Northern Beaches November 17, 2011
Dale Carlson, of Canton, NJ, with a 48" red drum he caught and released after it bit a chunk of cut bluefish at Cape Point.
Kyle, of TW’s Tackle, reports that anglers are primarily finding action with some smaller speckled trout and black drum from the beaches and piers. The specks have been falling for MirrOlures and a variety of soft plastics on jigheads. Shrimp on bottom rigs are producing most of the black drum.
Back in the sound, there’s been a decent striper bite around the Currituck and other bridges. Trolling Stretch 15’s and other diving lures and casting Rat-L-Traps and live eels have been responsible for most of the action. The inshore striper bite should stay solid through Thanksgiving and the beginning of December, possibly longer if the water temperatures don’t sink too low.
Anglers are picking up a few puppy drum, speckled trout, and flounder while working artificials from the Oregon Inlet catwalk.
Offshore, yellowfin and blackfin tuna are the main story right now, though boats haven’t had much good weather to get out to the fish lately. When they have, the tuna are feeding at temperature breaks where warm water meets cool, and naked and skirted ballyhoo are tempting them to bite.
Korin, of Oregon Inlet Fishing Center, reports that the yellowfin tuna fishing has been stellar (with many limit catches) when boats have had the weather to run offshore recently. Good numbers of blackfins are mixed in on many days, and anglers have also seen a few straggler billfish (blue and white marlin and sailfish). Naked and skirted ballyhoo are doing most of the damage on the blue water pelagics.
Closer to the inlet, bottom fishing has been producing tautog, sheepshead (some 10+ lbs.), black sea bass, spadefish, bluefish, and more.
Light-tackle anglers have been connecting with some keeper speckled trout and flounder while casting lures in the inlet and the sound.
Paul Corsino, a fish cleaner at the Oregon Inlet Fishing Center, with a citation sheepshead he hooked from the Bonner Bridge catwalk.
Dave, of Skiligal Sportfishing, reports that the yellowfin and blackfin tuna fishing has been excellent some days and tough on some others lately. The better days have been producing limits of yellowfins along with a good number of blackfins, and a few billfish are still in the area.
Mike, of Jennette’s Pier, reports that anglers are still catching good numbers of speckled trout (most undersized but with some decent runs of keepers in the mix) from the pier on soft plastics and other lures. A few puppy drum have also come over the rails in recent days.
Bottom fishermen are connecting with big numbers of black drum, some pufferfish, and skates and rays. Shrimp will tempt bites from all the bottom feeders.
