Southport May 27, 2010
Luther Dishman, of Southport, NC, with an 8.9 lb. bluefish that fell for a live bait at Oak Island Pier.
Butch, of Yeah Right Charters, reports that fishing is heating up in the Southport area from the beaches to the Gulf Stream. Pogies are on the move along the coast, meaning they can be here one day and there tomorrow, but anglers should be able to find some with a little searching. King mackerel are feeding from the beach out to the 10 mile areas, and pogies have been the most productive bait lately, though dead cigar minnows are also drawing bites.
Some dolphin are mixed in with the kings toward the offshore side of that range, and anglers are also seeing decent numbers of cobia.
Large sharks (200+ lbs.) are feeding along the beaches and will take an interest in large cut baits.
The grouper bite has been excellent lately at bottom structure in 100’ and deeper. Live baits are the most productive grouper getters, and anglers can jig them up with sabiki rigs around the offshore buoys.
Plenty of smaller bottom feeders like grunts, pinkies, sea bass, and beeliners are feeding at the same areas, and cut baits and squid will attract their attention.
Amberjacks are also feeding around similar structure, and vertical jigs by Blue Water Candy and Eastern Tackle are producing even better results with the AJ’s than live baits.
Some cobia have been in the same areas, and having a live pitch bait ready for them will increase anglers’ chances of putting them into boats.
Boats trolling the Gulf Stream are finding action with wahoo, dolphin, blackfin tuna, and an occasional yellowfin tuna. Ballyhoo rigged under South Chatham Tackle Deep Six Pirate Plugs are producing better than most other lures in the blue water.
Tommy, of Southport Angler Outfitters, reports that the grouper bite has been excellent when the weather lets boats get out to the fish. Dropping cigar minnows and sardines to structure in 115’ produced some fine catches of scamps last week.
King mackerel are feeding from the beaches to offshore structure, and boats found excellent king fishing at Yaupon Reef and Lighthouse Rocks last week (among other places). Both slow-trolling with live pogies and pulling a bit faster with dead cigar minnows have been attracting plenty of attention from the kings.
Some cobia are feeding in all the areas that the king mackerel are, and they will take an interest in a live pogy.
Zach Trueblood and Andrew Garrison with their first king mackerel. The fish fell for frozen cigar minnows under pink/white skirts near the Shark Hole while on a 12th birthday trip for Zach aboard the "Wavepounder."
John, of Dutchman’s Creek Bait and Tackle, reports that anglers are catching big numbers of bluefish and spanish mackerel along the beaches. Gotcha plugs and straw rigs are working for the pier anglers, and boaters are hooking up with the fish while trolling Clarkspoons and other lures.
Some king mackerel are feeding along the beach as well, and pier anglers landed excellent numbers over the past weekend. Anglers slow-trolling live baits from boats are also catching plenty of kings between the beaches and spots a few miles offshore.
Cobia are feeding from nearshore structure all the way out to Frying Pan Tower, and they have been hitting a variety of baits.
Bottom fishing has been producing excellent catches of grouper and smaller bottom dwellers like beeliners, sea bass, and more at offshore rocks, wrecks, and other structure. Squid, cigar minnows, and cut baits will tempt bites from the bottom feeders.
Inshore, there’s been a good red drum bite at spots off the ICW, with a few flounder mixed in. Live mud minnows and Gulp baits and other soft plastics are fooling both fish.
Anglers are also starting to see a few speckled trout in the backwaters and along the beachfront. Live shrimp are the top trout baits when anglers can find them.
Derek, of Yellow Dog Charters, reports that the king bite was on around Lighthouse Rocks last week, and it didn’t take long to land limits while live-baiting with pogies.
The pogies have been thick off Ocean Crest Pier lately.
Trolling spoons along the beaches has been producing plenty of action with spanish mackerel and bluefish.
Bottom fishing in 105-115’ lately has been solid, with anglers landing good numbers of grouper, some American red snapper, and a host of smaller bottom feeders.
The Gulf Stream’s been a bit slow, but anglers are picking up some dolphin while trolling the blue water.
Capt. Chad Casteen, of Southport Angler Outfitters, and Robert Beard, of Southport, with a 30+ lb. warsaw grouper they hooked in 115' while fishing off Frying Pan Shoals.
Tommy, of Oak Island Pier, reports that anglers landed the first king mackerel of the year last week (along with 16 more of them in the next two days). Live bluefish are drawing most of the king bites. Some chopper bluefish are also falling for live baits fished from the end of the pier.
The bluefish are plentiful and voracious around the pier, enough that they’re beating spanish mackerel to the plugs that anglers are working from the planks.
Bottom fishermen decked a few pompano and flounder last week.
Dave, of Ocean Crest Pier, reports that the king mackerel bite was solid over the past week, with an even dozen fish landed (to 39 lbs.). Live bluefish fooled all the kings.
Spanish mackerel and bluefish are feeding around the pier and falling for Gotcha plugs and other casting lures.
The speckled trout bite is improving, and anglers landed decent numbers (averaging 2-2.5 lbs.) last week. Live shrimp are fooling most of the trout.
The flounder bite has also been fairly good lately (with fish to 2 lbs.) and most are falling for mud minnows or other live baits.
Bottom fishermen are beginning to pick up some pompano on shrimp.
Some large spadefish and sheepshead are feeding around the pier, but not many anglers are targeting them.
