Great Ex-Speck-tations

April is the big kickoff month for Cape Fear trout.

Lewis Emery, a fishing guide from Wilmington, was scheduled to have taken the marital plunge on March 12.Then again, his bride, Erica Mochman, a Texas native whom Emery has known for most of his life, might have been forced to wait at the altar an hour or two if the speckled trout hit topwaters well that morning.

Her intended, you see, has been in love with speck fishing a few years longer than he’s been enamored of Erica.

“She probably wouldn’t mind — much,” Emery said, trying to convince himself. “She likes fishing; she’s kicked my (fanny) several times when we fished together.”

Actually, an early March wedding was a good choice to ensure that Lewis got to the church on time. Al Gore’s global-warming predictions notwithstanding, March waters usually are a little too cold to do any serious damage to specks on the North Carolina coast.

But a few days later — with apologies to Rodgers and Hammerstein — April spotted seatrout should be bustin’ out all over.

“Actually, it depends on the water temperature,” said Emery, 29. “But the way it’s been cold this winter, we might not get a really good topwater bite until near the end of the month.”

The problem is, consistent weather isn’t the norm at this corner of the state — or all the way to Murphy.

“Last year, the water temperature at the end of March was 60 degrees,” said Emery, who runs Tails Up Charters (910-617-2194). “It got too warm too quick. I don’t know if it affected the bite, but we caught a few 5-pound trout early and not much (bigger fish) after that. Most of the specks ran two to four pounds.”

The good news for fishermen is that April is the month of “prespawn” for trout.

“They’re all schooled up in April,” Emery said. “I expect it’s because they’re fattening up for the spawn.”

Spotted seatrout, members of the Sciaenidae family that includes kingfish (whiting or sea mullet), spot, croaker, red drum, black drum and weakfish (gray trout). have a long spawning season that starts in late April and extends through October.

“If you catch one at a certain spot, you’re likely to catch several more,” Emery said.

But there’s the rub — where are those favored spots?

In his region — Emery and his bride have purchased a home near Monkey Junction, between Wilmington and Carolina Beach — it’s only a couple of long casts to the Intracoastal Waterway between Wrightsville and Carolina beaches. And that location provides access to a galaxy of trout holes.

“I don’t fish the ocean that much for specks this time of year,” he said. “But there’s plenty of places to access the (Cape Fear) river, and it’s not that far to Fort Fisher.”

The ICW at Carolina Beach, just a few miles from Emery’s home, turns west through Snow’s Cut (a fabled flounder and striped bass hole). Go south from the cut to find the “Dredge Pond,” a large lake off the Cape Fear River that king mackerel fishermen often visit to net menhaden for baits.

“I like to fish for specks near the mouth of the Dredge Pond on a three-quarters falling tide,” Emery said. “I think it’s better on the falling tide because the menhaden get thick (swept into the Cape Fear River) through the entrance. If you really want to tear up the specks, put a menhaden on a Carolina rig and fish there.”

Walden Creek, near Snow’s Marsh directly across the river, is another good spot. “Incoming low or high tides are best times to fish there,” Emery said.

One of his favorite spots is farther south at the islands in the Elizabeth River. To reach the river — actually a back-barrier marsh — go past Southport where Dutchman’s Creek enters on the right. Several creeks lead to the Elizabeth River on the left.

“The Elizabeth River is good in April for specks,” Emery said. “The best times to fish are incoming or high, falling tides.”

Other good spots are the bays below Fort Fisher, south and east toward Bald Head Island.

“You also might catch red drum and black drum in the bays during April,” Emery said.

That means current is a key to triggering speckled trout appetites because it sweeps baitfish past trout that are waiting in ambush.

“You want current, but you fish calmer sides (of points and oyster mounds) that aren’t completely dead (water),” he said. “If you can find places covered up with oysters, they’ll generally have some specks.”

Emery’s favorite hard bait for fishing flooded oyster mounds and points is the 808 Mirrodine 17MR, which has a black back, silver sides and orange belly.

“It looks like a baby menhaden,” he said.

His preferred soft-plastic lure is a Betts Billy Bay Halo Shrimp.

“That’s probably my No. 1 trout lure,” he said, “but I always put some shrimp (flavored) Lunker Sauce on it.”

Halo Shrimp come rigged with a jighead and hook and in many colors.

“It’s kinda like a DOA (soft bait),” he said. “I like to throw the half-ounce Magnum in chartreuse-and-pink if the water’s dirty. I throw the half-ounce Magnum Glow shrimp (white) when it’s dark or at night.”

Bites on Halo Shrimp are never taps, but vicious ambushes — like a Rod Brind’Amour blind-side body check.

“They hit it pretty hard, especially with Lunker Sauce,” Emery said. “But you have to fish them really slow this time of year.”

In clear water, Emery said he prefers to cast the “Clear Water Halo,” a “Caribbean blue” (cobalt) color.

“‘There’s also one that’s clear with gold sparkle,” he said. “I think that one’s the most natural looking of all the Halo Shrimp.”

Emery will be watching the temperature by late March or early April for what he calls the “magic number” — 60 degrees.

“Specks start biting at 55 degrees,” he said. “When it gets to 58 degrees, they’ll beat you up. When it gets 60, it can get crazy; you’ll have a topwater bite and a bite down below. The thing that might mess things up is a lot of rain. That keeps the water cool.”

It’s probably fortunate for Emery his wedding was scheduled for early March. However, with some unseasonably warm weather, the mercury might have climbed enough to make his bride-to-be a little
nervous.