Drum on the Slack, Pomps in the Wash — Week of June 15

Cape Hatteras Point is fishing like mid-June should. Water's at 82.2°F, bait's thick, and the Point's holding pompano, slot drum, and bluefish in the wash. The play is the morning low at 04:11 into the incoming — fish a Pompano Hi-Lo Rig with fresh shrimp or sand fleas on the dropping bar, then switch to a Fish Finder Rig with cut mullet as the tide builds toward the 09:08 high. Afternoon low at 16:10 is your second shot, but watch the sky — afternoon thunderstorms are in the forecast every day this week. NW wind 9-18 keeps the water clean on the south side.

Avon Pier's seeing Spanish macks and bluefish working the second bar on the morning push. Throw a White Bucktail Jig early when the macks are busting bait, then drop a Kingfish Wire Rig off the end with a live bluefish or mullet — kings have been showing midday on the slack around that 09:08 high. Pompano on the planks with shrimp on a Hi-Lo. Wind's a touch stiffer here at 12-21 NW, so heavier sinkers if you're in the wash.

Hatteras Inlet is staging up nice for flounder. Run a Flounder Carolina Rig with mud minnows or finger mullet along the channel edges on the outgoing — that 09:08 to 16:10 fall is the window. Drum are working the flat edges on the lower stages, especially right at the 04:11 and 16:10 lows when the bait gets pinned. Yellow/Chartreuse Bucktail tipped with Gulp will get bit by both flounder and drum.

Oregon Inlet's running a bigger tide swing — 1.5ft high at 21:11 — and the sound-side flats are the call for drum on the evening push. Topwater Stick Bait 4" at first light or last light over the grass edges. Flounder in the cuts on the Carolina rig, same program as Hatteras. Boat traffic's heavy, fish early.

Down in Murrells Inlet, you've got a real tide — 5.0ft high at 08:09, 6.7ft at 20:32, and a -0.8 low at 14:14. Redfish are pushing way up in the spartina on the top of the tide; work the grass edges with a Topwater Stick Bait 4" or a weedless Gulp. Soon as it starts falling, slide to the channel drops and drop a Flounder Carolina Rig with mud minnows — flounder are sitting on those edges hard. Trout in the deeper holes on the low slack. 91°F and mostly sunny, light W wind 8 — it's a fishing day.

Folly Beach surf is 82.9°F and the trough's holding redfish, whiting, and pompano. Fish the incoming from the 02:49 low toward the 08:40 high with a Pompano Hi-Lo for the pomps and whiting, Fish Finder Rig with cut mullet or blue crab for the reds. Evening high at 21:11 is the better redfish window — bigger tide, less crowd. SW wind picks up to 16 tonight so plan accordingly.