Northern Beaches – July 19, 2018
Betty, of TW’s Bait and Tackle, reports that sea mullet and spot have been biting well on the southern Hatteras beaches, with a lot of the action focused around ramp 49. Bottom rigs with shrimp and sand fleas have been anglers’ best bets.
Pompano have been in tight to the shoreline in the same surf areas.
Buxton area beaches are seeing some scattered puppy drum biting on cut mullet and shrimp fished in the sloughs.
Bluefish are feeding on cut baits and glass minnow style jigs.
The water was muddied up after the recent tropical storm, but as it clears, the spanish mackerel should show up in the surf again.
The piers are seeing large numbers of sea mullet, spot, and the occasional sea robin for anglers bottom fishing with shrimp.
Legal-sized flounder are feeding closer to the surf line on the same baited bottom rigs.
Anglers are catching sheepshead around the pilings with fiddler crabs and sand fleas.
Bluefish are biting well on Carolina-rigged cut baits, and some schools are still feeding on glass minnows on the surface.
A bonus run of citation-sized drum ran off the ends of the pier this last week. Though not completely uncommon in July, a 30+ fish day is always special.
The nearshore anglers are seeing great numbers of spanish mackerel and bluefish while trolling with Clarkspoons behind planers just off the beaches. Good numbers of ribbonfish are also being caught by these same boats.
The little bridge in Manteo is producing striped bass, spot, a few slot red drum, and croakers. Better numbers of legal-sized speckled trout have come from the little bridge recently, too.
Inshore anglers focused on structure are finding legal flounder, redfish, and stripers, and the deeper areas of the channels have had some gray trout and bluefish.
Offshore boats are catching strong numbers of bailer and gaffer mahi around weed lines, including a huge 72 lb. mahi that was weighed by a local boat.
Tuna have been more schooled up at the temperature breaks, with both yellowfins and blackfins being reported. A few wahoo are mixed in with the tuna.
Billfishing has been very good, with boats releasing both white and blue marlin. Some large blues (to 400+ lbs.) have been reported.
Luke Graham, of Mt. Ulla, NC, with an 8.2 lb. sheepshead that was caught on live shrimp behind Hatteras.
Mark, of Oregon Inlet Fishing Center, reports that mahi fishing has been great for boats finding some matted weed lines. Most have been gaffer-sized fish.
Large yellowfin and bigeye tuna have been feeding well in the Stream. Fish (to 90 lbs.) have come back with the daily catches.
Both white and blue marlin are being reported offshore. Some boats targeting them are having multiple releases in a trip.
Anglers working nearshore are finding bluefish and ribbonfish while trolling by schools of bait.
Inshore anglers are catching good numbers of speckled trout and bluefish near drop-offs.
The head boat anglers are reporting a lot of flounder caught on their trips. Also mixed in are croakers and some sea mullet.
Aaron, of Carolina Sunrise, reports that good-sized speckled trout are being caught around ledges and structure in the sound.
Smaller, broken up schools of puppy drum are working the flats inshore.
Trolling has produced spanish mackerel, bluefish, and ribbonfish.
Sight fishing has given anglers a shot at a cobia or the citation drum that have been working around the inlet.
Laurie, of Pirate’s Cove Marina, reports that billfishing has been very good offshore. Blue marlin, white marlin, sailfish, and even a spearfish have been reported around the temperature breaks. The few days of inclement seas from the storm doesn’t seem to have affected the bite.
Mahi are still in most daily catches, with some of the bigger fish coming from out in the Gulf Stream.
Nearshore anglers are catching ribbonfish, spanish mackerel, bluefish, and a few early king mackerel.
Keeping an eye out has produced a few more cobia from around bait balls.
Keeper flounder are hanging near the closer wrecks, and they’re being caught best by anglers fishing bucktails.
Inshore captains are finding a good number of legal-sized trout and striped bass.
Julia, of Jennette’s Pier, reports that sea mullet and croaker are biting very well on shrimp fished on bottom rigs.
Bluefish are biting Carolina-rigged cut baits and Gotcha plugs.
Flounder have been showing in good numbers, with a better ratio of legal-sized fish.
Quite a few large sheepshead have been landed around the pilings.
A few black drum (to 6 lbs.) are being caught closer to the beach on shrimp.
Amy Hartz, of Davidson, caught this 13 lb. king mackerel 25 miles off of Holden Beach while trolling a live pogie. She was fishing with Capt. Jacob Blake, of Rigged and Ready Charters.
Andy, of Nags Head Pier, reports that sea mullet and spot are biting well for anglers fishing bottom rigs.
Citation red drum made a showing off the end of the pier recently on large cut baits.
Bluefish are being caught on Gotcha plugs near the end of the pier.
A few flounder and black drum are being landed closer to the beach.
John, of Bob’s Bait and Tackle, reports that bluefish are feeding better on cut baits, especially with the recent dirty water.
Sea mullet don’t mind the poor clarity either, and they’ve been caught on bottom rigs with shrimp.
Some legal-sized flounder are being found on the northern beaches around some of the deeper drop-offs and sloughs.
Keith, of Corolla Bait and Tackle, reports that anglers bottom fishing are catching large numbers of sea mullet and croakers up and down the beach. Shrimp on a bottom rig has worked best in getting consistent bites.
A couple of puppy drum have hit cut baits on Carolina rigs.
Bluefish have been feeding on bait near the shore, and anglers have had success casting glass minnow jigs and spoons in front of these schools.
