Fishing Archives - Page 524 of 1072

July 21, 2026

Above: A small topwater plug like this Spook Junior is a perfect tool for drawing strikes for hybrid and spotted bass feeding at the surface on small baitfish.

Opportunities on top

Conventional fishing wisdom says that topwater baits should be retired shortly after sunrise, not to be picked up again until shortly before sunset. […]

Shallow, low-tide flats can be great spots for summer reds, but the action can be hit-or-miss.

Summer redfish spots

John Gribb

Even though redfish spread out in the warmer months, they relate to low-tide, shallow-water flats all year because flats provide security from predators like the bottlenosed dolphin. […]

Big expanses of lily pads offer bass a great amount of shad.

Amphibian modifications

David A. Brown

Frog baits account for some of the most-exciting strikes you’ll see in the pads. Most work well right out of the package, but a few tweaks can help sell the ruse. […]

Ocean Crest is one of two piers remaining on Oak Island; Long Beach Pier was closed in 2006.

Oak Island’s pier history

Craig Holt

Oak Island was once home to three piers: Yaupon, Ocean Crest and Long Beach. […]

A community live-bait tank is an unusual feature on Ocean Crest Pier.

OCP has survived coastal troubles through the years

Craig Holt

Ocean Crest Pier was one of North Carolina’s last-built ocean fishing platforms, with construction finished in 1968 by Warren Calloway, a World War II veteran. […]

North Carolina and South Carolina manage flounder with different creel limits and minimum sizes.

Many bordering states have some sort of reciprocal agreement for fishermen plying border waters, but North Carolina and South Carolina do not, possibly because of the significant differences in the way several species are regulated. […]

Puncturing a fish's swim bladder can help it survive in a livewell when it might otherwise turn up on its side and die.

Six tips for keeping fish or bait livelier in livewells or bait tanks

Phillip Gentry

Whether the fish you’re trying to keep healthy are in the bait tank or in the livewell, there are several tricks that you can use to keep them alive – or at least tasty – during the summer, and they all boil down to one thing: oxygen levels. […]

Fishermen can fish streamers either downstream or upstream, although they might be more effective downstream.

Sculpzilla: king streamer

Robert Satterwhite

Streamers are flies that imitate a variety of aquatic life, especially minnows, and when fly fishers fish big waters for big trout, they’ll usually tie on a streamer. […]

Amy Gentry works with powerboats every day, but most of her fishing is done from a paddleboard or a kayak.

Standing room only

Phillip Gentry

What does a girl who is a service manager for a marine dealership, who spends all her time fussing over boats and motors, do to unwind after a hard day at work? She goes fishing on a paddleboard. […]

Nice, big speckled trout are on an early morning topwater bite around Carolina Beach.

Take it to the top early for Carolina Beach speckled trout

Jerry Dilsaver

Capt. Rennie Clark of Tournament Trail Charters said the early morning speckled trout action around Carolina Beach has been about as hot as the weather, with specks crushing bait on the surface, dictating the use of topwater baits for fish that are averaging 3 to 5 pounds. […]