(Photo: Travis Patsell caught this nice looking sheepshead while fishing alongside the Bonner Bridge using his bait of choice: sand fleas and fiddler crab.)
http://www.twstackle.com/photo.php
According to the Oregon Inlet Fishing Center there hasn’t been much action lately due to the big swells and dirty grassy waters. A few small puppy drum and croakers have been found near the piers and the surf anglers have seen even less action. However, in the sound around Oregon inlet continues to be a good spot for speckled trout and small puppy drum. Anglers will also find plenty of sheepshead in and around the bridge. As far as offshore fishing goes, the big swells have put a damper on fishing but for those that ventured out they were able to catch tuna, dolphin, and an occasional billfish.
Tournaments:
September 1 – December 31, 2012
CHASIN’ TAILS OUTDOORS SPECKLED TROUT CHALLENGE
Chasin’ Tails Outdoors, Atlantic Beach, NC
Contact: Matt Lamb (252) 240-3474
www.chasintailsoutdoors.com
September 13 – 15, 2012
ATLANTIC BEACH SALTWATER CLASSIC
Atlantic Station, Atlantic Beach, NC
Contact: Terry Adkins (800) 546-4622
www.bluewaterpromo.com
September 14 – 15, 2012
FISHERMAN’S POST NORTH CAROLINA INSHORE CHAMPIONSHIP (event #5, and formerly NC FLATFISH CHAMPIONSHIP)
Inlet Watch Marina, Carolina Beach, NC
Contact: Max Gaspeny (910) 409-8379
www.fishermanspost.com
September 15 – 16, 2012
CAROLINA FALL FLATFISH TOURNAMENT
Carolina and Kure Beach Piers
Contact: Max Weavil (910) 538-0115
www.southeasternkingmackerelclub.com
September 21 – 23, 2012
NEWBRIDGE BANK WILD KING CLASSIC (23 and Under)
Wild Wing Cafe/Seapath Marina, Wrightsville Beach, NC
Contact: Mike Clark (910) 512-3637 or Dane Waggett (910) 279-1990
www.fishermanspost.com
Sepember 22 – October 6, 2012
FLOUNDER SURF FISHING TOURNAMENT
The Reel Outdoors, Emerald Isle, NC
Contact: Laurie Morris (252) 354-6350
www.emeraldisle-nc.org/eiprd
September 29 – 30, 2012
CAROLINA FALL KING CHALLENGE
Carolina Beach, Kure Beach, Johnny Mercer’s, Oak Island, Cherry Grove Piers
Contact: Max Weavil (910) 538-0115
www.southeasternkingmackerelclub.com
TW’s Bait and Tackle Reports the following:
Surf Fishing Report:
Sea Mullet, Blues, Pompano, Spot and Flounder.
Wind is SW and 79 degree water.
Sound Fishing Report:
The anglers fishing the Little Bridge on the Nags Head/Manteo causeway are decking a few keeper Trout, Drum, Flounder and lots of Drum.
Pier Fishing Report:
Avalon: Drum, small Spot and a Bluefish.
Nags Head: Good run of Spanish, Spot, Puppies and Blues.
Jennette’s: Drum and Spanish.
Outer Banks: Drum, Spot, Sea Mullet, Blues and the grass is back.
Inshore Boats Report:
Wreck fisherman caught Black Sea Bass and their limits of Tilefish.
Open boats caught Cobia, False Abacore and Flounder.
Inshore boats reported excellent Spanish fishing, and some Bluefish. Lots of Trout in the inlet.
Offshore Boats Report:
Lots of Blackfin, good amount of Yellowfin, a 53 lb Wahoo and scattered Dolphin.
Bill fishing continues to be good.
Northern North Carolina Tidal Waters Fishing Reports (Ocracoke Inlet to Surf City)
Summary for the region from the North Carolina Division of Marine Fisheries:
Ocean: Dolphin dominated the offshore catches, but there were moderate catches of wahoo, little tunny, skipjack and yellowfin, bigeye and blackfin tuna, as well. Billfish catches were consistent and included sailfish and white and blue marlin. Midrange anglers, fishing two to three miles offshore, saw an increase in red drum catches. Striped bass were caught in the same area from Oregon Inlet to the Virginia line. Near-shore fishing was poor with the exception of a few isolated bluefish blitzes and a few Spanish mackerel. Very high numbers of small, undersized red drum were also caught.
