[dropcap]T[/dropcap]he 2015 fishing season is coming to an end. It’s hard to believe it’s time to start thinking about Christmas and the New Year. The water sure has cooled down, but there are still some opportunities to catch a few fish this month.
Speckled Trout fishing has been pretty good this fall and we should see some action right through the rest of this month. It really depends on the weather. A rule of thumb for Speckled Trout fishing in the winter is good. They will be in the back of the creeks or at the Cape Lookout Rock Jetty. Also, don’t pass up the beach front. There will be a few trout still hanging along the Surf line, but usually the surf zone will be better toward the first part of this month. Before the water gets really cold, if fishing the surf zone, Mirrolures will be the lures of choice. Over the last few weeks we still have been seeing trout staging in the Haystacks. Most have been on the small side, but if you work hard at it, you should find some keeper fish for the dinner table. Mirrolures, Z-Man Trout Tricks, Halo Shad, Halo Shrimp, Berkley Gulp, and DOA have been working well. Live Bait will play a big role as the water continues to get colder. The Live Shrimp have moved out, but we have plenty of Live Mud Minnows in-stock for the rest of the winter ready for action. Just remember, if you are fishing for Specks, fish slow. It’s the time of the year that you have to slow down to get bites. I like to tell anglers, if you think you are fishing too slow, slow down even more.
We are still seeing some bottom fishing action in the turning basin, out toward the shipping channel and along the beach front. You could run into Sea Mullets, Hog Fish, Puffer Fish and some Gray Trout are still hanging around. Bait Shrimp and Fishbites fished on the bottom with a Spec-Rig or bottom rig should get you some action. You may also find some good action bottom fishing at the Cape Lookout Rock Jetty for Sheepshead and Black Drum this time of the year. Bottom fishing with bait shrimp right along the rocks usually does the job. This also is the time of year we start to see some Taugs show up around the Fort Macon Rocks, Port Wall and Lookout Jetty. Fishing bait shrimp along the rocks will catch them if they are around.
Red Drum fishing has picked up this Fall, as it was slow this past Spring and Summer. When the water started cooling down in November we started to see better action on the Red’s. Places to look this month will be Haystacks, Core Creek, Shackleford Banks, Cape Lookout Rock Jetty and the shoals around Shark Island. If you catch the weather right, you might find some very large schools around Shark Island and around the Cape Lookout Rock Jetty. The best days to try are days with light winds and sunny skies, so you can see the schools of fish. They seem to like the warmer days. Berkley Gulp and Live Minnows will be the best choices to get some action. Live Bait can make a big difference this time of the year when the water gets cold on the Red’s. If the water get cold and shuts them down, most of the time, Live Mud Minnows can get them feeding.
The nearshore bottom fishing can be really good in the winter around the hard bottoms and reefs. North West Places will start to hold good numbers of Black Sea Bass. You can also find good action at AR 285 and the Atlas Tanker over on the East side of the Cape. Bottom fishing with Squid should get you some action from the bass. You can pick up some Flounder in the same areas fishing with 2oz Sprog Buck tails tipped with 4” Berkley Gulp White shrimp.