Ocean Isle June 25, 2009

Serena Varnam Bowman, from Holden Beach, with a 25 lb. dolphin she hooked on a live bait near the Horseshoe. She was fishing with Capts. Mike Bowman and Cane Faircloth on the "Salty Fisher."

Brant, of Ocean Isle Fishing Center, reports that the king mackerel fishing has been excellent lately, although big fish were a bit more scattered than the 5-25 lb. class schoolies last week. Anglers have been hooking up with the kings on live pogies and dead cigar minnows (especially when the pogies have been tough to find). The action keeps moving towards the beaches, and anglers found a good king bite from the inlet sea buoys out to spots in 70-80’ of water last weekend.

There are still some dolphin mixed in with the kings, but they’re becoming a bit more scarce.

Some cobia are also feeding in the same areas, and, like the dolphin, they’re spreading out; however, one boat did weigh in a 77 lb. cobe last week.

The cobia and dolphin will respond to the same baits as the kings, but anglers should also keep a rod ready to pitch a bait back to a curious cobia that ignores the spread and swims up to check out the boat.

Spanish mackerel are still feeding along the beaches, and anglers should be able to hook up with them while trolling Clarkspoons behind planers and trolling weights.

Joe Pain, Dan Howard, and Randy Martin, from Statesville, NC, with a triggerfish, a dolphin, and a red grouper they hooked while fishing near the Blackjack Hole with Capt. Keith Logan of Stand'N Down charters out of Holden Beach.

Kyle, of Ocean Isle Fishing Center, reports that there’s been a mixed bag of action at the Little River jetties lately. Anglers are hooking speckled trout, red drum, bluefish, and a variety of other species while drifting live shrimp beneath floats near the rocks.

The speckled trout bite has been solid inshore at Little River over the past week as well. Live shrimp are the ticket to speck bites in the backwaters as well, and the best action has been so far inshore it’s near the freshwater demarcation line.

Flounder are still feeding well in Tubbs Inlet, and most anglers are hooking them while drifting with live mud minnows or peanut pogies on Carolina rigs. While anglers will get lots of bites in Tubbs, many of the fish are on the smaller side. Larger flatties are on the feed in the Lockwood Folly and Shallotte Rivers, and they’ll also take an interest in live baits on Carolina rigs.

Red drum are feeding in the typical summer spots inshore, like the canals behind Ocean Isle, Sunset Beach Bridge, and the marshes. Peanut pogies, live shrimp, and mud minnows will all produce results on the reds.

Capt. Mickey Gilley, of Oak Island's "Sea Walker" with a 60.2 lb. cobia he hooked at Lighthouse Rocks during the Jolly Mon King Mackerel Tournament. The cobe fell for a double pogy rig while Gilley was fishing with Matt and Buddy Cox.

David, of Capt. Hook Outdoors, reports that the dolphin bite has slowed down a bit, but there are still some dolphin feeding at spots in the 60-100’ range. Trolling live or dead baits will get the dolphin to bite when anglers can find them.

King mackerel fishing has been good all over the area over the past week, with anglers finding good bites from the beaches out to the Jungle and other spots in the 50-70’ range.

Large schools of pogies are moving down the beaches, and free-lining live pogies around the schools is producing hookups with good numbers of kings (mostly schoolies but a few larger, 20+ lb. fish mixed in) and plenty of large spanish mackerel (many over the 5 lb. citation minimum).

Dylan, of Ocean Isle Pier, reports that anglers are catching some flounder and sharks. Squid is a good bait for the flounder.

by Fish Post