[carpenter334]

Folks,
A very exciting report is just out. The Outer Banks Weekly Fishing Report says for the past few days the surf and inshore cobia bite is on. It's tackle bustin time! I wish I could go so those of you who can, should go and be safe. I have two brand new Diawa Emblem Pro 5500s and it's just killin me. Good luck folks!
Andy

 

[sinker man]

Carpenter , you trying to kill me or what? Read your post yesterday ... stayed up all night with dry heaves... All I need now is someone to say that the kings are running from pier to pier scarffing up anything with a hook down at topsail & emerald isle. QUICK!!! SEND THE LEAR JET.

 

[sinker man]

Checked several obx reports and the cobia bite has been great at the Point and shows a lot of promise . Wish we could all be there ! 19 in one day, where else could you catch that many from the beach? Must be one fine choatic mess at times.lol The folks at Chesapeake Bay better make their way down if they want to catch one this year! Theres a big pod making its way up from Morehead according to the reports. Banner year in the making?

 

[ketchunanee]

hey guys,

I'm heading to the outer banks this weekend. I'm new to NC and I've never been to the outer banks. I've only fished around Wilmington and south to FL, but never up into the outer banks. I've been trying to read all the reports I can find, but I'm not real familiar with some of the names of inlets, landmarks, etc. I will be staying near Corolla- got a free house for Fri-Mon. I haven't seen any reports for north of Nags Head and was wondering what the fishing is like up there. I will not have a boat, but I plan to fish the surf and sound, weather permitting. Any information on reports you may have heard, locations to try (surf/sound) or tips (bait) would be greatly appriciated. I'm not asking for anyone's secret spot just general info for the area or what species are common. thanks

 

[sinker man]

Hit and miss. You will be in between 2 great fisheries and your sucess will depend greatlly on how well you read the surf and whether you take advantage of schools that pass by. You can expect spanish and blues on small metal especially early and late. Sand fleas may bring whiting ,croaker and pompano . Spot and flounder are possibilites, as are black drum, red drum and cobia. Speckled and grey trout are possibilites. If you find trout they can really make your day if you stay with the fish. I've ran by a lot of people who were bottom fishing and had no idea that a school of trout was passing by right under their noses. They usually seem unresponsive when you tell them about the fish. You get a little more respect when you come back by with few 3-4# trout. keep them peepers open! I would give the surf just south of the army pier at Duck a shot, but local info is better than any I could give you. Conditions are constantly changing, and you can't even trust the weather report so go prepared for war, get up early and be ready for business at first hint of daylight and keep those eyes open. When it slows down hit the barn and be ready to go again about 6:30 pm. That gives you about 8 HRS to figure out what everyone else did in the am and the pm before. That would be my strategy. Mostly it comes down to " FISH WHEN THEY'RE BITIN', WHERE THEY ARE BITIN', WITH WHAT THEY'RE BITIN' " but predictions only give you an idea. Good luck and and if it ain't happening study the beach and fish for information, as the bite will come. AL

 

[ketchunanee]

Thanks Sinker Man,

I will keep an eye out, like you said. A trout (or a bluefish, or a red drum, or...)would really make my day. I talked to my brother who has been there for the past week and he said the fishing is alright. A lot of croaker are being caught, as well as some shad and mullet. He also caught a ray and the neighbor caught a small hammerhead. I'm more interested in some other, larger species, but I'll take what I can get --fishin' with your brother beats workin' any day.

 

[sinker man]

Will you be able to drive on the beach ? What kind of tackle will you take? Any info of this sort will help me, help you. Corolla is located 1/2 way between Chesapeake Bay and Oregon Inlet, so fishing the inlets is a going to require a lot of driving and may not be better fishing. Most of the fish have already returned to the sound so inlet fishing loses some of its potential till fall.

 

[sinker man]

ketchunanne,

If you can drive down the beach make a point to do so at or near low tide and look for places that will tend to concentrate fish in one area. Such places are not always easy to spot. Sometimes an abundance of sand fleas is all it takes. mostly you will be looking for deep first guts and especially the cuts in the bar behind them. If you watch the swells coming across the bar they steepen as the water gets shallower. When you see a small area where the swells remain relatively unchanged as it crosses the bar then you are looking at a cut in the bar that the water has carved. Fish are notorious for using these cuts to access the first gut even though they could easily swim right over the bar. Another feature to key on is a rather pronounced point. These are sometimes called false capes and they tend to be great spots, especially when small baitfish are running up or down the beach. Piers and jetties are great fish concentrators. old shipwrecks can be great spots. Right now cobia are running the beach and a bait on top of the second bar and one or two just shoreward and you are cobia fishing. As far as sound fishing goes I never fished it that far up and I think wind and rain probably affect it more than further south. Some of the locals could fill you in on "community holes" and what and when the fish eat.

 

[ketchunanee]

thanks sinker man,

I really appreciate all your help and information. To answer your questions--I will be able to drive on the beach and I will have a surf rod and a smaller inshore rod. I probably won't make it to the Chesapeake or the Oregon inlet since I will only be there a few days and also it's kind of a "family event". I am, however, planning a trip with just "the guys" to the south part of the outer banks in the fall when the fishing gets good. Your reply has been very helpful though. I know how to read a lake for bass or a river for trout, but I am new to saltwater and your information and tips are great. I have checked some maps and have a few locations I would like to try and I always like to talk to fishermen at bait shops and piers. I'll let you guys know how it goes.

 

[ketchunanee]

I fished the surf in the outer banks this weekend. It was my first time there. I started near Corolla and caught some small kingfish/mullet/whiting(I'm not sure what you call them here, whiting in Fla.). I also got a skate, a shark and others got some croaker. It wasn't what I was looking for so I made the trip to the Oregon Inlet. I fished the south side of the inlet at the tip of the rock breaker wall. There was a lot of seaweed - is this normal for this area or time of year? I caught some flounder and bluefish there. I didn't have a cooler so I couln't keep the flounder, but some people were catching 2 at a time. Most of them were too small. I can't wait to go back though. I would really like to try the area on the north side of the inlet where you can take your truck on the beach. Does anyone on this board do this?

Thanks, Sinker Man, for the advice and tips. By reading the beach and waves, I was able to hook-up on the second cast of the weekend.

 

[sinker man]

Wish it could have been better but I could tell by the fish you and the others robably the best spring water temp.s are betwee70 and 80

 

[carpenter334]

Hey folks,

The Outer Banks Weekly Fishing Report website is done by Joe Malat, a long time local enthusiast and owner operator of Outer Banks Fishing Schools. You can take one of his classes if you learn best hands on. I absolutely reccommend his small paperback book called How To Catch Fish In The Surf. I think it costs $5. He explains reading the surf quite well and this text helps if you highlight and review before a trip.