need to catch something ? All help and suggestions welcome . Thanks in advance .


My approach would be to have a couple of smaller rods with double bottom rigs (Flouro, no hardware like river rigs) baited with fishbites bloodworm and bright orange shrimp for surfzone panfish. Also, run one or two big rods with a fishfinder rig and use big parts of whatever panfish you catch to heave out on those. In addition, keep a light spinning rod handy that can throw a Hopkins spoon, mirro lure or gotcha plug. if you see any action like swirls and baitbusting in the surf, cast out to it and reel fast. I like a big white/red Yo-Zuri suspending rattler for this. You can buy some cut bait to get you started, but I always like to convert bait directly.

I also keep a nine weight fly rod handy in case anything is busting close in, just in case.....

Cover all of your bases.


----------



## Ghostrider (Jul 27, 2010)

About three years ago I remember bouncing a gulp shrimp on a lead jig head along the bottom during high tide on the pier. I caught a bunch of small trout, nice size flounder and a couple of blues in the surf. The next two years I try the same thing nothing...switched to a double bottom rig and caught mullet, black drum and the occasional trout...you just never know...I know they catch red drum every once and a while on Holden Beach pier but I have never seen one caught...especially around Thanksgiving...


----------



## Gearhead (Nov 13, 2013)

Thanks guys I will get geared up . Thanks for the ideas , suggestions and past reports , getting excited get after them .


----------



## River (Sep 30, 2006)

Gearhead - I'm not to far away from you --- if you would be interested in learning how to tie a rig like [email protected] is talking about - be more than happy to show you, PM me -- River


----------



## RuddeDogg (Mar 20, 2004)

Welcome to the family.


----------



## Oldscout2 (Sep 15, 2008)

Hi Gearhead. Working a jig on the flats at low for flouder has been productive lately. Then switch to bait on the flood tide with rigs like Shane suggests above. There's some reds and blacks hunting the bank and slough as the tide comes in when can get enough water to cover them. Keeper Whiting in the wash. Blues a little further out and some big pulls on the fishfinders but I haven't landed anything else besides blues out lately. Haven't seen spot in weeks personally. Dink whiting as thick as pinfish at times. There's been good pompano and trout caught too (not by me) but I don't think the pomps will be around much longer. The picture may be different in a week of course. Falling tide has been less than productive of late at least that I've seen. Your results may vary.

Thanks,
Oldscout


----------



## Gearhead (Nov 13, 2013)

Thanks for the report oldscout2, That's good info . Got a 8 year old that is pumped up for his first surf fishing trip , I hope not to disappoint him , LOL.


----------



## bferg (Nov 16, 2011)

I have been down to Holden for Thanksgiving the past two years. Fished a little in the surf mid-island and caught some whiting on artificial bloodworms.


----------



## Gearhead (Nov 13, 2013)

Thanks bferg , catching whiting would be nice . Any fish will be nice !


----------

