Swansboro/Emerald Isle – October 2022
Mickey, of The Reel Outdoors, reports that flounder season was really good in the area, with large flatties (to 12 lbs.) being caught regularly in the Swansboro area.
Red drum action remains strong with all this bait pushing around inshore.
Mixed in are scattered speckled trout. The trout are slowly starting to show up in better numbers as water temperatures in the area cool.
Off the beaches, there has been plenty of spanish mackerel around for anglers both casting jigs and trolling. Some kings are also mixed in, as they move onto the beachfronts in the coming weeks.
Offshore bottom fishing has been great all summer long. Anglers getting off the beach are catching grouper, nice black sea bass, triggerfish, and vermilion snapper.
Trolling out on the break has been producing blackfin tuna and some good-sized wahoo.
Surf fishing is also picking up as we head into fall. Spanish mackerel and bluefish are moved within casting distance as they feed on bait running the shoreline, and bottom fishing is producing pompano, flounder, and red drum.
Rob, of Sandbar Safari Charters, reports that speckled trout are starting to stack up in the creeks holding clear water pushed in from the inlets. Anglers are having success catching them with live shrimp, live mullet, and soft plastics.
Red drum are spread out through the marshes and flats closer to the ICW. Anglers can also find these reds staged up around oyster points and channel edges in the river. A live shrimp fished under a popping cork is highly productive in these areas.
Fishing the live shrimp setup will also produce black drum, speckled trout, and some flounder.
Anglers getting off the beach are finding nice schools of spanish mackerel and false albacore. Casting Stingsilvers at these surface-feeding schools is a great tactic for a successful trip.
Dale, of Fish or Die Charters, reports that the redfish bite continues to pick up back in the marshes. Topwater action has been good, with anglers having success casting both Zara Spook Jrs. or Rapala Skitter Walks. When not getting hookups on top, it has been a productive tactic to move to a Carolina-rigged mullet or menhaden and even lightly weighted jig heads with soft plastics.
Speckled trout are showing up around the inlets, creeks, and deeper holes back in the marshes. A variety of tactics are getting strikes, including topwater plugs and soft plastics to live baits fished on Carolina rigs or under slip corks.
The flounder bite has been pretty good through this entire keeper season. Carolina-rigged live baits and soft plastics dragged along the bottom have both been the most successful setups.
Anglers fishing around the bridges, oyster beds, and docks are still seeing some good catches of sheepshead and black drum. Natural baits are key, with fiddler crabs, sea urchins, and live or fresh dead shrimp being the most productive.
Matt, of Friendly City Fishing Charters, reports that bait is moving just about everywhere, with anglers finding plenty of mullet, pogies, and shrimp around.
Red drum are pretty spread out with all this bait around, and some fish are even pushed out into the surf zone.
Speckled trout are scattered inshore. Anglers are waiting for water temperatures to cool to see these fish school up better.
Flounder action was good through the keeper season. A live mullet fished on sandy bottoms with nearby structure has been the best combo. An incoming tide also seemed to be helping the bite.
Black drum remain staged up around oysters and docks for anglers fishing Carolina-rigged live shrimp.
John, of Early Riser Fishing Charters, reports that inshore fishing has really been heating up, with red drum action being strong on both topwater and sub-surface lures. The schools of finger mullet moving around and pouring out of the inlet also have the reds starting to school up in the ocean. For these reds, it’s best to be casting jigs or live mullet along the surf zone.
Speckled trout are beginning to show up in the river, with some citation-class fish mixed in. Most of the action is still out around structure in open water and on points. Topwater has been best early, with sub-surface hard baits being more productive as the day wears on. A live shrimp is another great bait choice any time of day for trout. The shrimp has been thick this year, and most times that has equated to a great trout season.
King mackerel are starting to work their way onto the beaches, with some nice fish already being caught close, and it’s a good idea to keep an eye out for cobia as they migrate back south through the area.
Anglers fishing these deeper nearshore areas also shouldn’t be surprised to find a scattered sailfish, with some sails caught each year around this time over structure in the 5+ mile range.
Mike, of Bogue Inlet Pier, reports that some good-sized king mackerel (to 23 lbs.) have started showing up for anglers live-baiting off the end.
Pitching jigs has been productive for anglers pulling some nice spanish mackerel over the rails. Some schools of false albacore and plenty of bluefish are also a part of the surface-feeding action.
Bottom fishing will be picking up some with water temperatures starting to cool. Currently, anglers are landing nice-sized sea mullet, pompano, and few speckled trout, and there have been some good puppy drum (to 5 lbs.) mixed in the daily counts.
