Morehead City – August 21, 2014
Charles Strickland, of Greenville, NC, with a 6.45 lb.triggerfish he landed while bottom fishing near the Big Rock. Weighed in at Chasin’ Tails Outdoors.
Matt, of Chasin’ Tails Outdoors, reports that the sheepshead bite has picked back up after the deluge the area took a few weeks ago, and anglers have been catching both good numbers and some fat fish this week. The best action has been around the Morehead port wall and local dock and bridge pilings. Live fiddler crabs and sea urchins are the best bets for the sheeps.
Flounder fishing has been decent recently, and they’re also looking for meals around the port wall and bridge and dock pilings. Anglers are finding plenty of flatfish near the inlets and in the channels inshore as well. Live finger mullet and mud minnows are fooling most of the flounder inshore, but anglers are also hooking up on Gulp baits.
More flounder are feeding around the AR’s and other nearshore structure in the area, where anglers are fooling them with 2 oz. bucktail jigs tipped with Gulp baits.
Red drum are feeding in the local marshes, but it can take anglers some searching to find active fish. Once they do, topwater plugs, spinnerbaits, Gulps, and live baits under popping corks are all effective at fooling the reds.
Speckled trout are feeding in the marshes as well, with the best bite in the early morning hours. The speck action will get better as the weather begins to turn from summer to fall. The same baits that fool the reds will also attract plenty of attention from the trout.
Surf casters are finding a mixed bag of sea mullet, pompano, and spot while soaking shrimp and bloodworms from the beaches.
Some flounder and red drum have been feeding around Fort Macon and biting live and cut baits along with Gulps.
Greg Ditzler with a 24.5″ red drum he hooked in the Emerald Isle surf on a live pinfish.
The spanish mackerel bite also seems to have recovered from the storm. Boaters are putting together limit catches of the spaniards while trolling in the shipping channel and along the beachfront, and most of the fish are falling for Clarkspoons and squid rigs trolled with planers and trolling weights.
Some larger spanish are looking for meals around nearshore structure like AR-315. The bigger fish are much more likely to bite live baits like finger mullet on scaled-down king mackerel rigs.
Anglers haven’t been talking much about king mackerel lately, but they have landed a few around the sea buoy and just outside Beaufort Inlet. Spots on the east side of Lookout Shoals (like the 1700 Rock, Atlas Tanker, and AR-285) are always productive in summer and fall and would be excellent options for anglers looking to hook up with the kings right now. Live baits like menhaden and bluefish are some of the best bets, but anglers can also fool the fish with cigar minnows and ballyhoo pinned to dead bait rigs.
The few boats that’ve made it to the Gulf Stream recently are reporting decent dolphin and wahoo action around local spots like the Big Rock and Rise. Some sailfish are feeding alongside the meatfish, and anglers are fooling all three with skirted ballyhoo.
Bailer dolphin are feeding a bit closer to the beach, with some reported as near as the sea buoy last week. Cigar minnows, squid, and cut baits will all attract attention from the smaller ‘phins.
Bottom fishermen are reporting plenty of action at spots in the 30 mile range with grouper, snappers, triggerfish, sea bass, and more. Squid, cigar minnows, sardines, mackerel, and other baits will all get the job done on the bottom feeders.
Eli Tanner, of Raleigh, with a 31″ red drum that inhaled a dead menhaden int he Neuse River near Oriental.
Chris, of Mount Maker Charters, reports that anglers are seeing some king mackerel and amberjack at spots in the 70’ depths. Both will pounce on live menhaden, as will a few cobia that have been in the same areas.
Bottom fishing in the same spots is producing more amberjacks, some gag grouper, and plenty of smaller bottom feeders.
Flounder are feeding at bottom structure closer to shore and pouncing on bucktail jigs tipped with Gulp baits.
Thomas, of Dancin’ Outlaw Charters, reports that anglers are seeing some solid wahoo action around the local blue water hotspots right now, and it should only get better as fall approaches. Decent numbers of dolphin are still around as well, and anglers are hooking both on ballyhoo paired with skirted trolling lures.
Hailey, of Oceanana Pier, reports that bottom fishermen are hooking a mixed bag of croaker, pigfish, pinfish, and more. Shrimp are fooling the panfish.
Plug casters had several good days of spanish mackerel and bluefish action last week while working Gotchas.
