Morehead City – June 8, 2017
Matt, of Chasin’ Tails Outdoors, reports that cobia are still around, and anglers are finding most while fishing the bottom with live or dead menhaden. When the weather allows anglers to sight fish, cobia are being caught trailing turtles and near bait balls. They’re throwing bucktails tipped with large soft plastics.
Spanish are feeding well around Oceanana Pier, Fort Macon, Rough Point, and the shoals at the Cape. Trolling Bowed-Up spoons on #1 planers has been the ticket to landing large numbers of spanish, but casting Stingsilvers and other small metal jigs has produced good numbers of spanish as well.
Anglers have been connecting with plenty of speckled trout up to the 7 lb. mark. Early in the mornings, the trout are hitting topwater plugs in the shallow flats, but as the sun rises, the fish push to deeper water. After the morning hours, it’s best to use live minnows, Gulp, and Z-Man soft plastics.
Redfish have been scattered around the marsh. Most of the reds have been underslot, but the ones around have been very willing to eat. Gulp plastics or live minnows have been yielding the best numbers.
Anglers jigging the nearshore reefs have started to land keeper flounder. Spro 2 oz. bucktails with a Gulp 4” white shrimp has been the go to bait for catching a handful of fish. Some flounder have also been picked up in the marsh while fishing live minnows on Carolina rigs.
Sheepshead are hanging around area bridges and docks. Anglers are finding that they are most willing to eat sea urchins and fiddler crabs.
Those fishing the surf have hooked in to sea mullet, pigfish, blowfish, bluefish, and sharks using bloodworms and cut bait. Anglers fishing from the piers have had luck with spanish and bluefish on Gotcha plugs and Glass Minnow jigs. Some spanish are even close enough to cast to off the beach. Surf casters have also pulled in a few drum from the beach at Cape Lookout.
Offshore, boats are still finding a marlin bite out in the blue water. The dolphin fishing has been hit or miss, but when you find the right areas, anglers are loading the coolers full. Many dolphin being weighed in are in the 30 lb. range, and one pushed the scale past the 50 lb. mark. Anglers are finding the best action out at the Big Rock area, but fish are as close as the 90’ Drop and back to the 14 Buoy.
Paul, of Freeman’s Bait and Tackle, reports that anglers fishing from the surf and from Oceanana Pier are catching good numbers of spanish while throwing Stingsilvers and Hopkins spoons.
Anglers fishing the surf zone with fresh shrimp are seeing plenty of action with croaker, spot, and sea mullet.
Fishing off the beach in the 1-3 mile range has produced large numbers of spanish while trolling Clarkspoons on planers, and a few anglers have recently had luck jigging up some flounder off of nearshore reefs using bucktails tipped with Gulp soft plastics.
Offshore, anglers dropping to the bottom have been rewarded with amberjacks and grouper on live baits. Around the 90’ Drop, boats have had success trolling rigged ballyhoo for dolphin. Most fish have been in the 5-10 lb. range. Wahoo have been in the same area, but they are scattered.
Dave Cates, of Durham, NC, with a chopper blue caught on cut mullet while surf fishing from Atlantic Beach.
Justin, of Breakday Charters, reports that nearshore fishing has provided anglers with plenty of action. Trolling #0 Clarkspoons on planers has been the ticket to landing large numbers of spanish in the 2 lb. range. Around the nearshore reefs, anglers are starting to hook keeper flounder (in the 1-3 lb. range) on bucktails tipped with Gulp or Z-Man soft plastics.
Bottom fishing in the 40-70′ has kept anglers busy with good numbers of grouper when dropping live baits. Amberjacks have also been willing to take a live bait, but anglers have had the most fun throwing topwater lures to these large fish in the 20-40 lb. range.
The dolphin bite has slowed down a bit, but boats are finding the most success trolling blue and white rigged ballyhoo. The dolphin vary in size from slingers to gaffers.
Chris, of Mount Maker Charters, reports that anglers fishing with live menhaden for cobia have had great success around Beaufort and Barden inlets. Deeper holes inside Bogue Sound have also been holding cobia, and anglers fishing menhaden on the bottom have landed them in good numbers. A few blacktip sharks have been caught while cobia fishing.
Spanish have been biting right off the beach in the 1-3 mile range. Anglers are finding they catch the best quality fish when casting Stingsilvers and other flashy metal offerings.
Thomas, of Dancin’ Outlaw, reports that the dolphin bite remains steady in the 25 mile range. Anglers having the most success are trolling sea witches (blue and white) and rigged ballyhoo in 25-30 fathoms. Most dolphin are in the 15-20 lb. range.
Out to 150-200 fathoms, anglers have been seeing some blue marlin and sailfish action. The top producing baits have been Ilander lures and Blue Water Candy sea witches.
Larry, of Oceanana Pier, reports that when the water is clear, the spanish and bluefish are feeding well. Anglers are having the most success tossing Gotcha plugs from the pier.
