06/04/2026
June 2026-Fishing Forecast & info.
June, one of the better fishing months in Southeast NC; lighter winds (hopefully), warm days and so many kinds of fish to target. Precipitation anybody’s guess, some June’s super dry; some Junes are monsoon! Here are some of the fish I like to target during June around Southeast NC.
Redfish are in their summer trend by June and the trick to summer Reds is to find the fish that have not been pressured too much. For this I like to use search type lures. Top water lures in the shallow waters earlier mornings and afternoons will produce Redfish. I prefer MirrOlure Top dog Jr or Top Pup’s with a great ‘walk the dog action with sound,’ fishing these along marsh grass edges with oyster rocks. Slow rolling swimbaits like a Berkley Powerbait CullShad in 5” size. *See here: https://alnk.to/44Vxvaq rigged on Eagle Claw L11118G-6/0 swimbait hooks. Also using a SlobberKnocker (chatter bait) *see here https://alnk.to/dpvDLgu in two to five feet of water has produced some nice Reds. Working grubs like Berkley Gulp or Powerbait Bonga Shrimp *See here https://alnk.to/d3Cc7VS later in the day will also produce Reds for you, fishing deeper holes and docks (fishing deeper with the sun high). Keep in mind just because you find the Redfish, does not always mean they will bite. Hey someone could have pressured those same fish the day before or just before you got there. Covering area will help you find the active and less pressured fish.
Everybody loves to catch a Flounder; they are really getting their act together by June. Keep in mind you can fish for Flounder, but the season is closed in NC; you must release all flounder. *NC Flounder season is September 1st to the 14th 2026. You can find Flounder just about anywhere when June rolls in. In southeast NC, I look for bigger Flounder around deeper channel drop-offs and structure; in waters of five to fifth-teen feet plus deep. The local inlets and cuts; south Topsail, Rich’s, Mason’s, Masonboro, Carolina Beach and snow’s cut are always a good place to find some bigger size Flounders. Last but certainly not least, are the artificial reefs, ledges, and hard/live bottoms from one to ten miles off the beach, these areas always hold very nice Flounder in June.
Once you have found some Flounder you need to know how to catch’em. If you want to go the artificial root, try bigger baits; this will greatly help you catch bigger size Flounder. I prefer Berkley Gulp five- and six-inch Jerkshad in colors pearl white, chart pepper neon and Fire tiger. *See here https://alnk.to/gKQ67Wp Also, I am really liking all the new Crome series Gulp baits. Rigging the jerkshad on 1/4oz to 3/8oz for inshore and on 3/4oz to 1oz Fusion jig heads https://alnk.to/gzWrmtO or Berkley Fusion bucktails *See here https://alnk.to/cHMQmfL in 1oz, 1.5oz or 2oz for ocean fishing. I really like the new Gulp Dragon Tail as a trailer on a Bucktail. *See here: https://alnk.to/ge6QBpx Another great Flounder lure is the Berkley Gulp four-inch shrimp pattern; this bait is great for cast up and down inshore drop-offs in creek channels. *See here: https://alnk.to/58q5o7A I rig these baits on Fusion jig heads in sizes 1/4oz to 3/8oz for inshore; in colors red, gray, and white *See here: https://alnk.to/gzWrmtO Leaders; inshore thirty- or forty-pound, ocean fishing forty- or fifty-pound Berkley Pro Spec fluorocarbon leader. *See Leaders here https://alnk.to/5jkYCU5 Keep your eyes peeled, there are quite a few tagged flounder out there. Some even have $100 Red tags!! 😉
If you would like to go with live bait for the Flounders, try mud minnows, small mullets, or small menhaden as live bait. Rig these live baits on Carolina rigs with an Eagle Claw L42 #1 or 1/0 hooks, eight to fourteen inches of thirty-to-forty-pound fluorocarbon as leader. I prefer egg sinkers as my weight, the secret to how much weight you use is ‘as much as you need to stay on the bottom but as least as you can get away with.’ You need to be on the bottom for Flounder but going lighter will always get you more bites!
