Fishing Forecast: Wahoo, king mackerel biting well near Ocean Isle, Southport
Lake Norman, offshore of the Southeastern N.C. coast and Charleston area waters appear to be the best places in the Carolinas to go fishing for anglers ignoring wintry temperatures.
White perch in big numbers are being caught at Lake Norman, king mackerel and wahoo off the Ocean Isle/Southport areas, reds, sheepshead and wahoo at Charleston.
An ongoing cold snap has cut down on fishing activity significantly.
Lake Norman: Excellent for white perch near the mouth of the Plant Marshall hot hole. The fish generally are suspended 25 feet deep over 45 feet of water and hitting live baits. Fair for largemouth and spotted bass, mostly on jigs in a pumpkin/green pattern cast to docks and shoreline cover.
Lake Wylie: Fair for crappie on minnows 30-35 feet deep around bridge pilings and brushy cover.
Mountain Island Lake: No report.
Cane Creek Park: Little activity.
Yadkin/Pee Dee River lakes: Fair to good for crappie and white perch at Tillery. Fair for crappie in the Smith Lake section of Blewett Falls, reachable via a public access area off N.C. 109. Little activity at High Rock, Tuckertown and Badin.
Lakes James, Rhodhiss, Hickory, Lookout: Fair to good at James for smallmouth bass on shiners. Little activity at Rhodhiss. Stripers at Lake Hickory on Zara Spooks in the Oxford Dam tailrace when water is being released. No report from Lookout.
Fontana Lake: Not much activity, but the few anglers trying are limiting on smallmouth and spotted bass. The bass are hitting Creepy Crawler soft plastic lures best.
Lake Wateree: Small stripers continue to be caught on shiners near the mouths of creeks. Fair for crappie 20-30 feet deep around bridge pilings and brush.
Lake Murray: Fair to good for stripers from the mid-lake area up to the river mouths on live baits either free-lined or worked on down lines. Some surface schooling activity is taking place.
Lake Thurmond: Little activity.
Santee Cooper lakes: Little activity.
Lake Keowee: Few anglers, but those who are going continue to catch largemouth and spotted bass on drop shot rigs and jigging spoons fished 30-60 feet deep over channels, ledges and points.
Lake Jocassee: No report.
Lake Hartwell: Fair to good for stripers and hybrids 15-20 feet deep on trolled umbrella rigs and free-lined live bait.
Outer Banks: Nags Head area: No activity in the surf, a few whiting at Jeannette’s Pier. Oregon Inlet area: Good for stripers in the sounds around the bridges on live eels. No activity offshore. Hatteras Island: Scattered small puppy drum and whiting in the surf at Avon. Blackfin tuna and false albacore offshore of Hatteras Village when sea conditions are favorable. Speckled trout in Pamlico Sound. Ocracoke Island: No report. Morehead City area: An average of about one bluefin tuna per day is being brought to the docks during less-than-favorable sea conditions. Fair for gray and speckled trout in the marshes. Whiting in Beaufort Inlet.
Southeastern N.C. Coast: Excellent for king mackerel and wahoo offshore, with limits of the latter reported. Best catches of kings have been boated at the Shark Hole, and most productive for the wahoo has been the Black Jack Hole. Little activity inshore.
S.C. Coast: Little River area: No report. Grand Strand area: Little activity reported except good catches of offshore bottom species. Charleston area: Good for reds in the backwaters around oyster rakes on ZMan Paddletail lures and on live shrimp worked under a popping cork. Good around bridge pilings for sheepshead on clams, fiddler crabs and oysters. Very good offshore in 60 feet of water for bottom species. Good wahoo catches at the ledge over 160-200 feet of water when sea conditions are decent. Beaufort area: No report.
This story was originally published January 6, 2016 at 7:20 PM with the headline "Fishing Forecast: Wahoo, king mackerel biting well near Ocean Isle, Southport."