FORECAST BY: Capt. Noah Lynk
Noah’s Ark Charters
Call: 252-342-6911 or at
Cape Pointe Marina on Harkers Island,
Call: 252-728-6181
www.noahsarkfishingcharters.com
We’re wanting to get out and fish and the month of February brings some of the coldest conditions of the year! As a result, any of these February trips require a little bit of planning.
Most of the fishing during this month around the Harker’s Island/Cape Lookout area is going to be for a select few species: speckled trout, red drum, and for those in the know, tautog, which inhabit the local rock jetties this time of year and can be taken on fresh shrimp. Fishing for specs and reds is going to be mainly either up in the heads of the local creeks and rivers or out along the beaches from Atlantic Beach to the shores of Shackleford Island and Cape Lookout.
As for me, I prefer fishing the beach with chest waders and working along the inside sloughs of Shackleford Island. My preferred method is to use either scented soft baits such as the Salty Bay Baits, Calcutta Flash Foil Shad, or to use hard baits like as MirrOLures. In soft baits, mostly I use the Salty Bay Cigar Minnow in the Smokin’ Shad or Pearl, the new Red Devil or shrimp pattern and the Calcutta Flash Foil Shad. For hard baits, I’m going to be using the MirrOLures in the MR27 & MR17, MR18 Heavydine in the Mardigras Gras and 808 color schemes. MirrOlure also has the new Paul Brown Soft Dine XL out that is a sinking bait that weighs 5/8-ounce and has proven to be deadly…I recently caught a nine-pound speck on the Electric Chicken. The Soft Dine now comes in two sizes–3/8- and 5/8-ounce. If you are looking for something a little different, try winter fishing for tautaug out around the Cape Lookout Rock Jetty or the Morehead City Port Wall. They feed best on shrimp and I have caught some really nice ones on a Cajun Thunder popping cork with bait shrimp at the rock jetty. Use a short leader and throw right up against or onto the rocks as these fish live and feed in this habitat.
For those that have put their gear up for the winter and may looking into new gear, I have been working the fishing and boating shows for the past month as well as field testing some new gear and tackle. Star Fishing Tackle has just released their new Ariel reels, which I have tested thoroughly for the last year and can truly say they are really good reels that have held up really well. They look even better when you see the price! Another really hot item which I checked out at the show this year was the new live bait containment by Ego Nets, so check them out online. I wanted to get my hands on the one they had at the show, but couldn’t get away with it. It is an awesome new product. Last but not least, there’s a new product out by Cajun Thunder, the Cajun Sleigh-R. It features a casting spoon in gold, copper or silver finishes. Several of us guides have been testing this product now for the last year and it catches red drum and founder really well. It was just released to the public at this year’s Big Rock Sports show.
This month is also a great time of the year to go through your tackle and get rid of the old rusty stuff, put new hooks on lures that need them and get your reels all cleaned up and ready. Spring is just around the corner and you don’t want to be caught off guard. Hope to see some of you on the water. Anyone looking for spring charters, I am already starting to book up for Spanish, chopper blues, cobia and flounder, so give me a shout so you can get the date you want. Be safe and have a great month…stay busy and it will go by quickly.