Carolina Beach May 12, 2011
Harsen Blevins with his largest gag grouper to date. He hooked it at some structure in 120' of water off Carolina Beach Inlet.
Wes, of Island Tackle and Hardware, reports that anglers are picking up better numbers of flounder around Carolina Beach Inlet (with some fish to 5 lbs. lately). Some decent catches of keeper flatfish are also coming from the Cape Fear River. Gulp baits and live peanut pogies are producing most of the fish.
Red drum are still feeding in the lower Cape Fear near the rock wall, and anglers have been connecting with good numbers on live baits and a variety of artificials.
Surf fishermen are hooking some chopper bluefish up and down the beaches on a variety of baits pinned to bottom rigs.
Spanish mackerel and bluefish (both in large sizes) are feeding just off the beaches, and anglers have been hooking good numbers at nearshore structure like the Marriott Reef and the rocks off Fort Fisher. Live baits will often produce better results with the larger fish than the typical artificials.
King mackerel are beginning to show up nearshore, and several have already been hooked on the piers.
Some cobia have also been seen from the piers, so it shouldn’t be long until anglers are seeing good numbers of king mackerel and cobia at the nearshore wrecks and along the inlet tidelines. Live pogies or other baits will tempt bites from the kings and cobia.
Grouper season has been open, but it’s been a bit slower than many anglers expected. Targeting structure in the 30-40 mile range with live baits, cut baits, and vertical jigs is the best way to target the groupers.
Boats making the run to the Gulf Stream are connecting with some wahoo, plenty of dolphin, and some sailfish and white and blue marlin have been making an appearance lately. Ballyhoo rigged under skirted lures will tempt bites from all the Gulf Stream predators.
Ryan, of Carolina Beach Bait and Tackle, reports that chopper bluefish are moving through the surf in waves. When they’re in, anglers should have little trouble hooking up on large cut baits or metal lures like Hopkins and Kastmaster spoons.
Smaller bluefish are falling for cut baits and shrimp on bottom rigs, and anglers have also been hooking up with some slot puppy drum, small flounder, and a few black drum in the breakers.
Gavin Puryear, of Laurinburg, NV, with a 2 lb., 6 oz. spanish mackerel he hooked on a Gotcha plug from Kure Beach Pier.
Sand fleas are making a strong showing in the wash, and pompano shouldn’t be far behind them.
Anglers are hooking some spanish mackerel while working Gotcha plugs from the piers, though most are on the small side.
Several cobia have been sighted from the piers and around the Masonboro jetties recently.
Inshore, the red drum are still feeding in the lower Cape Fear River and striking live mud minnows.
Black drum are feeding around hard structure like docks and rocks in the river, and they will take an interest in shrimp or fiddler crab baits.
Smaller sheepshead are moving into the inlets in large numbers, so it shouldn’t be long until the sheepshead bite takes off.
Robert, of Carolina Explorer Charters, reports that anglers are still connecting with good numbers of red drum in the backwaters of the lower Cape Fear River. They’re striking Gulp baits, but live mud minnows and fresh shrimp have also been effective lately.
Black drum are on the feed around structure like rocks in the lower river, and shrimp will attract their attention.
Bottom fishing with shrimp in the lower river has also been producing action with croaker and some spot.
Off the beaches, the bluefish and spanish mackerel bite has been solid just beyond the breakers and at nearshore structure. Trolling small spoons or casting metal lures to breaking fish or working birds will draw strikes from both.
All the nearshore structure is also holding large black sea bass, and the fish will likely still be there when the season opens up in June.
Jeff, of Seahawk Inshore Charters, reports that the red drum fishing in the bays off the lower river remains solid. Live baits have been producing more action than artificials lately, and anglers are mostly using lures to find feeding fish, then switching over to live baits to catch them. The best action’s been around deeper holes and shelly bottoms on the falling tides, and mud minnows on Carolina rigs or under floats are producing the fish.
Some flounder are mixed in in the same areas as the reds and will take an interest in soft plastic baits or the mud minnows.
The sheepshead bite is turning on in the river and the ICW. Fishing fiddler crabs around hard structure like pilings and rocks is the way to go for the sheeps. Black drum are feeding in many of the same areas and will fall for crabs or shrimp.
Matt Cole with a 3 lb. 2 oz. spanish mackerel he hooked a mile offshore of Carolina Beach.
Ray, of Carolina Beach Pier, reports that live-baiters have hooked several king mackerel over the past week. Some large bluefish are falling for the live baits, too.
Smaller blues and a few spanish mackerel are taking an interest in Gotcha plugs worked from the pier.
Decent numbers of spot are also falling for bottom rigs baited with shrimp and bloodworms.
Jacob, of Kure Beach Pier, reports that bottom fishermen are hooking up with some pompano on shrimp (some to 2 lbs.). Small flounder are taking an interest in live mud minnows on the bottom.
Plug casters have been connecting with big numbers of bluefish and some smaller spanish mackerel.
Live-baiters landed four king mackerel from the end of the pier last week.
