The red drum action in Brunswick County and upper South Carolina has been unreal in the past week. Big red drum are being caught at the Little River Jetties by just about everyone dropping a live bait, and redfish action in the creeks remains hot. Meanwhile, even the piers are getting some nice drum hoisted up to the planks.

The early big red drum fall bite is always good at the Little River Jetties, but this year it seems exceptional. The red drum should get a little bigger too, before they disappear. This is a rare chance for southeastern or Grand Strand angler to hook into a Hatteras-size red drum.

Meanwhile, there are plenty of smaller redfish running the tide in the creeks, hitting around the bridges, and following finger mullet and peanut pogies schools. They are being caught in many ways: live finger mullet and peanut pogies, cut mullet, live shrimp, scented soft baits like Gulps and Bass Assassins, and even topwater plugs. If you love redfish now is the time to hit the Brunswick County waters, or go further south to Little River for some real big red drum action.

Spot are biting on the piers of New Hanover County, which has Brunswick County anglers eager to get in one the action. There have been some nice-sized yellow-belied spot taken from the Oak Island piers and further south but the huge runs have not been there yet. Spot fishermen are catching a few here and there waiting on what they hope will be a good spot run after two lackluster years.

Right now more spot have been caught in cast nets and gill nets than on hook and line. Hopefully the little spot will get hungry soon.

Speckled trout have shown up in the surf, the piers and the creeks, not in huge numbers but enough to give speck anglers some encouragement headed into October and November. Some nice specks have been taken on live shrimp from the piers.

Flounder fishing on the piers is better now too, and flounder are around their usual inshore haunts as well. So far it is quality over quantity as the fish are big but dispersed. Fishing bridges, docks, and other structure is the best way to target flounder right now.

The surf has some bluefish and quite a few black drum have been reported. Sheepshead are everywhere inshore, but that doesn’t mean you are going to catch them.
Seems like fishing is just one gear short of fall fantastic. A nice bit of cold weather could really trigger some great fishing.

For more Carolina fishing tips and tactics check out my new book Surf and Saltwater Fishing in the Carolinas