SE NC Report: shallow redfish and some trout, freshwater stripers

Saltwater fishing hasn’t yet manufactured the transition more than to the spring-style season that freshwater fishing has, but the consistent remains strong shallow-drinking water redfish catches. Redfish are hitting on flooded grass flats when the tide is appropriate and can also be observed schooled up on low tide in the backwater creeks.

Anglers are doing some sight fishing on the redfish whilst the drinking water remains cool and clear. You have to be careful not to spook them and most guides are poling their boats into location and not using the trolling motors.

Redfish are hitting Gulp scented synthetic baits or dwell mud minnows. They’ll also strike cut mullet and shrimp or crab. Stealth is the essential to catching the shallow-water redfish.

There have been some encouraging reviews of speckled trout catches. NC is at the moment in a closed time for specks but some anglers have documented catching great numbers of modest spike trout. That is encouraging news because we have been concerned about how the winter weather conditions affected them as there had been some scattered trout kills.

Black drum stay close to framework and the surf contains loads of dogfish, skates and rays. No signal of sea mullet yet but they should be displaying up soon.

Meanwhile the freshwater striper bite is sizzling on the Carolina lakes. Striped bass are hitting lower shad and bream and bloodworms on the bottom, and topwater plugs int he mornings.

For more fishing content articles see my weblog A Dash of Salty and my site Surf and Salt