Morehead City July 12, 2007
Tim, of Chasin Tails Outdoors, reports that big red drum are feeding between the wildlife boat ramp and the Atlantic Beach Bridge. The drum are running 30-40” and holding near dock and bridge pilings. Live mud minnows, finger mullet, and Gulp baits are taking most of the drum.
Flounder (in the 2-3 lb. class) are hanging around the same areas as the big drum, and they will strike the same baits. Nice flounder catches are also coming from the Cape Lookout Rock Jetty and the AR’s.
Anglers fishing sand fleas and fiddler crabs near the bridges and the railroad tracks are catching good numbers of sheepshead.
Speckled trout are on the feed in the Haystack marshes. Cast Gulp Alive baits or mud minnows to attract the trout’s attention.
Fat gray trout (2-3 lbs.) are feeding near the corner of the port wall in around 50’ of water. Anglers are hooking up with the grays by jigging Stingsilvers and spec rigs tipped with shrimp or mullet.
Surf and pier fishermen are catching pigfish, pompano, and spot on the bottom.
Spanish mackerel and bluefish are hitting Gotcha plugs, mostly on the piers.
Big spanish are feeding early and late in the day on the AR’s. Boats trolling live baits, such as finger mullet and peanut pogies, stand the best chance of hooking up with these bigger fish.
Kings are spread out around the sea buoy, the AR’s, and other nearshore structure. Ballyhoo and cigar minnows seem to be producing most of the king mackerel strikes.
Dolphin action has been best for boats trolling around the 90’ Drop and the 14 Buoy with ballyhoo. Some wahoo are feeding with the dolphin, and a few sailfish are around, too.
Boats are landing some nice grouper around the Big 10/Little 10 on cigar minnows, and bottom fishermen working further out into the Gulf Stream waters are hooking up with bigger grouper, red snapper, and triggerfish.
Paul, of Freeman’s Bait and Tackle, reports that anglers are catching citation-sized (over 4 lbs.) speckled trout in Bogue Sound. The area around Hoop Pole Creek has seen particularly good trout fishing this past week. The trout are falling for a variety of baits, but Gulp baits and live mullet and mud minnows have been especially effective.
One angler caught a 74 lb. cobia last week on a live bluefish in the Hook.
Surf anglers are hooking up with a typical summertime mix of croakers, sea mullet, pompano, and spot.
Spanish mackerel and bluefish are feeding along the beaches, and both are attacking trolled Clarkspoons and bird/squid rigs.
Some kings are feeding further inshore, but the best bites over the past week have been around the NW Places and Big 10/Little 10. Cigar minnows, strip baits, and small ballyhoo are fooling the majority of the kings.
Dolphin action, which was hot closer to the beach, has moved back offshore around the Big 10/Little 10. Anglers looking for dolphin should troll cigar minnows and small to medium rigged ballyhoo. The dolphin should move back inshore with the arrival of several consecutive days of stable weather.
Ken, of Swell Rider Charters, reports king mackerel fishing is still hot around the artificial reefs. Most of the kings are snakes in the 6-10 lb. class, but a few larger fish of 20+ lbs. are around as well. The larger kings are biting live baits fished near bait pods in the vicinity of the AR’s.
Dolphin are feeding around 10 miles offshore. The dolphin are mostly peanut sized, but there are some larger ones around. Trolled ballyhoo, both naked and skirted, are accounting for most of the dolphin bites.
Shane, of Fight N Lady Charters, reports that good catches of wahoo are coming from the 400 line in the 23-40 fathom depths. The wahoo are averaging 25-30 lbs., and most are striking the planer and long bridge pole baits.
Plenty of bailer dolphin are feeding on weed lines in the same depths.
Some white marlin are hunting down meals in deeper water out around 125 fathoms.
Ballyhoo under Blue Water Candy Mini Jags and Witches are drawing strikes from all these blue water gamefish.
Willis, of Oceanana Pier, reports that anglers are catching pompano and spot while fishing bloodworm and shrimp on bottom rigs.
Those fishing live baits on the bottom are hooking up with flounder, although many are undersized.
Plug casters are hooking up with bluefish and spanish mackerel, and many of the spanish are 20”+.
The water temperature is around 80 degrees.
