Hatteras March 8, 2012
Mary Lee with a speckled trout that bit a pumpkinseed Bass Assassin soft plastic in the Hatteras Village surf. Photo courtesy of JAM at Teach's Lair Marina.
Ryan, of Hatteras Jack, reports that anglers fishing the beaches are finding action with some dogfish and skates, with an occasional encounter with a puppy drum or speckled trout.
A few sea mullet and puppy drum have been reported from the southern beaches, and with the warm winter, it shouldn’t be too long until they make their way north, along with some pufferfish and croakers.
Ginger, of Frank and Fran’s Tackle, reports that anglers are already starting to see some life in the Avon and Buxton surf, and with the mild winter, the action should continue to heat up as spring arrives.
Anglers casting bottom rigs into the local surf have been connecting with some smaller bluefish and sea mullet, large pufferfish, and even a few puppy drum. Cut shrimp on bottom rigs have been responsible for most of the action.
A few large drum have been caught and released already at Ocracoke, so some warm weather and southwest breezes could produce an early drum bite at Hatteras as well.
Kyle, of Frisco Rod and Gun, reports that surf casters have been finding decent action with pufferfish along the south-facing beaches from Buxton to Hatteras Village over the past week. Squid seems to have been the hot bait, and anglers are picking up a few bluefish, sea mullet, and dog sharks along with the puffers.
Jayson Taylor and Andy Cirigliano with a 160 lb. bluefin tuna that they tag-teamed to the boat after it bit a vertical jig off Hatteras Inlet while they were fishing with Capt. Jay Kavanagh aboard the charter boat "Bite Me."
Several citation-class red drum were caught and released at Ocracoke over the past weekend.
The offshore fleet has been finding decent yellowfin tuna action (with a few limit catches) when the seas have let them get out lately. Some bluefins (most smaller fish under 200 lbs.) have also been feeding off the inlet and falling for trolled ballyhoo, vertical jigs, and topwater poppers.
A few blackfin tuna, dolphin, and wahoo have also been landing in the fish boxes in recent weeks.
Jay, of Bite Me Charters, reports that tuna are what’s happening off Hatteras right now.
The large bluefin tuna have shown up (including a 160 lb. fish landed last week), but the action has been spotty, with plenty of fish showing up some days and no sign of them on others. Trolling rigged ballyhoo, working vertical jigs, and casting topwater plugs to fish feeding on the surface have all been producing bites from the bluefins.
Yellowfin tuna are also making a showing offshore, with some days producing limit catches.
And there have been good numbers of blackfins feeding around the Rocks southeast of Diamond Shoals Tower, biting both jigs and trolled baits.
Jigging structure along the break is also producing plenty of action with amberjacks, large sharks, false albacore, and more.Â
Josh Lee, of VA, with one of several citation-class red drum he caught and released from the south point of Ocracoke in early March.
Alan, of Tradewinds Tackle, reports that the fishing season seems to be getting started in the island’s surf.
Anglers landed scattered puppy drum and speckled trout over the month of February, with the puppy drum getting a little more numerous during last weekend’s southwest winds.
Anglers also landed the first few citation-class red drum from the south point last weekend. Large cut baits are the way to go for the big reds.
When boats have been able to get offshore lately, they’ve found wahoo and bluefin tuna willing to bite trolled ballyhoo and some triggerfish action when dropping to the bottom.
