Swansboro/Emerald Isle – November 2022
Mickey, of The Reel Outdoors, reports that surf fishing action has been pretty good this fall, with catches of bluefish, red drum, speckled trout, pompano, and whiting.
Inshore anglers have been focusing their efforts on the red drum that are still scattered throughout the sound and ICW, and scattered black drum are being caught by anglers fishing shrimp around structure and oyster beds.
Speckled trout action is starting to pick up as water temperatures are now cooling off. Over the next few weeks, these trout will become the main targets as they school up in their typical fall spots.
Nearshore anglers are seeing some good sight-casting opportunities off the beach, with schools of spanish mackerel, bluefish, and false albacore feeding on the surface.
The king mackerel bite has been steady, with fish being scattered on the beachfronts and more plentiful out over nearshore structure.
Offshore anglers are finding good numbers of wahoo when running out to the break, and blackfin tuna and the occasional late season mahi are also being caught on these trolling trips.
Steve Reavis, of Swansboro, caught this red drum on shrimp while fishing from his dock in Bear Creek.
Rob, of Sandbar Safari Charters, reports that speckled trout action has been slower to start this season, but it is quickly picking up as water temps continue to cool. River and creek mouths are a great place to start finding keepers before the majority of the trout move into the sounds. Soft plastics, live shrimp, and suspending shrimp artificials are all great choices for targeting the specks.
Black drum and red drum are scattered out in the marshes behind the barrier islands. Bottom fishing with live or dead shrimp around shelled areas and marsh points during higher tide periods will produce bites from either species.
Many of these fish have moved their way into the surf as well and can be found along the beaches.
Anglers getting off the beach are finding schools of spanish mackerel, false albacore, and bluefish to be thick from the shoreline out to three miles. Looking for birds or large amounts of bait on the electronics will help find these schools when they aren’t actively feeding on the surface. Metal jigs, dart baits, and fly-fishing setups will all entice strikes.
There has been a pretty good king mackerel bite nearshore. The menhaden that anglers are looking for have been well up the rivers and a little hard to find, so jigging up some live bait in the ocean is a good way to fill the livewell with king baits.
Dale, of Fish or Die Charters, reports that the red drum action is starting to pick up, along with the speckled trout. The water temperatures dropping a little have really played a big factor in the transition to true fall fishing.
Black drum and sheepshead are still being caught in good numbers around the bridges and deep-water docks.
Gray trout, bluefish, and even some spanish mackerel are being found around channels near the inlets and in deeper holes close to the bridges.
Matt, of Friendly City Fishing Charters, reports that speckled trout are starting to make a showing in better numbers as we move deeper into fall. Anglers are focusing their efforts on some of the typical trout holes back in the White Oak River and around deeper marsh banks. Both live shrimp and live mullet are the top producing baits for these early season fish. If looking to fish artificials, anglers can have plenty of success with Bett’s Halo Shads and similar lightly weighted soft plastics.
There are black drum staged up in many of these same areas that are holding trout. If you find even one fish, it can be a good idea to drop down a Carolina-rigged shrimp to entice more strikes.
There are some red drum scattered around inside, though most have pushed out into the surf zone for now.
Nearshore anglers are finding some good false albacore and spanish mackerel action while sight-casting jigs at fish busting baits off the beachfronts.
Wil Yeargin, of Oxford, caught this red drum on live menhaden along the ICW in the Morehead area.
John, of Early Riser Fishing Charters, reports that the king mackerel are starting to pull off the beach and school up on rocks in the 55-60’ range. Anglers targeting them should focus on the temperature breaks and finding areas holding bait. Cigar minnows are a great option for king fishing this time of year, but chances of hooking up with a large “smoker” are much better when using live bait.
Back inside, the red drum have started to gather in big schools both in the marshes and out on the beaches. Anglers are having a lot of success with topwater plugs and sub-surface hard baits. On days the fish don’t want to cooperate, you can coerce a bite with scented Gulp soft plastics or a live finger mullet.
Speckled trout fishing in the river keeps getting better as weather patterns cool. Topwater baits are working well early, with anglers staying on the bite switching over to swim baits as the sun gets higher. If all else fails, you can always offer up a live shrimp. Most are finding the trout around creek mouths, bridges, and points along the waterway. As the first few stretches of cold weather nights show up, look for these schools to move into the creeks.
Mike, of Bogue Inlet Pier, reports that anglers were pleased to see some of the first yellow-bellied spots start to show up. Numbers haven’t been great yet, but late fall fishing is just kicking off.
Also included in the bottom bite are pompano, croakers, and some sea mullet. Evening hours have been best for the mullet and croakers.
Sight-casting with jigs and plugs has been very productive, with nice catches of false albacore, spanish mackerel, and bluefish.
