Morehead City April 10, 2014
David Lindley, of Newport, NC, with an upper-slot red drum he hooked on a cut bait in the surf at Fort Macon. Photo courtesy of Chasin’ Tails Outdoors.
Matt, of Chasin’ Tails Outdoors, reports that sea mullet have moved into Beaufort Inlet and anglers are hooking them in the turning basin in decent numbers (with many small fish but some fat keepers as well). Anglers may find more consistent action with larger sea mullet in the shipping channel outside the inlet. Spec rigs tipped with shrimp or Fish Bites will fool the panfish in either location.
Some croaker and gray trout are mixed in with the mullet, and the grays should become more prevalent as the water warms a bit.
Anglers are also connecting with some pufferfish around Barden’s Inlet and Cape Lookout.
Red drum are feeding inshore in the creeks and on the flats, but they’ve been a bit tough to fool lately. Cut mullet or live mud minnows will often tempt the reds to bite when they turn their noses up at the usual artificials. As the water warms, the drum bite should become more aggressive and anglers should see them showing interest in topwater plugs.
A few speckled trout are mixed in with the reds in the creeks and biting MR17 MirrOlures.
Some false albacore have shown up around Lookout Shoals, and anglers should see some bluefish join them to chase bait in the area over the coming weeks. Working metal casting jigs around diving birds or surface activity in the area will tempt bites from both.
Surf casters are hooking some upper and over-slot red drum around Fort Macon, but the action has been a bit inconsistent day-to-day. Live mud minnows and cut shrimp and mullet are fooling the reds when they’re there and hungry.
Scott with a gray trout that he hooked while casting to some docks near Beaufort with Capt. Chris Kimrey of Mount Maker Charters.
Bottom fishing around AR-330 and the NW Places last week produced some solid hauls of legal black sea bass, with squid and cut baits tempting most of the bites.
Dropping baits to structure further offshore has been producing more and larger sea bass, along with triggerfish, beeliners, porgies, and more. Gag grouper are also holding at structure a few miles off the beaches, but they aren’t open to harvest until May 1.
Boats trolling the Gulf Stream are still connecting with some wahoo and blackfin tuna, primarily while pulling skirted ballyhoo.
Paul, of Freeman’s Bait and Tackle, reports that anglers are hooking sea mullet and gray trout in the turning basin right now, and the action should improve over the coming weeks. Spec rigs and bottom rigs baited with shrimp will tempt bites from both of the tasty bottom feeders.
Surf casters are seeing some small bluefish, black and red drum, and plenty of sharks and skates around Fort Macon. Some large pufferfish are also joining in the surf action at Fort Macon and elsewhere along the beachfront. Shrimp and cut baits will attract attention from all the fish in the breakers.
Out in the ocean, bottom fishermen are reporting some fat black sea bass, beeliners, triggerfish, and more while dropping baits to offshore structure. Good numbers of gag grouper are mixed in, but their season is closed until May. Squid, cigar minnows, and cut baits are all fooling the bottom feeders.
If a consistent warming trend develops, anglers should see chopper bluefish showing up around Cape Lookout and along the beaches in the next few weeks, with cobia not far behind them.
Chris, of Mount Maker Charters, reports that anglers are finding solid action with black sea bass at bottom structure offshore of Beaufort Inlet. Multi-hook rigs baited with squid or cut baits and smaller vertical jigs are both effective on the tasty bottom dwellers.
Anglers should start seeing flounder stacking up on structure in the 70-80’ range in mid-April, and they can target the flatfish with 2 oz. bucktail jigs tipped with Gulp baits. They’ll be moving closer to shore as the water temperatures climb and spring progresses.
Bluefish are feeding at some of the artificial reefs closer to land and will be moving toward the beachfront as the month wears on.
Red drum are feeding along the surf zone and shoals near the inlets and cape when the weather allows anglers to get out and target them. A variety of soft and hard lures will fool the reds in the breakers.
Inshore, there’s been some decent speckled and gray trout action around docks off the ICW and creeks. Live mud minnows or soft plastic baits pinned to jigheads will fool both trout species.
