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June 19, 2026

A rubber landing net will speed up the process of returning a red drum to the water, as well as better protect its slime coat from abrasion than a woven nylon net.

Rub-a-dub drum

Using a rubber net to land red drum helps prevent injury to the fish and saves fishing time. Other important pieces of gear include a mushroom anchor and a carbon-fiber push pole. […]

Big bull redfish will test the mettle of a fisherman and his tackle, so going heavy is the ticket.

Best tackle for big redfish

Terry Madewell

Hooking a redfish 40 inches and larger demands much of a fisherman and his tackle, according to guide Steve Roff, who uses uses specific equipment when targeting big fish. […]

The key to catching red drum on a walk-the-dog topwater bait is finding the speed of retrieve that’s working best, and setting the hook only when you feel the weight of the fish — not at the splashy strike.

Top o’ the day

Mike Marsh

At times, red drum will go crazy for topwater lures. This is especially true in the shallow marshes of North Topsail Beach. […]

Capt. Steve Roff slows down before entering a big, shallow flat and scans it for signs of redfish before moving in to fish to make sure he doesn’t spook fish.

‘Take five’ for spooky, shallow-water reds

Terry Madewell

Catching redfish in shallow water is a popular pattern during March, and anglers who are consistently successful have common traits — patience and silence. […]

Lee Parsons fooled this flounder with a soft-plastic bait while targeting red drum in the marshes behind New Topsail Beach.

Bounce the bottom for bonus flounder

Mike Marsh

Flounder are often found in the same, shallow areas where red drum abound, and it is not unusual for these fine-dining fish to strike the same soft-plastic lures that fishermen use to catch red drum. […]

Robbie Cortis of Mount Pleasant caught this redfish, which is a keeper but at the extreme top of South Carolina’s 15- to 23-inch slot limit.

Target big reds on high tide

Terry Madewell

Robbie Cortis of Mount Pleasant has a passion for redfish, and he loves to target big redfish. He said March is a great month, and one of his favorite techniques is to take a bit of different route than some of the other fishermen. […]

A brightly colored, ‘lit-up’ wahoo comes to the gaff on the charterboat Pelagic out of Morehead City.

What’s a wahoo?

Jerry Dilsaver

Wahoo, acanthocybium solanderi, are one of the most-prized gamefish in the world’s oceans. No particular location boats a great concentration of fish, but the spring and fall catches off North Carolina rank with anywhere in the world. […]

Trea Everett lets fly with a ‘taped’ cast net to catch winter shrimp in a deep hole.

Deepwater shrimping for bait

Jerry Dilsaver

Most South Carolina fishermen are familiar with the annual fall shrimp baiting season, but there is also a season for shrimp caught using seines and cast nets, but without bait. […]

An ocean analysis will point offshore captains to areas with promising water temperature, or to current rips and color changes that often hold bluewater fish.

Use satellite imaging to find fish

Jerry Dilsaver

With weather fronts moving rapidly along the coast during the late winter and spring, sea conditions just do not allow heading offshore every day. […]

Rule of Twelfths

Jerry Dilsaver

The Rule of Twelfths is a guideline for determining where the tide is in the rise and fall cycle and how swiftly the current is running. […]