Harkers Island Fishing Report: July 2014

[dropcap]A[/dropcap]s June turns into July along the Crystal Coast, the fishing is going to still be good, but for inshore success you might have to change the time of day and depth of water for your target species.

For summer Spanish mackerel, June provided us with some shallow water action in 6-15-foot depths of water, but as summer settles in, it heats up both water and air temps. The Spanish and blues will move out into 40- to 50-foot depths, as will the bait fish. They will be hitting really well during the early morning hours around daybreak and again in the late afternoon on into early evening, which are the cooler parts of the day.

Most of the fishing I do during this month will be out off Cape Lookout, fishing the dropoffs around the Rock Jetty and on out to the Shoals where it drops from about 15 feet to around 30 feet and deeper. This seems to be where the biggest Spanish are lurking.

This trend will also followed by the flounder up in the shallows. They just don’t seem to want to feed during the heat of the day. For those looking for flounder, the local rock jetties and other structure provide great cover and provide a home to many of their food sources. Places like the Radio Island Jetty, Shackleford Island Jetty, Fort Macon Jetty and the Cape Lookout Jetty are great places to set up for flounder fishing, as well as simply drift fishing in the local channels. When fishing for flounder, although they can be caught by artificial means, live bait will catch more and bigger fish. Whether rigged on a bucktail, using a Carolina rig or a live bait head, live bait usually does the trick.

If we get lucky, this summer may be like last year in that the cobia stayed around until the fall, so with that in mind, I always carry at least one good sized spinning rod rigged up in case we see one.

Looking for reds? The best place I have found to catch a few nice reds during this time of year will be up in the tributaries of the Newport River and also in the Haystack/ Calico Creek area.

Some of the better baits for this type of fishing will be topwaters, like MirrOlures and Zara Spooks, and Cajun Thunder popping corks with a short leader and soft or live bait used on a 1/16-ounce head. Fishing this area is really tricky because of the shallow water… a flat bottom or bay boat is usually required. The area is best fished on a full high tide, starting to fall. Just don’t overstay your welcome, as you will be there for a while when the tide falls.

The ladyfish will be cruising the local bridges and structure during the night under the lights. The best way to catch these prolific fighters is to free-line a live shrimp on a 2/0 octopus hook into the current where they are working bait. In no time at all, you should be hooked up with your drag squealing. They can also be caught using artificials such as the Salty Bay Glass Minnow on a 1/16-ounce or 1/8- ounce jig head Small topwater baits can be successful when used properly. They always seem to hit best on the falling tide, but at least have the tide moving as they don’t hit during slack tide.

Anyone looking for some good tackle on Harkers Island due to the closing of the local tackle shop, Cape Pointe Marina is now stocking tackle, and if they don’t have it they’ll get for you.
I hope that everyone has a safe and happy Fourth of July weekend. Remember to keep an eye on the other boats, put life jackets on the children and overall be safe!