NC Fishing Report: Redfish and Some Flounder

Inshore fishing has slowed a bit but there are still plenty of redfish being caught in the creek areas, and now they have moved out to around the docks and bridges of the Intracoastal Waterway. Redfish are still responding to live mud minnows fished on a jig head or with just a split shot of weight, and are also hitting scented soft baits on jig heads if they are fished slowly and you don't spook the school.

Redfish and small flounder are around the Cherry Grove area and the backwaters behind Sunset Beach and Ocean Isle. Fishing is best on the bottom part of the tide as on the high tide the redfish move into the marsh grass to feed where it is hard to reach them. If you can find them tailing on the tide change you can cast to them, but otherwise low tide is the right time.

There have also been redfish and flounder caught in Tubbs Inlet and more folks are starting to drift for flounder. The water was warming before the sudden cold snap, but it should be on the rise again soon and more flounder will be found in the inlets. Mud minnows will be the best bait until finger mullet and pogies become plentiful.

There are also scattered speckled trout but most are small. NC is still in a closed season for speckled trout harvest so that is catch and release only.

The piers have seen a few whiting and some scattered spot along with the predictable dogfish and skates. Whiting (sea mullet) are hitting best at sunset.

For more fishing reports see my blog A Dash of Salty and my website Surf and Salt