The mild winter is certainly having a positive effect on local southeastern NC inshore fishing, especially compared to last year’s harsh stay-at-home conditions. For one thing, I can’t remember a January in Brunswick County when I have gotten so many reports from anglers catching flounder.
No, folks aren’t out having eight fish days but it seems like every other redfish or trout report anglers are adding that they pulled in a flounder or two. I’ve seen the pictures and they really are out there. December flounder I’ve seen before and I know there are always a few that stay inshore, but this many reports of January flounder is unusual.
One thing that may be holding the flounder in and is certainly helping the anglers is the presence of live bait in the water, and not just mud minnows. Again, the shallows aren’t jumping with baitfish like they will be in May but I’ve seen Januarys when you wouldn’t dream of packing a cast net going out. This year live bait is still out there to chase in places.
Most anglers are throwing lures, of course, and inshore they are catching fish. The speckled trout are frequenting the inshore holes and can be found daily in water 8 to 15 feet deep. A lot of people are catching double-digits using ¼ or 1/8 jigheads and chartreuse colored grubs. Slow retrieves are important.
The redfish are roaming the shallows, moving around a lot to avoid the dolphins. Marsh grass flats are producing plenty of fish if the school is there, and none at all if the school has moved on. Gulp shrimp and jerkbaits (as well as other scented soft baits) remain the go-to lures.
Another incentive to keep your retrieves slow and work your grubs along the bottom, as well as through the water column, is the presence of those occasional flounder. That’s also a good reason to work your lures around any hard structure in your area.
As long as the mild weather continues the inshore action will be there. Southeastern NC is seeing a winter with an unusual number of productive fishing days.
For more fishing tips and techniques see my new book Surf and Saltwater Fishing in the Carolinas
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