Morehead City June 16, 2011
Frankie Daughenty and his grandson Scooter with an 8.19 lb. sheepshead that ate a live fiddler crab beneath the Atlantic Beach Bridge. Weighed in at Chasin' Tails Outdoors.
Tim, of Chasin’ Tails Outdoors, reports that the red drum bite has improved a bit inshore in the area. Anglers are running into the reds at the Haystacks, Core Creek, Taylor’s Creek, and around the Cross Rock in the Newport River. Gulps and live shrimp or mud minnows under floats are getting plenty of attention from the reds, and anglers are also finding some topwater action early and late in the day.
Some flounder and speckled trout are feeding in the same areas and taking an interest in the Gulps and live baits.
The flounder bite has also been solid around the port wall, the Cape Lookout jetty, and the channels behind Shackleford recently. Live mud minnows and Gulp baits on bucktails are fooling the flatfish.
Plenty of gray trout are holding around the railroad tracks, and live shrimp or metal lures like Stingsilvers will get their attention.
Sheepshead are feeding at hard inshore structure like the bridges and the port wall, and anglers have been putting together good catches while dangling sand fleas and sea urchins near the structure.
Spanish mackerel and bluefish are chasing bait along the beaches, and anglers are connecting with them while trolling spoons from boats and working Gotcha plugs and other metal lures from the piers.
Larger spanish and some snake king mackerel are feeding in the shipping channel, where anglers are hooking them while trolling live menhaden and dead cigar minnows.
Bottom fishing has been excellent at offshore structure all over the area, with solid reports coming from the NW Places, 210, 240, and 305 Rocks, Big 10/Little 10, and plenty of other spots. Black sea bass fishing has been on fire, with anglers catching big numbers of big bass on squid and cut baits. Gag grouper are also feeding in many of the same areas, and they’ll take an interest in cigar minnows or live baits.
The dolphin bite is still solid between the 14 Buoy and 90’ Drop. Small and medium ballyhoo behind pink and green skirts have been the most effective weapon on the dolphin lately.
Dr. Marc Gottlieb with a gaffer dolphin that fell for a skirted ballyhoo along a weedline near the SE Big Rock while he was trolling with his son Dylan and friends on the "Katelyn James."
Paul, of Freeman’s Bait and Tackle, reports that some large spanish mackerel have shown up at structure just off the beaches, especially on the east side of the cape. Small live baits are the way to trick the warier big fish into biting.
Trolling small spoons along the beaches and around the inlets has been producing plenty of action with smaller spaniards.
The flounder bite has been solid inshore and around the nearshore reefs over the past week. Live mud minnows or Gulp baits will get attention from the flatfish.
Anglers are hooking up with good numbers of sheepshead at the bridges and around the port wall. Fiddler crabs and sea urchins are tempting bites from the sheeps.
Surf and pier bottom fishermen are catching a summer mixed bag of spot, croaker, sea mullet, pigfish, pompano, and more. Fresh shrimp on bottom rigs are the way to go.
Small bluefish are also feeding in the surf and inshore, and they will attack almost any bait or lure that anglers can cast.
The dolphin bite remains solid for anglers trolling ballyhoo in the blue water.
Pete, of Energizer Charters, reports that boats are still catching solid numbers of gaffer and smaller dolphin while trolling ballyhoo around offshore spots like the 90’ Drop, Big Rock, Rise, and others.
Billfish are feeding a bit further offshore, but the fleet is finding plenty of white and blue marlin and a few sailfish. They’re biting ballyhoo and a variety of skirted lures.
Inshore, spanish mackerel are feeding along the beaches and around the inlets, and they have a tough time resisting Clarkspoons behind planers and trolling weights.
Charlie, of Old Core Sound Guide Service, reports that tarpon and big red drum have shown up in the Pamlico Sound. There aren’t huge numbers of fish yet, but they’ll be getting more abundant by the week. Anglers can target both while bottom fishing around depth changes with large cut baits. Most of the big reds are staging on the east side of the sound behind Portsmouth before heading west to Cedar Island and other spots. Anglers can sight cast to them on the eastern flats with bucktails and large topwater plugs before the fish migrate across the sound.
Puppy drum are feeding in the marshes throughout the area, and they will fall for cut baits on small circle hook rigs.
Dolphin are showing up on the wrecks and rocks east of Cape Lookout Shoals, where they’ll be feeding alongside king mackerel and amberjack for much of the summer. Live menhaden or dead cigar minnows behind Blue Water Candy skirts will attract attention from all three.
Lee Padrick with a 30" red drum he hooked on a Deep Creek swimming mullet soft plastic near Beaufort.
Willis, of Oceanana Pier, reports that anglers fishing shrimp on the bottom have been hooking up with some black drum (a few to 6 lbs.), sea mullet, spot, pigfish, and some blues.
More bluefish, some spanish mackerel, and a 33” cobia fell for Gotcha plugs worked from the pier last week.
Royce, of Sheraton Pier, reports that croaker, spot, and sea mullet are falling for bottom rigs baited with shrimp and squid.
Cut baits and Gotcha plugs are tempting bites from bluefish, and anglers are also picking up some spanish on the Gotchas.
