Swansboro Winter 2006
Stan, of Captain Stanman’s Fishing Charters, reports that schools of menhaden have been seen on the beaches around Cape Lookout. The stripers should travel south with the pogies, and if they do they could winter here making for some tremendous winter fishing.
In past years, the stripers worked their way around Shackleford Banks where they were pursued by small boats fishing in the lee of the banks. This bite should start around the middle of December, and it’s anyone’s guess as to how long this fishing could last.
Mojos are the ticket for catching the stripers, as are Spro bucktails and Live bucktail jigs in 1, 2, and 3 ounce sizes. Chartreuse, white, and bunker are some favorite colors. Slow trolling or casting at breaking fish with 10 pound tackle is a rare treat.
Since bluefin tuna feed on the same forage, this could be an excellent selling season. When the forage is available, the tuna bite improves tremendously. As usual, the favorite colors are blue and white in Carolina witches, with 1/2 and 1 ounce heads. Pull these baits at 5-7 mph, and try one up and one down.
There are still yellowfins and wahoo offshore, but few anglers are chasing them.
As for inshore fishing, the speckled trout are just about everywhere. There will continue to be some citation trout caught in the New River. The Yo-Zuri Crystal Minnow in sinking (F10) and suspending model (R468), both in the 4 3/8″ size and in just about any color, are getting the attention of the successful trout fishermen.
Jeff, of FishN4Life Charters, reports that it’s been another banner trout season in Swansboro this year. The bite up White Oak River, Queens Creek, New River, and the Neuse River has been great to say the least.
The air temps have remained warm enough to keep the water temperature above the magic 57- 58 degrees. When it starts dropping below about 57 degrees, the masses of specks will start to disperse from the shallow areas around Bogue, Bear, and Brown’s Inlet, as well as Bogue Sound, and either move into the ocean and along the surf or up the local rivers and their tributaries.
Lately there’s been good numbers of 12-20 inch trout all around the inlets and nearby creeks. This November there have been many more 2-5 pound fish than in previous years.
As for a winter forecast, anglers can expect to find speckled trout, redfish, and stripers in the waters of the Neuse River and its tributaries, as well as speckled trout and redfish in the backwaters of Swansboro, Morehead City, and New River.
Trout, redfish, and a few stripers will also be schooling along the surf and inlets of the coast, with the better shot at stripers in and near the surf north of Cape Lookout. The redfish and trout can be caught anywhere along the surf, especially around structure like jetties.
The key to catching the winter trout will consist of using small scented baits, such as the Berkley Gulp 3” Shrimp and Pogies fished slowly on 1/16 oz. to 1/8 oz. jigheads. A few casts allow the scent to disperse in the water column, turning on the trout quickly.
The redfish, especially in the backwaters, will gladly strike the same baits fished for the specks; however, when larger reds are being targeted along the surf, anglers may want to step up the size and strength of their jigheads to hold these 5-15 pound fish.
The most popular methods for targeting the striper will be trolling deep diving lures, such as Mann’s Stretch 12’s, 15’s, 25’s, and 30’s, Mojo rigs, Umbrella rigs, and deep jigging large bucktails tipped with live eels or artificial baits.
The nearshore waters will be holding some flounder in early to mid-December, until they eventually move farther off as water temps decline. Along with the December flounder will be sea bass, gray trout, sea mullet, tautogs, spiny dogfish, and other bottom fish, as well as scattered schools of surfacing albacore.
For those anglers targeting bottomfish in December, bucktails and Stingsilvers tipped with cut bait or scented baits like the Berkley strip baits will work great.
Billy, at Bogue Inlet Pier, reports that there was a busy bottom bite over November. A wide variety of bottom fish were caught, including black drum (from 2-3 pounds), puppy drum (up to 5 pounds), spot, and blowtoads (pufferfish.) Anglers fishing with shrimp have had the best results.
This fall has been the best trout season in the past few years, with fishermen decking lots of trout up to 3 pounds. Speck rigs in red head/green body have produced the most consistent action.
Bluefish are still around, but most are small.
The water at the pier is 58 degrees.
