The first day of fall occurred yesterday, but for the past week, the fall season has been reminding anglers that when Mother Nature concedes one element for another, someone along the way usually has to pay, and in this regard it’s the offshore fishermen. Strong northeast winds have stirred up the offshore waters, making any sort of outing with plans to head out of the inlet virtually impossible. However, the anglers fishing the piers and sounds are having some decent luck with fish cooperating. Unfortunately the extended forecast continues to bring some crisp and stiff fall winds to the area, meaning offshore sea conditions will remain less than favorable for those wanting to venture out. Water temperatures continue to drop, although slowly right now, and are reading right around or just above the 80-degree mark.
Local piers along the area beaches are reporting some decent king mackerel action for those using live baits targeting them. Fish up to 45 pounds have been reported although the majority of the fish are averaging in the mid 20s. Some Spanish mackerel are also being reported coming from Got-Cha Plugs jigged off the bottom. Most of this fishing was good before the winds started blowing steadily, as those winds have now caused some muddy water for anglers. That’s not to say that kings and Spanish can’t be caught in dirty water, they just won’t be caught as much until the waters start to clear.
Bottom fishing has been very good for those using shrimp, sand fleas and cut bait. Spots have started showing in good numbers for both pier anglers and those fishing from the surf. Dirty water doesn’t bother them and a stirred-up bottom will actually make them feed more aggressively if the current is not running too hard. Shrimp and sand fleas are enticing some black drum and Virginia mullet — and that fishing should only continue to get better as water temperatures fall. A few flounder and red drum are also being caught by those using cut bait around the sloughs and in the deeper holes. Some fall bluefish weighing between 1-3 pounds have also started showing up in the surf zone. With lots of baitfish, namely finger and popeye mullet, running the surf line south, the surf fishing for the larger predators should only continue to get better. Larger bull drum are being caught around the inlets and jetties with a few larger fish also being found on the inside waters.
Inshore, every week continues to show signs of getting better as the flounder action is showing no sign of letting up anytime in the next month or two. Live finger mullet rigged on Carolina rigs are good bets for finding some fat hungry flatfish. Inlets, creeks and the lower Cape Fear River are all good places to wet a live minnow, however as the waters continue to cool, these fish can be found almost anywhere. Red drum is another fish that is being encountered in lots of the same places and will only continue to expand and become more populous as the waters cool.
