Ocean Isle June 11, 2009

Robert Wilkie and friends from Graham, NC, with wahoo, dolphin, and blackfin tuna they hooked on trolled ballyhoo near the Blackjack Hole. They were fishing with Capt. Richard Flick aboard the charter boat "Get Reel" out of Southport.

Chris, of Ocean Isle Fishing Center, reports that boats found an excellent dolphin bite around the 100/400 last week. Contrary to the last few weeks, anglers are catching a few gaffers and lots of bailers, a typical progression as we head towards summer. Trolling ballyhoo under skirted lures and casting at fish holding under flotsam are the ways to load up on the dolphin.

Some smaller wahoo are feeding in the same areas as the dolphin. Blue Water Candy JAGs in pink and blue hues and sea witches in purple shades are producing the best results on the wahoo and dolphin.

Deep jigging produced some solid action with scamps last week around the Winyah Scarp in around 120′ of water. Roscoe jigs produced most of the fish.

King mackerel are scattered throughout the area, and anglers are hooking good numbers at spots like Christina’s Ledge, the 90/90, the Jungle, and other areas in 60-100′. Most anglers are live baiting the kings, and there have been plenty of pogies schooling between Shallotte Inlet and the Holden Beach water tower for anglers on a bait mission. Cigar minnows are schooled up at the barges and will strike sabiki rigs.

Spanish mackerel are feeding strong along the beaches, with the best action to the east around Lockwood Folly. Pink flash Clarkspoons are outproducing other lures, and the magic depth seems to be 30′ right now.

Blake Leigh, of Wilmington, with a flounder and a speckled trout he hooked on live pogies while fishing the Cape Fear River near Southport.

Kyle, of Ocean Isle Fishing Center, reports that the area’s flounder bite is still strong. Anglers are hooking big numbers of the flatties in Tubbs Inlet, and about one in three is a keeper these days. Live mud minnows or peanut pogies are the most effective flounder baits.

Larger flounder are coming from the Lockwood Folly and Shallotte Rivers, and pogies seem to produce more big fish than the mud minnows.

Speckled trout are still feeding around the Little River jetties, Sunset Beach Bridge, and other structure inshore. Live shrimp under a float are far and away the best trout baits, and anglers can cast net the shrimp in the area’s creeks now.

The red drum bite was a little slower last week than it has been, but anglers are still encountering reds while trout fishing and at other inshore structure like ICW docks. Many are falling for live shrimp while anglers are trout fishing, but live pogies or mud minnows on a Carolina rig will also produce action.

David, of Capt. Hook Outdoors, reports that the Gulf Stream bite remains solid. Boats are hooking up with gaffer dolphin and a few wahoo while trolling skirted ballyhoo around spots like the 100/400 and Blackjack Hole. Green, blue, and pink color combinations seem to work the best for the dolphin.

Inshore, anglers continue to find solid flounder fishing in all the expected places this time of year. Tubbs Inlet remains the hotspot for numbers of fish, and anglers can hook them while baiting up with live finger mullet or peanut pogies.

Caleb, of Ocean Isle Pier, reports that anglers fishing with live shrimp are catching a few speckled trout in the early mornings.

Unusually for June, there’s been a good spot run lately, and anglers are catching most on bloodworms.  There are a few whiting mixed in.

Anglers casting Gotcha plugs are hooking a few bluefish.

by Fish Post