Ocean Isle May 27, 2010
Brian Richard, of Shallotte, NC, with a red hind he hooked on a live pinfish while fishing the break off Shallotte Inlet aboard the "Almost There" with Capt. Todd Helf.
Patrick, of Twister Charters, reports that the Gulf Stream bite was hot last week. Plenty of gaffer dolphin and a few blackfin tuna have been finding skirted ballyhoo and cedar plugs difficult to resist in the blue water, and the best action’s been right on top of the break near the Steeples.
The grouper bite has been excellent lately at structure in around 90’ of water, mostly for scamps. Live baits have been producing the larger groupers.
Some cobia and plenty of amberjacks are feeding in the same area.
Slightly closer in, anglers landed excellent numbers of jumbo sea bass at structure in 85’ last week.
King mackerel are feeding along the beaches, and it hasn’t been difficult to limit out while slow-trolling live baits just offshore.
Spanish mackerel and bluefish are feeding in the same areas, and they have a difficult time resisting trolled Clarkspoons.
Inshore, anglers are finding some solid flounder and speckled trout action while fishing with live minnows around Lockwood Folly.
Seth Green, Nick Sizemore, and Carmen Green, from Greensboro, NC, with a pair of cobia and a king mackerel they hooked on live pogies in the Cape Fear River channel off Southport. They were fishing with Capt. Kevin Sneed of Feedin' Frenzy Charters.
Brant, of Ocean Isle Fishing Center, reports that Gulf Stream trollers have been picking up a few wahoo and some scattered dolphin, but the bite’s been a bit off lately.
The scamp grouper bite has been excellent in around 150’ up and down the break, and some large gags are mixed in. Live baits are the ticket to hookups with the larger grouper.
King mackerel are feeding well at spots in 50-60’ of water: Live pogies and dead cigar minnows are both attracting attention from the kings.
Some cobia and large spanish mackerel are mixed in with the kings, and anglers also landed a few dolphin and a sailfish at the Jungle last week.
Spanish mackerel are feeding along the beaches, and anglers can hook up with them while trolling Clarkspoons around diving birds and bait concentrations.
Kyle, of Ocean Isle Fishing Center, reports that the speckled trout bite in the area is still good, but it can be hit-or-miss, with the fish feeding hard one day and suffering from lockjaw the next. Sunset Beach Bridge and the Little River jetties are two excellent places to begin looking for the specks.
Live shrimp are the best trout baits and are becoming more plentiful in the area. Anglers can look forward to cast-netting size and quantities of shrimp in the coming weeks.
Flounder fishing is improving all the time, both in terms of numbers and quality of fish (with several to 7 lbs. taken recently). Live peanut pogies are responsible for most of the larger flounder, as mud minnows are proving irresistible to the still-numerous throwbacks in the area. The bite’s been best in Tubbs Inlet and the Lockwood Folly and Shallotte Rivers.
Red drum are entering their predictable summer patterns and staging under docks and in the deeper creeks. Live baits or a variety of lures will tempt bites from the drum.
