Carolina Beach – May 8, 2014
June Salvati, of Wilmington, with a pair of Atlantic bonito she hooked off Kure Beach while working a Gotcha plug.
Kyle, of Island Tackle and Hardware, reports that anglers have been finding some excellent action with large spanish mackerel around nearshore structure like Sheepshead Rock. Both trolling Yo-Zuri deep divers and casting lures like Stingsilvers to fish feeding on the surface are producing action.
Grouper season is open, and boats reported good catches of gag and scamp groupers around bottom structure in the 30-40 mile range. Live, dead, and cut baits will all fool the groupers.
Blue water trollers are still hooking good numbers of wahoo and blackfin tuna at local spots like the Steeples and Same Ol’ Hole. Dolphin have made their spring arrival, and many boats put together some solid catches of gaffers last week as well. Ballyhoo paired with skirted trolling lures have been fooling most of the blue water predators.
Dustin Poole, of Salisbury, NC, with a 24″ red drum that fell for cut shrimp in the lower Cape Fear River while he was fishing with Capt. Robert Schoonmaker of Carolina Explorer.
Surf casters are also seeing the action improve with a solid sea mullet bite lately for anglers baiting up with shrimp and bloodworms. Some puppy drum, bluefish, and flounder are also taking an interest in anglers’ offerings in the breakers.
Inshore, the flounder bite is finally turning on, and anglers are connecting with the flatfish on live baits and while working Gulps around the inlets and in the marshes.
Red drum are still feeding in the bays and backwaters off the lower Cape Fear River, where anglers can cast topwater plugs or Gulp baits with success.
Robert, of Carolina Explorer, reports that anglers are connecting with some red drum around the flats and creeks off the lower Cape Fear River. Most have been falling for live baits and Gulp shrimp recently.
Eric Gowdy, of Wilmington, with a 50″ black drum that struck a 3 oz. bucktail a two miles off Kure Beach.
Speckled trout are also scattered throughout the lower river and feeding around grass islands and oyster beds. They’ll bite soft plastics and live baits as well.
The bite’s been better in the ocean, where anglers are hooking big numbers of fat spanish mackerel, Atlantic bonito, and bluefish within a few miles of the beachfront. Casting lures (like diamond jigs) to fish feeding on the surface has been an exciting way to connect with all three fish, and anglers can look for working birds to find the action from a distance. When approaching birds or a school of breaking fish, anglers should proceed slowly and try to make long casts in order to keep from spooking the fish and slowing the bite for themselves and other boats in the area.
Jamie, of Seagate Charters, reports that anglers are seeing some excellent action with large spanish mackerel and a few Atlantic bonito around nearshore structure off Carolina Beach. Most of the fish are falling for lures like Gotcha plugs and diamond jigs that anglers are casting to schools of fish chasing bait on the surface.
Bluefish are feeding along the beaches and inshore, and there are still some of the big spring choppers around.
There’s also been some decent speckled trout action in the Cape Fear River, where anglers are connecting with the specks on Rapala X-Raps and soft plastic baits pinned to jigheads.
Red and black drum are still feeding around docks in the ICW. Anglers can soak fresh shrimp and crab chunks to hook up with both types of drum, or they can target the reds with soft plastic baits or live mud minnows.
Brenda, of Carolina Beach Pier, reports that anglers are hooking bluefish on bottom rigs and while working casting lures from the pier.
Some small flounder are also biting the bottom rigs.
Savannah, of Kure Beach Pier, reports that plug casters are hooking some spanish mackerel and good numbers of bluefish on Gotcha plugs.
Sea mullet and some smaller flounder are taking an interest in bottom rigs baited with shrimp.
