The fishing in the beginning of April has started as normal but in some aspects it’s started even better than expected. Water temperatures are reading in the lower 60s and climbing daily, with the last report settling on 61. Other than a few cool nights, which is always a possibility, the days are staying warm and sunny, only helping those water temperatures to rise. And now reports of the first bluefish of the season along the area beaches are trickling in, a good sign indeed!
When bluefish start showing up, it often means that other species are not far behind, and while the blues can become a nuisance sometimes, they have saved many a fishing trip when nothing else was biting. Bluefish are very tasty if fixed fresh within a day or two of the catch and their arrival is a sure sign that spring has sprung! The piers have been reporting some blues coming from Got-Cha Plugs jigged just outside the breakers, while those fishing from the surf have managed some fish on both spoons and natural baits.
Also along the surf line, anglers are reporting a wide variety of bottom dwellers, including Virginia mullet and blowfish, both of which are prized table fare and often sought after by local fishermen. Fresh shrimp soaked on the bottom is the bait choice of most, and finding the deeper holes along the shore from both surf and the piers will help your cause. Red drum are also being reported in the surf and while shrimp will tempt them, larger offerings such as cut bait will be more welcomed. Larger soft artificial baits have also worked well the past week.
Inshore, the red drum and speckled trout fishing has continued to pick up. Areas around Surf City, Topsail Beach and also the lower Cape Fear River have reported increasing catches the past week. Artificial baits are the go-to and anything with scent will help your cause. Soft baits are working better but hard swimming baits will also entice some strikes.
Offshore, while ocean conditions have not been prefect, there have been a few opportunities for boats to venture to the blue water. The area around the Same Ole seems to have produced the best lately, with reports of wahoo, some tuna and a few dolphin. As conditions improve, the Gulf Stream fishing should do the same. Bottom fishermen have found some decent fishing in depths around 100 feet for black sea bass, trigger fish and snapper.
As waters continue to warm, the fishing should really start picking up the next few weeks. Make sure your tackle box is stocked and you’re ready to go. There’s no telling when that day will come that you’re getting phone calls saying the fish are really biting, and you definitely don’t want to get caught unprepared.
