Morehead City September 16, 2010
Hanes Hoffman and Tyler Stone with a citation red drum they hooked on a chunk of pogie near Cedar Island while fishing with Matt Martin.
Matt, of Chasin’ Tails Outdoors, reports that false albacore are making an early showing off Beaufort Inlet and can be found feeding on top from the inlet to 5 miles offshore. Working birds will clue anglers into the presence of the albacore. Sea Striker Jigfish, Crippled Herrings, Stingsilvers, and other metal jigs are the things to cast at the albacore.
Spanish mackerel are feeding in many of the same areas, and anglers can hook them on the same casting lures or troll Clarkspoons, squid rigs, and more to hook up.
Some larger spanish (5-7 lbs.) are feeding at the nearshore reefs, and live finger mullet or peanut pogies will fool the bigger fish.
Flounder fishing has been excellent since Earl passed the area. Anglers are hooking up with the flatfish around the port wall, the bridges, and docks off the ICW (with fish from 3-8 lbs. weighed in last week). Live finger mullet and mud minnows are producing most of the action.
Nearshore flounder fishing is still hot, and anglers can hook them on 2 oz. Spro bucktails tipped with 4” Gulp baits.
Redfish are feeding in the marshes, with Core Creek and the Haystacks producing most of the action recently. Spinnerbaits, topwater plugs, Gulps, D.O.A.’s and other soft plastics are drawing most of the strikes from the reds. Anglers can also hook up while fishing with cut baits or live finger mullet, peanut pogies, and shrimp.
Spot should be showing up in the turning basin and around the Beaufort drawbridge over the next week, as they appeared on the ocean piers and in the surf this week. Natural and artificial bloodworms and shrimp will tempt the spot to bite.
Gray trout and a few whiting are feeding in the turning basin, and both will fall for spec rigs tipped with natural baits.
Surf anglers are finding action with whiting, spot, pigfish, pompano, puppy drum, and more. All will take an interest in shrimp and cut baits.
Offshore anglers are reporting an excellent wahoo bite around the Big Rock, where anglers are hooking up on large and select ballyhoo rigged under dark Blue Water Candy Jag lures.
King mackerel fishing’s been slow, but a few fish are coming from the east side.
Bottom fishing in 80-100’ and deeper is producing action with grouper, sea bass, snappers, triggerfish, and more. Squid, cigar minnows, and other frozen baits are attracting most of the attention from the bottomfish.
Kevin Naramura with a 10 lb. sheepshead that fell for a live crab at the Morehead port wall. Weighed in at Chasin' Tails Outdoors.
Marty, of Freeman’s Bait and Tackle, reports that surf anglers are hooking up with increasing numbers of spot, some whiting, pompano, and more. Shrimp and bloodworms are fooling the fish.
Spanish mackerel are running the beaches, too, and anglers are hooking them while casting small metal lures from the piers and surf.
Inshore, the sheepshead bite is still excellent along the port wall and at other hard inshore structure. Fiddler crabs and sea urchins are excellent baits for the sheeps.
Flounder fishing’s been hot inshore lately, with some quality fish coming from the rocks at Fort Macon. Live finger mullet and mud minnows are fooling the flatfish.
Anglers bottom fishing in the turning basin and along the port wall are hooking up with some whiting, gray trout, flounder, and some big croaker at night.
Charlie, of Old Core Sound Guide Service, reports that anglers are still hooking plenty of citation-class “old” drum from the Neuse River to the Pamlico. Large cut baits are the way to go for the big reds, and fishing at night will produce the best results.
Tarpon are moving out of the sounds, and anglers are more likely to see them cruising the beaches now.
Flounder fishing’s been excellent in Core Sound since it was closed to gill-netting. Live finger mullet are the way to go for the flatfish.
Puppy drum are feeding in the marshes, where they’ll strike topwater plugs, spinnerbaits, and popping cork rigs. The pups are also schooling up around Cape Lookout and Shark Island.
Large spanish mackerel are feeding on structure east of Lookout Shoals, and anglers can hook them on live peanut pogies.
TJ Ivey with an upper-slot red drum that he hooked on a Carolina-rigged finger mullet in the marsh near Beaufort while fishing with his father.
Shane, of Carolina Time, reports that the wahoo bite has been excellent around and just north of the Big Rock lately. Boats are getting many bites a day from the toothy speedsters and also finding some blackfin tuna and sailfish in the vicinity. The best action’s been from 35-50 fathoms of water, and ballyhoo rigged under darker trolling lures are top choices for the wahoo.
J.R., of Oceanana Pier, reports that anglers are catching some flounder on small live baits from the pier.
Some spot and croaker are falling for shrimp on bottom rigs.
Plug casters are hooking some bluefish and spanish mackerel on Gotchas.
