Carolina Beach April 15, 2010
Mike Supa, Sr., of Virginia Beach, VA, with a false albacore he hooked on a Yo-Zuri Deep Diver while trolling near the Dredge Wreck with his son, Mike Supa. Jr.
Wes, of Island Tackle and Hardware, reports that there’s a good whiting bite along the edges of the Cape Fear River channel near Bald Head Island. Fresh shrimp pinned on a bottom rig will produce fast action with the whiting.
Further up the river, the speckled trout bite is turning on around the grass islands near Orton Plantation and north of Snow’s Cut. Live shrimp are the top trout baits, but they’re tough to find right now and anglers have been fooling the specks on D.O.A. shrimp and MirrOlure MR17’s and Catch Jr’s. Red drum are moving into the river via Snow’s Cut, and anglers have caught decent numbers over the past week on both lures and natural baits.
The Cut has also given up the first few flounder of the year recently.
Surf anglers are finding some whiting action, but the fish are averaging smaller than those at the river mouth.
Bluefish are beginning to move into Carolina Beach Inlet and the Cape Fear River channel.
Schools of red drum are still cruising the surf off Masonboro Island and Fort Fisher, and anglers can hook them while casting scented soft plastics, MirrOlures, and other lures.
The black sea bass and gag grouper bite is still hot at structure starting at 20 miles out, but anglers must release the grouper until May 1. Vertical jigs and baited bottom rigs are fooling the bass and gags.
King mackerel are still out in the vicinity of Frying Pan Tower and other spots 40-45 miles offshore, as the warm water has been slow to push inshore this year.
Further offshore, the jigging bite is still hot along the break, where anglers are landing cobia, African pompano, amberjacks, blackfin tuna, and more. Blue Water Candy Roscoe jigs are producing the best results.
Trollers landed some wahoo last week in the Gulf Stream, but the bite hasn’t been on fire. A push of warmer water seems to be moving in from the south, so anglers can expect the blue water bite to improve as it arrives at local spots like the Same Ol’ and Steeples.
Kenny Soles with a 31" red drum he hooked in the Cape Fear River.
Jeff, of Seahawk Inshore Fishing Charters, reports that the red drum bite has been solid in the bays and creeks off the lower Cape Fear River and at docks in the ICW between Wrightsville and Carolina beaches. Soft plastic baits that imitate mud minnows are producing most of the fish. The topwater bite hasn’t heated up yet, but warming water should have the fish feeding up top soon.
Some black drum are mixed in with the reds around the docks, and anglers are hooking both on fresh shrimp and small crabs.
Whiting are feeding around the Cape Fear River mouth, and anglers are catching them on bottom rigs baited with shrimp.
The speckled trout bite has been slow to heat up so far.
Owen, of Cape Fear Coastal Charters, reports that false albacore are schooled up and feeding around the Schoolhouse and other structure in the 20 mile range. Trolling medium Yo-Zuri Deep Divers is the easiest way to fool them.
Offshore, anglers are still hooking up with big numbers of amberjacks and some blackfin tuna and other fish while jigging along the break.
Trolling in the blue water has produced decent catches of wahoo lately. Skirted ballyhoo on top have been drawing most of the bites.
Travis Blue, of Wilmington, with a catch of speckled trout that fell for live shrimp under popping corks in the basin behind Fort Fisher while he was fishing with Winston Brown.
Anthony, of Kure Beach Pier, reports that anglers have had some decent runs of whiting lately. Some pufferfish and small blues are mixed in, and all are falling for shrimp on bottom rigs.
The pier’s seen its first few flounder of the year lately, and some have been keepers.
Robin, of Carolina Beach Pier, reports that anglers are hooking up with some black drum, whiting, and bluefish on bottom rigs baited with shrimp.
