Added on Thursday, August 17, 2006  Gary Hurley

Morehead City August 17, 2006

Marty, at Freeman’s Bait and Tackle, reports good flounder fishing around the Coast Guard Station. Several 5+ pound fish have been weighed, with one going 7.5 pounds. Live shrimp are the hot bait right now.

Puppy drum fishing is excellent in the marshes, particularly the Haystack. Artificial shrimp or live finger mullet fished beneath a rattling float will get them to bite. Speckled trout are mixed in with the drum.

Sheepshead fishing has been good around the bridge pilings, with fish going up to 10 lbs.

Spanish mackerel are schooling from the inlet to the cape, and trolling small spoons is the way to get them to bite.

Kings are biting well close to the beach, with some nice fish coming from the sea buoy. Live baits or dead cigar minnows are both productive on the kings.

Peanut dolphin are thick around the NW places, and a few wahoo are mixed in with them. More wahoo are out around the 90 foot drop.

The hot billfishing in the gulf stream has slowed, but there are still some sailfish around.

George, at Carolina Bait and Tackle, reports that 2 to 3 pound spanish mackerel fishing is happening around Beaufort Inlet and along the beaches. Bluefish are mixed in the same areas, and both will hit spoons and plugs.

Flounder fishing continues to be terrific in the area. They are biting live baits and Gulps in the deeper creeks, turning basin, inlets, and nearshore reefs.

Spots and croakers have become more abundant in the inlet hitting cut shrimp or bloodworms.

Sea bass are biting on the nearshore reefs, while grouper continue to be caught further offshore. Dolphin and kings are hitting trolled baits in the usual places: near the sea buoy, the Northwest Places, and the Big Ten/Little Ten.

Sailfish reports have been scattered, but there should be more moving nearshore.

Shane, at Second to None Charters, reports loads of spanish mackerel inshore. Trolled spoons are accounting for most of the fish. There are kings mixed in with the spanish.

Dolphin from peanuts to gaffers are biting well around the rocks to the south. Blue Water Candy Witches and Dolphin Weenies are hot baits. The Witch should be trolled with a ballyhoo.

Wahoo up to 50 pounds are around the 13 fathom area, and they will eat red/black skirted ballyhoo.

The gulf stream has been slow this week.

Joe, at Joe’s Pro Bait and Tackle, reports that flounder fishing is getting better by the day. More fish are moving in from the offshore reefs, with lots of flounder caught around the Coast Guard Station and Radio Island piers and structure. Smaller flounder are being caught drifting, but fishing around the high rise bridges has been very productive for larger fish.

Red drum fishing is better than it has been in years in all the marshes. Quite a few speckled trout are mixed in also.

Sheepshead are still biting very well, with one angler reporting four fish over 7 pounds.

Kings are scattered, but there are some larger ones showing. Fair numbers have been caught up and down the shipping channel and on the nearshore AR’s. Look for more kings to be in as close as the turning basin in the next few weeks.

The billfish bite continues to be strong. Good numbers of whites and sails have been caught, along with a few blue marlin. The action is strongest north of the Big Rock.

Good numbers of wahoo have also been caught.

Larry, at Sportsman’s Pier, reports good bottom fishing featuring black drum, spots, and whiting. Shrimp are the prime bait.

Flounder fishing has been excellent, with fish up to 4 pounds biting live finger mullet and shrimp on Carolina rigs.

Bluefish in the one pound range and nice spanish up to 2.5 pounds are falling for plugs.

Sheepshead are around and visible, but no one has been fishing for them.

Nothing but sharks has bitten king rigs this week.

The water temperature is 84 degrees.