Hatteras – March 3, 2016
Blake, of Hatteras Jack, reports that anglers are catching puppy drum on the southern beaches (near the old Frisco Pier) on shrimp and grubs, and there have been scattered reports of a few bluefish being caught off of Rodanthe in the past week on cut bait.
As springtime approaches, anglers might see some blow toads along the beaches as well.
Tom Fay and Mark Negrey with a 97 lb., 72” wahoo they landed while trollling offshore of Hatteras Inlet. Weighed in at Teach’s Lair Marina.
Terry, of Rodanthe Pier, reports that repairs are coming along nicely on the damage done by this past winter’s coastal storms, and the pier should be complete within 2-3 weeks. Rodanthe Pier lost approximately 140’ over the winter, and a new end had to be installed. When the work is done, the pier will be about 500’ long.
The pier is planning to open the first week of April, when blow toads, croakers, spot, bluefish, puppy drum, and/or sea mullet will be biting.
Mates Derek Nelson and Scott Warren pose with a 96” bluefin caught in mid-February. The fish was caught aboard the “Fin Again,” with Capt. Kenny Koci at the helm, out of Teach’s Lair.
Ginger, of Frank and Fran’s, reports that the fishing has been pretty quiet, but there have been a few puppy drum caught in between Cape Point and Hatteras Village. Blow toads and sea mullet will hopefully be coming in within the next couple of weeks, and the puppy drum may stick around for a while as well.
The big drum run is fully anticipated, and while it usually hits in late April, it may be a little early this year due to the extreme weather this past winter.
Chris, of Frisco Tackle, reports that it’s been slow, but a few black drum and blues are being reeled in off the southern beaches, from the jetties in Buxton to Ramp 55. In the next few weeks, anglers can expect to see mullets starting to come back to the shore, as well as more black drum, red drum, and dogfish.
JAM, of Teach’s Lair, reports that while most of the boats were docked during the last week’s high winds, a trio of boats that went out over the weekend connected with blackfin tuna, golden tiles, and triggers. Blackfin have been elusive in the past few weeks, but they were found by charters who were able to get a little fishing in between February’s run of bad weather.
Anglers on the beach have started reeling in sea mullet, and they are catching puppy drum off of Ramp 55. There’s still 8 inches of water around Ramp 44 and 49 (from Billy Mitchell Road all the way to the Inside Road), which is making it hard to reach the beach, but as long as the wind stays southwest for the next couple of days, drum should stay along the southern beaches and Ocracoke.
Aaron, of Tightline Charters, reports that the fishing has been a little slow, but they’re gearing up for a big wave of inshore fishing which will start around March 15 and will really ramp up by Easter. Some redfish were caught in the sound behind Ocracoke on the grass flats with Gulp baits and frozen mullet, but with the cold water, it was a little hard to get them to eat. Anglers along the beach by Ramp 55 and in the hook have caught some puppy drum on shrimp.
Jay, of Bite Me Sportfishing, reports that a recent offshore fishing trip in mid-February resulted in a mess of blue runners, false albacore, and a couple of shark hook ups. While there were no blackfin, they did catch a couple of Atlantic bonitos, a few amberjacks, and a couple of sea bass.
Alan, of Tradewinds Tackle, reports that a few puppy drum are being reeled in after the recent cold snaps, and they are being caught on both artificials and bait. The warmer-than-normal water temperatures over the past winter might cause the drum to show up sooner than usual, and Ocracoke anglers may start seeing the big drum off the beach by the middle of March.
