Wrightsville Beach – August 6, 2015
Arlen, of Tex’s Tackle, reports that anglers have seen the nearshore king mackerel bite slow down a bit, but good numbers of spanish mackerel have been on the feed. The best trolling bite has been in 30-40’ of water recently for anglers pulling Clarkspoons and other flashy lures.
Some schools of fish have been feeding on the surface 2-5 miles offshore and biting casting jigs anglers are working around the surface activity.
Some larger spaniards are chasing bait around the nearshore reefs and other structure. Anglers are hooking the bigger fish on small live baits fished on light wire leaders.
Flounder have been feeding on the bottom at much of the same structure and biting live baits and bucktail jigs tipped with Gulp baits.
Eli Edwards caught and released this amberjack 10 miles off Wrightsville Beach after it fell for a topwater fly pattern.
There’s been a decent tarpon bite for anglers fishing the shoals off Bald Head Island.
Bottom fishermen continue to connect with some gag grouper while dropping baits to bottom structure starting in the 70’ depths. The gags will bite live, dead, and cut baits. Grunts, sea bass, and smaller bottomfish are in the same areas and will bite smaller cut baits and squid.
Scamp grouper and more bottom feeders are looking for meals at structure in 110’ and deeper.
Gulf Stream trollers are seeing an improving wahoo bite (with most returning with 3-6 fish) which should only get better as summer fades into fall. Some blackfin tuna and dolphin are mixed in, and all three are falling for ballyhoo and skirted trolling lures.
African pompano are schooling around offshore structure like Frying Pan Tower and the Navy Wreck and biting live baits.
Inshore, the best flounder and speckled trout action seems to have been in the Cape Fear River lately. Anglers are hooking both on live baits and soft plastics.
There’s been a decent red drum bite in the lower Cape Fear on the same offerings, with topwater plugs producing some action early and late in the day.
Sheepshead are feeding around bulkheads and bridge and dock pilings near Wrightsville. Anglers can hook the sheeps on live fiddler crabs fished tight to the structure.
Ladyfish and ribbonfish are chasing bait around lighted structure in the area at night. Both predators will attack a wide variety of artificial lures and live baits.
Bill and Holly Dozier with a hogfish that Holly hooked on a cigar minnow while fishing some bottom structure 50 miles off Wrightsville Beach with Randy Page on the “Flying Fisherman.”
Jim, of Plan 9 Charters, reports that anglers are still seeing good bottom fishing action in the 20 mile range off Wrightsville. Gag grouper, black sea bass, grunts, and other fish are feeding around structure in that range. Anglers can hook the bottomfish on squid, cut baits, and cigar minnows.
Trolling around spots in the same range is producing action with dolphin and king mackerel. Dead baits like cigar minnows and ballyhoo have been attracting most of the attention from both of the pelagics.
Closer to the beaches, the spanish mackerel bite has been solid in 22-45’ of water recently, with the best action on falling tides. Most of the spaniards are striking Clarkspoons pulled deep with planers or trolling sinkers, and the larger #1 spoons have been more effective than smaller offerings this week.
Jamie, of Seagate Charters, reports that the recent rain has likely pushed much of the area’s inshore action out towards saltier water around creekmouths and near the inlets and ocean. Consequently, anglers looking for red drum and flounder inshore should move their search seaward a bit from holes that have been producing in past weeks. Live finger mullet and menhaden will fool both of the inshore predators.
Some larger red drum should be showing up around the local inlets over the coming weeks, and larger live and cut baits will attract their attention.
A few cobia are still feeding along the beachfront, and anglers soaking baits for the big reds at the Masonboro jetties still stand a chance of a cobia hookup.
Flounder fishing on the nearshore wrecks and reefs off Wrightsville has been good over the past weeks, and the fresh water flushing bait and fish from inshore should only improve the action. Live finger mullet on Carolina rigs and bucktail jigs are the ways to fool the flounder around the ocean structure.
Spanish mackerel action was a bit slow for anglers fishing around Masonboro Inlet last week, with a better bite to the north of the area.
Ryan, of Johnnie Mercer’s Pier, reports that anglers continue to catch some large spanish mackerel while live-baiting from the end of the pier.
Smaller spanish along with some bluefish are taking an interest in Gotcha plugs and other casting lures anglers are working from the pier.
Those bottom fishing with shrimp are connecting with some sea mullet, croaker, and other panfish.
Flounder fishing remains good for anglers fishing live baits on the bottom, and one broke the pier record with a 9 lb. fish last week.
