Wrightsville Beach September 11, 2008
Jake Schoolfield (age 12), from Wilmington, with a 31" red drum that fell for a Redfish Magic spinnerbait behind Figure Eight Island.
Tex, of Tex’s Tackle, reports the flounder bite has been good, particularly in the inlets and creek mouths on falling tides. Live finger mullet on Carolina rigs and Gulp baits will attract attention from the flatfish.
Red drum are feeding around ICW docks and on the flats and creeks in the marshes, and the topwater red bite has been pretty good lately.
Some larger bluefish have begun to show up in the ICW and inlets, a good sign that fall fishing is on the way.
In the surf, anglers are catching some flounder, puppy drum, bluefish, croaker, and spot. Shrimp and cut baits will get attention from all the fish, but anglers can target the flounder specifically with small live bait.
Some bluefish and spanish mackerel are still feeding close to the beaches, but the best spanish bite has been out in 40-50′ where the water’s been a bit clearer lately. Trolling with deep diving plugs or Clarkspoons should get attention from the spanish, and anglers are also live-baiting for them or casting to breaking schools.
Anglers are hooking up with king mackerel and a few sailfish and dolphin as close in as 10 miles offshore, with the best action lately between 18-30 miles.
Bottom fishing has been hottest out in the 30+ mile areas lately, where anglers are finding red and gag grouper. Live baits, cut baits, and dead cigar minnows will all fool the grouper, and many anglers are also hooking them on butterfly and other vertical jigs.
Gulf Stream trollers are seeing some blackfin tuna, medium-sized wahoo, and a few sailfish. Skirted ballyhoo will attract attention from the blue water predators.Jim, of Plan 9 Charters, reports that grouper fishing was solid in the 35 mile range south of Wrightsville Beach last week. Dropping spanish sardines and other baits to the bottom structure was producing fast action with red grouper, scamps, and other bottomfish.
Trolling and light-lining dead cigar minnows in the same areas proved effective on kings last week as well. Some dolphin are also feeding here as well.
Some gag grouper have begun feeding closer to shore (inside 25 miles), but the bite has been best a bit to the north of Wrightsville.
The spanish mackerel bite has been good off Wrightsville and Masonboro in about 50′ last week. Trolling Yo-Zuri Deep Divers or casting with metal jigs should produce action with the spaniards.
Inshore, the red drum bite has been good in Masonboro Inlet. Live finger mullet fished on Carolina rigs are top choices for the reds. Anglers have also been finding good numbers of drum in the marshes and creeks behind Figure Eight Island and Masonboro.
Bryce Umphress, from Wilmington, and Capt. Mike Jackson, of Live Line Charters, cradle a sailfish before releasing it. The sail fell for a ballyhoo under a blue/white Ilander in 170' off Wrightsville Beach
Mike, of No Excuses Charters, reports that before Hanna, the spanish mackerel and schoolie king bite was excellent in the 3-5 mile range off Wrightsville. Live, light-lined finger mullet and peanut pogies were fooling the fish.
Inshore, the red drum have really begun to feed actively. In the creeks and on the flats, the fish are at times crashing bait on the surface like schooling bluefish. Most of the reds are mid-slot fish, but some upper to over-slot fish have been mixed in. Gulp baits, Redfish Magic spinnerbaits, and topwater plugs like Rapala Skitterwalks are all producing strikes from the aggressive reds.
Big numbers of short flounder are feeding in the same areas as the reds, with a few keepers mixed in. Both the Gulps and Redfish Magics are appealing to the flounder.
Vickie McCabe, of Wilmington, and Scott Douglas, an employee of Marine Max Wrightsville Beach, with a false albacore caught near WR-4 on a skirted ballyhoo.
Mike, of Johnnie Mercer’s Pier, reports that anglers are catching some spanish mackerel on Gotcha plugs early and late in the day. Bluefish are falling for the plugs as well.
Bottom fishermen are catching some spadefish, whiting, and croaker at night, with most fish falling for shrimp.
The water is 83.5 degrees.