One fish that is always on my hot weather list is the Sheephead. The Sheephead are a good challenge to catch and they fight hard, but they are also good to eat! All you need is some fiddler crabs or sand fleas for bait. A medium/heavy action spinning or casting rod with Spiderwire twenty- or thirty-pound braid for line will help you bring in that big Sheephead in. Tie on a short carolina or knocker rig with forty- or fifty-pound fluorocarbon leader and a small live bait J hook (sharp/strong). Also, I have had good luck rigging up a carolina Treat jig with a fiddler crab. Drop that fiddler crab down beside a piling on the carolina rig and when you feel that little bump; set the hook and hold on! PS: they are great eating in the two-to-six-pound range!
The Spanish mackerel fishing can be pretty good in June, the bigger fish start to show this month. These fish are a lot of fun to see busting the surface of the water and even more fun to see on the end of your line! Casting small spoons like (Big Nic Spanish Candy lures) or using fly gear in weights seven to nine can make for a great challenge on light tackle. High speed spinning reels really help my clients get more bites. *See here: https://alnk.to/4XzGUs0 Look for Spanish to be hanging around near shore artificial reefs, ledges, and inlets. Trolling Clark spoons or small deep driver lures can be the key to success some days for the Spanish mackerel and even small king mackerel. When using the Clark spoons, I would recommend the pink flash or regular silver spoons in sizes #00, #0 and #1; the pink flash series has really helped me put more fish in the boat. You might come over a few false albacore and bluefish mixed in with the Spanish from time to time.
Last but never least; Cobia fishing is in full swing by early June and should be good until late June. So far this year it has been hit or miss for me, kind of like last year. I look for Cobia around inlets, shoals, and bait schools; near shore/offshore reefs and ledges are also a good place to look too. With the water being clear most of the time in June it should easier see those brown logs swimming in the water. I like to throw big jigs, swim baits and live baits to the Cobia. Color really does not seem to matter, but (go bright); Berkley Fusion Bucktails https://alnk.to/cHMQmfL in 1.5oz to 2oz, but I always add a Berkley Gulp 5-inch grub *see here https://alnk.to/h6JZVIF When I am not sight casting for them, we are fishing around inlets, shoals, and near shore artificial reefs. I float fish, bottom fish, and kite fish in these areas with live menhaden, spots, and mullet as bait. You can chum if you like, but the sharks and Rays will come in numbers!
Tackle run down: PENN Battle IV https://alnk.to/aLMHDdf Slammer IV https://alnk.to/cm1wsrU or Authority https://alnk.to/dpw4ln1 series spinning reels 2500, 3000 & 3500 sizes for the Redfish, Spanish, sheephead and Flounder. Cobia: PENN Slammer IV or Authority 5500 & 6500 spinning reels or PENN 15LW, 20LW, 25NLD Fathom casting reels. https://alnk.to/cb6LtHq Rods PENN Battalion II or the Fenwick HMG Inshore series; 7’ medium and med/heavy for the Redfish, sheephead and Flounder *See here: https://alnk.to/biuF0uB Cobia Rods: PENN Rampage https://alnk.to/4BFWHOm or Carnage III Jigging https://alnk.to/5ujYd7y series 50 to 100 class casting and spinning. Line Spiderwire Ultra-cast in ten and fifth-teen, twenty (ocean flounder) pound braid and Berkley Pro Spec Chrome mono in twenty and thirty pound for the Cobia; it is great line! Leader material Berkley Pro Spec Fluorocarbon 30 to 40 pound for inshore and 80-pound Cobia fishing. Tackle storage Plano Z-series https://alnk.to/9bu8in4 or Guide series tackle bags https://alnk.to/cwTYwWT with Plano EDGE stowaway boxes. https://alnk.to/aWEPmIu
PS: NC Flounder season is September 1st to the 14th. Booking Trips NOW!!
Stay cool and enjoy your summer fishing! Thanks for reading!
Capt. Jot Owens
910-233-4239
