[teambigbucks]

Headed out yesterday afternoon from Rocky Mount with the intentions of flounder fishing in Bath. Decided to launch at Dinahs Landing - Goose Creek instead. Never fished this area before and wanted to give it a try. After not having any luck with soft plastics we switched to an XR6- Ghost and MR17 Electric chicken. Found some structure and then found the rockfish. Attaching a picture of largest rock of the day and the smallest I have ever seen. Oh yeah, the gar were hungry as well.

 

[roostertail24]

The little ones are thick right now. Caught 9 Saturday about 11 inches and 1 that went 24 inches.

 

[teambigbucks]

The little ones are thick right now. Caught 9 Saturday about 11 inches and 1 that went 24 inches.

Sounds like the day we had. Fished from about 2:30 -5:30. Managed 6 rockfish. I was on G3 jon boat.

 

[ReelPrime]

i fished there friday afternoon and had more luck outside the creek on the river, had 3 flounder keepers, one being 18", a puppy drum @ 20" and a striper @ 24". All on gulp shrimp and the striper on a top dog mirrorlure. Try the stump fields just outside the creeks with top waters and just keep fishing them. You wont get a lot of strikes this time of the year, but when you do it will be a quality fish every time. Most of the flounder are in the stumps and on the edges making it really hard to jig for them without getting hung up.

 

[brickphil]

i fished there friday afternoon and had more luck outside the creek on the river, had 3 flounder keepers, one being 18", a puppy drum @ 20" and a striper @ 24". All on gulp shrimp and the striper on a top dog mirrorlure. Try the stump fields just outside the creeks with top waters and just keep fishing them. You wont get a lot of strikes this time of the year, but when you do it will be a quality fish every time. Most of the flounder are in the stumps and on the edges making it really hard to jig for them without getting hung up.


View attachment 64082

Looks like somebody had a good dinner!!

 

[teambigbucks]

i fished there friday afternoon and had more luck outside the creek on the river, had 3 flounder keepers, one being 18", a puppy drum @ 20" and a striper @ 24". All on gulp shrimp and the striper on a top dog mirrorlure. Try the stump fields just outside the creeks with top waters and just keep fishing them. You wont get a lot of strikes this time of the year, but when you do it will be a quality fish every time. Most of the flounder are in the stumps and on the edges making it really hard to jig for them without getting hung up.

View attachment 64082

I threw a top dog pup in 808 for a little bit with no bites. Some those told me to throw to those stumps but with my little one with me, I knew we would get hung up quick and blow the fish out of the area. What's the best time of year to fish this area? The fall?

 

[j.edwards]

Has anyone had any luck with a popping cork at Dinah's Landing?

 

[CHOW2013]

I was out a week ago Fri. in my yak, had some bites on the cork with a DOA jerk bait, but I couldn't get anything to the boat. I had my bait about 18" under the cork. I was also getting bites a MR 17 electric chicken but again couldn't get anything to the boat. I must not have been getting a get good hookset. Not sure what was biting, i could see gar feeding on top something else was jumping out the water definitely not gar but I couldn't identify. I'm still pretty new to inshore fishing in general.

 

[teambigbucks]

I was out a week ago Fri. in my yak, had some bites on the cork with a DOA jerk bait, but I couldn't get anything to the boat. I had my bait about 18" under the cork. I was also getting bites a MR 17 electric chicken but again couldn't get anything to the boat. I must not have been getting a get good hookset. Not sure what was biting, i could see gar feeding on top something else was jumping out the water definitely not gar but I couldn't identify. I'm still pretty new to inshore fishing in general.

I had a gulp about 2 ft. under a popping cork out behind the boat we went without a hit. Would pop it every now and then. We also saw a lot of mullet jumping and had several hook ups from the ole gars on the MR17 and Xrap.

 

[j.edwards]

I've had the same issues with not hooking up with anything at Dinah's Landing. My buddy and I would be jigging gulp shrimp in the shallows, would feel a bump, bump, bump and try to set the hook and nothing. We'd start letting it sit for 30-40 seconds after the bumps before setting the hook, still nothing. Some of the gulps would have the tails chewed off. Is it crab?

And the jumping fish are mullet. I actually had one bite a gulp shrimp and got him in the boat. Poor fellow. There mouths are really soft and apparently when I set the hook, I ripped most of it off. He bled all over the boat. Went to floating when I tossed him back. About 2 minutes later, big splash. A nice sized gar took him. Thus, the circle of life.

 

[redfish6866]

I've had the same issues with not hooking up with anything at Dinah's Landing. My buddy and I would be jigging gulp shrimp in the shallows, would feel a bump, bump, bump and try to set the hook and nothing. We'd start letting it sit for 30-40 seconds after the bumps before setting the hook, still nothing. Some of the gulps would have the tails chewed off. Is it crab?

I think that's crab. I was out there on Monday afternoon with my son. He caught one spot and I had the same bump, bump, bump action you're talking about. One time I managed to set the hook and reeled in a blue crab (the hook had caught him on the underside). Took him off and let him go. So I think those types of bites you're describing are crab; they seem to love gulp shrimp.

 

[DocLee81]

I was down at north creek this weekend and had the same issue with the crabs. I felt a nice bump on a gulp shrimp when I first got there and couldnt set the hook. I threw a gulp swimming mullet next and felt the same thing. When I brought it back the tail was cut off. That's crabs for sure. There were tons of crab traps down there. I caught a few undersized flounder on a redfish magic with a chartreuse z man minnow.

 

[ReelPrime]

we fished the mouth of goose creek last friday and the fish had left the building, only caught one small flounder. We went on the outside to throw plugs at the stumps and had one nice blowup by a nice sized striper, but a hit and a miss. Fished probably 4 hours under perfect conditions and the fish refused to bite. The water was stained browner than normal with the heavy rains last week too, and probably pushed the salinity out. To answer "Team Big Bucks" question, we generally catch tons of stripers in the stump fields on top water starting in early sept, when the water temp dips to the upper 70s and all the bait is here, we also catch slot reds alongside the stripers. A Flourocarbon leader is a necessity around the stump fields and I learned the hard way last year, when a huge striper rapped me around the stumps and cut my braid. The fish is still out there swimming around with my favorite top water hanging from its mouth.

 

[sundrop]

When you keep getting those "bump bumps" and even slowing down doesn't get a hookset, drop a small hook and a nibble of shrimp or a nub of your softbaits and I will bet you get crabs, pinfish or tiny flounder. They will drive you nuts hitting your baits when nothing else is going on. Don't waste a lot of time chasing something you cant get a hookset on once you've tried a change in presentation and downsizing your bait. Move on.