[zmanoside]

So this was my first time fishing in the atlantic ocean(just arrived here from san diego), 6th or 7th time fishing on the east coast. Went with my buddy jon, showed up at the pier pretty late. Both of us had two rods out...I was using my bass rod with 10lb carolina rigged with fresh shrimp and the bigger surf rod had 25lb on with squid on...we were there for 4-5 hours form about 8-1230/1 throwing squid/shrimp/sandflees on the bottom....we both snagged some kind of crab...and i caught a small sea mullet and jon caught some kind of shark....VERY SLOW....that or we weren't doing something right....these crabs are a nuisance...it seemed everytime I casted there was a crab wanting my bait!!! Any recomendations are welcome....Zach

 

[sundrop]

Sounds like a summer day at the pier to me. Chunk Gotcha plugs or Diamond jigs near the end of the pier for spanish mackeral. Fish the breakers and just behind them with bottom rigs and fresh shrimp,sand fleas,mullet for Pompano, croakers, flounder, drum. Early am just before during sunrise is best. Late evening at/after sunset. Try to catch the low tide and fish tide as it comes in. 2 hrs past high tide pack it up. Watch which side the crowd is on and fish the same side... Flow along the NC coast is diferent than what you'll find most places because of the states angle to the ocean.. If water is murky fishing will be slower for blues/spanish/kings especially.
Usually when the crabs are heavy, things are wrong for the fish... that's why the crabs are abundant, they aren't as afraid of predators...
I personally have never had much luck with squid inshore.. but that's just my experience... Good FRESH shrimp, bloodworms, mullet, mud minnows and FishBites work well for me and also using anything you catch as bait is the freshed bait there is.

 

[zmanoside]

THANKS for all the info bro...just gettin a little down on the fishin so far since I've been here in NC...I usually dont pier fish but I thought hey why not, try and catch SOMETHING...ya the lil mullet I caught....i cut him up and threw chunks on the bigger surf rod....just crabs a nibblin...no strikes

 

[rye]

sundrop is right, Lots of crabs mean few fish. Try switching into the inner coastal marshes and around the inlets. Pluggin is a great idea this time of year esp right at dusk and dawn. Mid day fishing this time of year isn't very productive, you are in the dog days of summer.
When fishing the piers, like sundrop said fish the break water, or just behind it. thats where most fish are trolling for dinner. Watch the old timers, they typically have got a thing or two figured out and can teach the young bucks quite bit if we are just willing to take the time to listen and talk with them.

 

[sinker man]

Good info there Z. Right on the money. When it is slow like that you will notice that no one else is catching. If you see someone catching when no one else is.....Pay attention to what they are doing even if it means just standing around and watching. You'll learn a lot from the regulars. Most of them don't mind helping a person out. What you learn on a pier will help you in the surf normally. Sometimes floundering or sheepshead fishing will save a trip. Check out the very few people you see doing this.
Normally even on a slow day something is biting....if someone is fishing for them in the right place. I've seen some days though that were just about like fishing in an empty bucket. By the number of crabs... my guess is it was one of those days.
If the water is clear and you want to stay on the pier and tough it out, your best bet is to get out towards the end of the pier with a 1oz spoon or a 3/4 oz white bucktail on a 30 lb leader and be watching for schools of fish cruising thru. They don't normally hang around when it is like that. You have to be ready and spot them quick before they move out of range. I've caught a few nice but unexpected fish doing that. You never know what might show. Maybe a school of jacks, gray trout, redfish, specks, spanish, blues,false albacore or just a single fish such as cobia. You just never know. I have absolutely had my way with schools of blow toads on a couple of occasions when it was like that. Then again some times you've just got to be glad you are able to go and see the sights.

 

[KingFishing05]

was it the bogue inlet fishing pier?

 

[zmanoside]

was it the bogue inlet fishing pier?

yesir it was

 

[LiveBait]

Dog days pier fishing. It will start to pick up soon as the weather starts cooling down. For now with the exception of a few Pompanos in the middle of the day your best bet is to go down to the end of the island and fish inside and outside the inlet and fish the pier early, early morning and very late afternoon/evening. They say they are catching some Drum at night down at the inlet. You can also go up to Morehead and fish Radio Island for Flounder and Drum.

 

[zmanoside]

how exactly would we get to radio island. I know where it is roughly, but not exactly how to get there. what about the jetties near the fort?

 

[sinker man]

Zee, the finger(size) mullet should be starting to stack up around the inlets. Fishing those areas with live, dead or cut finger mullet will be a good option if the mullet show up there in numbers like I'm thinking they will. If I were going in the morning I'd try to be there just before daylight on the north end of any Island. That may be a problem at FT. Macon. I think there is easy access at New River Inlet at the north end of Topsail Island. Topsail Johnny or Topsail Angler will probably be up to date on the parking situation. I think the gates at Ft. Macon are closed until 7:30 give or take 30 min. Otherwise I would recommend there. When the wind is blowing out of the NE this time of year it sets up longshore currents that the fish take advantage of to migrate. It may or may not happen this time but I'm thinking the fingers will at least stage near the inlets.

 

[rye]

To get to radio island, take 70 through morhead as if you were going to Beaufort. Go over the first bridge and you are on Radio Island. You'll have to drive around a bit to find a place to fish. There is a state park next to the hotel there, that you can fish on. I scuba dive there though, after seeing what I see when I dive, I wouldn't fish it. You have about 50 yards of open sand bottom then a rock ledge that drops 30 feet down. In a boat on the channel side of the rocks is great though!
Find schooling mullet adn fish them. and use them for bait.. can't do much better than those during the fall.

 

[SureShot]

Hello ya'll...first post here.

We fished the Radio Island public beach access this afternoon. Bait fish gallore, just no monster predators. Hooked plenty of small sea perch using cut mullet and fresh shrimp.

1 cobia, 1 - 30" drum, and an ice chest full of sheepshead were reportedly caught by other parties fishing there throughout the afternoon.

 

[Topsail Angler]

Welcome aboard Sureshot! I put a copy of your post in the "meet & greet" section so folks could welcome you aboard proper.

 

[LiveBait]

As Rye said go over the first bridge going to Beaufort and look to your left. There is a public pier and you can also fish along the bridge there. If you turn to the right instead of the left it will take you to a public beach area that runs along the inlet channel. That is where I fish it most of the time. Walk all the way down close to the jetties. The channel comes in close there and it is a good all along there if the fish are active they will be there. The right hand turn to get there is right next to an old marina and you cross the railroad tracks. The public parking is about a 1/4 mile on the left. There is a bath house there also.