Northern Beaches – May 22, 2014
Anne Lusk with one of many large speckled trout she and her husband Matt hooked on soft plastic baits in the Nags Head surf.
Betty, of TW’s Tackle, reports that along the Nags Head beaches, surf casters are connecting with sea mullet, spot, and bluefish. Shrimp and artificial bloodworms are fooling the panfish, and the blues have been falling for cut baits.
Waders around Oregon Inlet have been finding plenty of action with puppy drum.
Anglers fishing from the little bridge on the causeway are also hooking some spot and finding some catch and release speckled trout action while tossing soft plastic baits.
Boaters are catching more specks in the sound along with some puppy drum and flounder.
The offshore fleet are connecting with plenty of dolphin and yellowfin tuna, along with a few bigeye tuna and the first billfish encounters of the year. Most of the blue water gamefish are falling for skirted ballyhoo.
Bottom fishing offshore has been producing solid hauls of tilefish.
Gary Gilbert and friends from Durham, NC, with a big haul of gaffer dolphin, seven yellowfin tuna, and a white marlin release flag, results of a mid-May trip offshore of Oregon Inlet with Capt. Dave Peck on the “Skiligal” out of Oregon Inlet Fishing Center.
Cobia have shown up along the beachfront south of Oregon Inlet, and boats are sight-casting bucktails and live baits to fish they spot cruising near the shoreline.
Carmen, of Oregon Inlet Fishing Center, reports that the offshore fleet is finding action with yellowfin tuna, gaffer dolphin, and a few wahoo and mako sharks while trolling ballyhoo along the break offshore. Many days have seen limit catches of the gaffers recently.
Closer to the beaches, boats are finding cruising cobia to the south of the inlet and hooking good numbers while casting bucktails and live baits to fish they spot.
Trolling along the beachfront and around the inlet is producing plenty of action with taylor bluefish.
And bottom fishing is turning on in the inlet, with croaker, sea mullet, pigfish, gray trout, and flounder all coming over the rails of the headboat this week.
Dave, of Skiligal Sportfishing, reports that the gaffer dolphin have made a solid showing off Oregon Inlet, and anglers are hooking limit catches of the golden fish while trolling ballyhoo along offshore temperature breaks and weedlines in the area.
Yellowfin tuna are also feeding off the inlet, and anglers have been finding some multiple hookups with the tunas after boxing up the gaffers on many recent days. Ballyhoo paired with skirted trolling lures are fooling the tuna as well.
Ben Rollason, of Kill Devil Hills, with a 21″ puppy drum that he hooked while fishing from Jennette’s Pier.
Billfish are starting to show up offshore in addition, and anglers released white marlin and sailfish over the past week on top of the tuna and dolphin.
Mike, of Jennette’s Pier, reports that bottom fishermen are hooking up with sea mullet, pufferfish, pigfish, spot, croaker, gray trout, and other panfish.
Some bluefish are also falling for the bottom rigs and metal casting lures that anglers are working.
Sheepshead have also shown up, and anglers are hooking a few while dangling shrimp and other baits near the pilings.
