Carolina Beach May 13, 2010
Mike Davis, Wes Barbour, and Kevin McKoy with a 36.9 lb. dolphin and a whit emarlin release flag. They hooked both fish near the Same Ol' Hole while trolling skirted ballyhoo aboard the "Pearl-Lee-Sea" with Capt. Richard Horne.
Dennis, of Island Tackle and Hardware, reports that the spanish mackerel bite has been excellent lately (with some 3-4 lb. fish), with the most action and largest fish coming from spots to the south. Plenty of bluefish are mixed in. Trolling spoons or diving plugs, or casting metal lures at breaking schools of fish, is the best way to hook up with the spaniards.
Some gray trout are making an appearance at nearshore reefs, rocks, and other structure, and anglers can hook them while jigging Stingsilvers or other lures.
Anglers are finding some solid black drum action around hard structures to the south in the Cape Fear River (with fish averaging around 7 lbs.). Fresh shrimp on bottom rigs are attracting the most attention from the drum.
The flounder and speckled trout fishing has turned on in the river as well (with flounder to 6.5 lbs. and trout to 5 lbs. weighed in last week). Gulp shrimp are fooling the specks and some flounder around the grass islands and other structure in the river. There are also plenty of pogies in the river and around Carolina Beach as well, and they make excellent flounder baits.
There hasn’t been much to report in terms of king mackerel around Carolina Beach lately, but there’s been a good bite along the beachfront and at nearshore structure off Southport over the past week. Live pogies are fooling most of the kings.
The grouper bite hasn’t been on fire, but anglers are boxing up decent numbers of fish 20-40 miles out and good numbers of stout black bass have been mixed in as well.
Gulf Stream trollers found some action with dolphin (to 36 lbs.) last week, a good sign for the weeks to come. A white marlin was also released last week. The best dolphin action was around the Same Ol’ and other spots to the north, while anglers fishing the Steeples and other southern spots found plenty of action with blackfin tuna and a few wahoo. Skirted ballyhoo are excellent baits for all the blue water fish.
Jeff, of Seahawk Inshore Fishing Charters, reports that the red drum bite in the lower Cape Fear River is still on, and anglers are hooking up with the fish in the bays and creeks off the main river. Soft plastic paddletails are producing most of the fish, but when they’re reluctant to bite artificials, live mud minnows will often produce.
Sheepshead are making a good showing in the area, and anglers are hooking them while fishing fiddler crabs and other crustacean baits tight to the rocky structure and pilings where the striped fish live.
Jared Cranford, of Wilmington, NC, with a gag grouper he caught and released near Frying Pan Tower on a Blue Water Candy Roscoe jig.
Robert, of Carolina Explorer Charters, reports that anglers are hooking up with good numbers of red drum in the backwaters off the Cape Fear River. Oyster beds, creeks, and flats are all holding the reds, and anglers are hooking up with them on topwater plugs like Zara Spooks and Puppies, Saltwater Assassin paddletails, and live mud minnows.
Good numbers of keeper flounder have been mixed in with the reds on the flats and are falling for the same baits.
The speckled trout bite isn’t great yet, but it’s improving, and anglers caught decent numbers of quality (16-20”) specks last week in the river.
Bluefish and spanish mackerel are feeding hard along the beachfront, and anglers can hook up with them while casting metal jigs at the surface activity. Gray trout are holding along the bottom in the same areas, and anglers can hook them by letting their jigs sink to the bottom before retrieving.
Brad, of Fish Spanker Charters, reports that the grouper bite’s been solid in the 25-30 mile range recently. Anglers are catching both red and scamp grouper, along with a variety of other bottom dwellers (like grunts, beeliners, pinkies, and sea bass), at structure in those areas, mostly on cigar minnows, squid, and cut baits.
Dolphin are beginning to show up in the area, and anglers put together decent catches 45-55 miles off CB last week.
Owen, of Cape Fear Coastal Charters, reports that Gulf Stream trolling has been producing good catches of wahoo, dolphin, and blackfin tuna of late. Skirted ballyhoo are fooling all three.
Closer to the beaches, anglers are finding action with king mackerel and cobia in the 5-20 mile range, and there are plenty of pogies on the beach for those looking for bait.
Bluefish and spanish mackerel are also feeding along the beaches, and they will fall for trolled spoons and diving plugs.
Jake Stewart (age 9), of Carolina Beach, with a 2.5 lb. flounder he hooked on a bare, baitless hook while practicing casting off his family's dock.
Kevin, of Speck-Tackler Charters, reports that spanish mackerel are feeding just outside Carolina Beach Inlet, and anglers are hooking them by casting Clarkspoons. The best bite has been very early in the mornings.
Flounder are showing up all over the Carolina Beach area. Anglers have had success with the flatfish in the river, the inlet, and the yacht basin. There have been plenty of pogies in the dredge hole and boat basin, and they’ve been producing the best results on the flounder. Natural Gulp shrimp on Carolina rigs are also fooling some of the flatties.
Robin, of Carolina Beach Pier, reports that plug casters are catching solid numbers of bluefish and spanish mackerel from the planks.
Bottom fishermen are decking a few flounder.
Ken, of Kure Beach Pier, reports that the bluefish are swarming around the pier, and anglers are catching a few spanish in between all the blues. Both species are hitting Gotcha plugs.
Bottom fishermen are decking a few whiting on shrimp.
