Fishing Report 08/09/2018

 

Inshore / Nearshore:

This week, Spanish Mackerel fishing has got back to normal, finally we didn’t have a week of rain and wind so anglers could get back out to the fish. The best bite seems to be up around the Cape Lookout area, since the water is just a little cleaner making them easier to catch. Trolling Bowed-Up Spoons and Clarkspoons have been working the best over the last few days. Also, we have seen some schooling fish along the Shoals this week making easy targets to cast to with the Spanish Candies and Glass Minnow Jigs. We’ve seen some fish around the Beaufort Inlet and along AB Beach but just a little harder to catch with the dirty water coming out the inlet from the backwaters. One of our charter boats yesterday got in a good mess of fish behind Shackleford Banks, so there’s some fish inside too. We’ve seen good action at AR315 and AR285 this week on the larger fish, they’re still there feeding on Live Bait and Dead Cigar Minnows rigged on Dead Bait Rigs. Also, there’s plenty of Bluefish in the same areas with the Spanish Mackerel if you’re looking for them.

We put a few nice King Mackerel back on our scales this week with the largest near 50lbs and we also saw a few 30lb fish. Most of what we’ve weighed have been over on the East Side of the Cape Lookout area, but I did hear from a customer the other day that caught some nice Kings at AR315 while trying to catch Spanish. So, from what we’ve been seeing the bite is back on, should be a good weekend for King fishing if the winds drop down like they are calling for. Slow trolling Live Baits or Dead Cigar Minnows on Mac a Hoo’s and Dead Bait Rigs, which have been working great this season so far.  We do have 3lb and 5lb Cigar Minnows at the shop ready for action.

Sheepshead fishing’s getting back to normal, been on the tough side with the Sound being a little dirtier than normal but we’re seeing it starting to clear up. The fish are still there just having to move around a bit more to locate them. We weighed a few over the 5lb mark this week, most have been caught all the same areas: bridges, docks and port area. Live Sea Urchins and Fiddler Crabs still working the best, we just got more of the Live Fiddler Crab jigs in today, these things have been working very well, just so easy to feel the bite because you have direct contact to the crab, so when the fish hits you feel it.

Even with the dirty water Flounder fishing still remains good along the Port area and around the Railroad tracks. Live Minnows have been working the best, we have Live Finger Mullet and Mud Minnows here at the shop. We also have seen a few nice catches that have come from the AR reefs in the last few days, out on the reefs the Spro 2oz Bucktails tipped with 4” White Berkley Shrimp Combo still doing the best, just can’t out fish that combo when you are fishing the reefs in the ocean. Don’t be surprised if you run into huge Bluefish around the Port area, we have been weighing a few this week from Flounder anglers.

Old Drum season is getting into full swing, plenty of fish have made their showing in the river. Night anglers have been having good luck bottom fishing with fresh mullet which we have in-stock with more on the way. We also have the Bait Binder Chum which was very popular last year, along with regular frozen chum. I’ve been getting a lot of calls also about if anglers are catching fish during the day; answer YES. We just re-stocked our artificial section today with what works the best, so come pick you up some supplies we know how to catch these fish, one of our favorites around the shop for sure, you know when you travel all the way to Louisiana to target Bull Redfish you kind of have an addiction, lol. Along, with the Big Drum, we’ve been seeing some smaller slot fish around Cape Lookout this week and the Core Creek area, being caught on Live Shrimp with corks from the shop seems to be getting the best action on the smaller fish. They’ve been hitting Gold Spoons and Top-water Plugs along the grass edges and oyster bar areas. Anglers still are catching slot fish around the railroad tracks and the bridges on Live Mullet Minnows from the shop.

 

Piers / Surf:

It’s been pretty slow in the Surf over the last few weeks, but there’s been a change in fishing over the last few days. Anglers have been catching some nice Red Drum from the Surf Zone, best results have been on fresh mullet from the shop, just very hard to beat that when fishing from the Surf. If there’s some Red Drum in the area they will find it. Been a few Spanish and Bluefish caught off the pier this week from the anglers still trying using Got-Cha plugs, not hot and heavy but a few fish to catch. Another positive sign has been a push of Sea Mullets along the Surf Zone this week, a few anglers have come by with some in their coolers, catching them on fresh shrimp from the shop fished on bottom rigs. So, hopefully; with the bite turning back on along the Surf this is the start of what’s to come this fall, usually September and October are our best months of Surf fishing along with November as the Speckled Trout bite can be really good.

 

Offshore:

It’s safe to say the “Wahoo Season” is kicking off, over the last two weeks we’ve been seeing fish come back to the docks. Best action we’ve been hearing has been in the Big Rock area, we have weighed some nice fish from the Northeast corner over the last week. Also, still seeing few Dolphin in the mix but of what we’ve been seeing I think from here on out it’s going to be more Wahoo action.

Bottom fishing's still doing well, most of the action has been coming from the East Side of Cape Lookout in 100ft of water or more for the Groupers. Anglers are pretty excited as tomorrow is the first “Red Snapper Season” we’re going to have this year, most of the same areas on the East Side and 14 Buoy are are holding nice Red Snapper from what we’ve been seeing all year. We finally got some Squid Wings back in which has been out of stock for most of the season, we also have plenty of Cigar Minnows, Sardines, Mackerel all ready to go for the Snapper Season this weekend.