Carolina Beach July 12, 2012
Bill Letendre and Ben Horne with a 6 lb., 7 oz. speckled trout, flounder (the largest 9 lbs., 10 oz.), and a red drum they hooked near Carolina Beach. Photo courtesy of Island Tackle and Hardware.
Ron, of Island Tackle and Hardware, reports that there’s been a phenomenal spanish mackerel bite just off Carolina Beach Inlet and along the beaches nearby. Trolled Clarkspoons are fooling most of the spaniards.
Gag grouper, black sea bass, and other bottom feeders are looking for meals at structure in the 20 mile range. Anglers are hooking them on live baits or dead squid, cigar minnows, and sardines.
Dolphin have shown up in the 20 mile range, with isolated reports of fish closer to the inlets. More and larger dolphin are feeding offshore on out to the Gulf Stream. Trolling live baits or dead cigar minnows and ballyhoo will tempt bites from the ‘phins.
Surf and pier anglers are hooking some croaker, bluefish, and sharks and skates on rigs baited with shrimp and cut baits.
Flounder fishing has been excellent recently (with many 5+ lb. citations weighed in). Anglers are finding the flatfish around the ocean piers, in the inlets, and in the Cape Fear River, with particularly good fishing in the river lately. Live finger mullet and menhaden are the top flatfish producers, and Gulp baits are also effective.
Black drum are feeding in the surf, ICW, and river. Fresh shrimp on bottom rigs are tough for the drum to turn down, and anglers can find them feeding around hard structure like oysters, rocks, and bridge and dock pilings.
Sheepshead fishing has been excellent around Snow’s Cut Bridge lately (with some large fish in the mix). Barnacles and fiddler crabs are top choices for the sheeps.
Jeff, of Seahawk Inshore Fishing Charters, reports that the heat has made fishing a little tough lately, but anglers are still eking out some nice catches despite the weather.
Red drum are schooling in the backwaters off the lower Cape Fear River, and on calm days, anglers can find the schools and sight-cast topwater plugs and soft plastics to the fish with excellent results. When it’s windier, blind-casting soft plastics or live baits in the creeks and bays off the river will also tempt bites from some reds.
Chandler Crawford, of West Jefferson, NC, with a 31" red drum he caught and released near Bald Head Island while fishing with his father.
The reds are also feeding in flooded marsh grass at high flood tides, offering some incredible sight-casting opportunities to anglers able to pole through the shallows and reach the fish.
Speckled trout and flounder are feeding in many of the same areas as the reds, and live baits or soft plastics will get their attention as well.
Sheepshead are looking for meals around pilings and rocks in the lower river and ICW. Live fiddler crabs fished tight to the structure are the way to tempt bites from the sheeps.
Robert, of Carolina Explorer, reports that the high temperatures recently have slowed inshore fishing a bit, but the bite’s still on in the ocean.
Spanish mackerel and bluefish are feeding just off the inlet and along the beachfront. Anglers can hook the spaniards while trolling Clarkspoons or casting metal jigs and other small flashy lures to fish feeding on the surface.
Bottom fishing at the nearshore reefs with live finger mullet, mud minnows, and menhaden is tempting bites from gray trout, flounder, and some over-slot red drum.
Large sharks are feeding nearshore, and anglers looking for a tough battle with a big predator shouldn’t have to wait long while drifting large cut baits within a few miles of shore.
BJ, of Carolina Beach Pier, reports that anglers are hooking some sea mullet and croaker while bottom fishing with shrimp.
Some bluefish are falling for Gotcha plugs worked from the pier.
Anglers fishing small live baits under the pier are connecting with some flounder.
Sheepshead are feeding around the pilings, and anglers can tempt them to bite live fiddler crabs, sand fleas, or barnacles.
Alyssa, of Kure Beach Pier, reports that anglers are connecting with some sea mullet and croaker while bottom fishing from the pier with shrimp and other baits.
