Red Drum

Juvenile red drum can form some huge schools in the sounds, rivers and bays of the North Carolina coast. Inlets, jetties and oyster reefs also attract juvenile fish; in the summer, adults spawn in Pamlico Sound.

The best fishing for juvenile fish occurs in the spring and fall at the mouths of creeks during falling tides, along the sloughs of the beachfront and on the mud flats lining the ICW. Find the bait and you’ll find the redfish.

Anglers sight-fish for juvenile redfish with weedless spoons, flies, soft-plastic jerkbaits, spinnerbaits, topwater lures, jigs and grubs. Adult fish are taken with cut baits and large live baits like mullet and menhaden.

Red drum bag limits are one fish per day between 18 and 27 inches. Red drum were once overharvested, but stocks are recovering well. A big redfish adult can exceed 50 pounds.

Flounder

Southern flounder are fish of the inshore waters, from the inlets in. Summer flounder live in the nearshore and offshore waters, from the inlets out. The two species do mix, especially at inlets, reefs and ledges.

Southern flounder may stay in the deeper waters of channels, sounds and rivers all year, but they begin biting in April and the bite peaks in June. In September, the biggest fish of the year arrive.

Southern flounder can be taken with artificial lures, especially jigs and scented strip baits fished on the bottom. But the biggest fish are taken with live mud minnows, mullet or menhaden fished on Carolina rigs.

Flounder bag limits change every year, so anglers must check the regulations. Both species have had ups and downs due to overfishing. Most flounder that are caught are taken commercially.

Spotted Seatrout

Spotted seatrout can be caught at rock jetties, oyster beds, piers, boat docks and all inlets and along the beaches. Find a spot with lots of shrimp or baitfish along hard structure and the fish will be there.

Specks can be caught during every month of the year, but the best runs occur during the fall and winter. Some impressive catches of specks are made in December and January each year.

Anglers catch specks with nearly any type of lure that will catch a largemouth bass: jigs, soft-plastic scented artificial baits, topwater lures and minnow imitations. They are picky about size and color, though.

The bag limit is 10 fish measuring 12 inches or longer. Specks are great- eating fish that aggressively attack lures cast on light tackle. Speck fishing can also be hot, with anglers hooking several in minutes.

Spanish Mackerel

Spanish mackerel are primarily ocean fish. They form large schools at artificial reefs, natural ledges, inlets and tide lines within 10 miles of the beaches. Inlets are top places to catch them.

Spanish mackerel show up in late April and bite very well until June. During hot summer months, they become scarce, and then they become numerous again from September through early November.

Live baits fished on treble- hook rigs at artificial reefs catch the largest Spanish mackerel. To catch large numbers of fish, trolling with spoons is the best tactic. The fish will strike anything shiny that is moving fast.

The bag limit is 15 Spanish mackerel having a minimum length of 12 inches. To distinguish Spanish from king mackerel, look for the black spot in the leading edge of the dorsal fin -- that marks a Spanish.

Grey Trout

Gray trout are caught primarily from nearshore ledges and artificial reefs. However, they also move into the inlets and sounds, where anglers catch them right along with speckled trout.

The colder months are best, with the period from October through February the best fishing. Calm seas make the best fishing for gray trout because trout are usually caught from an anchored boat.

Jigging with heavy metal spoons along the near-shore ledges is a top tactic for catching gray trout. But these fish will also strike cut mullet and other fish, squid or shrimp fished on a bottom rig.

Once overfished as a bycatch in commercial fisheries, trout recovered but now appear to be on the decline again. The fish are moving as far south as South Carolina, which is outside their historic range.