It’s big trout time at the OBX
For anglers looking for a hot speckled trout bite, along with a chance to catch some trophy specks, the ocean and sounds around Oregon Inlet are tough to beat in June.
Capt. Carlton Thornton, better known as Capt. Froggy, of Captain Froggy’s Hunting and Fishing Guide Service out of Hertford, NC, said this month has been very good for specks throughout the past several years.
“Our fishing in June is really good, especially for speckled trout. And in the past few years, the trout have been running really big. We’ve caught more 5+ pound fish in the past few years, really, than I’ve seen in my lifetime,” he said. “We’ve caught some 7- and 8-pounders.”
Froggy (252-661-7222) said anglers don’t need to get fancy when targeting these fish. Nothing, he said, beats live bait.
“For the big fish, mostly what I’ve found out, the best way to do it is to use live bait,” he said. “Jigs work well, and you’ll catch plenty of specks here this month with jigs. But if you’re targeting the bigger fish, nothing beats live bait.”
When looking for these fish, Froggy said it’s best to stick to water that’s 3 to 4 foot deep, usually around grass.
“Grass flats in fairly shallow water are always good. That’s a good place to drop a live bait. We put the live bait on Carolina rigs and on plain jigheads. It works equally well on both.”
The toughest part of this month for speck anglers typically occurs during the full moon. But he has a remedy for that.
“The full moon can be really, really tough. So what I like to do, is do an early evening fishing trip, pushing into dark. You can really get on them good then. They typically feed really hard that time of day during the full moon,” he said.
Outgoing tide
Outside of the full moon, Froggy said it doesn’t matter too much what time of day you’re fishing.
“This month, except during the full moon, you can catch trout all day long. You might have a little more activity when the tides and sunrise work perfectly together, but for the most part, you can catch them any time of day,” he said.
Speaking of tides, he does seem to do somewhat better on the outgoing tide.
“I don’t know why, but I like an outgoing tide best. I’ve been doing this a long time, and it just seems like on the outgoing tide, they feed a lot better in the flats on most days,” he said.
He uses 20- to 30-pound braided line, but other than that, he likes to stick with light tackle.
“I use that size braid just because you’ve always got a chance to hook a big drum. But it’s just more fun to catch these fish on light tackle. Even when you hook a 6 or 7 pounder, you’re going to enjoy the fight a lot more if you’ve got a fairly light rod and reel,” he said.
Froggy said another thing he likes about June in this area is that the weather is fairly stable, and it’s not too hot to enjoy a day of fishing.
“It’s warm, but not too hot like it will be in July and August. June is, overall, a great time of year to fish this area,” he said.
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