Swansboro August 4, 2005
Jeff Cronk, of FishN4Life Charters, reports that all the 3 to 5″ live mullet minnows you need can be found along the Swansboro waterfront and working along the edges of the ICW. Plenty of shrimp are in the creeks near the mouth of White Oak River and Queens Creek. Menhaden are moving up and down the waterway and can be found popping well on the incoming tide, especially early in the morning and late in the day.
The flounder bite has really picked up along the live bottoms and artificial reefs lately. Using live bait has produced multiple flounder days, with fish ranging from 1 to 5 lbs. The southern and summer flounder bite on the internal waters is consistent. The internal water strategy has been drifting the inlet connecting channels, anchoring and working ledges near the inlets, casting to ICW docks, and fishing points and creek mouths in the marsh systems.
There are plenty of reds from 18 to 24″ along the ICW. Target docks near the mouth of the river on a falling tide. On the rising tide, work up creeks or into the marsh systems behind Bear and Brown’s Islands. There are a few reds holding on the oyster beds in White Oak and Queens Creek as well.
There will continue to be a sheepshead bite on the rising tide around the White Oak River and Emerald Isle Bridges. There are some large sheepshead holding in Trout Creek and West Channel.
Good schools of ladyfish are coming into the internal waters on the rising tide. These fish are ranging from 2 to 3′ in length. Look for schools of fish busting the surface around the inlet shoals or the sand flats inside the river.
Rhonda, at Bogue Inlet Pier, reports that the flounder bite was good over the weekend. They landed several in the 2-3 lb. class, with the heaviest in the 4 lb. class. Mullet and shrimp worked the best, but a couple of the flounder came on cut bait.
On Sunday they landed a couple of kings: one weighed 31 lbs. and the other weighed 18 lbs.
Otherwise, it’s been spanish in the morning and late afternoons. They’ve also seen a few spots and a couple of spadefish.
Dale, at the Reel Outdoors, reports that the flounder bite has been good in the area. Anglers are finding flounder all over, including the surf, the pier, around reefs, the inlet, and the sound. Nothing really big reported, but there were several in the 2-4 lb. class.
Schools of drum have been spotted and enticed to bite in the past week. The main areas have been behind Bear Island and also in the area’s marsh grasses and oyster rocks. Some people reported schools of up to 100 fish.
Lots of small kings are in the area, but there have been the occasional 20 and 30 lb. class fish.
A few sails have been caught and released in the 10 mile range, and a 60 lb. wahoo was recently landed out nine miles.
