Carolina Beach – April 23, 2015
Wes, of Island Tackle and Hardware, reports that anglers are hooking some sea mullet, croaker, and small flounder while surf fishing along Pleasure Island. Shrimp are fooling all three.
Out in the ocean, there have been some tautog feeding around nearshore structure in the 40-60’ range. Crabs and shrimp are tautog favorites.
John Gray, of Wilmington, with a red drum that struck a Gulp shrimp in a creek off the lower Cape Fear River while he was fishing with Capt. Jeff Wolfe of Seahawk Inshore Fishing Charters.
Atlantic bonito are also looking for meals at nearshore structure, with plenty of action in the 5 mile range earlier in the week.
Robert, of Carolina Explorer, reports that anglers are finding plenty of rod-bending fun while fishing nearshore structure in the Atlantic Ocean. Gray trout are feeding near the bottom at spots in the 30-60’ range, and anglers can hook plenty of the grays on jigging lures like Stingsilvers.
Dale Lieb with a striped bass that he hooked in the Cape Fear River near the battleship USS North Carolina while fishing with Bob Rainey.
Atlantic bonito are schooled up and looking for meals in the same areas. If they’re not feeding on the surface, trolling small diving plugs or spoons around reefs and live bottoms or schools of bait on the surface or depthfinder is the way to find the bonito.
When the fish are on top, anglers can spot birds working over the schools from a distance and ease within casting range. Small metal jigs like Stingsilvers and diamond jigs will fool the fish when they’re chasing bait at the surface.
Inshore, there’s been some solid black drum action around oysters, pilings, and rocks in the lower Cape Fear River. Fresh shrimp on Carolina rigs and jigheads is the way to get attention from the drum. Some smaller red drum have been mixed in and biting shrimp along with Gulps and other soft baits.
Jeff, of Seahawk Inshore Fishing Charters, reports that black drum fishing continues to get better. The best action is coming around areas of rocks, oysters, and other structure in the lower Cape Fear River. Fresh shrimp are tough to beat for the black drum.
Red drum are also looking for meals in the lower river, primarily in the creeks and bays from Southport to Bald Head Island.
A few schools of reds are working the flats, but anglers need calm conditions to find them, which haven’t been easy to find recently. The reds also haven’t been feeding very actively, so shrimp and live mud minnows have been better bets than artificial lures. Gulp baits are fooling some of the red drum at present, and warm, sunny days could well produce some topwater action.
A few speckled trout are feeding in the river around grass islands and other current breaks. Soft plastics are fooling the specks.
Rod, of OnMyWay Charters, reports that anglers are seeing some solid action when they make it out to the Gulf Stream. There are still plenty of wahoo and blackfin tuna feeding around local spots like the Steeples and Same Ol’ Hole. Dolphin have begun to make their spring appearance as well, and they will only become more numerous as fish migrate up from the south in the coming weeks. Ballyhoo paired with skirted lures like Sea Witches will fool all the blue water predators.
King mackerel fishing has been excellent recently in the 23-30 mile range, where boats are hooking up while fast trolling Drone spoons and sea witch/strip rigs and while pulling dead cigar minnows at slower speeds.
Atlantic bonito have shown up 3-5 miles off the beachfront, and anglers are hooking the speedy fish while trolling diving plugs and casting small metal lures like diamond jigs.
Anglers have also caught some of the first spanish mackerel of the year just off Fort Fisher. The spaniards will fall for the same techniques as the bonito.
Brenda, of Carolina Beach Pier, reports that anglers are hooking some sea mullet and croaker while bottom fishing with shrimp.
Some bluefish have also been caught recently.
Loren, of Kure Beach Pier, reports that bottom fishermen are decking sea mullet and croaker on shrimp.
A few smaller flounder are falling for shrimp and other baits.
