As the week starts we are experiencing inclement weather: windy and unseasonably cold. This an aberration. Yesterday the weather was mild and a few days before that it was hot. Wait just a little bit and the weather will change again. Fishing has been good! Good seatrout action in tidal creeks close to the sounds and around the backwaters. When currents have been slow action has been good in tidal creeks where slightly stronger currents funnel through. Good seatrout action in the sounds fishing along rips and sandbars. Ladyfish have moved in and can provide plenty of excitement on light tackle. Large schools of Atlantic sharp nose sharks can be found around sandy bottom areas. Lots of fresh water to contend with. The best bite last week has been further away from rivers that carry lots of run off to the coast. Female sea trout can be large and full of roe. The largest we caught and released yesterday was a 20 incher. That one fish could possibly produce lots of sea trout. The whiting bite is still strong but as sharks increase the whiting will drop off. A few flounder being caught. Last week sea trout, whiting, lady fish, atlantic sharp nose and bonnet head sharks bit well. The redfish bite was a little off despite tide that looked favorable for this fish. Some fishermen have reported catching lots of small blue fish. This makes sense when you small menhaden pushed to the surface usually blue fish are the culprit.
For the next several weeks the shark bite should be intense! Fronts with lots of rain can move of these fish to saltier water. Conditions have been near prefect. One lady angler week last missed a shark. A few cranks on the reel, let bait settle. The shark hit again and missed! This time faster cranks and let the bait settle. The shark hit again and missed. One more time! The bait is almost to the boat and wham! A hooked up of four footer almost at the boat. The point of this is conditions in local waters are well suited for a variety of fish and they are hot! Fishing one area looking for max end bonnet heads we found big sea trout! When your charter says this feels like a shark you know have a nice trout! When sharks move in sea trout wont hang around for long but until that happens sea trout can be great fun!
The Atlantic sharp nose are sharks all about 3 feet in length. An ideal size for light tackle. Limits have changed concerning sharks. On small sharks composites its one per person or two per boat whichever is less and a size of 30 inches. It appears there are plenty out there so if you keep a couple don’t feel guilty. It might be helpful for the reds and trout to thin out a few sharks. Some reports of large cobia being caught mostly on live bait on the bottom.
Fishing action will likely be slow during the week till inclement clears out. As we head into the Memorial Day weekend if winds subside fishing could be good provided fishermen can clean water and decent drifts. This is time to start bringing out the heavier because you know what’s out there. Pretty sure last week we jump a bull shark in the flats off of Cabbage Island. Big fish are moving in!
Fish On! Capt. Jack McGowan