Red drum running the southern NC surf and rivers this October

What's biting

What's next

The redfish bite should hold while water stays this warm. The reports describe fish working the surf, piers and river at the same time, so anglers have options whichever shoreline they can reach. Surf anglers should expect slot-sized fish to make up most of the catch, with the occasional over-slot fish worth a second cast.

Bluefish are the one to watch. The Swansboro report calls them scattered, but they typically build in number through the fall as bait moves along the coast. If the next front pushes bait through, they are worth targeting.

Typically, as water cools through October, reds that have spread into the rivers pull back toward the inlets and the surf, so the next cold front is the most likely trigger for a concentrated push. Dawn and dusk are usually the strongest windows for surf reds in warm water. Before harvesting, check state regs, since size and bag rules set the keepers in these reports.

Context

For early October on the North Carolina coast, a red drum bite spread across surf, piers and rivers is typically on schedule, since the fall run usually builds through the month. Water at 75°F runs warm for this point in the season, so the cooling that typically kicks off the heavier fall push may still be ahead.

Early fall is also when some of the largest fish of the year move through, though over-slot fish are typically a smaller share of any run than slot-sized fish. Bluefish typically join the fall mix as bait moves south along the coast, which fits the scattered catches reported from the Swansboro beachfront.