 Re: kings
Very few Pelicans working the water off OIB. If the Pogies are near shore they are still off or deep. I cruised from Oak Island down to Little River in easy sight of shore last Thursday evening. I only saw Pelicans diving at Little River and they were onto small bait. (You can tell by how they do a flop dive from low heights rather than the "classic bullet dive" from high heights.) Spanish and blues driving small minnows to the top.
Lots of bait on the bottom and the Spanish and small blues are schooling on top of the water morning and evening. Terns will find them quickly. They were in small schools in scattered bait, but to cast you need a caster in the front and a captain pushing the boat and watching/taking directions from the bow. A couple of small Spanish on Pink/White Stingsilvers and a Bluefish. We got tired of wasting our time. Schools of Spanish and Blues were moving on ahead quickly and pushing through small schools of bait.
Lots of decent Spanish caught via trolling near the tidelines off inlets of Longbay last Thursday and Friday. The usual Clarkspoons on planers. When you go through them everything goes of....creates mass confusion for a couple of minutes then the thing over. (Nobody gets excited too much over two pound fish on a King Rig with a planer cause the planer pulls better by itself .) Snore! BUT, pull a drone spoon or two as well you might just get..... SUPPRISED!
Small baits are piling up near shore with smaller fish chasing them and busting mornings and evenings. Best Tide line fishing was definately near low tide last week when the color line was pretty far out.
Scattered Kings are showing all over and some near shore, but the bulk is yet to come even to water 65' or more.
This week may change that. The Kings caught from piers now are the "cruisers" those more agressive fish that are out front.
Surface water near shore is just now firmly breaking the magic 68 degree mark.
Cobia have been here for a couple of weeks, but people don't anchor and chum enough to get them much. (When their competetion arives the Cobia's attitude will change a little because they have to compete.)
We had a 40 pound cobia under the boat in a chum line two weeks ago at the AR465. He finaly hit a cigar minnow on a down like right under the boat and promptly left with a nice rod and reel. That rail mounted rod holder is now repaired and includes a rod and reel teather for those holders.
Small Blues are about the best bait to be had right know for Kings. Some guys are getting them on sabki rigs, but you have to be willing to sacrifice some bite offs. Not to mention frozen cigar minnows fished from baloons or down while anchored and making a chum line.
Heard a rumor that the Spadefish were here on the wrecks or structure out a few miles. .... But can't say for sure. Jellyballs have been around really good a few weeks ago for bait. I'd personaly rather catch one Spadefish on a flounder rod for every five Spanish on a planer.
That's all I know, but when the poagies show at the beaches, everything changes. If like last year, the Mahi will be right there with the bigger Kings in 60 feet or more about that time. (I hope).
Da%M Dog Sharks!!!! I've been nice so far, but I'm going to start killing them and hauling them back to shore for the landfill. They way I figure it if I gaff one and dump him back in the water fifty of them must gain a pound a piece off of his scrawny butt. Miserable fish! I've caught five for evey keeper Black Bass this spring.
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