Morehead City – May 28, 2015
Matt, of Chasin’ Tails Outdoors, reports that anglers have been connecting with plenty of cobia over the past ten days, and the action is showing no signs of slowing. Bottom fishermen have been hooking the cobes while fishing live eels and dead menhaden around Beaufort and Barden’s inlets. Plenty more are taking an interest in bucktail jigs and soft plastic baits that anglers are sight-casting around menhaden schools off Atlantic Beach, Shackleford Banks, and Cape Lookout. When the fish around “bait balls” won’t respond to artificials, then live eels or menhaden will often tempt them to bite. Some large red drum have been feeding alongside the cobia and falling for the same baits.
Neal Myers, of Morehead City, with a 25″ red drum that bit a chunk of finger mullet in the Atlantic Beach surf. Weighed in at Chasin’ Tails Outdoors.
Spanish mackerel action is improving off Beaufort Inlet, and anglers are hooking solid numbers while trolling Clarkspoons, mackerel trees, and daisy chains within a few miles of the inlet and beachfront.
Sheepshead have made their spring appearance inshore, and anglers have been hooking solid numbers while soaking live fiddler crabs near structure like the high-rise bridges and Morehead port wall.
The flounder bite is improving as well, with the best action at nearshore structure like AR-315, 320, and the wrecks and reefs east of Cape Lookout shoals. Gulp baits on 2 oz. bucktail jigs are fooling the majority of the flatfish in the ocean.
Chris Edwards, of Raleigh, with a 50 lb. wahoo that struck a blue/white-skirted ballyhoo at the NE Big Rock.
Surf casters are reporting some red drum action around Fort Macon last week, along with black drum, sea mullet, spot, pompano, bluefish, and more up and down the beachfront. Shrimp, bloodworms, and cut baits are producing most of the action in the surf.
Offshore, blue water trollers continue to hook good numbers of gaffer and bailer dolphin along with some blackfin tuna and wahoo (a few citation-class 40+ pounders). The action’s moved inshore a bit to the 14 Buoy area, with good fishing from there out to spots along the break like the Rise and Swansboro Hole. Ballyhoo paired with skirted trolling lures are fooling most of the blue water predators. There’s also been a solid blue marlin bite for boats trolling larger rigged baits and skirted lures in deeper water offshore of the break.
Bottom fishermen are connecting with plenty of triggerfish, black sea bass, grunts, snappers, and some grouper while fishing from the 14 Buoy area to the break. Squid, cigar minnows, and menhaden are producing results with the bottom dwellers.
Alex Pipes, of Leland, NC, with a 67 lb. cobia that struck a dead bait on the bottom near Cape Lookout while he was fishing on the “White Hammer.”
Cody, of Freeman’s Bait and Tackle, reports that anglers are still hooking big numbers of cobia off Beaufort Inlet and Cape Lookout. They’re falling for live and dead menhaden fished on the bottom near the shipping channel and Barden’s Inlet along with sight-cast bucktail jigs, soft plastics, and live eels tossed to cruising fish or schools of menhaden.
Dolphin action is still going strong offshore, where anglers are putting good numbers of gaffers in the box while trolling ballyhoo paired with skirted lures like sea witches. A few wahoo are still mixed in and taking an interest in the same baits.
Closer to the beaches, flounder are feeding on nearshore structure like AR-315 and 320. The most productive offerings for the flatfish lately have been 1-3 oz. bucktail jigs tipped with Gulp baits or other soft trailers.
Chris, of Mount Maker Charters, reports that anglers are finding good numbers of cobia feeding within a few miles of the shoreline off Atlantic Beach and Cape Lookout. They’re fooling them with bucktail jigs and live baits, particularly around large schools of menhaden that the cobes are shadowing. Some large red drum are looking for meals around the bait schools as well and biting the same lures.
Offshore, bottom fishing has been producing some solid catches of gag grouper at ledges and live bottoms in the 20-30 mile range. Live baits like menhaden are fooling the grouper and plenty of amberjack feeding in the same areas.
Diane, of Oceanana Pier, reports that anglers are hooking spanish mackerel and bluefish while working Gotcha plugs and other casting lures from the pier.
Bottom fishermen have been connecting with some pigfish and smaller spot while soaking shrimp and bloodworms on double-drop rigs.
