December is when Capt. Bryan Goodwin goes “reverse surf fishing” at the central North Carolina coast.
“It’s fishing off the southern basin beaches from Shackleford Banks to Bogue Inlet down to Hammocks Beach (near Swansboro),” he said. “Winter fishing like this is some of the best of the entire year, but you need the right wind direction.”
The southern-facing beaches that Goodwin (Native Guide Service, 252-725-3961) fishes are protected by Cape Lookout from winter’s prevailing north to northwest winds.
“There’s the nice dune line to block the wind and give you shelter,” he said. “Not only that, but this fall weather conditions formed a lot of good shoal structures on the southern-facing beaches.”
Those structures and the deeper sloughs in between them hold speckled trout and red drum. Goodwin cruises that calm water and casts Gotcha curly-tail grubs and Billy Bay Halo shrimp for both species.
“Those (lures) will catch reds or specks,” he said.
Red drum sizes will vary from lower-slot to over-slot sizes while spotted sea trout will range from 13 to 14 inches to 4- to 6-pound fish.
“You just work the beaches until you find a pocket of fish,” he said. “You also may come across a big school of reds numbering in the hundreds. Sight casting to them is a lot of fun.”
An added bonus recently has been schools of false albacore breaking around his boat while chasing glass minnows.
“As long as the water temperature is in the lower 50s, you’ll get opportunities to cast to albies that’ll go from 10 to 12 pounds or better,” Goodwin said.
A recent “reverse surf fishing” trip (Surf Reds) is featured at Goodwin’s web site, www.deotv.net. His Downeast Outdoors television show will debut in the Raleigh market, Jan. 3, at 9 a.m. on Time-Warner cable channel 24.
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