Hello. Coming to Carolina for surf fishing

Re: Hello

Welcome wishiwasthere to NCangler.com. Like that username. I would suggest posting your note in our Surf & Pier forum under the title of Surf Fishing at Holden to see what responses you get there. Welcome aboard!

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Welcome Aboard..

Re: Hello

Welcome aboard Wishiwasthere!

Cut bait, like mullet strips, menhaden or whole baitfish like finger mullets and northern mackerel, etc will work well. That works well on sharks, bluefish and big drum (20-40 pound size).

If you want to target some smaller but tasty bottom fish (like flounder, whiting and pompano) try some shrimp pieces. The Pompano like sand fleas too (mole crabs -found in the sand right near the water's edge).

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Welcome!

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The two most important things are that your bait is fresh and that you put it where the fish are. Typically your cut bait will be fished across the first sandbar somewhere near a break in the bar and the shrimp fished in and around the break according to the stage of the tide. At low tide the fish will normally be in the 2nd trough and move in to the first trough (also called 1st and 2nd gut) thru the break in the bar as the tide rises and move back thru the same opening as the tide goes out.

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This will be the first time on Holden. I will have to check it out at low tide to see were I need to fish.

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Great to have you here, post again when it gets close to time to come to Brunswick County and I as well as others will try to give you a local update on whats biteing on what.
Again welcome!

Hello wishiwasthere, welcome to NC Angler. You have just hit a bullseye with finding this site. So much information and a lot of sound advice. Why a person could learn to fish if he will just ask for help and can type. Just jokin', you will enjoy these folks and there gracious offerings. Tight lines to you.

Thanks slowriser, I seem to struggle in both areas at times. lol The only luck i seem to have surf fishing is for sharks in th 13 to 17 inch range. Any advice on how to avoid this and move on to bigger and better fish will be greatly appreciated. After catching the first little shark I was excited but after about fifty it gets kind of old.Caught a few whiting last year and decided to use one as bait and hooked into something big enough to straghten my hook. All I saw was a quick flash of white belly, don't know if it was a skate or shark or what . All I know is it was exciting.

Hey, when the dogs (dogfish is what some folks call those sharks) are out there is usually a load of skates to go with them. Best thing is to pack it in and head for coffee, beer, or cover. I sat out on a pier one night in a storm, determined to keep fishing and all I caught were dogs. I must have caught >75. A skate, if big enough will straighten a hook. They also have a white underside. That is probably what you had. Once I hooked something really heavy and I was able to move it ever so slightly until I got it up top. A large, very large, section of snowfence. My daughter had a good laugh. My suggestion is to find OBX fishing reports, Avalon pier, Bogue Inlet Pier, NC Waterman. It only takes a few minutes to check out the reports up and down the coast.

Here you go Wishiwasthere
OuterBanksFishing.com
North Carolina Waterman:
Fishing Reports:
Avalon Pier-PierCam:
North Carolina Saltwater Fishing News & Resources at Fishing-NC.com

Welcome aboard Wish,
From my experiance on Holden Beach, when you cross the bridge, turn left and go as far as the road will take you to the west end of the island and park your vehicle. then walk west on the beach for what seems like forever until you get to the Lockwoods Folley Inlet. Most of my surf fishing is done right there. I usually use some type of cut bait such as squid, mullet, etc or shrimp but if you can catch mud minnows, they work really well too.
Probably the only negative to this fishing spot is you get to watch all the boats go in and out and wish you were on board one of 'em.
I spend most of my vacations on Holden Beach and I hope you'll enjoy it there. I may even run into you at the point.

Dave

Thanks dave, we'll be ther june 9th -16th.

I don't have firm vacation plans yet but will be there sometime around the first of June