The stellar cobia fishing continues on the North Carolina coast! Read more to find out exactly where anglers are catching these citation cobias
Northern North Carolina Tidal Waters Fishing Reports (North Carolina line to Ocracoke)
Oregon Inlet Fishing Center brings us these reports:
6.03 Offshore mostly good size gaffer dolphin. Several boats had two to four yellowfin tuna in addition to their dolphin. The tally for billfish catch and releases was three blue marlin, a white marlin and a sailfish. More billfish were seen particularly blue marlin. A mako shark was caught. King mackerel are beginning to show up in the catches. Tunas were full of squid. There is a lot of bait out there. Birds are active as well as dolphins (Mammals) and pilot whales. Inshore boats caught lots of tailor bluefish and spanish mackerel.On inshore all day trips amberjacks were caught. Look for bigger bluefish running up to 10-pounders. They have been reported in the inlet and evan in the sound. Miss Oregon Inlet had good flounder and croaker fishing. Some black drum are being caught on Bonner bridge as well as bluefish, croakers and sheepsheads. People lost black drum getting them up to the catwalks.
6.02 Great day for fishing with beautiful weather. Offshore charters came in with scattered catches of yellowfin tuna and dolphin. A wahoo was brought in as well. Several boats had releases of blue marlin, white marlin or sailfish. Nearshore charters had catches of bluefish and spanish mackerel. Inshore light tackle charters had cobia catches. Also some black tip shark on fly rods. Miss Oregon Inlet had great catches of croaker with a few founder and sea mullets as well. Charters available for all types of trips. Offshore and nearshore we can do makeups charters if you do not have a party of 6.
6.01 Offshore boats enjoyed some beautiful weather at the Gulf Stream. There was hardly a ripple on the sea. The ocean was full of bait, birds were diving, abundant dolphin (mammals) and pilot whales but the fish were not in a biting mode. Several blue marlin were seen and two were caught and released. One boat caught and released two sailfish. The dolphin that were caught were good size gaffers. Inshore a good number of cobia were seen and several big ones were caught. Tailor bluefish were plentiful including good size spanish mackerel. Inshore boats and open boats caught and released big drum. Miss Oregon Inlet had a good morning on flounders.
5.31 We are still seeing catches of spanish mackrel, bluefish, and cobia from our nearshore and inshore fleets. The headboat is catching fair amounts of croakers and a few flounders. Offshore there was pretty good dolphin bite. A few yellowfin tunas were brought in today one weighing 83 pounds as well as a 134 pound big eye. In addition to what was brought in there were some marlin and sail fish releases.
5.30 Offshore it was a big gaffer dolphin day with scattered yellowfin tuna. Two blue marlin were caught and released.Some open boats caught cobias. Several cobias were citations running up to 90 pounds. Inshore boats caught coolers full of nice taylor bluefish running from a pound and a half to two pounds. Good catch and release black tip shark fishing.Some people used light tackle to catch everything from tailor bluefish to black tip sharks.
5.29 We had another good day of cobia fishing, there were citations ranging from 51 pounds to 80 pounds weighed in today. There was also a big eye weighed in at 112 pounds. Most offshore boats had good dolphin catches today and some limited out. There were also some blue and white marlin releases today as well. Our nearshore fleet had catches of blues and spanish mackerel.
TW Bait and Tackle offered up these reports:
6.04 Bob Tenbusch fished with Captain Tony Chirico of C-side Charters. Eight fish sighted, one 53 lb. Cobia caught. The Little Bridge on the Nags Head/ Manteo causeway reported Trout, Spot and Croaker. Pier fishermen report Flounder, Spanish, Blues and Sea Mullet. Inshore fishermen report lots of Tailor Bluefish, keeper Flounder and Spanish. Miss Oregon Inlet caught Flounder and Croakers. Bonner Bridge catwalk anglers are catching good-sized Black Drum, Sheepshead, Croakers and Bluefish. Offshore boats report good Dolphin fishing. Scattered Yellowfin. A few Mako Shark and King Mackerel. Good Billfish catch and release.
