Carolina Beach June 24, 2010
Richard Smith with a 29.1 lb. jack crevalle that fell for a live bluefish near the Carolina Beach sea bouy. Weighed in at Island Tackle and Hardware.
Wes, of Island Tackle and Hardware, reports that the flounder bite is on throughout the area. Some of the best action has been to the north in the river lately, with some fish further south, plenty at Carolina Beach Inlet, and a few larger fish coming out of Snow’s Cut. Live pogies are producing most of the action with the flatties.
Anglers have been catching some red drum in the inlet on live baits. The red bite in the lower river has been solid, too, and many of those fish are falling for topwater plugs.
Anglers are reporting decent numbers of tarpon moving over the shoals at Bald Head, where they may take an interest in live baits or large Sebile lures.
Off the beaches, anglers are reporting some king mackerel action anywhere from 2-30 miles out, without any great concentrations of fish. Both live and dead baits are fooling the kings.
Good numbers of cobia are still around the 15-18 mile range, but they’re running a bit smaller than in previous weeks (up to around 30 lbs.).
Some dolphin are scattered in from 10 miles on out, but the best bite’s been at least 25-30 miles off the beach. The larger fish (20+ lbs.) are still in the 30-40 mile range. Dead ballyhoo and cigar minnows will attract attention from the dolphin.
A few wahoo are still mixed in with the ‘phins out in the Gulf Stream, and decent numbers of sailfish have been reported lately as well.
Bottom fishermen are getting into some gag grouper action at structure around 25 miles out, with decent black sea bass action in the 10-20 mile range. Squid, cigar minnows, and cut baits will all attract attention from the bottom feeders.
Jeff, of Seahawk Inshore Fishing Charters, reports that the red drum bite in backwaters off the lower Cape Fear is still excellent. The fish are falling for soft plastic paddletail grubs, live baits, and topwater plugs at times, and they’ve been large lately (many over 30”).
Live shrimp have been fooling some black drum in the same spots.
More flounder and speckled trout are mixed in with the reds, and anglers are picking up good numbers while working soft plastics in the creeks and marshy areas of the lower river.
Some ladyfish are beginning to show up in the same areas as well.
The sheepshead bite is still solid around hard structure in the lower river and around Carolina Beach, and anglers can hook up with the sheeps by dropping fiddler crabs or mud crab baits tight to the structure.
Alexandra Cashion with her first dolphin. The fish ate a live pogy at WR-4 while she was fishing with Steve Saieed and Jimmy Branch on the "Ice Maker."
Brad, of Fish Spanker Charters, reports that bottom fishing is steady 30-40 miles out. Anglers are hooking gag, scamp, and red grouper while dropping cigar minnows and cut and live baits at structure in that range. Squid and smaller cut baits are fooling big numbers of beeliners, pinkies, grunts, and other bottom feeders.
Good numbers of dolphin are in the same areas, though most are on the small side. The dolphin usually come up to investigate the boat while anglers are bottom fishing, and they’ll fall for pieces of squid, cigar minnows, and just about any other bait anglers can drop.
A few king mackerel are also feeding in the same spots.
Inshore, the spanish mackerel bite has been solid just off Carolina Beach Inlet lately, and most of the fish are falling for trolled Clarkspoons.
Robert, of Carolina Explorer Charters, reports that the flounder bite is heating up inshore in the inlet, the ICW, the river, and at the nearshore reefs. Anglers are hooking most of the flatties on live pogies.
The red drum bite in the river is getting more sporadic with the hot weather, but anglers are catching some fish on topwaters in the shallows in the early mornings and on soft plastics in the deeper channels later in the day.
Some trout are mixed in with the reds.
Off the beaches, the spanish mackerel and bluefish bite is solid for anglers trolling Clarkspoons, and some king mackerel are near the beaches as well.
Carlos and Marcos Lagomarsino, of Wilmington, with a dolphin they hooked on a naked ballyhoo while trolling in from grouper fishing 35 miles off Carolina Beach Inlet.
Owen, of Cape Fear Coastal Charters, reports that the king mackerel bite has been up and down in the 10-20 mile spots lately, with solid action one day followed by a slow bite the next.
Fortunately, anglers are seeing a lot of cobia in the same areas, and they’ve been aggressive lately, striking both live and dead baits.
Bailer dolphin are also mixed in and falling for the same baits.
High relief structure in the same areas is holding large schools of amberjacks, and they’ll take quite an interest in live baits.
Daniele, of Carolina Beach Pier, reports that anglers are catching decent numbers of flounder on small live baits.
Live-baiters fishing from the end of the pier landed a king mackerel last week.
Josh, of Kure Beach Pier, reports that bottom fishermen are decking some spot and small croaker at night on shrimp.
Sheepshead are feeding around the pier (and a 4 lb. fish was weighed in last week).
Plug casters are hooking some bluefish on Gotcha plugs.
Live-baiters landed a king mackerel from the end of the pier last week.
