Wrightsville Beach – April 23, 2015
Arlen, of Tex’s Tackle, reports that anglers are finding Atlantic bonito 5-10 miles off Wrightsville Beach at present. Both trolling and casting to the speedy tuna relatives will put them in the boat. Trolling lures like Yo-Zuri Deep Divers and casting jigs like Hogy Epoxy Jigs will tempt bites from the bonito.
Charles Taylor with a striped bass he caught and released in the Cape Fear River near Wilmington after it fell for a Yo-Zuri diving plug.
King mackerel are still primarily feeding in the 30 mile range, but they should be making their way toward the beachfront in the coming weeks. Live and strip baits, dead cigar minnows, and Drone spoons will fool the kings.
Bottom fishermen are putting together some solid catches of grunts, porgies, triggerfish, and beeliners while dropping baits to structure in 120’ depths. Legal lack sea bass are feeding at structure from the 60-70’ depths on out.
Mark and Steve Miner, from CO and OH, with a pair of red drum they hooked while fishing near Wrightsville Beach with Capt. Jamie Rushing of Seagate Charters.
Anglers making the run to the Gulf Stream continue to find some solid wahoo action, with the best recent bite near the Nipple in the 180’ depths. Ballyhoo paired with skirted lures like Blue Water Candy JAGs are fooling the ‘hoos and a few dolphin that have begun to show up.
Plenty of blackfin tuna are also feeding along the break and falling for trolled lures along with vertical jigs and topwater poppers. Several boats also landed yellowfin tuna (30 lb. class) off Wrightsville last week, and anglers are hoping to see more in the coming weeks.
Inshore, the water is warming up and the fishing is getting better by the week.
Good numbers of red drum have been feeding in the creeks, and anglers are seeing some decent topwater action during early morning high tides. When the water’s lower, Gulp and Savage shrimp imitations have been producing results.
Speckled trout are feeding in some of the same creeks and around boat basin docks near Wrightsville. Anglers are hooking decent numbers on MirrOlure MR17’s and the new Billy Bay Perfect Sinker Shrimp.
Some black drum are feeding around ICW and boat basin docks as well, and fresh shrimp or crab chunks fished on jigheads are tempting them to bite.
Bluefish (including some big choppers) are feeding around the inlets and biting diving plugs.
Surf casters are putting together decent hauls of sea mullet and croaker, with shrimp and Fish Bites producing most of the action.
Rick, of Living Waters Guide Service, reports that blackfin tuna are schooled up along the break and anglers have been hooking solid numbers recently (with many 20-30 lbs.). The fish have been biting vertical jigs, topwater poppers, and trolled baits and lures, and they’re showing a preference for one technique or another depending on the day.
A few wahoo and dolphin have been feeding in the same areas as the blackfins. Both have been biting trolled ballyhoo and diving plugs, with the dolphin responding to topwater poppers as well.
Boats found some excellent king mackerel action while trolling cigar minnows, strip baits, and spoons around 30 miles offshore last week.
Jamie, of Seagate Charters, reports that recent rains have dirtied the water around Wrightsville, but anglers are still finding some solid action.
Red and black drum are feeding in the creeks and along ICW docks, where cut baits, shrimp, and crab chunks will tempt them to bite.
Speckled trout are moving out of their wintering holes and feeding at typical springtime spots. Blue Water Candy soft plastics have been producing the majority of the action with the specks recently.
Anglers are hooking a few flounder while bouncing soft plastic baits on the bottom inshore, and as the winter algae clears out of the area over the coming weeks it will become easier to target the flatfish.
Bluefish are feeding around the inlets and out to the five mile range, and anglers saw the first appearance of Atlantic bonito at nearshore structure off Wrightsville last week. Both the blues and bonito will bite diamond jigs and other metal casting lures worked around nearshore structure and bait concentrations.
Jim, of Plan 9 Charters, reports that anglers are hooking Atlantic bonito and some healthy bluefish within a few miles of the inlets. Both trolled spoons and diving plugs and metal casting lures like diamond jigs will fool the bonito when anglers find them. Working birds, surface activity, and bait schools are all good indicators, that bonito may be in the area.
Ryan, of Johnnie Mercer’s Pier, reports that anglers are connecting with bluefish while working Gotcha plugs from the pier.
Sea mullet are biting shrimp and other baits on bottom rigs.
Anglers are also starting to see a few keeper flounder.
The water is 67 degrees.
