Bang the Drum Slowly

The Cape Fear area of North Carolina is far enough north that it has all the seasons, but for the most part, winters are mild.

The Cape Fear area of North Carolina is far enough north that it has all the seasons, but for the most part, winters are mild. Not that it doesn’t occasionally get really cold, and there might be snow or ice storms every few years, but the winters are typically mild enough to allow fishing.

Capt. Tommy Rickman of Southport Angler Outfitters is a guide who keeps a line on some fish in the area all year. Unless a stretch of really cold weather shows up, or maybe an uncommon ice or snow storm, he said, some good fishing opportunities usually exist.

Opportunities to catch fish can be maximized by planning trips to take advantage of the tides and sunny days.

The bowed rod in Rickman’s hand was testimony that something was feeding one winter morning. An hour earlier, Rickman explained he was leaving the dock a little before prime time, but the weather had been stable and warm for more than a week, and he thought the drum might be feeding before the early-afternoon low tide. The first spot didn’t produce, but the first cast at the second stop was rewarded with the bent rod and a squealing reel.

“We’re fortunate in our area that it is rare to be miserably cold for any period of time,” Rickman said. “I have seen ice in the salt water and marshes, but it is a rare occurrence. While we may have cold overnight, the temperatures usually warm well during the day and the sun shining on the water usually warms it enough the fish will feed if presented the right bait.”

Rickman concentrates on red drum during the winter months. His clients occasionally catch some speckled trout, black drum and even a flounder or two, but reds are the winter staple. Rickman said redfish are hardy and will usually feed if the water warms a degree or two during the day. Timing a trip to be on the water when the water warms up is a key factor to winter fishing success.

Rickman likes to fish the last part of the falling tide and the first part of the rising tide. If that stage of the tide falls between late morning and mid-afternoon, chances of success are even better. Also, some areas are more likely to warm up than others, and guides like Rickman have spent enough time on the water to know their locations.

“The bottom in most of the areas we fish during the winter is dark mud,” Rickman said. “There will be some oyster rocks close by and scattered through the creeks, but for the most part, the bottom is dark mud. When the tide is low and the water is shallow, any sunshine is absorbed by the water and dark bottom, which warms the water.

Also during low tide, some of the mud bottom is exposed and really warms up in the sunshine. It’s a scientific fact that dark surfaces absorb warmth, while light ones reflect it. What the fish know is that shallow water over dark bottom is a little warmer than light bottom. As the water warms, the fish warm, too, and they begin to move around a little and feed.

As he pointed out the wakes from a couple of drum cruising the marsh line in the back of a little bay, Rickman said, “Unfortunately there isn’t quite enough water for us to get within casting range of those fish right now, and the bottom in this bay is too soft for walking. The mud is what helps warm this area up, but we will have to come back when the tide starts rising and ease our way in. It’s so soft I can barely use the push pole, but the drum like it, so we work it the best we can. It’s a lot like what they call ‘pluff mud’ around Charleston.”

Rickman’s second stop was a shallow flat just inside a bay off the Elizabeth River. The tide was moving across the outside of the bay, and Rickman said fish would be holding in a little pocket at the downcurrent end. To catch them, he said you need to move the bait slowly enough that it stays in front of them long enough that they eventually can’t refuse it.

Rickman likes Redfish Magic spinnerbaits, but he removes the standard curlytail grub trailer and replaces it with a Gulp!, Fishbites, Blurp or one of the other scented grubs.

“The small spinner on the Redfish Magic will begin turning at a very slow speed,” Rickman said. “It will occasionally even turn just sitting still in the current. This allows you to move the bait super slowly (past) the fish, but the turning blade is flashing and looks like action and gets his attention.

“Once he gets a whiff of the scent, he’s like a chocoholic and can’t refuse it any longer. This is my favorite combination, and (it) usually gets the job done, winter or summer.”

After catching several drum on spinnerbaits, Rickman remarked they appeared to be surprisingly active and said he might have to try a topwater bait to see if they were warm and active enough to chase one. Several casts later, he lobbed a MirrOlure Top Dog Jr. into the pocket and began working it slowly, side to side, with the tide around the perimeter of the cove. After a half-dozen or so casts, a fish boiled up behind the bait but didn’t take it.

“Wow,” Rickman said. “Did you see that? I don’t know that I’ve even have one make a pass at a topwater this time of the year, but I’m glad I tried. Maybe he’ll hit it if I get it back there again.”

Rickman’s next cast landed within a few feet of the previous one and he started walking the lure very slowly. With the day extremely still, the lure’s rattle was loud enough that the clack-clack could be heard in the boat. As the bait reached a corner of the little cove, a wake appeared again, and this time, there was a white flash as the fish rolled and the lure disappeared.

“Look at that!” an animated Rickman said. “Wasn’t that neat? A drum’s mouth is on the bottom of its head. That’s a good thing when they are grubbing along the bottom, but they have to roll on their side to take a surface bait. That white flash was its belly as it rolled to get the bait. I’m stoked we got one to take a topwater. I just love seeing that wake rise up and then they roll to take the bait.”

The little Shimano spinning reel was humming as the fish surged down the bank and took line. The battle was tug-and-wind for about five minutes, but Rickman eventually led a tired drum, right at the upper end of the 18- to 27-inch slot limit, to the waiting net. One scoop and he joined the surprised fishermen in Rickman’s Pathfinder bay boat.

Rickman and crew landed a few more pups from the pocket until the tide paused before rising again. The bite stopped during the slack tide, and Rickman moved to a spot a little closer to the inlet, where the tide would begin rising earlier, and upon arrival, the water was already moving in. Some little drum were in the bay, too, but porpoises were in a feeding mood, and the puppies scattered in self-defense.

Some drum were still cruising along the bank at the small bay that had been too shallow on the day’s first stop. This time the tide had risen a few inches, and the water was just deep enough for Rickman to pole within casting range. The drum readily offered at the spinnerbait but didn’t show any interest in the topwater.

That wasn’t bad, however. The reds had bitten the way they were supposed to, making it a great winter day on the lower Cape Fear River. Rickman had visited a few of his favorite spots and had been rewarded. There were even a few sore arms that evening after banging on the drum all day.