Swansboro June 22, 2006
Stanman, at Mister Stanman Fishing Charters, reports that dirty water as a result of remnants of Tropical Storm Alberto has slowed the fishing. When the bottom settles back down, the bite can start back up for kings and dolphin at the nearshore rocks and live bottoms.
Offshore the fishing has been spotty at best, but some of the areas that have produced are the High and Low Doorsteps (kings and dolphin) and the Papoose (nice dolphin).
Spanish fishermen have been finding lots of blues. If you are having a problem with catching blues and not spanish, then speed up. You are trolling too slow. The blues will eat a slower bait, but the spanish love the fast moving flashy clark spoons and Yo-zuri Deep Divers.
The king fishing has been sporadic. The existing bite has been with teen-sized kings hitting dead cigar minnows.
The big live baits left the Alphabet buoys with Alberto; however, some did return this past weekend. You just had to work very hard to get only a few. Menhaden have not been seen in the area. The kings at this time of the year seem to prefer live or dead cigars over menhaden. That will change when the large kings appear. They want the menhaden.
The mahi will be moving in to the 12 to 15 mile ARs and rocks. They’ll be mixed in with kings. Slow troll with the dead cigar minnows or rig up some dead ballyhoo on blue & white Carolina sea witches and troll about 6 to 7 mph.
Jeff, at FishN4Life Charters, reports that there are still plenty of peanut shad around the mouth of the feeder creeks in Bogue Sound, White Oak River, Queens Creek, Bear Creek, and along the ICW creeks. The summer run of mullet minnows are about 2” long and should be a decent size within the next two weeks. There are plenty of shrimp in the 60 to 80 count size range around the mouths of the creeks along the same places the small peanut pogies are holding.
There are lots of puppy drum throughout the internal waters right now. The best bet on the higher tide is around the flooded marsh islands behind the barrier islands off the ICW and throughout Bogue Sound. As the tide drops out, try working the small creeks that drain out of these bays as well as around dock pylons and oyster beds and grass flats. Spinner baits, topwater baits, and light jig heads tipped with live minnows or Gulp baits will all produce red drum strikes.
There are also a few summer speckled trout biting. The trout are running up to 2 and 3 lbs. around Swansboro. The best success has been on live shrimp fished under float corks on the rising tide around the marshes and creeks in the river and near the inlets.
The summer and southern flounder can be found around the inlet channels and around any structure in the ICW, including rock piles and pylons. In the sound and river, the flounder can be caught around the oyster beds. You can also find some red and black drum at these areas.
The sheepshead bite continues to be good, with a lot of these fish running between 2 and 6 lbs. They’re hitting live fiddler and mud crabs. Be sure to use heavy monofilament or a braided line to resist chafing along the structure (which will certainly result in loss of big fish otherwise).
There are plenty of bluefish on the inside right now, with most being 1/2 to 2 lbs. There are also some 5 to 10 lbers in the sound and river. The big blues will strike a topwater plug with an explosion, often jumping in the shallows.
The big spanish mackerel have arrived. There have been catches of good numbers of 3 to 6 lb. spanish mackerel. Put away the clark spoons and traditional tolling gear. Try light lining 3 to 5” shad or mullet on a single #4 or #6 gold treble hook (add a stinger hook for baits over 4”) and keep your wire leader short at 6 to 8” to get the finicky spanish to bite. All of the nearshore live bottoms and ARs can produce these big spanish.
The summer flounder bite has turned back on this week with fish up to 5 lbs. hitting both live baits and jigs. Drifting has been much more effective with the light winds and calm seas.
The king mackerel have been small nearshore, with small pods of kings scattered in with the spanish. The better king bite has been out in 90’ of water. Many anglers are limiting out quickly each morning with fish in the 8 to 15 lb. range.
There are still some cobia showing themselves around the nearshore and offshore ledges and ARs. And mahi have also been showing in these areas. The mahi are hungry and will often strike a flounder rig on the bottom along the nearshore live bottoms and AR’s. Every year throughout the month of June there have been a few dolphin in the 10 to 15 lb. range that strike flounder rigs around East Rock, B-Buoy, AR342, Station Rock, and Keypost Rock.
There have also been several schools of Jack Crevalle about 2 miles off the beach this week. These fish were in the 10 to 12 lb. range. They will often strike light lined live baits and topwater plugs.
Mike, at Bogue Inlet Pier, reports a decent week with whiting, small spots, and blues biting on the bottom. Bloodworms and shrimp are the baits of choice.
The shrimp are also catching pompano, with a 2 lb. fish reported.
A 5 lb. puppy drum was also weighed this week.
No kings were caught this week as the water was very dirty from the recent rains. A mud line was visible offshore of the pier. The water is 80 degrees, however, so fish should appear when it clears.
