Wrightsville Beach, NC Fishing Report/Forecast June 2014
Finally school is out (well for most) and summer fishing is getting good! The warmer weather and lighter winds are really helping me get on the water a lot; I love that! There has been plenty Spanish mackerel and Bluefish around the Flounder bite has started to show this week too! Here my report/forecast for June>>>
The Spanish Mackerel are biting good most days, but the best bite has been earlier in the morning when the sun is lower in the sky; also the fish have been a little deeper in thirty to fifty feet of water for the last few weeks. When you mark big balls of bait with your fish finder this is usually where you’ll find the most Spanish biting. Clark-spoons in sizes 00 and 0 are doing the trick in colors silver, gold and pink flash behind number one planners. The Spanish hitting on top are hitting Blue Water Candy’s Spanish Daisy chains in colors pink, blue and silver; the great thing about this rig is you can pull it off lighter tackle outfits. Another lure that is working well for the Spanish when I’m casting to them is Hogy Epoxy casting jigs, these little casting jigs are just the right weight and size to get those fast moving Spanish to bite! The colors that I like to use are purple, pink and blue; I prefer the two smallest sizes of the Hogy jig. All so the hook that comes on these lures is great, finally a good hook on a lure right out of the package!
I love to catch Cobia; here are the ways I target the big brown beasts. This time of year I look for Cobia around inlets, shoals and bait schools; near shore/offshore reefs and ledges are also a good place to look too. I throw big jigs, swim baits and live bait to the Cobia when I see them. Color really does not seem to matter, brighter the better; Blue Water Candy makes some very nice Cobia jigs, check them out at our local tackle shops! Tip your Cobia Jig with a six inch curly tail grub or six inch Jerkshad or four inch shrimp from Berkley Gulp; this will help get that Cobia to eat that jig! When I’m not sight casting for them, we are fishing around inlets, shoals and near shore artificial reefs. I float fish, bottom fish and kite fish in these areas with live menhaden, blues and mullet as bait.
The warmer weather has really brought out the Flounder and they are finally showing up in better numbers, there are still a lot of smaller ones inshore, but the bigger ones are showing every day! Most of the Flounder fishing I’m doing is just off the beach and around the inlets. I’ve caught Flounder on both live and artificial baits lately, what I have seen is more numbers on live bait, but more keepers on artificial baits. Mud minnows on light Carolina rigs with #one L42 Eagle Claw hooks are catching the numbers of Flounder. Berkley Gulp Jerkshad in five & six inch sizes are getting the most keeper Flounder. I’m rigging these Jerkshad on 1/4oz, 3/8oz and 1/2oz jig heads with longer hook shanks in red or gray color.
The bigger Reds are starting to show up in the ocean on hard bottoms and around the inlets. You never know when you might hook one of these hard fighting fish. When I fish for bigger Reds, I use fresh cut or live menhaden and mullet. I use fish finder rigs with 7/0 or 8/0 circle hooks and eighty pound Berkley Big game mono leaders. Don’t forget to keep your drag tight when using circle hook so they will do there job. One tip I can give you when fishing for Bull Reds, is don’t use to light of tackle for these bigger Reds. If you fight them to long, there is a chance you can tire them out to much and kill them. Try a med/heavy rod and a reel with at least thirty pound mono or braid, this will help you get the fish in quicker; with a better chance of a good release. Check to see if the Red has a yellow tag in its back; there are a fair amount of tagged Big Reds out there.
Fishing Gear I use:
Reels: Reds, Blues and Flounder: PENN Battle & Conflict spinning in sizes 2500, 3000 & 4000. Cobia fishing reels: PENN Battle 5000, 6000 & 7000, PENN Fathom 20LW (Great Cobia and Tarpon reel). Line: Reds, Blues and Flounder: Spiderwire Ultra-cast 15# Cobia Line: 30# Berkley Big Game Mono. Rods: PENN Regiment Medium and Medium heavy 6’6” & 7’. Cobia Rods: PENN Rampage Jigging 50 to 100 class( great rod at a great price)!. Leader material: Cobia; Berkley Big Game mono & Fluorocarbon in eighty to one hundred pound. Reds, Blues, Flounder: Berkley Pro-Spec Fluorocarbon leader
material.
I would like to really give a thank you to Betts Cast Nets; Betts is my newest Sponsor/Partner for 2014. Betts has been making quality cast nets for a very long time, I use Betts nets to make a living and they have not let me down! Betts nets a quality net at a very fair price. Keep your eye on my Facebook page for I’ll be giving a how to seminar in the Wilmington area on using cast net inshore and near shore very soon! I’ll go over which nets to use for which bait, net care and how to cast your cast net.
If you would like to get real time and on the water reports, as well as free tackle giveaways each month; check out my Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Capt-Jot-OwensJot-It-Down-Fishing-Charters-LLC/134340373310487\
Thanks for reading this report, if you have any questions just let me know!
Good Fishing to you,
Captain Jot Owens
PENN Reels Elite Staff
Ranger Boats Pro Staff
www.captainjot.com
910-233-4139
