Morehead City September 30, 2010
Willis Best with a 30" red drum he caught and released while fishing a rock wall near the west end of Harker's Island aboard the "Sounds Good." The red attacked a large finger mullet on a jighead.
Matt, of Chasin’ Tails Outdoors, reports that red drum are beginning to feed heavily in the marshes of the Haystacks, Newport River, and Core Creek bays. The fish are feeding on shrimp and finger mullet, and anglers can hook them on Gulp baits or topwaters. Live shrimp, mud minnows, and cut mullet will tempt the reds to bite for anglers wanting to go the natural bait route.
Speckled trout fishing is improving in the creeks and ditches of the Haystacks, with live shrimp and Gulp baits producing the best results.
Gray trout are feeding in the turning basin and around the railroad tracks. Spec rigs tipped with shrimp and bloodworms or jigging lures like Stingsilvers and Jigfish will tempt bites from the grays.
Spot and whiting are showing up in the turning basin, too, and will strike bottom rigs baited with shrimp, bloodworms, and artificial bloodworms.
The area’s flounder bite is still strong (with fish to 7 lbs. weighed in last week). The high-rise bridges and the port wall have been the best places to look for them inshore, and live mud minnows or Gulp baits will get their attention.
Anglers are still picking up some flatfish at AR-315 as well, and Spro bucktails tipped with Gulp baits are the go-to lures at the oceanic structure.
Surf fishermen have been hooking up with some spot, whiting, and pompano, along with a few red and black drum around the Fort Macon rocks. Shrimp and bloodworms will fool the smaller bottom feeders, and cut baits will attract attention from the drum.
Off the beaches, false albacore are on the feed near Cape Lookout and along the beachfront, with some spanish mackerel still mixed in. Anglers can find the fish feeding on top by looking for birds diving into the water, and then casting small metal jigging lures to tempt bites from the spanish and albies.
Some king mackerel have been caught in the Beaufort shipping channel and at structure on the east side of Lookout Shoals. Cigar minnows, ribbonfish, and live pogies are fooling most of the mackerel.
Bottom fishing east of the shoals is producing sea bass, snappers, amberjacks, and groupers. Squid, cigar minnows, and Boston mackerel are the baits of choice.
Wahoo are still feeding strong out around the Big Rock. Large and select ballyhoo under dark-hued trolling lures are the way to go for the wahoo.
Paul, of Freeman’s Bait and Tackle, reports that there’s been some decent action with spot, whiting, and pompano in the surf. Shrimp and sand fleas have been the most productive baits. Anglers are also picking up some scattered puppy drum in the breakers.
Inshore, spot and croaker are feeding in the turning basin, where they’ll fall for shrimp and bloodworms.
Some solid flounder are also coming from the turning basin and other deep structure in the area.
The king mackerel bite has been slow, but anglers are picking up some large spanish mackerel while fishing live baits at structure east of the shoals.
Wahoo fishing is still excellent out around the Big Rock, where anglers are hooking up while trolling skirted ballyhoo.
Alex White, from Greenville, NC, with a 53 lb. wahoo he hooked near the Big Rock. Weighed in at Chasin Tails Outdoors.
Charlie, of Old Core Sound Guide Service, reports that anglers are still hooking up with citation-class red drum in the Pamlico Sound and Neuse River. Large cut baits fished on the bottom are the way to go for the big reds, and evening and night fishing is producing the most action.
Puppy drum and speckled trout are feeding in the inlets and marshes, and they will fall for a variety of baits and lures.
Fishing structure on the east side of Lookout Shoals is producing some king mackerel action for anglers pulling live baits.
Bottom fishermen in the same areas are boxing up grouper, triggerfish, amberjacks, and more.
Shane, of Second to None Charters, reports that the wahoo bite is still excellent in the Gulf Stream, with the best action along the break a bit south of the Big Rock. Good numbers of sailfish and some gaffer dolphin are in the mix as well.
Ballyhoo under skirted trolling lures will fool all the blue water predators, and darker colors tend to be more attractive to the ‘hoos.
Pete, of Energizer Charters, reports that anglers are getting plenty of wahoo bites while trolling the break, with the best action down south in the 400’s recently. Most boats are seeing several sailfish per day while looking for the wahoo as well. Sea witch/ballyhoo combinations will fool both.
Closer to the beaches, the spanish mackerel bite has been excellent for anglers trolling spoons within a few miles of shore.
Royce, of Sheraton Pier, reports that anglers are picking up some larger bluefish and spanish mackerel while working Gotcha plugs from the pier, and many are being chased by large sharks.
Bottom fishermen are decking some whiting and spot on bloodworms.
Willis, of Oceanana Pier, reports that before the storm last weekend, anglers were landing some bluefish and spanish mackerel on Gotcha plugs.
