Carolina Beach July 5, 2012
David Donachie, of Wilmington, with a 10.3 lb. hogfish that bit a fiddler crab/squid combo while he was fishing on the Winner Queen headboat off Carolina Beach Inlet.
Wes, of Island Tackle and Hardware, reports that anglers are catching big numbers of big flounder (many over 5 lbs. with some to 9 lbs. weighed in recently) inshore around Carolina Beach right now. The fish are coming from the inlet, Snow’s Cut, and the Cape Fear River, and live menhaden and finger mullet are fooling the majority of them. Gulp baits are also tempting some of the flatfish to bite.
The flounder bite at nearshore structure in the ocean has also been good lately.
Spanish mackerel are feeding around the inlet and along the beachfront, and anglers can hook them while trolling small Clarkspoons behind planers, torpedo weights, and bird rigs.
Sheepshead are feeding around Snow’s Cut Bridge, docks, and other hard structure inshore. Live fiddler crabs fished tight to the structure are the way to connect with the sheeps.
Red drum are looking for meals in the shallow backwaters off the lower Cape Fear River, around ICW docks, and in the inlets. Anglers can tempt the reds to bite live baits, Gulps and other soft plastics, and topwater plugs.
Offshore, the grouper bite has been solid around structure from 20 miles on out. Gags are feeding in the 20 mile range, with reds and scamps further offshore. Live baits are top choices for the bigger grouper, but anglers can also hook up on dead cigar minnows, sardines, vertical jigs, and more.
Smaller bottomfish like sea bass, beeliners, grunts, triggerfish, and more are in the same areas and will pounce on smaller vertical jigs or squid and cut baits.
Dylan Lissor (age 10) with a 19" flounder that bit a live finger mullet in Carolina Beach Inlet.
Sailfish have begun to move inshore from the Stream, and they should soon be feeding at their typical summertime haunts in the 20-30 mile range. Naked and skirted ballyhoo trolled in combination with dredge and daisy chain teasers are the best way to hook the sails, but anglers also connect with them on live and dead baits while king mackerel fishing.
The kings have moved into the 20 mile range, where anglers are hooking some on live menhaden and dead cigar minnows.
Robert, of Carolina Explorer, reports that red drum are still in the bays and backwaters off the lower Cape Fear River, but the heat’s had them a bit lethargic lately. Fishing early in the mornings offers anglers better odds of hooking up with the reds than the heat of the day. Topwater plugs and soft plastic jerkbaits and paddletails rigged weedless have been tempting the reds to bite lately.
Some black drum and spadefish have been taking an interest in fresh shrimp on bottom rigs around structure in the river.
The spanish mackerel bite is still going strong in the ocean, and anglers are finding the fish from the inlet tide line out to the nearshore reefs. Trolling Clarkspoons behind planers will put them in the boat, but anglers can have more fun casting metal jigs on light tackle if they can find schools of fish feeding on the surface.
Sharks are on the feed nearshore as well, with particularly good action around shrimp boats working just off the beaches. Large cut baits are tough for the sharks to turn down and lead to long battles with the big predators.
Flounder are feeding around nearshore structure like the artificial reefs, where live menhaden on Carolina rigs will tempt them to bite.
Richard and Kama Cannon, of Kure Beach, with a pair of sheepshead they hooked on live fiddler crabs in the Cape Fear River near Bald Head Island.
Ron, of Carolina Beach Pier, reports that bottom fishermen are hooking some croaker and spot on shrimp and bloodworms.
Bluefish and some spanish mackerel are taking an interest in Gotcha plugs worked from the pier.
Some days have seen decent numbers of flounder falling for small live baits under the pier.
Katelyn, of Kure Beach Pier, reports that some sea mullet and croaker are biting bottom rigs baited with shrimp.
A few spanish mackerel and bluefish are taking an interest in Gotcha plugs that anglers are casting.
