Carolina Beach July 14, 2005
Steve, at Seagull Bait and Tackle, reports that there are plenty of small blues in the surf. Surf fishermen have also been picking up whiting, some pompano, croakers, and spots. The piers have been seeing the same array of bottom fish, but they have also had some action with bigger fish, such as kings and a tarpon.
Flounder fishing was fair over the weekend, with lots of smaller fish coming from near CB Inlet. Bigger flounder came from Snow’s Cut and the CF River. The river has also continued to produce good red drum and speckled trout fishing.
There’s some menhaden and small mullet in the inshore waters, but it will still be a couple of weeks before the mullet get to the right size.
Dave, of FryingPanTower.com, reports that kings (as close as 10 miles) and dolphin (as close as 20 miles) are being caught in numbers. Double hook cigar rigs for the kings, and ballyhoo on small skirts are the baits of choice.
The spanish have been hit or miss. They will bite steady for a day or so, and then go hide for a day or so. The bluefish are biting steady about everyday. Find a rock, troll deep and close to the rock, and bingo.
Grouper are coming steady from the 25-mile range and out. American reds have also made a dramatic appearance in the local waters this year, with several a day coming up over 24 inches. Catches of large sea bass have also been in abundance.
On the bottom inshore, sea bass and sharks are the name of the game. Find a rock or a ledge within 10 miles, and you are sure to catch them. It should not be long before the gags start moving into the 10-mile range as well. There have been a couple caught in close, but none were up to the 24 inch limit. Give it another month and you can add a gag a day to the inshore bottom fishing.
Barry, at Cape Fear Marine and Tackle, reports the flounder have finally made a good showing from Snow’s Cut and into the river, with fish as big as 8.5 pounds weighed in. A few spanish mackerel citations were awarded this week. King fishing has been incredible when the seas allow a trip nearshore. A few dolphin are 10 to 20 miles off, and there have been reports of tuna up to 50 lbs. as close as the 30/30. There have been a few lingering cobia still being caught as well. Along the beaches the tarpon are moving north, with several caught on area piers. A few trout are being caught in the river from Fort Fisher south to around Bald Head. Red drum are biting in the shade of the docks in the waterway and creeks.