6.03 Blues and scattered Spanish on the south beaches. Water is clear and 72 degrees. Good Bluefish day. Bluefish likes clear water because they feed by site. Fishermen can keep 15 Bluefish per person a day and only 5 Bluefish greater than 24in TL. There is no minimum size limit. The Little Bridge on the Nags Head/Manteo causeway reported Spot and Croaker. Pier fishermen report Blues, Sea Mullet, Spot and Spanish. Inshore light tackle charters had scattered Bluefish, Spanish and Cobia catches. Fly rod anglers caught a few Black tip Shark. Offshore charters brought to the docks Yellowfin, Dolphin and a Wahoo. Billfish were caught and released.
6.02 The water cleared late yesterday, giving the anglers a chance to catch Bluefish. There were lots or Sting Rays. I drove the beach at ramp 4.The holiday traffic and dry weather has really taking its toll on beach. I had to take the air out of my tires to 20 and I still struggled. The Little Bridge on the Nags Head/Manteo causeway reported Blues, Spot and Croakers. Piers report Croakers, Rays and Sea Mullet. Outer Banks: Sea Mullet. Inshore & nearshore boats reported Spanish, Bluefish and released big Drum. Head boat caught plenty of Flounder. Offshore, there were lots of Dolphin on Wednesday. Water was calm, lots of bait, lots of birds. Some Sailfish were caught.
6.01 Yesterday the wind switched pretty early in the day and cooled the air considerably.
We have nice weather today with the winds being NE at 2 kts. The piers are catching Spanish Mackerel. Spanish travel in schools. They are warm water fish and they are found in clear water. Boats trolling near the shore can catch the strong top water swimmers. Surf fishermen can catch them on small lures and bucktails. The fishermen on the end of the piers are using gotcha plugs. They are early morning and late afternoon fish. The minimum length is 12 in FL. Fork length is measured from tip of snout to middle of fork in tail. The Little Bridge on the Nags Head/Manteo causeway reported Croakers & Spot. Pier fishermen report Spanish, Blues, Sea Mullet & Blues. Nearshore boats are catching plenty of Spanish, Bluefish and citation Cobia. Headboats are catching plenty of Croakers and flounder. A good Dolphin bite offshore. A few Yellowfina and a 134 lb Big-Eye was caught yesterday. There were also Marlin and Sailfish releases.
5.31 Scattered Sea Mullet. If you are going to the beach today, I would suggest you carry plenty of bug spray. Wind is directly out of the west. The Little Bridge on the Nags Head/Manteo causeway reported Spot, Croaker, Black Drum and early morning Trout. All of the piers report Sea Mullet. Bluefish trolling was good on memorial day. Plenty of Spanish. Open boats caught Cobia. Cobia citations are many. Cobias weighed up to 90# on the most beautiful Memorial day. Another good day of gaffer Dolphin offshore. Scattered Yellowfin and 2 Blue Marlin.
5.30 Billy Carter from Chocowinity, NC caught a whopping big Blue at Ramp 4. I have seen several good size Bluefish come out of ramp 4. Jake Worthington caught his first King Mackerel and Cobia this weekend. Blues and Sea Mullet. A few Blues caught were in the 10 lb range. The water temp dropped to a very cold 55 degrees this weekend. The Little Bridge on the Nags Head/Manteo causeway reported, Croakers, Black Drum and a couple of keeper Flounder on Sunday. Pier fishermen report Croakers and Sea Mullet. Good Cobia catches again yesterday ranging from 40 lbs to 82 lbs. Nearshore and Open boats also caught Blues and Spanish. A big-eye Tuna caught on Sunday weighed in at 112 lbs. Boats caught their limits of Dolphin. Blue and white Marlin releases.
Overview
Ocean:Offshore anglers continue to find diverse catches, including dolphin, yellowfin, blackfin and skipjack tuna, Atlantic bonito, little tunny and amberjack. Billfish catches improved, as well. Midrange success rates made modest improvements with catches of cobia on a fairly regular basis around five miles offshore from Rodanthe southward to Ocracoke Island. Red drum were caught around two to three miles offshore in a narrow range from Avon southward to Hatteras. Near shore anglers still caught larger size bluefish on a regular basis with increased amounts of Spanish mackerel in the mix. Kingfish (sea mullet), croaker and spot were also caught in moderate amounts along with a mixed bag of other species.
