Carolina Beach June 9, 2011
The winners in the CB Parks and Recreation Youth Pier Fishing Tournament include:
Wes, of Island Tackle and Hardware, reports that the flounder bite has been good in Snow’s Cut and around the grass islands and structure in the Cape Fear River lately. Live mud minnows and small menhaden or Gulp baits will tempt bites from the flatfish.
Black drum and sheepshead are feeding around hard structure like bridge and dock pilings and rocks. Fiddler crabs and shrimp will tempt bites from both of the striped crustacean lovers.
Anglers are finding solid action with red drum in the bays and backwater creeks off the lower Cape Fear River. Live baits will nearly always tempt bites from the reds, but anglers can also tempt them to bite topwater plugs, spinnerbaits, and scented soft plastics like Gulps.
Outside the inlet, there have been plenty of schools of menhaden moving up and down the beach, and a decent number of cobia following them, particularly to the north. Live menhaden or bucktails tipped with soft plastic trailers should tempt bites from the cobes if anglers spy them.
Some king mackerel are cruising the beaches as well, and a 28 lb. fish was landed from the north pier last week.
Spanish mackerel trolling remains decent, and anglers should be able to put some spaniards on ice while pulling Clarkspoons around fish feeding on the surface and diving bird activity.
Connor McNeely and Matt McCauley, both of Carolina Beach with a red drum they hooked on a cut bait in the surf near Atlantic Towers.
Black sea bass are open to harvest and feeding from a few miles off the beaches on out. Dropping small jigging lures or bottom rigs baited with squid and cut baits to bottom structure will tempt bites from the bass.
Dolphin have pushed in from the Stream, and anglers caught some in the 25 mile range last week. The larger ‘phins are still feeding further offshore, and a few sailfish have been mixed in lately as well. Ballyhoo rigged under skirted trolling lures are the way to go for the sailfish and dolphin.
Ryan, of Carolina Beach Bait and Tackle, reports that there are plenty of bluefish feeding in the surf (most 1-3 lbs.), and they’ll take an interest in a variety of baits.
Surf casters are connecting with some sea mullet, black drum, and a few puppy drum, mostly around the south end. Shrimp and sand fleas will attract attention from all three.
Sheepshead are feeding at the ocean piers and structure like the Fort Fisher rocks. Sand fleas will tempt bites from them as well.
The fleas are prevalent in the island’s surf right now, so anglers shouldn’t have much difficulty finding some for bait.
Anglers are starting to hook a few speckled trout in the Cape Fear River from Snow’s Cut down to Southport, just in time for their season to open June 15. Live baits and soft plastics will attract attention from the specks.
Big numbers of red drum are feeding in the backwaters off the lower river. Anglers can tempt the reds to bite topwater plugs, scented soft plastics, live mud minnows or menhaden, and a variety of other baits and lures.
The flounder bite has been solid in the Cape Fear River and Snow’s Cut recently, and live menhaden and mud minnows are producing most of the action with the flatfish, as the area’s finger mullet are still a bit small to make good flounder baits.
Mike Derr and Scott Fowler with a sailfish they caught and released in 175' of water five miles inshore of the Steeples while trolling on the "Fishfull Thinking" with Randy Krulac.
Jeff, of Seahawk Inshore Fishing Charters, reports that the red drum bite has been excellent in the backwaters off the lower Cape Fear River and Masonboro Sound lately. Southeast winds have pushed extremely clear water into the river, creating excellent sight-fishing opportunities for the reds. Topwater plugs and Gulp and D.O.A. soft plastics are fooling the reds.
Some chopper bluefish are schooling along with the reds in Masonboro Sound, and they show little hesitation to strike a topwater plug.
Flounder fishing is improving, and anglers are connecting with good numbers while fishing for the reds with soft plastics and live baits.
Tripletail are showing up around crab trap buoys in the Cape Fear River, and they’ll bite live baits under floats.
Sheepshead fishing has been solid around hard structure in the lower Cape Fear, and fiddler crabs are attracting plenty of attention from the sheeps.
Robert, of Carolina Explorer, reports that the black sea bass bite has been excellent at bottom structure in the 15-20 mile range recently. Bottom rigs baited with squid and cut baits or small vertical jigs will attract plenty of attention from the bass.
Amberjacks, king mackerel, and a few dolphin are falling for live baits around high-relief structure and bait concentrations in the same range where the bass are.
Some king mackerel (many 20-30 lbs.) are also feeding along the beach.
Spanish mackerel and some bluefish are falling for trolled Clarkspoons around the inlet and just offshore of Pleasure Island.
Inshore, the red drum bite is excellent in the backwaters of the lower Cape Fear River. Anglers are hooking the fish on live baits, soft plastics, and topwater plugs near oyster rocks in the creeks off the lower river.
Speckled trout are turning on in the Cape Fear, and most will be keepers once the season opens June 15. D.O.A. soft plastics are attracting attention from the specks.
James Carr (age 9) and his father Ed with an 8.5 lb. tripletail that fell for a live mud minnow beneath a float near a crab trap buoy in the Cape Fear River. They were fishing with Capt. Jeff Wolfe of Seahawk Inshore Charters.
Jacob, of Kure Beach Pier, reports that anglers are catching big numbers of bluefish and some spanish mackerel while working Gotcha plugs from the pier.
Decent numbers of flounder are falling for small live baits (with some fish to 4 lbs. last week).
Bottom fishermen are connecting with some sea mullet and croaker on rigs baited with shrimp.
Live-baiters are scoring some bites from king mackerel at the end of the pier (including a 45 lb. class fish that was eaten by a shark last week).
