Redfish, Flounder, Speckled Trout, Black Drum, and Striped Bass
We are very fortunate here in southeastern North Carolina with some awesome backwater fishing for several different species. Redfish, Flounder, Speckled Trout, Black Drum, and in a different part of our river, Striped Bass. Some of the best fishing of the year for these species can occur. The three main species that we target throughout the year, reds, black drum, and speckled trout, are usually chewing at their best and we can find big numbers of these fish on a weekly basis. The weather is often and pleasant with temperatures most of the time in the upper 50s and 60s and even low 70s. This report is based on now until the end of December.
Redfish-
The red drum fishing in the Cape Fear region can be at times some of the best in the state due to our vast amount of creeks and muddy flats. With the air and water temps cooling off each day, the numbers of fish that we find will continue to thrive. Sometimes we will find schools of reds that range from 10 to 50 fish in the creeks and even 100 to 200 fish on the flats. Some of the best days we have ever had are in the late fall and early winter days with final catch numbers over 100 fish! Most of the time when we get on that many fish, the majority of them are in the 15-17” range but there are many times where we find large schools of mid to upper slot fish as well. Most of the time we will fish dead shrimp or live finger mullet on the bottom to catch these fish but when the opportunity presents itself, we will throw scented soft plastics such as Gulp! and Z-Man baits. The big drum run will begin to phase out but there still may be opportunities to catch these massive 40+ inch fish along our beaches.
Speckled Trout-
Speckled trout fishing in November and December can be fantastic. We usually fish artificial lures when targeting them but fishing live shrimp on a float rig can be the ticket when all else fails. Soft plastics on 1/4 ounce jig heads and hard baits such as Mirrolures worked slow are often our top producers. A trout bite can be a blast when you find a school of them, especially when you find some nice quality fish!
Winter Black Drum Fishing-
An underrated fishery in our area which is also one of the best fisheries we have, is the black drum. On any given day we can fill up the cooler with these tasty fish or we can catch and release. This often is our bread and butter when all else fails. Black Drum will often school with redfish in some of the same holes on the lower stages of the tides. Black Drum are a blast to catch on light tackle and fight similar to redfish with a few more direction changes and typically fight deeper. These along with redfish, and speckled trout make for some incredible action and awesome table fare in the next couple months.
Winter Striped Bass Fishing-
Striped Bass can be caught throughout the winter months in the upper Cape Fear River. This is a catch and release fishery and these fish are a blast to catch on light tackle. The sizes range from 2 to 20lbs with an occasional larger fish caught. Sometimes we also catch redfish and speckled trout in the same areas that we are catching stripers. Trolling shallow and deep diving plugs or casting swimbaits, jigs, and hardbaits are the baits of choice for winter striped bass.
Thanks for reading the report and we can’t wait to see some of you on the boat! Let’s hope and pray for some beautiful weather these next several weeks for everyone who is fishing. Don’t forget in December we begin our winter rates! This is a killer deal for what may be the best fishing of the year. Also, if you’re looking for a Christmas gift for friends or family, gift cards are always a great idea. Just give us a call if that is something that sounds interesting and we would be happy to help you out. Take care!
God Bless,
Captains Jeff and Christian Wolfe
Seahawk Inshore Fishing Charters
Carolina Beach Inshore Fishing Blog
910-619-9580
Capt. Christian L. Wolfe
Mobile: (910) 619-5053
