# Fort Macon (Inlet side)



## 20capper (Jun 18, 2009)

Planning a little excursion down to Fort Macon and wanting to do a little fishing on the inlet side. What type of rig will work the best, do I need to use a bottom rig or fish finder rig? Also, what type of bait will work best there in the inlet? Any advice on artificial lures that will work such as the gulp baits? Thanks, any help and advice will be much appreciated.


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## Mangus (Mar 22, 2007)

This link may help.

http://saltfishing.about.com/od/fishinginnorthcarolina/a/aa040919a.htm


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## Woodchuck (Jan 5, 2005)

Was down there last weekend. We boat fished 315 and the beach Friday and Sat, Sun morning I hit the fort for a few casts before going home.

Be prepared for Spanish feeding in the rip on tide changes. I got one on a 2 oz Hopkins with a tail. After having that bit off I used a castmaster and had a few but they got off. I didn’t see many bottom fish come in but was only there a few hours. I pulled in a small flounder on flounder belly strips and many medium pinfish on shrimp. 

It doesn’t sound like you have been there before. The channel is a good cast out, put 3 or 4 oz on and let ‘er rip to reach it. You’ll feel the lip as you are reeling in. From there it is a matter of finding where the fish are feeding, just over the lip or just on top of it. I use a hand tied double bottom rig and shrimp on it. Cut bait would work also, I cut a few flounder strips into pieces but didn’t get any action out there.

Don’t ignore closer in at the rip. Put a Carolina rig on and shrimp or gulp and toss it around looking for holes there. It is rumored there are some nice flounder hiding in that general area.

Moving around to ocean side, If the tide is right wade out on the bar and cast around: blues , Spanish, flounder, drum all could be in there, it looked really nice. I had my old Retriever so couldn’t do any wade fishing. She’s locked up with arthritis and would follow me out there but can’t really hold her own in the water anymore. I didn’t fish the jetty but there were many folks doing so. I didn’t pay attention to them so don’t know if they did any good. The Spanish are not that far off the beach, we saw a lot of them in 12’ to 19’ of water. I’d keep metal on a pole to cast for them… just in case they come closer.

Good luck and have fun.


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