June is the month the Spanish mackerel show up in big numbers. The Beaufort Inlet, AR 315, Cape Lookout Shoals, Shackleford Banks and along Atlantic Beach will all be good areas to start looking for Spanish. Most anglers will have the best luck trolling Clarkspoons in gold or silver behind #1 planers or using a two- or three-ounce trolling weight. Don’t pass up trying Mackerel Trees and Squid Rigs; which also work great. As we get into late June, you’ll be able to find schools of Spanish feeding early in the mornings and late in the afternoons. Then switch over to Jig Fish Lures in 1/2- to 3/4-ounce sizes, Laser Minnows or Glass Minnows Jigs. Casting on light spinning tackle makes for some great action. Along with the Spanish there will be bluefish mixed in that can be caught on the same lures and in the same places as the Spanish.
The Artificial Reefs 315, 320, 330 and 285 are all holding flounder now. The best way to catch flounder on the reefs is bucktail fishing. Spro two-ounce white bucktails with a Berkley Gulp four-inch shrimp will get the job done. Pink, Chartreuse and Glow are all good choices too.
Betts Billy Bay has come out with a new bucktail in two-ounce with a sideways hook to help get more hook ups and less lost fish. When fishing the reefs for flounder it’s always a good ideal to take along some live mud minnows. Fish them on a Carolina rig along the bottom for best action. The High Rise Bridges, Port Wall, Docks, Creeks and the ICW will all be good choices to fish on the inside of the inlet areas. Just about anywhere you can find structure you’ll have a chance to catch a flounder…most all of your six-pound+ fish will be lying close by. Live mud minnows along with four-inch Berkley Gulp are the best bets for catching flounder on the inside.
Sheepshead are here and will just get thicker as we get further into summer. Live sea urchins and live fiddler crabs will be the best bait when looking for sheepshead. We carry both baits at the shop, just for anglers wanting to try their luck at sheepshead fishing. The Port Wall, High Rise Bridges, Harkers Island Bridge, ICW Docks and around any kind of pole you can find can produce fish. We have already weighed in two fish this season over 10-pounds so there are some big fish in the area this year.
There are still some gray trout being caught around the bridges and the railroad tracks. At night under the lights is the best time to fish for them in the summer, as they’ll be feeding on glass minnows. Also, at the Atlantic Beach Bridge in June you can expect some speckled trout action under the lights, too. Gulp, live mud minnows, live shrimp and mullet minnows all work well when trout fishing at the bridges under the lights.
Anglers are also still picking up a few speckled trout in the Neuse River and Core Creek area. Topwater like Rapala Skitter Walks, Heddon Spooks and Top Dogs all have been producing some good action early in the mornings and late in the afternoons.
So far the redfish bite has been off somewhat this year, but more and more are starting to show up on the flats and creeks. As the live shrimp get more numerous in the creeks, we’ll start to see more fish moving up in the shallows feeding on them. Core Creek, Haystacks, Middle Marsh and North River are all good areas to look. Gulp Baits, topwaters, and Red Fish Magics are all good choices. Don’t pass up a live mud minnow on a Popping Cork or some cut mullet on the bottom, because the reds won’t. You want to be fishing around the grass points and oyster bars for the best luck.
As for bottom fishing, you can still find a mixed bag of fish. We’re into summer so no fish are running in big schools. You’re going to find everything from sea mullets, hog fish, croakers and sea bass, all feeding along the bottom in the inlets and the Turning Basin area. The good thing is sea bass season opened June 1 and anglers are finding keeper fish in the inshore waters. The Port Wall, AR 315, 320, 330 and 285 are holding keeper sea bass. Baitshrimp and squid fished on Spec-Rigs or bottom rigs will do the trick for bottom action. Live mud minnows are a favorite food for sea bass, so it’s a good idea to take a few along if you want to target sea bass. I really don’t know anyone that doesn’t like to eat sea bass, as they’re among the best-eating fish in the ocean!
Now, don’t think all the cobia have moved on north since it’s getting warmer. Some of the biggest fish of the year will be caught in the first two weeks of June. They’ll start moving out up the coast toward the end of June but they’ll be around here until then. Barden’s Inlet, Beaufort Inlet, Cape Lookout Shoals and around sea turtles are all good places to find cobia. Menhaden fished on the bottom is a hard bait to beat. Plus, you’ll always want to have a Blue Water Candy Bucktail or an artificial eel ready for action, as you never know when you’ll come up on a bait ball or a turtle. You have to be ready to cast to them because they might disappear to the bottom before you have time to rig up. So, always have a rod on stand-by, ready to use, when cobia fishing.
Piers / Surf June Forecast
The Oceana Pier is seeing good numbers of bluefish and Spanish being caught from mid-way out to the end. Got-Cha Plugs and Pole Kat Lures are the best when you want to plug. Early mornings and late afternoons are the best time for action.
A few flounder are being caught around the pilings of the pier and along the surf zone, plus along with the rocks at Fort Macon Park. Live mud minnows fished on a flounder rig will be the best for flounder.
We’ve seen some sheepshead action up at the rocks at Fort Macon on live fiddler crabs and live sea urchins. You can also have some luck fishing the pilings at the Oceana Pier. The key is getting out in the rocks for best results. A few red drum and black drum are being caught also along the jetty. The best baits for them have been bait shrimp and cut mullet fished on the bottom. As for the bottom feeders, it’s going to be a mixed bag along the surf zone with sea mullets, pompano, hogfish, croakers, sharks and skates. The best bait for this time of the year is bait shrimp, squid, finger mullet, sand fleas and cut mullet all will work when fished on the bottom with a bottom rig.
FORECAST BY: Capt. Matt Lamb
Chasin’ Tails Bait & Tackle
Chasin’ Tails Charters
Atlantic Beach, N.C.
252-240-FISH
www.chasintailsoutdoors.com
