Fishing Report 05/18/2017

 

Cobia season is now getting into full swing, just in the last two days we’re starting to get more reports from anglers: the fish are coming to the top, so you can sight fish. The bait balls have been hard to find so most of the fish that were caught the last two days has been on turtles or just free swimming along on the top. Bowed-Up, Meat Hog and Sea Striker Bug Eyes have been doing the trick along with the Savage Real Eel in light brown. For those fish that just won’t bite, we have Live Eels that will be the ticket, these rarely get turned down, so make sure you have a few in the boat.  Most of the fish we have weighed so far have been caught off the bottom at Cape Lookout in Barden’s Inlet and a few from Beaufort Inlet.  Live Eels and Fresh Dead Shad has been the bait of choice along with putting out Chum on the bottom. We have plenty in-stock at the shop ready for action.

The weather’s been playing a huge role in what these fish will do; Cobia like it sunny and warm with last week being cool messed up the bite a bit. But this week, we’ve seen beautiful sunny days with warm temps making the fish feed better.  What we are seeing is good weather right on for the next week so fishing should only get better. Don’t get me wrong it hasn’t been bad since we have been averaging 10 to 15 fish weighed in at the shop each day this week with some really big fish coming in. I know, we have weighed a few over 80lbs, along with a few 70’s and a monster that almost broke the 100lb mark so it seems like things are just getting started.

Spanish fishing is on FIRE right now some of the best fishing we’ll see all year going on except when we get back into the fall. When these fish arrive they are in big schools and are eating up everything. Also, already seeing some very nice sized fish up to 6lbs, most have been running around 15” which is a nice fish.  The best action has been around the Oceanana Pier, out to AR315, also at Cape Lookout along the edge of the Shoals.  Anglers are catching them by trolling Clarkspoons and the new local Bowed-Up Spoons which another order will be here just in time for the weekend.  Also, we are seeing some great action casting to the Spanish; the key has been very small lures. They’re feeding on very small glass minnows, so you got to match the hatch to catch them. We have a new “Glass Minnow” lure in the shop that’s been killing them, right now we’re sold out but should be re-stocked today or tomorrow. Also, we’ve been seeing some action on the 1/2oz size Jig Fish Lures but at times they have even been too big for the fish to bite. Also, while fishing for the Spanish you’ll run across plenty of Bluefish. We have been getting a lot of calls about if the Chopper Bluefish are still in the area. Mostly what’s left is up at Cape Lookout, some of our Charter boats did catch some up there last week but they are on the move north.  But man; what a run we had on these monsters this season, angler haven’t seen action like that in years on these bad boys.

Flounder fishing is getting better and better, I talked to a few customers this week that’s been catching limits of fish at the AR Reefs.  We weighed one in that was right at 6lbs this week from the ocean waters. Jigging Spro 2oz Bucktails tipped with Berkley Gulp 4” Shrimp is the gold ticket to use. I can report a few have been caught on the inside around the Port Wall and in the Marsh Creeks so don’t count that out. Live Mud Minnows and Gulp Baits are going to work the best inside.  Flounder fishing will only improve each week as the fish are on the move.

Sheepshead’s starting to bite around the Port Wall and the High Rise Bridges, fish has just started to move in. We do have Live Fiddler Crabs in-stock now and looking to have Live Sea Urchins in the next few weeks.  As we get more into June anglers will start to catch these big fish moving in that’s what we all like to see.  In the same areas, we have been seeing some nice Black Drum from the anglers that have been bottom fishing with Bait Shrimp around the pilings. Not too many people fish for Black Drum but they are in the area.

Redfish and Speckled Trout fishing is still going on in the Marsh areas around Core Creek and Newport River area.  There’s been some nice Speckled Trout being caught on up Core Creek and out into the Neuse on the main river, seems fish have started to move out of the creeks now.  It’s been an early morning fishery, seems once 9 AM rolls around the bite will shut down.  Most of the action for the larger trout have been coming on Topwater Lures at first light. Redfish has been up and down, hearing anglers finding good fish one day and the next they’re gone. They can be tricky this time of the year since they are on the move getting into their summer time pattern.

 

Piers / Surf:

Hate to report this but we haven’t seen any of the Chopper Bluefish this week from our beach, now if you go over to Cape Lookout area you still might find a few to catch. But when one fish moves out another comes in, that would be Spanish. The piers have been seeing very good action all week on the Mackerel, most are plugging Got-Cha Plugs toward the end of the piers finding the best action also, there’s smaller Bluefish in the mix to catch.  The next few weeks will be the best Spanish action you’ll see off the pier, it will slow down as we get into summer.  I’ve not heard of any being caught off the beach yet but I expect any day anglers will start to catch them off the beach.

 

Offshore:

Now’s the time to venture out to the Bluewater, some of the best fishing of the season is going on right now. The Dolphin has started to move in and plenty’s been caught this past week.  This is the time of the year when we’ll see our biggest fish in the area, just this week we’ve weighed a few over that 30lb mark.  Most of the action seems to be right on the Big Rock, last weekend we did see a push of fish in as close as the 14 Buoy but this week seems they moved back out.  This can make it tricky on where to start fishing because you don’t want to over shoot where the fish are. There’s been a few Wahoo in the mix but that bite has slowed down from what we were seeing a month or so ago.

Some of the boats are having some Blue Marlin action; that’s going on out in the deeper water, so it’s shaping up to be another good year for the Big Rock Tournament coming up in a few weeks.

The Grouper and Trigger Fish bite still remains good out in the 35 to 40 mile range on the ledges. Most are having the best luck on squid and the fresh caught menhaden that we have in stock.  Sea Bass action has been as close in as AR285 for keeper fish and on out.  Also, anglers are catching good numbers of Snappers on the bottom in the same areas. 

 

 

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