Carolina Beach – July 9, 2015
Daniel, of Island Tackle and Hardware, reports that anglers are connecting with some speckled trout and flounder in the lower Cape Fear River around structure, grass islands, and shoreline points. Live baits are tough to beat for the both fish, and anglers are finding big numbers of finger mullet in the area that have finally grown to bait size.
Sheepshead are still feeding around hard structure like bridge and dock pilings in the area, but the sheep bite seems to be a bit slower than in recent days. Live fiddler crabs and sand fleas dangled close to their homes are the ways to hook up with the sheeps.
Surf and pier bottom fishermen have been hooking good numbers of sea mullet, bluefish, croaker, and other panfish. Shrimp and Fish Bites baits are fooling the bottom feeders.
A king mackerel was landed off the pier this week, so anglers heading out in the ocean can expect to find some action not too far off the beach.
Devin Anderson with a 6.4 lb. flounder that engulfed a live menhaden in the Cape Fear River.
Rod, of OnMyWay Charters, reports that anglers are finding a good dolphin bite while trolling spots in the 20+ mile range (with many fish gaffers). Anglers can fool the dolphin with dead cigar minnows and ballyhoo trolled naked or with skirts.
There have been reports of dolphin as close as 5 miles offshore, and the first sailfish of the year came from the 10 mile range.
King mackerel are spread from the beach to 30+ miles offshore. They and the sails will also bite dead baits or live menhaden and other offerings, with the live baits usually fooling the biggest kings.
Cobia are also looking for meals around bottom structure 5-18 miles off the beaches and will pounce on live baits.
Amberjacks are schooling around ledges, reefs, and other structure from the 20 mile range on out. Live baits are tough for the jacks to turn down.
Bottom fishermen are reporting the best action with keeper sea bass in the 20 mile range, with many shorter fish closer to shore.
Grouper fishing has been good around structure 20-50 miles out, with some fat scamp landed recently towards the offshore end of that range. Live, dead, and cut baits will fool the bottom feeders.
Harold Eichenholz, of Wilmington, with his first dolphin, hooked on a ballyhoo under a Blue Water Candy skirt while fishing 23 miles off Carolina Beach with Capt. Rod Bierstedt of OnMyWay Charters.
Robert, of Carolina Explorer, reports that anglers continue to connect with flounder in Carolina Beach Inlet, Snow’s Cut, and the ICW (with some citation-class fish). Upper and over-slot red drum are feeding in many of the same areas, and both will take an interest in live mud minnows, finger mullet, or small menhaden. Drift-fishing is particularly productive in the inlet as it will let anglers figure out where the active fish are feeding at a given time/tide.
Anglers are also picking up a few flatfish and reds while fishing the lower Cape Fear River, but the bite seems to have been better closer to home recently. The fish in the river are also falling for live baits along with soft plastics.
Anglers are seeing a solid speckled trout bite in the lower Cape Fear River, with the best action around current breaks like grass islands, oyster points, and rocks. Live shrimp are tough to beat for the trout, but anglers can also hook up on live mud minnows or finger mullet as well as a variety of soft plastics and other artificial lures.
Spanish mackerel continue to look for meals outside the inlets and along the beachfront. Anglers can tempt the spaniards to bite Clarkspoons pulled behind planers and trolling weights and, sometimes, cast metal lures to schools chasing bait on the surface.
Tori, of Kure Beach Pier, reports that anglers are connecting with good numbers of flounder off the pier, and many are fat keepers. Live baits fished near the pilings are producing much of the action.
Bottom fishermen baiting up with shrimp are hooking some croaker.
