Southport September 16, 2010
Tony Tew with a sailfish he and Jim Pelletier, both of Oak Island, caught and released 15 miles off Southport on a a ballyhoo.
Butch, of Yeah Right Charters, reports that local fishing is picking up as we ease from summer into fall and the fish begin feeding harder.
Nearshore, the spanish mackerel bite is still excellent, and anglers are hooking up with the fish while trolling Clarkspoons, mackerel trees, and other small lures behind planers and trolling weights.
False albacore are beginning to mix in with the spanish nearshore, a sure sign that we’re nearing fall. Anglers can catch the albies the same way, or cast small metal lures to breaking schools of fish.
Flounder are feeding on the nearshore wrecks and reefs, and they will pounce on a Carolina-rigged live finger mullet.
Large citation-class red drum are feeding in the same areas and may well take an interest in anglers’ flounder baits.
Some gray trout and spadefish are feeding on the same structure.
Bluefish and mullet are running the beaches, and anglers should soon see some king mackerel moving nearshore to feed on them.
Offshore bottom fishing is still excellent. Anchoring up over bottom structure in 80-100’ and deeper will produce action with grunts, beeliners, sea bass, grouper, and a host of other bottom dwellers. Anglers can hook the smaller fish on cut baits or squid and tempt the grouper to bite large cut baits or live baits.
Sarah, from Charlotte, NC, with a slot red drum that fell for a live finger mullet in the lower Cape Fear River while she was fishing with Capt. Jeff Wolfe of Seahawk Inshore Fishing Charters.
Amberjacks are feeding on much of the same structure, and they will attack live baits with abandon.
Some dolphin are still feeding in the same areas, especially around floating debris.
King mackerel have been scattered, but a few are feeding in the vicinity as well, and anglers have also reported some sailfish.
Gulf Stream trollers are hooking up with some wahoo, blackfin tuna, dolphin, and billfish, mostly while pulling rigged ballyhoo around temperature breaks.
Tommy, of Southport Angler Outfitters, reports that the spanish mackerel bite has been incredible off the area’s beaches lately. Anglers are hooking big numbers of fish while trolling Clarkspoons, but some larger spaniards (2-3 lbs.) are in the mix and falling for small live pogies.
Inshore, there was some solid tailing red drum fishing taking places in the flooded grass of the marshes off the Cape Fear River in previous weeks, but the fish were tougher to find last week, possibly due to extremely high tides. Anglers can cast soft plastics or flies to the reds when they find them feeding in the shallow grass.
John, of Dutchman’s Creek Bait and Tackle, reports that pier and surf anglers are hooking up with some whiting and black and red drum. Shrimp will tempt the whiting and black drum, while the reds are more likely to fall for live or cut baits.
Spanish mackerel are feeding along the beaches, and anglers can hook them while working plugs and fishing live baits from the piers or trolling spoons and other lures from boats.
Anglers are picking up some reds in the backwaters on live baits and soft plastics.
Some speckled trout are also coming from the backwaters (with smaller numbers but some quality fish). Live shrimp are the way to go for the specks.
Joe Reid, Jon Rees, and Bill Jones with red and scamp groupers and a hogfish they hooked on cut bait, squid, and sardines in 100-110' of water off Southport while fishing with Capt. Ricky Holden on the "Reely Misbehaving."
Bubba, of Oak Island Pier, reports that anglers are hooking up with decent numbers of flounder and some slot red drum on live finger mullet and mud minnows.
A few speckled trout have been in the mix, and they’re falling for live shrimp for the most part.
Dave, of Ocean Crest Pier, reports that there’s been an excellent run of large (3-6+ lbs.) spanish mackerel lately. Most are falling for live baits fished from the end of the pier, but anglers can hook up with some of the smaller fish on Gotcha plugs.
The flounder bite has also been solid lately (with good numbers of fish in the 2-4 lb. range). Live finger mullet and mud minnows are fooling the flatfish.
