Swansboro/Emerald Isle – June 20, 2019
Hannah, of The Reel Outdoors, reports that surf anglers are finding good numbers of sea mullet while fishing sand fleas and shrimp in deeper holes along the beach.
A few pompano have been mixed in. The best condition is clean water, as rough and dirty water keeps the catch numbers down.
Bluefish and spanish mackerel are being caught on glass minnow jigs and cut baits.
Nearshore, legal-sized flounder are at the ARs and ledges off the beach. Bucktails with 4” Gulp shrimp trailers have been productive for most anglers.
King mackerel are schooled up around structure in the 3-5 mile range, and they’re hitting dead bait rigs and Drone spoons.
Spanish mackerel are chewing from the breakers out to five miles, with some larger fish (up to 6 lbs.) being caught at the ARs.
Bluefish are hitting Clarkspoons trolled behind a planer just outside the breakers.
Inside the inlet, smaller flounder are set up on ledges along the deeper grass banks. Carolina-rigged live baits and soft plastic paddle-tails are both getting bites.
Bluefish are also inside the inlet. They’re in the deeper channels and hitting soft plastics and glass minnow style jigs.
Red drum have pushed into the marsh areas. They’re feeding on live baits and soft plastics.
A few black drum are being caught around docks in the ICW on shrimp and cut mullet.
Melinda Parish with a snapper caught while bottom fishing with cut spanish sardines about 50 miles out of Sneads Ferry, NC.
Dale, of Dudley’s Marina, reports that slot-sized red drum are in the marshes, and they’re hitting jerk shad soft plastics.
Good numbers of sheepshead and black drum are being caught around bridge and dock pilings.
Bluefish are inside the inlet, and they’re schooled up in deeper holes and feeding on Carolina-rigged cut baits and casting jigs.
A few flounder are being caught on ledges inside the inlet, with soft plastics on heavier jig heads as the top producer.
Spanish mackerel and a few bluefish are being caught in the 1-3 mile range while trolling Clarkspoons behind planers.
King mackerel are further off the beach (around 5 miles), and they’re hitting trolled spoons and dead bait rigs.
Chris, of Pogie’s Fishing Center, reports that red drum are being found in good numbers behind Bear Island. Anglers have been locating fish on the flats during high tide periods and then pushed into holes as the water moves out. Topwater plugs have been a great search bait in the mornings, and then it’s recommended to move to soft plastics as the day wears on.
Sheepshead and a few black drum are being caught around dock and bridge pilings with Carolina-rigged baits.
Bluefish are in deeper channels inside the inlet, and they’re hitting glass minnow jigs and topwater plugs.
James and Charlie Cox with a few of the 6-8 lb. spanish mackerel weighed in at Chasin’ Tails Outdoors. They were fishing with live bait off of Atlantic Beach.
Rob, of Sandbar Safari Charters, reports that spanish mackerel and bluefish are plentiful in areas just past the breakers. Casting jigs and trolling Clarkspoons are productive methods for both species.
Inshore anglers have been pleased with the good numbers of slot-sized red drum being caught around grass banks and oyster beds in the sound.
Black drum are hitting Carolina-rigged baits fished around oyster beds and docks.
A few pompano are in the same areas, and they’re preferring bait shrimp.
Spanish mackerel are in channels just inside the inlet and hitting casting jigs thrown toward feeding schools.
Jonathan, of On Point Charters, reports that rough water in the ocean has many anglers targeting the good numbers of red drum around grass banks in the sound. Soft plastics have been best when searching the banks for the smaller (summer) schools of reds.
A few bluefish are being caught in these same holes on topwater plugs in the mornings.
Nearshore ARs have been loaded with spanish mackerel, and recent trips have been seeing fish push the 5 lb. range.
Schoolie-sized king mackerel are in the 2-5 mile range, and they’re hitting trolled dead cigar minnows and deep diver plugs.
A few cobia are being spotted around the nearshore wrecks and will fall for sight-casted bucktails, and anglers fishing the deeper structure in 60-80’ of water are jigging up large amberjacks.
Bobby, of Teezher Charters, reports that nearshore anglers have been catching big spanish mackerel while slow trolling live baits.
King mackerel are as close in as one mile. While most fish have been smaller, a few large kings (up to 25 lbs.) are mixed in.
In the Gulf Stream, anglers are catching dolphin and scattered marlin.
Bottom fishing over structure in the deeper water spots is producing grouper, snapper, triggerfish, and amberjacks.
Josh, of Liquid Fire Sportfishing, reports that anglers are seeing great king mackerel fishing in the 5-7 mile range while trolling live and dead bait rigs. Many of the fish are smaller kings (up to 17 lbs.).
A large class of spanish mackerel are showing up at the ARs in the three mile range.
Offshore anglers are reporting gaffer-sized dolphin while trolling baits around the scattered grass lines.
Teresa, of Bogue Inlet Pier, reports that anglers fishing off the end were pleased to land the first king mackerel of the year (25 lbs.) this week.
A tarpon was hooked and lost from an angler fishing large baits off the end of the pier.
Sheepshead (up to 3 lbs.) are being caught around the pilings on sand fleas and shrimp.
Spanish mackerel and bluefish are hitting Gotcha plugs thrown towards feeding schools, with most anglers reporting the morning being the best time to target them.
Fishing bottom rigs tipped with shrimp is producing sea mullet, croakers, and a few pompano.
A couple of speckled trout have been caught on bottom-rigged shrimp and soft plastics fished closer to the breakers.
