Fishing Report 06/21/2018

 

This Saturday is our annual Tent Sale… so mark your calendar and get ready for deals of the year! Then July 14th, we’ll have our annual Customer Appreciation Day, something for sure you don’t want to miss out on. Our grill master will be on hand again this year; slow cooking BBQ all night long to be ready for serving the next day at 11am. In the last two years of doing BBQ, we hear the same thing year after year from our customers, “This has to be some of the best BBQ we have ever eaten”. Also, we’ll have our line-up of Captains performing seminars from 11am -2pm, giving out some good info for fishing in our local area. The best part about all of this it’s totally FREE for all of our customers to enjoy!

 

 

Don’t forget parents, our “Kid’s Fishing Rodeo” has started, you can still sign up anytime here at the shop or call over the phone to get your child registered. Already, a few kids have brought fish in to weigh and they were excited! The smile on their faces was priceless; so, get you kid involved in this event.

 

SPANISH (aka beat Hudson Invitational) and SHEEPSHEAD Challenge registration is NOW OPEN! Sign up at teh shop in person or call to sign up over the phone… note there is a 3 day grace period before you can weigh any fish. You can sign up at anytime, does not have to be before July 1st. 

ENTRY FEE: $50.00

NOTE…this year’s events will be a 3 fish aggregate, first two fish weighed are final and can’t be replaced, 3rd fish you can weigh as many times like previous years. At end of events all 3 fish weights will be combined for a total weight, heaviest 3 fish will take home top prize.

PAYOUTS: (based on 50 anglers, if we get more payout will go up. This is a 100% payout back to anglers!) 1st- $1,200, 2nd – $800, 3rd – $500, 4th – Calcutta Cooler, 5th – Star Rod

 

Inshore / Nearshore:       

Sheepshead bite seems to be picking up better and better each week. In the last week we have weighed some nice ones with the largest over 10lbs. Best area has been all the standard spots, like the high-rise bridges, port wall and docks along the waterway. Anglers have been having the best luck using Live Fiddler Crabs, which we just got some “custom jigs” in-stock just for Crabs out of Florida that we are super excited about. Word is, the Florida anglers have been having great luck with these jigs with a lot better hook up ratio. Also, anglers starting to see the artificial Coco Crab work, had a customer the other day show me an 8lb fish he caught on this crab. I see a lot of artificial sheepshead lures with none of them ever working in the past, but finely I think we have came across something that will catch them. I’ve seen the pictures of some great catches on the Coco Crab so far and not many people have even been using them. We have more coming in today since we sold out this week. Also, we have Live Sea Urchins in-stock ready to go, we all know that a Sea Urchin usually is that big fish bait when it comes to Sheepshead.                                                      

Spanish bite still remains good this week, anglers are having no issues catching limits of fish on these charters. Along with the good numbers we have been seeing, we have been seeing lots of larger fish already, that we usually see a little later in the year. I talked to one customer yesterday that limited out with all fish over 4lbs fishing at the AR reefs just of the beach. Trolling Clarkspoons, Bowed-Up Spoons and Mackerel Trees all are getting the job done on #1 Planers. Some days it seems that the colored Bowed-Up Spoons are producing more fish at times; also pulling the Spanish Buster on top has been working well too.

As far as the larger fish; Live Bait and the Mac a Hoos rigged with Cigar Minnows have been working the best.  Casting on light tackle with the Glass Minnow Jig, we have in the shop and the Spanish Candy Lures have been getting the job done.As far as what areas have been producing the most fish it’s kind of been all over the place, Cape area, Beaufort Inlet, along AB Beach and out around all the AR reefs are holding fish to catch.

Been seeing decent King Mackerel fishing this week, again we weighed fish that weighed in over the 30lb mark. The anglers fishing for Spanish have been seeing lots of the Snake Kings mixed in. Most of the action on the larger Kings have been over on the East Side of Cape Lookout but the Mac a Hoo’s rigged with Cigar Minnows have been putting plenty of fish in the boat for anglers and the Live Bait guys also have been having good luck. But, the Mac a Hoo’s have been catching more fish, we have been selling out the last two weeks on these rigs since they have been working so well. We have another shipment being dropped off tomorrow, so we should be all stocked back up for the weekend.

