Inshore Fishing Archives - Page 237 of 287

July 10, 2026

Periods of low light around dawn and dusk will bring hungry specks into the shallows, where they’ll readily hit topwater baits.

Return and rebuild

Anglers across the country covet the speckled trout for tackle-testing battles, feisty behavior and, of course, their tasty, flaky, flesh. […]

Fifteen inches makes a flounder a keeper anywhere along North Carolina’s coastline.

Regs much easier to understand

Dan Kibler

North Carolina’s flounder regulations have become far more simplified in past years; statewide, flatfish are managed with a six-fish daily creel limit and a 15-inch size minimum. […]

The author admires a redfish caught on a fly rod on a tailing flat off the Coosaw River.

Tailing flats and tides

Bryan Bowers

The Coosaw River contains many tailing flats, but differentiating them from deeper marsh grass by boat is no easy task. […]

Sheepshead are often referred to as saltwater panfish, though like this one caught by Johnny Spitzmiller, they may be many times the size of their freshwater counterparts.

Johnny Spitzmiller stood on the bow of his boat, gripping the controls of his trolling motor like a man bent on trying not to crash into the nearby rocks — which he was barely succeeding in doing. […]

Sight fishing for cobia is best around any type of cover – tide lines, flotsam, even other marine life.

Cobia in the Crosshairs

Phillip Gentry

Riding high in the tower of his boat, Aaron Beatson of Carolina Sunrise Guide Service scans the waters off the coast of the Outer Banks for any sign of life, anything that might tip him off that one or more cobia were moving through the area. […]

An oyster bed away from the bank that is visible on the high end of the tide cycle is usually a fish magnet.

Finding them

Bryan Bowers

The Coosaw River does not contain any “honey holes” where the fishing is better than anywhere else. […]

Bigger sheepshead can be boated by simply cradling and lifting them, so there’s no need for a net or mechanical device such as a Boga Grip.

Herding sheep

Phillip Gentry

Many anglers think nothing about reaching into the mouth of a fish and grabbing by the lower jaw — “lipping” the fish. […]

Menhaden Milk, a concentrated, manufactured product, is an economic way to set up a chum slick for cobia.

Cheap chumming

Phillip Gentry

One of the most famous scenes from the movie “Jaws” is Roy Scheider as Chief Martin Brody ladling bloody chum out of a drum when the big fish makes its first appearance to the crew of the Orca. […]

Using a rig similar to freshwater panfishing is an option that allows an angler to stay off the rocks and have a strike indicator.

Keep it simple

Phillip Gentry

Marc Deschenes takes a decidedly freshwater-fishing approach to catching sheepshead on the Charleston Harbor jetties, and it’s no wonder. […]

Cobia that visit the Outer Banks in June can achieve some impressive sizes, with 30- to 40-pound fish being common and 60- to 70-pound specimens caught every year.

The skinny on cobia

Phillip Gentry

Lee Paramore, a marine biologist for the N.C. Division of Marine Fisheries in Manteo, has more than just a working interest in cobia: He also enjoys fishing for them. […]