Bill from Oregon Inlet Fishing Center reported: ” July 16, 2008 Fishing Report
Offshore boats found yellowfin tuna and dolphin. More tuna than dolphin. One of the dolphin weighed 35 pounds. Several boats had wahoos. Billfish included 2 sailfish and a blue marlin. Inshore one boat on an all day trip caught trigger fish, cobia, amberjacks and sea bass. There were spanish mackerel caught trolling. Open boats caught speckled trout Open boats also caught flounders.Miss Oregon Inlet caught flounders.

(Above picture was taken from the Hoo Dini charter boat out of Nags Head, NC)

July 15, 2008 Fishing Report
Offshore it was dolphin, wahoo and tuna. There were two 55 pounders a dolphin and a wahoo. Three sailfish were caught and released.The big wahoo came charging out of the water for the bait. It is an exciting fish. Inshore Tailor bluefish and spanish mackerel in the morning, croakers and sharks in the afternoon. Two open boats caught cobias and sharks, one caught speckled trout both morning and afternoon. Miss Oregon Inlet had good flounder fishing keeping 10. One flounder measured 17 inches. They also had good spot and croaker fishing.

July 14, 2008 Fishing Report
This was a dolphin day. Some big gaffer dolphin amongst the school size fish. One boat had a 45 pound dolphin and a 47 pounder. Another boat had a 38 pound dolphin. Several wahoo in the catches.One of the wahoo weighed 46 pounds. One white marlin and two sailfish were caught and released. Inshore boats caught tailor bluefish and spanish mackerel trolling. At the same time a 73 pound cobia was caught perhaps by sight casting. Bottom fishing inshore boats caught triggerfish and sea bass both excellent on the table. Open boats depending on the type of fishing each did caught sheepsheads and black drum. One of the sheepesheads weighed 10 pounds. Two boats caught a cobia each and sharks. Most of these sharks were black tips. Two boats caught speckled trout. For variety one boat caught flounders, bluefish and sharks.”

TW’s Bait and Tackle reported: “July 17, 2008 Fishing Report
The weather is really nice. Wind out of N at 14 kts. A clear day. Take advantage.
Surf Fishing Report: Bottom fish and Blues.
Sound Fishing Report: The Little Bridge on the Nags head/Manteo causeway  reported Trout, Black Drum, Spot and Croaker.
Pier Fishing Report: Avalon: Blues, Spanish and Flounder.
Nags Head: Blues, Flounder and Spot.
Outer Banks: Croaker, Sea Mullet Blues and Flounder.
Inshore Boats Report: Trolling boats are still having good Spanish and Blues. Open boats are catching Trout and Flounder.
Offshore Boats Report: Tuna, Dolphin, Wahoo, Sailfish and Marlin.

July 15, 2008 Fishing Report
In Summary: Justin Stewart caught a 19 lb Red Snapper fishing from the Miss Hatteras charter boat. Miss Hatteras Captain stated the 19 lb Snapper was the biggest his boat has ever caught. Citation size is 10 lb.
Surf Fishing Report: Maybe a few Blues.
Sound Fishing Report: Black Drum, Flounder and Spot reported by the Little Bridge on the causeway.
Pier Fishing Report: Avalon: Few Blues.
Nags Head: Few Blues and small flounder.
Outer Banks: Blues, Small flounder, Spot and Croaker.
Inshore Boats Report: Trolling boats are catching Bluefish and Spanish. Deep water anglers are decking Triggerfish and Sea bass. Open boats are catching Cobia, Sheepshead, Black Drum, Trout and Flounder. There was a 73 lb Cobia caught on Monday.
Offshore Boats Report: There was a big Dolphin bite on Monday. Also catching Wahoo and Billfish.

