Northern Beaches – March 22, 2018
Betty, of TW’s Bait and Tackle, reports slow surf fishing last week since the storm. With water temperatures on the beach in the mid 40s, it’s hard to find a consistent bite. Anglers fishing Jennette’s Pier are finding a few dogfish sharks to pull a line. They’re using frozen cut bait on a bottom rig.
Red drum are showing in the surf as well, but not with much consistency. The bite has stayed on the southern Hatteras beaches.
Boats running out of Oregon Inlet are finding big bluefin tuna. Though only a few are weighed each week, the better weather will send out more boats, and everyone anticipates seeing more fish when that happens.
Laurie, of Pirate’s Cove Marina, reports that captains getting out between the blows have found really nice bluefin tuna (including an 877 lb. bluefin that may be the new state record). The majority of the weights on these fish have been between 500-700 lbs.
The bluefin have been falling for horse ballyhoo on the troll, with a few fish coming off greenstick rigs, and boats should keep finding the fish as long as the wind will allow them to go out.
Zachary Shilen, of the Ocean Isle Fishing Team, with a 93” bluefin tuna caught while fishing out of the Outer Banks.
Aaron, of Carolina Sunrise, reports slow fishing nearshore. The water temperature is keeping fish south and well off the beaches. Once the weather turns to a regular pattern, bait schools are going to start pushing closer to the beach, bringing the over-slot red drum with them. Using white and orange colored 2-4 oz. bucktails, big metal spoons, and topwater poppers will all get bites when these big schools arrive.
Kevin, of Oregon Inlet Fishing Center, reports that boats have been finding bluefin tuna, a great payoff for those getting out. Trolling horse ballyhoo has been working well when they get on top of the fish. Boats using their greenstick are also bringing in a fair number of fish. They are seeing a great class of fish this year, most being in the 400+ lb. range.
Mixed in are some bigeye tuna. A bigeye weighing 137 lbs. was brought in recently. With the days getting longer and weather beginning to turn, the fleet anticipates more tuna catches for anglers making the trip.
Bill, of Predator Sportfishing, reports a consistent bluefin tuna bite out of Oregon Inlet. Fish are being caught trolling horse ballyhoo, and most are weighing in around 400 lbs. The boats are seeing good numbers of fish and don’t anticipate catch numbers going down any time soon.
Schools of blackfins and yellowfins are mixed in offshore, but both have been holding more off Hatteras as of recent. In the coming weeks, these schools should move north and be a more common sight out of Oregon Inlet.
Mike, of Jennette’s Pier, reports that anglers are having no problem getting a tug on their lines with all the dogfish sharks in the area. A Carolina rig with weight between 1-3 oz. and a piece of cut mullet should entice plenty of bites.
With the water temperature being around 47 degrees, the winds had slowed the fishing, but as soon as there are a couple consecutive good weather days, the fish will be back.
Sea mullet will begin to show in good numbers, and they will start to pick at anglers fishing shrimp and Fishbites bloodworm strips on double loop bottom rigs.
Scott Garris with a speckled trout that slammed a Z-Man soft plastic while fishing in the Outer Banks.
Mark, of Bob’s Bait and Tackle, reports there is decent fishing on striper in the sound around the bridges. Small Spro bucktails, Z-Man MinnowZ, and Gulp soft plastics are all producing bites when fished around the pilings and structure. Chartreuse has been the hot color for soft plastics, especially around the little bridge in Manteo, and anglers in kayaks have produced some of the most recent successful trips.
White perch can be picked off fishing smaller soft plastics (2” ) and grubs around duck blinds and the same bridge pilings as the stripers.
There has been a consistent puppy drum bite in the southern end of the Pamlico Sound. The reds are taking Z-Man soft plastics rigged weedless or on 1/8 oz. jig heads while fishing the clear waters of the flats.
Keith, of Corolla Bait and Tackle, reports that the bite has been affected in the last week due to weather, but anglers willing to wet a line can still get something to pull on the other end. Dogfish sharks and skates are a common mainstay this time of year, and frozen cut bait on a bottom rig will get them to bite.
There have been puppy drum up in the Carova 4×4 area. They are falling for cut mullet on a Carolina rig with 1-4 oz. of weight.
If the weather stays warm, be looking out for striped bass in the surf. Keep an eye out for birds working schools of bait in the surf zone. Cut mullet or menhaden on a Carolina rig will do the trick in beaching a striper.
