Carolina Beach March 10, 2011
Jackson Cunningham (age 8), of Wilson, NC, with his first red drum, a slot fish he hooked in a creek off the lower Cape Fear River on a Gulp shrimp. He was fishing with Capt. Robert Schoonmaker of Carolina Explorer Charters.
Wes, of Island Tackle and Hardware, reports that anglers are hooking up with some red drum in the Cape Fear River from Snow’s Cut down to the backwaters behind Fort Fisher. The fish are feeding in the marshes, and soft plastics (like Redfish Magic grubs) have been producing most of the action.
Surprisingly, anglers have been catching a few flounder inshore as well (even some keepers) mostly while casting plastics for the reds.
As the water warms up over the next few weeks, anglers can expect to see the red drum fishing improve and some speckled trout action, though the specks are closed to harvest until June.
Not much is going on in the island’s surf yet, but once the water temperature climbs a few degrees, then sea mullet, black drum, and other bottom feeders should be making an appearance in the breakers.
Offshore, anglers making the run to the Gulf Stream are hooking up with some blackfin tuna, cobia, amberjacks, and more. Vertical jigging has been producing most of the action, though trollers are catching some blackfins and even reported a few yellowfin tuna this past week, hopefully a sign that the area will see a run of yellowfins this year.
Some large groupers and other bottom feeders are also falling for vertical jigs in the blue water, but they must be released.
Anglers should be able to find some king mackerel in the vicinity of Frying Pan Tower as long as there’s some water in the mid-upper 60’s in the area. Drone spoons, other artificial lures, and frozen cigar minnows will produce action with the kings when anglers can find them, and the fish should be following warming water towards the coast as the month wears on.
Ryan, of Carolina Beach Bait and Tackle, reports that anglers are beginning to see a few small puppy drum in the island’s surf around structure like the pipe and the Fort Fisher rocks. They’ll bite shrimp or cut mullet on bottom rigs. As the water temperature (currently 55) climbs into the upper 50’s, the puppy drum bite should improve, and anglers will see some large sea mullet and other bottomfish feeding in the breakers. The sea mullet are already staging in the deeper water near Bald Head Island, so it won’t be long.
Larger red drum are feeding in the bays and along the rock wall in the lower river. Gulp baits, D.O.A. soft plastics, and popping cork rigs are all good choices for the early season reds, and working them slow will improve anglers’ odds of hooking up in the cool water.
Small sheepshead and black drum are feeding around rocky structure in Snow’s Cut and the Cape Fear River, and they’ll take an interest in cut shrimp.
Bait (primarily smaller mud minnows) is beginning to show up in the backwaters, and the water temperature is way above where it was this time last year, so anglers are hoping to see spring fishing get started early this year.
John Buechele, of Wilmington, with a striped bass that fell for a live finger mullet in the Cape Fear River.
Jeff, of Seahawk Inshore Charters, reports that the red drum fishing has been solid all winter in the lower Cape Fear River and remains good. The fish have mostly been holding in the creeks, where anglers are prowling around on the trolling motor to find actively feeding fish. Gulp baits and D.O.A. soft plastics (particularly in the Golden Shiner color) have been producing the lion’s share of the reds.
There are also some red drum feeding in the bays behind Masonboro Island and along the ICW docks in the same area.
Brad, of Fish Spanker Charters, reports that black sea bass, grouper, and other bottomfish abound at bottom structure offshore of the area, but with all the closures, not many can be brought home to the table.
Anglers should be able to find some king mackerel 40-50 miles offshore as long as they can find some water in the mid to upper-60’s, and they’ll fall for cigar minnows or Drone spoons. The kings should be moving closer to shore as the water warms over the coming month.
