Carolina Beach July 1, 2004
Kelly, at Cape Fear Marine and Tackle reports that the offshore activity is still somewhat active with dolphin still around the close in wrecks and obstructions. Capt. Matt Wirt of Reel Adventures brought in a 28 lb. and 16 lb. king mackerel, so there are some larger kings around. Surf fishing is producing croakers, blues, and occasional small flounder. The real action is the flounder fishing in the ICW and the Cape Fear River. The store has weighed in some nice flounder this past week, with one weighing in at 9 lbs. 10 oz. The red drum seemed to be scattered around areas in the river and the docks in the ICW.
Steve, of Seagull Bait and Tackle, reports that lots of flounder have been caught this past week. They’ve been in the inlet, Snow’s Cut, and the waterway. The bite is still a little scattered, but the fish are getting bigger. He weighed in several over 5 lbs., and the biggest of the week weighed in at almost 10 lbs. The best bait for flounder right now is menhaden or finger mullet. Black drum and sheepshead are being caught in the waterway, and red drum have been coming in from the waterway and Snow’s Cut.
There continue to be lots of croakers everywhere in the surf, with shrimp as the best bait. Also expect to find a few whiting in the surf. Shark fishing at night has been productive. Guys have been landing 4′ sharks using chunks of mullet. The piers have had a few blues and spanish. At night time the piers also see some croakers.
Capt. Dave Marshall, of Musicman Charters, reports that the gulf stream is mainly going to produce catches of dolphin. There are also some wahoo and a few tuna, but dolphin is most likely. The billfish are appearing offshore, and closer in than the gulf. Local boats have released and broken off several sails and a white over the past week. One boat released a white and a sail in the 230 area.
The kings are being found from 18 to 25 miles offshore. They are still small, mostly weighing in at 6 to 12 lbs. Just fish your ledges to find them. Inshore, the spanish bite is off and on. One day is good and the next day you can spot them but not get them to bite. Try both planers and fishing on the top. The size of the spanish have averaged out to 1 to 2 lbs., with not many big ones mixed in.
