Ocean Isle/Holden Beach – May 2022
Jeff, of Ocean Isle Fishing Center, reports that good-sized red drum (to upper-slot) have been on the move out of their wintering flats and creek holdovers. Anglers are having success targeting deeper marsh edges and oyster rock structures. Carolina-rigged live shrimp, soft-shelled crabs, or mud minnows have all been the hot baits.
Some large trout are in these same areas for anglers fishing live or artificial Vudu shrimp.
Black drum are still staged around docks and oyster structures. They’re feeding on live or cut shrimp.
Anglers looking to keep rods bent are enjoying plenty of action on good-sized whiting and croakers while fishing bottom rigs with cut shrimp.
Nearshore anglers are finding spanish mackerel moving into the area. The spanish are being caught with both trolling and sight casting tactics.
Sean Martin hooked this 26″ trout on live shrimp under a cork. He was fishing the Sunset Beach backwaters with Capt. Tripp Hooks of Capt’n Hook Outdoors.
Brant, of Ocean Isle Fishing Center, reports that mixed bags of blackfin tuna, yellowfin, wahoo, and mahi will all be feeding well moving into May.
Keeper season for grouper is opening, and anglers are looking to target structure and live bottoms in the 80-200’ range for gags and scamps. These same bottom areas will produce snappers and a variety of other local bottom species.
Spanish mackerel have already shown up on the beachfronts. They’re schooled up tightly and in good numbers, and this has made finding action fairly easy while trolling Clarkspoons.
The larger king mackerel will be migrating in right behind these spanish. Watching the pier reports is a great way to stay in tune with when the kings get to the beach. The larger schools of smaller-sized king mackerel will be staged up in the 50-70’ range in the coming month. Slow trolling dead cigar minnows is just about the best thing you can do for this king action.
Anglers also await the arrival of cobia, which tends to always begin at some point in May.
Tim, of Tideline Charters, reports that inshore anglers have found good numbers of red drum around oyster beds, though finding them has been a bit difficult at times. For bait, mud minnows have been getting larger in size, and fishing them on a knocker rig has been best for the reds.
Fishing lighter MirrOlure MR-17s and 27s have been producing some speckled trout action, and targeting the trout around shell banks in the ICW on rising tide cycles has been most successful.
Sheepshead have shown up inshore, with anglers finding strikes while fishing fiddler crabs around the area bridges. Using the lightest possible rigs has really helped with bite numbers.
Gray trout and spanish mackerel have been staged up over the nearshore wrecks.
Tripp, of Capt’n Hook Outdoors, reports that king mackerel have started to show up in the 70-100’ range. Offshore areas holding water temperatures over 69 degrees are good places to start trolling dead cigar minnows or Drone spoons.
Over the next couple weeks, there will be catches of mahi, wahoo, and tuna all hitting skirted ballyhoo pulled around the 7-knot speed out at the Gulf Stream.
Inshore anglers are finding some strong speckled trout fishing. Live shrimp fished under a float drifted around the jetties or along deeper oyster rocks have been producing strikes. Most trout are in the 15-20” range, with larger ones sprinkled in.
Black and red drum are also holding in these same areas. Fishing Carolina rigs and/or jig heads rigged with dead shrimp and softshell crabs around these structures or under docks is getting action.
Boomer, of Salt Fever Guide Service, reports that there has been plenty of “cookie cutter” sized wahoo (35-50 lbs.) still around from their springtime peak. A few sailfish are also still in the area.
Blackfin tuna fishing has been solid, with yellowfins now mixed in around areas from the Steeples down to Georgetown Hole.
Some of the first smaller dolphin (to 12 lbs.) have started to move into the area, but with the 80-degree water still way offshore and not much grass around, it will be a little longer before action fires up.
Bottom fishing efforts will be ramping up with grouper season opening in May. Targeting structures in the 90+’ range is a great area for reds and mixed scamps. Most of the gags will be holding deeper (160+’).
Nearshore fishing has also picked up, with the first wave of juvenile spanish mackerel moving into the area. Some schools of bluefish are mixed in. Fishing action for both species only gets better as water temperatures rise and bait stacks up on the beach.
Cobia will be moving into the area, possibly by the middle of May. Nearshore structure in the 7-10 mile range will hold most action, with anglers also finding some around bait balls on the beach.
Kyle Stone, of Wilmington, hooked these black sea bass, snappers, and grunts on Fishbites Squid offshore of Ocean Isle.
Philip, of Rod and Reel Shop, reports that bottom fishing anglers are enjoying good action on whiting and croakers in deeper holes in the ICW and around the inlet.
Black drum and sheepshead are staged up around inshore structure, and they’re feeding on fiddler crabs and shrimp.
Red drum and some flounder are also in the area. Deeper holes, grass banks, and docks are great places to target.
Bluefish are pushing in from the ocean and will be just about anywhere hitting any baits throughout the inshore waters.
Surf anglers have been enjoying good action on whiting, croakers, and bluefish.
Spanish mackerel have started to move into areas just off the beach.
Nearshore anglers have been finding plenty of black sea bass while bottom fishing local reefs. Atlantic bonito are also around these same reefs for anglers looking to troll or cast at surface-feeding action.
Jerry, of Ocean Isle Beach Fishing Pier, reports that bottom fishing has remained steady, with anglers catching plenty of whiting and some croakers.
Spanish mackerel are starting to show up in the area. Anglers have found some action while casting Gotcha plugs.
