Fishing Report 08/13/2015

Well, it finally looks like we have a good weather weekend coming our way!  After last weekend’s rain, we will take it. As of now, we are seeing just a 10% chance of rain with light winds. So, fishing should be good as this week reports have really picked up.

 

Inshore/Nearshore:

Spanish fishing has really improved over the last few days, our charter fleet has been bringing back limits back to the dock.  Most of the action we've been seeing has been from the Dead Tree Hole up toward Cape Lookout.  We've seen good signs this week that the Spanish are starting to school back up making catching numbers a lot easier.  Also, we've seen some schools up on top making them pretty easy to cast Glass Minnow Jigs and Jig Fish lures to them, which is some of the best Spanish action you'll find.  If you don’t find them on top trolling Clarkspoons, Squid Rigs, Yo-Zuirs and Mackerel Trees will get the job done. If you like to catch bigger Spanish they've really moved in around AR 315 this week, we have weighed quite a few from there this week. Most anglers have been live baiting small Menhaden or slow trolling Dead Cigar Minnows on Dead Bait Rigs. You won't catch as many fishing like this but as far as quality this is the way to make it happen for the bigger fish.

We have seen some good Flounder action at the reefs this week, I've been surprised some of the catches coming from AR 315 this week are keeper fish.  Jigging Spro 2oz Bucktails tipped with Berkley Gulp 4” White Shrimp and fishing Live Minnows is the very best set-up in netting the flatties.  Also, we've weighed a few nice fish in that was caught around the Port Wall and the Hi- Rise Bridges this week.  We weighed a 7lb Flounder that came off the Port Wall earlier this week, but most have been in the 16″ range but keeper fish at that.  Live Minnows and Berkley Gulp Baits seem to be working the best on the inside.

I've been getting a lot of calls about King Mackerel this week as we have a King event in town this weekend. With the bad weather last weekend we haven't weighed in one since the winds. The Shipping Channel, Dead Tree Hole, Rock Jetty, AR285, 1700 Rock and Atlas Tanker all were holding some Kings and I don’t see any reason for them not to still be in those areas. Trolling Live Baits or Dead Cigar Minnows with Dead Bait Rigs will be the baits of choice.

It’s a little early but the False Albacore have moved in around the Cape in good numbers during the last few days. I don’t know if this is just the first batch of fish moving in or are here for the fall but we'll take it. Most everything has been up toward the Cape. Another, cool thing we've been seeing is a push of bigger Blue Fish up around the Cape Shoals. There's 5 to 6lb schooling Blues busting Topwater Baits or Casting Spoons. If you want to have some screaming fun these fish will test your tackle for sure.

Old Drum fishing has been “GREAT” this week with very good numbers of fish in the Neuse River. Artificial fishing for them with Popping Corks has been on just about every morning this week and up into the day.  Most of the action has been on DOA Airheads, Z-Man 7” Jerkshads and Berkley Gulp 6-7” Jerkshads. 

The biggest key in catching these monsters on artificial is to find the bait, look for bird schools working on the top usually meaning bait's in the area. Once you find that, start fan casting the area, the Old Drum could be anywhere.  I know of some anglers that have been seeing fish busting and fining on top this week, which you just don’t see every day. 

 As far as night fishing and bait fishing it also has been just as good, more numbers are being caught fishing this way for sure.  The mouth of the rivers and creeks, drop offs along the river edges is what you want to target.  Rule of thumb mouth of Adams Creek back down toward the bombing range is the area you want to be in unless you want to fish the Cedar Island side.  Cut Mullet and Cut Menhaden on the bottom with a Chum slick will get the job done. Last week, we had a good supply of Fresh Mullet. I've got guys looking again this week but it’s been very hard to find. But if everything goes right, we should have some at the shop ready for action this weekend.

Not as many people seem to be Sheepsheads fishing as they were but those boys are still biting pretty well. The bite not like it was back in June and July but you can still go out and catch some. The Port Wall and the Bridges seem to be the best areas to fish. Fishing Live Sea Urchins and Live Fiddler Crabs will be the best baits for action. If things go like last year once the water starts to cool down just a bit, the fish will go to feeding up like they do in June making them a lot easier to catch in numbers.  We still have plenty of Crabs and Sea Urchins in-stock at the shop ready to go.

 

Piers / Surf:

From what we've seen this week, things might be getting ready to turn back on as far as the piers and surf is concerned. It’s been pretty slow but we're now starting to see some bait move along the beach which should fire back up the action. I know the beach down at Bouge anglers have seen some pretty good Spanish action this week. 

What we've seen from the boats this week with the Spanish schooling up, the piers will also be able to take good advantage plugging Gotcha-plugs when the schools work nearer to the pier.

As for bottom fish we're starting to see some Sea Mullets come back down the beach along with a few Spots being caught on Bait Shrimp and Bloodworms fished off the bottom. There's been some Black Drum hanging in the Surf Zone too along with a few Flounder and Pompano.

 

Offshore:

Unfortunately, we've still been battling the winds but a few boats have been getting out and bringing back fish to the docks. I've seen some nice catches of Wahoo, so it looks like things are getting ready to fire off for the Hoo’s.  Most of the Wahoo action so far has been out around the Big Rock. Also, there's been a few Yellow Fin, Black Fin and some scattered Dolphin in the mix.  

The bottom fishing has been very good but again it’s been hard to get out to the grounds to catch the fish.  We had a trip go out yesterday over to the East Side and just in a short time of fishing they brought back some nice Grouper bottom fishing with Cigar Minnows and Squid. Earlier this week, we had another bottom fishing trip make it out to the rocks off the East Side and came back with good numbers of Bass, Snappers, AJ's and Grouper.

If the weather holds up for Saturday, Sunday and Monday which right now it's forecasting 2 to 3ft Seas – so, let’s hope that stays true.  We need a few good weather days so some boats can get on out and catch some fish.  

    

 

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