Swansboro/Emerald Isle – August 15, 2019
Hannah, of The Reel Outdoors, reports that surf anglers have been catching spanish mackerel while casting jigs at feeding schools in the early morning.
Bluefish are mixed in with the spanish, with some blues also being caught on cut bait and shrimp.
Bottom fishing has produced sea mullet and pompano.
Sound-side anglers are catching red drum on flats in the marsh. Live baits and soft plastics have been working all day, with topwater anglers finding success in the morning hours.
Flounder are holding around docks in the ICW, and they’re hitting Carolina-rigged live bait.
Speckled trout are being caught in creeks off the ICW, with most fish holding in the deeper holes close to the mouth. Soft plastics on popping cork rigs have been the best setup to entice a few strikes.
Kason Brese (age 5), of Liberty, NC ,with a 18” flounder caught on live shrimp while fishing with his dad, Kevin Brese, along some deep structure in Sneads Ferry.
Dale, of Dudley’s Ma
rina, reports that flounder action around the ICW docks has been steady. Anglers have been having success when casting 3/4 oz. Spro bucktails and 4” Gulp shrimp.
Red drum are being caught with Carolina-rigged mud minnows and mullet, and targeting deeper holes along the ICW has been important in getting bites. Topwater anglers have been fishing the shallow bays with the high tide cycle, with early and late hours being the most productive.
Black drum and sheepshead are being caught near bridges with live fiddler crabs.
Bluefish are schooled up around the inlet, and they’re hitting Stingsilver jigs worked through feeding fish.
Slow-trolling live bait at nearshore ledges and ARs has been producing king mackerel and large spanish mackerel.
Chris, of Pogie’s Fishing Center, reports that red drum are broken up in small groups throughout the marshes. Targeting the fish in shallow bays during high tide and the deeper channels at low tide has helped anglers land a few fish. Topwater plugs, soft plastics, and Carolina-rigged live baits have all had success.
A few smaller flounder are holding on the deeper grass banks, and they’re hitting live bait.
Speckled trout are being reported in the ICW around New River. Soft plastics under popping corks has worked great when fished along the deeper banks.
Rob, of Sandbar Safari Charters, reports that the inshore bite has been very good, with all the typical summer variety feeding on all the schools of mullet in the area.
Red drum are holding in small schools throughout the marshes and near docks in the ICW.
Good-sized flounder are hitting bucktails and Carolina-rigged live mullet.
A few black drum are being caught with Carolina-rigged shrimp near docks and bridge pilings.
Fishing with live shrimp in some deeper holes has been producing legal-sized speckled trout.
Off the beach, anglers are finding large spanish mackerel from the shore out to 5 miles, and slow trolling live baits around the ARs has been producing king mackerel.
Johnathan, of On Point Charters, reports that red drum fishing has been great inshore, with both slot and over-sized fish. The reds are being caught around marsh areas via topwater plugs in the mornings and soft plastics throughout the day.
Some legal-sized flounder are mixed in along the deeper grass banks, and they’re hitting soft plastics and Carolina-rigged live baits.
Speckled trout are being caught around docks and deeper holes in the creeks off the ICW.
Nearshore fishing has stayed hot, with a ton of spanish mackerel feeding on the surface.
Bluefish are being landed while trolling Clarkspoons off the beach and casting jigs at feeding fish in the inlet.
Jigging bucktails tipped with soft plastics at the ARs is producing good-sized flounder, and trolling and fishing fly-lined live baits have been producing king mackerel around these same ARs.
Bobby, of Teezher Charters, reports that nearshore rocks and reefs have been holding good-numbers of citation-class spanish mackerel for anglers slow-trolling live baits. Large king mackerel (up to 50 lbs.) are mixed in with the spanish. The kings are mostly in the 10-15 mile range.
Flounder are staged up at the ARs within 7 miles, and they’re hitting bucktails.
A few mahi are breezing around these structures. These nearshore mahi are hitting cigar minnows and ballyhoo on dead bait rigs.
Sailfish are in the 20+ mile range, and they’re being caught with skirted ballyhoo.
Bottom fishing has been producing good numbers of grouper, keeper black sea bass, triggerfish, and beeliners while fishing cut baits.
Josh, of Liquid Fire Sportfishing, reports that spanish mackerel (up to 16”) are abundant around the inlets, and they’re hitting Yo-Zuri Crystal Minnows.
Anglers fishing the ARs and ledges out to 15 miles are catching great numbers of king mackerel (up to 40 lbs.) while slow trolling live menhaden.
Huge spanish mackerel (up to 7 lbs.) are mixed in around the kings at the nearshore structure.
Fishing offshore structure in the 20-40 mile range has been producing large king mackerel while slow-trolling baits.
Schools of mahi are in the same areas, and they’re falling for ballyhoo trolled at 5-7 knots.
The wahoo bite has been decent, with plenty of 20-40 lb. fish (and some 60+ lbs.) hitting out in the Stream.
Teresa, of Bogue Inlet Pier, reports that anglers fishing off the end have been successful in landing a few large king mackerel (up to 28 lbs.).
Good numbers of spanish mackerel (up to 6 lbs.) are being caught with Gotcha plugs thrown to feeding schools, and a few bluefish are hitting Gotcha plugs in the evening.
Black drum and sheepshead are feeding on shrimp and sand fleas fished tight to the pilings.
Pompano numbers have been very good, with anglers having the most success fishing deeper holes just beyond the breakers. Some flounder (up to 4 lbs.) are in these same holes, and they’re hitting Carolina-rigged live baits.
Bottom rigs tipped with shrimp have been producing croakers, blowfish, spot, and sea mullet.
