Tailor Blues, Spanish Mackerel Should Keep You Busy

By DAMON TATEM

BEACH, PIER AND BRIDGE FISHING

Corolla to Coquina Beach

Pier fishing should be generally good this week along the northern beaches with enough small fish taken, along with a few good- sized ones, to keep anglers enthusiastic.

Tailor bluefish and a few keeper Spanish mackerel should be caught with regularity from the ends of ocean piers on Gotchas when the water is clear. The best action will be during the early morning and late afternoon. Blues also will be landed on cut bait when the water is dirty, but Spanish mackerel action is confined almost entirely to lure fishing, as Spanish mackerel love clear water and feed almost exclusively by sight.

Anglers can keep 15 bluefish per person per day, with only five fish greater than 24 inches in total length. There is no minimum size limit on bluefish. Fifteen Spanish mackerel can be kept per person per day, but fish must be a minimum size of 12 inches in fork length. A fish’s total length is measured from the tip of the snout (with mouth closed) to the top of the compressed tail. Fork length is measured from the tip of the snout to the middle of the fork in the tail.

A variety of small bottom fish should provide most of the action during the day on ocean piers if the water is a bit murky. Action can be good at night if the weather is hot and the water is crystal clear. Small spot, pinhead croaker and sand perch should be decked along with a few sea mullet, pigfish, black drum and an occasional pompano. Most of these bottom-feeding fish should be taken on small number 4 to 6 hooks baited with bloodworms, fresh shrimp or simulated bait.

A few speckled trout and a few gray trout should be caught sporadically. Most of the trout should be landed on soft plastic lures, but a few will be taken on fresh bait by bottom fishermen.

Fair numbers of small flounder will be hooked and released, and an occasional keeper flounder will be decked. Anglers can keep eight flounder, 141/2 inches or larger in total length per person per day.

Mixed sizes of cobia, jack crevalle or king mackerel are a possibility for pier jockeys using live bait from the end of the piers when seas are calm and the water is clear and warm. Inshore water along the beach is clear and warm when light onshore winds push warm surface Gulf Stream water close along the oceanfront.

Surf fishing in this area should be fair with a summertime mixture of small blues, small bottom fish and an occasional trout beached. The best bottom fishing should be on the incoming or high tide. Most of the trout will be caught from deeper sloughs early mornings when the water is clear.

Anglers fishing from the Melvin Daniels Jr. Bridge on the Nags Head/Roanoke Island causeway should land some speckled trout and an occasional keeper flounder at dawn, and some small bottom fish, black drum and puppy drum throughout the day.

Oregon Inlet area

Surfcasters around the Oregon Inlet area should reel in some bluefish, a few flounder and small bottom fish. Some black drum and sheepshead should be taken from around the Bonner Bridge pilings.

Anglers fishing from the bridge catwalk are likely to catch bluefish, a few flounder, bottom fish and a few keeper stripers.

Fishermen wading in the Off Island channel area behind the Bodie Island Lighthouse should land some speckled trout, gray trout, a few puppy drum and small bottom fish.Anglers can keep seven gray trout per day, 12 inches or larger.

Pea Island to Buxton

Pier fishermen along the northern beaches of Hatteras Island should deck fair numbers of small spot, croaker, sand perch, pigfish, a few nice sea mullet and some black drum when the water is dirty. These fish will be caught on bottom rigs baited with bloodworms, shrimp or artificial bait. There is no size or creel limit on small bottom fish, but anglers should keep only those they plan to eat or use for bait.

Fair numbers of tailor bluefish and some nice-sized Spanish mackerel should be landed on Gotcha lures if the water is clear.Some of the Spanish mackerel will weigh more than 2 pounds.

Some triggerfish, spadefish and filefish should be taken from around pier pilings if the water is clear and warm. When conditions are right, these warm-water species move inshore close to the beach to feed on shellfish and small crustaceans adhering to the pier pilings. Some flounder also should be decked by pier fishermen. Most of the keeper flounder will be caught by anglers using live minnows, strips of fish or squid dragged close to the bottom near pier pilings inshore close to the beach.

Cobia, king mackerel or jacks are a possibility at any time for pier fishermen using live bait such as menhaden or bluefish when warm, clear water is close to the beach.

Surf fishing in this area should be productive with plenty of small croaker, some spot, nice sea mullet and some scattered pompano landed. Tailor bluefish and Spanish mackerel should be reeled in on Stingsilvers fairly regularly when the surf is clear. A few flounder, black drum and puppy drum also should be taken.

Buxton to Hatteras Inlet

Frisco Pier anglers should catch a variety of small bottom fish, pompano, some black drum and some nice flounder. Bluefish and some big Spanish mackerel should be decked when winds are light and the water is clear. A big jack, cobia or barracuda is a possibility at just about any time.

Surfcasters in the Cape Point area should land quite a few Spanish mackerel and tailor bluefish daily when the water is clear.The best action will be early mornings and just before dark.Bottom fish, a few flounder and scattered pompano also should be caught fairly regularly in the Cape Point area.

A few big cobia could be landed during the day or at night by anglers using cut bait. Some puppy drum should be taken and an occasional drum too large to keep should be released when the water is a bit choppy. Anglers can keep one red drum 18 to 27 inches in total length per person per day.

Fishing should be good in the surf from Frisco to Hatteras Inlet with small bottom fish, some flounder, gray trout, lots of small bluefish and some Spanish mackerel beached.

Surf fishermen in the Hatteras Inlet area should catch some nice Spanish mackerel, bluefish, flounder and pompano when winds are light.

TROLLING AND BOAT FISHING

Headboats fishing in the Oregon Inlet area will land some small bottom fish and flounder this week.

Spanish mackerel and bluefish trolling should be good around Oregon Inlet and along the beach north and south of the inlet.

Boat fishermen in the sound west of the inlet should deck lots of speckled trout and puppy drum.

Boaters in the Hatteras Inlet area should reel in lots of nice Spanish mackerel and tailor bluefish. Nice speckled trout and keeper flounder should be taken along with cobia. Anglers can keep two cobia per day, 33-inches in fork length or larger.

OFFSHORE, GULF STREAM

Blue water action should be good off Oregon Inlet with a mixture of bailer and gaffer dolphin and 20- to 40-pound yellowfin tuna caught just about every day. Some wahoo also will be landed, along with some big-eye tuna weighing well over 100 pounds. Scattered billfish should be released.

Hatteras offshore fishermen should deck lots of dolphin, quite a few wahoo, scattered yellowfin tuna and a few king mackerel. Billfish action should be fair to good.

Headboats fishing in deep water will reel in sea bass, triggerfish, snapper and grouper.

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