Carolina Beach August 25, 2011
Will Schneider (age 12), of Wilmington, caught this 18.3 lb. hogfish 50 miles off Carolina Beach Inlet on a live tomtate while he was fishing with his father and Chris Branco on the "Out Align."
Wes, of Island Tackle and Hardware, reports that anglers are still catching good numbers of quality flounder in Snows Cut (with some to 10 lbs. weighed in last week). Live finger mullet and menhaden are producing most of the flatfish action.
Some speckled trout are beginning to show up in the Cape Fear River, and anglers are hooking a few around the grass islands and Carolina Beach State Park on live shrimp and a variety of soft plastic lures.
Black drum and sheepshead are feeding around oyster rocks, bridge pilings, and other hard inshore structure. Live fiddler crabs or sand fleas are tough for the crustacean lovers to turn down.
Red drum are on the feed in their usual haunts in the bays off the lower Cape Fear River and around docks and other structure in the ICW. Anglers may be able to tempt them to bite topwater plugs. Live baits, Gulps, and other lures will attract their attention when they don’t want to bite on top.
Some larger reds, flounder, and small black sea bass are feeding at the Marriott Reef and other nearshore structure. Live baits or Gulp-tipped bucktails are hard for them to resist.
The spanish mackerel and bluefish bite is still on in Carolina Beach Inlet and along the beaches. Trolling Clarkspoons behind #1 and #2 planers is the best way to put them in the boat.
Plenty of big sharks are feeding within a few miles of shore, and large cut baits are tough for them to turn down.
Sailfish are still feeding around 23 Mile Rock and other areas holding bait from the 20 mile range out to the Gulf Stream. Some small dolphin are in the same areas, and both will take an interest in naked or skirted ballyhoo.
Rick, of Carolina Beach Bait and Tackle, reports that surf anglers are catching plenty of pompano (with some large fish to 3+ lbs.). Sand fleas are the best baits for the pomps.
Some red drum are also feeding in the surf and will take an interest in sand fleas.
Small bluefish and spanish mackerel are chasing bait just off the beaches, and anglers are catching them while working small metal lures quickly from the beaches and piers.
A few flounder are feeding in the breakers as well. The flatfish bite has been excellent inshore at Snow’s Cut. Live baits like mud minnows, finger mullet, and menhaden are the best choices for the flatfish.
Tom Hensley, of Wilmington, with a 10 lb., 8 oz. flounder that attacked a large finger mullet in Snow's Cut. Weighed in at Island Tackle.
Sharks (from tiny to giant) are feeding along the beaches as well, and it won’t take them long to find large cut baits paddled or casted out from the beach.
Jeff, of Seahawk Inshore Fishing Charters, reports that the red drum bite is still going in the backwaters off the lower Cape Fear River. The fish are feeding in large schools in the bays off the river, with single fish and smaller groups in the creeks and along the shorelines. Anglers may be able to tempt the reds to bite topwater lures, but when they don’t want to, Gulp baits and other soft plastics or live baits will get their attention.
Solid numbers of flounder are feeding in the same areas as the reds (and some of them are approaching citation size). The soft plastics and live baits that anglers are casting for the reds will also tempt bites from the flatfish.
A few more speckled trout are beginning to show up in the lower river, and anglers can find them feeding around the grass islands, near rocky structure, and in creekmouths. Live shrimp and soft plastic lures are tough to beat for the specks.
Robert, of Carolina Explorer, reports that the flounder bite is still steady on the nearshore reefs and wrecks off Carolina Beach. Live finger mullet or Gulp-tipped bucktails are the way to go for the flatfish.
The spanish mackerel bite also remains excellent just off the beach, and most of the fish are falling for trolled Clarkspoons.
Large sharks are feeding in the same areas, and cut baits will get their attention.
Inshore, the red drum bite is still happening on the flats, and anglers are finding some fish tailing in flooded marsh grass at higher tides. Live baits, topwater plugs, and a variety of soft plastics will tempt bites from the reds.
There are plenty of flounder feeding on the flats off the lower Cape Fear River as well, and soft plastics or live baits will get their attention.
Phil, of Carolina Beach Pier, reports that anglers have been putting together some good catches of sea mullet over the past week. Shrimp and bloodworms on double bottom rigs are fooling the mullet.
Some small flounder are biting shrimp and live baits fished under the pier.
Plug casters are connecting with a few spanish mackerel on Gotchas.
Bill Letendre, of Kure Beach, with a 3.08 lb. citation pompano he hooked in the surf at Fort Fisher on fresh shrimp.
Mike, of Kure Beach Pier, reports that anglers have been catching some large spanish mackerel (to 5+ lbs.) on live finger mullet free-lined from the pier.
Smaller spanish are taking an interest in Gotcha plugs.
Live-baiters landed a 22 lb. king mackerel from the end of the pier last week.
Some healthy flounder (to 4+ lbs.) are biting live baits fished under the pier.
Sea mullet are biting bottom rigs baited with shrimp and bloodworms just behind the breakers.
