Carolina Beach July 20, 2006
Jamie, at Reel Bait and Tackle, reports a solid speckled trout bite at a variety of inshore areas. Southport, Oak Island, and the bays behind Bald Head are excellent places to find trout right now. Live finger mullet or soft plastic grubs should convince the fish to bite.
Flounder fishing has similarly been hot in a wide variety of spots. Carolina Beach Inlet is producing good numbers of 2-3 lb. fish, particularly in the Little Hole. A 7 lb. flounder from Snow’s Cut was weighed this week, and good numbers of smaller fish have also been caught in the Cut.
Flounder are biting well at the usual spots in the river, and the bite is going off at the Yaupon Reef. As usual, Carolina-rigged finger mullet, mud minnows, or peanut pogies are the most effective baits.
The sheepshead bite is hit or miss on pilings in the river and waterway.
Some nice kings have been pulled from Carolina Beach Inlet on live pogies, and the kings are chewing well at the nearshore reefs as well.
Smallish dolphin have been congregating in areas from the 10 mile range on out, including WR4 and the Schoolhouse. Pulling ballyhoo with pink/white or blue/white skirts is the way to go for the dolphin.
Bottom fishing 30-40 miles off the beach is producing nice red and scamp groupers. The prime baits for these tasty bottom feeders are spanish sardines and boston mackerel.
Bruce, at Flat Dawg Charters, reports the flounder fishing has been productive in the Carolina Beach area with good numbers of 20-24” fish. Finger mullet and live menhaden are the best baits right now.
Redfish are biting well in the river and in the creeks between Carolina Beach and Wrightsville Beach.
The trout in the river are suffering from the recent sewage spill. No catches reported recently, other than specks floating belly up out to the ocean.
The big king mackerel seem to finally be moving closer to the beach, but the best numbers are still offshore 10 to 20 miles.
Dave, at Fryingpantower.com, reports that dolphin are the bite now in the stream. Pink/white and blue/white seem to be the best colors. Try north of the Same Ole. White marlin and the occasional blue marlin have been caught as well on rigged horse ballyhoo.
The dolphin and kings are chewing from outside of the Dredge Wreck moving to the north around 23 Mile Rock. The dolphin are killing the rigged squid.
Spanish are plentiful around the area inlets and rocks.
The current has been real strong with the recent crappy weather, and it has slowed down the bottom fishing. Hopefully the current will lie down soon. Gags are as close as 15 miles on out to 25 miles. Reds are from 20-40 miles, and scamps are from 30ish miles on out.
Black sea bass are plentiful out less than 10 miles. Flounder are chewing around the area inlets, along with the puppy drum. Go with live minnows on Carolina rigs for the flounder/drum and squid for the sea bass.
Mike, at Kure Beach Pier, reports a tough week of fishing. Small croakers, spots, and whiting are biting shrimp and bloodworms on the bottom intermittently.
No flounder, sheepshead, trout, or blues were caught this week.
The water temperature is around 82 degrees.
