Carolina Beach – July 16, 2015
Daniel, of Island Tackle and Hardware, reports that anglers are seeing some king mackerel from the beachfront to well offshore. Most of the larger kings are falling for live baits like menhaden.
Bottom fishing at spots 20+ miles out is producing action with gag grouper and black sea bass. Squid, cut baits, and cigar minnows are the way to go for the bottom feeders.
Inshore, there’s been some good action with flounder in the ICW and Cape Fear River. Live baits are fooling most of the flatfish.
Eirik Motz with an over-slot red drum he caught and released in the Cape Fear River while fishing with Capt. Rennie Clark of Tournament Trail Charters.
Red drum are also looking for meals inshore and biting live and cut baits.
Some black drum are looking for meals around rocks and pilings in the waterway and river. Anglers can tempt them to bite shrimp.
The speckled trout bite has also been decent in the river, particularly around grass islands and banks. Live shrimp are top choices for the specks, but anglers can also hook up on a variety of artificial lures.
Joy Balderson, of Wilmington, with a keeper flounder that bit a live bait while she was fishing in Carolina Beach Inlet.
Rod, of OnMyWay Charters, reports that anglers saw some solid king mackerel action from the beachfront all the way out to Frying Pan Tower last week. Some of the best action was from 23 Mile Rock down to the Red and White bottom north of Frying Pan Shoals, and live baits were fooling plenty of kings and good numbers of dolphin feeding in the same areas. Anglers can also fool both fish while trolling faster with ballyhoo, sea witch/strip bait combos, and Drone spoons.
Jennifer Hall, of Carolina Beach, with a 4 lb., 2 oz. speckled trout that she hooked on a live mullet while fishing the Cape Fear River.
Bottom fishermen have been finding the best bite from 25-45 miles off the beach recently. At the closer spots, gag grouper, black sea bass, and grunts are making up most of the action. Triggerfish, beeliners, and scamp and red groupers are in the mix at the spots further offshore. All the bottom feeders will bite squid, cut baits, and dead baits dropped near rocks, ledges, and other bottom structure. Live baits can be particularly effective on the larger grouper.
Robert, of Carolina Explorer, reports that anglers are still seeing plenty of flounder action around Carolina Beach, with the best fishing lately in the inlet and ICW. Drifting the inlet has been the best bet on many recent days, as it allows anglers to cover some ground and find feeding fish. Live menhaden and mullet are the ways to go for the flatfish.
Good numbers of upper and over-slot red drum are feeding in the same areas and biting the live baits as well.
More flounder and drum are feeding in the backwaters off the lower Cape Fear River, but the best action and largest fish have been closer to the ocean. Anglers can find the reds feeding in shallow water in the river and fool them with topwater plugs and soft plastic baits in addition to the live baits.
Don Meyer with his largest red drum, a 43″ fish he caught and released at some nearshore structure off Carolina Beach while he was fishing with his son-in-law Capt. Scott Hampton.
The speckled trout bite is still going in the river, with the fish feeding around grass islands and current breaks like points, oysters, and rocks. The specks will bite live baits like shrimp and mullet along with topwater plugs, soft plastics, and other artificials.
Out in the ocean, anglers continue to connect with spanish mackerel while trolling around the inlet tidelines and in clean water within a few miles of the beachfront. Most of the spaniards are falling for Clarkspoons trolled behind planers and cigar weights. Anglers can also cast metal lures to any schools of fish they find feeding on the surface with success.
Isabelle Hogan, of Ft. Wayne, IN, with a 4 lb., 3 oz. black drum that she landed after it struck shrimp off an ICW dock near Carolina Beach Inlet.
Brenda, of Carolina Beach Pier, reports that anglers are hooking some sea mullet while bottom fishing with shrimp.
A few red drum are falling for the shrimp, and anglers are hooking more reds and some flounder while fishing live baits under the pier.
Preston Fisher (age 11) landed this 23″ flounder near Carolina Beach Inlet after it struck a live mullet.
Anthony, of Kure Beach Pier, reports that anglers have landed a good number of king mackerel while live-baiting from the end of the pier recently (the largest 39 lbs.).
Plug casters are hooking some spanish mackerel while working Gotcha plugs from the pier.
Sheepshead are looking for meals around the pier’s pilings and biting sand fleas and barnacles dangled close to the pilings.
Bob MacFarland, Bernie Droshe, James Lister, and D. Hoff with king mackerel and dolphin they hooked while trolling ballyhoo 20 miles off Carolina Beach with Capt. Rod Bierstedt of OnMyWay Charters.
Anglers are hooking some flounder while fishing live baits under the pier.
Bottom fishermen baiting up with shrimp are finding a summertime mix of spot, croaker, pompano, and more.
