OBX/Northern Beaches – March 2024
Ward, of TW’s Bait and Tackle, reports that surf anglers are still seeing a bunch of cold water on the beach. Dogfish sharks and skates remain the top catches as everyone waits for temperatures to turn.
Anglers fishing around the pilings of the Oregon Inlet pier have caught a few sheepshead.
Inshore anglers are mostly targeting the creeks and ditches on the far side of the sound for speckled trout.
Offshore fishing days have been hard to come by with all the wind. When boats are able to get out, catches have included bluefins and yellowfins.
Over the month of March is the typical transition into early spring. Water temperatures will start moving up, and as that happens, surf anglers should see speckled trout action from the surf.
Also in March, puppy drum start hanging around on the beaches near the inlets.
Down south on Hatteras Island, keep an eye out for a stretch of SW winds. Once in mid-March, a 3-4 day stretch of wind can push warm water against the Point, and these conditions will bring in the big red drum.
Aaron, of Carolina Sunrise Charters, reports that speckled trout have started making their way out of the creeks and working their way towards the sound. MirrOdines have worked well, and as water temperatures warm up, so will soft plastics under corks, as well as topwaters.
Nearshore anglers are keeping an eye out for the giant red drum to show up down on the southern beaches. Bucktails and No Live Bait Needed jigs have been top lure choices for this sight casting action.
Barrett Rich (age 12), of Elizabeth City, reeled in this striper in the Albemarle Sound using a 5 1/4″ Yo-Zuri artificial lure.
Ben, of Salty Waters OBX, reports that there has been some steady speckled trout action, alongside a mix of freshwater species, in the backs of creeks on the western sound. Most of the trout have been striking better at the slow, suspending hard baits, such as MirrOlure MR-17s, XL Dines, and Paul Brown or Steve Brown style baits.
Anglers getting out in March should be sure to work baits very slowly with longer pauses, and this approach will likely be what it takes to entice a strike. This pattern will be the top tactic until the water temperatures start to truly warm.
John, of Drumbeat Charters, reports that the month of March starts the spring transition, with many of those changes first happening in the surf zone. As water temperatures tick up, look for sea mullet to show up anywhere from Corolla down to Hatteras. Some shrimp on a bottom rig thrown past the first breakers is as simple as it needs to be to get bites.
Anglers can also start seeing some puppy drum and speckled trout in the surf zone. Both species will be staged up in the deeper holes or on nearby piers.
Around mid-March, the Hatteras and Ocracoke beaches could see the first showing of big drum (if we get a stretch of SW winds). As these big red drum move into the southern area, the migration then goes around the Point and heads north.
Offshore anglers able to catch a weather window are finding good yellowfin tuna action. Some bluefin are also hanging around.
Jigging for blackfin tuna is a great option for anglers running down to fish out of Hatteras, with the downside being rough conditions making fishable days far between.
Jack, of Afishionado Charters, reports that fishing has been really good offshore, though weather has been pretty uncooperative in letting anglers get out there. Moving into March, the area typically continues to see a lot of winds, but also the chance at warmer, milder stretches.
Tuna is the name of the game in early spring. Yellowfins, blackfins, and bluefins will all be around for those getting out to the Gulf Stream in the coming weeks.
Dan Gross and crew, of Wisconsin, caught these bluefin tuna near the 400 line using ballyhoo. They were fishing with Capt. Jack Graham of Afishionado Charters.
McKayla, of Oregon Inlet Fishing Center, reports that boats catching a favorable weather window have found some good tuna fishing as we move into spring. The tuna action has been a mix of yellowfins and bluefins.
Crews are more than ready to fish after the winter season, and as weather patterns stabilize moving through March, watch for better numbers of yellowfins to be on the docks as these fish migrate into the area.
Meredith, of Pirate’s Cove Marina, reports that the area is still seeing plenty of winds typical of late winter. As we move into early spring, conditions slowly start to stabilize, and favorable fishing days become more common.
March is all about tuna fishing. The bluefins are a majority of what’s around with all the cold-water temperatures. Some yellowfins are starting to arrive, and their numbers only get better as we move through March.
Joe, of Avalon Pier, reports that fishing is slow right now as a result of water temperatures on the beach being so low. Anglers have struggled to even find the usually dependable dogfish shark or skate.
The good news is that conditions will likely improve in the coming weeks. March will still see a lot of cold, but around the middle to end of the month, anglers can expect to see some speckled trout show up.
In addition, in past years there have been some schoolie stripers that have hung around, and local anglers expect them to show up again this year, too.
