June 2016 Archives - Page 2 of 6

The lower Cape Fear River and Snow’s Cut provide flounder with the of the best habitat available along North Carolina’s coasts.

Cape Fear, Snow’s Cut are great flounder habitat

The waters of the lower Cape Fear River and Snow’s Cut have long been known as great places to catch flounder — and large flounder, too. The 20-pound, state-record flounder was caught there in 1980, and though flounder fishing in this area isn’t as good as it once was, it is still the primary location for fishermen trying to catch a flounder 10 pounds or heavier. […]

A brightly colored popping cork might draw strikes from a predator fish that notices the surface disturbance before the bait hanging beneath.

Keep reds, trout from hitting the cork, not the shrimp

David A. Brown

Despite our angling intensions, fish do what they want to do. Case in point; predators — mostly redfish — actually chomping the popping cork. […]

Flounder will stack up around the slightest change in bottom structure or contour.

A tip for finding nearshore flounder

Dusty Wilson

Far too many times, anglers stow just enough tethering rope to hold fast in the deepest water they anticipate to fish, if that. […]

Removing a flounder’s head right away makes it easier to produce beautiful, skin-on fillets from any fish.

How to fillet a flounder

John Gribb

Most anglers can adequately fillet a redfish or speckled trout but flounder are a little confusing. Do we cut two or four fillets, and where do we start? […]

Southern and summer flounder have both of their eyes on the left side of their body, making them “left-handed.”

Southern flounder are left handed

John Gribb

Flatfish, which lurk on the bottom and have both of their eyes on one side of their head, are widely dispersed throughout the world’s saltwater environments, but they are not all the same. […]

Freshwater grass shrimp are common around Shearon Harris’ grass beds, and they’re a killer bait for shellcrackers, but not readily available at bait shops.

Freshwater grass shrimp are a killer bait for shellcrackers at North Carolina’s Shearon Harris Lake

Dusty Wilson

It may be common knowledge to some, but it’s probably safe to say that most anglers are unaware that the grass beds in Shearon Harris Lake are literally teeming with freshwater grass shrimp, which make an excellent shellcracker bait, according to guide Greg Griffin. […]

It’s time to find, tie up hunting leases for the fall season

Jeff Burleson

June is a big month for hunters across the Carolinas. With turkey season over, hunting leases get ready to laps, and sometimes they change hands for fall season. […]

Anglers often sight-cast to a particular redfish that was discovered by the tip of its tail protruding through the surface of the water is it nosed around, looking for food.

Practice casting before the tailing redfish tides arrive

Jeff Burleson

Every year, anglers check tide tables to see when they can target redfish tailing on skinny flats, and opportunities are limited, with only a few days per month when the tide rises above the 5.7 threshold when the sun is out. And shots at fish during the flood can be limited, making casting ability ever-so-important. […]

Periods of falling barometric pressure will encourage mountain trout like this brown to feed.

Expert tips will help trout fishermen

Craig Holt

After decades of observing and studying, Lance Milks of Greensboro is an encyclopedia of trout knowledge. […]

Don’t block reds from moving up on tailing flats by parking on the paths they use to get there.

Don’t clog up redfish on-ramps around tailing flats

Jeff Burleson

The flood tides that affect the coastal region provide easy meals for redfish in the marsh. For anglers who have studied how reads move onto the flats, some of the best places catch a red during the tailing tides is in their staging locations in deeper water. But anglers targeting those areas can ruin their future tailing action. […]