Ocean Isle – April 28, 2016
Brant, of Ocean Isle Fishing Center, reports that inshore the flounder, drum, and trout bite is picking up. Trout are falling for soft plastics, and the flounder are biting live mud minnows.
Yaupon Reef has been holding large red drum, and anglers have been hooking fish around the 40 lb. range.
Offshore anglers are connecting with blackfin tuna, dolphin, and wahoo. With the waters warming, mahi have been showing in good numbers. Bluefish are also being landed, and anglers have found them scattered with the tuna.
Rob Lissor, of Winnabow, with a 22” red drum he hooked in the Lockwood Folly River after it struck a live menhaden.
Philip, of Rod and Reel Shop, reports that there has been a solid trout bite lately around the back side of Oak Island. The fish are being caught around the inlets as they are starting to move away from the canals towards the ocean. Both artificial and live baits are working for the trout. Vudu shrimp, white grubs, and Gulp mantis shrimp have been the particularly effective artificials, and mud minnows have been the best live bait.
Keeper-sized flounder are being caught in the rivers using live mud minnows.
In the surf, whiting as well as good numbers of smaller black drum are being caught between Calabash and Southport.
A bit further off the beach, there have been reports of the first spanish mackerel of the season being caught around Yaupon Reef, and the bluefish are starting to run.
Tracey Watts with a slot red drum she caught on a live mud minnow near Sunset Beach.
Kyle, of Speckulator Inshore Fishing Charters, reports that there has been solid action with red and black drum behind Sunset Beach around Dunn Sound and back up in the creeks. Cut shrimp and crabs fished on the bottom have been good ways to hook up with the drum.
The speckled trout bite has been steady around Sunset Beach. Bonaparte Creek, as well as back up in the canals and along the waterway, have all been producing action. Storm shrimp, Vudu shrimp, and paddletail grubs have been the go-to baits for connecting with the trout.
There are also bigger trout out along the Little River jetties, but they are fewer in numbers. The best way to connect with the bigger trout this time of year is by fishing live mud minnows or live pogies.
Nice sized flounder have caught around Murrells Inlet.
Bill Jackson, of Holden Beach, caught this black drum with a shrimp on a Carolina rig in the Lockwood Folly River.
Tyson, of Ocean Isle Beach Fishing Pier, reports that anglers are hooking up with whiting and smaller sized flounder on cut shrimp.
