Well it certainly didn’t take long for it to actually feel like winter this year. The weather that anglers were enjoying for weeks on end, minus the plethora of rain we endured, finally ended on the first day of November, as thunderstorms, winds, rain and graupel — lots and lots of graupel, aka hail — positioned itself over our area for most of the day. Hopefully no one was caught in it, as I’m sure that would not have been a pretty sight. Right behind the hail came cold temperatures, the coldest we’ve seen this season. Water temperatures plunged to the mid-60 degree mark but will rebound slightly as warmer temperatures are predicted for mid-week before dipping once again after yet another cold front. Even though temperatures have cooled significantly, that doesn’t mean you need to give up fishing just yet. The fishing was good before this weather change and it’ll be good, if not better in some instances, after.
Probably the most notable event is the offshore push of king and Spanish mackerel. No, they’re not completely gone and are still readily accessible by small boats. They’re just not stacked up on the beach like they were before the weather change, although a random catch of a fish or two won’t be uncommon as long as the water temperature stays fairly consistent. Most of the mackerel have moved off into the 5-10 mile range, with 10 miles being the better fishing. As conditions change, these fish may move in closer or may move even farther off the beach. Find the bait and you’ll probably find the fish.
Gulf Stream waters have been on fire the past few weeks. Good catches of wahoo and tuna, both blackfin and yellowfin, have been caught in recent weeks. Once boats can get back out after this wind, they’ll more than surely get them dialed back in.
Inshore, the speckled trout fishing around Wrightsville Beach picked up, then shut off temporarily and now is bound to quickly get into full swing with lower water temperatures. The live bait, such as finger mullet, are still plentiful and will entice both speckled trout and flounder, which are still being caught in area waters. Creek mouths, inlets and the deeper channels will all hold fish. As with fishing for larger fish in the ocean, find the bait funneling out of a creek or around an oyster bar and you’ll more than likely find a trout or flounder nearby. Red drum are also being found in the same areas. If using live baits isn’t your forte, soft artificials such as Gulp and DOA paddle tails on one-fourth ounce lead heads work wonders and help you cover a lot more water.
Surf fishing has been producing the normal fall species, such as Virginia mullet, pompano and spots. Fresh shrimp is the best bait to target all three but live sand fleas will produce some larger mullet and pompano if they are around. Cut bait has been catching bluefish, flounder and red drum.
