Southport August 30, 2012
Jamie Lutz (age 12), of Oak Island, with a 2.8 lb. black drum that bit a piece of shrimp off Oak Island Pier.
John, of Dutchman’s Creek Bait and Tackle, reports that anglers are hooking big numbers of flounder around Yaupon Reef and other nearshore structure off Southport. Live mud minnows and finger mullet are producing most of the flatfish action.
The flounder bite has also been fairly good on the ocean piers and in the backwaters inshore, where live baits and Gulps are both producing action.
Red drum are cruising the creeks and flats inshore looking for food, and some are schooled up.
Anglers are fooling the reds with live baits, Gulps, topwater plugs, and other lures.
There’s been a decent spot bite off the Oak Island piers over the past week, and bloodworms are producing the best catches.
Evan Council (age 9) with a spanish mackerel he hooked in the Oak Island surf on a live finger mullet.
Offshore, anglers are landing some fat black sea bass around bottom structure, with the best action and largest fish out around Frying Pan Tower. Squid and cut baits are tempting most of the bites from the bass.
The king mackerel bite has also been on around the Tower, with some big fish (30+ lbs.) in the mix with the schoolies. Live baits and dead cigar minnows will both tempt bites from the mackerel.
James, of Whatever’s Chewin’ Charters, reports that jack crevalle and some fat bluefish (many 3-4 lbs.) are feeding near the Southport city pier during the morning falling tides. Working birds will clue anglers in to where they’re feeding on a given day, and small metal lures like Sea Rock jigs are producing fast action once anglers get on the fish.
The heavy rains lately have pushed a lot of bait out of the river, which has made for an excellent flounder bite around nearshore structure like Yaupon and McGlamery Reefs (with some limit catches and fish to 5+ lbs). Live finger mullet are fooling most of the flatfish. The reef bite is no secret, so anglers should fish away from the crowds at the center of the reefs as those areas have been hit hard in recent weeks. A good fish finder will help anglers key in on smaller structure away from the main reefs that should still be holding fish.
Bruswick County Sheriff Ingram and the "Wahooligans" fishing team--Billy Goss, Josh Fisher, and Doug Farlow with the 7.34 lb. flounder that earned them victory in the First Annual Flatfish Roundup, held out of Southport Marina.
Large spanish mackerel are feeding in the same areas, and slow-trolling live mullet (5-7” the best size) is an excellent way to fool the wary larger fish (some to over 7 lbs. have been caught recently). Scaled down king mackerel rigs with 27 lb. wire and #8 treble hooks are ideal for the leader-shy spaniards.
Tommy, of Oak Island Pier, reports that the pier has seen an excellent spanish mackerel bite over the past week, likely due to big schools of mullet coming out of the Cape Fear River. Both plug casters tossing Gotchas and live-baiters free-lining finger mullet are getting in on the spanish action. Bluefish are in the mix and falling for the same baits.
Bottom fishermen are catching some healthy spadefish and black drum on bottom rigs baited with shrimp. A few sea mullet have been in the mix as well.
Anglers fishing small live baits on the bottom are connecting with some flounder.
