47.9 F
Wrightsville Beach
Friday, March 29, 2024

Hook, line and sinker

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It’s nothing we haven’t seen in our area before: highs one day in the mid-70s and lows the next day in the 20s. It’s all part of living on the Southeast Coast. The past week has held this pattern and the upcoming weekend will, too. The fluctuating weather makes it difficult to target the fish because the fish themselves have a hard time adapting, just like the anglers. Water temperatures have dropped into the upper 50s, and the fishing has slowed but is still pretty productive considering it’s the middle of December.

Offshore, the fishing has been nonexistent due to the sea conditions and there’s not any sign of relief in the coming week. A small window opened up for those daring to brave the cold conditions over the weekend and there were some fish that cooperated. Wahoo near the Same Ole were reported and the bottom fishing in the 30-mile range was decent for trigger fish and some snapper. King mackerel were found in the 20-mile range in decent numbers.

Inshore, the bite from speckled trout has slowed but some of the fish being encountered have been hefty, with some weighing 8 pounds or more. Hard baits thrown from the surf and around the jetties are good to try your luck. If fishing from the surf, scout it out at low water and mark those holes and divots you find, and then return during high water and fish it hard.

Bait fishing with shrimp and sand fleas continues to produce some good results from large Virginia mullet. The protocol is basically the same as trout fishing; scout out the deeper holes and sloughs during low water and then fish those locations during high water. Normally the fish will be there a couple of hours on either side of high tide. Make sure your shrimp is as fresh as you can get. Those mullet can tell the difference between frozen and fresh very quickly. Also try limiting your tackle to only what’s needed. Shiny swivels and snaps will spook the fish if the water is clean and clear.

A few bluefish have been reported coming from the surf and around the jetties and while they are sometimes fun to catch, they can be a big nuisance when targeting that trophy speckled trout.

The inside waters are producing some red drum in the creeks and around the docks. Anglers are finding much smaller speckled trout in the inside waters although there are still some keepers in the mix, you just have to weed through the smaller ones.

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