Added on Thursday, June 4, 2009  Fish Post

Southport June 4, 2009

Butch, of Yeah Right Charters, reports that inshore the spanish mackerel bite has been excellent, with boats landing good numbers of fish on #0 and #00 Clarkspoons behind #1 and #2 planers.

Sharks are prowling the same area, and anglers are hooking them (up to 200+ lbs.) on cut baits.

Kings are reappearing along the Southport beaches, and there are a few pogies moving in towards the beach for live baits.

Fishing smaller pogies on the bottom around the nearshore reefs is producing some action with flounder.

Offshore, bottomfishing is still excellent, with boats landing red, gag, and scamp groupers along with a variety of other bottomfish. Spanish sardines are excellent grouper baits, but cut baits and jigging spoons are also highly productive.

The Gulf Stream bite has been excellent lately, with big catches of dolphin, wahoo, and blackfin tuna along with a few yellowfin mixed in. Ballyhoo under skirted lures are the top baits for the Gulf Stream predators, as three lucky anglers found out when they fought and released an estimated 1000 lb. blue marlin last week at the Blackjack Hole. A pink/white skirted ballyhoo fooled the giant billfish.

 

Tommy, of Southport Angler Outfitters, reports that the dolphin bite was excellent around the Blackjack Hole last week. Boats landed big numbers of gaffer dolphin while trolling around the area.

Dolphin have also pushed inshore as far as the Horseshoe, where they’re mixed with king mackerel. Live baits will produce action with both species, but dead cigar minnows seemed even more effective last week.

Bottom fishermen found good action with beeliners, triggerfish, AJ’s, and grouper last week. The bite was best in around 100′.

Inshore, the flounder bite seems to have finally really turned on in the river, where anglers are hooking the flatfish (some 2-5 lbs.) on live pogies.

 

John, of Dutchman’s Creek Bait and Tackle, reports that anglers fishing the piers landed decent numbers of speckled trout last week on live shrimp. Some anglers also found the specks in the backwaters.

The flounder bite has also been decent in the backwaters, where anglers are hooking them on live mud minnows, pogies, and finger mullet.

Spanish mackerel are still chasing bait along the beachfront, and anglers are catching them from the piers on Gotcha plugs and while trolling Clarkspoons from boats. Boaters found some fish around the Hot Hole last week, but reported the best spanish bite off of Holden Beach.

 

Keith, of Stand’N Down Charters, reports that the gaffer dolphin bite is incredible in the Gulf Stream right now. The Blackjack Hole has been especially hot lately, giving up big numbers of dolphin and some wahoo to anglers trolling ballyhoo under skirted lures. Pirate Plugs and Blue Water Candy Jags have been particularly effective lures lately.

Inshore, the spanish mackerel bite has been excellent as well. Trolling Clarkspoons just off the beaches is producing big numbers of the spanish. The bite was best in around 30′ last weekend.

 

Dave, of Ocean Crest Pier, reports that the speckled trout bite is still good. Anglers are hooking the specks (up to 3 lbs.) on live shrimp and Gotcha plugs.

Some flounder are also falling for the shrimp (with a 5 lb. flattie landed last week), and anglers are targeting the flatfish using live mud minnows and finger mullet with good results.

Bottom fishermen are hooking up with decent numbers of whiting and pompano, but the pompano are smaller than the large fish that were running last week (averaging 1 lb. or smaller). Shrimp and sand fleas will produce results on the pompano and whiting.

Plug casters are hooking up with all the bluefish they can stand and good numbers of spanish mackerel while casting Gotchas.

Live baiters saw a few king mackerel over the course of last week, and a 45 lb. tarpon was landed and released from the pier.

The water is 77 degrees.