Where Reds Rule

In winter, a special set of bays at the lower Cape Fear hold fish in shallow water.

As we turned to look where Capt. Matt Wirt was pointing so excitedly, the wake created by the moving redfish was something we couldn’t miss as it spread across the slick water. A friend is fond of saying things are so obvious even Ray Charles could see them, and this was one of those times.

The light breeze had almost faded completely during the middle of the day and only an occasional puff brought any ripple to the water. We were between puffs and the surface of the water was calm, almost mirror-like but was being drawn upon by a slowly growing V-shaped wake.

The wake was being created by something moving under the water, not on it. The fish making this wake wasn’t moving quickly, just meandering and feeding in water so shallow its every movement was broadcast by a tell-tale wake.

“It’s a nice red,” said Wirt ((Reel Adventure Charters, 910-540-0570) in a hoarse semi-whisper. “Get a bait a little in front of it and it should grab it.”

Mark Bedell responded, arcing his custom 7 1/2-foot spinning rod back and, with a whip-like snap, launched a 3-inch Berkley Gulp shrimp toward the cruising fish. The 1/8-ounce jig-head and shrimp landed softly a few feet in front of the fish, which wasn’t spooked.

Bedell twitched the shrimp a couple of times, and the wake sped up as the hungry fish lunged. The angler tensed and lightly bowed to the fish to give it time to pick up the bait, then reared back, pulling the rod sharply and quickly to his left, and drove home the hook point.

As the fish felt the sting and realized its mistake, the water boiled and a slurping sound came from the hole the red drum’s tail had just dug in the shallow water. Seeking relief and shelter, the fish broke towards an oyster bar.

The tell-tale wake changed from the wide “V” created as the red had meandered across the flat to a narrow little pattern that was elongating rapidly. The redfish was moving really quickly now and ripping 10-pound test Spiderwire Stealth line from the singing reel.

“Got ya now,” Bedell said in exhilaration to the streaking fish and no one in particular. “Let’s see if you would like to come aboard for a few pictures.”

From his higher vantage point on the poling platform, Wirt could see the fish sprinting through the shallow water. Just as he was cautioning Bedell about the oyster rock, the fish rolled, dug another slurping hole in the water and reversed direction.

After criss-crossing the bow several times, the fish decided it might need another tactic to dislodge the hook. It slowed and began rocking and shaking its head. As the red tried to dislodge the hook, Bedell’s rod tip was pulsing noticeably. After a couple of more minutes, the resistance waned, and Bedell led the tired fish towards the boat.

The tired red gave one more rush away from the boat as Wirt reached to corral it. When it turned this time, Bedell was able to lead it into the waiting net, and Wirt hoisted it into the boat.

The feisty red didn’t realize we just wanted a few pictures. After allowing us to record it for future memories, Wirt leaned back over the side and cradled the fish, swam it a bit to be sure it was revived, then released it. After a few seconds, the drum began to struggle and surged away as Wirt relaxed his grip. One final splash of its tail and it was gone.

The water was so shallow that jerk of the tail splashed Wirt’s sunglasses and also stirred a little mud on the bottom.

The action this day took place at Buzzard Bay, the southern end of a trio of shallow bays in southern N.C. (described in detail in the accompanying sidebar).

As the tide began to fall, the red drum were pushed out of the shallow creeks surrounding the bay to the remaining water deep enough for them. In addition to the wakes of moving drum, we also saw numerous tails and a surprising number of partially exposed backs.

While they were somewhat spooky in the shallow water, Wirt was consistently able to pole us into casting range. There were times we slid lightly on a mud bank in the shallow water and were blocked from approaching a feeding group of fish, but for the most part there was just enough water to float Wirt’s Mitzi Skiff and three anglers.

As the tide first began falling, Wirt was able to use the trolling motor, but as the tide continued to fall and the bite improved, the trolling motor was clicked into its storage position and Wirt climbed the poling platform and went to work.

During the day, we fished several areas known as Middle Bay and Buzzard Bay. Checking out Wirt’s depth-sounder, several holes were noted, with some as deep as 18 feet, a striking contrast to the expansive mud bars and oyster rocks which were barely underwater at high tide and well exposed at low tide.

