Added on Thursday, September 14, 2006  Gary Hurley

Morehead City September 14, 2006

Paul, at Freeman’s Bait and Tackle, reports that surf and pier anglers are experiencing a variety of action that includes slot-sized red drum, black drum, and spanish mackerel.

The red drum are hitting cut mullet, the fresher the better. The top bait for the black drum has been shrimp. And the spanish are hitting Stingsilvers (from the beach) and Gotcha plugs (from the piers).

There has also been a grab bag of other species in the surf zone, including spots, croaker, flounder, pigfish, and whiting. These species are all hitting baits on the bottom.

Bigger spanish mackerel (from 3 to 6 lbs.) are in the Hook, and they’re eating trolled cigar minnows and spoons.

The inshore flounder fishing has been slow due to the dirty run-off from the rain water.

Offshore, the word is wahoo, but only if the bumpy seas calm down enough to get to them. The wahoo are between the 90’ Drop and Big Rock, and medium ballyhoo with dark skirts are the hot baits.

George, at Carolina Bait and Tackle, reports that there have been some citation spots and croakers weighed in this week. The bigger ones are coming from near the Coast Guard station.

Flounder are still biting in the turning basin, at the inlet, and on the offshore ledges and wrecks.

A 16 pound hog snapper was weighed in this week. It was caught around the trawler buoy.

Redfish are biting well in the marshes. And there have been some big, over-the-slot drum being caught at night around Cedar Island. Mullet has been the best bait for the reds.

Along the beach, the spanish are still hitting spoons; however, the bite has been only early in the mornings.

King mackerel fishing action has been scattered, with the most consistent reports coming from the east side of the shoals.

Shane, at Second to None Charters, reports that there’s been rough water and tough fishing over the past weeks. Wahoo from 25 to 50 lbs. have been around the 400 line. Ballyhoo with dark colored witches are the baits to pull.

Bottom fishing has been good for gags, reds, and scamp groupers. They’re 25 to 30 miles from Beaufort Inlet. The 210 Rock, 240 Rock, and points offshore have been the most productive areas.

Spanish mackerel are thick in and near the inlet. Trolling small spoons or live baits is the best way to get them to bite.

Joe, at Joe’s Pro Bait and Tackle, reports that in the surf there have been good runs of spots at night. Red drum are also biting well in the surf, as well as a few flounder and an occasional pompano.

Big red drum continue to bite very well off of Cedar Island, and around Raccoon and Swan Islands.

The red drum fishing in the marshes has picked up back to where it was before the storm. Look for more fish to show up on the sandy shorelines and around the docks in the main part of the sound now that the water is cooling.

The speckled trout are starting to show up around the Atlantic Beach Bridge. The fresh water from Tropical Storm Ernesto has forced most of the shrimp out of the Neuse River system, and the trout have followed them down to the sound.

Offshore, the wahoo bite is good. And there have been good numbers of billfish being caught by the few boats that have been offshore.