Swansboro Winter 2013-2014
Lee Throckmorton with a 4.68 lb. speckled trout that he hooked on a TT MirrOlure in the Emerald Isle surf. Weighed in at The Reel Outdoors.
Rob, of Sandbar Safari Charters, reports that anglers are hooking speckled trout throughout the area waters right now. Small “spike” trout are feeding in the open waters of Bogue Sound, with the larger fish still looking for meals far up the mainland creeks and rivers. Live mud minnows fished under floats or soft plastics like Gulp baits and Storm and Halo shrimp are all proving effective on the specks.
The trout bite is also turning on in the surf at Emerald Isle, where MirrOlures and soft plastics on heavier jigheads are tempting the trout to bite.
Anglers can expect the inshore speck action to stay good until sometime in January. Anglers can target the creek fish around the mouths and lower sections of the creeks following any significant rain and towards the backs of the waterways during dry spells.
A few pods of puppy drum are still feeding in the marshes of Bogue Sound. Anglers who find the fish can tempt them to bite Gulps and other soft baits or live mud minnows and cut baits on Carolina and float rigs.
Bigger numbers of red drum are feeding in the surf around the shoals at local inlets, and as the water cools approaching the New Year, even more of the inshore fish will head out to the ocean. The fish tend to be in large schools near the inlets, and big numbers are a possibility for anglers who find a school feeding. MirrOlures and a variety of soft plastic baits will fool the reds in the surf.
Dennis Barham, of Swansboro, with a 22″ speckled trout that bit a MirrOlure MR17 in the White Oak River.
Gray trout are feeding at nearshore structure within a few miles of the inlets, and they’ll hungrily bite small jigging spoons or baited bottom rigs.
Area anglers typically see some black and puppy drum feeding up the area creeks at some point over the winter, but the fish haven’t moved in yet and often don’t until it gets truly cold.
Chesson, of CXC Fishing, reports that not many anglers have been out in the ocean recently due to the winds, but bottom fishermen should have some solid targets when the seas calm down.
Gag grouper should be around structure in the 80’ depths whenever boats can make it out that far. Live baits are top choices for the grouper, but a variety of dead, frozen, and cut baits will tempt them to bite as well.
Legal black sea bass are feeding a bit closer to shore, but the best action with larger bass will be in the same areas where the gags are feeding.
Structure a bit further off in the 100’ range is holding red grouper and a host of other bottom feeders.
Gavin Tippett, of Kernersville, NC, with a red drum that fell for a live mullet in the sound behind Atlantic Beach.
Robbie, of Hall’Em In Charters, reports that anglers are seeing large schools of red drum (most 22-30”) in the surf around Bogue Inlet right now. MirrOlures or soft plastic baits will tempt bites from the reds, and they should be feeding in the surf until extremely cold temperatures force them to seek the sun’s warmth on the shallow flats back inside the inlets, where some smaller schools are already feeding.
Small speckled trout are feeding all over the Swansboro area, with the larger fish back in the creeks and up the White Oak River. The trout bite should hold up for a while as well, hopefully with a larger average class of fish as it cools off further. Zoom Flukes, MirrOlure MR17’s, and the new Vudu Shrimp have been fooling the specks recently.
Josh, of The Reel Outdoors, reports that anglers are seeing some solid speckled trout action in the Emerald Isle surf at present (with some fish 20-24”). Soft plastic baits like Gulp shrimp and Zoom Flukes are attracting plenty of attention from the surf specks.
There are also plenty of keeper trout feeding in the area creeks, where anglers can cast soft plastics, MR17 MirrOlures, and live mud minnows to hook up.
Thee hasn’t been much of a red drum bite inshore lately, but anglers are hooking good numbers in the surf near Bogue and Bear Inlets, as the fish are schooling up for the winter. MirrOlures and soft plastics on heavy jigheads are the way to go for the reds in the surf.
Not many anglers have been offshore lately, but there should be opportunities at wahoo and blackfin tuna in the Gulf Stream throughout the winter.
