Southport – October 9, 2014
Jason Long, of Currie, NC, with a 3 lb. flounder that struck a live finger mullet in a Bald Head Island Creek.
Jimmy, of Wildlife Bait and Tackle, reports that fall fishing seems to be kicking off, and anglers offered some excellent reports from all over the area last week.
Large amounts of bait are schooled up along the beachfront, and anglers are seeing spanish, king mackerel, and cobia there to feed on it. The best action has been around the nearshore reefs, but anywhere from the beach to the 10 mile range could be productive right now. Most of the kings and cobia are falling for live menhaden. Large spanish (some 6-8 lbs.) are biting finger mullet free-lined on light wire leaders, especially around the nearshore reefs.
Anglers are hooking big numbers of smaller spaniards while trolling the beachfront with Clarkspoons.
Inshore, the flounder bite has been fantastic along the Southport waterfront and around structure and deeper holes in the Cape Fear River, ICW, and creeks. Anglers are hooking the flatfish on live baits pinned to Carolina rigs and bucktails and Gulps worked slowly along the bottom on jigheads.
Red drum are feeding in many of the same areas and along the shallow flats in local marshes. They’ll bite all the same baits as the flounder, along with topwater plugs, spoons, and many other artificials.
Speckled trout are feeding in the creeks and around grass islands, oyster rocks, and docks in the river and ICW. Anglers have been hooking some big specks on topwater plugs early and late in the day, and then turning to live baits while the sun is high to keep hooking up with smaller fish.
The action for all the inshore and nearshore predators should only get better as dropping water temperatures set the fish on the feed over the coming weeks.
Molly Kelley, of New Jersey, with an upper-slot red drum that pounced on a live finger mullet while she and her father were fishing near Southport with Capt. Ryan Rayfield of Conjured Up Charters.
Angie, of Dutchman Creek Bait and Tackle, reports that anglers are seeing some good surf fishing along Oak Island’s shores at present. Bluefish, flounder, and red drum are all feeding in the inlets and along the beachfront, and cut and live baits will fool all three.
Pier anglers and boaters are reporting action with king mackerel and cobia while baiting up with live bluefish, menhaden, and other baits.
Offshore anglers are hooking kings as well, and some dolphin and wahoo were reported from the Cucumber last week as well. Live baits and skirted ballyhoo will fool all three predators.
The wahoo bite has been excellent for boats making the long run to the Gulf Stream of late, with most falling for skirted ballyhoo.
Inshore, red drum are feeding in the creeks and marshes, and boaters and shore anglers are hooking them on live baits, topwater plugs, and Gulps and other soft baits.
Some speckled trout and flounder are also feeding inshore and taking live baits and soft plastics.
Spot and sea mullet have moved into the mouth of the river and are biting shrimp and bloodworms on bottom rigs.
Sherry Hunt, of Charlotte, with a red grouper that bit a live tomtate at some live bottom 40 miles off Carolina Beach while she was fishing with Capt. Tom Sayre on “The Mate.”
Wally, of Oak Island Fishing Charters, reports that anglers are seeing some excellent fishing nearshore out of Southport right now. Plenty of schools of menhaden are working along the beachfront, and king mackerel and citation-class red drum are shadowing the schools of bait. Live menhaden on light wire leaders fished around the bait pods are producing plenty of action with both.
Tommy, of Oak Island Pier, reports that anglers are connecting with some spanish mackerel while working Gotcha plugs and diamond jigs from the pier.
Flounder are falling for live finger mullet fished around the pilings.
Bottom fishermen are connecting with some sea mullet and croaker on rigs baited with shrimp and bloodworms.
