Carolina Beach – November 13, 2014
Ben Fisher and Baylee Smith, of Carolina Beach, with 21 and 22″ flounder and a pair of gray trout they hooked on live finger mullet at some nearshore structure off Carolina Beach Inlet.
Lewis, of Island Tackle and Hardware, reports that anglers are finding some good action along the Pleasure Island beachfront right now. Bottom fishermen are connecting with sea mullet, black drum, and puppy drum while baiting up with shrimp, bloodworms, and cut baits.
Speckled trout have begun to move into the surf as well. Anglers are hooking a few, primarily while working MirrOlures and soft plastics in the evening hours.
The speck bite has also been going strong inshore around the inlets and in the Cape Fear River. Live baits under floats, soft plastic baits, or suspending lures like MirrOlure MR17’s will fool the specks inshore.
There are still decent numbers of red drum feeding in the bays and backwaters off the lower river. Anglers can fool the reds with soft baits like Gulps or cut and live baits. More trout and a few smaller flounder are feeding alongside the reds and falling for the same offerings.
The flounder bite has been going strong in Snow’s Cut over the past week (with fish to 9+ lbs.). Finger mullet and other live baits are fooling the flatfish in the deeper water.
Anglers have also hooked some spanish mackerel over the past week, but they’ll likely be moving along soon as the water temperatures fall. Plenty of bluefish are still feeding just off the beaches and biting spoons, cut baits, plugs, and more.
Bottom fishermen are reporting some solid gag grouper action around rocks and live bottoms 10-20 miles off the beachfront. Plenty of grunts, black sea bass, and other bottom dwellers are feeding in the same areas, and anglers can fool them all with cigar minnows and sardines.
The weather hasn’t been too conducive to Gulf Stream runs lately, but anglers making the long boat ride are connecting with a few wahoo and blackfin tuna.
Savanna Day Allen with a 3.9 lb., 22″ flounder she hooked on a bucktail jig while fishing near Carolina Beach State Park.
Robert, of Carolina Explorer, reports that anglers are connecting with sold numbers of red and black drum in the bays off the lower Cape Fear River. They’re feeding in the creeks and around oyster bars, and both are falling for live and cut shrimp along with Gulp baits. Some legal flounder are feeding in the same areas and biting the Gulps.
The speckled trout bite is on in Carolina Beach Inlet, and anglers are connecting with the specks on soft plastic grubs and MirrOlures fished just off the shoreline.
Out in the ocean there’s fast action with bluefish and gray trout around nearshore structure just off the beaches. Both are quite fond of jigging lures like Stingsilvers, along with live and cut baits.
False albacore are chasing bait just off the inlets and beachfront, and anglers can hook them while trolling small spoons or casting metal lures like diamond jigs at fish chasing bait on the surface.
Jeff, of Seahawk Inshore Fishing Charters, reports that anglers are hooking big numbers of black drum in the Cape Fear River. Most are feeding around oyster rocks and other structure, and they’re biting fresh shrimp on the bottom.
Red drum are schooling up in the bays off the lower river and chasing mullet and shrimp on the surface, making for some exciting sight-casting action for anglers casting topwater plugs and soft plastics.
Dominic Jacaruso with 26.75″ red drum that struck a soft plastic bait in the Cape Fear River while he was fishing with his father Jim on the “Phresh Phish.”
Speckled trout are also feeding in the lower river, where anglers are fooling them on live shrimp and mullet fished under floats along with soft baits like D.O.A. shrimp.
Brenda, of Carolina Beach Pier, reports that anglers are connecting with some solid sea mullet while bottom fishing with shrimp. An occasional spot and red or black drum has been mixed in.
Plug casters hooked decent numbers of bluefish last week while working Gotchas.
Anthony, of Kure Beach Pier, reports that bottom fishermen are hooking plenty of sea mullet while soaking shrimp on double-drop rigs. Some red and black drum have also been biting the shrimp.
Bluefish are still around in good numbers and biting bottom rigs and metal casting lures that anglers are working.
Those soaking live baits near the pilings are hooking a few flounder.
