Wrightsville Beach August 7, 2008
Kyle Culpepper and Michael Davis with a sailfish they released while fishing inshore of WR4 on a rock dropping from 80-100'. Culpepper caught the sail after it bit a naked ballyhoo, and Davis leadered it while Bryan Kampschroeder was at the helm of the "Silver Spoon."
Chris, of Tex’s Tackle, reports that the hot weather has the inshore bite best very early and late in the day. Anglers are finding red drum feeding around docks and in creeks and flats in the area, but the bite is dying off by 9:00 AM. Live baits, topwaters, and Gulps will fool the reds when anglers can find them feeding.
Flounder fishing has been excellent in the ICW and around Carolina Beach Inlet lately (with fish up to 10 lbs.). Carolina-rigged finger mullet are producing most of the flounder bites.
Anglers are catching some large trout in the lower Cape Fear River, and Gulp baits have been effective lately.
Spanish mackerel are feeding along the beaches. Boats trolling Clarkspoons should be able to hook up with the spanish, but the bite is usually over by 8:00 AM.
Plenty of sharks are feeding along the beaches and offshore. Anglers landed several approaching 10′ long from Kure Beach last week at night.
The king mackerel bite has been solid 10-25 miles offshore lately, with good action at the 10 Mile Boxcars, the Schoolhouse, and 23 Mile Rock. Live baits or dead cigar minnows will fool the kings, as well as some dolphin feeding alongside them.
Not many boats have been offshore bottom fishing lately, but anglers are finding some gag grouper at spots 10-20 miles offshore. The groupers are falling for a variety of baits, and vertical jigs are producing excellent results as well.
Jason Clark, of Hillsborough, NC, poses with three flounder he caught in the ICW at Topsail Beach.
Danny, of 96 Charter Company, reports that there’s been a good inshore bite in the bays near Southport. Anglers are hooking up with some trout and red drum on topwater plugs. Spinnerbaits are also fooling the trout, reds, and a few flounder.
Offshore, spanish mackerel have been schooled up tightly around 10 miles offshore, but they’ve been reluctant to strike many lures.
Mike, of No Excuses Charters, reports that shark fishing has been excellent just off Masonboro Inlet. Anglers chumming and fishing cut baits are hooking up with sandbar (10-20 lbs.), blacktip (30-40 lbs.), and scalloped hammerhead (20-30 lbs.) sharks.
Bottom fishing at a hard bottom area around 10 miles offshore produced some keeper gag grouper bites on butterfly jigs and live pogies. Some king mackerel are feeding in the same area.
Dan, of Johnnie Mercer’s Pier, reports that bottom fishermen are landing some small bluefish, croakers, sharks, and some whiting at night. Cut shrimp are fooling all of them.
Plug casters are finding action with bluefish and some spanish mackerel in the early mornings.
Live baiters landed one king last week.
The water is 83 degrees.
