Fishing report - 4/17/07

The fishing is definitely picking up. The catching too! We were dealt a little bit of a set back from the Nor’easter and cooler air that blew through here earlier. But that hindered our ability to go fishing. I don’t think it bothered the fish. They are biting just fine now that we can get back out to them.

My understanding is that a fish can go several days without eating a substantial meal. But otherwise they need to eat pretty regular just like most animals. However how much they eat can vary with the metabolic rate which is influenced by many factors.

Some folks claim the barometric pressure influences a fish to eat or not eat. Others make a case for the tide direction or strength of the tidal current. I’ve heard others claim the time of day, the phase of the moon and many other factors.

I’m certainly no expert in that area but I have given it some thought. When it comes to saltwater game fish, I think they are opportunist more than anything else. When there is plenty of food around, they eat. Of course on any given day, the time of day and the period of eating activity will vary.

Which leads me to the best advice I know about fishing and this comes from a friend of mine’s wife. She says about fishing, “nothing to it, just find a hungry fish!”

Speaking of hungry fish, we seem to have a lot of those around once again!

Inshore red drum are biting real well but are starting to scatter a bit. Look for them on the sand flats near inlets and good tidal flow areas. The black drum are starting to show up and can be found near inlet channels. I’ve heard of a few nice trout being caught but only a few. The ocean piers are reporting good catches of sea mullet. A few blowfish and small spots are also being caught. The snapper blues have been biting pretty well too.

Near shore Atlantic bonito have been very active off of New River inlet especially in the early mornings. They are biting sting silvers, Maria jigs and other flashy metal lures. The blues continue to be aggressive and some nice catches of sea mullet and a few grey trout are being reported. No reports of Spanish mackerel yet but they should be coming soon.

The kings are still way out but a few are being caught in the 30 mile range. Some very nice grouper are being caught in the 40 mile range with nice catches of grunts and b-liners in the same spots. Wahoo and Yellowfin tuna are being caught hard out in the Gulf Stream when the weather allows boats to get out there.

Tight lines too all!