Swansboro April 14, 2011
Larry Fodse with an upper-slot red drum that fell for a 4" Gulp Pogy while he was fishing in Boathouse Creek with Capt. Chris Sewell of Fishead Charters.
Jeff, of FishN4Life Charters, reports that anglers are seeing some good bottom fishing in the deeper inshore waters around Swansboro. Bottom rigs and 1/16 oz. spec rigs tipped with shrimp, bloodworms, or artificial strip baits are the most effective ways to hook up with the sea mullet, gray trout, bluefish, pigfish, puffers, and other tasty bottom dwellers in the area.
Shallow bays and creeks off the ICW are producing action with red drum, flounder, and a few speckled trout. The fishing’s best around shorelines, oyster bars, grass flats, and current rips on the higher tides, with small creek mouths producing the most action when the water’s falling. Soft plastics, spinnerbaits, and topwater baits will all tempt bites from the fish, and anglers should use very light jigheads or weightless, weedless worm hooks with their soft plastics to avoid constantly fouling in the winter moss still coating the bottom in the shallows.
Closer to the inlets, bluefish are showing up, and anglers can find the schools by slow-trolling metal jigs and diving lures in the deeper channels. Small terns working the tidal rips will often clue anglers in to the feeding bluefish, and once anglers find them, small topwater lures can produce incredible surface action with the blues.
False albacore are still feeding around nearshore structure and in the inlet tidelines, and Atlantic bonito should be feeding in the same areas very soon. Trolling Yo-Zuri Deep Divers is an excellent way to locate the bonito schools when they’re feeding deep, and anglers can cast metal jigs or 1/2 oz. jigheads with soft plastic glass minnow imitations when the schools are feeding on top.
Rob, of Sandbar Safari Charters, reports that red drum are feeding in nearly every bay and backwater area around Swansboro. Higher tides will be returning to the area this week, meaning the reds should be a little less spooky, but the fish also may be harder to locate than when they’re feeding in 1-2’ of water.
In the gin-clear water over the past week, anglers have been able to sight-cast Gulp baits and live mud minnows to the reds, but they should be able to hook up on topwater plugs, spinnerbaits, and other lures while blind-casting to likely areas when the water’s dirtier or deeper.
Sheng Morris, of Jacksonville, NC, with a 1 lb., 5 oz. pufferfish she hooked while bottom fishing from Bogue Inlet Pier.
Flounder are becoming more active by the week, and anglers are starting to catch a few keepers while casting for the reds. The flatfish bite will only improve over the coming weeks as the water continues to warm up.
Anglers have been finding some action with speckled trout in the creeks and around structure off the New River.
False albacore are plentiful just off the beaches, and anglers can find schools feeding on the surface and then cast metal jigs or soft plastics on heavier jigheads to hook up with them.
Chesson, of CXC Fishing, reports that the live bottoms and artificial reefs in the area are loaded up with bluefish (most around 18”). Stingsilvers and other small metal jigs will fool all the blues that anglers want to reel in.
Plenty of black sea bass are in the same areas and responding to the jigs as well, but they can’t be kept as the season is closed at present.
False albacore are feeding just off the beaches, and anglers can also fool them with small metal jigs when they spy schools feeding on the surface.
Ashley Curcio, from Chapel Hill, NC, with a 31" red drum she hooked on a weedless Gulp jerkbait in a bay near Swansboro while she was fishing with Capt. Rob Koraly of Sandbar Safari Charters.
Rich, of The Reel Outdoors, reports that surf and pier anglers are hooking up with some sea mullet and pufferfish, with most of the bigger fish coming at night. Shrimp and bloodworms on two-hook bottom rigs are producing most of the action.
Bluefish have shown up in the inlet and nearby deep channels, and anglers can hook them on just about and bait or lure they can cast.
Offshore, Gulf Stream trollers are scoring bites from wahoo and blackfin tuna (with a few stray yellowfins) while trolling skirted ballyhoo along the break.
Joanne, of Bogue Inlet Pier, reports that bottom fishermen are decking some sea mullet, croakers, pufferfish, and small flounder while baiting up with shrimp.
The water is 64 degrees.
