Spot, Croaker, Perch on the Menu

By DAMON TATEM

BEACH, PIER AND BRIDGE FISHING

Corolla to Coquina Beach

Surfcasters should catch a variety of small bottom fish this week along the beach from Corolla to Coquina Beach. Some small spot, croaker, sand perch and scattered nice sea mullet should be taken on small hooks baited with bloodworms or fresh shrimp. Fishing will be best on the incoming tide when the fish come close to the beach to feed.

An occasional flounder also should be landed, along with a pompano or two if the water inshore is warm. Anglers can keep eight flounder 141/2 inches or larger in total length per person per day in the Atlantic Ocean.

Scattered small bluefish should be caught sporadically on lures if the water is clear, and on cut bait if the water is dirty. Bluefish quite often can be found around schools of menhaden, one of their favorite foods. Lures cast near densely packed menhaden schools stand a good chance of being hit by bluefish. Anglers can keep 15 bluefish per person per day, with only five larger than 24 inches.There is no minimum size limit on bluefish.

Pier fishermen along the northern beaches should have good luck catching small bottom fish if the water is somewhat murky.There is no size or creel limit on sand perch, spot, croaker or sea mullet, but anglers should keep only what they intend to use.

Clear water along the oceanfront should provide some good early morning and late afternoon runs of small bluefish. Most of these aggressive game fish will be landed on Gotcha lures if the water is clear. A few Spanish mackerel also should be taken, mixed in with the bluefish. Anglers can keep 15 Spanish mackerel 12 inches in fork length or larger per person per day.

Pier anglers also should deck some nice speckled trout early mornings on soft plastic lures if the water is clear.

A few keeper flounder should be caught. Anglers using live minnows or bait strips inshore close to the pier pilings will have the most luck.

If light onshore winds push clear, warm Gulf Stream water inshore close to the beach, pier jockeys will have an opportunity to land a big cobia or jack on live bait. Anglers can keep two cobia 33 inches in fork length or larger per person per day.

Spadefish and triggerfish can sometimes be decked when the water is warm and clear. These tasty fish can be taken by dangling bait close to pier pilings. The spadefish and triggerfish spend most of their time feeding on small crustaceans that live amid the barnacles and marine growth covering the pilings.

Anglers fishing from the Melvin Daniels Jr. Bridge on the Nags Head/Roanoke Island causeway should catch a few speckled trout and keeper flounder just about every morning at first light. Some small bottom fish, black drum and an occasional small trout should be reeled in during the day.

Oregon Inlet area

Surfcasters fishing along the north shore of Oregon Inlet should land a few bottom fish, flounder and small bluefish. A few black drum and possibly a sheepshead could be taken near the bridge pilings.

Fishermen on the catwalk on the south end of the Bonner Bridge should catch some small bottom fish, a few black drum and flounder. Some sheepshead should be taken on sand fleas or crab bait close to the bridge supports at slack tide. A few stripers should be landed on live bait from the bridge at night.

Pea Island to Buxton

Bottom fishing should be good in this area with plenty of small croaker, spot and sand perch beached.

Some nice citation sea mullet and pretty pompano will be caught by anglers using sand fleas for bait. The sea mullet and pompano feed on these small crustaceans that inhabit the high energy surf zone amid the breaking waves.

Fair numbers of small bluefish and some Spanish mackerel should be landed on Stingsilvers in this area when the water is clear. Bluefish also will be taken when the water is dirty, on fireball rigs baited with fresh cut bait.

Pier fishermen in Rodanthe and Avon should deck some small spot, croaker, sea mullet, pigfish and sand perch. A few pompano also will appear in catches, along with a few keeper flounder. Scattered bluefish and Spanish mackerel should be caught from the ends of piers early mornings and late afternoons when the water is clear. Triggerfish and sheepshead should be taken around pier pilings when light east and southeast winds push warm offshore Gulf Stream water inshore along the beach.

Buxton to Hatteras Inlet

Cape Point surfcasters should land good numbers of Spanish mackerel and bluefish when winds are light and the water is clear. Otherwise, fishermen in the cape area should reel in some small bottom fish and a few pompano. Some keeper flounder will be taken in the hook when grass isn’t a problem.

A few puppy drum and possibly a cobia or two also could be caught at Cape Point by anglers using fresh cut bait. Puppy drum action will be best when the water is somewhat rough. Anglers can keep one drum 18 to 27 inches in total length per person per day.

Surf fishermen along the Frisco beach should land some sea mullet, a few spot and an occasional flounder. A few speckled trout could be taken from the surf near Cape Hatteras Fishing Pier. Anglers can keep 10 speckled trout 12 inches in total length or larger per person per day.

Fishermen on Cape Hatteras Fishing Pier should deck a mixture of small spot, pinhead croaker, sand perch, pigfish, pinfish and a few sea mullet. Some mixed-sized pompano should be caught on sand fleas or fresh shrimp. Bluefish and Spanish mackerel should make regular morning appearances when winds are fairly light and the water is clear.

TROLLING AND BOAT FISHING

Boat anglers trolling in the Oregon Inlet area and along the beach both north and south of Oregon Inlet should land some tailor bluefish and a few Spanish mackerel. A few cobia and some king mackerel should be taken in deeper water outside the inlet. Deep water bottom fishermen will deck some tilefish and sea bass.

Boaters fishing in Oregon Inlet and in the sound west of the Bonner Bridge should catch some speckled trout, flounder, gray trout and an occasional puppy drum. Headboats drifting in the same areas should land some flounder and small bottom fish.

Hatteras Inlet boat fishermen should deck some nice flounder, nice Spanish mackerel, tailor bluefish, speckled trout and gray trout.

OFFSHORE, GULF STREAM

Blue water anglers in the Gulf Stream off Oregon Inlet should catch some big yellowfin tuna, quite a few mixed-sized dolphin, a few wahoo and an occasional big-eye tuna weighing more than 100 pounds. A few billfish will be released.

Hatteras blue water fishermen should haul in lots of dolphin, scattered tuna, good numbers of wahoo and a few king mackerel. A few billfish should be released daily. Three king mackerel 24 inches or larger in fork length can be kept per person per day.

(c) 2007 Virginian – Pilot. Provided by ProQuest Information and Learning. All rights Reserved.