Wrightsville Beach May 21, 2009
Bill Bray, of Lancaster, PA, with a flounder he hooked behind Figure Eight Island on a jighead and Gulp. He was fishing with Don Harris and John Newton.
Tex, of Tex’s Tackle, reports that inshore anglers are finding some red drum and flounder around the inlets and in the creeks and marshes. Live baits like mud minnows and peanut pogies will produce action with the flatties and reds, and anglers can also hook them on Gulps, spinnerbaits, and other lures. With the warming water temperatures, the reds should take an interest in topwater plugs as well.
Plenty of bluefish, along with a few big choppers, are feeding near the inlets and in deeper creeks, and they’ll strike nearly any bait or lure.
Surf anglers are hooking up with whiting and some puppy drum. Bottom rigs baited with shrimp or cut baits will attract attention from both fish in the breakers.
Spanish mackerel and bluefish are also feeding along the surf zone, and anglers may have opportunities to hook up with them from shore while casting Shore Lures or other metal casting lures.
King mackerel should begin feeding along the beaches in the very near future, but the main body of fish is still in the 12-25 mile range. Live baits can be tough to find for the kings, but anglers can hook up while trolling spoons, Yo-Zuri Deep Divers, or dead cigar minnows around structure and bait concentrations.
Cobia have begun to show up nearshore, especially up towards Morehead City. Live baits, dead baits, and a variety of lures will attract attention from the curious cobia, and chumming increases the odds of a fish finding the baits.
Bottom fishermen report that the sea bass are moving back inshore, and anglers are hooking good numbers in around 90′ of water 20-30 miles offshore.
The best grouper bite is still in the 25-50 mile range, where cigar minnows, cut baits, and live baits will produce action with reds, scamps, and gags. Vertical jigging is also highly effective on the groupers and other bottomfish.
Those boats making it out to the Gulf Stream are reporting a solid dolphin bite along with some wahoo and yellowfin and blackfin tuna. Local boats have already tallied a few billfish releases as well. The Steeples and Same Ol’ are good areas to begin looking for the blue water fish out of Wrightsville, and a trolling spread of skirted ballyhoo should produce bites when anglers can find the fish.
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Micah Cox, of Wilmington, with a 24 lb. gag grouper he caught while jigging near the Same Ol' on a Penn 760 Slammer spinning reel.
Frank, of Intracoastal Angler, reports that when boats were able to get to the blue water last week, they found excellent fishing for gaffer dolphin up and down the break. Skirted ballyhoo produced most of the fish, and one boat also released a sailfish.
Further north, the billfish bite has been excellent, and boats are also finally reporting some decent yellowfin tuna action.
Nearshore, the spanish mackerel bite remains good for boats both trolling and casting to the fish.
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Chad Kieswetter, from Wilmington, with an 83 lb. wahoo he hooked at the Steeples while fishing aboard the "Pirates Gold." The huge 'hoo attacked a purple/black skirted ballyhoo in around 700' of water.
Jim, of Plan 9 Charters, reports that there were still a few Atlantic bonito around Diver’s Rock last week, but they’ve likely moved on, as king mackerel are moving into the area and the two rarely feed together for long. Trolling Yo-Zuri Deep Divers is the most productive way to hook up with the kings, bonito, and the big numbers of spanish mackerel feeding in the same area (although the spanish prefer slightly shallower water).
Inshore, the area around New Topsail Inlet produced a decent flounder bite last week, and trolled Yo-Zuri Deep Divers also produced action with the flounder.
Plenty of bluefish are in the same area and also vulnerable to the Deep Divers.
Fishing deeper holes with spec rigs tipped with shrimp has been producing a few speckled trout and bottomfish (such as pigfish).
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Madison Bonser (age 11) with the first king landed off Johnnie Mercer's Pier in 2009. She hooked the 19.6 lb. mackerel from the south side of the pier on a cigar minnow.
Rick, of Living Waters Guide Service, reports that the winds have kept most boats at the dock lately, but early last week anglers were treated to a solid gaffer dolphin bite in the Gulf Stream. Some fish fell for trolled ballyhoo, and anglers caught a number more gaffers on Blue Water Candy Roscoe jigs under floating debris.
Some snake king mackerel were also feeding out in the Stream, and they’re falling for ballyhoo and jigs as well.
Inshore of the break, anglers found some red grouper at structure in around 110′, and they hooked them both while dropping cigar minnows and vertical jigs. Some stout triggerfish came out of the same areas.
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Mike, of No Excuses Charters, reports that spanish mackerel are plentiful when the winds let boats out of the inlets. Clark Casters are working well on the spaniards.
Bluefish (some 5-7 lb. choppers) are feeding everywhere, from the surf to the creeks, and they will attack almost anything.
Red drum (mostly lower-slot fish with a few towards the upper end) are feeding in the marshes and creeks off the ICW from New River to Carolina Beach. Weedless spoons and 3″ Gulp shrimp have been producing the most action with the reds, with a few falling for topwater plugs.
The flounder bite is getting better and better, and anglers are catching good numbers while fishing for the reds under docks, with about half keepers. Gulp shrimp are fooling the flatties.
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Rob, of Johnnie Mercer’s Pier, reports that anglers have been catching some spanish mackerel on Gotcha plugs, especially in the morning hours.
Bottom fishermen are catching some black drum during the day and croaker and whiting at night. Shrimp baits are attracting attention from the bottom feeders.
