Inshore Fishing Archives - Page 233 of 287

May 14, 2026

Target Cape Fear speckled trout for a good time this summer.

No fear, trout still here!

Fishermen have many options in the lower Cape Fear River during the summer, with redfish, flounder and sheepshead available from Snow’s Cut all the way to the Bald Head Island jetties. […]

Summer Silver Kings

Jeff Burleson

Anglers in the Georgetown area look forward to the hottest part of summer, because that means the tarpon are here. […]

Fresh bait, even fresh cut bait, is a requirement for successful tarpon fishing.

Use fresh bait

Jeff Burleson

Tarpon with a hearty appetite migrate up the eastern seaboard in the summer in search of large schools of mullet and menhaden. […]

Using frozen cigar minnows instead of catching live baitfish can save tons of fishing time.

Fishing with ‘popsicles’ is scads of fun

Mike Marsh

Capt. Jim Sabella’s uses a dead-bait rig for fishing with cigar minnows that have been frozen and thawed. […]

The waters around Georgetown teem with bait, which draw the attention of migrating tarpon.

Rolling versus feeding behavior

Jeff Burleson

Tarpon rise to the surface for several reasons, alerting onlookers at great distances. Most of the time, tarpon breach the surface gulping air — otherwise known as “rolling.” […]

A ‘Pirate Plug’ is effectively a harness that allows dead baits to be trolled effectively.

Plunder kings like a ‘Pirate’

Mike Marsh

King mackerel and dolphin are suckers for fast-moving, colorful lures and baits. […]

Bringing a big tarpon to the boat successfully can be the highlight of a fisherman’s career.

Typically, tarpon tackle in the Carolinas is fairly simple, with some big, strong hooks and a livewell stocked with spunky 8-inch mullet, but Capt. Steve Roff routinely catches tarpon on artificial lures. […]

A rubber band acts as a release clip when trolling baits on a short ‘flat line.’

Rubber band makes a cheap flat-line release

Mike Marsh

A No. 32 rubber band makes an inexpensive and dependable release for a line running the short distance to the propeller wash from a rod set in a stern holder. […]