Inlets/Sounds/Bays: Anglers reported very nice flounder catches, with a few in the four- to five-pound range. Oregon Inlet and the Swanquarter areas were the hot spots. Spotted seatrout catches fell off, but those caught came primarily in the morning and evening. Roanoke Sound yielded the most catches. Spotty catches of bluefish and Spanish mackerel were reported just inside the Oregon Inlet bridge. The bridge piling produced plenty of sheepshead, black drum spadefish and needlefish.
Piers/Beaches: Pier and beach anglers caught high numbers of small red drum, along with silver perch, spot, pompano, croaker and sea mullet. The beach near the new inlet was a hot spot for spotted seatrout and red drum.
Central North Carolina Tidal Waters Fishing Reports (Ocracoke Inlet to Surf City)
Summary for the region from the North Carolina Division of Marine Fisheries:
Ocean: Ocean anglers did well fishing for wahoo on the east side and out into the Gulf Stream. Larger wahoo were landed in the 30- to 80-pound range, as well as plenty of fish around 20 pounds. Anglers caught some small dolphin, yellowfin tuna and a few sailfish. Closer to shore, and amid the relentless rain, anglers reported catching plenty of Spanish mackerel, with some fish larger than 5 pounds. The bigger Spanish were biting near the artificial reefs, but plenty of them were also coming from along Atlantic Beach, Emerald Isle and up to Cape Lookout. The artificial reefs produced large flounder catches, as well, for anglers using live bait or bucktails with Gulp! baits. Bottom fishing offshore produced a number of black sea bass, amberjack, red porgy, scup, vermilion snapper and triggerfish. The National Marine Fisheries Service will open a mini-season on red snapper for a three-day weekend beginning Sept. 14 and a second three-day weekend beginning Sept. 21. There will be a one-fish bag limit and no size limit.
Inlets/Sounds/Bays: Flounder were biting all over the inlets and in the sounds. Live mullet or mud minnows produced the most fish, however Gulp! baits on lead heads and live shrimp also showed some promise. Spotted seatrout showed up in the haystacks and around Taylor’s Creek in Beaufort, as well as up into the Neuse River. Live shrimp under a popping cork or green grubs behind a lead head produced the most fish. Gray trout, puppy drum and large sea mullet were caught by bottom anglers in Beaufort Inlet and around the U.S. Coast Guard station. The Neuse River produced some huge over-slot red drum, caught on bottom gear by those fishing at night.
Piers/Shore: The local piers reported pompano, spot, flounder, red drum, little tunny, large Spanish and bluefish. Some of the Spanish weighed above 5 pounds. Schools of mullet started to move along the beach, and fishing these schools produced the best results for red drum and bluefish.
Southern North Carolina Tidal Waters Fishing Reports (Surf City to North Carolina line)
Summary for the region from the North Carolina Division of Marine Fisheries:
Ocean: Offshore anglers fishing in the Gulf Stream reported good wahoo fishing with fish in the 30- to 50-pound range. Bottom fishermen caught gag, red, and scamp groupers, along with vermilion snapper, black sea bass, triggerfish and other reef fish. Near-Shore reefs produced some very good flounder catches, along with some large red drum, gray trout, and Spanish mackerel. The National Marine Fisheries Service will open a mini-season on red snapper for a three-day weekend beginning Sept. 14 and a second three-day weekend beginning Sept. 21. There will be a one-fish bag limit and no size limit.
Inlets/Sounds/Bays: Despite numerous rain showers, fishing was productive. Anglers caught red drum, spotted seatrout, flounder, sheepshead and black drum. The lower Cape Fear River from Snow's Cut down to Bald Head Island was a hot spot, as was the Little River rock jetty. Trout and drum were biting on live shrimp fished under a popping cork and top water baits fished in the early morning hours. Anglers targeted flounder with small, live mullet or menhaden fished on a Carolina rig. Anglers caught over-the-slot-size red drum in area inlets. Sheepshead were biting mole and fiddler crabs fished around docks, bridge pilings and rock jetties.
Piers/Shore: Anglers fishing on area piers reported a mixed bag of sea mullet, pompano, and bluefish, with a few flounder, spotted sea trout and red drum. There were good catches of Spanish mackerel when water conditions were favorable. Surf anglers reported much the same catch of sea mullet, pompano and some drum, using mole crabs and fresh shrimp for bait.
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