Swansboro/Emerald Isle – May 2023
Morgan, of The Reel Outdoors, reports that surf and pier anglers are seeing nice, steady bluefish action, with more schools moving onto the beach. Casting Gotcha plugs and other glass minnow style jigs are getting strikes.
Bottom fishing anglers are catching nice-sized sea mullet while using shrimp and Fishbites bait strips. The bottom rigs are also landing a mix of black drum and scattered pufferfish.
Anglers anticipate seeing the first few pompano showing up anytime now.
Inshore anglers are mostly finding speckled trout as their main catch. These trout are resident fish that are just now moving out of the creeks they held up in all winter.
Rob, of Sandbar Safari Charters, reports that schools of spanish mackerel and bonita are holding within a couple miles of the beach for anglers both trolling and casting spoons.
The reefs and wrecks in the area are also holding a decent number of gray trout and schools of bluefish.
Inshore anglers are doing well catching plenty of good-sized sea mullet and some gray trout along the Swansboro waterfront and around the mouth of the White Oak River. Dropping down a piece of cut shrimp on a bottom rig or spec rig is all it takes.
There are some speckled trout still up in the rivers, mostly feeding along ledges in the early mornings.
Red drum action is getting better, with fish now spread across the ICW and back in the marshes behind the barrier islands. A Carolina rig with some sort of fresh natural bait tends to out fish artificial jigs in the spring.
Corey Compton (age 17), of Bogue, NC, caught this red drum on a fluke rig with fresh cut mullet. He was fishing behind Emerald Isle.
Dale, of Fish or Die Charters, reports that red drum are still pretty schooled up, but they are starting to separate a little. Anglers are having success with a variety of soft plastics on light jig heads and topwater plugs.
Sea mullet and gray trout are feeding very well in the waterways and around the local bridges. Fishbites strips in clam flavor on bottom rigs work well for both species, with the gray trout also hitting 3/4 oz. Stingsilver jigs.
Black drum and sheepshead are staged around the bridges, and they’re feeding on fresh shrimp.
Nearshore anglers have been locked in on the surface action, with catches of spanish mackerel, false albacore, Atlantic bonito, and bluefish. Casting Blue Water Candy Thingama jigs or Stingsilvers has been enticing these fish to strike.
Matt, of Friendly City Fishing Charters, reports that anglers fishing the ICW out front of the Swansboro waterfront and deeper channels around area bridges have been seeing some nice gray trout action. Smaller baits on bottom rigs will get bites, but the larger trout are striking 1 oz. Stingsilvers.
There are a bunch of sea mullet being caught right alongside the gray trout.
Bluefish have also moved inshore in big numbers, being found anywhere from the inlets back up the ICW.
Red drum fishing has been a little hit or miss. The reds have just broken up into smaller groups and are scattered out in search of food. Anglers will be able to pinpoint the reds’ location a little more consistently as the pogies move in and they start to stage up in areas to ambush the arriving bait.
Nearshore fishing has produced good numbers of spanish mackerel. Though early, these schools are just moving into the area and will only get better over the next month.
John, of Early Riser Fishing Charters, reports that nearshore anglers are finding excellent action on Atlantic bonito and spanish mackerel in the 1-3 mile range. The bonito, though, will start moving out of the area around the time water temperatures hit the upper-60s.
For all nearshore species (including the mixed bluefish), trolling Clarkspoons or deep diving Yo-Zuri plugs have produced the strikes. If you can find schools airing out and hitting baits on the surface, casting diamond jigs will also have plenty of success.
There are a bunch of king mackerel in the 15-20 mile range, and they should be making their push towards the beaches sometime in early May. Dead cigar minnows work great on these smaller springtime kings.
Tyler, of Drumroll Charters, reports that sheepshead are feeding really well around the area’s bridges and deeper inshore structure. Anglers fishing these hard structure areas will also find black drum feeding right alongside the sheepshead.
The redfish moving out into their smaller groups is making them show up more frequently in the shallower areas. The sandy flats and areas around oyster beds have been great locations to find these smaller pods.
Evan Calabria (age 17), of Raleigh, NC, with a great hammerhead shark caught while fishing near Cape Lookout.
Tony, of Fin FinderZ, reports that nearshore anglers have been glad to see the spanish mackerel and Atlantic bonito around in good numbers. You can target both of these species by trolling any variation of Clarkspoons, deep diver plugs, or mackerel trees. Jigging and sight-casting at the surface-feeding frenzies is another favorite tactic for anglers just cruising the beaches.
Gray trout and bluefish are being caught by anglers out jigging around the nearshore structures.
King mackerel are starting to bite a bit better in the offshore areas, where water temperatures hover around 70 degrees. These fish will move in with warmer waters in the coming weeks.
Anglers making the run out to the Gulf Stream have been enjoying strong action, with catches of nice-sized blackfin tuna, wahoo, and the scattered early mahi.
Mike, of Bogue Inlet Pier, reports that bottom rigs tipped with shrimp or artificial bait strips have been producing a great variety of sheepshead, croakers, pompano, sea mullet, bluefish, and scattered blowfish.
There are some nice-sized black drum (to 4+ lbs.) feeding on bottom-rigged shrimp.
Spanish mackerel are now arriving around the pier in better numbers. Anglers are having success casting Gotcha plugs around these schools as they pop up to feed along the surface.
