Carolina Beach June 4, 2009
Mike and Vicki Base, of Clinton, NC, with a 9 lb., 10 oz. flounder they hooked near Carolina Beach in the ICW on a live peanut pogy and were able to land despite not having a net. Weighed at Island Tackle.
Dennis, of Island Tackle, reports that blue water fishermen are still finding an excellent gaffer dolphin bite out along the break, and some wahoo have been mixed in as well. Ballyhoo rigged under skirted trolling lures are the top baits for both fish.
Dolphin have also been pushing inshore of the stream, with fish feeding at WR4, 23 Mile Rock (where a 30 lb. bull was landed last week), and other spots well inshore of the break.
King mackerel are feeding alongside the inshore dolphin, and anglers are hooking up with both (and an odd cobia) while trolling dead cigar minnows.
Anglers bottom-bouncing at structure 30-40 miles off the inlet had some luck with red grouper recently. Cigar minnows, cut baits, and live baits will tempt the reds to bite.
Bottom fishing in the 30 mile range has produced some fat sea bass recently. The bass will fall for squid or other baits pinned to bottom rigs, or anglers can tempt them by vertical jigging.
The are still plenty of spanish mackerel and bluefish feeding along the beaches, and anglers can hook both while trolling Clarkspoons or casting small metal lures at bird activity or breaking schools of fish. Anglers have weighed in a number of citation spanish (over 6 lbs.) during the past week.
Inshore, anglers are finding decent numbers of red drum on the feed in the ICW and the bays of the lower river. Live peanut pogies are hard for the reds to resist.
A few speckled trout are also feeding alongside the reds, and pogies are fooling them as well. Although, live shrimp are even better.
The flounder bite is turning on and getting better with all the warm weather. Anglers are hooking up with flatfish (fish to 9 lbs. were weighed in last week) in Carolina Beach Inlet, the ICW, Snows Cut, and the Cape Fear River. Live finger mullet or peanut pogies fished on Carolina rigs are producing most of the action with the flounder.
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Anakalea Waldorf, a Wilmington local working at Island Tackle and Hardware, with a grouper caught off of Carolina Beach. She was fishing with Capt. Caleb Batson on the charter boat "Cheerio Lady."
Brad, of Fish Spanker Charters, reports that red, gag, and scamp grouper are feeding at bottom structure offshore of Carolina Beach, with spots in the 30-40 mile range good bets. Along with the groupers, anglers dropping bottom rigs will find action with sea bass, beeliners, triggerfish, pinkies, and other bottom dwellers.
Squid is one of the best baits for the smaller bottomfish, and cigar minnows, live baits, and cut baits are producing action with the grouper.
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Jack Luckadoo (age 7), of Wilmington, with a 22" spanish mackerel he hooked just off Carolina Beach while trolling Clarkspoons on the "Mr. Bill."
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Jeff, of Seahawk Inshore Charters, reports that red drum are looking for meals in the shallows throughout the area. Smaller pods of three to five fish are cruising in Masonboro Sound, with larger schools feeding on the flats of the lower Cape Fear River. Casting topwater plugs has been effective on the reds recently, and anglers are also hooking up while sight-casting a variety of soft plastic baits at schools of feeding drum.
Some huge chopper bluefish are mixed in with the reds, and they’re falling for the same lures.
Flounder fishing has gotten even better. Anglers are hooking up with the flatfish along ICW docks, in creek mouths, and along the channel edges in the river. Peanut pogies fished on Carolina rigs are tough to beat.
Anglers are finding scattered action with speckled trout in the river while fishing for reds and flounder. Targeting the specks with float-rigged live shrimp should produce more action.
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Nick, of Alford’s Seafood, reports that anglers bottom fishing are hooking up with some spots and croaker along the ICW.
The local flounder bite has picked up significantly lately, and anglers are finding flounder action from the inlets to the ICW and the backwaters. Carolina-rigged live baits like peanut pogies, finger mullet, and mud minnows will attract attention from the flatties.
Dolphin have pushed well inshore of the stream, and anglers had good catches of dolphin mixed in with king mackerel at 23 Mile Rock and WR4 recently.
There have been some stout grouper landed by boats fishing near Frying Pan Tower.
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Lynn, of Kure Beach Pier, reports that plug casters are catching some spanish mackerel on Gotchas.
Bluefish and a few whiting are falling for bottom rigs baited with shrimp.
