July
Flounder
Southport
Flounder fishing around the mouth of the Cape Fear River and west along Brunswick County beaches can be fantastic in July. A two-pronged attack will work very well for most fishermen either working inshore reefs out of Southport or fishing the mouths of coastal creeks, rivers or ditches that empty into the Intracoastal Waterway.

Big flounder really get out on the Yaupon and McGlammery reefs in late June, and fishing is excellent throughout July. The reefs are marked with buoys and are easily locatable; almost every good chart map of the coast has coordinates. Another good thing about the reefs: They’re only a couple of miles off the beach, west of the mouth of the river.

Fishermen looking to catch flounder should concentrate on the outside edges of the rubble, fishing live menhaden on Carolina rigs. Flounder typically settle on the bottom, using the rubble as an ambush point, then strike out at baitfish that swim within range.

Flounder fishing is also good around deep docks along the Southport waterfront and in coastal creeks and rivers (Lockwood Folly and Shallotte) from Southport to Little River Inlet at the South Carolina state line. Fish around the mouth of any ditch or creek on a falling tide, as flounder will position themselves in areas where they can feed on baitfish that are being sucked out of the marshes by the falling water.

Capt. Jimmy Price is one of the best-known flounder fishermen around. He hangs his hat in Southport at Wildlife Bait & Tackle (910/457-9903). For information about other areas along the Brunswick County coastline, call Hunter McCray at The Rod & Reel Shop in Supply (910/842-2034).

August
Channel Bass
Neuse River
A fishery developed in the Neuse River about 10 years ago that still boggles the mind of fishermen across North Carolina.

Big channel bass, the huge fish more associated with surf-fishermen along the beaches of the Outer Banks, were found to be showing up around the mouth of the Neuse River late in the summer, moving up in the shallows to feed before spawning.

Most of the best fishing is after dark, as fishermen anchor up on shallow points or shoals in 5 to 10 feet of water, close to deeper water where the big drum spend most of their time.

Fresh cut baits fished on Carolina rigs or fish-finder rigs are cast out, but not until a bag of fresh ground chum has had a chance to leech out into the water to create a chum slick that will draw in any big fish that cuts across it on its way to feed.

Relatively heavy spinning tackle is commonly used, as are circle hooks, because it’s illegal to keep a drum longer than 27 inches — and most of these brutes are 40 inches long or better.

A handful of guides target big drum out of the town of Aurora, including George Beckwith (252/249-3101) and Derrick Jordan (252/322-5356), while guide Chris Elliott (252/808-7067) accesses the Neuse through the ICW and Core Creek from his home in Beaufort.

September
King Mackerel
Carolina Beach
King mackerel are one of North Carolina’s most desired saltwater fish, in part because they can be caught extremely close to the beach — even from ocean piers — and because they can be caught up to tremendous sizes.

In September, big kings will pull in around the Carolina Beach and Wrightsville Beach areas, feeding around inshore reefs and rocks anywhere from two to 10 miles out. They tend to be closer to the beach early in the month; later on, they’ll move out as October approaches.

Fishermen can use almost any good chart map to locate popular spots like the artificial reefs off Masonboro and Carolina Beach Inlets and Figure Eight Island.

Slow-trolling with live menhaden is a very popular tactic, especially for catching big kings. However, drifting or slow-trolling dead cigar minnows can be almost as effective.

Just about every charter captain who works out of Carolina Beach or Wrightsville Beach fishes for kings in the fall. A good source for information — and to find a charter captain — is Lloyd Eastlack at Bug ’Em Bait in Wilmington (800/242-2493).