Betty of TW’s Bait and Tackle reports that surf fishing on the Hatteras Island beaches has been great. Sea mullet have been feeding well on bottom-rigged shrimp around the jetties and Ramp 55. Good numbers of blowtoads and pinfish are being caught in the Frisco area using shrimp. Puppy drum are being hooked on cut […]

Patrick of Captain Smiley Fishing Charters reports that speckled trout have been the main focus over the past few weeks. The specks have been plentiful inshore and at the jetties and quite a few of them have been in the 25-30” range. Inshore the best action is coming from shelly or sandy bottoms on the […]

Charlie of Island Tackle and Hardware reports that a good number of red drum are being caught in the backwaters with more trout showing up as well. Carolina-rigged baits and soft plastics on jig heads will work for both and MR17 and 18s in natural colors (such as new penny) have been drawing strikes as […]

Matt of Chasin’ Tails Outdoors reports that the spring speckled trout bite is the best that the area has seen in years with 50-100 fish days becoming more common than not. MR17s and 14s have been slaying the specks as have soft plastics on jig heads. If the fish aren’t going for artificials they won’t […]

Matt of Tex’s Tackle reports that redfish have been abundant in the marshes and around ICW docks over the past few weeks. Fresh shrimp cut mullet or live mud minnows will always get a bite as will Z-Man and Gulp soft plastics. The less-pressured schools will hit a topwater or gold spoon as well. Speckled […]

Richard of The Reel Outdoors reports that both speckled trout and good-sized red drum have been biting inshore. MirrOlures are working for the specks though most of the fish have been small. In the surf shrimp and artificial bloodworms have accounted for great catches of bluefish puffers sea mullet black drum and a few red […]

A year-round recreational striped bass season closure went into effect at 12:01 a.m. on Friday March 29 2019 in all waters of the Central Southern Management Area where a closure does not already exist. The Cape Fear River and its tributaries are already under a harvest moratorium and are not impacted by this change. N.C. […]

Iland’s Improved Sea Witch   Throughout every offshore rigging bucket in the Carolinas you will be hard pressed to find one without ballyhoo rigs adorned with sea witches (more specifically a blue/crystal one). The sea witch/ballyhoo combo has been the top producer for decades for all pelagic species—from tuna and wahoo to dolphin and billfish. […]

The 14th annual Johnnie Mercer’s Pier Dogfish Tournament was held this year on January 26. The event gives pier anglers a chance to enjoy some healthy competition and win prizes during the pier’s off-season when there’s typically not a lot going on. Al Baird the event’s director says that the winter tournament is designed to […]

Calcutta Discover Sunglasses   For over a decade Calcutta has manufactured a line of affordable polarized sunglasses designed for cost conscious anglers and outdoorsmen. With a quality product at a retail of $21-$29 Calcutta shades have not only been great sellers but a popular choice for anglers with a tendency to lose or break their […]

Jeff of Ocean Isle Fishing Center reports that winter and early spring fishing trips have been successful especially when looking for speckled trout. There have been no signs of a winter kill and the number of specks in the inshore waters has been staggering. There are plenty of small shrimp and menhaden in the creeks […]

Patrick of Captain Smiley Fishing Charters reports that inshore water temperatures on the north end of the Grand Strand are in the high 50s/low 60s. Clarity is good but snot grass is showing up early so be prepared to clean off a lot of hooks. Slot redfish and keeper black drum are being caught on […]

Matt of Tex’s Tackle reports that water temperatures are above average for this time of year and this has the inshore fish biting. Reds are schooled up and sightfishing for them has been possible thanks to clean water. Some of them have made their way into the marsh near the inlets while some are still […]

Matt of Chasin’ Tails Outdoors reports that the speckled trout bite has been fairly consistent throughout the winter months with the most recent weeks producing fish around 18”. The specks are back in the creeks along the ICW with MirrOlure MR14 17 and 18s accounting for a lot of the bite. Z-Man plastics and Bass […]

Mike of Native Son reports that trout have been in their winter holes. The key to getting them is to fish a couple of days past any cold fronts to give the weather time to warm back up but this will be less important come April. Always fish with a slow retrieve this time of […]

Striper closures are making news so far in 2019 but on the lower Roanoke River thanks to Capt. Mitchell Blake of FishIBX Charters we were not only able to get on good bite but also able to bring a few fish home for dinner. Rocky (Fish Post writer) and I met Mitchell at the Williamston […]

Charlie of Island Tackle and Hardware reports that drum have been showing up in the rivers where anglers can chase them with mud minnows or soft plastics (such as a Z-Man) on a jig head dropped to the bottom. Whiting have been chasing shrimp down at the mouth of the river and while a few […]

The state of North Carolina is home to a plethora of fishing tackle manufacturers most certainly a result of our strong angling communities and fisheries. To name a few Fathom Sea Striker and Blue Water Candy have become not only nationally-known brands but major players in the fishing tackle industry. A new company First Flight […]

Every angler who has fished the Cy’s World Rodeo now in its eighth year knows that Bone Crusher is the team to beat and Brandon Sauls and Clay Morphis have once again taken first place in the two-fish tournament which in 2018 was held on November 24 out of the Ocean Isle Fishing Center. While […]