Morehead City September 15, 2011
Chriss and Lindsay Harrell, from Summerfield, NC, with sheepshead and a black drum that they hooked while fishing fiddler crabs and sea urchins along the Morehead port wall.
Matt, of Chasin’ Tails Outdoors, reports that the water has cleaned up and anglers are seeing some excellent spanish mackerel and bluefish action around Beaufort Inlet and along the beachfront. Trolling Clarkspoons and squid rigs will tempt bites from both fish, but anglers can also cast small metal lures at them on lighter tackle when they’re feeding on the surface.
Flounder are still chewing strong around the nearshore AR’s, reefs, and ledges off Beaufort Inlet. Using 2 oz. bucktails tipped with 4” Gulp shrimp is the way to go for the nearshore flatties.
The flounder bite is solid inshore as well, where anglers are connecting with the flatfish around the area’s docks and bridges, the port wall, the Morehead waterfront, and the ICW and Shackleford channels. Live mud minnows are tempting the flounder bites inshore.
Sheepshead are feeding around the high-rise bridges, the docks, and at the port wall. Live sea urchins and fiddler crabs dangled tight to the structure will tempt them to bite. Speckled trout have begun feeding in the area, and they should only get more numerous and hungry as the water temperatures drop with the onset of fall. The Haystacks and Core Creek are good places to begin looking for the specks, and live shrimp or a variety of artificial lures will tempt them to bite.
Red drum action is getting better in the backwaters, with the Core Creek bays, Haystacks, and Carrot Island areas the most productive last week. Anglers can tempt them to bite topwater plugs, spinnerbaits, Gulps, and other soft plastics, or they can also use cut or live mullet with success.
Sea mullet, gray trout, pigfish, spot, croaker, and other bottomfish are feeding in the turning basin, and shrimp-tipped spec rigs have been producing plenty of action.
False albacore have shown up, and schools are feeding on glass minnows just off the beaches and around Cape Lookout. Casting small metal lures like Sea Striker Jigfish that match the size of the minnows the fish are chasing (usually 1/2 oz.) is the best strategy to hook up with the falsies, and anglers can find the schools by looking for working birds and surface activity.
Offshore, the wahoo bite is still going strong at spots like the 90’ Drop, Big Rock, and Atlas Tanker. Ballyhoo under skirted trolling lures are producing most of the ‘hoo action, though anglers are also hooking up on live baits while king mackerel fishing at the Atlas. Some dolphin have been scattered from the NW Places on out to the Big Rock, and small or medium ballyhoo under sea witches are getting their attention.
Bottom fishermen are still finding plenty of action around the wrecks and ledges 30+ miles off the inlet. Triggerfish, black sea bass, grouper, grunts, and more are feeding in the areas. Squid, cigar minnows, mackerel, and sardines have been tempting them to bite.
Cody, of Freeman’s Bait and Tackle, reports that surf anglers have been finding action with some red drum, flounder, and pompano over the last week. Live baits or Gulps are top choices for the reds and flounder, and shrimp or sand fleas will tempt bites from the pomps.
Some large spot have shown up inshore, and anglers are connecting with them around the Beaufort drawbridge and behind Shackleford. Bloodworms are tough to beat for the spot.
Red drum are feeding in the area’s marshes, and live shrimp have been the go-to baits for anglers who can find them. A variety of artificial lures will tempt bites from the drum as well.
Flounder and sheepshead fishing remains solid inshore around structure like bridges, docks, and the port wall. Live minnows are tempting bites from the flatfish, and fiddler crabs have been striking the sheepsheads’ fancy.
The flounder bite is also going strong at the nearshore reefs, where anglers are hooking up on live baits and bucktail/Gulp combinations.
Gulf Stream trollers have found an excellent wahoo bite lately, with most of the fish falling for ballyhoo under dark-colored trolling lures.
Tim Reid (right), of Hollywood, FL, with a citation red drum caught in the Pamlico Sound on cut menhaden. He was fishing with Capt. Charles Brown, of Old Core Sound Guide Service.
Pete, of Energizer Charters, reports that the recent weather hasn’t hurt the wahoo bite, which may be even better than prior to the storms. The action’s been spread out up and down the break, and skirted and naked ballyhoo have been tempting the bites.
Plenty of small dolphin are in the same areas and will strike trolled lures or squid and cut baits on lighter tackle.
Closer to the beaches, the spanish mackerel fishing has been excellent around Beaufort Inlet and just offshore. Some large (to 4 lbs.) bluefish are in the mix, and both are falling for Clarkspoons trolled behind planers.
Charlie, of Old Core Sound Guide Service, reports that the speckled trout bite is kicking off around Cedar Island and throughout Core Sound, and anglers can only expect it to get better. The bite’s been on in the Middle Marsh and North River marshes as well, and anglers are hooking the fish on suspending MirrOlure Catch 2000’s and Catch Jr.’s.
Good numbers of puppy drum are feeding in the same areas, and soft plastics fished under popping corks have been producing plenty of action with them.
Spanish mackerel are feeding just outside Beaufort Inlet, and anglers have been hooking good numbers while casting P-Line jigs at schools of fish feeding on the surface.
Eddie, of Oceanana Pier, reports that bottom fishermen are connecting with some spot and black drum while baiting up with bloodworms and shrimp.
Some bluefish and scattered spanish mackerel are taking an interest in Gotcha plugs worked from the pier.
