Huge influx of forage makes for some hungry June red drum from Wrightsville Beach to Oak Island.
Anglers ready to test their tackle during the late-spring redfish offensive can get all the action they can stand within a 10-mile or 100-yard boat ride from Carolina Beach.
From the salty waters between Masonboro Inlet and Carolina Beach Inlet to the stained waters of the Lower Cape Fear, red drum will be ready to pounce on anything resembling their native grub. While they are year-round residents of the area and somewhat tolerant of a wide range of water temperatures, there are two periods of the year when they shift into high gear and feed aggressively and extensively. And June happens to fall right in the middle of their first untamed feed — the second peak landing in the fall — as a flood of food pours into their living room.
Capt. Jeff Wolfe of Seahawk Inshore Fishing Charters considers June one of the best months to target redfish.
“The water temperature isn’t too hot yet,” Wolfe said. “They are over their finicky period through winter and spring, and they get super aggressive with all of the extra bait around.”
For most of the winter and early spring, inshore waters lack a significant food for reds, with only a few scattered pods of mullet and mud minnows available. As waters warm, glass minnows slip back into the inshore corridor, and a little later, schools of small menhaden return. All of that is good news to red drum. Even better, blue crabs and fiddler crabs begin scampering around in May and come out in full force in June.
The grocery store is fully stocked, and reds put in extra time at the dinner table.
Capt. Jot Owens of Jot It Down Fishing Charters finds red drum in places they can fill up on their staple foods.
“There are few mullet around to speak of, but they are eating a few menhaden and mostly crustaceans,” says Owens. (910-233-4139) “They eat a lot of little crabs this time of year.”
Juvenile blue crabs move into the estuaries and seek out water with a low salinity level where they can grow and mature, and it couldn’t come at a better time for reds looking to fatten up. As the waters warm, redfish look for places to encounter the inshore migration of these crabby creations. Owens’ late-spring fishing strategy falls right in line with the crab migration.
According to Owens, redfish retreat out of their skinny water refuges and move to ambush points along the edges of main channels near the ocean where the majority of the food is passing through.
“You will find reds moving towards the edges of oyster rocks and grass lines near the feeder creeks and main channels leading to and near the inlet on the two hours on each side of the low tide,” says Owens. “These places are always the best places to find a group of red drum in June on low water.”
On high water, red drum can go almost anywhere, but on low water, they tend to huddle up in somewhat confined areas. Wolfe looks for reds to be grouped up.
“The fish are up in the marsh on high water most of the time, and they can go anywhere. On low water, they will still empty out and bunch up along the oyster points, shell beds and the mouths of creeks,” said Wolfe, who will stick around when he catches a fish on low water and look to put a few more fish in the boat before he picks up and moves.
On higher water approaching high tide, fishing doesn’t have to end. Owens stays in the game and shifts to catch these fish trying to scoop up the small crabs and small baitfish running the shallow fringes.
“The two hours before and after the high tide, I fish along oyster flats, dark mud flats, and marsh grass right next to dry land. The fish will patrol the edges in one to three feet of water and will be right on top of the oysters sitting or moving real slowly,” he said.
Red drum prefer shallow water, and due to the dynamic nature of the tide, they must move throughout the day to find the best places to ambush their prey and avoid getting dry-docked. However, Owens reveals that redfish will not really move that far in the course of a day, jockeying through the various tide stages.
“These fish aren’t moving miles. They are moving 100 yards at the most,” he said. “So, if you find a good school of fish on the deeper edges on low tide, they will move into the grass edges as the tide rises and very close by.”
Even though reds are eating a lot of crabs, Owens said a live minnow or any of the shrimp or baitfish imitations will not get refused, either.
Owens uses primarily 3- or 4-inch Gulp! shrimp or 4-inch Saltwater Assassin sea shad, both rigged on a quarter-ounce gray or red jighead to catch his summer red drum in a not-so-selective choice of colors.
“I use sugar spice glow, molting, new penny or natural in the Gulp! shrimp. You don’t need bright colors for reds, but they must be able to see it,” he said. “I will use pumpkinseed and copperhead with the chartreuse tails to make sure they can see it when it comes dancing along in front of their faces.”
Wolfe enjoys the less finicky behaviors of these fish and will use a wide variety of lures.
“You don’t have to scale down your baits so much like you do in the winter. Spinnerbaits, gold spoons, soft plastics and small crank baits; you can throw about anything,” he said. “But they are really aggressive on top water.”
Wolfe prefers to start and finish the day with topwater plugs when he can. While they could resemble any type of injured baitfish trembling on the surface, the surface walkers are typically used to mimic an injured mullet. According to Wolfe, the big push of mullet will not show up until July, yet the topwater action can tempt a red fish with little persuasion.
“I use Zara Spooks and Skitterwalks with either an orange or silver bottom. On sunny days, the silver-bottomed lures work better; they duplicates the bottom of a mullet,” he said.
DESTINATION INFORMATION
HOW TO GET THERE/WHEN TO GO — The waters around the Lower Cape Fear River and Wrightsville Beach are accessible from Wrightsville Beach all the way to Southport. On Paradise Island, two main public boat ramps are available: one at the end of US 421 at the southern tip of Fort Fisher and one at Snow’s Cut of US 421. On Oak Island, the Dutchman Creek Park landing is available a mile east of NC 133. Southport Marina on West Street in Southport also has boat launching facilities for a fee. The best fishing for reds is from late May through early July and again in the fall.
TACKLE/TECHNIQUES — Baitcasting and spinning gear both perform well on reds, but rods should be at least seven feet with medium-heavy actions. Braided line in the 20-pound class is preferred, with a length of 20-pound fluorocarbon for the leader. Because reds are aggressive, anglers can use a variety of lures, from gold spoons to scented soft plastics, shrimp imitations, spinnerbaits, swimbaits, and topwater plugs. Anglers can use live mullet, menhaden, shrimp or mud minnows either floated under a popping cork or attached to an eighth- or quarter-ounce jighead.
GUIDES/FISHING INFO — Capt. Jeff Wolfe, Seahawk Inshore Fishing Charers, 910-619-9580, www.seahawkinshorefishingcharters.com; Capt. Jot Owens, Jot It Down Fishing Charters, 910-233-4139, www.captainjot.com; Tex’s Tackle, Wilmington, 910-791-1763; www.texstackle.com. See also Guides and Charters in Classifieds.
ACCOMMODATIONS — Microtel Inn & Suites, Carolina Bech, 866-539-0036; Brunswick County Vacation Guide, 910-755-5517, www.ncbrunswick.com; The Official Travel & Tourism Website for North Carolina, www.visitnc.com.
MAPS — Navionics, 800-848-5896, www.navionics.com; The Good Spots, 800-411-0185, www.thegoodspots.com; Grease Charts www.greasechart.com.
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