Here we are a day before Christmas and air temperatures are reading into the upper 70s with records being threatened to be broken. Now, I’m not one to jump on the global warming bandwagon, but what I will jump on is while this doesn’t exactly make it feel like Christmas, it sure does make it feel like fishing weather. Despite the rain, things have settles down and with water temperatures still reading in the mid-sixties, there’s sure to be some fishing and definitely some catching going on, as this week’s report indicates. Obviously, sooner or later it’s going to get cold, I think, but until that happens, utilize some of that new tackle and catch a fish or two, but whatever you do, have a Merry Christmas.
Offshore, there were some reports of a few wahoo coming from areas near the Gulf Stream, but those reports were limited due to weather and sea conditions. As is normally the case, what’s good for one boatload of anglers is not necessarily good for others. As always, during this time of year, make sure you have a float plan in place and always use a buddy boat if possible. Elsewhere in the blue water, there were also a few reports of a few dolphin and a few sailfish being encountered.
Bluefin tuna are starting to make the news, with a few large fish between 90 inches and 112 inches being reported coming from within 15 miles of Oak Island. It appears this is just the beginning, so if a trophy fish is on your agenda before the end of the year, or as a New Year’s resolution, it may just be time to find a good local charter and captain. Doing a quick search on the local fishing forums should help you decide on who and where, and if not, post a question and let the local anglers help you make your decision.
Elsewhere, the surf continues to provide those fishing the shallow waters some excellent fishing and catching, with large Virginia mullet and some black drum being fairly common. Sand fleas are producing the larger fish but fresh shrimp is also catching its fair share. As long as water temperatures don’t dip too far into the 50s, this fishery may very well hang around for another month or so, but we’ll just have to wait and see.
Some anglers targeting speckled trout from the surf are starting to find a few fish although they haven’t seen the action that they encountered last year. As water temperatures drop, the larger speckled trout should start to hole up in the deeper sloughs along the beach as well as areas around the Masonboro Inlet jetties. Anglers fishing inshore are still finding some decent action from the trout, although a large majority of the fish are small and undersized. Those anglers who have the patience to continue fishing through the small ones will eventually find a keeper or two. A few red drum are also being caught in the same locations.
