Swansboro – Winter 2014-2015
John Herring, of Holly Springs, NC, with a 51″ black drum he caught and released in the Emerald Isle surf after it struck shrimp on a bottom rig fished on 8 lb. line.
Rob, of Sandbar Safari Charters, reports that anglers saw some good speckled trout action over the past month, but the fishing has slowed a bit and most of the fish that anglers are catching now are undersized. The specks are feeding well up creeks and rivers off Bogue Sound and will remain in the same areas for much of the winter. Anglers are hooking some larger trout around the creeks off the Neuse and New Rivers. Smaller Gulp baits, suspending soft shrimp, and MirrOlure MR17’s have been the top trout foolers of late.
Red drum have moved into the surf zone in big numbers, and they’ll be schooled up around the shoals of local inlets for much of the winter. Casting heavily-weighted soft plastics to schools of fish that anglers spot from the beach or from boats on calm days is the way to connect with the surf reds.
Anglers can still find some reds in the backwaters over the winter as well, with most of the action occurring on flats with dark mud and oyster bottoms, as they absorb sunlight and warm the surrounding water. Mid tides will present some sight-casting opportunities for the reds, and anglers can tempt them to bite Gulp shrimp or live mud minnows pinned to jigheads.
Chesson, of CXC Fishing Charters, reports that anglers can find action with legal black sea bass around bottom structure from just a few miles off the beach out to the 90’ depths. Flounder and an occasional gag grouper are mixed in, and anglers can fool all three with bucktail and metal jigs or bottom rigs baited with squid and cut baits.
False albacore are feeding in many of the same areas and can be located by searching for groups of terns working above the schools. Small metal casting jigs are tough for the albacore to turn down.
Capt. Rob Koraly, of Sandbar Safari Charters, with a brace of 4-6 lb. speckled trout that bit live mud minnows under popping corks in a mainland creek off Bogue Sound.
King mackerel have for the most part pushed offshore to temperature edges just inside the break, but anglers may see a few in 60+ degree water while bottom fishing or trolling for other species over the winter.
Rich, of The Reel Outdoors, reports that red drum are schooling up off the beachfront, where anglers will be able to target them for much of the winter. The schools are feeding around the inlet shoals, and anglers can either cast for them from the beach or chase them from boats behind the breakers on calmer days. Gulps and other soft baits on ½ oz. jigheads are top choices for the surf reds.
Anglers are also still seeing some reds feeding on the marshy flats and hooking them on Gulps pinned to lighter jigheads.
The speckled trout bite hasn’t been on fire recently, but anglers are hooking a few up in the creeks and rivers off Bogue Sound. Soft plastics or MirrOlure MR17’s will fool the specks.
Out in the ocean, there’s been decent black sea bass action at live bottoms and ledges in 60’+ of water. The sea bass should continue feeding in the same areas for much of the winter and will bite squid, cut baits, or small vertical jigs.
Giant bluefin tuna have made an appearance off Cape Lookout, and boats landed decent numbers of the huge fish (some over 500 lbs.). The bluefins are unpredictable, but when they’re around, they’ll bite large skirted ballyhoo trolled around bait concentrations and bottom structure.
