Area fishing continues to produce some very good catches and there’s no sign of it slowing down any time in the very near future. Water temperatures have risen to the upper 70s and baitfish are becoming more abundant, meaning the predators will not be far behind, especially for the inshore and near shore folks. As long as air temperatures don’t get too out of hand in the coming weeks, making the water temperatures rise even more, the fishing and catching should continue to produce for anglers.
Ocean conditions have been fairly favorable for offshore bound anglers the past week or more and the extended forecast appears that at least a few days will be fishable. Dolphin (mahi mahi) have been the main talk among anglers and the catches have been quite impressive as well. Most fish are coming from temperature breaks and water depths around the 150 foot mark and also around some of the more well-known areas such as the Steeples and Same Ole. Most of these fish are running in the 15-20 pound range with a few topping 30 pounds in the mix. Some wahoo, blackfin tuna and a few billfish were also reported over the weekend but the main prize was the dolphin.
For those fishing closer to shore, there were a few reports of some dolphin being found as close as 10-15 miles from the beach. These fish normally progress toward the beach when the water temperature starts warming and there’s an abundance of baitfish around and can be found as close as 5 miles on occasion. Most of these fish run smaller in size, around 8-10 pounds and are mostly caught as bycatch by fishermen trolling live bait for king mackerel. Speaking of kings, several boats reported finding them from just off the beach out to around 10 miles or so. Just about any trolled live bait will attract their attention, as well as that from any other predator out there.
Right off the beach, cobia have been the main topic as numerous fish have been reported coming from areas around the inlets as well as those fishing the bait balls right along the beach. Having a live bait drifting by a bait ball is a good tactic, as is sight casting to cruising cobia around the bait. Two ounce bucktails tipped with a large 6-inch curly tail grub or an artificial eel is an offering that a cobia will find very hard to resist. Spanish mackerel have also made a good showing again and anglers trolling Clark Spoons on No. 1 planers did fairly well over the weekend.
Inshore, the flounder fishing is really picking up with fish up to 12 pounds being reported. Lots of other fish in the 3-5 pound range are also becoming pretty frequent encounters. For the larger fish, fishing in the Carolina Beach area or in the Cape Fear River would be the better bet this early in the season. There is plenty of live bait around, and peanut menhaden fished on a Carolina Rig is a setup for success.
