Swansboro September 3, 2009
Joe Henry, of Smithfield, NC, caught this 33 lb. king mackerel on a cigar minnow at the 240 Rock while fishing aboard the "Wishing Big" with Ronald Barbour.
Rob, of Sandbar Safari Charters, reports that red drum are feeding in the area marshes at higher tides and holding along the channel edges adjacent to the marshes at lower tides. Targeting the fish with Gulp baits on light jigheads (or on live baits on jigheads or light Carolina rigs) along the marsh edges has been producing the most action lately, although anglers are hooking some fish in the marshes on live baits, topwater plugs, Gulps, and other lures when the tides are higher.
The recent rains have made for excellent sheepshead fishing around the area’s dock and bridge pilings. Fishing fiddler crabs tight to the pilings is the best way to target the sheeps.
Deeper channels and structure inshore, especially areas closer to the inlet, are holding good numbers of flounder right now (with some up to double digit sizes). Anglers are hooking good numbers of the flatties on Carolina-rigged live baits. Big numbers of small bluefish are making it tough to keep baits down long enough for the flounder to bite, though. Bouncing Gulp-tipped bucktails along the bottom will fool the flounder and reduce the number of nuisance bluefish bites.
Spanish mackerel are feeding in the Coast Guard channel and around drop-offs and deep channels inshore in the area. Free-lining live finger mullet on small treble hooks and light-wire leaders is producing plenty of strikes from the spaniards.
Gwen Peddles with a 2 lb. 11 oz. pompano caught from the Emerald Isle surf.
Fishing around the oyster rocks and other structure in the creeks and rivers is producing plenty of action with red drum, black drum, flounder, and speckled trout. Anglers can hook all of them on float-rigged live shrimp.
The cooler weather forecast for the next week should trigger a solid speckled trout bite in the rivers, and anglers can hook the specks on live shrimp or a variety of lures.
Chesson, of CXC Fishing, reports that bottom structure in 60-80’ of water is holding some stout gag grouper right now, and with the new one fish/person limit, landing a limit hasn’t been very tricky. Live pogies and bait-tipped bucktails are doing most of the damage on the gags.
Some king mackerel and cobia are feeding in the same areas, and anglers can either light-line while bottom fishing or slow-troll with live baits to attract attention from both.
Closer to the beaches, anglers are hooking good numbers of flounder on nearshore structure like live bottoms, reefs, and wrecks. Live baits will fool the flatties, and anglers can also bounce bucktails on the structure to hook up.
A few kings and some big spanish mackerel are feeding on top around the nearshore structure, and anglers can hook both on light-lined live baits while flounder fishing.
Heather Kellum, of Raleigh, hooked this 18 lb. gag grouper at a live bottom in 70' of water off Bogue Inlet. The gag fell for a live pogy while she was fishing with Capt. Chesson O'Briant of CXC Charters.
Dale, of The Reel Outdoors, reports that inshore flounder fishing’s been solid lately, with anglers landing big numbers of fish (with many under 14” and some 16”+, but not many in between). Bucktails tipped with Trigger-X or Gulp baits are fooling the majority of the flounder.
Red drum are still feeding throughout the marshes, and they’re falling for Gulp baits, spinnerbaits, and topwater plugs.
Anglers are landing some fat speckled trout right now, but they’ve been tight-lipped as to where and what they’re biting.
Joanne, of Bogue Inlet Pier, reports that anglers are picking up some whiting, croaker, spot, and bluefish. Bottom rigs baited with cut shrimp are fooling them all.
