Ocean Isle – July 21, 2016
Brant, of Ocean Isle Fishing Center, reports that the backwater bite in the creeks and along the waterway has been a bit inconsistent. However, mullet minnows have returned to the waterway in the past few days, and the flounder, red drum, and trout fishing should improve with the arrival of the bait schools. Live shrimp, small menhaden, and finger mullet will all tempt all the main three inshore species to bite.
Trout can be found along the grass banks, and drag the mud for flounder, with numbers of keeper flatfish increasing lately (including a 9.5 lb. flounder that fell for a Gulp bait on a jighead). Reds are hanging out around hard structure, and they’ve also been falling for soft plastics, such as Vudu and Gulp shrimp.
Black drum can be pulled from deep water holes, and they’re hitting live shrimp the best.
Offshore, blackfin tuna and mahi have been reported at the 100/400.
Taft Courie (age 7) caught this 4 lb. flounder on a Carolina rig with a mud minnow during a falling tide. He was fishing a small creek on the ICW near Holden Beach.
Phillip, of Rod and Reel Shop, reports that the inshore bite has slowed with the high heat. Inshore anglers can expect to connect with flounder, speckled trout, and red drum. The flounder have been holding at a size around 18-19”, and now that finger mullet are back in the waters, the mullet tend to be their bait of choice. Some will still take a mud minnow on a Carolina rig, though.
Speckled trout fishing inshore has been consistent, but no large gators have been reported yet. Many of the reds that anglers are catching are still under-slot, and they can be caught using similar baits as the flounder.
Anglers in the surf have found pompano, black drum, whiting, and croaker using bottom rigs.
Amy Miller, of Rowland, with a 24 speckled trout she caught in a creek behind Ocean Isle on a live finger mullet.
Kyle, of Speckulater Inshore Fishing Charters, reports that the trout bite has slowed in the warmer waters. The few fish that have been caught have been falling for shrimp under a cork, and a stray few take live bait, such as mullet on the bottom. Anglers can expect the majority of the trout to weigh 1-3 lbs., and they will have more success looking for the fish in Tubb’s Inlet and Little River, as the warm water has pushed the fish from the back creeks.
The big black drum bite has almost completely turned off, but smaller, undersized fish can be found holding in deeper holes in the area.
The flounder bite has perked up in the inlets (like Tubbs, Shallote, and Little River) on sandy bottoms. Roughly 50% of the fish caught have been keepers, and a few 10 lb. doormats have been reported.
Finger mullet remains the bait of choice, and anglers have seen a significant difference in the bite since the bait fish are now back in the area. A few flounder have moved out to the nearshore wrecks and reefs in 30-40’ of water. Use larger menhaden or mullet to tempt a bite, and the larger baits also deter trash fish.
Spanish are schooling up and down the beach, and they’re falling for spoons trolled behind the boat. A few spanish have also been caught in the inlets on plugs and live bait.
There are a few larger reds (28-30”) hanging around the jetties, and they’re expected to multiply in numbers as the water continues to heat up.
Kevin, of Rigged and Ready Charters, reports that nearshore fishermen have been catching sharks in the 70 to 100 lb. class within one mile of the beach.
Inshore, anglers are catching flounder, speckled trout, red drum, and black drum in the ICW.
Tyson, of Ocean Isle Beach Fishing Pier, reports that fishermen are mostly connecting with panfish, such as croaker, whiting, and spot. There are a few trout mixed in with the smaller fish.
The water is 86 degrees.
