Carolina Beach August 18, 2011
Kevin Biele, of Hampstead, NC, with a 17 lb., 5 oz. scamp grouper that bit a live pinfish 40 miles off Carolina Beach Inlet while he was fishing on the headboat "Winner Queen."
Wes, of Island Tackle and Hardware, reports that anglers are seeing a lot of flounder in the surf and a few from the piers. Live baits and Gulps are tempting bites from the flatfish.
The flounder bite has also been excellent lately at nearshore structure like the Marriott Reef.
Spanish mackerel fishing remains solid in and just off Carolina Beach Inlet. Anglers are hooking the spaniards while trolling Clarkspoons behind planers and trolling weights. They’re also finding action while casting small metal jigs at fish feeding on the surface.
The sailfish action is still hot at spots in the 20-25 mile range, where anglers are hooking up by trolling naked ballyhoo and dredge and daisy chain teasers. Some dolphin are mixed in with the sails, and both fish are also feeding on offshore to the break.
Anglers running all the way to the Gulf Stream are finding a surprising wahoo bite for August. Ballyhoo and high-speed trolling lures will tempt bites from the ‘hoos.
Inshore, sheepshead are still feeding around dock and bridge pilings and other hard structure inshore. Live fiddler crabs are tough to beat for the sheeps.
A few smaller speckled trout are beginning to show up in the river, and anglers are hooking them on live shrimp and shrimp-imitating lures around the grass islands and harder structure.
The red drum bite is still on around the rock wall near Fort Fisher. Live baits, topwater plugs, and Gulps and other soft plastics will attract attention from the reds.
Sea mullet are feeding in deeper holes near the mouth of the Cape Fear, and they will pounce on cut shrimp fished on a two-hook bottom rig.
Rick, of Carolina Beach Bait and Tackle, reports that bluefish and spanish mackerel are chasing bait along the beachfront. Anglers are hooking them while casting Gotcha plugs and metal jigs from the piers and the sand.
Some sea mullet, black drum, and pompano (some large) are feeding in the surf zone. Sand fleas have been the best bait for all three lately.
Troy Phillip with a 9.7 lb. flounder that bit a live finger mullet in Snow's Cut while he was fishing with Chris Hanson.
Big numbers of sharks are feeding just offshore, and anglers are hooking them while casting and paddling large cut baits out into the surf.
Inshore, the flounder bite is good and getting better in Snow’s Cut. Live mud minnows, finger mullet, or peanut menhaden will all tempt bites from the flatfish.
Robert, of Carolina Explorer, reports that the red drum action has picked up a bit with the past few days of cooler weather. Some schools of fish are feeding on the flats of the lower Cape Fear River, with smaller groups of fish scattered through the deeper holes in the creeks. Live mud minnows and finger mullet and Strike King and Gulp soft plastic baits are all proving effective on the reds.
The spanish mackerel bite is still on just off the beaches. Trolled Clarkspoons are putting most of the fish in the boat.
Sharks are feeding in the same areas and will readily bite large cut baits.
The flounder bite has been best lately within a few miles of shore at structure like wrecks and rocks. Live baits and Gulp-tipped bucktails are both effective on the flatfish in the ocean.
Jeff, of Seahawk Inshore Fishing Charters, reports that there are red drum feeding on the flats and in the creeks off the lower Cape Fear River. Anglers need the right conditions (light winds) in order to spot the schools of fish working on the flats, so they’ve been a little tough to find lately. Casting soft plastics and live baits to deeper holes in the creeks has been producing decent number of fish on the days when anglers can’t fish the flats.
Good numbers of flounder (some 4-5 lbs.) are in the creeks as well and taking an interest in the soft plastic baits.
Tripletail are holding around crab pot floats and other surface structure in the lower river. Live mud minnows and finger mullet under float rigs have been fooling the trips.
Phil, of Carolina Beach Pier, reports that anglers are hooking bluefish and an occasional spanish mackerel while working Gotcha plugs from the pier.
Some spot and a few croaker and sea mullet are biting bottom rigs baited with shrimp and bloodworms.
Small live baits fished near the pilings are attracting attention from flounder.
Dean Porter, from Wilmington, with a 12 lb. sheepshead caught in the ICW near Snow's Cut. He was drifting a live mud minnow by a channel marker.
Mike, of Kure Beach Pier, reports that spanish mackerel have been the best thing going lately (with many 2+ lbs.). Anglers are hooking the spaniards while casting Gotcha plugs from the planks.
Flounder are feeding under the pier and falling for small live baits.
Bottom fishermen caught several healthy spadefish on shrimp last week.
