Reds, specks are special to North Carolina anglers

Red drum, siaenops ocellaus, and spotted seatrout, cynoscion nebulosus, are two of North Carolina’s most-popular inshore gamefish.

Reds are a very adaptable species capable of handling the high salinity of the ocean and the low salinity of backwater marshes and coastal rivers. Their range is from the Gulf of Mexico north to the Chesapeake Bay, having the ability to handle a wide range of temperatures.

This ability to prosper in a variety of temperatures and salinity levels make red drum an excellent candidate for aquaculture. South Carolina routinely raises fingerlings for stocking, and Texas has run programs that indicate farm-raised red drum compare well to wild fish.

Red drum prefer shrimp and minnows but will eat much more. Mullet minnows and menhaden are high on their favorites list when available, but they will eat mud minnows and a variety of small fish. With their mouth on the bottom of their head, they will readily grub the bottom and oyster rocks for crabs, sandfiddlers, snails, sand dollars and more.

North Carolina manages red drum with a recreational creel limit of one fish per day, within an 18- to 27-inch slot. The state- and world-record red drum was caught in the surf at Avon in 1984, weighing 94 pounds, two ounces — before restrictive size and creel limits were in place. The N.C. Division of Marine Fisheries offers citations for released reds of 40 inches or better.

Speckled trout range from the Texas-Mexico border to the upper Chesapeake bay, inland and in nearshore ocean waters. Live shrimp is the best bait, when available, but small baitfish and a variety of lures will draw strikes. Soft plastics are versatile and account for a majority of lure-caught specks, but many fishermen believe hard baits will catch larger specks.

North Carolina’s state record is a 12-pound, 4-ounce trout caught at Wrightsville Beach in 1961.

North Carolina manages specks with a recreational creel limit of four fish and a 14-inch minimum size. NCDMF offers citations for specks that weigh 5 pounds or more, and a tagging program offers rewards of up to $100 for the return of trout tags.