July 14, 2008 Fishing Report
In Summary: The wind has switched to WSW today and there is grass. David Rohde caught a nice Trout. Citation size for Trout changed this year from 4 lb to 5 lb.  Matthew from Moyock caught a nice size 3 lb Spanish.
Surf Fishing Report: A few Blues and bottom fish.
Sound Fishing Report: The Little Bridge reported slow. A few Croaker and Spot have been caught and 2 Flounder.
Pier Fishing Report: Avalon: All the grass you can catch.
Nags Head: A few Blues and bottom fish.
Outer Banks: Spot, Croaker and 2 Flounder.
Inshore Boats Report: Open boats should be catching a few Blues and bottom fish. Trolling boats will catch Spanish and Blues today.
Offshore Boats Report: Dolphin and Tuna”

NORTH CAROLINA FISHING REPORTS COVERING THE ENTIRE NORTH CAROLINA COAST

Reported from North Carolina Division of Marine Fisheries

From Knotts Island to Ocracoke:
Ocean: Offshore catches improved from last week’s slow activity.  Blackfin, yellowfin, bigeye, and even a few bluefin tuna were caught this week, along with a few dolphin and wahoo. Billfish catches were very good, with sailfish, blue and white marlin being caught on a regular basis.  Midrange anglers caught triggerfish, black seabass, amberjack, and increasing numbers of striped bass.  Cobia and king mackerel are still being caught about 8-10 miles offshore by anglers returning from gulfstream trips.  Inshore action included bluefish and Spanish mackerel in the near shore surf zone when seas were calm enough to access them.  There were some nice catches of flounder.

Inlets/Sounds/Bays: Anglers were happy with the good flounder keeper ratios of 50% or more throughout the area.  Spotted seatrout and red drum were caught by early morning anglers at the Melvin Daniels bridge  and underneath the Washington Baum bridge opposite Pirates Cove marina.  Green Island slough at Oregon Inlet produced weakfish  and spotted seatrout at dawn and dusk.

Piers/Shore: Spanish mackerel catches were very good for both pier and shore anglers. Bluefish offered some short term/high volume action for anglers.  A few kingfish, croakers, puffers, burrfish, spot, skates, and assorted sharks were caught. Red drum catches from Avon southward to Ocracoke improved considerably.  Anglers caught cobia while fishing at night from piers.

From Portsmouth to Surf City:
Ocean:  Summertime slows fishing down. The heat is here along with the wind. Gaffer dolphin and nice-sized wahoo are still being hooked and billfish are prevalent. Sunday a boat came in with a grand slam - two blue marlin, three white marlin and a sailfish. Other than that, the waterfront has been quiet. Spanish mackerel and bluefish are along the beaches and around both Bogue and Beaufort inlets. Kings were reported at the sea buoy - about 8 miles out.

Inlets/Sounds/Bays: A few redfish were reported in the Topsail Beach area and the Bogue Sound-Newport River and large numbers at Bogue Inlet.  Many undersized flounder were reported caught and released this past week from all waters. Pigfish can be caught around the Beaufort drawbridge and the turning basin of the state port. Anglers are catching many undersized black sea bass. Anglers are reporting many sharks.

Piers/Shore:  Piers have a mixed bag of croakers, spot, undersized flounder, pigfish and pinfish.   Bluefish and Spanish are keeping the fishing active.

From Topsail to Sunset Beach:
Ocean: Bottom fishing remains a good option this time year. Red, gag, and scamp groupers are biting on most ledges in the 30 to 50-mile range along with a host of other reef fish. King mackerel fishing was good last week at the shark hole and the dredge wreck. Slow trolling live bait such as cigar minnows and menhaden is the most productive method. Flounder fishing on the near/shore reefs typically picks up this time of year. The reefs just off the beaches of Brunswick and New Hanover are great places to try. Live bait such as mullet or menhaden fished on a Carolina rig is the ticket. There should be spadefish on most of the near/shore reefs as well. Tarpon fishing around Bald Head and on the shoals is another option this time of year.

Inlets/Sounds/Bays: Flounder fishing has been fair. I haven’t seen any outstanding catches, but most people are catching a few up to 8 pounds. The near/shore reefs and the Cape Fear River have been producing some fish of late. Trout are still biting in the lower Cape Fear around Southport, and in the waterway around Sunset Beach. Sight fishing for drum in the creeks and bays has been good from Topsail to Bald Head when conditions are right. Sheepshead and black drum are biting well at the ADM dock and Snow’s cut.

Piers/Shore: Typical summertime fishing. Topsail Island piers reported pompano, sea mullet, and a few keeper flounder. There were a few king mackerel landed last week. New Hanover piers saw much the same, with one pier doing outstanding on the king mackerel. Brunswick County piers had a good week on trout and pompano. There were a few king mackerel landed as well.

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