Carolina Beach July 7, 2011
Sara Moore with the first flounder she caught on her new boat, a 6.3 lb. fish that fell for a live pogy in Snow's Cut.
Marshall, of Island Tackle and Hardware, reports that anglers are finding good flounder fishing (with fish to 7.5 lbs. weighed in recently) in the ICW, the inlet, and out at nearshore structure like the Marriott Reef. Live finger mullet, mud minnows, or menhaden will tempt bites from the flatties, as will Gulp shrimp pinned to bucktails.
The red drum bite is still solid in the backwaters off the river near Fort Fisher. Live baits have been producing the most fish lately, but anglers can also hook up on rootbeer-colored soft plastics or a variety of other lures.
Spanish mackerel are feeding in the inlet and just offshore, and anglers can tempt them to bite trolled Clarkspoons.
King mackerel are feeding in the same areas and at the nearshore reefs and other structure. Live menhaden or dead cigar minnows are the tickets to bites from the kings.
Boaters found dolphin as close as 15 miles from the inlets last week, with reports of action from those areas on out to the Stream. Live baits or rigged ballyhoo are top choices for the ‘phins.
Sailfish are feeding around warmer water and bait concentrations in the same range as the dolphin, and they will take an interest in live baits or ballyhoo as well. Trolling teasers like daisy chains and dredges increases boaters’ chances of attracting the sailfish into their spreads.
Bottom fishermen are connecting with some grouper at spots from the 20 mile range out to the break on vertical jigs and live and cut baits.
Gulf Stream trollers encountered a few blue marlin last week.
Ryan, of Carolina Beach Bait and Tackle, reports that surf anglers caught good numbers of sizeable sea mullet (to 2 lbs.) last week. Surprising numbers of spot for July are mixed in, along with some smaller pompano. Sand fleas, shrimp, and bloodworms are all attracting attention from the bottom feeders.
Smaller bluefish and some spanish mackerel are feeding in the surf zone. Anglers are hooking them from the piers and surf while working Gotcha plugs and small metal jigs.
The sheepshead bite has been solid around the bridge, dock pilings, and rocky structure inshore, and at the ocean piers off the beaches. Live fiddler crabs and sand fleas are top choices for the crustacean-loving fish.
Tom Wiecek, of Winston-Salem, NC, with a sailfish he caught and released at the Swansboro Hole after it struck a ballyhoo under a blue/white Mylar skirt. He was fishing with Chris Lacy on the "Laseas."
Red drum are feeding in the backwaters and around structure off the Cape Fear River. They’ll bite live baits or a variety of lures.
Flounder fishing has been good in the Cape Fear River, Snow’s Cut, and the ICW lately, and most of the flatfish are falling for live mud minnows and finger mullet.
A few speckled trout are feeding around the grass islands and channels in the Cape Fear River, and anglers are hooking them on live shrimp.
Robert, of Carolina Explorer Charters, reports that the red drum bite is on in the lower Cape Fear River right now. Most of the fish are feeding around the grass banks and oyster beds, and Gulp baits and live mud minnows fished on jigheads have been fooling the reds.
Some stray speckled trout and flounder are mixed in with the reds and taking an interest in the same baits.
More flounder are feeding in the ICW and inlet, and drifting live finger mullet or mud minnows in those areas is the way to hook them.
Some flounder are also feeding on the nearshore reefs, where live baits will also fool them.
Spanish mackerel fishing has been good for anglers trolling Clarkspoons along the beaches and in the inlet recently.
Good numbers of big sharks are feeding nearshore, and it won’t take them long to find a large cut bait.
Jeff, of Seahawk Inshore Fishing Charters, reports that the red drum bite has turned back on in the backwaters off the lower Cape Fear River and Masonboro Sound. The best fishing in the river has been when lower tides concentrate the fish in deeper water in the creeks. Locating the feeding fish with fast-moving lures like spinnerbaits, and then switching to live baits, has been the most effective tactic lately.
The schools of reds feeding in Masonboro Sound have been responding well to topwater baits lately.
Good numbers of flounder are mixed in with the drum and will bite live baits or soft plastics.
Sheepshead are feeding around bridge and dock pilings and other hard structure in the ICW and Cape Fear River (with many running 3-5 lbs.). Live fiddler crabs are tough for the sheepies to resist.
Hunter Shell, of Roan Mt., TN, with a 2.1 lb. pompano that bit a live shrimp off Oak Island Pier.
Bill, of Carolina Beach Pier, reports that bottom fishermen are connecting with some spot and sea mullet on shrimp and bloodworms.
Small live baits are fooling some flounder on the bottom.
Plug casters hooked a few spanish mackerel while working Gotchas last week.
Live-baiters had a few king mackerel bites last week as well.
Anthony, of Kure Beach Pier, reports that sea mullet, croaker, spot, bluefish, and other bottom feeders are taking an interest in shrimp fished on two-hook rigs from the pier.
Live mud minnows fished near the pilings are fooling some flounder.
Sheepshead are feeding along the pier’s pilings, and anglers are hooking a few on barnacles.
