Morehead City July 11, 2013
Nancy Ng and Kim Alcoke, of Atlantic Beach, with red and gag grouper that struck cut baits at some bottom structure 50 miles off Beaufort Inlet.
Tim, of Chasin’ Tails Outdoors, reports that anglers are still finding action with speckled trout, puppy drum, and some flounder in the Haystacks and the docks and marshes along Core Creek. Live shrimp and mud minnows pinned to float or Carolina rigs are producing much of the action with all three species, but anglers are also hooking up on Gulp baits and topwater plugs.
Some bull red drum are beginning to show up around the mouth of the Neuse River, and several citation-class fish have already been caught and released.
Gray trout are feeding around the railroad tracks and other deep structure around Morehead. Anglers can hook them on jigging lures like Stingsilvers or spec rigs tipped with shrimp and other baits.
Flounder are feeding in the same area and around the port wall and bridges, where live mud minnows and finger mullet or Gulp baits will get their attention. Anglers are also starting to connect with good numbers of flatfish while drifting the channels behind Shackleford and fishing along the Morehead waterfront.
Plenty of sheepshead are still looking for meals around the port wall, bridges, and other hard structure inshore. Live fiddler crabs and sea urchins are tough for the sheeps to turn down.
The Coast Guard station and Radio Island rock jetty have also been producing good numbers of puppy drum, flounder, and sheepshead.
Jason Beasley with a 28″ red drum that fell for a gold spoon east of Beaufort while he was fishing with Dwayne Smith.
Bluefish and spanish mackerel are feeding in the turning basin, behind Shackleford, around the inlets, and along the beachfront. Trolling Clarkspoons and daisy chains is fooling big numbers of both fish, and anglers are also connecting with both while casting metal jigs to surface activity.
Flounder are feeding at nearshore structure like AR-315 and 320, and anglers are hooking decent numbers while bouncing 2 oz. bucktails tipped with Gulp baits around the structure.
Plenty of legal black sea bass are in the same areas and will attack the bucktails or bottom rigs baited with squid and cut baits.
Grouper, amberjack, and other bottom feeders are holding at the rocks, ledges, and wrecks further offshore, from the 210 Rocks to the Atlas Tanker. Squid and cigar minnows are tempting bites from all the bottom dwellers.
King mackerel and some large spanish mackerel have shown up around the Northwest Places, AR-285, and other structure not too far offshore. Anglers are hooking both while trolling live baits and dead cigar minnows.
Dolphin and wahoo have been caught between the 14 Buoy and 90’ Drop over the past week, but large fish and better fishing have been out around the Rise. Medium ballyhoo paired with skirted trolling lures are fooling both fish.
Paul, of Freeman’s Bait and Tackle, reports that the dolphin bite remains solid for boats trolling the blue water off Beaufort Inlet, but the fish are smaller than they were a few weeks ago. Some wahoo and a few yellowfin tuna have also been falling for ballyhoo dragged by offshore boats over the past week.
Jeff Barnwell, of Wilmington, with a 45 lb. dolphin that bit a trolled ballyhoo near the Big Rock. Weighed in at Chasin’ Tails Outdoors.
Amberjacks are schooled up around high-relief structure in 60’ of water and deeper, and they have a very tough time turning down live baits like menhaden. When the jacks are feeding aggressively, a variety of artificial lures like vertical jigs and topwater plugs will also get attention from the jacks.
King mackerel are finally making an appearance at structure between the beaches and the blue water. Live baits will tempt bites from the kings, and they are also fooling some large spanish mackerel in the same areas.
Plenty of smaller spanish are feeding in cleaner water along the beachfront and near the inlets, and trolled Clarkspoons will fool them.
Surf casters are finding a typical mix of summertime bottom feeders while soaking shrimp, bloodworms, and cut baits along Atlantic Beach and Fort Macon.
Inshore, flounder are feeding in the shallows and taking an interest in Gulp baits and live finger mullet and mud minnows.
A 4.5 lb. speckled trout was also weighed in last week after it struck a Gulp bait in a local creek.
John, of Oceanana Pier, reports that anglers are hooking bottom feeders like pigfish, spot, sea mullet, croaker, and others on double-drop rigs baited with shrimp and bloodworms.
Spanish mackerel and bluefish are feeding around the pier and biting Gotcha plugs and other metal casting lures.
