Hatteras/Ocracoke – October 24, 2019
Ryan, of Hatteras Jack, reports that surf anglers are beginning to see the pompano bite pick back up after last week’s winds. Carolina-rigged sand fleas fished just off the beach has been the most productive method.
Flounder (released) and scattered red drum are hitting Carolina-rigged cut baits.
Spanish mackerel and bluefish are coming inside the sandbars to chase after bait. Casting glass minnow jigs and Diamond jigs are both getting strikes.
Up around Oregon Inlet, anglers are landing a few speckled trout and puppy drum.
Speckled trout are plentiful in the sounds, with soft plastics fished in deeper channels and along banks working well. Bluefish (up to 8 lbs.) are staged in these same deeper holes, and they’re hitting just about any lures used to target the trout.
Some under-slot red drum are holding on the flats around the inlet. They’re hitting cut baits and soft plastics.
Corkey Wade, of Salvo, NC, with a pair of speckled trout caught in the Pamlico Sound between Avon and Salvo with a Z-Man scented curly tail under a popping cork.
Jim, of Rodanthe Pier, reports that the northeast winds pushed in a really good over-slot red drum bite. One day had double-digit numbers of citation-class fish (up to 45”) landed with large cut baits.
Bluefish are hitting Gotcha plugs and cut mullet, and bottom fishing anglers are finding spot, black drum, and sea mullet.
Heather, of Frank and Fran’s, reports that bluefish and puppy drum are being caught from the surf on Carolina-rigged cut baits around Buxton. Bottom fishing has been producing sea mullet and pompano for anglers fishing in the sloughs just off the sand. A few black drum are mixed in and feeding on fresh shrimp.
A few citation-class red drum are being landed from the piers with fresh cut mullet on fish finder rigs. Spot were being caught off the piers just before the blow, and anglers hope to see a few more spot push in as the water settles.
Speckled trout are feeding in good numbers throughout the sound. Deeper holes along grass banks and the edges of channels are holding groups of trout as they feed on bait pushing out of the inlets. Soft plastics have been producing most of the strikes.
Trevor Lodge, from Chesapeak, VA, with a 48″ cobia caught near Hatteras with a 2 oz. Meat Hog blaze orange bucktail.
Kristen, of Avon Pier, reports that a shortened pier hasn’t dampened the fishing. Red drum have been hooked with Carolina-rigged cut baits. Bluefish are around, and they’re hitting Gotcha plugs and cut baits.
Anglers bottom fishing with shrimp are landing pompano and sea mullet. The holes closer to the beach have been a bit better for those targeting pompano.
Speckled trout were starting to bite well before the weather change, and anglers anticipate this bite getting a bit better as water temperatures draw fish out of the sounds.
Cameron, of Frisco Tackle, reports that recent rough surf has had anglers targeting speckled trout in the sound. A wide variety of lures are getting action, from topwater plugs to soft plastics to MirrOlures. Anglers are reporting the best groups of fish holding in deep holes out around the inlets.
Surf anglers are catching sea mullet and pompano with shrimp and sand fleas.
Bluefish are in the surf zone and feeding on the bait balls running in the area. Casting jigs and Gotcha plugs both work well when targeting the blues.
Clear water hasn’t pushed back onto the beaches, but anglers hope to see the water clear and one more run of spanish mackerel before the water temperatures drop too far.
Lee, of Teach’s Lair, reports that surf anglers are landing citation-sized sea mullet and some good-sized flounder (released) while bottom fishing.
Slot-sized red drum are scattered along the island’s beachfront, and they’re hitting Carolina-rigged cut mullet. Anglers at the Point have been landing a few citation-class drum.
Inshore anglers are catching good-sized sheepshead around docks and channel markers with fiddler crabs.
Speckled trout fishing has been off to a great start this fall. Fish are being caught with soft plastics, topwater plugs, and MirrOlures. Bluefish are holding in the same deeper shoreline channels as the trout.
Offshore trips have been returning with good numbers of wahoo, scattered blackfin tuna, and mahi.
Joey, of Fingeance Sportfishing, reports that speckled trout fishing continues to be great through the last two blows. Z-Man soft plastics have been most productive, mostly around holes and ledges.
A few puppy drum are in these same areas, and they’re hitting soft plastics and cut baits. Some large bluefish are mixed in the counts, too. They’re falling for the same jigs and cut bait.
Bottom fishing in the inlet has produced pufferfish, large sea mullet, and under-sized cobia.
Jay, of Bite Me Sportfishing, reports that anglers have been finding close to limits of gaffer and bailer dolphin while trolling ballyhoo and fishing cut baits under larger grass patties.
Citation class wahoo (up to 53 lbs.) are hitting skirted baits fished out around the temperature break.
Blackfin tuna and billfish have been scattered.
Jeremy, of Calypso Sportfishing, reports that the wahoo bite has been great throughout the area for anglers pulling skirted ballyhoo. Mahi, sailfish, and blackfin tuna are also scattered in the daily counts.
Jessie, of Carolina Girl Sportfishing, reports that good numbers of gaffer dolphin are being landed on skirted ballyhoo out at the break. Huge wahoo and scattered tuna are out in the same areas.
Bottom fishing with cut bait has been producing good numbers of vermilion snapper and triggerfish.
Tradewinds Tackle is closed as Ocracoke Island continues to recover.
