N.C. Flounder Season-Red Drum
Capt. Michael Dennis
September 9, 2021
Cape Fear River - Saltwater Fishing Report

N.C. Flounder season is now open, the season start date is Sept.1-14th 2021. Anglers in the Cape Fear Region had a bad couple of days of hard winds the first couple days of the season winds blowing 20 mph. with higher gust, I myself fished in Snow's Cut to avoid the high winds. Since the opening day, we have had several days where the wind was light, allowing fishermen to line the Cape Fear River hunting for Flounders.
On one of my backwater charters, we had pulled up to a large oyster bed that had a sandbar running perpendicular to the oyster bed, tidal waters flowing over the bar creating a slough directly in front of the oyster bed.
I approached this spot as stealthy as possible lowering the Power-Pole just a few yards from the slough, water depth was 5 feet.
I made the first cast for one of the anglers, using a Carolina Rig baited with a live finger mullet. Before I could dip another bait out of the live well, heard the first angler say he was hooked up! Sure enough, he had a really nice fish making several runs and running under the boat, I took control of the rod, stepping to the bow swinging the bent rod for it would clear the bow. Then handed the rod back to the angler, to finish the fight. I really thought it was a big red drum, but the fish had not surfaced. Then I saw the fish come along the side of the boat a big Flounder!
Dipped the flounder in the net, swung the fish into the boat. This was the biggest flounder ever landed on one of my charters.
After admiring the flounder I said bait-em up get some lines in the water, for the next 20 minutes I witnessed the best flounder bite ever! We landed 15 flounders one after another then the bite stopped. I had never witnessed a bite like this before.
After that bite, it was going to be hard to find another spot with that much action, as the morning went on we managed to catch a couple of red drums, making a great morning of inshore fishing. The flounder weighed just over 10. lbs.



Cape Fear River Fishing Forecast:

Today's date is September 9th, 2021 with fall fast approaching, water temperatures will drop in the shallow water flats. I expected the Red Drum action to only improve in the days to come.
Target Species:

Flounder- Red Drum
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