Bower Beach Inlet fishing

[jp57]

Heading down to Bowers for a Fourth of July fishing trip. We are going to fish from shore at the mouth of the inlet during incoming tide. I haven't been able to find any reports from that area. Anyone from that area have anything to report?

[tattoo]

Have a great time

[jp57]

It turned out to be a good morning. We started out using top and bottom and surf rigs baited with squid, minnows, and peeler. One guy I was fishing with caught 2 oyster crackers, the other guy caught one, I got skunked. When the tide really started rolling in, I got tired of getting snagged up with everyone else s line, so I switched over to one of my smaller freshwater bass poles. I put on a small hook and baited it with grass shrimp. I caught about a dozen small perch, one small croaker, one tiny striper, and 2 flounder measuring 15" and 17" with his mouth open. I saw a few flounder over twenty inches and a few nice sized ling caught. I wasn't fishing for dinner, so it was a fun day on the water.

[tattoo]

sounds like you had a good time.

[jrccrab]

It turned out to be a good morning. We started out using top and bottom and surf rigs baited with squid, minnows, and peeler. One guy I was fishing with caught 2 oyster crackers, the other guy caught one, I got skunked. When the tide really started rolling in, I got tired of getting snagged up with everyone else s line, so I switched over to one of my smaller freshwater bass poles. I put on a small hook and baited it with grass shrimp. I caught about a dozen small perch, one small croaker, one tiny striper, and 2 flounder measuring 15" and 17" with his mouth open. I saw a few flounder over twenty inches and a few nice sized ling caught. I wasn't fishing for dinner, so it was a fun day on the water.

Ling at the Inlet.....

[jp57]

That's what the guys said he thought they were. I had never seen them before. They looked like a big, stocky croaker. They were almost white in color with vertical black stripes. After doing a search for images on ling this morning I can say that he caught something different.

[flounderpounder]

sound like sheepshead

[jp57]

Looking at pics of sheepshead, that is definitely what he caught. 

[jrccrab]

Yeah, Ling are usually in cooler deeper water and around structure..... such as a Wreck/Rocks etc.

[soggybottomboyz]

Yup sheepshead, good eating if they are big enough.

[muleman88]

black drum. The sheeps head are farther out twards ocean and on wrecks. The small blackdrum look alot like them if your not sure what your looking at. ONe way to tell is the drum have 2 dorsel fins . Sheepshead have 1 long dorsel fin . I believe the drum  have to be 16 inches.

[flounderpounder]

Ive caught plenty of sheepshead close to shore. caught one in the back bay in Hatteras 2 months ago....they were not not puppy drum

[muleman88]

Ive caught plenty of sheepshead close to shore. caught one in the back bay in Hatteras 2 months ago....they were not not puppy drum

Im just saying you dont catch sheephead up around bowers where hes fishing. I fish near there and went through the same thing thinking I was catching sheepshead when I was notified they were black drum. I will try to post a pic of what we were catching.

[flounderpounder]

yeah...thats a drum...not really close to sheepshead except for the black stripes

[anchor]

bowers is loaded with puppy drum, not to many sheepshead in that area.

[muleman88]

bowers is loaded with puppy drum, not to many sheepshead in that area.

I agree but I think someone else knows better?