FORECAST BY: Capt. Matt Lamb
Chasin’ Tails Bait & Tackle • Chasin’ Tails Charters
Atlantic Beach, N.C.
Phone: 252-240-FISH • www.chasintailsoutdoors.com
Well, we made it out of January and hopefully none of you are suffering from too much “cabin fever”. On a good note, we haven’t had any real cold weather that would have affected our inshore fish stocks so far this winter. Hopefully, this month won’t be all that bad either, so we don’t see any fish kills in our local creeks and backwaters from freezing temperatures. Let’s keep our fingers crossed because we have seen tons of small speckled trout in our waters all winter long, so that will mean we should have a great spring bite.
As far as the inshore fishing, we’re still seeing some speckled trout action in the back of the creek areas. We’re not seeing a lot of fish, mainly because most anglers haven’t been fishing all that much. But I’m hearing tales of some nice fish that have been caught in School House Creek over the winter so far. Live mud minnows fished very slowly along the bottom have been working the best, along with 17MR Mirrolures. Also, there have been a few black drum in the mix caught off the bottom on bait shrimp. On the warmer days, you might be able to find some action in the creeks off the Neuse River also.
We’ve seen some redfish hanging out at the Cape Lookout Rock Jetties over the last month and should see them through this month, as well. You still might catch a few speckled trout but mainly you’ll find black drum and sheepshead mixed with the redfish around the rocks this late into the winter. There have been a few fish caught around the Port Wall. A few anglers have been fishing around that area with bait shrimp off the bottom and they have been catching a few blackdrum, hogfish and sheepshead.
The nearshore action has all been about the bluefin tuna bite. So far, this season, this has been a “BIG” fish year! In fact, just a few weeks ago the state record was caught just off the beach. What we’ve seen there’s been a very large class of fish, plus they have come very close to the beach. I’ve talked to a few anglers who said they thought their tuna was going to run right up on the beach. Also, I’ve been hearing stories of fish being hooked that anglers can’t even turn around. Most of the fish have been caught just outside the inlet up toward Cape Lookout, because that’s where all the menhaden have been hanging out and the tunas have been gorging themselves. Select and horse ballyhoo rigged up on Blue Water Candy Jags have been getting plenty of action. It looks like the Crystal Coast will be getting some TV time next season on the hit show “Wicked Tuna” as their boat and the Discovery Channel have been here filming a special over the last month.
February can also bring in some great bottom fishing just off the beach. When you can catch a good weather day and make a run out to Northeast Places, anglers have been catching some nice sea bass on squid fished right on the bottom. If you move on out into that 30-mile range, you might run into nice triggerfish and bee-liners which the season is now open. Keep in mind while it’s so cold outside and fishing is on the slow side, it makes a perfect time to get your reels into the shop for cleaning and new line in order to be ready for the spring. Before we know it, we’ll be talking about sea mullets and bluefish making their spring runs. So, don’t wait for the last minute, be ready when it’s time to get back on the water in full swing. Also, it is a great cure for cabin fever” to get out of the house to visit the tackle shop and talk fishing!