Morehead City July 30, 2009
Richard Wolf (left), of Annandale, NJ, with his first cobia. The 28 lb. cobe hit a trolled ballyhoo about 22 miles out of Beaufort Inlet. He was fishing on his pop pop's boat the "Kelly Ann."
Matt, of Chasin’ Tails Outdoors, reports that anglers are catching big numbers of red drum at private docks along the ICW, mostly on live mud minnows and finger mullet on Carolina rigs. The docks around Taylor’s Creek and between the Marine Fisheries building and the Morehead waterfront have been the most productive lately.
Good numbers of reds are also coming from the Haystacks, the Newport River, and Core Creek. Live baits, Gulps, and topwater plugs are fooling these fish and a few speckled trout that are mixed in.
More trout are feeding around the Atlantic Beach Bridge and lighted docks in the area at night, and most anglers are hooking them on live shrimp beneath lighted floats.
Sheepshead (from 2-10 lbs.) are feeding around the bridges, the port wall, and just about any other hard structure inshore. Fiddler crabs, sea urchins, and sand fleas will all draw strikes from the sheeps. Black drum are mixed in with the sheepshead around the port wall and area docks, and they will take an interest in the same baits.
Flounder fishing has also been good around the port wall, the bridges, the railroad tracks, and out at AR-315 and AR-320 (with anglers weighing in fish to 6 lbs. lately). Live baits on Carolina rigs will fool the flatties, and anglers can also hook up on bucktails tipped with Gulp baits.
Spanish mackerel fishing is still good along the beaches and out at the AR’s, and some larger (4+ lbs.) fish are showing up. The best way to hook up with the larger spanish is to slow-troll or drift with small live baits like finger mullet and peanut pogies.
Plenty of smaller spanish are around as well, and anglers are hooking them by trolling the usual spoons and planers. Good numbers of bluefish are mixed in with the spaniards.
Good numbers of king mackerel are feeding in the inlet and the shipping channel. There’s also been a good bite at the Summerlin and other rocks and wrecks east of Lookout Shoals. Live baits and dead cigar minnows on Blue Water Candy dead bait rigs are fooling the kings and a few dolphin that have been in the same area. Some anglers are also hooking up while trolling spoons.
Some sailfish have also been reported at the east side structure, and king fishermen have hooked a decent number while trolling live and dead baits.
The dolphin bite has been on and off around the 14 Buoy lately. The key to finding the fish seems to be finding a good weed line, and they seem to be here one day and broken up or gone the next.
Offshore, Gulf Stream trollers are catching some larger dolphin (20-40 lbs.) and decent numbers of wahoo (up to 60 lbs.).
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Noah Moretz (age 9), from Raleigh, with his first spanish mackerel. A trolled Clarkspoon fooled the fish while he was fishing with his father in Beaufort Inlet. Photo courtesy of Chasin Tails Outdoors.
Marty, of Freeman’s Bait and Tackle, reports that the spanish mackerel bite has gotten a bit slower with all the wind and dirty water lately, but anglers are still hooking a few while trolling spoons and squid rigs in the inlet and just offshore.
The flounder bite has really picked up in the turning basin (with a lot of 4-5 lb. fish and several 8+ weighed in last week). Live baits on Carolina rigs are the best way to fool the flatfish.
Red drum are feeding around private docks in the area, and live baits on Carolina rigs are fooling them as well.
The docks and bridges are also hosting a good sheepshead bite. Fiddler crabs and sea urchins fished near the pilings are the best bet for the sheeps.
Surf anglers are picking up good numbers of fat fall spot on bloodworms, and some nice croaker (1-2 lbs.) have been mixed in. Last year the croaker moved into the turning basin in late July, so anglers may be able to hook up with the big croaker inshore soon as well.
King mackerel are feeding in the inlet and throughout the shipping channel (where a 35 lb. fish was landed last week). Live baits are the best bet for the kings.
Offshore, boats are still hooking up with decent numbers of dolphin, but the average size is falling off (most fish are peanuts or just barely gaffers now). Rigged ballyhoo are fooling most of the dolphin.
Gulf Stream trollers found a decent wahoo bite last week (with several 40-50 lb. fish in the mix).
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Shane, of Fight N Lady, reports that the billfish bite has been excellent over the past week. Anglers are releasing good numbers of blue and white marlin from the Big Rock all the way up to the 800 Line. The best marlin action has been in 80-120 fathoms.
Sailfish are feeding in the same range, but they’ve been a little shallower, from 40 fathoms on out.
A few wahoo and dolphin are mixed in with the billfish. Ballyhoo rigged under Blue Water Candy Witches and Mini-Jags are fooling all the fish.
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Joyce, of Oceanana Pier, reports that plug casters are hooking up with spanish mackerel and bluefish on Gotchas.
Anglers fishing live minnows on the bottom are hooking up with a few flounder.
