Ocean Isle – June 2, 2015
Kyle, of Speckulator Inshore Fishing Charters, reports that anglers continue to see a good speckled trout bite inshore throughout the area. Most of the best action has been along grass and shell banks between Ocean Isle and Little River (with mixed fish from 12” to 5+ lbs.). Live shrimp fished under sliding floats are the best bets by far for the specks, but anglers are also hooking up on artificials. Topwater plugs are fooling the trout in the early morning hours, with soft plastic swimbaits and shrimp imitations producing when the sun’s high.
Flounder fishing is still going well in Tubbs Inlet, the Shallotte River, and the ICW. Live finger mullet are producing most of the fish, with some also falling for mud minnows and menhaden (and around 40% of the flatfish keepers).
Red and black drum are feeding alongside the trout at grass and shell banks and biting around ICW docks and other structure. Anglers are fooling both with live finger mullet and shrimp pinned to jigheads and Carolina rigs.
Anglers who braved the winds and fished the Little River jetties over the past week also landed some speckled trout and red drum, and plenty more should be there when the weather calms.
Spanish mackerel are still feeding off the beachfront, but the action’s been in 30’ of water and deeper since the winds dirtied up the surf zone last week. Clarkspoons paired with planers and trolling sinkers are fooling the mackerel.
Patti Walter, Randy Cloninger, Andrew Holderman, and R.J. Cloninger with speckled trout, flounder, and red drum they hooked in the ICW near Ocean Isle on live shrimp and finger mullet. They were fishing with Capt. Kyle Hughes of Speckulator Inshore Fishing Charters.
Kevin, of Rigged and Ready Charters, reports that anglers are finding some solid inshore action with red and black drum, speckled trout, and flounder inshore near Holden Beach recently. Live shrimp, finger mullet, and menhaden have been producing most of the action and are effective on float and Carolina rigs.
Offshore, there’s still a good king mackerel bite around spots in the 20 mile range off the Brunswick County coast. Anglers are hooking the kings on live and dead baits while trolling around structure and bait schools in that area, and they’re also finding a few cobia and dolphin alongside the mackerel.
Bottom fishing at offshore structure in 100’ of water and deeper has been excellent lately, producing some gag, scamp, and black grouper and filling the fish boxes with smaller species like grunts, porgies, sea bass, and snappers. Live baits are producing most of the grouper, with squid and cut baits tempting bites from the other bottom feeders.
Aiden Perdue, of Denton, NC, with a 44.2 lb. cobia that bit a live bait just off the beach at Oak Island.
Brant, of Ocean Isle Fishing Center, reports that there’s still a strong king mackerel bite at local spots off Ocean Isle in 60-70’ of water at present. Both live and dead baits will fool the kings, which is fortunate as the bait seems to have disappeared from the beachfront over the past week.
Like the menhaden schools, spanish mackerel have been tough to find along the shoreline in recent days.
Terry, of Ocean Isle Pier, reports that anglers are hooking some croaker, spot, and black drum while bottom fishing with shrimp.
A few bluefish are also falling for the bottom rigs and casting lures.
