Carolina Fishing Report: Largemouth Bass Active, Chopper Bluefish, and Ocean Flounder

Summer fishing continues to be good with early morning and sundown bites taking place in both fresh and saltwater. Largemouth bass are still very active in the lakes while at the coast chopper bluefish and flounder are hitting well.

Charlotte Carolina Freshwater Report:

Largemouth bass are feeding on the humps and points, and they are active except for the hottest part of the day. Plastic worms rigged Texas or Carolina style are very effective as are crankbaits and stickbaits around points and docks.

Crappie are still available in shallow water around docks and structure. Fish your live minnow or jig right under the docks to be productive. The crappie are generally aggressive where they are but will not chase bait for a long way out of cover. There are also crappie on the brush piles and structure in 8 to 20 feet of water.

Bream are still biting around structure in shallow water everywhere, mostly in a post-spawn mode now. The usual natural baits will catch them: earthworms or crickets are fine. The bream are aggressive enough that you can catch them on small jigs.

Catfish are feeding heavily at night now, and though they are spread out in the lakes and rivers they can be caught in the usual spots after dark on cut baits, stink baits, or nightcrawlers. Channel catfish are still active around docks and structure in the lakes and rivers, and you can catch them on nightcrawlers during the day.

Southeastern North Carolina Saltwater Report:

Big chopper bluefish continue to be the big story at the coast, as many of these feisty, fierce gamefish up to 10 pounds are being landed on the piers. Some are caught by king mackerel fishermen using live bait and others are falling to cut bait or pluggers using Gotcha-style plugs. Anything shiny in the water will get the attention of bluefish now.

There are plenty of smaller snapper blues out there as well for the pier and surf fishermen. Fresh cut bait on the bottom or Gotcha plugs will catch them.

Spanish mackerel are still being caught here and there along the southeastern coast. There are some catches on the piers (Gotcha plugs and gold hook rigs) as well as by boaters trolling off the beach.

The big inshore and ocean fish right now is flounder, as keepers are being landed with regularity. Nice sized flounder are biting finger and corncob mullet, mud minnows, and pogies. Flounder can be taken by trolling or drifting but the biggest ones inshore are orientating themselves to structure. There are also nice flounder being caught on the piers now, and flounder are stacked up at some of the offshore reefs.

Redfish and black drum continue to show up inshore, although not many drum have been caught on the piers. Speckled trout are in the surf in the early mornings if you have live shrimp and want to float fish for them from the pier. They are also active early in the morning around the bridges and jetties and will hit Gulp and DOA shrimp-imitating lures.

The best bottom fishing continues to be on sea mullet (whiting) with some good catches of sea mullet being recorded, especially after dark. A few pompano are showing up and there should be a lot more soon.

For lots more fishing information and links see my website Surf and Salt