Morehead City Winter 2010-2011
Dominic Evans, from Greensboro, NC, with a 5.98 lb. flounder he hooked on a Gulp-tipped Spro bucktail at the Morehead City port wall. Weighed in at Chasin' Tails Outdoors.
Matt, of Chasin’ Tails Outdoors, reports that anglers should see solid speckled trout fishing until the water temperatures fall into the 40’s and the fish go dormant. Once the water gets that cool, it will take a warm, sunny day to get the specks in a feeding mood. The Cape Lookout rock jetty should continue to produce fish most of the winter, and this time of year is when most of the 5+ lb. “gator” trout will be caught, with the best fishing at night.
During the days, Gulp shrimp and live mud minnows will be the most productive baits, as live shrimp won’t be available. When fishing for the nighttime gators, Rapala Subwalks and MirrOlures in dark colors will be the most effective baits.
Shackleford Banks and Radio Island should also be holding some specks all winter, and they’ll fall for the same baits and lures.
Some trout will be wintering in the backs of the creeks, too, particularly the creeks off the Neuse River. Mud minnows and MR14, 17, and 18 MirrOlures will produce action with the creek fish. The hottest MirrOlure colors are EC, 808, and MG.
Black drum should be feeding at hard structure like the Cape Lookout, Radio Island, and Fort Macon jetties, as well as the Morehead port wall. Cut shrimp on bottom rigs will attract their attention, and they should appeal to some tautog feeding in the same area as well.
Whiting and gray trout should be chewing in the inlet until falling water temperatures push them out, and spec rigs tipped with shrimp will draw bites from both.
Red drum will be around Ruff Point, the Lookout jetty, and Shark Island over the coming months, and they should school up in the thousands as the water gets colder. Calm warm days will turn the schools on, and anglers casting Gulp baits and live mud minnows should be able to rack up big numbers of the reds when the weather’s nice.
Bluefin tuna have begun to show up in the area, and anglers can look for them from the Beaufort sea buoy to Cape Lookout Shoals and on out to the 5-10 mile range. Horse ballyhoo rigged under Blue Water Candy JAGs in crystal, pink/white, and blue/white are the best baits for the bluefins.
Douglas Gorchess, from Swansboro, with the 8.69 lb. speckled trout currently leading the 3rd annual Chasin' Tails Outdoors Speckled Trout Challenge. The gator trout struck a live shrimp on a float rig in Core Creek.
Offshore bottom fishing typically remains excellent through the winter, and anglers can expect to find action with fat sea bass, flounder, triggerfish, and snapper and grouper species (groupers will be closed to harvest January 1). Ledges and wrecks on the east side of the shoals are generally the most productive, and squid, cigar minnows, and Gulp-tipped bucktails will attract attention from the bottom feeders.
Marty, of Freeman’s Bait and Tackle, reports that speckled trout are representing some of the best local action right now. The bite’s been decent in the surf and on/off at the Lookout jetty, with some days at the rocks producing quality fish and others dominated by undersized puppy drum and spike trout. Green curlytail grubs on red lead heads have been just as effective, if not more so, than the scented soft baits lately.
Whiting are moving out of the area, but there should still be time to put some good catches together at the Dead Tree Hole over the coming weeks. Spec rigs and bottom rigs baited with shrimp will attract attention from the whiting.
Tautog typically show up around the Morehead port wall this time of year, and anglers can hook them on bottom rigs baited with shrimp and other shellfish.
Charlie, of Old Core Sound Guide Service, reports that speckled trout fishing has been excellent inshore and along the beaches recently. Most of the fish inshore have been on the small side, but they’re making up for it with big numbers. Anglers are finding some larger specks in the creeks off Core Sound and the Neuse River while casting Fin-S-Fish soft plastics.
The surf trout bite has been particularly good along the eastern beach north of the Cape (with good numbers of 3-5 lb. fish).
Puppy drum are beginning to school up along the beaches and at Cape Lookout (with schools mixed from slot fish to 36”+). This fishing will only get better as the water cools down, especially around Shark Island. Soft plastic baits and MirrOlures will fool the pups.
Nick Atkins, of Wilmington, with a 13.5 lb. sheepshead he hooked on a barnacle near some oyster rocks north of Morehead City.
Pete, of Energizer Charters, reports that speckled trout and puppy drum fishing has been excellent for anglers casting soft plastics along the beaches recently.
The first bluefin tuna of the year have shown up, and anglers will be targeting them while trolling horse ballyhoo around structure, bait, and temperature breaks within 20 miles of the beaches over the coming months.
Not many boats have made the run to the Gulf Stream lately, but those that have are still finding good numbers of wahoo (including an 88 lb. fish landed last week). Some sailfish are still in the blue water mix as well, and the wahoo action should continue to be solid through the winter for anglers willing to make the long run.
