Swansboro/Emerald Isle – September 2023
Morgan, of The Reel Outdoors, reports that inshore fishing has been a bit slower with water temperatures up around 90. Despite the heat, red drum are being found feeding on a variety of cut or live natural baits.
Anglers fishing around the hard structures (bridges, Swansboro waterfront, and docks) are catching sheepshead and juvenile black sea bass.
A few speckled trout are being found by anglers fishing topwaters in the early morning.
Surf fishing is seeing spotty action but a good variety of species. Recent efforts have produced bluefish, sea mullet, spanish mackerel, tarpon, and some odd off-season pufferfish.
The local piers have seen a few king mackerel showing up.
Dale, of Fish or Die Charters, reports that the red drum have been biting pretty good in the marshes despite all these hot temperatures. Cut menhaden and live finger mullet work best back in the warm water bays.
The flounder fishing has been great, with a really good quality to match good numbers. The keeper season opens in mid-September, and anglers look forward to taking a flatfish home for dinner. Live mullet rigged on a jig head or lightly weighted Carolina rig have been really productive setups. The flounder are also striking at soft plastics rigged on jig heads dragged along the bottom.
Sheepshead and black drum are being caught around hard structures inshore. Sand fleas, sea urchins, or live shrimp have all had success in targeting these species.
The speckled trout bite has been a little slow near the end of summer, but anglers on the water really early have been able to find some action with topwater plugs, popping corks rigged with soft plastics, and Carolina-rigged finger mullet or live shrimp.
Justin Manners, of Salty Toad Fishing, caught this 29″ speckled trout using live finger mullet. He was fishing in the Beaufort area.
Matt, of Friendly City Fishing Charters, reports that bait is everywhere, and red drum fishing has been the best option. Anglers are having plenty of success fishing cut mullet up against marsh grasses. Look for the cuts that these fish use to access different areas as the tides push them around.
Flounder season is approaching, and anglers will have success finding their keeper flatfish by targeting structured areas (docks or rock piles) on a falling tide. Putting bait on the bottom is key, and not much is better than a Carolina-rigged finger mullet for this fishery.
John, of Early Riser Fishing Charters, reports that with water temperatures as hot as they are, it has pushed anglers to really focus on finding quick fish in the early morning hours. Another tip is that the bait has been plentiful, so it can help to mix in dead cigar minnows or ballyhoo with the live bait (to show fish something different).
The king mackerel bite has mostly been in the 5-10 mile range where the early start can see a good bite until around 10:00 am. After mid-morning, it can help your odds of success by pushing off deeper and getting your baits down with a downrigger. The king mackerel can get really lazy in this heat, so they will feed better in even slightly cooler water.
Some sailfish are being seen on these nearshore trips, and if storms can mostly stay away, the bite should stick around all September.
John Perricone, of Angier, NC, hooked this king mackerel using live menhaden. He was fishing offshore of Emerald Ise.
Tyler, of Drumroll Charters, reports that red drum action has been pretty good for anglers working grass lines and around oyster beds. With all the bait around, finger mullet has really been the go-to offering. Getting out on the water early is helpful to success, as you can avoid some of the heavy summertime traffic. The best tide has been the end of the incoming and the start of the falling, and with either tide, look to target both grass lines and oyster beds.
Flounder are mixed in all over the place, and they will readily hit the same mullet offerings. Anglers are looking forward to that keeper season opening up later in September.
There are some speckled trout around, and they are mostly staged in deeper holes where water temperatures are slightly cooler.
Tony, of Fin FinderZ, reports that as we move away from summer, the king mackerel are starting to make a better showing. The waters are still really hot, but over the coming weeks, a slight cooling will get bait moving and fire up the bite nearshore.
Spanish mackerel fishing remains strong along the beaches. Anglers have found the live bait offerings to produce not only numbers but the better quality of fish.
Mike, of Bogue Inlet Pier, reports that anglers have seen some larger king mackerel start showing up, with catches to 33 lbs.
Spanish mackerel (to 6 lbs.) action has been steady for those watching out for schools of fish moving by the pier.
Bluefish are also in the mix, and they’re hitting Gotcha plugs and bottom-rigged baits.
Catches of sea mullet and pompano have rounded out the rest of the bottom fishing catches.
