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King fishermen patiently wait for schooling fish on the north side of Johnnie
Mercer’s Pier in July.
anglers, known as king fishermen, have great patience, as they can go weeks with-out
seeing a fish if the conditions aren’t right. Clear water with a lot of baitfish
present is ideal. A southeast wind is also helpful.
The best fishing of the year begins in the fall when the water starts to cool.
Fish will begin their southerly migration. Anglers will be crowding on the north
side of the pier, hoping it is their hook that is selected by their favorite fish. In
North Carolina, the favorite fish among all fishermen are spots.
Spots are about the size of your hand with a distinctive dark circle near their
gills. Some spots sport a yellow belly, because they spent the summer fattening up
in the brackish water of estuaries that feed into the sounds. When the water cools,
they move from the sounds to the ocean and form large schools and head south.
Fishermen often use a two-drop bottom rig with small hooks. Popular baits
are cut shrimp or bloodworms. When the school nears the pier it will seem
like everyone on the north side of the pier is bringing fish over the rail because
schooling fish, when they come to a structure, swim around it instead of working
their way through it. That is why in the spring and fall, when the fish are
moving, you will have one side of the pier that is hot and the other side is not.
The fishing in the fall will be excellent for most other species including all of
the spring favorites. Peak times include 24 to 48 hours after a major storm has
passed and during the high tide of a full moon.
Fishing in the winter is the least popular season. However, several species can
be caught as long as the water temperature stays above 50 degrees. Anglers who
endure the weather will take all speckled trouts, northern puffers, black drums
and red drums. Despite colder temperatures there are fishermen who will head
out over the water whenever possible because, after all, the best time to go fishing
is whenever you can.
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