Southport June 8, 2006
Jimmy, of Wreck Hunter Guide Service, reports that trout have continued to bite real well through the week. Most of the action is off of soft plastics, such as smoked metal flakes and chartreuse metal flakes. The areas to try include the backwaters, creeks, and Elizabeth River.
Flounder are being picked up off of Yaupon and McGlammery Reefs. The fish are mostly running 1-2 lbs., but the number of 3 lb. class fish is growing. Go with live bait.
You can also pick up some flounder by drift fishing the Cape Fear Inlet or Lockwood Folly Inlet.
Off the beach, the spanish have been biting well. Go up and down the beachfront with Clark spoons, and you can expect to find plenty. Many boats have been limiting out, with the biggest fish weighing up to the 5 lb. class.
There are plenty of blues at Jay Bird Shoals.
A few kings are being caught close in at the reefs and off the piers.
And guys continue to have success with sheepshead and black drum at Phizer’s Pier.
Dave, at Ocean Crest Pier, reports good numbers speckled trout (up to 4.5 lbs.) being caught off the pier. They are feeding on live shrimp. So if you can get your hands on some, the trout are there to be caught.
Flounder are on the bottom hitting live menhaden, mud minnows, or mullets.
And pompano are in the surf and will eat cut shrimp or sand fleas.
The spanish mackerel are biting best in the evenings on Gotcha plugs. No kings or cobia to report this week, but the water looks clean so there should be fish close by.
Sheepshead have shown up around the pier pilings. The sizes are estimated to be in the 5 to 10 lb. range, but no one is targeting them so give them a shot with fiddler crabs.
Butch, at Yeah Right Charters, reports that a good spanish bite continues right on the beach.
The Tower area is seeing a lot of action, including kings, amberjack, dolphin, and cobia. The kings have been small, but the real fun has been cobia strikes.
Bottom fishing is producing a mix of gray snapper, beeliners, trigger fish, and grouper.
There have been a few reports (unconfirmed) of African pompano being caught already at the Tower.
There’s lots of bait in the Tower area, with cigar minnows the most predominant. And there are also lots of fish in the baits.
Val, at Yaupon Pier, reports that sheepshead are biting, and 2-3 lb. trout are being caught on Gotchas and live shrimp. Flounder are still around.
No kings or cobia to be reported this week, but spanish are continuing to hit Gotcha plugs.
Water temps have been around 78 degrees.
