Morehead City – April 23, 2015
Matt, of Chasin’ Tails Outdoors, reports that anglers are finding plenty of action with sea mullet around the port wall, turning basin, and Coast Guard station. Spec and bottom rigs tipped with shrimp or Fish Bites are fooling the mullet.
Cody Cornelius and Colton Connors with a dolphin and a wahoo that attacked trolled ballyhoo near the Big Rock while they were fishing aboard the “Keepin’ It Reel.” Photo courtesy of Chasin’ Tails Outdoors.
Big numbers of gray trout are in the same areas and around the high-rise bridges. They’ll bite nearly anything, but metal jigs like Stingsilvers seem to be fooling the larger fish.
Red drum action around Morehead has been spotty lately, but anglers are hooking a few around the Haystacks and in Core Creek.
Mike Wells with a speckled trout that struck a Z-Man soft plastic in the ICW near Beaufort while he was fishing with Capt. Justin Ragsdale of Breakday Charters.
Bluefish have shown up along the beaches and around Cape Lookout, where they’re biting a variety of metal casting lures.
There’s been some excellent action at structure east of Cape Lookout shoals recently, but windy weather has kept many boats away from the area in the past few days. Black sea bass, flounder, and red drum have been feeding on the bottom and biting baited bottom rigs and lures like bucktail jigs.
False albacore, Atlantic bonito, and bluefish are looking for meals around the same structure and biting metal jigging lures worked through the middle of the water column or cast to fish feeding on the surface.
Surf casters are finding plenty of action with sea mullet, pufferfish, spot, and black drum. Most are falling for shrimp and Fish Bites baits on bottom rigs.
Offshore, the wahoo bite is still solid around blue water hotspots like the Big Rock. Blackfin tuna and a few yellowfins have been mixed in with the wahoo. Boaters are also connecting with some of the first decent dolphin catches of the year, and the dolphin action will only get better until it peaks in May or early June. Ballyhoo paired with skirted lures like sea witches are fooling the majority of the offshore predators.
Bottom fishermen continue to find success with black sea bass, triggerfish, beeliners, and amberjacks. The best fishing is still around ledges and live bottoms in the 30-40 mile range, and anglers are hooking the fish on squid, cigar minnows, and cut baits.
Some cobia have been caught and seen by bottom fishermen as well, and it won’t be long until they make a move toward the beachfront.
Anglers are also looking forward to the opening of grouper season May 1.
Paul, of Freeman’s Bait and Tackle, reports that anglers are hooking big numbers of sea mullet and gray trout in the turning basin (with some grays to 20”). Spec rigs tipped with shrimp are fooling both.
The sea mullet bite has also been decent in the surf, where anglers are also hooking some red drum, flounder (most still undersized), bluefish (to 4 lbs.), and sharks and rays. A 3 lb. pompano was also landed by a surf caster last week. Shrimp and cut baits are fooling most of the fish in the breakers.
Anglers venturing to the east side of Cape Lookout shoals have been finding big schools of falsealbacore feeding on the surface, and they’re fooling them with metal casting jigs. Some Atlantic bonito are likely mixed in.
Offshore trollers connected with decent numbers of yellowfin tuna last week, mostly while fishing to the north along the break. Blackfin tuna and wahoo are still around in decent numbers, and dolphin have begun making their spring appearance as well. All the pelagic fish are falling for skirted ballyhoo.
Chris, of Mount Maker Charters, reports that some king mackerel have begun showing up at some of their deeper haunts like the 240 Rock, West Rock, and Atlas Tanker. Anglers can tempt them to bite trolled cigar minnows or live baits.
There’s still plenty of action with false albacore and Atlantic bonito at spots east of Lookout Shoals in 40-65’ of water. Anglers can tempt both to bite metal casting jigs when they’re chasing bait on the surface.
Dropping bucktail jigs and bottom rigs to the bottom in the same areas is producing flounder, black sea bass, and more.
Chopper bluefish are trickling into the beachfront and will bite nearly anything they can fit in their mouths.
Justin, of Breakday Charters, reports that anglers are still seeing plenty of action with sea mullet, gray trout, and other panfish while bottom fishing in the turning basin and other deeper water inshore. All will fall for spec rigs tipped with shrimp, but anglers can fool the grays while working 1-2 oz. metal jigs as well.
Flounder are feeding around structure east of Lookout Shoals like AR-285 and the D-Wreck, as the water’s a bit warmer on that side of the Cape. Anglers can hook them while bouncing bucktail jigs tipped with soft plastics like Gulp and Z-Man baits vertically around the structure.
Eric, of Oceanana Pier, reports that anglers are connecting with sea mullet and pufferfish while bottom fishing with shrimp and other baits.
Some recent days have produced excellent bluefish action for anglers working Gotcha plugs from the pier.
