Morehead City – August 13, 2015
Matt, of Chasin’ Tails Outdoors, reports that anglers have seen some decent spanish mackerel action recently as the water has cleared a bit from recent rains. Cape Lookout is still producing the best fishing, but anglers are also hooking up while trolling a bit further than usual off the local beachfront. Trolled Clarkspoons and other flashy lures are fooling most of the spaniards. Anglers who find them schooled up and feeding can also hook up on lighter tackle while working casting lures like Glass Minnows.
The king mackerel bite has been a bit off as well, but anglers are reporting some fish in the Beaufort shipping channel and at spots east of Cape Lookout like AR-285 and the 1700 Rock.
Live baits are the best bets for the kings, but anglers can also hook up on dead cigar minnows pinned to weighted rigs like Blue Water Candy Wedgies and South Chatham Pirate Plugs.
Cole Pillans, of Newport, NC, with a 6.09 lb. flounder that struck a live mud minnow while he was fishing at Ft. Macon. Weighed in at Chasin’ Tails Outdoors.
Some dolphin have been mixed in with the kings and big spanish around the end of the shipping channel and at other spots within sight of land.
Inshore, anglers are connecting with some healthy flounder (fish to 7+ lbs.) around the Morehead port wall and the Coast Guard station. Live mud minnows and Gulp baits on jigheads or bucktails have been fooling most of the flatfish. Not many boats have been out to the nearshore reefs in the ocean recently, but the flatfish bite should be solid out there as well.
Sheepshead are feeding at the port wall and local high rise bridges (with some to 9+ lbs. weighed in over the week). Most are falling for live fiddler crabs and sea urchins fished tight to the vertical structure or on the bottom.
Surf casters are connecting with some sea mullet and black drum on shrimp. A few slot and over-slot red drum are finding bottom rigs in the surf as well.
John Tosing with a 4 lb. spanish mackerel that bit a live bait near Cape Lookout while he was fishing with Capt. Chris Kimrey of Mount Maker Charters.
Steve, of Freeman’s Bait and Tackle, reports that anglers are seeing some solid flounder action around the port wall and in the local marshes. Live finger mullet are fooling most of the flatfish.
There’s been some decent red drum action in Bogue Sound, but most anglers looking for drum are chasing the citation-class fish in the Neuse River at present.
Sheepshead action has slowed down a bit, but anglers are still hooking some sizeable sheeps around the port wall and other inshore structure. Live fiddler crabs are fooling most of the fish.
Surf casters are reporting a good black drum bite while baiting up with shrimp.
Spanish mackerel are biting casting lures off the piers and trolled Clarkspoons for boaters. The boats have been finding the best action around Cape Lookout lately.
King mackerel anglers have found success in the shipping channel out to the sea buoy and around the Triple Nickel and NW Places this week. Live baits like menhaden have been outproducing dead baits for the kings.
Blue water trollers have been finding a good wahoo bite along with some blackfin tuna while working along the break. Skirted ballyhoo are fooling the offshore predators.
Bottom fishing has been solid at spots in 100-120’ of water. Anglers are hooking large sea bass and beeliners along with some gag grouper around structure in that range. Squid, cut baits, and cigar minnows are tempting bites from the bottom feeders.
Chris, of Mount Maker Charters, reports that anglers are connecting with plenty of spanish mackerel while casting metal lures like Stingsilvers at fish feeding on the surface. The best bite has been around Cape Lookout recently, but the fish can pop up near any of the local inlets or along the beachfront as well. Some larger spaniards (to 4+ lbs.) are biting live baits a bit further offshore.
Flounder fishing has been solid inshore around the port wall, bridges, and docks. Most of the flatfish are falling for live finger mullet on Carolina rigs.
Thomas, of Dancin’ Outlaw Charters, reports that anglers have seen some solid fishing when they’ve been able to make it offshore recently. Wahoo and blackfin tuna are still looking for meals along the break, and boats also saw some action with yellowfin tuna last week. Most of the pelagic predators are biting ballyhoo paired with skirted lures like sea witches.
Faith, of Oceanana Pier, reports that spot, croaker, sea mullet, and some black drum have been taking an interest in bottom rigs baited with shrimp.
A few flounder are falling for live baits fished under the pier.
