Morehead City October 24, 2013
John Martin, of Newport, NC, with a wahoo that struck a blue/white skirted ballyhoo while he was trolling near the Big Rock with Capt. Chris Saunders on the “Moore Toys II.”
Tim, of Chasin’ Tails Outdoors, reports that anglers are seeing some excellent speckled trout and puppy drum action in the Haystacks and other local marshes right now. Live shrimp on float rigs are fooling most of the fish, but anglers are also hooking up on topwater plugs and while working soft baits like Gulps.
The local creeks are also holding plenty of puppy drum, speckled trout, black drum, and flounder. Live shrimp have also been the best bet in the creeks.
Speckled and gray trout are feeding around the Atlantic Beach Bridge at night, where they’re biting a wide variety of soft plastics and other lures. Both specks and grays have also begun feeding around the Lookout jetties and biting live and artificial baits.
There’s also been solid gray trout action around the railroad tracks, and anglers are hooking plenty of them on Stingsilvers and other jigging lures.
Gray trout and sea mullet are feeding in the turning basin and inlet as well, and spec rigs tipped with shrimp are fooling both in big numbers.
Flounder continue to feed inshore around the port wall, bridges, ICW docks, and in the inlet. Live finger mullet and mud minnows, as well as Gulp-tipped bucktail jigs, are fooling the flatfish (with some to 8 lbs. weighed in recently).
Sheepshead are looking for meals at much of the same structure as the flatfish. Live fiddler crabs and sea urchins are the best bets for anglers trying to hook up with the sheeps.
Kasey Best and David Jordan, of Garner, NC, with 15 and 21 lb. king mackerel and a 28 lb. blackfin tuna that bit live menhaden while they were trolling east of Lookout Shoals.
Bluefish and spanish mackerel action around the inlet and along the beachfront has been strong lately. Anglers are hooking both fish while trolling Clarkspoons and while casting small metal jigs at schools of fish feeding on the surface.
Trollers have been hooking some king mackerel along the Beaufort shipping channel while trolling cigar minnows on dead bait rigs.
The king bite has been excellent east of Lookout Shoals as well, with solid reports coming from the 1700 Rock, Atlas Tanker, and AR-285. Live menhaden have been fooling the biggest kings, and they are also attracting attention from some large wahoo (to 90 lbs.) in the area.
Gulf Stream trollers are still finding excellent wahoo action at local spots like the Big Rock, Rise, and Swansboro Hole. Ballyhoo paired with skirted lures are fooling most of the ‘hoos, and they’re also attracting attention from some blackfin tuna.
Bottom fishermen have had success on the east side as well, boating grouper, triggerfish, black sea bass, and more. Squid, cigar minnows, and northern mackerel have been the best baits on the bottom lately.
Paul, of Freemans Bait and Tackle, reports that large fall spot have shown up around Beaufort, and anglers fishing the high-rise bridge were catching two at a time at some points last week. Natural and artificial bloodworms are getting attention from the spot.
Some more spot and pufferfish are feeding in the surf and around the pier, and they’re biting bloodworms and shrimp.
Flounder are feeding inshore and in the surf, and anglers are hooking big numbers on live and strip baits along with Gulps and other artificials (but there are big numbers of short fish mixed in with the keepers).
Madelyn Shore with a red drum she hooked in the Haystacks on a Gulp Mantis Shrimp while fishing with Capt. Patrick Shore.
Bluefish and a few spanish mackerel are taking an interest in casting lures like Gotcha plugs and diamond jigs that anglers are working from the beach and pier.
Some speckled trout have begun to show up in the surf, where anglers can hook them on MirrOlures or soft plastic baits pinned to jigheads.
Live-baiters are reporting decent king mackerel action on the east side of Lookout Shoals at spots like the 1700 Rock and Atlas Tanker. Menhaden and bluefish are fooling the majority of the kings.
Thomas, of Dancin’ Outlaw Charters, reports that the wahoo bite remains excellent in the blue water off Morehead City. The action’s been best in 40-50 fathoms of water recently, and the Big Rock, Swansboro Hole, and spots in between have all been productive. Some blackfin tuna and sailfish are in the mix as well, and all three are taking an interest in skirted ballyhoo.
Holden, of Oceanana Pier, reports that bottom fishermen are connecting with some spot, sea mullet, pigfish, black drum, and bluefish on double-drop rigs baited with shrimp and bloodworms.
More bluefish and some spanish mackerel are biting Gotcha plugs that anglers are working from the pier.
Anglers fishing live baits on the bottom are hooking some flounder.
