Offshore fishing out of the Crystal Coast is on the cusp of exploding.
“Fishing has been pretty good recently, if you can get out,” said Capt. Rick Baldwin of the Mattie G II of Morehead City, a boat celebrating its 50th year of fishing. “But (great) fishing is coming; we’re right on the bubble, according to my records for the last couple of years.
“It’s just before becoming world class. Within the next week, fishing should break wide open.”
Currently, Baldwin (252-269-0809, http://morehead-city-charter-fishing.com/ or http://www.mattiegfishing.com/) said his clients have been catching mostly blackfin tuna, some yellowfin tuna along with scattered wahoo.
Spring winds have been “pushing the Gulf Stream” around, he said, which has made fishing a little tougher than usual.
“All we need is some steady southwest wind and warm inshore water temperatures for a few days,” Baldwin said. “A south-southwest wind is best. An east wind makes the waves stack up against the current, and it’s often a really rough ride back to shore.”
The blackfins are mixed in size, running from 3 to 5 pounds, then up to 15 and 20 pounds.
“It depends what size are in the pods (schools) we run across,” he said.
Boats have caught blackfins while trolling or jigging.
“We’re also catching dolphin ranging from the small, peanut sizes to nice-size gaffers,” he said.
Yellowfin tuna fishing out of Morehead City and Atlantic Beach has been sporadic, matching what’s occurred the last 5 years.
“I think the schools the last few years have been up at Hatteras, then they move offshore to the other side of the Gulf Stream, too far for (charterboats) to go after them,” Baldwin said. “You have to remember yellowfin don’t like hot water, and I think the bite is mostly driven by water temperature and availability of bait.”
Last May, he noted, a spotter plane saw several sportsfishing boats working around the Big Rock (40 miles offshore), “but 16 miles farther out, the pilot said the ocean was alive with yellowfins. But nobody’s going that far because of the cost of fuel.”
Baldwin said most charter boats are trolling ballyhoo with blue-and-white or green-and-white skirts, but he uses a different, secret technique.
“When the fish are there, our way of fishing can fill a boat’s fish box really fast,” he said.
Wahoo fishing has produced good bites in the morning and evening hours, Baldwin said, with weights ranging from 30 to 50 pounds with a few 60- and 70-pounders in the mix.
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