Blues, Spanish, sheepshead highlight catches

SALTWATER

Cape Lookout/Bogue Inlet

EJW Outdoors (252) 247-4725; www.ncwaterman.com

The year of the bluefish continues with ravenous blues biting in the surf and the inlets and also in inside places such as the Coast Guard channel. Red drum are moving around inside around the Haystacks. The bonito have moved out for the most part, ending a short season. Spanish mackerel are starting to bite along Cape Lookout Shoals, along the beaches and over the reefs. Cobia are starting to show as well in the Beaufort Inlet area. Flounder are starting to move in, with drifters catching them in the inlets. Sheepshead are biting around the high-rise bridges. Offshore has triggerfish at NW Places and and big bull dolphin at the 90-Foot Drop.

Oregon Inlet

Oregon Inlet Fishing Center (252) 441-6301, www.oregon-inlet.com

A nice week of bigeye tuna, yellowfin tuna and gaffer dolphin for the charter boats. A few billfish and mako sharks were caught. Inshore boats have had bluefish. A few stripers and cobia have been caught in the surf.

Buxton/Hatteras

Red Drum Tackle (252) 995-5414, www.reddrumtackle.com; Oden's Dock (252) 986-2555, www.odensdock.com; or www.hatterasharbor.com

This week has been pretty windy. Bluefish, red drum and sea mullet are being caught around ramp 55. Offshore boats have been blown out the past few days, but earlier trips yielded nice wahoo and big gaffer dolphin. Inshore and sound boats have caught puppy drum and blues.

Ocracoke/Portsmouth

Tradewinds Bait & Tackle (252) 928-5491, www.fishtradewinds.com; Morris Marina (252) 225-4261, www.portsmouthisland.com

Ocracoke anglers have had big blues in the surf this week, but the wind has been sandblasting anglers since Monday. Sound boaters have had blues and scattered puppy drum. Portsmouth has had a black drum bite this week. Some big pompano up to about 4 pounds have been caught. Flounder are moving in. North end is best for blacks, south for flounder and reds.

Topsail Island

East Coast Discount Tackle (910) 328-1887, www.eastcoastsports.com

Offshore boats have done well on wahoo and dolphin about 40 miles out. Lots of Spanish and blues have been off the piers. Slower retrieve catches the blues, faster for Spanish. Speckled trout, red drum and flounder are being caught in the Intracoastal Waterway.

Wilmington/Wrightsville Beach

Tex's Tackle (910) 791-1763, www.texstackle.com; Bug-Em Bait Co. (910) 452-9955

Wind is hampering efforts. Flounder fishing is getting better in the inlets and behind Figure Eight Island. Drum are schooled up in the mouths of creeks. Spanish have been scarce on the beaches. Blues are everywhere. Kings start heavy about 10 miles out. Grouper bite is still good starting about 30 miles out. Gulf Stream has wahoo and dolphin.

Southport/Sunset Beach

Dutchman Creek Bait & Tackle (910) 457-1221; www.yeahrightcharters.com; or www.oifishingcenter.com

Winds have kept the offshore boats close to the docks this week. Earlier in the week, the boats making it offshore had good luck with cobia, dolphin and wahoo. The piers had good catches of Spanish mackerel before the blow, and speckled trout have been biting in the river.

FRESHWATER

Falls Lake

Carolina Outdoor Sportsman (919) 676-6799; Bayleaf USA (919) 847-4639; www.wmi.org

Water level: normal 251.5, Wednesday 252.11, full pool 264.8. Bass have been caught shallow early on shady banks. Spinnerbaits have worked well. Later in the day, mainlake points have produced bass on shaky-head worms and Carolina-rigged plastics.

Kerr Lake

Buggs Island Bait & Tackle (434) 374-8934; www.kerrlake.com

Water level: normal 300, Wednesday 306.3, full pool 320. Wind has blown hard this week. Bass have been caught in the flooded bushes on soft plastics and spinnerbaits. Anglers have hit schooling white bass with jigging spoons. Crappie are scattered deep and shallow, and the stained water isn't helping the bite.

Jordan Lake

Wilsonville General Store (919) 362-7101, www.carolinaoutdoors.net

Water level: normal 216, Wednesday 219.6, full pool 240. With the water up, bass anglers can target the smaller "buck" bass in the flooded bushes and timber using soft plastics and jigs.

Lake Wheeler

park office (919) 662-5704

Call for current information.

Shearon Harris Lake

www.wmi.org

Bass are still being caught in shallow water on floating worms and Senkos. Shad imitators fished around grass in 3 to 5 feet of water have accounted for some bass as well. Overcast mornings can yield a top-water or spinnerbait bite.

Roanoke River

Roanoke River Outfitters (252) 536-3119; N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission update www.ncwildlife.org

Big striped bass are being caught, but the spawn is finishing and stripers will be heading back to the sound soon. Fish up to 35 pounds have been sampled by biologists. The fish are scattered, and catches can be "hit or miss."