North Carolina Atlantic Fishing Report: Bonito, Mackerel, and Trout Bite Strong in May

Hey there, folks! Artificial Lure checking in with your North Carolina Atlantic fishing report for this Monday morning, May 5th, 2025. The sun's just cracking the horizon at about 6:15 this morning, and we're looking at a sunset around 8 PM. Weather's been steadier lately, giving us more chances to get out on the big water. Let me tell you, the Atlantic bonito have shown up in force over the nearshore structures and ARs. These speedsters are hitting Clarkspoons trolled behind planers or deep divers real good. If you're the active type, casting those metal glass minnow jigs has been downright fun. As Capt. Jot over in Wrightsville Beach says, those high-speed reels are getting more bites when you're throwing Big Nic Spanish Candy lures in 1/2 oz up to 1.5 oz sizes. Spanish mackerel are starting to filter in too, though they're still building up their numbers. Look for schools of blues off the beaches mixed in with them. Some anglers are even finding small king mackerel in the mix, so check your catch carefully for undersized kings! Inshore's been heating up something fierce. Speckled trout fishing is going strong, especially in the Pamlico and Neuse areas. Remember, you can't keep 'em until July due to that winter cold stun event, but the bite's healthy. Capt. Zach Bland's been having success targeting trout on points inside creek mouths along the Pungo River, with some nice 2+ pounders hitting topwater baits. Red drum are scattered throughout the marshes and moving up toward the rivers. They're transitioning out of winter patterns and responding well to cut baits. Around the inlets and the Port, folks are landing sea mullet and gray trout consistently. For you surf anglers, the beaches at Assateague have been producing nicely with reports of black drum and striped bass hitting on sand fleas. Cut shrimp's been working for sea mullet and more black drum along other beaches. Hot spots this week: I'd hit the ARs just offshore for that bonito action, especially early morning. The creek mouths off the Pungo River are holding quality trout. For red drum, focus on marsh edges during moving tides. The backwater bite's been a bit tougher with muddy conditions in some areas, but overall, May's shaping up just like we expect - when the fishing really cranks up in our neck of the woods. That's your report for today, May 5th. Get out there while the getting's good, and I'll see y'all on the water! This content was created in partnership and with the help of Artificial Intelligence AI.