We saw a variety of fish during the day. The top three were red drums, flounders and trout. Some of the others included black drums, bluefish, lizardfish and skates. Our primary targets were red drums, but others lingered in the warmer water.

In fact, the October day warmed to the point we removed jackets in favor of short-sleeve shirts; Bedell and Wirt were in shorts after removing their wind/rain gear.

As warm as the fall had been, there were probably still some shrimp in the area, and we saw several schools of mullet minnows. Wirt had made the decision to come with artificial baits, as they would be all that was available in a few more weeks, and we did well with them.

Our trout was a loner and probably shouldn’t even be claimed. It came from a current eddy at the deeper side of a bar that trailed out into open water and wasn’t brought into the boat. It was small anyway, maybe legal but barely so, and we would have released it anyway. It pulled free just before being introduced to the landing net.

In the early morning, while the tide was still high, we spent a little while at The Rocks and several of the flounder, the bluefish and the black drum were there. Most of this area was several feet deep, but there were numerous holes and pockets, including several deep ones near breaches in the breakwater.

The highlight of the trip was the time spent at Buzzard Bay. The expansive shallow water there literally screamed of drum and they didn’t disappoint us.

The moon had been full the night before and the fish were a little finicky. Wirt blamed this on their ability to feed all night. The bite certainly did improve later in the morning and into the early afternoon, which supported his theory. We caught enough to be tired and saw many more meandering along just out of casting range or full enough to ignore our offerings.

We were casting Berkley Gulp Shrimps soft plastics in the 3-inch size. Wirt preferred the white-and-glow colors, with just a little modification. He added a trimmed spinnerbait skirt on the jig’s hook, just in front of the bait. This was to create legs, and antenna and a little extra motion when fishing so slowly — and it worked.

In the deeper water near the rocks, a jig head was needed to get the shrimp down, but in the shallow water of Buzzard Bay lures could have been fished weightless. We used 1/8- and 1/4-ounce jig-heads, mainly for the weight to add distance to our casts.

Wirt introduced us to a new jig-head — the Gitzem Jig, by Barefoot Rods and Tackle (www.fishingbarefoot.com) — which worked well in these conditions. The Gitzem Jig is shaped to always keep the hook pointing up.

Most jigs will fall on their side if not moving, which puts their hook into the bottom.

“The Gitzem Jig will sit on a flat surface and hold the hook vertical,” Wirt said. “This increases the hook-up ratio, especially with drum. This also allows you to fish this jig extremely slow, even pausing occasionally in your retrieve. Sometimes this slow retrieve speed can make a real difference, particularly when in very warm or very cold water and the fish are moving slow.”

Drum, along with croakers, sea mullets and several other primarily bottom-feeding species, have an inferior mouth, meaning it’s on the bottom of their heads, rather than in middle. It’s positioned to help these fish root out crabs, sand fiddlers and other bottom morsels; basically redfish just grub along the bottom for food. So an up-pointed hook is a natural tackle development for them.

The Gitzem Jig is also available in a weedless model that uses a short piece of 150-pound monofilament as a hook guard. In places such as Buzzard Bay, with an abundance of marine growth, the hook guard helps keep the bait clean.

Wirt said it also helps at docks and heavy rock areas.

Wirt said he can usually find drum at one of these bays all winter. He said Buzzard Bay was his favorite as it was farthest from the Federal Point ramp and requires more knowledge to reach without running aground and most folks weren’t willing to take the chance once the weather cools.

His voice reeked of experience when he noted how lonely it could be waiting for a late winter tide to rise enough to get off a forgotten mud bar, especially as the moon was rising and the temperature falling.

Wirt, and many other fishermen knowledgeable about the area, consider Buzzard Bay, The Basin and their connecting waters to be some of the gems of inshore fishing along the southern N.C. coast. That feeling is spreading to most of the charters he is introducing to the area.

Several days of winter sunlight will usually get the drum warmed up enough to feed heavily. Wirt warns not to try this unprepared and be ready to return. Like all other special fishing places, it’s addicting and contagious.