It’s not that big of a surprise that April has been a roller coaster as far as the weather goes, particularly during these first few weeks of the month. Water temperatures have remained steady, reading right around the lower-to-mid 60-degree mark. Air temperatures, on the other hand, have been the opposite as lows have dipped to near freezing and the high reached near record on Tuesday. There’s slightly less than a week and a half left in the month and as we near the end, the weather should start to settle down into a more typical spring pattern. Until then, take advantage of those days that afford you the opportunity to wet a line.
The fishing has not really changed all that much in the past couple of weeks. When the weather allows, the fishermen find the fish and when the winds blow or the rain comes, the anglers are more apt to remain at the house. The reports for the past week are again weather based, but there were a few good days. Those fishing the piers and the surf had some very good days on the Virgina mullet, with reports of a plethora of fish being caught on some days while other days produced little to none. The piers along Surf City and Topsail reported very good catches of mullet along with a few puffers, as did the piers along the Pleasure Island beaches. The surf anglers between the north and south also did well, including some of the normal favorite holes along Wrightsville Beach. Fresh shrimp on two hook drop rigs were the bait of choice. Fresh shrimp is also enticing some black drum to take the baits and anglers have reported good days on these as well. The bluefish are starting to attack Got-Cha Plugs jigged from the piers and appear to be gaining just a little size, making catching dinner a little easier. Remember, both black drum and bluefish have size and possession limits so make sure to check your regulations before heading out and adding fish to your cooler.
Inshore, the red drum fishing has been steadily picking up and has not been hampered by the fluctuating weather. Artificial baits are working well around the docks and in the creeks. Scented baits seem to work better but they’ll eat just about anything if it’s presented the right way. Slow retrieves are still best. Anglers are also starting to report many more encounters with baitfish, which will only help get the red drum more active in search of their next dinner. Flounder fishing and catching has also increased the past couple of weeks and while the majority of the fish are undersized, many have been reported being very close to legal length, which is a good sign for this summer and fall before the fishing is closed.
Near shore and offshore, the fishing is dependent on the weather and has been pretty nonexistent during the past week. The forecast doesn’t look all that great for the upcoming weekend, either.
