Fishing Report 05/12/2016

 

 

Current Leader Board:

 

1st Place – Skip Conklin 53lbs 

 

2nd Place – Drake Marquart 45lbs  

 

 

It looks like we have another pretty weekend on the way!  After these past few weeks of wind and rain, it’s going to be a good weather weekend.  Inshore / Nearshore fishing should be good along with a decent Offshore forecast for the next few days.

It’s time to get out on the water and take advantage of the good weather!

 

Inshore / Nearshore:

Anglers have been waiting for weeks for the Cobia to show, and YES they are here! It’s time to get out on the water and start looking for these brown monsters.   We usually only get about 3 weeks of really good fishing before the Cobia start making their way north.  If you have been waiting, now is the time to get out on the water and try your luck.  So far, the Barden’s Inlet at Cape Lookout has been producing fish off the bottom.  Yesterday, we started seeing some good action along the beach sight fishing the bait balls.  In the next few days, anglers will probably start catching fish by bottom fishing around the Beaufort Inlet behind Shackleford Banks.  The best bait to use will be fresh caught Shad when fishing the bottom.  We have fresh Shad IN-STOCK and ready for action so you don’t have to waste time looking for bait when you should be fishing.  Another good idea is to put some chum out when you’re soaking bait.  As for sight fishing, use 2 to 3oz Bucktails and Savage Eels, which were a hot lure last year, along with the Meat Hog Jigs. We also have LIVE eels in the tanks at the shop.  They are great for bottom fishing and sight fishing.  One thing that is for sure is a Cobia will rarely turn down live eels.  Having eels can make for a successful trip on some days!  It’s always a good idea to have some on hand before heading out.

Don’t be surprised if you run across some Old Drum while fishing bait balls along the beaches for Cobia.  In the last few weeks, we have seen quite a few.  If you’re interested in tugging on these beauties, the best numbers of fish have been from the Cape Lookout Shoals up the east beaches.

Spanish fishing has picked up a bit this week with the warmer weather.  Last week the fish were on the small side and now we are seeing some fish in the 18inch range. Anglers are finding fish along the beaches trolling Clarkspoons with #1 Planers, along with Mackerel Trees and Bird Squid rigs.  You will see all the Bluefish you want to catch around the inlet and along the beaches.

Flounder fishing still remains good out on the reefs.  AR330 was pretty hot a few weeks ago, but now it seems the fish are making their way into the shallower water areas.  I know of some decent catches from last weekend that came off AR320 and even as close in as AR315.  If you are over on the east side, AR285 would be a great place to try.  Spro 2oz and Sea Striker jigs tipped with Berkley Gulp 4” Shrimp will be hard to beat.  And most flounder can’t resist a Live Mud Minnow.  There hasn’t been much action from the inside, but I did hear of a few keepers that were caught around the Port Wall this week on Live Minnows. I know of some jiggers having some luck at night in the shallows.  There are some fish in the backwaters to be caught; it’s just a matter of getting out there and searching for them. 

Anglers are still seeing some action from the Sea Mullets in the turning basin area back towards the inlet.  You may also find hog fish, croakers, and bluefish while fishing the bottom.

Gray Trout fishing has been good in the Inlet into the turning basin area. The AB High Rise Bridge is holding some really good numbers now. ‘Trout Man’ is back in action and has been back on the water.  He caught 35 or more trout in just a short amount of time earlier this week. I’m sure he will put you on them if you ask him while he’s working at the shop this weekend.

Sheepshead are starting to show up.  We have Live Fiddler Crabs in stock ready for action if you want to try your luck.

Bonito fishing has been up and down this week.  We don’t have the high numbers like the areas south of us, but we have seen some great catches.  AR320 had some good numbers of fish on it this week, but I haven’t heard about much action going on around AR315.  AR285 also saw some good action this past week.  Bonito can be very tricky to target as they move a lot, but when you find them, you usually catch quite a few in a short amount of time.  Anglers love looking for these fish, as they are one of the best fish you can eat from our Nearshore selection.  It’s pretty much like eating Yellow Fin Tuna that you would catch 40 miles out.  Trolling Yo-Zuri’s DD and casting Epoxy Jigs is a good way to target these tasty creatures.

 

Piers / Surf:

We are now starting to see more Spanish being caught off the piers with good numbers of Bluefish.  Most are having the best luck on Got-Cha Plugs and Kastmasters.  For now on, the Spanish fishing will only get better by the day.  In the next week or even days, we should see the action really heat up off the piers for the Spanish. We are still seeing good action from the Sea Mullets.  Again, the evening hours seem to be producing the best action, but anglers are still picking up a few during the day.  Croakers, Hogfish, Sharks, Skates, and Black Drum have been the other bottom feeders anglers are seeing.  Most are having the best luck fishing Bait Shrimp and Fishbites.  We have seen a few Flounder starting to be caught this week, but most have been too small to keep.  However, that is a great sign that they are moving in along the Surf Zone.  Live Mud Minnows would be a great choice for the flatfish.

 

Offshore:

In the past week, the bite has been just about as good as it will get in our area.  Last weekend boats were bringing in up to 700lbs of fish back to the docks.  Dolphin, Wahoo, and Blackfin all have been in the mix.  We have weighed some nice Bulls and Hoos over the last week.  Most of the action has been south, off of the Big Rock. There was a really good bite way south, but now the fish seem to be moving north in the last few days.  Anywhere from the Big Rock to Swansboro Hole, you should find some fish.  Anglers are also reporting that fish are starting to push into the 14bouy and 90ft drop area.  It seems like every year between mid May and June we see the best bite from our offshore water and it’s definitely happening right now.  We have plenty of Baitmaster and Bionic Ballyhoo in stock ready for this great action we are seeing.  We are not hearing that much from the bottom fishing grounds, as most have been focusing on trolling.  Bottom fishing boats have been picking up plenty of nice Sea Bass, Grouper, Triggers and Snappers.  It’s too bad we don’t have a Red Snapper season right now, because anglers are reporting back having to release huge American Red’s right now. Maybe we will get a season later in the year to take advantage of these tasty fish.

                                                                                                                          

 

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