Inlets/Sounds/Bays: Flounder were the primary target of these anglers and for good reason. Summer flounder were caught at Oregon Inlet with very favorable keeper ratios. The best catches occurred in the shallow water near the spoil islands. Bluefish in the on 1- to 2-pound range were caught throughout these waters on a regular basis. Southern flounder, along with limits of red drum, were caught in the Swanquarter/ Rose Bay area.
Piers/Beaches: Catches included a variety of species, with bluefish, kingfish, spot, and croaker being most common. Red drum were caught in the surf zone on a very regular basis from Rodanthe southward to Hatteras. Pinfish, pigfish, puffers, striped bass, flounder, striped burrfish, spiny and smooth dogfish, stingrays, and skates were also taken throughout the week.
Central North Carolina Tidal Waters Fishing Reports (Ocracoke Inlet to Surf City)
Ocean:Offshore, anglers were still catching big dolphin, in the 10- to 18-pound range, with some nice “bulls” brought in on area boats. Charters and recreational anglers caught some wahoo and blackfin tuna, as well as greater amberjack and little tunny. Bottom fishing trips had very nice catches of grouper, along with vermilion snappers, amberjack, ring tail porgies, some silver snappers and gray triggerfish. Anglers also reported some sailfish catch and releases. Anglers fishing near shore reefs and areas along the shoals and near Shackleford Banks saw increased catches and sizes of flounder while still bringing in Spanish mackerel and big blues. There were reports of catches around Artificial Reefs 315, 320, and 330.
Inlets/Sounds/Bays: Cobia catches dropped off a bit, but were still caught near the inlets and the Hook and the front side at Cape Lookout. Anglers switched to bottom fishing for the cobia. At the N.C. Port turning basin, the bite was still for pigfish, croaker, blues, sea mullets and some spots. Anglers snagged Spanish in the early mornings and evenings around the inlets and off Shackleford Banks, and there were some reports in the Swansboro area. Sheepshead also showed up around structures and docks, as well as around the Cape Lookout rock jetty. Anglers reported drifting for flounder around Shackelford Bank.
Piers/Shore: Catches of spot, croaker and sea mullet increased at the piers. Anglers reported Spanish mackerel and “chopper” bluefish on the beaches around the jetty at Fort Macon, as well as some good catches on the ocean piers and other beaches. Spanish and blues were feeding up and down the beaches. Red drum were reported at Atlantic Beach and in the marshes. Flounder catches increased, as well.
Southern North Carolina Tidal Waters Fishing Reports (Surf City to North Carolina line)
Ocean: Offshore fishing slowed some from the previous weeks. Boats fishing in the Gulf Stream reported scattered catches of dolphin along with a few blackfin tunas. The better catches of dolphin seem to come inshore of the break. Grouper fishing in the 100- to 120-foot range remained a little slow, but most boats caught their limits of red and scamp groupers along with a wide assortment of reef fish. Near shore, boats fishing around large schools of menhaden just off of area beaches reported landing some nice cobia, some over the 80-pound. King mackerel fishing remained slow for the most part, but there were some landed at the Horse Shore, as well as Lighthouse Rock. Spanish mackerel were caught in good numbers by anglers trolling with Clark Spoons around the inlets and beaches.
Inlets/Sounds/Bays: Fishing continued to improve. Anglers targeting flounders saw the biggest improvement, catching some fish over 9 pounds. Most of the fish were caught in the Cape Fear River from Baldhead Island to Snow's Cut, but fishing was good down into Brunswick County from Ocean Isle to the state line. Anglers targeting red drum reported good top water action in area creeks and bays in the early morning hours, along with some speckled trout releases.
Piers/Shore: Area piers saw another good week of Spanish and bluefish catches. Early morning hours produced the best catches, as did the late evening hours. Anglers targeting king mackerel on the ends of the piers saw good catches of cobia in schools of menhaden that showed up. Bottom fishing was slow, with a few sea mullets and spots caught. Surf anglers caught a few sea mullet, pompano and bluefish.
See you on the water,
Bryce Butner
TidalFish.com Associate Editor
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