Morehead City – November 13, 2014
Doug Kerman with a 3.5 lb. speckled trout that bit a live bait in a Morehead-area marsh while he was fishing with Capt. Chris Kimrey of Mount Maker Charters.
Matt, of Chasin’ Tails Outdoors, reports that anglers are seeing the area’s speckled trout bite heat up as the weather cools off. The fish are feeding somewhat intermittently, so anglers should fish a given area on different tides and times of day in order to try and pattern the bite. They’ve been mixed in size, with short fish feeding just down the bank from keepers (and some solid 5-6 lb. fish in the mix). A variety of soft plastic baits and suspending hard lures like Yo-Zuri 3D baits and MirrOlure MR17’s are fooling the specks for anglers tossing artificials, and live shrimp or mud minnows suspended beneath floats are tough for the trout to turn down as well.
The specks are beginning to move into the surf as well, and anglers put together some good catches around Fort Macon and Oceanana Pier last week. MirrOlures and soft plastic baits are the way to go on the beachfront.
Gray trout are feeding in the inlet, turning basin, and around the Cape Lookout rock jetty, where anglers are connecting with the fish on soft plastics and jigging lures like Stingsilvers.
Flounder action is still fairly good, with most of the fish anglers are hooking lately coming from the port wall as they stage up before heading to the ocean for winter. There are also a few feeding in the area’s marshes. Live mud minnows are fooling most of the flatfish, but anglers are also hooking up on Gulp baits worked slowly along the bottom.
Red drum are feeding in the marshes and beginning to school up in the surf zone where they’ll spend much of the winter. They’ll bite a variety of baits and lures, but Gulp baits are tough to beat on a consistent basis.
Sea mullet haven’t shown up in big numbers yet, but they should be moving into the Dead Tree Hole, Beaufort Inlet, and turning basin over the coming weeks. Shrimp and bloodworms on spec and bottom rigs will attract plenty of attention from the mullet.
Spanish mackerel have moved out of the area with the dropping temperatures, but there has been some good king mackerel action when boats can get out to the Northwest Places or east side of Lookout Shoals recently. Live baits are tough to beat for the kings, but they’ve been tough to find lately and dead ballyhoo and cigar minnows have been getting the job done as well.
DeVan Barbour with an 83 lb. wahoo that struck a live menhaden while he was king mackerel fishing near the Northwest Places.
Offshore boaters are still connecting with a few wahoo around the Big Rock and other blue water hotspots. Ballyhoo paired with skirted lures are fooling the majority of the ‘hoos.
Bottom fishermen are connecting with some grouper and other bottom fish in the 30 mile range, primarily on squid and cigar minnows.
Chris, of Mount Maker Charters, reports that anglers are seeing some excellent speckled trout action throughout the area’s inshore waters right now. They’re feeding up the creeks, in the marshes, and around structure like docks and jetties, and anglers can fool the specks on live shrimp and mud minnows or a variety of artificial lures.
King mackerel are feeding around bottom structure and bait schools on both sides of Lookout Shoals (many 20-30+ lbs.). Live baits are top choices for the kings, but anglers can also hook up while pulling dead ballyhoo or cigar minnows.
Thomas, of Dancin’ Outlaw Sportfishing, reports that boats are still connecting with some wahoo while trolling around local blue water hotspots like the Big Rock. The action is a bit feast or famine this time of year, but when warm, blue water pushes over the break, the fish should be there and hungry. Good numbers of sailfish are feeding alongside the ‘hoos, and some blackfin tuna are in the mix as well. All three will bite ballyhoo paired with skirted lures like sea witches and Islanders.
Lindsay, of Oceanana Pier, reports that bottom fishermen have been connecting with spot, sea mullet, and pufferfish while soaking shrimp on double-drop rigs.
Bluefish are around and biting the bottom rigs, along with a variety of casting lures.
