Ocean Isle August 30, 2012
Noel Morris, of Raleigh, with a 31.5" red drum she caught and released near Tubbs Inlet after it struck a finger mullet.
Patrick, of Twister Charters, reports that anglers can expect to find some wahoo, dolphin, and a few sailfish feeding at local Gulf Stream spots like the Blackjack Hole, Steeples, and 100/400 right now. Skirted ballyhoo will fool all the blue water predators, and anglers can also hook the wahoo while trolling baitless high-speed lures.
A bit closer to the beaches, spots in the 100’ range are holding king mackerel and some dolphin and scattered wahoo. Live baits like menhaden and cigar minnows are the best bets, but anglers can also hook up while trolling dead cigar minnows.
Dropping live baits to the bottom in the same areas is producing action with gag and scamp grouper, amberjacks, a few African pompano, and more. Squid and cut baits fished on smaller hooks will attract attention from beeliners, black sea bass, triggerfish, and other bottom dwellers.
More king mackerel and a few dolphin are on the hunt at spots in the 60-70’ range. Live baits and dead cigar minnows will tempt bites from both the pelagic fish.
There’s a lot of bait along the beachfront right now, and anglers can expect to see some king mackerel moving towards shore to feed over the coming weeks.
Austin Aycock with 18 lb. gag and scamp grouper he hooked near some bottom structure in 120' of water off Ocean Isle while fishing with Brian Aycock and Rube and Barrett McMullan on the "OIFC Yellowfin."
Flounder fishing around structure within a few miles of the inlets has been excellent lately, with anglers dropping live finger mullet and mud minnows putting together some impressive catches.
Spanish mackerel are still on the feed around the inlet tidelines and on offshore a few miles. Trolled Clarkspoons are tough for the spaniards to turn down, and they will also produce plenty of bluefish bites.
Large sharks are looking for meals in the same places, and drifting with cut baits, particularly while chumming, will produce fast action with the big predators.
Inshore, the flounder and red drum bite remains strong in the Lockwood Folly and Shallotte Rivers, with falling tides producing the best fishing. Live mud minnows and finger mullet are the way to go for both fish.
Mark, of OceanIsleFishingCharters.com, reports that the fishing remains consistent throughout much of the area. Flounder are still holding around the Jim Caudle Reef and other nearshore structure in the same depth range. Live baits like finger mullet on Carolina rigs will tempt plenty of bites from the flatfish.
Sandy and Matt Marks, of Charlotte, NC, with a doubleheader of red drum they hooked on live shrimp around some ICW structure near Sunset Beach. They were fishing with Capt. Mark Stacy of OceanIsleFishingCharters.com.
There’s a good mixed bag bite going on around the Little River jetties, with the rising tides producing the best action. Drifting through the inlet with live shrimp and finger mullet on Carolina rigs, anglers are connecting with red drum, black drum, gray trout, flounder, ladyfish, bluefish, and even more species.
The reds seem to have spread out a bit inshore, with good action at a variety of areas. Fish are feeding around the oyster bars and grass banks in the creeks, where live baits on jigheads, Carolina rigs, and under popping corks will get the job done.
There are also good numbers feeding under many docks in the local ICW, and the Sunset Beach Bridge bite is still going as well.
The water in Tubbs Inlet cleaned up a bit last week, leading to some solid flounder fishing on several days. Again, finger mullet are the go-to baits.
Bob, of Ocean Isle Pier, reports that anglers are catching a few flounder and speckled trout while fishing live baits under the pier.
Some spot are falling for bottom rigs baited with shrimp and bloodworms.