Still this week, the sharks have been plentiful out behind the shrimp boats when they are working, more than we saw last year. Probably, the easiest fishing you can do because there's lots to catch plus great action. They’ll just about eat anything you put in the water; well, I’ll say anything you put in the water they will hit. There hasn’t been a lot of boats out shrimping yet but the few we’ve seen this week have had more sharks behind them than we’ve ever seen. I’ve heard some shrimp boats aren’t even able to work because the sharks were tearing up all their gear. If you're going to fish behind these boats just keep in mind they are working so keep your distance. You don’t have to get right on top of these boats to catch the Sharks.

Redfish bite seems like it’s gotten a lot better over the last few weeks, I've received reports that some anglers are catching up to 30 fish a trip. I think it’s just the fact the bait has finally moved into the backwaters good and the fish have followed. Really, what you need to be looking for is shallow water, oyster bars, grass beds, bait and usually you can find some fish.  The Newport Marshes, Core Creek, Carrot Island, Middle Marsh, Newport River Marsh all has places like this just look for them. Even this week with the higher than normal tides we’ve seen some tailing fish up in the grass area.  As far as baits Berkley Gulp, Redfish Magic’s, Top Water Plugs, Popping Corks, Live Mud Minnows and Dead Mullet all are working great.

Flounder fishing’s still good in the area, again most of the action we’re seeing the best catches have been coming from the AR reefs right off the beaches. Jigging Spro 2oz Spro Bucktails tipped with 4” Berkley Gulp Shrimp. Also, we’veseen a few being caught in the Port area on Live Mud Minnows and Dead Finger Mullet.  The High-Rise Bridges also have been holding a few fish as well.

Now, Speckled Trout re-opened on June 15th and we have already weighed some fish, the largest so far has been over 5lbs. Most of the fish we’re seeing has been up in the Core Creek area in the deeper water but we’re starting to hear of a decent bite over in the Neuse River area. So, what we are seeing so far, looks like we might not have gotten hurt as we thought this past winter in the freeze.

 

Surf / Piers:

Pier fishing has been doing pretty good here recently with anglers having good catches of Spanish and Bluefish! Plugging Got-cha Plugs has been the secret to success in getting the Spanish to hit. Anglers have had the most luck plugging off the end of the pier. Some anglers have been having good luck casting the Spanish Candy Jigs and Glass Minnow jigs from the pier and surf zone.

Down in the Surf along the beaches we’ve been hearing that anglers are catching Bluefish, Puffers. Croakers, Black Drum, Pompano and Sharks along with a few Red Drum and Flounder in the mix of things. When fishing in the Surf using a bottom rig with some Bait Shrimp, Squid or Bloodworms always work well. Using a Mullet Rig with either Finger Mullet or Cut Mullet will also get the job done.

 

Offshore:

So far; we have had a great Dolphin Season, now the bite seems to be getting closer and closer to the beach, 14 Buoy to the 90ft Drop seems to be the best places holding fish.  Also, we've seen some good catches around the Swansboro Hole and the Rise area but fish have been seen as close in at AR330 just last week and some nice ones at that. Along with North West Places and Big 10/Little 10 also have been holding fish.  Just keep in mind the closer you fish toward the beach you won’t run into huge numbers of fish so if you catch 4 or 5 that’s a good catch. The best lure for the Dolphin has been the Monk A Lure, we can’t keep them in-stock. We do have another shipment coming in today or tomorrow but they won’t last long. Also, trolling Small and Medium Ballyhoo behind Full Box and Blue Water Candy Sea Witches in the Blue/White and Pinks have been working well, along with C&H small lures without bait have been working well on the smaller Dolphin.  Anglers are still catching some Wahoo in the mix not as thick as they were but we'll see some throughout the summer. 

From what we’re seeing the bottom fishing has been from the East Side of Cape Lookout in 100ft of water or more. 1700 Rock and Atlas Tanker has been holding some fish. We've been seeing Grouper, Trigger Fish, Snappers, Sea Bass and Amberjacks just about every trip out.

 

 

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