Carolina Beach – June 5, 2014
Robert Cindric with the 18.4 lb. cobia that won him $1000 in the SE King Mackerel Club Ruler of Kings tournament on Carolina Beach Pier.
Brandon, of Island Tackle and Hardware, reports that anglers are hooking some flounder in Carolina Beach Inlet, Snows Cut, and the Cape Fear River. The flatfish are taking an interest in live mud minnows and menhaden along with Gulps and other soft baits.
Sheepshead are looking for meals around structure in the ICW and river, and anglers are hooking them while dangling fiddler crabs and sand fleas close to pilings, rocks, and seawalls.
Spanish mackerel aren’t feeding in the numbers they were a few weeks back, but boats trolling Clarkspoons along the inlet tidelines and beachfront are still connecting with good numbers.
Gulf Stream trollers are still connecting with big numbers of dolphin around offshore weedlines, primarily while pulling skirted ballyhoo.
The grouper bite has been up-and-down, but anglers are reporting some decent gag action at ledges 20-40 miles off the beach.
Jeff, of Seahawk Fishing Charters, reports that the area’s red drum bite has improved a bit, with most of the fish feeding in the creeks and bays off the lower Cape Fear River. Anglers are hooking a few reds on topwater plugs and soft plastics, but live baits have been more effective than artificials lately. Big numbers of aggressive croaker in the lower river are making it tough for anglers to keep a mud minnow on the bottom long enough for a red to find it, and peanut menhaden have been producing better results. There are plenty of menhaden in the river for anglers looking for bait.
Warren Phillips, of Wrightsville Beach, with a gag grouper he hooked on squid at some bottom structure 25 miles off Wrightsville Beach while he was fishing with his father and Johnny Burke on the “Prime Time.”
Flounder are feeding in the same areas as the reds and falling for live baits and soft plastics as well.
Speckled trout action has been on the slow side, but a few are feeding around grass banks and oyster rocks in the lower river, where they’ll bite live baits and soft plastics.
Sheepshead have shown up around hard structure in the ICW and lower river, and targeting them has produced some decent catches recently. Fishing fiddler crabs tight to the structure is the way to fool the sheeps.
Robert, of Carolina Explorer, reports that anglers are starting to see some cobia cruising along the beachfront and feeding on bait schools in the area. Live baits and bucktail jigs are the ways to tempt bites from the cobes that anglers spot.
Spanish mackerel and bluefish are still feeding along the beachfront, where anglers can hook them on trolled Clarkspoons or while casting metal lures like Jigfish to areas of surface activity.
Flounder are feeding at nearshore structure in the ocean and will pounce on Carolina-rigged live baits or bucktail jigs.
Flounder fishing is improving inshore as well, with good action in the inlet, Snows Cut, and the Cape Fear River. Live menhaden are the way to connect with the flatfish inshore.
Sheepshead and black drum are feeding around hard structure in the ICW and river, and anglers can tempt bites from both with shrimp or fiddler crabs.
There’s still decent red drum action in the backwaters off the lower Cape Fear River, and live baits are still the best bet for anglers looking to connect with the reds.
Brenda, of Carolina Beach Pier, reports that anglers have been connecting with spanish mackerel and a few bluefish while working Gotcha plugs from the pier.
Bottom fishermen are finding action with smaller flounder, sea mullet, and croaker.
Megan, of Kure Beach Pier, reports that sea mullet, croaker, and flounder are taking an interest in bottom rigs baited with shrimp and bloodworms.
Plug casters are hooking some spanish mackerel and bluefish on Gotchas.
