Morehead City – March 5, 2015
Matt, of Chasin’ Tails Outdoors, reports that the cold weather has made fishing a bit tough recently, but anglers are still finding some wintertime action and there’s plenty to look forward to as the water temperatures climb over the coming months.
Logan and Capt. Justin Ragsdale with a citation 22 lb. blackfin tuna Logan landed while trolling southwest of the Trawler buoy off Beaufort Inlet.
Some schools of red drum have been working the local bays and marshes, although it’s been tough to get them to bite on many recent days. Working Gulp baits very slowly along the bottom or even dead-sticking them motionless has been the best way to tempt the chilly reds to bite.
Striped bass are feeding in the Neuse and Trent rivers, where anglers are hooking them on Roadrunner spinners and MirrOlure MR18 hard baits.
The recent cold snaps have led to some speckled trout kills in the creeks off Bogue Sound and the Neuse, but they haven’t been too extensive and anglers are still hooking a few specks, particularly in deeper creeks off the Neuse. As with the reds, fishing slowly is key to getting bites from the specks.
Offshore, anglers should be able to find some excellent bottom fishing, but it’s been tough to get a day calm enough to go recently. Heading to ledges and other structure in the 30-40 mile range should produce action with beeliners, triggerfish, sea bass, and other tasty bottom dwellers, with squid the top choice in baits.
Liz Chappell, of Durham, with a lower Roanoke River striped bass that fell for a Z-Man soft bait while she was fishing with Capt. Richard Andrews of Tar-Pam Guide Service.
Anglers should be able to find some black sea bass at structure nearer the beachfront like the Atlas Tanker, Northwest Places, and AR-330, but plenty of undersized fish will be mixed with the keepers in those areas. Squid and small vertical jigs are top choices for the bass.
Chris, of Mount Maker Charters, reports that anglers haven’t gotten out much lately, but some decent fishing options exist when the winds lay down enough for anglers to get out in the ocean. Bottom fishing remains solid year-round, and anglers should be able to find beeliners, triggerfish, sea bass, and other reef dwellers in the 30 mile range at present as long as the water isn’t too cool. Squid and cut baits on smaller hooks will put all the tasty fish in the boat.
Limits of legal sea bass should be easy to find a bit closer to shore as well, with structure in the 85’ depths an excellent starting point this time of year.
March also usually marks the first action with offshore flounder that anglers will see for the year, and the flatfish should be stacking up around spots in the 70-90’ depths right now. Bucktail jigs tipped with Gulp or strip baits will fool the flounder, and where anglers find one there are likely many more to be had.
Pelagic fish like king mackerel and wahoo will often be feeding along the edge of the break east of Lookout shoals during the cooler months, and anglers who spot some warm water along the break stand a chance at those and other predators while trolling live or rigged baits.
Justin, of Breakday Charters, reports that anglers may be able to find some action with flounder, speckled trout, and red drum that overwintered inshore by targeting shallow, sun-warmed flats and banks, particularly in the later afternoon hours on warmer days. Live baits are tough to come by in the cool season, so artificial lures like soft plastics, suspending hard lures, and spinnerbaits are the way to go. Slow retrieves are often the best bet for drawing strikes as the water is cool, but anglers should make sure to cover plenty of water as well in order to locate some active fish.
As the water warms up a bit, sea mullet and gray trout will begin moving into Beaufort Inlet and the turning basin and port areas. Both will fall for shrimp, bloodworms, and Fish Bites on double-drop bottom rigs, but anglers can also tempt the grays to fall for jigging lures like Stingsilvers and Jigfish that they bounce off the bottom.
Over the course of March, anglers should be able to find opportunities at chopper bluefish, false albacore, and keeper sea bass inside of 60’ of water out in the ocean. The blues will be looking for meals along the beachfront and inlet and cape shoals, where trolling diving plugs and spoons will tempt them to bite. If the fish are schooled up, casting spoons, jigs, and plugs will also produce.
False albacore could be anywhere from the beach to the nearshore reefs as the water warms. Like the blues, trolling will produce the best results when looking for the falsies, but anglers can also cast small jigging lures at fish feeding on the surface. Smaller #0 size trolling spoons and <1 oz. casting lures are the best bets for the albacore.
Keeper sea bass will become more prevalent at nearshore artificial reefs as winter fades to spring, though anglers may need to explore the structure a bit to find the larger feeding fish. When they do, bucktail jigs tipped with squid or Gulp baits, small vertical jigs, and two-hook bottom rigs will put the bass in the boat.
