Southport – September 14, 2017
Annette, of Dutchman Creek Bait and Tackle, reports that inshore fishing has provided anglers with plenty of action. Black drum have been feeding well near oyster and dock structure when casting fresh shrimp on a Carolina rig.
Flounder fishing has picked up in the Cape Fear River and along the waterway. Those targeting deep water docks and creek mouths have had the most success. Live finger mullet and pogies on Carolina rigs have been the top baits.
A few speckled trout have been caught in the early morning hours. Targeting marsh points and banks on the high tide and oyster structure on the low tide has worked best. A few redfish have also been landed while trout fishing. Most fish have been willing to eat soft plastics worked off the bottom or live shrimp under float rigs.
Just off the beach, the spanish bite is still going strong. Trolling Clarkspoons around nearshore structure and bait pods has produced the best numbers of fish.
Out to the 5-15 mile range, kings have been feeding well. Trolling Drone spoons and dead cigar minnows has been the best method for landing keeper kings.
Davis, of The Tackle Box, reports that the flounder fishing has heated up. Anglers casting live finger mullet on Carolina rigs near dock and oyster structure have found quality fish.
Those chasing red drum have found the fish scattered in the marsh, specifically in the creeks. Most fish have bit live finger mullet and mud minnows on Carolina and float rigs. The average size on the reds has been 20-24”.
Just off the beach, the spanish bite remains strong. Anglers trolling Clarkspoons have picked up plenty of fish for the cooler. Kings have also started to move closer to the beach. Trolling dead cigar minnows and Drone spoons has been the ticket to hooking up with the kings.
Out at the Gulf Stream, the wahoo bite has improved. Anglers have found increasingly better numbers each day.
Keenan Long, of Asheboro, NC, with a 30 lb. African pompano that was caught using a live pogie near Frying Pan shoals.
Tim, of Wildlife Bait and Tackle, reports that the big red drum have made a showing near the mouth of the Cape Fear River. Anglers fishing large pieces of cut mullet on the bottom have landed a few reds in the 30-40” range.
The speckled trout bite has produced well in the early morning. Casting topwater plugs along grass banks and shell beds has been the ticket. Live shrimp under a float rig has also worked well on the trout. Most fish have been between 15-18”, with a few bigger fish in the mix.
Those targeting redfish have had success in the shallow backwater creeks and bays along the Cape Fear and Elizabeth rivers. Live finger mullet pinned to a Carolina rig has worked best, but a few fish are being landed on topwater plugs and soft plastics.
The flounder bite has stayed steady along the Southport waterfront and on the nearshore reefs. Most anglers have had the best success fishing live finger mullet on Carolina rigs. Those at the reefs have also had luck dropping 2 oz. bucktails tipped with Gulp plastics.
Offshore, the bottom fishing has kept anglers busy. Grouper, black sea bass, grunts, and snapper have all been landed.
In the surf, the whiting bite has picked up. Many good-sized fish have been landed on fresh shrimp and sand fleas.
Mark, of Angry Pelican Charters, reports that bait pods just off the beach have been plentiful. Following right behind all the bait, the spanish have been feeding well. Trolling with brightly-colored spoons has worked best for the spanish.
Shark fishing has also been solid in 25-40′ of water with live or fresh dead baits.
In the 10-20 mile range, smaller kings have been actively chewing. Targeting structure in 50+’ of water has been the key to finding good numbers of fish.
Offshore, in 70+’ of water, the bottom fishing has heated up. Grouper, grunts, black sea bass, triggerfish, and amberjacks have all been boated when dropping to the bottom.
Wally, of Oak Island Charters, reports that anglers targeting the shallow water creeks near Bald Head Island have picked up a variety of fish. Flounder, speckled trout, and redfish have all been present and feeding in these areas. A mix of live finger mullet and shrimp has gotten the job done.
Just off the beach, the flounder have shown up in good numbers on the nearshore reefs. Dropping live finger mullet on Carolina rigs has been the best way to boat quality fish.
The offshore grouper bite has started to heat up.
Bret Sigillo, of St. James, NC, with a 66″ wahoo caught trolling a Blue Water Candy sea witch paired with a frozen cigar minnow on a #3 planer. He was fishing 23 miles off Oak Island with Capt. Rod Bierstedt of OnMyWay Charters.
Ryan, of Fugitive Charters, reports that inshore fishing has provided action with over-slot redfish. Targeting grass banks with live minnows has been the key to locating fish. The flounder bite has also been solid. Tossing live finger mullet on Carolina rigs near docks and marsh banks has done the trick.
The nearshore flounder bite on the reefs has picked up. Anglers dropping bucktails tipped with Gulp plastics (as well as live baits) have found success.
Trolling Almost Alive spoons just off the beach has hooked anglers up with plenty of big spanish. Most fish have been in the 2-4 lb. range, with a few bigger fish in the mix.
Bottom fishing offshore has produced snapper, black sea bass, triggerfish, and grouper.
The king bite has been heating up, and trolling dead cigar minnows has been the best way to produce fish.
Susan, of Ocean Crest Pier, reports that bottom fishing has slowed down. However, the spanish and bluefish bite has provided anglers with lots of action. Most fish have been hooked when casting Gotcha plugs and Stingsilvers from the end of the pier.
