FISHING REPORT 11/24/2016

 

We want to wish everyone a “Happy Thanksgiving”!  As I sit here and write this week’s report I feel really blessed to have such a great customer base and the entire crew at the shop is so “Thankful” for everyone that supports our Local Business.

 

Inshore / Nearshore:

Even with the hard cold front, the Flounder fishing is still great; yesterday we weighed a few very nice catches of fish. The Port Wall area and the AR reefs are still the two places holding the most fish but we’ve seen a few nice catches behind Shackleford Banks beach.  Over the last two weeks, anglers have enjoyed some of the best Flounder fishing this area has seen in quite a while. Live Mud Minnows and Jigging Spro 2oz Bucktails tipped with Berkley Gulp 4” Shrimp has been working the best. 

Speckled Trout fishing still remains good in the area; our charter fleet has had no problem catching limits of fish this week.  We weighed an 8lb fish this week that was caught not too far from the shop and was released alive behind the shop, so we have seen a really nice class of fish.  Haystacks, Bogue Sound, Middle Marsh, Core Creek and Adams Creek all have been holding fish.  With the cold front, we saw at the first of the week seems to have really fired off the Cape Lookout Rock Jetty. Anglers have been catching limits of Speckled Trout and Gray Trout fishing the rocks along with catching very good numbers of fish. It would be nice to see the Jetty produce some good fishing over the next few weeks as it’s been kind of off the last few years. We still have plenty of Live Shrimp, In-stock and how it’s looking we should have them for another week or so before the water gets too cold for them to live. But after they are gone we’ll have plenty of Live Mud Minnows.

Bottom fishing in the Turning Basin area this week has really turned on; the Sea Mullet fishing has been great over the last few days. I talked to one customer yesterday that put over a 100 nice ones in the boat just outside of the No Wake Zone at the Coast Guard Station area. Also, there’s been good numbers of fish in the Shipping Channel, along with some mullets showing up at the Dead Tree Hole off the beach.  Along with the mullets, we’re seeing plenty of nice Hog Fish, Puffer Fish and the Gray Trout has been all over the place.

Still some King Mackerel out there to catch, last weekend the anglers had some great luck. North West Places has still been holding fish, I’ve heard somedays no fish then the next day it’s all you want to catch. The East Side of the Cape has been the best area, seems the father you north you go the more fish you will run into and the larger the fish will get.

Albacore fishing is still on FIRE! This week anglers have been seeing them inside of the Beaufort Inlet all the way back towards Radio Island.  Along the beaches there’s been plenty to play with, look for the birds and you’ll find the fish, along with the shrimp boats out there working.  With the numbers of fish we should see them right on into December unless we get some major cold weather come in.

Red Drum is starting to school up good around the Cape Lookout area, Shark Island has been holding fish and the Cape Lookout Jetty starting to hold some nice Reds. Also, I’ve heard over on the East Beach there’s been some schools working the Surf Zone. If you fish down around the Swansboro area there’s been some really big schools of fish working the Bear Inlet area. Talked to some anglers that are got on these schools of fish, catching them until they were tired.

 

Piers / Surf:

Well, pier fishing is coming to a close with all the piers closing after this Sunday for the winter; that’s usually when the Speckled Trout show up in the Surf good, LOL!  I did hear of some being caught in the Surf Zone this week, it’s time with the colder weather that we starting to see for some fish to start making their way to the beach.  I’ve a feeling more Speckled Trout is out there than anglers might think, just this week the Cape Lookout Jetty has turned on. So, that tells me some fish have made the move out and we’re starting to see trout push down from the north.

Anglers are still catching a few Flounder but most are starting to move to the reefs now. The Puffer Fish are starting to move in along the beaches now, also a few Sea Mullets as well.  Some anglers have been having some good luck with the Albacore; it’s more of a searching game and being at the right place at the right time. But if you can locate them feeding close to the beach which; they have been over the last few weeks hook ups come pretty easy.

 

Offshore:

I’ve not heard all the much from the Bluewater this week but we have weighed some huge Wahoo. Most of the action from the Wahoo has been coming from the East Side of Cape Lookout. Atlas Tanker, 1700 Rock out toward the Big Rock seems to be the Hot Spot.

 It’s crazy to see the size of Wahoo the King Mackerel guys catch this time of the year King fishing, just last week one boat had two over 70lbs caught on 20lb class King Gear. Along with the Wahoo, there’s been some nice Black Fin Tuna that has moved inshore as close as North West Places and over East of the Cape.  

Bottom fishing has been very good this week with the Trigger Fish, Groupers, Bass and Snappers.  Seems most anglers are having the best luck in the 25 to 35 miles range on the ledges, most of the best action has been coming from the East Side bottoms. 

 

 

Braggin Board