Inshore red drum: reading Pamlico Sound on different tides

The same flat in Pamlico Sound can hold red drum stacked up on an incoming tide and sit completely empty three hours later, which is why timing matters as much as location.

Incoming tide: fish push onto the flats

As water floods over the grass, red drum and trout push up to feed on baitfish and crabs getting pushed with it. This is when sight casting in skinny water is at its best.

• Fish push shallow within the first two hours of incoming tide
• Look for nervous water and tailing fish over grass beds
• Falling tide pulls fish back to the channel edges and deeper holes

I read the tide chart before I read the weather. It tells me which flat is worth poling that morning.