Fishing Report 10/11/2018

Inshore / Nearshore:

Red Drum bite has been great over the last week, anglers are having good luck around the point at Cape Lookout of what’s left of Shark Island, the Coast Guard Station, back waters of Core Creek area, and seeing some around the Beaufort High Rise Bridge. Most anglers are having good luck using Live Shrimp, Live Mullet Minnows and Live Mud Minnows. We have all of these live baits in-stock at the shop ready to go to catch that big one.  Also, some have been caught on Berkley Gulp fishing along the bottom, but Live Bait seems to be the key catching numbers of fish. Some of the sizes have been crazy, not often do we see slot fish over the 8lb range but our charter fleet has been bringing quite a few back to the docks in that size. Once the water temps start to drop next week when we get a little colder weather I'd think the bite is only going to get better and better over the next few weeks. Along with Red Drum we've been seeing lots of Black Drum around the docks along the ICW, Live Shrimp and Bait Shrimp has been the best to find some action.

Speckled Trout fishing starting to pick up, next week is what every trout angler has been waiting for the first cold front of the fall. We have already been seeing good numbers of small fish, really all you want to catch. Also, we have one customer that's been catching plenty of 2 to 3lb fish regularly over the last few weeks. So, there's some nice fish to be caught you just have to locate them. I think next week, we're going to start seeing that change where the larger fish will begin to make a showing. I know lots of anglers are concerned just how the bite will be since the bad freeze we had last winter. But I can say this, we have been seeing plenty of small fish and year after year they show up before we start getting numbers of keepers and larger fish so signs now are looking like a normal fall.

Flounder fishing also has been great, we've started seeing those fall numbers we like to see, “Trout Man” from the shop has limited out a few times over the last two weeks. Just yesterday, he caught his personal best that topped the scales right at 11lbs. We've been seeing fish around the port area, bridges, rocks and docks from the inside waters. Most of these fish being caught on the inside waters have been caught on Live Minnows. From now until mid-November the Flounder will be schooling up and feeding up before moving to the ocean for the winter. Plus, you'll find good numbers of fish at the AR Reefs 315,320 and 285 are always great places to find fish this time of the year. Jigging Spro 2oz Bucktails tipped with 4” Berkley Gulp is the way to go if you are going ocean flounder fishing, allows you to cover move water and the deeper water fish it's flat out the “love lure combo”.

Been getting a lot of calls about if the Spots have shown up yet, well they're here and biting. Had a few customers over the last few days that have been coming in buying Bloodworms, Fishbites and Bait Shrimp. They are reporting having 50 fish days, but I'm hearing they aren't everywhere, just fish around until you find them, but when you do it's on one after another. Also, been hearing the commercial guys that fish for them have been catching more than they have seen in a few years. So, the Spots are around it's just a matter of locating them and catching them. We have some pretty Bloodworms in-stock ready to help you fill your coolers. In checking with some of our friends north of us, they're still catching good numbers so there's more on the way to us.

Albacore has been thick over the last two weeks, really all you want to catch on the days they're feeding good. With the north winds coming in this weekend, the bite should be really good around the Cape area. But we've been seeing schools of fish around the Beaufort Inlet area. Just look for busting fish on top or birds working the water and that's a good sign of Albie's feeding, they aren't very hard to find this time of the year. We just stocked back up on our heavy glass minnow jigs which are very hard to beat plus just got in a new shipment of Spanish Candies so, we have you covered for Albie's baits.

Still plenty of nice size Bluefish in the area to catch, kind of the same deal as the Albacore look for feeding fish, because they to are going to be getting into large schools feeding up like crazy before they move south.

Spanish fishing has been hit or miss since the Hurricane came through a few weeks back, the bite was great a few days after but over the last week they are getting harder to catch and locate. Rule of thumb year after year around mid-October they start to leave the area. I have a feeling with the cooler air on the way for next week they'll start to make their push south. There will still be some fish around to catch, but seems some have already made the push out. Now, the larger fish will hang around a bit longer than the smaller fish, you can still catch some nice ones around the AR reefs. We usually see them until November when you'll see some of the largest ones of the year being caught.

King Mackerel bite has also been hit or miss since the storm, it was on fire before Florence came through now things just seem to be off. But the water is just now stating to get back to normal looking which should really help the King bite. I did talk to a few customers this past week that did have great luck at the North West Places last weekend. Some caught over 20 fish or more that's the 'Hot Bite” we are used to seeing this time of the year. Best action was on Mac a Hoos and Dead Bait Rigs rigged with Dead Cigar Minnows, something about dead bait this time of the year, works just as good sometimes as live. Going to be interesting over the next few weeks since we have some big tournaments in the area; that will let us know just what class of fish are still here. You put 100 King boats out fishing a tournament, we'll know where the fish are located. So, it seems right now the hot bite is going to be around the North West Places. 

 

Piers / Surf:

Well, as most know our piers in the area are pretty messed up, they both have the ends closed off for safety but people can get back out and fish on the portion open. So, with all that going on with our piers most anglers have been hitting the Surf and what we have been seeing it's been pretty good fishing.

The Red Drum bite has been the best that we've seen in a while along the beaches, the best bite has been from the Oceanana Pier up to the Fort Macon Park area. Cut Mullet and Live Mullet from the shop has been working the best for anglers fished on Drum Rigs.

Blue Fish also have been in decent numbers along the Surf Zone with a few Spanish and Albacore if you're in the right place at the right time. The best times to catch these fish are when the tides are higher and the fish are coming in by casting distance from the beach.

As far as other bottom fish it's been a mix bag, few Sea Mullets, Spots, Pompano, Hog Fish and Flounder, nothing has really started to run yet. But with some cooler weather on the way, we should start to see that Sea Mullet and Spot run along our beaches.

 

Offshore:

Really, all we need to say is the Wahoo bite is on “FIRE” and you need to go fishing lol, but for real the bite is the best we've seen all year. They are here now in good numbers and some big ones at that. We've put quite a few in the last week on our scales over the 60lb mark and a few that have been over 80lbs. Boats have been coming back to the docks with limits of fish on a daily basis when the weather is good enough to fish. Best areas have been from the Rise to the Swansboro Hole with some boats even fishing a bit further south. But we've had customers bring fish to be weighed that caught them at the Big Rock too. The water is still hot so most of the fish are being caught down deep on the Planer Rod set up. We do have Planer Rods and Reel Combos all rigged up ready to go, all you have to do is snap your lure on and you're ready to fish. Plus, we have plenty of Bait Master Ballyhoo in-stock ready to go, anglers have been having the best luck with Mediums and Selects. We have all the wire, hooks, rigs and lures you need to catch some Wahoo this Fall. 

Along with the Wahoo’s being caught there's been quite a few Blue Marlin caught over the last week, most have been caught while Wahoo fishing. The Dolphin are also making their way back down the stream heading south.  I have talked to a few customers that's hit the right spot and loaded up on Gaffers, along with good numbers of Black Fin Tunas.