Pier and Surf November 2015 Fishing Report

Ryan Gregory of Wilmington, 42inch Red
Ryan Gregory of Wilmington, 42inch Red

[dropcap]I[/dropcap]f greatness is what you aspire to in fishing then the North Carolina coast is where you want to go in November and red drum are the fish you should  targeting. That is because the last 3 world record redfish were caught on the Carolina coast in November.  Fishing for drum requires stout tackle, heavy leaders and large hooks. Because creel and size limit for redfish are 1 fish between 17 and 28 inches it is recommended that you use circle hooks to be able to release any non-keepers without causing the fish any undue harm.

Because the adult red drum diet is mostly made up of fish cut bait of all kinds work the best. Most anglers recommend using a drum rig or a Carolina rig for presentation .Just about any area from behind the breakers to the end of the pier can be productive. The October drum bite was exceptional and there is no reason for that not to continue into November.

Speckled trout will be in abundance in November at the piers and anglers will be targeting them with live minnows and shrimp and artificials on jig heads like Gulp baits and Mirrolures.  The size limit for specs is now 14 inches and you can keep up to 4 a day. They can be targeted anywhere on a pier but frequently the surf zone to behind the breakers are best.

Bluefish will be caught all month in November. Generally these will be the smaller fish up to about 2 pounds, but occasionally a larger school will come by. Gotcha plugs are ideal but bluefish will hit anything from a bottom rig with shrimp to a steel spoon.

Bottom fishermen will still be picking up croaker and whiting and their still could be a few late spot schools to be had.  Flounder will still be caught as well as will the occasional gray trout. The gray trout limit is one per angler per day at a minimum length of 12 inches.

Black drum will also be in abundance. Use shrimp, squid or cut bait as black drum are bottom feeders. Black drum size can very greatly. They can be as little as the palm of your hand up to over 100 pounds. The world record black drum is 146 pounds.

November is an underrated fishing month in the Carolinas but anglers that know better target it as one of their favorites.