Morehead City August 5, 2010
Capt. Lee Willis, of Redfish Action Charters, with a 25" red drum that fell for a copper Flatsmaster spoon in a creek near Morehead City.
Matt, of Chasin’ Tails Outdoors, reports that anglers are still picking up big numbers of sheepshead (with some to 8+ lbs.), but they can be tricky to find and hook. Fishing around inshore structure like the bridges and port wall with clams, fiddler crabs, sea urchins, and other baits is the best way to tempt them to bite. Some black drum are mixed in with the sheeps and falling for the same baits.
Red drum are feeding in the marshes of the Haystacks, Core Creek, the Newport River, and elsewhere. Anglers are connecting with the reds while casting live shrimp and mud minnows, Gulp baits, topwater plugs, spinnerbaits, and more. Some schools of over-slot reds are also working the surf off Shackleford.
Speckled trout are scattered throughout the marshes with the reds, and anglers are hooking them on many of the same baits and lures.
The area’s flounder bite is still solid, with most of the fish inshore coming from the port wall and around the bridges. Live mud minnows on Carolina rigs are attracting most of the attention from the flatfish. The flounder bite has also turned on strong at nearshore structure like AR-315 where anglers are often landing limits of the fish while bouncing 2 oz. bucktails tipped with Gulp baits off the bottom.
Large spanish mackerel (to 5+ lbs.) are also feeding around the AR’s and other nearshore structure, and anglers are hooking up with them on live finger mullet and peanut pogies in the early mornings.
Smaller spanish are chasing baits along the beaches and will fall for trolled Clarkspoons and other lures.
Plenty of king mackerel are feeding in the shipping channel, around the AR’s, on the east side of the shoals, and at other spots within five miles of the beaches (with several over 50 lbs. landed lately). Live pogies are the best baits for the kings, but anglers can also find fast action while trolling dead cigar minnows.
Dolphin have become a bit scattered in the area, but anglers reported decent catches around the Big 10/Little 10, Northwest Places, and Atlas Tanker recently. Dead cigar minnows and ballyhoo are fooling most of the dolphin.
Bottom fishermen are finding solid catches of grouper, sea bass, triggerfish, amberjack, and other bottom feeders at structure in the 20 mile range.
Douglas Jones, from Grifton, NC, with a 32 lb. bull dolphin that fell for a rigged ballyhoo near a weedline offshore of Beaufort Inlet. He was fishing aboard the "Run-Off" with Capt. Brian Harrington.
Paul, of Freeman’s Bait and Tackle, reports that Gulf Stream trollers are finding a scattered pick of dolphin with some wahoo in the mix as well. Sailfish are feeding a bit inshore of the Stream. All three fish are falling for trolled ballyhoo.
The king mackerel bite has been decent nearshore (and anglers hooked fish to over 50 lbs. last week). Most of the fish are falling for live and dead baits trolled in the shipping channel and at nearshore structure.
The spanish mackerel bite has slowed a bit over the past week, but there are still some fish feeding in the inlet and along the beaches. Plenty of bluefish are still around, and both will fall for trolled Clarkspoons and other lures or metal jigs that are casted at the feeding schools.
Surf and pier anglers are hooking up with some spot, whiting, pigfish, puffers, and smaller flounder. Shrimp-baited bottom rigs are fooling most of the fish.
Inshore, anglers are picking up some red drum and a few speckled trout in the marshes on live mud minnows, shrimp, and a variety of artificials.
The flounder bite is still solid along the port wall for anglers dropping live peanut pogies and mud minnows to the bottom.
Shane, of Second to None Charters, reports that the billfish bite fired back up last week, with many boats getting multiple shots at white and blue marlin. Decent numbers of dolphin and some smaller wahoo are mixed in with the billfish.
The bulk of the recent action has been taking place from the Big Rock down to the Swansboro Hole in 50-75 fathoms, and the fish are falling for ballyhoo rigged under Blue Water Candy lures in blue/white, pink/white, and other colors.
Charlie, of Old Core Sound Guide Service, reports that puppy drum are feeding in the marshes and schooling up on the flats behind the barrier islands. Live and cut pogies or a variety of lures will tempt bites from the pups.
Speckled trout are feeding in the area’s marshes, and Rapala Subwalks have been particularly popular with the specks lately.
Flounder are feeding in the deeper channels inshore, and anglers are hooking good numbers on small live baits.
Tarpon have shown up in the Pamlico Sound. They can be tough to get to bite, but large cut baits fished on the bottom are the best bets for hooking one of the silver kings.
Some citation-class “old” drum are appearing in the same areas as the tarpon, and they’ll sniff out large cut baits on the bottom as well.
Shari Byrum, from Greenville, NC, with her first red drum, which fell for a live finger mullet while she was fishing from a private pier in Indian Beach with her father.
Joyce, of Oceanana Pier, reports that bottom fishermen are decking some whiting and croaker on shrimp.
Plug casters are hooking up with bluefish and some spanish mackerel while working Gotchas.
Royce, of Sheraton Pier, reports that anglers are catching a few spanish mackerel and plenty of bluefish on Gotcha plugs.
Some flounder are falling for small live baits fished on the bottom.
