Hello from Southeast North Carolina, I hope everybody is having a good fishing season so far this year! I've had a good one so far myself; the water temps are going up so fast this year. We are two to three weeks ahead on water temps at this time last season. It has showed too; good catch's of Spanish mackerel in April! On that note let's talk fishing!
The real winner for me lately has been those Spanish mackerel. My charters have done very good in the last few trips, with catches of thirty or more Spanish in a half day. Most of the Spanish are biting Clark spoons trolled behind #1 planner's. The Clark spoons that are working the best for us are sizes; 00 and 0 in silver and pink flash. I really like the pink flash series, these spoons have worked very well for my charters. If you would like to go lighter; you can pull small deep diving lures as well.
When the Spanish are on top feeding and jumping, Maria jig spoons have been the trick. The colors that seem to be working are pink, green and blue in sizes seven & fourteen gram. (Hint): keep it to smaller lures when the weather gets hot! We also caught a few Bonita's mixed in with the Spanish.
There has also been plenty of blue fish up and down the beach as well. We have also caught a hand full of chopper blues too. These choppers are running in the six to over fifth teen pound range. The choppers are biting big poppers and mid water stick baits. Color really does not seem to matter to those big blues, just a lot of action from the lure!
Bottom fishing just off the beach has produced some nice Black bass, grunts and small Grouper, of course on the lighter wind days! Jigs and squid are the trick, fishing the squid on simple two hook bottom rigs. Jig fishing using two to five once jigs in colors pink, green and red/white. We are fishing mostly hard and live bottom areas, in the five to ten mile range for the bottom fish.
The flounder bite is picking up some too; we are starting to see a few fish inshore as well on the near shore reefs and wrecks. Most of the flounder inshore are mixed in size, but the fish in the ocean are a little better in size. Live bait and grubs are the best bet. Carolina rigs for the live bait and heavy jig heads for the grubs. I prefer bright grubs; Saltwater Assassin's sea shads in colors chart/diamond and silver mullet work real well.
Red fish have been hit or miss for me lately, some days we get a few some days we don't. This should change when more live bait shows up in the creeks and channels. What Reds we are getting are hitting fresh bait and scented Saltwater Assassin (Blurp) grubs in colors; drunk monkey and molting.
Gear used: Reels Penn Sargus SG2000 and SG4000 Rods: Ugly Stick Lite 7'0" Med light and Med act. Line: Fire Line crystal in 10 and 20 pound test.
Thanks for taking the time to read this report, get out there and go fishing!
Capt. Jot Owens
Ranger Boats and
Pure Fishing Pro Staff
www.captainjot.com
910-233-4139