South Central NC Archives - Page 97 of 124

Periods of low light around dawn and dusk will bring hungry specks into the shallows, where they’ll readily hit topwater baits.

Return and rebuild

Anglers across the country covet the speckled trout for tackle-testing battles, feisty behavior and, of course, their tasty, flaky, flesh. […]

The author admires a redfish caught on a fly rod on a tailing flat off the Coosaw River.

Tailing flats and tides

Bryan Bowers

The Coosaw River contains many tailing flats, but differentiating them from deeper marsh grass by boat is no easy task. […]

An oyster bed away from the bank that is visible on the high end of the tide cycle is usually a fish magnet.

Finding them

Bryan Bowers

The Coosaw River does not contain any “honey holes” where the fishing is better than anywhere else. […]

Sheepshead are often referred to as saltwater panfish, though like this one caught by Johnny Spitzmiller, they may be many times the size of their freshwater counterparts.

Johnny Spitzmiller stood on the bow of his boat, gripping the controls of his trolling motor like a man bent on trying not to crash into the nearby rocks — which he was barely succeeding in doing. […]

This Piedmont reservoir is one of North Carolina’s most-underrated fishing holes.

Lake of the Month: High Rock

Dan Kibler

High Rock Lake is a reservoir on the Yadkin River south of Lexington that covers approximately 15,000 surface acres of water. […]

Bigger sheepshead can be boated by simply cradling and lifting them, so there’s no need for a net or mechanical device such as a Boga Grip.

Herding sheep

Phillip Gentry

Many anglers think nothing about reaching into the mouth of a fish and grabbing by the lower jaw — “lipping” the fish. […]

Using a rig similar to freshwater panfishing is an option that allows an angler to stay off the rocks and have a strike indicator.

Keep it simple

Phillip Gentry

Marc Deschenes takes a decidedly freshwater-fishing approach to catching sheepshead on the Charleston Harbor jetties, and it’s no wonder. […]

The Fish Grip by United Plastic Molders is a great addition to your kayak arsenal. When you get one, it becomes one of those kayak accessories you don’t know how you lived without.

Get A Grip

Phillip Gentry

Space for gear when fishing from a kayak is at a premium. Anglers frequently find themselves doing without or making do with what they have because they don’t have room for all the equipment that is taken for granted in a larger vessel. […]

A big speck may miss a topwater bait on the first strike, but keeping the bait still for several seconds may draw a follow-up bite.

Follow up that miss

Jeff Burleson

Fishing topwater baits can be a truly exciting way to catch speckled trout, especially under the right conditions. […]

Gulls and terns picking at the surface around oyster bars can reveal the location of baitfish and hungry specks.

Bird watching

Jeff Burleson

Speckled trout feast on the thousands of small minnows and juvenile fish that invade the estuaries in summer. […]