Added on Thursday, April 24, 2008  Gary Hurley

Swansboro April 24, 2008

Jeff, of Fish’N4Life Charters, reports that good numbers of sea mullet, smaller gray trout, and bluefish are moving into the inlets and internal waters in the area. The Swansboro waterfront and Morehead Port are especially productive places to fish for these bottom feeders, and jigging a 1/16 oz. spec rig tipped with shrimp or Fish Bites should generate plenty of action.

Larger blues (1-5 lbs.) are hanging around the inlets and connecting channels. Anglers can troll diving plugs or soft plastic/lead head combinations in these areas to hook up with the blues.

Speckled trout fishing has been excellent in the New and Neuse Rivers all spring long. Anglers have been putting lots of trout from 4-7 lbs. in the boat over the past few weeks, and the action should continue through May. Gulp shrimp and pogies and suspending lures by Rapala, Mirrolure, and Tsunami will fool the specks.

Red drum are schooling in the surf and the backwaters, particularly around Bear Island. Most of the fish are 18-30″, and they’re traveling in schools of 25-100 fish. Now that the water temperature has risen into the 60’s, the reds will bite topwater plugs, but anglers can also hook up with them on live baits, spinnerbaits, Gulps, and soft jerkbaits.

There are plenty of legal-size sea bass feeding on structure in 50-60′ right now. Jigging a 1-2 oz. bucktail tipped with a 4″ Gulp shrimp will draw bites from the larger sea bass along with flounder and some grouper.

False albacore and Atlantic bonito are feeding at structure within 5 miles of the beach. Anglers can locate the fish by fast-trolling with Yo-Zuri and Tsunami diving plugs.

 

Stan, of Capt. Stanman’s Charters, reports that bottom fishing has been productive lately around 30 miles off Bogue Inlet. Anglers are hooking up with bottom fish including pinkies, red and gag grouper, triggerfish, and more by dropping bait rigs and butterfly jigs on ledges and other structure in that range.

The butterfly jigs are producing more than bottom fish, too, as blackfin tuna and king mackerel sometimes intercept them on the way to the sea floor.

 

Rob, of Sandbar Safari Charters, reports that red drum are schooling in the marshes. Most of the fish are 18-20″ with a few running larger. On warmer days, they’ll fall for topwater plugs; otherwise, spinnerbaits, Gulps, or soft plastics should attract their attention.

Speckled trout are moving towards the mouths and out of the creeks and rivers. The trout will take an interest in a variety of soft plastic baits or live baits.

Whiting, gray trout, and other bottom fish are moving into the deep channels and bends in the ICW and aggregating under the high rise bridge. Shrimp and Fish Bites fished on bottom rigs or spec rigs will get their attention. Larger whiting (18″+) are holding around oyster rocks in the marshes.

Flounder are scattered in the internal waters, with most of them feeding in shallow water in the creeks.

The nearshore reefs are holding good numbers of flounder, along with some sea bass. Bucktails tipped with Gulp baits or squid strips will draw strikes from both tasty fish.

Bonito and false albacore are also feeding on small baitfish around the nearshore reefs.

Snake king mackerel are holding around structure and bait 10-12 miles offshore.

 

Dale, of The Reel Outdoors, reports that local anglers are catching bluefish and more bluefish. The blues have been biting in the creeks and channels inshore and from the surf and piers in the ocean. Nearly anything will get their attention, but anglers are doing particularly well on spoons, Gotcha plugs, and grubs. Some larger 5-10 lb. Hatteras blues are mixed in with the smaller school-sized fish.

Aside from the blues, surf anglers are hooking up with a few whiting and puffers on shrimp, as well as plenty of skates and dog sharks.

Inshore there are still good numbers of red drum feeding in the Haystacks. The reds have been biting topwater plugs well over the past few weeks, and they’ll also fall for spinnerbaits and other artificials.

Atlantic bonito are feeding around the reefs and rocks within a few miles of the beach. Casting Yo-Zuri Deep Divers or metal lures like Stingsilvers around breaking schools of fish, bait marks, and diving birds will draw strikes from the bonito.

As April turns into May, local anglers will see the flounder fishing start to improve and spanish mackerel arrive at the nearshore structure that is currently holding the bonito.

 

Rhonda, of Bogue Inlet Pier, reports that bottom fishermen are landing good numbers of whiting at night on shrimp.

Plug casters are hooking up with some bluefish.

The water is 63 degrees.