Added on Thursday, July 17, 2008  Gary Hurley

Morehead City July 17, 2008

Tim, of Chasin Tails Outdoors, reports that the speckled trout, red drum, and flounder bite continues to be solid in the Haystack marshes, Back Creek, and around Core Creek Bridge. Live baits fished on Carolina rigs or beneath popping corks and Gulp baits are producing much of the action. Anglers are also hooking up on Rapala Skitterwalks and Subwalkers early and late in the day, with gold and silver particularly hot colors.

Anglers are also catching some specks around the Atlantic Beach Bridge on float-rigged live shrimp and mud minnows. Gray trout are feeding around the bridge as well, and Gulp baits, green grubs, and Tsunami glass minnows are attracting attention from the grays.

Flounder are feeding behind Shackleford and along the port wall, and they are especially abundant at AR-315 and 320 right now, where divers are seeing them stacked up on the bottom. A Carolina-rigged live bait like a mud minnow or finger mullet will draw strikes from the flounder, and anglers can also fish Gulp baits with success.

Surf and pier anglers are catching a few blues and spanish, as well as some spot, pigfish, and flounder.

Around the Fort Macon rocks, anglers are hooking up with black drum, flounder, and sheepshead.

Anglers are catching bluefish and some spanish mackerel along the beaches early and late in the day while trolling spoons and bird rigs. Larger spanish are feeding around the AR’s in the mornings and evenings, and they’re more likely to hit live baits like finger mullet and menhaden.

A few kings are also feeding around the AR’s, and live baits should prove tempting to them, too.

More consistent king action is taking place around the Big 10/Little 10 and at the 14 Buoy, where anglers are also finding some dolphin. Live baits or rigged ballyhoo should provoke strikes from both fish.

Bottom fishermen are landing keeper gag groupers and plenty of triggerfish and sea bass at ledges just inshore of the Big 10/Little 10.

 

Paul, of Freeman’s Bait and Tackle, reports that surf fishing has fallen into a typical summer pattern. There’s lots of action, but not many of any one fish. Anglers soaking shrimp, squid, and cut baits in the surf are hooking spots, pigfish, black drum, croakers, bluefish, sharks, skates, and a few flounder.

Inshore, speckled trout and red drum fishing is still good in the marshes. Anglers are landing both fish while casting gold spoons, spinnerbaits, Gulps, and live baits.

The rough weather has slowed the spanish mackerel bite, but during the few days of calm winds last week boats found some spanish when they got to the clean water a little ways offshore. Clarkspoons, squid rigs, and mackerel trees produced most of the action for trollers.

 

Shane, of Fight N Lady, reports that the wahoo action has picked up recently. There have been good numbers of sailfish feeding alongside the ‘hoos up and down the break in 20-23 fathoms.

The dolphin action has been spotty this week, but the boat had one good day with the phins down near the Swansboro Hole. Green/white and green/crystal skirts over ballyhoo have been producing the most strikes this week.

Further offshore, boats are still finding good numbers of white and blue marlin feeding in the deep water past the break.

 

Willis, of Oceanana Pier, reports that bottom fishermen have been landing a mixed bag of spot, whiting, and pigfish.

Plug casters are catching some blues.