Hatteras Island is currently experiencing an unusual event in fishing: blackfin tuna being caught just off the beach, with several small, inshore boats bringing in the deep-sea fish along with their more typical springtime catches of red drum, bluefish, sheepshead, and black drum.
These unprecedented tuna catches are causing a lot of talk and excitement on the docks and fishing forums. When asked if this had happened in the past, the captains I interviewed said that they had never seen it before, even in their decades of fishing experience.
“Never in my lifetime have I seen tuna caught this close, and I’ve been fishing here all my life,” said Captain Rick Scarborough of the Speck-Tackler.
“Then again, in the last few years, our fishing has been abnormal,” he added, talking about this being the fourth year of catching big bluefish off the beach, which used to be a rarity, as well as king mackerel showing up closer to shore than in the past.
Speckled trout fishing has also changed for inshore boats in recent years, with speculation that it could be due to decreasing grassbeds, or the bigger fish chasing them out.
As for the tuna, many are being caught just outside the Hatteras inlet on light, spinning tackle, in 20-50 feet of water. Captain Rom Whitaker of Soundbound charters excitedly said, “I caught a 29-pound blackfin in 12 feet of water today.”
“It’s definitely a phenomenon,” said Captain Zach Vann of the Red Finn. “The first day I caught them, I thought it was a fluke. Then yesterday I caught three, and then two more today, so then I thought maybe it’s not a fluke.”
Talking to the fish cleaners at Teach’s Lair Marina, they told me “They’ve been in the bigger range [of what we see], most of them 22-31 pounds.”
While all we can do is speculate at this point, it will be interesting to see how long they hang around, or if they return again at this time next year.
Reports suggest that the numbers of tuna hanging close to the beach are not huge by any means, just that they’re around, so it’s safe to say that folks booking inshore charters certainly shouldn’t start expecting to catch tuna just yet, but consider it a bonus if they get to catch a couple. For now, all we can do is watch what happens and enjoy it while it lasts.
