Wrightsville Beach – June 11, 2015
Arlen, of Tex’s Tackle, reports that the spanish mackerel around Wrightsville Beach turned back on over the weekend, but the big rain early in the week may have pushed them offshore a bit. Trolling Clarkspoons and Blue Water Candy Spanish Daisies is the way to find the spaniards.
King mackerel are on the feed 7-15 miles off the beachfront and biting a host of offerings including live, dead, and strip baits and lures like spoons and diving plugs.
Paul Robertson and Brad Rackley with a pair of red drum they hooked near Bald Head Island on D.O.A. shrimp.
Dolphin have pushed inshore of the Gulf Stream, with some reported just 10 miles out last week. The better action has been 20-30 miles off the inlets, where anglers trolling cigar minnows and rigged ballyhoo have been putting together some decent catches recently.
Bottom fishing in the 15-30 mile range is producing some action with gag grouper, sea bass, and grunts. Anglers are finding more variety including red and scamp grouper, triggerfish, beeliners, and more while hitting spots in 100’+ of water 35-50 miles offshore.
Gulf Stream trollers are still seeing some dolphin and blackfin tuna along with an occasional wahoo. There’s likely still some decent billfish action out off the break in around 100 fathoms for boats looking to connect with a sailfish or marlin.
Luke Dudley with a 24 lb. blackfin tuna he landed while fishing 25 miles off Wrightsville Beach with his father Parker.
Closer to the beaches, the flounder bite is improving on nearshore wrecks and reefs in the ocean. Anglers can fool the ocean flatfish with live baits or bucktail jigs tipped with Gulps.
Flounder fishing has been getting better inshore as well, with anglers reporting a good bite in local creekmouths last week. Live baits and Gulps will get the job done inshore as well.
Red drum are still feeding in the creeks and around docks in the ICW. The creek fish will bite topwater plugs early and late in the day along with a variety of other artificials. Under the docks, live and cut baits like menhaden are much more effective.
Sheephead are also looking for meals around docks and areas like bulkheads, seawalls, and bridge pilings. Anglers can tempt the sheeps to bite live fiddler crabs dangled next to the structure.
Jamie, of Seagate Charters, reports that there’s been a good flounder bite around the area’s nearshore reefs recently, and anglers are hooking solid numbers on live peanut menhaden and bucktail jigs.
Cobia are still feeding around some of the area inlets, and tarpon have been moving up and down the beach as well. Both are tough to target, but a live menhaden will fool either when they’re in a feeding mood.
King mackerel are scattered around nearshore structure and from the beach to well offshore. Anglers are hooking the kings on live menhaden and threadfin herring.
Inshore, anglers are fooling some large speckled trout and red drum early in the morning on topwater plugs. Custom Glenn Wilson balsa plugs have been highly effective recently.
Anglers are also fooling the reds in the inlets on live and cut baits.
Jim, of Plan 9 Charters, reports that anglers are seeing a good spanish mackerel bite on most recent mornings near Masonboro Inlet. When the fish haven’t been feeding there, Masons Inlet and Johns Creek have been productive spots. Clarkspoons trolled behind planers and torpedo weights are fooling most of the fish.
Flounder are feeding on the nearshore live bottoms and AR’s off Wrightsville, and anglers are hooking good numbers in 30-50’ of water while bouncing Gulp-tipped bucktail jigs around the structure.
Rick, of Living Waters Guide Service, reports that anglers are still connecting with dolphin, blackfin tuna, and occasional billfish while trolling the Gulf Stream off Wrightsville.
All three are falling for skirted lures like Fathoms, and the billfish action has been better in deeper water offshore of the break.
Bottom fishermen are finding plenty of action around structure in the 100’ range and deeper. Gag, scamp, and red grouper are all looking for meals in those areas, along with plenty of smaller bottomfish like triggers, grunts, beeliners, and more. Both bottom rigs baited with live and cut baits or vertical jigs worked near the bottom will put the fish in the box.
Ryan, of Johnnie Mercer’s Pier, reports that live-baiters fishing from the end of the pier are hooking a decent number of barracuda and seeing some cobia as well.
The spanish mackerel bite has been consistent recently for anglers working Gotcha plugs and other casting lures. Plenty of bluefish are mixed in.
Flounder are falling for small live baits fished under the pier.
Sheepshead have shown up around the pier’s pilings and will bite fiddler crabs or sand fleas.
Bottom fishermen are decking some sea mullet at night.
The water is 81 degrees.
