Red drum are one of the most popular saltwater fish in the Carolinas, and fishing for redfish is often simple and rewarding.

Red drum, North Carolina’s state saltwater fish, are known internationally as the behemoths of the Cape Hatteras surf and locally as the hard-fighting redfish of many canals, inlets, and beaches in both Carolinas. While fishing for bull red drum with 13-foot rods, long pendulum casts and huge lead weights in a spraying surf makes a romantic picture, smaller redfish (often called puppy drum) are taken more often all along the beaches and waterways.

Red drum are nearly year-round residents of the Carolinas. They roam from the ocean beaches up the rivers to nearly fresh water. Redfish are especially fond of old docks and shellfish beds, and in the ocean they congregate around the holes in sandbars near deep sloughs.

The smaller redfish don’t leave the estuary marsh areas …

Now is a great time for bottom fishing the offshore waters off of southeastern North Carolina, with mahi-mahi, cobia, grouper and various bottom fish hitting well. Captain Keith Logan of Feedin Frenzy Charters out of Holden Beach has been reporting fantastic fishing.

On Saturday he took out George Hill, Larry Gilmore, Ben Harmon, Derrick Martin, Xavier Crawford, all of Winston Salem and “DJ” Jones of Walnut Cove, NC on a full day venture.

“We headed out about 40 miles to start the day,” said Logan. “For the next couple of hours we caught our limit of big black sea bass, trigger fish, vermilion snapper, pinky, white grunts, and gag grouper. We also caught a few nice size shark that we released. While we were bottom fishing a 30 lb cobia swam by the boat looking around, so we got a pitch bait out and it was on for the next …