Added on Thursday, May 25, 2006  Gary Hurley

Morehead City May 25, 2006

Matt, at Chasin Tails Charters, reports that there’s been a good drum bite back in the marshes. Fish are running around 18”, with an occasional red going over 27”. Expect a few speckled trout to be mixed in.

There’s been quite a few gray trout in the turning basin area. Try speck rigs, or you can fish the high rise bridges at night using Gulp shrimp on a jig head.

When the wind permits, you can pick up some spanish at the inlet. The inlet also has all the bluefish you could want.

A few flounder are being caught, but most are small. Some guys are having luck with bigger flounder off the beach at AR315 and AR320, with at least one fish weighing in the 7 pound class.

And some cobia have been caught recently in the Cape Lookout area.

Shane, at Second To None Charters, reports that dolphin have been the main action offshore. At the 500 line (in about 130 fathoms) there have been dolphin weighing up to the 40 lb. class.

Go with rigged ballyhoo, and the best colors have been pink & white and blue & white.

The wahoo and yellowfin bite is now a bit scattered.

Closer to shore, the king mackerel bite has been hot. If you go out 20-30 miles you can expect to limit out in an hour or two. The sizes have been small, with just about all the kings in the schoolie size.

Joe, at Joe’s Pro Bait and Tackle, reports that bluefish, hogfish, spots, and sea mullet are being caught in fair numbers. The water is very dirty due to all the high wind, and these conditions have really limited the spanish bite.

The cobia bite was very good at the hook at Cape Lookout on Saturday. Good numbers of cobia were caught. The 96 pounder caught last Tuesday is the biggest so far this season.

Hatteras-sized bluefish (from 7-16 pounds) are being caught by the Cape Lookout lighthouse. Anchor outside the channel near the number 4 buoy, and use wire flounder rigs with 6/0 to 8/0 hooks.

More flounder are now showing up, with several catching limits at Cape Lookout. Fish near and in the inlets, as the flounder make their migration in from offshore.

Some limits of good sized gray trout were caught in the turning basin.

Small bluefish are still available at the artificial reefs, down the beaches, and in the inlets.

Red drum fishing is excellent in the marshes and creeks. The North River is full of redfish (north of the bridge).
George, at Carolina Bait and Tackle, reports that surf fishermen are mostly catching blues and spanish. The big Hatteras-sized blues have been the best action up and down the beach.

The spanish bite should get strong as soon as the wind lies down and the water clears a bit.

The flounder bite has been picking up slowly.

Speckled trout have been in the Haystack area and up towards Harkers Island.

And there’s been some cobia caught (50 pound class) just inside the inlet.

Larry, at Sportsman’s Pier, reports that the bottom is producing hogfish, spots, sand perch, and sea mullet even with muddy water conditions. Blues are coming in on plugs. Some are 2 lbs, and they’re even larger when using live baits.

An occasional flounder and drum are also being brought in.

Spanish are beginning to show up, with water temperatures between 70 and 71 degrees.

Joyce, at Oceanana Pier, reports muddy water around the pier area. Customers are catching small sea mullet, spots, and croakers. The blues that are being caught are continuing to get bigger.