It’s Monday Feb 17th and Duck Research Pier has posted their seawater temperature at 37 degrees today.  Outside the skies are mostly sunny with an expected high around 42, winds will be northerly 15- 20 and there should be a 0% chance of rain.  Sunset will be at 5:45 PM with the sunrise tomorrow at 6:48 AM.
First tide is low at 2:32 AM with the high at 8:33 Am
Second tide is low at 2:54 PM followed with a high at 8:58 PM

Puppy drum are still being landed on the south side of Oregon Inlet but I believe a lot of them are actually being snagged now instead of biting a hook – the water temps are just getting too low up here.  Satellite imagery of the water at cape point indicate water temps in the low 50s, sometimes warmer depending on the winds, and the fish are still taking shrimp or grubtails on leadheads.

Surfing the web earlier I pulled up Rick Caton’s website www.customsoundcharters.com .  Checking his fish reports I opened the entry for 2/2/2014.  Apparently they’re using his son’s boat,  Little Clam, for commercial king mackerel fishing south of Hatteras
( you can see the net reel on the back of the boat ).  Anyway, what is interesting in that photo is the king mackerel and the COBIA that he is holding.  I’ll email him when I get home to see if I can get info on this.

Coolbreeze out

For Monday, Feb 10th, it’s kind of a crappy day.  With only a 20% chance of rain or snow, it probably won’t happen.  With northerly winds at 15 – 25 MPH, today’s 43 degree high will feel a lot cooler than yesterday.  Expect mostly cloudy skies with sunset at 5:38 PM and sunrise tomorrow at 6:55 AM.
First tide is high at 4:16 AM with the low at 10:55 AM
Second tide is high at 4:33 PM and the low at 10:38 PM

The fishing report from Red Drum Tackle in Buxton posted yesterday that the puppy drum were thick around cape point with the action best on the south side.  The usual hot spots at Oregon Inlet had lots of grass and trash in the water making fishing difficult.  Expect the weather conditions to be a bit “iffy” the next few days.

Coolbreeze out

For Sat, Feb 8th, expect mostly cloudy skies and a 70% chance of rain with NNE winds 15 – 25.  High today around 47 degrees, sunset at 5:36 PM and tomorrow’s sunrise at 6:57 AM.
First tide is high at 2:18 AM with the low at 9:03 AM
Second tide is high at 2:35 PM with the low at 8:48 PM

Duck pier posted their water temp at 41 degrees this morning.  Sat/imagery of the waters around Cape Hatteras early today show surface water temps in the high 40s.
Unfortunately yesterdays Bluefin search was unproductive – they weren’t skunked, but no Bluefin were located.  Was chatting with a marine fisheries agent yesterday and he confirmed there was good fishing for puppy drum on the south side of Oregon Inlet the last several days.  The fishing reports on Red Drum Tackle’s website indicate although there aren’t always a lot of folks fishing, the slot-sized red drum catching is still very good.

Coolbreeze out

Effective  at noon Feb 5th 2014, the recreational and commercial season for speckled trout is closed.  According to NCDMF a recent cold stun event has impacted the N C spotted sea trout population and Marine Fisheries has taken this measure to protect the breeder class of these fish through the spring spawn.  According to the proclamation posted on the NCDMF website it is “the intent of the Fisheries Director to open the spotted seatrout season ….. on June 15, 2014.”  I’m sure there will be more information on this to follow.  Stay tuned.

Coolbreeze out