Southport April 10, 2008
Butch, of Yeah Right Charters, reports that this spring has been even windier than last year, keeping anglers off the water for much of the past month. When the seas calm down, anglers should begin seeing Atlantic bonito feeding around nearshore structure. These smaller tuna relatives will fall for small trolling spoons, or anglers can cast metal lures at breaking schools. Toward the end of the month, Spanish mackerel should begin feeding nearshore as well.
The nearshore reefs will also be holding some gray trout, and anglers can target them with jigging spoons. You can tip the spoons with shrimp if necessary.
King mackerel will be feeding between Frying Pan Tower and the Cape Fear River Channel, moving closer to shore as the water warms up over the next month. The Shark Hole and 15 and 18 Mile Rocks are excellent places to begin searching for kings in mid- to late April, and cigar minnows should get their attention.
Cobia may also make a showing in the same spots during April.
Offshore reefs, wrecks, and live bottoms should produce some excellent bottom fishing. Anglers can fill coolers with gag, red, and scamp grouper, beeliners, sea bass, triggerfish, porgies, amberjacks, and other species at structure 25+ miles offshore. Cigar minnows, squid, and cut baits will draw attention from all the bottom fish.
April is a prime month for Cape Fear Gulf Stream fishing, and if the weather calms down enough for boats to make the long run to blue water, then the wahoo, dolphin, yellowfins, and blackfin tuna should be waiting for them. A trolling spread with ballyhoo rigged under skirted lures will give anglers the best chance of hooking up.
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Dave, of Ocean Crest Pier, reports that anglers have landed some nice-sized whiting and even a few keeper flounder over the last few weeks. Cut shrimp are producing most of the action with the whiting, and the flounder have been falling for live mud minnows (there are plenty of bait-sized minnows on the back side of the island).
Along with the whiting and flounder, plenty of dogfish, sharpnose sharks, rays, and skates are taking an interest in baits fished on the bottom.
The water is hovering between 59-60 degrees, and once it hits 63-65, then bluefish (some chopper-sized) should make a showing.
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Tommy, of Southport Angler Outfitters, reports that when the weather calms down enough for boats to get out, there should be some king mackerel holding in the vicinity of Frying Pan Tower where anglers can hook up with them by trolling cigar minnows or a variety of plugs and spoons.
Nearshore, Atlantic bonito should be hanging around reefs, wrecks, and live bottoms within 5 miles of land. Boats who locate the bonito can cast small spoons like Crippled Herrings to the schools or use 8-9 weight fly rods rigged with sinking lines and Clouser minnows.
Red drum will be feeding on the flats during sunny days over the month of April, and they’ll be hanging around docks and creek mouths on low and falling tides.
Deeper (6’+) holes in creeks should be holding some speckled trout and potentially a few flounder. The trout and reds should respond well to soft plastic baits fished on jigheads.
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Jon, of Haag and Sons Seafood, reports that very few boats have been out recently. The few boats going bottom fishing have been catching good numbers of beeliners but few grouper and triggerfish.
