Swansboro June 7, 2007
Jeff, of FishN4Life Charters, reports that the topwater red drum bite is on in Swansboro area waters. The fish are holding in bays and creeks behind Emerald Isle, Bear Island, and Brown’s Island, with a few in Bogue Sound, Queen’s Creek, and the White Oak River. If the drum seem reluctant to hit a topwater, cast spinner baits or soft plastic jerk baits to them. The fish will often commit to subsurface baits better than topwaters.
Summer flounder continue to migrate inshore from the ocean, and boats are catching good numbers of 14-16” flatfish by drifting the inlets. The fish are also holding on structure and in creek mouths in the ICW, river, and sound.
Fish Carolina-rigged live baits or bucktails tipped with Gulp baits to hook up with flounder. Anglers must give the fish a few moments to eat a live bait before setting the hook, while immediate hooksets are key with the bucktails.
Sheepshead fishing has been on fire over the past week, and it should continue until early July when mid-80’s water temperatures put them off the feed. The sheepshead are feeding on shallow grass flats in Bogue Sound and along docks, bridge pilings, and bottom structure in the ICW.
On the flats, a live shrimp fished beneath a float will get the sheepshead’s attention, and a fiddler crab is the best bait in deeper water.
Inshore anglers can find plenty of shrimp, menhaden, and mullet in area creeks now, so procuring bait shouldn’t be a problem.
Nearshore, the flounder bite continues to be hot for anglers jigging Gulp-tipped bucktails on the reefs, wrecks, and live bottoms. The fish are running from sublegal (under 14.5”) up to 4+ lbs.
The same structure is holding tautog and 1-2 lb. triggerfish. Divers are reporting schools of hundreds of fish, and anglers can target them by fishing with clams, shrimp, squid, conch, or fiddler crabs. Chumming heavily with crushed mussels, crabs, or clams will get the fish feeding.
King and spanish mackerel are feeding at nearshore structure too. Live and dead baits are producing most of the king bites, and boats are hooking up with the spanish by trolling Clark spoons.
As the month goes on, anglers fishing live baits for kings will see some dolphin within a few miles from the beach. There have been plenty of 10-20 lb. dolphin offshore this year, and those fish usually move nearshore in early June.
Stan, of Capt. Stanman’s Fishing Charters, reports that small kings are moving in close to the beach. Pogies have been tough to find, but the kings don’t seem to mind, as they’re hitting dead cigar minnows and Yo-Zuri Deep Divers. Anglers willing to work should be able to jig up some king and bottom baits at the Alphabet Buoys.
Dolphin are moving closer to the beach, and several have been caught 15-20 miles out.
Just inshore of the 90’ Drop, a temperature break has been holding bigger 10-25 lb. dolphin.
Several boats have hooked up with sailfish while trolling for the dolphin. Skirted ballyhoo or cigar minnows should attract attention from both dolphin and sails.
Further out, boats are finding decent numbers of blue marlin.
Ernie, at Bogue Inlet Pier, reports that bottom fishermen are catching some flounder and pompano. Shrimp are producing the most bites.
Plug casters are hooking up with spanish mackerel and bluefish.
Those fishing live bluefish off the end of the pier are catching king mackerel and cobia, but many of the cobia have been small.
The water is 78 degrees.
