Fishing Report 05/19/2016

 

IMPORTANT NOTICE:

It looks like we're going to postpone our TENT SALE scheduled for this Saturday. We have been watching the weather all week hoping it was going to change but the forecast of rain is too high to risk it.  We hate it, because we had some great deals planned like Penn Reels & Combos 25% off. It will be rescheduled sometime this summer so be looking for the rain date to be announced soon!!!

INSHORE / PIERS:

We have seen some of the best Cobia fishing you could ask for over the last week. In the last 7 days, we have had Cobia on our Official Weigh Station Scales and I except with the nice weather today we will start again. Last Friday – Sunday, I really don’t know how many we weighed but it was a lot. We should see this action continue over the next few weeks before the fish make their way north.

From the Beaufort Inlet, Barden’s Inlet and between there's been plenty of fish. Of what we've seen most of the fish have been coming from the Cape Lookout area. We've even weighed a few this week that was caught on the inside behind Shackleford Banks. I've been asked a lot what’s working better Sight Fishing or Bottom Fishing, I'd say it's about a 50 to 50 ratio. It just depends on what kind of fishing you like to do. Riding the beaches looking for bait balls, free swimming fish or setting up around the inlets putting out chum soaking shad on the bottom.

 As far as the sight fishing Blue Water Candy Bucktails, Spro Bucktails, Sea Striker Bucktails, Savage Eels, Emu Custom Bucktails all are working great. Live eels are the ticket when nothing else you throw seems to be working, in fact many fish are being hooked up with Live Eels. The largest fish we've weighed at 91lbs was caught on a live eel while sight fishing a bait ball. We have all of these choices in stock at the shop ready for action.

As far as bottom fishing goes Chum and Dead Shad is working pretty good too and we do have fresh caught shad in–stock ready to go so you don’t have to waste time looking for bait while you could be fishing.

Flounder fishing has been good this week around the reefs, I think, the anglers fishing for Flounder has had them to their selves since most have been catching Cobia. Jigging a Spro 2oz Glow or White Bucktail tipped with Berkley Gulp 4” Shrimp still is the go to lure. You'd think year after year, the Flounder would get tied of hitting these things but they seem to love them for sure when ocean fishing the reefs. Week after week, we're starting to see more and more fish move along the inshore waters. I just had a customer yesterday pick up some Gulp Mud Minnows plus Live Minnows and was telling me that he'd been catching a few this week drifting the channels.

The Spanish fishing has been great, they're really starting to show up in large numbers and are plenty hungry. I heard of a few 6+ fish caught this week up around the Cape Lookout area. Trolling the beaches from the Beaufort Inlet down toward the Double Tree anglers are having no problem filling limits. Clarkspoons, Planers, Mackerel Trees, Squid Rigs and Casting Jigs all are working. Anglers are starting to see some action casting to them when they are feeding around the bait balls along the beach. In the mix with the Spanish there's plenty of nice Bluefish being caught, same lures will work fine along with same area.

Still seeing some nice Gray Trout in the Beaufort Inlet back toward the Turning Basin area with mixed Sea Mullets, Hog Fish and Croakers. Stingslivers and Spec Rigs tipped with Bait Shrimp or Fishbites, you can't go wrong while fishing the bottom in these areas.

Did hear some good news the other day of some Redfish that were caught on Topwater lures around the Haystacks/Core Creek area. It’s been pretty slow on the Reds but it looks like things will start to pick up as the bait is really starting to move back into the flats and creek areas.
 

 

PIERS / SURF:

Most anglers are focusing on the Spanish that's moved in along with Blue Fish. Got-Cha Plugs have been leaving the store and that always a good sign the Spanish have shown up for our pier anglers. I know just south of us some of the piers have seen some really nice fish so anyday we'll start to see some of those nicer fish off the Oceanana Pier.

Bottom fishing starting to turn into the mixed bag action, Sea Mullets, Puffer Fish, Hogfish, Croakers, Black Drum, Sharks, Spots and Skates is more than likely what you'll catch while fishing the bottom. Bait Shrimp, Bloodworms, Mullet, Squid all is working well.

We're even starting to see a few Flounder in the Surf Zone being caught on Live Minnows. Also, starting to see a few Sheepshead show up around the pilings at the piers.  We have Live Fiddler Crabs in-stock ready for action in you want to try your luck.

OFFSHORE:

The bite still remains pretty good, I heard of some very good action off the South Carolina coast over the weekend so, that only means one thing more fish moving our way. The next few weeks going into June is pretty much the best Bluewater action we'll see all season until later in the fall when the Wahoo show up thick.

From the Big Rock back down toward the Swansboro Hole is holding fish. We've even started to see some good action from the 14 Buoy out to the 90ft Drop. Seeing some real nice Dolphin and still a good number of Wahoo, the Black Fin seemed to have slowed down a bit but there's been plenty of other fish to catch.

Grouper, Sea Bass, Trigger Fish and Snappers all are holding on the bottom grounds. I have heard of some good catches from the 240 Rocks and around the 90ft Drop area. I haven't heard too much more because most anglers have been taking advantage of the great trolling we have been seeing.

I'm starting to hear some Bill Fish reports as the Big Rock Tournament is just right around the comer. The Hatteras Village Blue Marlin Tournament this past weekend saw some great action so the Big Rock is setting up to be a good event. 

 

IMPORTANT NOTICE: 

Having some issues with up-loading pictures to the brigging board, keep a check back beacuse will up-load when we get access. I hate it becuse we have a ton of COBIA picture for the board this week, along with other good pictures. Thanks