Pamlico Sound stays slightly off-color, and when the tide is falling, it carries those waters out through Ocracoke Inlet.
“Flounder fishing is better in clearer water,” Capt. Ryan O’Neal said, explaining that the clear water associated with a rising tide is better for flounder.
“They rely more on sight more than smell, whereas a bluefish or a drum will just smell it,” he said. “If the water is turbid, a flounder will, too, but they lay flat and look up for baitfish such as small pinfish, finger mullet, or 2-inch baby flounders.”
Any amount of wind can be tricky when drifting Wallace Channel, but light breezes will not necessarily ruin the fishing, especially if you use a trolling motor. Heavy winds can make this fishing almost impossible.
In windy conditions, try to anchor and drift a rig port or starboard, but it’s not the same as being carried evenly for hundreds of yards by incoming tide.
