Morehead City/Atlantic Beach – June 6, 2019
Matt, of Chasin’ Tails, reports that surf anglers have been finding good numbers of sea mullet and pompano in deeper sloughs along the beaches. Shrimp and Fishbites strips have both worked very well, but neither bait is comparable to fresh, live sand fleas.
Large flounder (to 4 lbs.) are being caught on soft plastics.
A few nice-sized black drum (to 4 lbs.) are feeding on Carolina-rigged cut baits and shrimp.
Bluefish and spanish mackerel are within casting range, and anglers are having the best luck throwing glass minnow jigs around the edges of feeding schools. Carolina-rigged cut baits have produced a few bluefish as well.
Nearshore anglers have been reporting cobia still in the area. Many anglers choose to ride the beach, sight-casting larger Bowed Up bucktails to cruising fish, but bottom fishing with large baits around the inlets has produced a few of the larger cobia.
Large spanish mackerel (to 6 lbs.) are being caught around the nearshore reefs by anglers slow-trolling live baits and pulling Clarkspoons behind a planer.
Gray trout have been staged at the same ARs, with most fish falling for Stingsilvers and Big Nic Spanish Candy jigs worked around bottom structure.
Flounder (to 7 lbs.) are hitting heavier, 2 oz. bucktails with 4” Gulp shrimp.
In the 2-7 mile range, anglers are finding king mackerel (to 37 lbs.) while pulling Drone spoons and live bait.
Offshore anglers have been absolutely crushing mahi on weed lines around the temperature break. Most fish have been at least gaffer-sized, but anglers are weighing quite a few bull mahi (to 60 lbs.).
Large wahoo (to 72 lbs.) are scattered offshore, with most fish hitting baits fished behind a planer.
Inshore anglers have been targeting slot-sized red drum on the flats just inside the inlet with cut baits and soft plastics.
A few speckled trout are being reported from creeks in the area, though the warm water has slowed the bite down a little.
Flounder are hitting soft plastics fished on the flats, as well as bucktails and live baits at the port wall.
A good number of bluefish and smaller spanish mackerel are in the deeper channels behind Shackleford.
Sheepshead are being caught around the bridge pilings with live fiddler crabs.
Aaron Cooke and Jacob Gray, of Winston-Salem, NC, with a limit of king mackerel they caught off of Atlantic Beach on live bait.
Cody, of Freeman’s Bait and Tackle, reports that pompano and citation-sized sea mullet are being caught with sand fleas and shrimp fished on bottom rigs.
Large flounder (to 6 lbs.) are in the same deeper holes, and they’re on baits and soft plastics on the bottom.
Red drum have moved inside the inlets and are being caught on flats in the marsh. Soft plastic paddle tails under popping corks work great, and a few fish are hitting topwater plugs in the morning.
Bluefish and spanish mackerel are in areas just inside and outside of the inlet. They’re falling for casting jigs and trolled spoons.
King mackerel are staged up at nearshore reefs. The kings are being caught by anglers trolling dead bait rigs.
Cobia are still in the area, and they’re hitting sight-casted bucktails and large cut baits fished around the inlets.
Mahi have been biting very well out in the Gulf Stream on skirted and naked ballyhoo.
Tommie Drummond, of Bloomington, IN, showing off a 32.8 lb. gag grouper that fell for a live pinfish in 138′ of water SE of Beaufort Inlet. He was fishing aboard the Carolina Princess with Capt. Wayne Dodson.
Dave, at Cape Lookout Charters, reports that anglers are catching good numbers of spanish mackerel while trolling Clarkspoons behind a planer. The fish being caught just past the breakers have been on the smaller side, with larger fish (to 5 lbs.) being found around the local ARs.
Bluefish have been mixed in with the spanish, and they’re both hitting the same trolled spoons.
Justin, at Breakday Charters, reports that large flounder and gray trout are being caught by anglers jigging at the local ARs.
Bluefish are all over the area, and most have been hitting trolled spoons.
Large spanish mackerel have moved around the nearshore reefs, biting slow-trolled live baits and Clarkspoons.
The king mackerel bite has been great in the 3-7 mile range, with fish being caught on Drone spoons and dead bait rigs.
Anglers sight-casting with bucktails are finding cobia cruising the beaches around bait balls.
A few mahi have been caught at nearshore reefs in the 15-20 mile range, but anglers don’t expect to see many caught in close consistently before late June. Most mahi right now are out in the Gulf Stream.
Grouper are feeding on cut baits at ARs in the 15 mile range.
Inshore anglers are finding good numbers of red drum on the flats and in marshes around the inlet.
Flounder are being caught around deeper ledges and areas like the port wall.
Tom, of Dancin’ Outlaw, reports that the mahi bite has been great in recent days, with anglers landing double-digit numbers of fish. Skirted and naked ballyhoo are both producing, with anglers being sure to keep lines free of the scattered grass that has been in the area.
Blue marlin are being hooked on large plugs and baits fished in deeper water areas with a temperature break.
Larry, of Oceanana Pier, reports that sea mullet are being caught in good numbers by anglers fishing sand fleas on a bottom rig.
Bluefish and a few spanish mackerel are hitting Gotcha plugs thrown to feeding schools.
A couple of short flounder have hit shrimp fished on the bottom.
