Morehead City April, 2011
Shelton Price, Steve Flores, and Richard Broughton, all of Atlantic Beach, with speckled trout and flounder they hooked in the inland waters of Cahooque Creek in Havelock. The flounder fell for Gulp shrimp and the trout took 17MR MirrOlures. Photo courtesy of Chasin' Tails Outdoors.
Matt, of Chasin’ Tails Outdoors, reports that there’s been a good speckled trout bite at the creeks off the Neuse River lately, especially around Havelock. MR17 MirrOlures and Gulp baits are fooling the specks, and anglers are picking up a few keeper flounder while trout fishing as well.
The red drum bite has been good in Core Creek, the Haystacks marshes, and along the ICW lately. Gulp baits and spinnerbaits have been producing most of the action with the reds.
There are still good numbers of reds feeding around the Cape Lookout jetty, where nuclear chicken Gulp baits and live mud minnows have been the tickets for the most action. Schools of reds have also been sighted around Shark Island and Shackleford lately.
Bluefish (many 3-4 lbs.) are showing up at the jetties along with the reds, and they’re falling for just about anything anglers are casting.
Sea mullet, gray trout, and other bottomfish are feeding in the inlet, around the Coast Guard station, and in the turning basin, where anglers are connecting with the fish on spec rigs tipped with shrimp.
Off the beaches, bluefish and gray trout are feeding around AR-315 and will fall for bottom rigs or metal lures. Not many people have been flounder fishing at the nearshore reefs yet, but the flatfish should be around, and bucktails tipped with Gulp baits will tempt them to bite.
Atlantic bonito should also be making a showing at the nearshore reefs in the next few weeks.
Gulf Stream trollers have been finding action with wahoo, scattered yellow and blackfin tunas, and some dolphin. Boats saw a few sailfish last week as well. Skirted ballyhoo will tempt bites from all the blue water predators.
Chad Valla, from Knoxville, IL, with a 4.8 lb. black sea bass he caught and released in 120' of water southeast of Beaufort Inlet. He was fishing aboard the headboat "Carolina Princess" with Capt. Terrell Gould.
Marty, of Freeman’s Bait and Tackle, reports that anglers are catching good numbers of sea mullet from the piers and the beaches. Most are falling for shrimp on bottom rigs. A few pufferfish have been mixed in, and anglers are also reporting some red drum from the piers.
The sea mullet bite is strong in the turning basin and around the Coast Guard station as well, where the fish are mixed in with gray trout. Spec rigs tipped with shrimp or other natural baits are the way to go for the mullet and grays.
Charlie, of Old Core Sound Guide Service, reports that anglers are catching plenty of puppy drum in the marshes around Cape Lookout. Topwater plugs, Gulp baits, spinnerbaits, and popping cork rigs will all fool the pups.
The puppies are also schooling around Shark Island on the oceanside, where anglers can sight-cast Gulp baits or other soft plastics to them.
More pups, bluefish, and gray trout are feeding at the Cape Lookout jetty and will bite a variety of baits and lures.
A few big drum have been hooked by anglers casting bucktails along the beach at Portsmouth.
Bottom fishermen are connecting with good numbers of sea mullet while working spec rigs tipped with shrimp or other baits in the surf and the deeper waters inshore.
Mike Wrenn, of Henderson, NC, with a big wahoo that fell for a ballyhoo while he was trolling the break off Morehead City with Capt. Stephen Draughon on the "Bill Colelctor."
Pete, of Energizer Charters, reports that anglers are finding some solid trolling action with wahoo and some blackfin tuna, along with a scattered yellowfin bite (boats may not find the fish, but if they do it’s not uncommon to catch 5-10). Some of the year’s first dolphin are showing up as well. Naked and skirted ballyhoo are the gold standards for trolling for all the blue water fish.
Joyce, of Oceanana Pier, reports that bottom fishermen are hooking some fat sea mullet and some pufferfish while baiting up with shrimp.
