Fishing Report 01/17/2019

Well, we’ve been enjoying that great North Carolina weather this winter, mild one day back cold the next. The next few days going into the weekend looks like we’re going to be on the mild side into the 60’s then Monday low 30’s. So, it’s looking like a good weekend to get out on the water, especially Saturday with winds 5-10.  Over the last two weeks, we actually saw some decent fishing in the area. Just keep in mind it is wintertime so fishing’s still on the slow side but if you’re in the right area you can catch some fish, way better fishing than it was last year this time because nothing was biting.

The Puffer Fish bite has been pretty good, when we mention Puffer Fish sometimes, we get some weird looks but I’m here to tell you it’s some of the best fish to eat the ocean offers. Some say they are hard to clean but it’s pretty simple, you make a cut right behind the head or eyes, then run your knife right down the back bone on top of both sides, then you can take your fingers and pull the skin right off. When you’re done you end up with two pieces of meat about the size of a chicken tender. Kind of hard to explain it but if you catch some feel free to stop by the shop and we can show you how to do it. Now, where to catch these fish, if you’re on foot best spots has been the Radio Island beach access area and at the Fort Macon State Park access. If you’re going to try for them from the boat same areas will work but the Cape Lookout Inlet and channels also can hold very good numbers this time of the year, also try around the Beaufort Inlet area. As far as how to catch them it’s just about simple as it gets, bottom rigs and some of our fresh caught bait shrimp will get the job done. Some anglers have been catching some on Fish Bites also but the real thing in the cold water seems to work better.

Speckled Trout fishing has been great if you are in the right area, they aren’t all over the place but still good numbers in the area to catch. One of our guides has been fishing the Haystacks back up toward Core Creek and to the mouth of the Neuse River, finding fish all in thiose areas. Seems like it’s not like the fall bite where they are all over the Haystacks but he was telling me they are holding up in the deeper areas and if you fish them right you can catch them. Radio Island area has still been holding fish to catch, it’s been hit or miss, seems like the warmer days the fish bite better or right before a cold front that might be moving in kind of like what we are going to see this weekend. One of our guides even caught a fish that was 9 to 10lbs this week, we didn’t get a weight on it because he released it not taking a chance on it dying. We weighed in a fish over 10lbs that was in our Speckled Trout Challenge this week, now this fish did come from a river system south of us. But it’s great to see this size fish in our waters after last year’s major freeze event we had to deal with. What’s been working the best for us has been Live Mud Minnows and 17 / 18 MR Mirrolures. The water has got cold, so fishing slow is a major key in catching these fish. If you are fishing too fast you won’t catch them, plain and simple.

We been catching Black Drum and Red Drum, I’ll say the best bite on the drum has been up at the Cape Lookout Rock Jetty around the rocks. Tim, the “Trout Man” from the shop fished the jetty yesterday and caught plenty of Drum of both kinds and caught a few Sheepshead. Also, the water has got clear in the backwaters and along the beaches so if you catch the weather right you should be able to find Redfish in large schools. Not heard of anyone fishing out around the Cape’s Point but I bet there are some schools out there to catch. Best bait we’ve seen on the Drum has been Live Mud Minnows and Bait Shrimp from the shop. Seems if you get them fired up you can catch the Red’s on Gulps and Z-Man baits too.

Offshore fishing’s been kind of on the slow side last week or so, not many been trying. We do have a few customers that are out in the deep today trying for some Wahoo so maybe we’ll have a solid report later on from them. Looking at the water temps charts I don’t see any way there’s not some Wahoo out around the Swansboro and Rise area, the warm water breaks just looked too good this week for some fish not to be there to catch.  Most everyone heading out to the deep has been bottom fishing as the Trigger Fish, Sea Bass, Snappers have been plentiful to catch. Atlas Tanker, 1700 Rock, North West Places and Big 10/Little Ten all holding some fish. The Trigger Fishing has been great, if you get on the right bottom it’s all you want to catch, the best bite seems to be in that 30 – 40-mile range on the Triggers. We keep waiting but our hopes are going downhill on the Bluefin Tuna, not saying there’s none out there but the fleet has really stopped fishing for them. I heard there’s been a few caught up off Oregon Inlet area so I have a feeling some of the boats down here will be making their way north for the February bite off Hatteras.

So, if the Cabin Fever is setting in on you take advantage of these pretty days we have been having and get out on the water. Or just grab a pole come by the shop pick up some bait shrimp and head on over to the Radio Island access or Fort Macon Park and see what’s biting.