Morehead City – July 2, 2015
Matt, of Chasin’ Tails Outdoors, reports that anglers continue to connect with spanish mackerel off Beaufort Inlet, but persistent southwest winds have made it tough to get out on many recent days. The bite is still best around the inlets and along the beachfront, and anglers are hooking the fish while trolling Clarkspoons and squid rigs or while casting small metal jigs to fish feeding on the surface.
There are still some larger spanish feeding around the nearshore artificial reefs and biting live baits and dead cigar minnows.
The king mackerel bite likely remains good in the shipping channel as well, but not many boats have been trying it due to the wind. Live and dead baits will fool the kings and some dolphin that have been feeding in the same areas.
Anglers chasing dolphin specifically should start out around the NW Places or Big 10/Little 10 and work out to the 14 Buoy, 90’ Drop, and other offshore spots. Ballyhoo and skirted trolling lures will fool the dolphin.
Anglers trolling the Gulf Stream have also connected with some blackfin tuna and billfish on their last trips.
Flounder are feeding at nearshore reefs and structure when anglers can get out to them. Gulp baits pinned to 2 oz. bucktails are the best bets for the nearshore flounder.
Anglers are also hooking good numbers of flatfish inshore behind Shackleford Banks and in the ICW. Drift-fishing with live mud minnows and Gulp baits has been producing the majority of the recent flounder action.
Sheepshead fishing remains hot (and the fish seem to be getting bigger—many 6-10 lbs.). The sheeps are looking for meals around bridge pilings and the port wall, and anglers can tempt them to bite live fiddler crabs or sea urchins fished tight to the structure.
Carson Richert (age 10) with a 10 lb. tripletail that bit shrimp off a Bogue Sound dock. Weighed in at Chasin’ Tails Outdoors.
Paul, of Freeman’s Bait and Tackle, reports that anglers are finding schools of amberjacks on the local AR’s and other structure from a few miles offshore on out. The jacks will take an interest in live baits and sometimes artificial lures like vertical jigs and topwater plugs.
School king mackerel and dolphin are looking for meals around the Beaufort sea buoy, NW Places, Big 10/Little 10, and other spots not too far from land. Anglers can fool both while trolling dead cigar minnows and ballyhoo or live baits.
Some large (to 5+ lbs.) spanish mackerel are feeding around structure closer to the beachfront and biting smaller live baits on light wire rigs.
Anglers are hooking smaller spanish mackerel along the beaches and behind Shackleford Banks while trolling Clarkspoons.
Tarpon have been sighted from Bogue Inlet to Cape Lookout recently.
Inshore, anglers are hooking some speckled trout in the Haystacks, North River, and Wards Creek areas. The specks will fall for live baits or artificials like soft plastics and suspending plugs.
Susan Furr, of Clayton, NC, with a 23″ puppy drum that she caught and released in the Indian Beach surf after it struck a piece of shrimp.
Chris, of Mount Maker Charters, reports that anglers are hooking plenty of spanish mackerel while casting metal lures like Stingsilvers at fish inside the inlets and behind Shackleford Banks.
The winds have kept many anglers out of the ocean over the past week, but there should still be plenty of action when they can get back out.
Flounder are feeding at structure within a few miles of the beachfront and biting bucktail jigs.
Anglers can connect with king mackerel and amberjacks at structure a bit further offshore on live baits like menhaden.
Bottom fishing in 70-90’ of water should produce action with black sea bass and gag grouper for anglers dropping cut and live baits.
Mary Kimbrell Livermon (age 10), of Rocky Mount, NC, with a 20″ black drum that she hooked on shrimp off an Atlantic Beach dock.
Thomas, of Dancin’ Outlaw Sportfishing, reports that anglers are hooking plenty of dolphin in the blue water off Beaufort Inlet when they get out. Both trolling skirted ballyhoo and pitching squid and cut baits to fish that show up under floating debris and around the boat is producing action with the dolphin.
There continues to be a good blackfin tuna bite for boats trolling along the break as well.
Lane Adams and Rob Boyer with a 65 lb. cobia that bit a whole squid while they were grouper fishing with Josh Winslow east of Frying Pan Shoals in 80′ of water.
Katrina, of Oceanana Pier, reports that the wind and dirty water has slowed fishing for much of the past week.
Bottom fishermen have primarily been hooking smaller croaker, but several puppy drum were landed before the weekend.
When the water cleans up, plug casters are hooking decent numbers of spanish mackerel.
