Fishing Report 09/18/2014

 

It's starting to feel alot like fall with this hard Northeast wind we're having. Mullet has been swimming out of the inlet and along the beach all week; making the fishing pretty good to say the least!

 

 

Inshore:

If you like to catch Spanish Mackerel, now's the time. All week long, we've seen some of the best Spanish fishing, you'll ever see anywhere. There's been schools as far back as the Turning Basin area busting bait balls of mullet. They're all in the inlet plus up and down the beaches to catch. The majority are being caught by casting small lures like Jig Fish in the 1/2oz to 3/4oz size and Glass Minnow Jigs into the feeding fish.

This week it hasn't been hard to find them, locate birds working the water and you can bet there's feeding Spanish there.

Also, anglers are catching limits of Spanish by trolling spoons in Silver, Mackerel Trees, Squid Rigs and Bird Rigs. The 6lb plus fish have been all over AR315 this week, anglers are catching them on Live Finger Mullet with Mini Live Bait Rigs. There's plenty of nice sized Bluefish mixed in with the Spanish along with some small Jacks.

The Albacore fishing has picked up off Cape Lookout this week with good schools of fish moving in along the beach feeding on the bait balls. Again, the easy way to find these types of fish is look for the birds or bait along the beach.

Also, the King Mackerel fishing is getting very good with all the bait coming out of the inlets. Just this week, we weighed a 23lb King that was caught off the beach at Fort Macon. I'll have to say “that's a first” I've ever seen caught there. Along, with that one the angler lost an even bigger fish.

There's been a good number of Kings around AR 315 this week plus around the inlet area too. I've not talked to anyone that's made it to the East Side since all this action has started but I've got a feeling that areas like AR 285, Atlas Tanker and the 1700 Rock is going to be on fire with the bigger fish. Dead Cigar Minnows fished on Dead Bait Rigs are doing very well or Live Bait but what we've seen it hasn't mattered that much “Dead or Alive”.

We're beginning to see our first signs of Sea Mullet moving in. There's no big numbers yet but I did see a nice catch of them in the 1 to 1 1/2lb range that was caught in the inlet this week. Also, I heard of some Spots showing up around the Beaufort Drawbridge last weekend and anglers have fished for them this week.  Again, with them no huge numbers but some anglers caught up to 20 or so nice ones. Spec-Rigs tipped with shrimp is going to be the best for the Sea Mullets and bottom rigs tipped with Bloodworms or Fishbite Bloodworms will work the best for the Spots.

We weighed some nice Sheepshead this past week that were caught around the Port area. Also, I heard of some nice fish caught around the Beaufort Waterfront Docks. With the high tides from all the north wind, it's been very hard for us to get in any Live Sea Urchins but we do still have some Live Fiddler Crabs.

I can report that I've seen some nice keeper size Speckled Trout this week, with most of the action coming from the Neuse River Creeks. It's that time of year when those creeks are pretty good and will continue getting better over the next few weeks.

We weighed in some for the 7th Annual Speckled Trout Challenge the other day and he told me that he pretty much caught trout all day long on Mirrorlure17MR and Vudu Shrimp. Also, we've seen some fish coming from around the Haystacks area and Core Creek. Since, we're seeing cooler weather, the trout bite will only improve.

Just this week, we've seen customers coming in buying trout lures so that's always a great sign – the fish are starting to bite.

Anglers are catching all the Gray Trout you'd want around the Inlet and the High Rise Bridges. Jigging a Stingsilver will get the job done pretty quick. 

We haven't weighed many Flounder this week since most anglers have been Spanish fishing with the “crazy frenzy” that's going on. But, I'm sure there's still plenty around the Port area. This time of year, the Flounder will use that area as a staging or holding area before their move back out to the ocean. AR 315 and AR 285 are great places to fish as the flounder move back toward the ocean. Jigging a Spro 2oz Bucktail tipped with Berkely Gulp 4″ White Shrimp along with Live Minnows will work the best when fishing the reefs. 

Old Drum fishing has really picked up this week in the river. It took awhile but fishing with the Popping Cork for them has been pretty good this week with the North winds. The DOA Deadly Airhead Popping Cork Rig is a definite to use if you're going to fish for the Old Drum. I know last weekend, the boats fishing at night were having very good luck with plenty of fish being caught.

We do have “Fresh Mullet” back In-Stock ready for action. There's probably a few more good weeks of good Old Drum fishing since we're running behind this season.

There's plenty of small Redfish still in the marsh areas to be caught. The Haystacks and Core Creek would both be good places to fish. The Topwater bite has been pretty good this week. It's getting close to the last event in the Carolina Redfish Series Event # 3 on September 27th, so most of the guys fishing are getting “lock jaw” not talking about where or how they're catching the Reds. 

 

Friday, Sept. 26th Captains Meeting

 

Chaisn Tails Outdoors 5:30pm – 7:00pm 
 

 

Guaranteed… EXTRA $1,000 to the WINNER… 

 

CASH & PRIZES… Top 10 Places!!! 

 

 

    

Piers / Surf:

The Surf Zone has come alive over this past week with all of the mullet coming down the beach. Just to give you an idea of how good it's getting, a customer caught a 23lb King Mackerel from the beach at Fort Macon Park. Also, he lost another one that was bigger that he didn't land. The Blue Fish and Spanish have been busting bait all up and down the beach all week along.

The anglers from the pier have been catching good numbers of Spanish off Got-Cha Plugs. Plus, some Red Drum has been caught this week since they're moving in feeding on the mullet too. Also, Sea Mullets, Pompano and Spots are starting to show up along the beach. Shark fishing has been good this week with plenty ot 5 to 7ft fish being caught. When this much bait starts to move down the beach, the fish are going to follow it producing pretty good fishing from shore.    

 

SIGN UP NOW OPEN

 

FREE… 4-Wheel Drive Access Permit for the event

 

  

 

 

Offshore:

 

The Wahoo bite was very good last weekend around the Big Rock area down south to the Swansboro Hole. The boats that came by the shop to weigh their catch had more than one Wahoo in the cooler. We weighed a few that broke over the 60lb mark and lots in that 30lb range. Blue Water Candy Wahoo Chains, Jags, Jag a Hoo’s, Braid Plugs and Fathom Wahoo Chains all are working very well.  Medium Ballyhoo seems to be the right size for the Wahoo.

There's still good bottom fishing in that 30-mile range and out. I talked to several customers that had nice catches of fish from the 1700 Rock area this past weekend. All of the head boats have been coming back in with Grouper, Snappers, Cobia, Amber Jacks, Trigger Fish and Sea Bass.  

 

 

 

Braggin Board: 

 

 

Get Directions