SE NC Report: great redfish action and early sea mullet

Water temperatures are soaring slowly and gradually and early spring time anglers are discovering the redfish just as active and prepared to bite as they have been all winter. The incredibly powerful and regular red drum bite has been the huge (and truly, the only) inshore fishing story in lower NC all winter and they are off and running for spring.

Meanwhile most the piers have opened and noticed some early sea mullet (whiting) action although a handful of trout and even some sparse flounder have been netted inshore. Nonetheless, it is the redfish that early anglers are turning to for solid day to day action.

As they have been all winter redfish are holding in the shallow backwaters and feeding in the creeks and on the dark financial institutions when the shallow h2o warms up a minor for the duration of the day. Guides and anglers with boats are push poling back into very shallow waters to sight cast for them.

The finest baits for shallow redfish appropriate now are mud minnows or synthetic scented soft baits on jig heads of three/eight or ¼ ounce. Scented baits that are popular are the fluke styles and the scented shrimp. Common jig head colors are red, black, and white but when the redfish are feeding it doesn’t actually matter. A lot more important is that you are extremely quiet and don’t spook the big redfish universities even when you play and land your fish.

Some speckled trout have been caught but most have been little and not as quite a few as is common for early March. Lowcountry officials and anglers in equally NC and SC have expressed concern more than what the frigid temperatures this winter did to the speck population. Trout are less tolerant than redfish to the cold, and scattered kills had been reported.

Right now NC is in a closed recreational period for trout and the only fishing is catch and release. Officials and fishermen will be viewing the speckled trout population closely this spring.

Meanwhile the piers have opened and the early action is on the dependable whiting (sea mullet). You can catch them in reasonably shallow water with fresh reduce shrimp, Fishbities synthetic bloodworms, or minimize squid.

The surf is at the moment nevertheless holding primarily dogfish and skates with a handful of flounder probable. Surf fishermen are anxiously awaiting the arrival of bluefish, almost certainly later on this month.

For a lot more fishing content articles see my website A Dash of Salty and my website Surf and Salt