Beaufort Inlet / Morehead City

[EricF]

Caught 35 spots and one grey trout this morning by the CG Station. Took about two hours, not too bad. The big ones aren't showing yet, but should within a week or two. Water temp was 74.8 on the ebb.

[BaitWaster]

How close can a non-Coastie boat get in the Ft Macon CG station to do some bottom bumping?

BTW, got boarded by a crew in a Safe boat Sat - was about a boat length in the channel at Town Creek by the bridge (anchor drift) spot fishing with my Dad & son. They were about done when I pointed out my CGA sticker I got this spring before MAD. Boarder laughed and said I should have told him right off the bat & he would have just checked the PFDs. Passed the audition and got a "Thanks for safe boating" ticket.

[EricF]

Did you do any good over there???

300ft to CG property is the norm. Normally, they start getting nervous when you pass the 'danger' aid off the beach there in front of the long sheet pile jetty. Near the buoy tender pier on the edge of the channel there, boats come within about 100ft or less there all the time drift fishing.

I should say "by the CG Station" means "between the CG station the port, on the green side channel edge".

[WoodyWoodchuck]

Friday afternoon went back waters for bait, saw a lot of drum and only had two on. Had we caught some mullet I think our odds would have been better. Did manage two keeper flounder, a N. kingfish keeper and all the pinfish we needed for bait. We were in an 18’ CC Grady so where we could go was pretty limited. We had to let the fish come to us as with no trolling motor they would scatter every time we went to move.

Sat behind Shackleford was quiet. Sat through the morning tide change with minimal blues, couple big eels, clear nose skates, lizardfish, couple larger hogfish, oyster toads and half a dozen small grouper. Even with the tide change nothing seemed to move into where we were, caught the same stuff. Wind laid down and we moved to Lookout in the afternoon, it was too rough to go outside. Drifted in the inlet and caught more than our share of Brown Trout. I went to a 6’ pole with 6# line, 20# leader and had a great time with them. The other guys cursed each one they caught but actually the larger ones gave some pretty good pullage on light tackle. Found one drift that produced a lot of flounder but only 2 – 16” keepers, couple small sea bass and again, all the lizardfish one would ever want to see. Wind changed and we could not hit the spot again. Live shrimp was the bait of choice; live mullet just got chewed up by the little buggers and cut bait attracted the pinfish.

I got the odd catch award of the trip by hooking an urchin using shrimp. Yeah yeah... more of a snag but it was hooked!

[EricF]

You shoulda came up to where I was, anchored just off the green buoy outside the No Wake zone between the port and the CG Station. I was alone for most of the morning, then a few drifting boats starting working near me. This is my favorite 'spot' spot!

[WoodyWoodchuck]

Thanks Eric. I’ll make sure to ask ya BEFORE our next trip! We only get to boat fish once every couple months, my captain is married. Being single, I take the mutt and UNIT 1 to the beach every other weekend!

Two weeks in Buxton starting this Saturday... Things there should be about ready to bust wiiiide open. Pending water temp that is.

[BaitWaster]

We ended up keeping 2 dozen plus two nice hogfish and maybe released a dozen more. Tossed them all in the livewell & culled before we went back to the ramp. Fished a little in Galants Channel (trolling motor & no anchor ) and they seemed to be a bit bigger.

5 hours fishing, went a total of 2.6 mile and burned 0.3 gal of fuel.

Will file away your "secret" spot hole for future reference. Thanks. Bernie