Fishing Forecast: Hatteras offshore trolling producing excellent catches
Offshore trolling and live-bait fishing for king mackerel continues excellent along the North Carolina coast, especially out of Hatteras Village.
Ditto for blackfin tuna.
Seventeen state-awarded citations for exceptional catches of large kings and blackfin were reported Tuesday from just one marina, Hatteras Harbor.
Additionally, Teach’s Lair Marina at Hatteras reported the boating of a potential state record white marlin weighing 128 pounds.
Lake Norman: Very good for hybrids, spotted bass and white perch. They’re in mixed concentrations, generally being found about 40 feet deep and hitting minnows best. Largemouth and spotted bass also are striking soft plastic lures, small crankbaits and Alabama rigs cast to main channel points.
Lake Wylie: Very good for white perch on minnows, jigs and small spoons 25 feet down toward the back of creeks. Good for catfish along ledges 15-35 feet deep on cut gizzard shad, herring and white perch.
Mountain Island Lake: Fair for crappie on minnows around brushy cover 15-25 feet deep.
Cane Creek Park: Fair for crappie around deep brush. The park’s entry fee is waived through February.
Yadkin/Pee Dee River lakes: Crappie continue to take minnows the length of the chain from High Rock through Tuckertown, Badin, Tillery and Blewett Falls. The latter three appear to be producing slightly the best.
Lakes James, Rhodhiss, Hickory: Good for smallmouth bass on shiners worked off and around the points at James. Fair for crappie at Hickory. Little activity at Rhodhiss.
Fontana Lake: Excellent for limits of smallmouth and spotted bass, especially at night on buzz baits cast to the shoreline. During the day the bass are striking jerk baits and skirted spinnerbaits cast to points.
Lake Wateree: Very good for catfish while drifting with cut baits at the mouths of creeks and over humps in the reservoir’s lower half. Fair for crappie along ledges 16-18 feet down from Wateree Creek uplake.
Lake Murray: Striped bass from the dam up to the lake’s middle section on live baits fished under planer boards. Some striper surface schooling is taking place, during which time the fish are striking Li’l Fishie lures, bucktails and topwater plugs. Very good for white perch lake-wide on earthworms, jigs and minnows. Fair for catfish drifting over the flats with cut gizzard shad, herring and white perch.
Lake Thurmond: Good for striped bass 10-15 feet deep in the back of creeks on live baits either free-lined or trolled with planer boards. Soap Creek, Broad River and waters near the U.S. 378 bridge are providing the best action.
Santee Cooper lakes: Very good for exceptionally large crappie to 3 1/2 pounds in the lower lake, Moultrie. They’re taking minnows 8-12 feet deep over brush that’s 15-20 feet down. Good to very good for largemouth in both Marion and Moultrie on artificial worms in pumpkin color patterns cast to shallow cover. Fair for catfish on cut herring and mullet.
Lake Keowee: Largemouth and spotted bass continue to feed in surfacing schools, hitting flukes and topwater lures
Lake Jocassee: Fair for largemouth in the river arms on a variety of lures worked along the shoreline. Trout remain very deep, about 100 feet, and the few being caught are hitting minnows fished on downrigger devices.
Lake Hartwell: Good for largemouth bass on artificial worms and jigs fished around structure. It took a catch of five fish weighing 18 pounds to win a weekend tournament. Good for channel catfish on crawlers and cut herring worked around ledges and humps 15-40 feet deep. Some striper and hybrid schooling activity reported.
Outer Banks: Nags Head area: Generally slow in the surf and at piers with only a few small blues and trout reported. Oregon Inlet area: Very good for limits of striped bass inshore for anglers trolling along the bridges leading into Manteo. Good offshore for wahoo, blackfin and yellowfin tuna when sea conditions are favorable. Hatteras Island: Excellent offshore for blackfin tuna to 28 pounds and king mackerel to 40, along with sailfish and a few white marlin. Pamlico Sound continues to yield red drum, along with some flounder and speckled trout. Mainly blues, blowtoads and whiting in the surf, plus speckled trout from Ramp 43 over the dunes to Cape Point near Buxton. Ocracoke Island: Fair for black and red drum in the surf, along with small blues and a few trout. Flounder at the inlet mouths on grubs. Morehead City area: Good for large false albacore along the beach, in Beaufort Inlet and at the hook of Cape Lookout. The largest fish are trailing shrimp boats to feed on whatever is thrown overboard from the nets. Good for king mackerel in the 40-pound range 12-15 miles offshore on live menhaden and cigar minnows. Speckled trout in the sound. Albacore, blues, puppy drum, speckled trout and whiting at piers.
Southeastern N.C. Coast: Very good offshore for king mackerel up to 40 pounds. Producing especially well are the Fairway Ledge, Shallotte Ledge and the 10-mile Rock, the latter off Wrightsville Beach. Flounder and gray trout at the artificial reefs. Speckled trout in most inlets, especially Rich’s Inlet, Mason’s Inlet and also Page’s Creek. Red drum in the surf at Lee Island. A mix of black drum, blues, speckled trout, spots and whiting at piers.
S.C. Coast: Little River area: Trout along the grass edges and the Intracoastal Waterway ledges. Flounder on finger mullet. Grand Strand area: Flounder in Murrells Inlet on drift-fished mud minnows and mullet. Speckled trout in Charlie’s Cut, the Garden City Canal and Oak Creek on live shrimp and Mirrolures. Big red drum around the artificial reefs. King mackerel offshore at areas known as Belkie Bear and The Jungle. Blues, drum, spots and whiting at piers. Charleston area: Probably the peak period to catch big red drum, hitting in the surf, at inlet mouths and around jetties on cut baits. Very good for speckled trout in the backwaters on live shrimp, DOA Shrimp lures and ZMan Slim SwimZ lures, the latter on a one-sixth ounce jig head. Blackfin tuna, sailfish and wahoo offshore over 150-300 feet. Beaufort area: Good for reds tailing to feed in marsh grass during high tide. When the tide is low, reds are hitting live baits and lures worked around the mud flats.
This story was originally published November 18, 2015 at 11:38 AM with the headline "Fishing Forecast: Hatteras offshore trolling producing excellent catches."