It’s the month of July. The air temperature is hot, the water temperature is hot, it’s humid, it’s bright, it’s almost miserable to be out on the water — but the one thing keeping anglers heading out is the fishing has been really good. Good enough, in fact, that anglers aren’t really talking about the heat, they’re talking about the fish they’re catching. Inshore, offshore and near shore the fish are biting; I really can’t remember a summer this heated that the fishing has been this good.
Water temperatures are reading in the lower-to-mid and even the upper 80s in some places. If you head out on the water, keep a check on the weather, make sure to stay well hydrated, put on lots and lots of sunscreen, stay in the shade if possible and above all, enjoy the fishing.
Inshore, the fishing has been good despite the conditions. Plenty of keeper flounder are being caught in the deeper channels and creeks as well as the inlets. Some decent fish are also being caught in the shallows along the marsh grass and banks, although most are being found early and late in the day. Live finger mullet are hard to beat this time of year and they have been very plentiful and are getting bigger in size. Some anglers are sticking with artificial baits and are also having plenty of success. Red drum are being found in the same locations and while keeping a fish or two for dinner is totally acceptable, anglers need to be sure to measure their fish carefully as there are plenty of over-slot and under-slot fish being found. Legal possession limits are one fish per person between 18 and 27 inches. Elsewhere, anglers are finding some sheepshead around the pilings of structures and some black drum.
From the pier and surf, anglers are finding a variety of species depending on what they are fishing with and what they are fishing for. Fresh shrimp fished in the suds is producing some Virginia mullet and pompano, a few of which are running citation sized, and some black drum and croakers and other assorted bottom feeders. Cut bait and live minnows are catching some flounder and bluefish. Live baiters fishing from the end of the piers are finding action with an occasional king mackerel, barracuda and amberjacks.
Boaters trolling live bait are still finding a few cobia around, ready and willing to take the live bait offerings. Some king mackerel have been reported just outside the inlet, although some of these fish have been extremely small for this time of year and are being confused with their close cousin, the Spanish mackerel. There is a significant size regulation difference between them, so making sure you have the correct species is important. The best way to tell the difference between the two is that the Spanish mackerel has a distinct black dorsal fin, the king mackerel does not. There is also an identifier with the lateral line of both species but that’s best described by a visual illustration, so visit the North Carolina Division of Marine Fisheries website and download the photo depicting the two.
Speaking of Spanish mackerel, there’s been plenty of them in water depths around 30 feet. 00 Clark Spoons have been the go-to baits for anglers looking for and wanting to catch Spanish.
Off the beach a little way, anglers have reported king mackerel, a few dolphin and some inshore sailfish coming from within 10 miles of land. Bottom fishing is good starting around 20 miles out to around 30 miles. The dolphin fishing has also been fairly good in this range.
