It is hard to believe the month of April will be over by the weekend, but it’s a definite signal that fishing is about to switch into high gear. If the reports from the past week are any indication, the fishing during the month of May could just be phenomenal. Water temperatures are continuing to slowly warm, now reading in the mid 60s, which is just on the fringe of the point that the fishing could really heat up about any day. A lot of the fish caught during the past week were right on schedule as far as fishing predictions go and should the water temps not skyrocket, as they have in some past years, anglers could very well see a long and productive spring season.
We’ll start with the offshore game; those that took advantage of the decent seas and fished the Gulf Stream over the weekend and earlier part of the week found plenty of fish were there waiting to bite. Blackfin tuna, wahoo and dolphin were reported by almost everyone who fished and location didn’t seem to matter too much as most of the normal go-to spots, such as the Steeples, Black Jack and Same Ole Hole, all produced something. Those fishing closer in found some very decent bottom fishing in the 30- to 40-mile range, with some black sea bass, snapper and larger trigger fish being the main catches. A few anglers fishing in that range also reported a few cobia being caught and those jigging their favorite spots reported some African pompano and amberjack as well. Bottom fishing in the 15- to 30-mile range produced mainly black sea bass, with the larger fish being found in the deeper waters.
The Atlantic bonito have been abundant from just off the beach out to around five miles, especially now that seas have calmed enough to allow the smaller boats to get out and fish for them. Early mornings make for better sight-casting opportunities while the later morning anglers have found the fish by trolling small Clark Spoons and Yo-Zuri Plugs. Adding into the excitement of these fish is the arrival of Spanish mackerel and, right on cue, some large ones at that. Spanish up to four pounds have been caught during the past week in their regular early-season haunts, off of New River Inlet and also off of the Fort Fisher area. These larger fish should hang around for a couple of weeks, with some fish up to seven pounds being found, before the main arrival of smaller but more plentiful Spanish mackerel along the Wrightsville Beach waters. Bluefish are also being reported regularly on the same tackle with some fish topping the 2-pound mark.
Inshore, the flounder fishing has started picking up with more reports of keeper fish being caught. Red drum are also topping out the inshore reports with both flounder and reds being caught in a lot of the same places. Anglers are reporting more minnows and baitfish in the creeks so that fishing should just keep getting better. Anglers fishing with shrimp are finding some decent black drum around the bridges and piers and also in the surf, along with some decent-sized Virginia mullet and a few puffers.
