Photo by Craig Holt Jeff Wolfe fishes under the US 421, which crosses Snow’s Cut -- named for the engineer who oversaw the project eight decades ago.

Snow’s Cut is a place that not only contains good sheepshead fishing but some of the biggest flounder in the state.

The State Port Wall at Morehead City is the only place that rivals the Cut in terms of doormats.

Fishing for flounder underneath the US 421 bridge span depends, as it does for sheepshead, upon tidal flow. The first and last two hours of slack tide are the best times because the current moves too quickly at other times to keep baits on the bottom.

The outgoing tide may offer the best chance to catch a huge flounder because it pulls in what guides call “river” (as in Cape Fear River) flounder. These flounder never are targeted by commercial fishermen because the current usually moves too fast, and there’s so much bottom structure (logs, rocks) that nets can’t be used.

It’s said that big baits catch big fish and that’s true for flounder in the Cut. Instead of finger mullets or mud minnows, the best baits are 4- to 5-inch-long live menhaden or “pogeys” as the locals call them. Apparently flounder rarely get a chance to feast on medium-size pogeys, and they love having a chance to eat them in the Cut.

The entire Cut is open to flounder fishing, but the best place is at the ends of the bridge’s bulkheads on the southern side. Anglers tie boats to the bulkhead ends because they won’t be fishing beside the pilings.

Although no angler has matched or surpassed the 20-pounds, 8-ounce giant caught at the Cut by Harold Auten in 1980, they regularly pull 10- and 12-pounders from its waters.

Editor’s note: This article is part of the A bridge not too far feature in the July issue of North Carolina Sportsman. Digital editions can be downloaded right to your computer or smartphone.

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