Morehead City – September 25, 2014
Brian Villeneuve and Brinkley Willis with Brian’s first king mackerel. The king attacked a live menhaden just outside Beaufort Inlet while they were fishing with Capt. Chris Kimrey of Mount Maker Charters.
Matt, of Chasin’ Tails Outdoors, reports that the spanish mackerel bite has been excellent lately, and anglers are hooking the fish as far inshore as the turning basin. It’s been easy for anglers to find schools of fish feeding on the surface and cast metal jigs to them recently, but those who like to troll are putting together easy limits while pulling Clarkspoons and small squid chains.
Larger (some 6+ lbs.) spanish are feeding at the AR’s in the early morning hours, and anglers are hooking them while free-lining live mullet on light wire leaders.
False albacore are chasing bait near Cape Lookout and biting the same lures as the spanish.
Cooler weather has bait on the move, which has led to an excellent king mackerel bite nearshore (with a 23 lb. fish even landed from the beach last week). Both live and dead baits have been fooling the kings in almost equal numbers recently.
Sea mullet are moving into the inlet, and spot are showing up around Beaufort. Anglers can fool the tasty panfish with spec or bottom rigs baited with shrimp and bloodworms.
Sheepshead are feeding around the port wall and inshore structure like docks and bridge pilings. Live sea urchins and fiddler crabs will tempt bites from the sheeps.
Not many anglers have been targeting them, but there should still be plenty of flounder feeding in the marshes and around the same structure as the sheepshead. Gulp baits and live finger mullet or mud minnows will fool the flatfish.
Gray trout have moved inshore and are feeding in Beaufort Inlet and around the bridges. Jigging lures like Stingsilvers bounced along the bottom will produce fast action with the grays.
Speckled trout are feeding in the Haystacks and in Core Creek, and anglers are hooking them on lures like MirrOlure MR17’s and Vudu Shrimp.
Big numbers of small red drum are feeding in the same areas as the specks and biting a variety of baits and lures.
Dwayne Smith and Tyler Bradsher, of Cary NC, with a slot red drum Bradsher caught in a Morehead-area marsh after it struck a Salty Bay Baits Red Devil spinnerbait.
Offshore, anglers are finding excellent wahoo action when the weather’s calm enough for the run (with some fish 60+ lbs.). Most are falling for skirted ballyhoo, but baitless high-speed lures are producing results as well.
Bottom fishing remains hot around structure in the 30 mile range, with plenty of amberjacks, grouper, sea bass, triggerfish, and more. A few cobia are even falling for bottom baits. Squid, mackerel, menhaden and a variety of other baits are producing the majority of the action.
Cody, of Freeman’s Bait and Tackle, reports that surf casters are catching panfish like croaker and sea mullet along with big numbers of small flounder right now.
Those working metal jigs like Stingsilvers from the beach and pier are finding plenty of bluefish and some spanish mackerel when the water’s clean.
The spanish mackerel action has been excellent for boaters recently (with many fish 3+ lbs.). They’re falling for trolled Clarkspoons and metal casting lures when anglers find the fish chasing bait on the surface. Good numbers of false albacore are in the same areas and biting the same lures.
King mackerel are feeding just offshore, and a 30 lb. fish was even landed at the port wall last week.
Water temperatures have fallen below 80 degrees inshore, which has huge amounts of bait on the move. Flounder, red drum, and speckled trout are feeding on the bait, but anglers seem to have had a tough time getting bites on hooked offerings recently. The falling temperatures should improve the action over the coming weeks.
Chris, of Mount Maker Charters, reports that anglers are finding action with red drum (ranging from slot to 40”+ citation fish) around nearshore structure in the ocean. Live and cut bait are fooling the reds.
Spanish mackerel and false albacore are feeding within a few miles of the beachfront, where anglers are hooking them while sight-casting metal jigs and flies to fish chasing bait on the surface.
The king mackerel bite is improving as well, and anglers have caught decent numbers of fish (many 20+ lbs.) while slow-trolling live baits at spots both east and west of Cape Lookout shoals recently.
Lindsay, of Oceanana Pier, reports that anglers are hooking solid numbers of spanish mackerel and bluefish while working casting lures like Gotcha plugs from the planks. Some false albacore have been falling for the same lures as well.
Bottom fishing is producing action with pompano, spot, and sea mullet, primarily on shrimp and bloodworms.
