Morehead City August 23, 2007
Tim, of Chasin’ Tails Outdoors, reports that flounder fishing has been excellent over the past week. The best bite in the area has been around the port wall, where anglers are landing good numbers of flatfish. They’ve been weighing up to 5+ lbs.
Inshore, boats are also finding plenty of flounder around the Atlantic Beach and high rise bridges, the railroad tracks, and in the Haystacks.
Flounder fishing is good around AR 315 as well.
Live mud minnows or shrimp on Carolina rigs and Gulp Alive baits are the top flounder producers right now.
Red drum are still looking for meals in the marshes, particularly throughout the Haystacks. Gulp or Billy Bay Halo shrimp fished under popping corks will tempt the drum to strike.
Early in the mornings, anglers are hooking some stout trout (up to 22”) by fishing live shrimp beneath floats around the marshes.
Sheepshead fishing remains good, especially around the corner of the port wall. Anglers are also finding sheepshead underneath the railroad tracks. Most of the fish are in the 2-3 lb. range right now, and anglers are getting them to strike fiddler crab and sea urchin baits.
Spanish mackerel and bluefish are chasing bait in and around Beaufort Inlet. Trolled Clark and Drone spoons will draw strikes from both these predators.
Larger spanish mackerel (up to 6 lbs.) are feeding out at AR 315 and AR 320. Live pogies or finger mullet fished on top are the best baits for these bigger fish.
Kings are also feeding around the reefs and at the sea buoy. Live baits are the top choice right now, but boats are also hooking up while trolling dead cigar minnows and ribbonfish. Most of the kings are school-sized (5-15 lbs.) up to 25 lbs.
Dolphin action has become scattered and sporadic, but boats have caught good numbers of dolphin between the 14 Buoy and the 90’ Drop over the past week. Any dolphin that boats do find should pounce on rigged ballyhoo.
The wahoo bite has been good recently between the 90’ Drop and the Big Rock, especially out towards the rock. Rigged ballyhoo are the top wahoo baits as well.
The hot sailfish bite has slowed down a bit, but boats still reported a few releases last week.
Ledges and other structure around the 90’ Drop and Big 10/Little 10 are surrendering good numbers of gag grouper to bottom bouncers. Cigar minnows have been the most effective baits recently.
Paul, of Freeman’s Bait and Tackle, reports that anglers are hooking up with spanish mackerel while trolling Clarkspoons and other lures around the inlets. Most of the spanish are 2-3 lbs., and plenty of juvenile and undersized kings are mixed in with the spanish, so anglers should be sure they know which type of mackerel they’ve caught before throwing it in the cooler.
Big red drum are feeding around shoals and sandbars in the Pamlico Sound near Oriental. Cut baits fished on the bottom are the way to score hook ups with these “old drum,” which run from 20-50+ lbs.
Surf anglers are enjoying action with some big sharks.
Those on the piers are experiencing good spot action while baiting up with bloodworms.
Joyce, of Oceanana Pier, reports that bottom fishermen are hooking croaker on shrimp.
Flounder are taking an interest in small live baits fished on the bottom.
Plug casters are catching bluefish and spanish mackerel on Gotchas.
The water is in the mid-80’s.
