SE NC Report: redfish, bluefish and flounder action

Fishing is acquiring actually very good now in SE NC as the water warms. Redfish have remained the finest inshore bite as they have been all yr. The red drum have moved out the creeks into the inlets, flats, and close to construction as nicely as out at the jetties. Some greater redfish in the six to eight lb class have shown up too and are cruising the grass flats operating the tide.

The redfish will hit a extensive assortment of baits including mud minnows, finger mullet, and lower mullet but will also smack synthetic lures like Gulp soft baits or gold and silver spoons. Large red drum are doing work the grass when the tide is relocating and can be caught in remarkably shallow water.

A good deal of folks are fishing for flounder and they are catching them in figures, although the size nonetheless is not excellent. Anglers are drifting or trolling Tubbs Inlet for flounder, though larger fish can be located anchoring up and casting to structure or off points. Most people are employing reside mud minnows on Carolina or flounder rigs with a one or ½ ounce sinker. Live pinfish or finger mullet are fantastic baits this time of the yr if you can web some.

There are also flounder all around the pier pilings, even now a lot more throwbacks than keepers but acquiring greater.

Bluefish have been working on the piers and in the surf, and fishing Gotcha-type pencil plugs from the piers is a fantastic, exciting way to catch them. Well-known colors are the regular red head, white system Gotcha as properly as plugs with pink bodies and yellow headed, silver-bodied types. If Spanish mackerel are about they favor Gotchas with yellow heads and gold or silver bodies.

Blues can also be caught on the bottom by pier and surf fishermen on just about any organic bait, despite the fact that clean, bloody minimize bait is the very best for them. When surf fishing off the beach you can use a common rig or a “fireball” rig for blues with cut bait from a mullet or pinfish (or even a bluefish).

There have also been far better catches of speckled trout inshore, despite the fact that not as numerous individuals are fishing for them as we continue being in a closed season and it is catch and launch only. Trout will hit the Gulp and Fishbites scented soft baits on 3/eight or ¼ ounce jig heads, and if you use a trailing crappie jig or fly you will catch much more.

Aside from the bluefish a great deal of sea mullet (whiting) have been caught off the piers and in the surf, and this has been an superb year for them. The very best baits are little bits of refreshing shrimp fished on the bottom, though sea mullet will also hit squid, bloodworms, and even refreshing cut bait well.

For much more fishing and seafood content see my weblog A Dash of Salty and my website Surf and Salt