Inshore Fishing Archives - Page 99 of 287

July 13, 2026

North Carolina’s lower Cape Fear River produces some great flounder, especially in the fall.

Cape Fear’s flounder are on the move

The coastal end of North Carolina’s Cape Fear River has a knack for producing both big flounder and good numbers of fish, and several 10-pounders caught already this summer haven’t done anything to hurt that reputation. […]

This juvenile goliath grouper wasn't big enough to break the scales, but it's the biggest one known to be caught in SC's waters.

Goliath grouper caught at Little River jetties

Jeff Burleson

For Mike Crane and his two sons from Bedford, Indiana, it was another day in paradise with Capt. Tom Cushman’s Calmwater Charters. From redfish and speckled trout to an overwhelming number of ribbonfish, the fishing action was fast and furious aboard Cushman’s 21-foot Triton on Aug. 24. […]

He was expecting a shark to take his bait, but Ian Sands (right) caught this big tarpon instead while surf fishing Aug. 20.

Oak Island angler lands big tarpon in surf

Jerry Dilsaver

Ian Sands of Oak Island went fishing on the afternoon of Aug. 20. The Oak Island resident and his son set up on the beach with a pair of surf fishing outfits hoping to catch a bonnethead or Atlantic sharpnose shark. The were both surprised when they caught a six-foot plus tarpon instead. […]

Tony Reaves took a number of stingrays with a slingbow in late June in the waters around Swansboro.

Slingbows: little weapons, giant results

Dan Kibler

Goliath of Gath, the great Philistine warrior, was either 6-foot-9 or 9-foot-9, depending on whether you agree with the Dead Sea Scrolls text or the Masoretic text of I Samuel. […]

Fishing from a kayak is a great way to take the fight to the fish by manuevering in and under fish-holding piers and docks.

Herding sheepshead with a kayak

Phillip Gentry

Using a plastic boat to chase sheepshead is an ideal method for taking the fight to the fish, especially during periods of low tide when overhead clearance under a pier or dock is maximized. […]

A Double Uni is a great line-to-line knot. Overlap the ends of line and leader, tie a loose Uni at both ends (pictured), tighten each knot and cinch both knots and trim.

Maintain a strong, line-to-line connection when tarpon fishing

Jeff Burleson

Tarpon are the strongest fish that live inshore, so an angler’s terminal tackle must be constructed to endure the initial shock of the bite and the potentially long-lasting battle. […]

In North Carolina, think like a crabber to find tarpon

Jeff Burleson

In North Carolina waters, the No. 1 commercial seafood crop is the blue crab, and the greater Pamlico Sound produces the majority of the state’s 30 million-pound harvest. […]

Be sure to pay attention to the lunar feeding periods.

With tarpon around, never miss a lunar feed

Jeff Burleson

Diehard deer hunters know that lunar feeding periods are keys to bringing home venison. For consistently successful tarpon anglers, these feeding periods are nothing to ignore. […]

Rock jetties harness the current coming through an inlet on an incoming tide and often create great places to target gamefish in spots they’re set up to ambush bait.

Fish current seams, inlet eddies on an incoming tide

Jeff Burleson

The armaments that prevent many of the nation’s inlets from closing in always provide great fishing opportunities due to the very nature of how jetties are built and where they are located, and anglers in the Carolinas are lucky to have plenty of those structures: Oregon Inlet, Masonboro Inlet, Little River Inlet, Murrells Inlet and Winyah Bay, to name a few. […]

Predator fish will hide behind current breaks and dart out into the current to attack prey.

Attack summer fish

Phillip Gentry

If you are a diehard kayak angler, you often find yourself lying awake at night during the spring and fall, dreaming about all of the water in the Carolinas and wondering when you’ll find the time to fish all of it. […]