Swansboro – August 17, 2017
James, of Reel Outdoors, reports that anglers targeting the piers have had luck plugging for spanish and bluefish in the early morning hours. Casting Gotcha plugs and Stingsilvers has worked best. Red drum have also been present in the surf, and getting fresh cut mullet on the bottom has been the key to producing bites.
A few tarpon have also been landed from the piers.
Inshore, keeper flounder have been feeding well. Live mullet or pogies on a Carolina rig has done the trick, and those targeting deeper water docks and ledges have had the most success. Speckled trout are still feeding in the sound, and topwater plugs have worked well in the mornings. Later in the day, live shrimp under a popping cork has been the bait of choice when fishing near marsh edges.
Nearshore fishing is providing plenty of action with kings in the 3-8 mile range. Most fish are on the smaller side (in the 6-12 lb. class), but a few quality fish have also been landed.
Around the area wrecks and reefs, anglers are finding success when dropping live mullet and pogies for flounder. Most of the bigger flounder caught in the area are coming from the wrecks and reefs.
A few cobia are still hanging around the area, but numbers have been dwindling.
Silas Porter, of Willow Springs, NC, and his father Ashley Porter with a 55 lb. wahoo that struck a red and black Tormenter lure.
Matt, of Pogie’s Fishing Center, reports that those fishing the surf with fresh cut mullet have found good numbers of redfish. Reds have also been feeding well inshore, and most fish have been in the mid-slot range and have been willing to take a live mullet or soft plastic worked on the bottom. Black drum have been mixed in in some of the same areas, and anglers have found live shrimp hooked on a Carolina rig to be the most productive.
Speckled trout in the 14-18” range have been holding near oysters and marsh lines. Most fish have been landed when using live shrimp under float rigs. Focusing on current lines and rips has produced the best action.
Around the docks in the waterway, the flounder bite has picked up. Dropping bucktails tipped with Gulp plastics and live baits has worked the best. A few sheepshead have also been holding near the docks, and anglers dropping live fiddler crabs have found success.
Just off the beach, area wrecks and reefs have been holding quality flounder. Dropping bucktails tipped with Gulps has accounted for most of the fish landed.
Kings are also feeding well, and fishing live pogies has been the ticket to getting them to bite. Targeting the 5-10 mile range has produced the best results with the kings.
Rob, of Sandbar Safari Charters, reports that redfish have been searching the flats for mullet, but the reds are in smaller pods. Fishing the marsh on the rising tide and docks on the falling tide has been the best plan of action for targeting reds. Topwater plugs and soft plastics have worked, but live finger mullet hooked on Carolina rigs has been the best bet.
Bridge, dock, and oyster structure have been holding good numbers of black drum. Hooking a piece of fresh shrimp on a Carolina rig has been the best method to landing limits of fish.
Tossing live finger mullet near docks along the waterway has been the best tactic for landing flounder. They’ve ranged from 14-20” and have been in good numbers.
The nearshore reefs are holding big spanish and kings. Light lining live mullet has been the best way to fill the cooler with citation-sized spanish.
In the 2-15 mile range, kings have been feeding well. Most fish are in the 5-10 lb. class, but a few landed have been between 20-30 lbs.
Around the 10-15 mile area, a few mahi have been landed.
Johnathan, of On Point Charters, reports that sheepshead have been holding around area bridge and dock structure. Anglers dropping live fiddler crabs and sea urchins around pilings have had the most success.
Flounder in the 15-21” range have provided anglers with plenty of inshore action. Most fish have struck Zoom soft plastics worked on a jig head or live finger mullet on a Carolina rig.
Redfish in the 18-24” range have been holding in good numbers in the creeks and on the flats. Fishing a live finger mullet on a Carolina rig in the early morning and late evening hours has produced best.
Kings in the 6-15 lb. class have been holding just off the beach and out to the 15 mile range. Trolling dead cigar minnows has been the key to landing good numbers of fish.
Austin Worley with a 5 lb. sheepshead. The fish was caught under the Swansboro Bridge using fiddler crabs.
Bobby, of Teezher Charters, reports that nearshore fishing for large spanish has kept anglers busy. Fishing with live baits like cigar minnows and sardines has landed plenty of big spanish. A few small kings have also been in the mix.
Out at the Gulf Stream, the wahoo bite has turned on, and many anglers are finding success trolling ballyhoo. When out at the Stream, the sailfish and blackfin tuna bite has also provided some action. A couple of mahi have been landed, but most are scattered.
Black sea bass, triggerfish, and beeliners are feeding well on the bottom,
Traci, of Bogue Inlet Pier, reports that anglers plugging from the pier have found consistent bluefish and spanish action early in the mornings and late in the evenings.
When fishing the bottom, anglers have hooked in to red drum, black drum, sea mullet, and a few pompano. A mix of fresh cut mullet, fresh shrimp, and sand fleas have done the trick.
