Wrightsville Beach August 25, 2005
Tex, at Tex’s Tackle, reports excellent catches of spanish mackerel outside Carolina Beach Inlet. Flounder fishing inshore has been good on live mullet or Berkley Gulp baits. Red drum are in the waterway, and they are running the surf now as well.
Nearshore, the biggest kings have been just outside the inlets on big live baits. There have also been good numbers of fish on the artificial reefs and live bottoms.
Offshore has slowed somewhat, with very calm seas and high temperatures. Grouper fishing is good as close as 20 miles. Reports from the gulf stream seem to be slow, but wahoo are making their way closer to shore.
Russell, at Tidal Market II, reports that the king mackerel have slowed down, and catches are now scattered. A couple of sails were caught in the vicinity of the Liberty Ship, and dolphin action has been best about 12 miles out.
Grouper are within 20 to 30 mile areas.
Redfish are enjoying the extreme high tides feeding up the grass in creeks off the waterway. The flounder are still chewing pretty good both inside and outside on live baits.
Stewart, at Intracoastal Angler, reports a hot billfish bite as well as wahoo coming from the stream to our north, mostly out of Morehead. Closer in, the king fishing has been good with the occasional chicken dolphin or sailfish. Tarpon fishing should be peaking with the full moon. Drum fishing has been best up north around Lea Island. Flounder are inside and out and biting well, while spanish mackerel are still on fire outside the inlets.
Lewis, at Bug-Em Bait Co., reports good billfish action from the Swansboro Hole, and sailfish hot spots have been out from WR4 to the 23 Mile Rock.
WR2 is a good place to start for grouper, and the 10 to 20 mile areas are still producing scattered king mackerel and dolphin.
Inside, the creeks are full of small flounder, while the bigger fish are in deeper water in the inlets and ocean. Black drum have arrived in the creeks, and there have been scattered catches of speckled trout and redfish from the river up to Wrightsville Beach.
