Carolina Beach – November 16, 2017
Kevin, of Island Tackle and Hardware, reports that surf fishing has remained steady on Carolina Beach. Anglers fishing with fresh shrimp on bottom rigs have landed good numbers of whiting and black drum.
Inshore, the speckled trout bite has heated up. Those fishing the Cape Fear River have found fish holding on marsh banks and points. MirrOlure MR17s and topwater plugs have worked well, but live shrimp under a float rig has done the best. Most fish have been in the 15-18” range, with a few 20” fish in the mix.
Redfish are holding in the creeks and on dock structure along the waterway and in the river. Cut mullet and live mud minnows on Carolina rigs have been the ticket to getting them to bite. Most fish have been in the 16-22” range.
The flounder bite remains steady around the inlets. Anglers have landed solid numbers of keeper-sized fish on live finger mullet.
Just off the beach, the king bite remains strong. Slow trolling live baits has been the ticket to landing larger fish, but dead cigar minnows have worked on the smaller-class kings. Targeting structure has been the key to success.
Offshore, the wahoo bite is still going strong. Anglers have found plenty of action trolling rigged ballyhoo.
Dennis Watson with a pair of citation flounder. He was fishing north of Snows Cut in the Cape Fear River targeting flatfish with pogies.
Christian, of Seahawk Inshore Fishing Charters, reports that anglers are landing good numbers of black drum on the bottom end of the tide. Casting Carolina-rigged dead shrimp in 3-7′ of water along oyster structure has produced the best numbers. Most fish have been in the 15-17” range, with a few larger ones in the mix.
A mix of under-slot and slot-sized redfish have been holding near the same areas where the black drum are located. Dead shrimp on Carolina rigs, as well as Gulp shrimp rigged on 3/16 or 1/4 oz. Wahoo Salty Flats jig heads, have been the best tactics for the red drum.
Speckled trout fishing has picked up, and targeting the moving tide has been the key to landing good numbers of fish. MirrOlures and soft plastics in purple have been the ticket. Anglers targeting oyster points and creek mouths have done best.
Just off the beach, false albacore are feeding well. Casting Big Nic jigs in pink and bone have produced higher numbers of fish.
A few big drum are still being landed in nearshore waters. The key to finding the drum has been locating menhaden schools.
Greg, of TopWater Guide Co., reports that speckled trout fishing has fired up. Anglers casting soft plastics on 1/4 oz. jig heads, as well as MirrOlures, have landed good numbers of fish. Most fish have been in the 16-19” range, with a few fish over 20” in the mix.
Those looking for redfish have found them staged near dock structure and on the flats. Live mud minnows and shrimp fished around the docks has produced reds in the 16-22” range. Anglers fishing the flats have picked up solid numbers of fish (when the wind is calm), and the fish in the shallows have been a bit bigger (in the 20-25” range). Soft plastics and topwater plugs have worked best on the flats.
The inshore flounder bite has picked up. Anglers have found the most action near the inlets and in deeper holes. Fishing with live finger mullet or mud minnows on a Carolina rig has done the trick, and most fish landed have been between 15-18”.
Rod, of OnMyWay Charters, reports that king fishing has been on fire in the 5-12 miles range off of Carolina Beach and towards Southport. Trolling a mix of live baits and dead cigar minnows has produced good numbers of fish in the 10-25 lb. range, as well as a few in the 30-40 lb. range. A handful of large spanish (in the 5-7 lb. range) have also been landed while king fishing.
In the 5-10 mile range, large schools of false albacore have been feeding well. Casting Big Nic Spanish Candies and Stingsilvers to busting fish has produced plenty of action.
Bottom fishing in the 25-35 mile range has heated up. Anglers dropping a mix of live and cut baits have landed gag grouper, scamp grouper, pink snapper, black sea bass, and triggerfish.
Out at the Gulf Stream, the mahi bite has been solid. Anglers have also landed high numbers of blackfin tuna when trolling. A few sailfish and wahoo have also been in the mix offshore.
Camden Wilcox with a red drum that bit on cut mullet in the Masonboro Island surf across from the north end of Carolina Beach.
Jesse, of Ocean Stinger Fishing Charters, reports that the nearshore king bite has been best in 35-65′ of water. Pulling small blue/white, red/white, or black/purple Ilanders rigged with small ballyhoo has done the trick, but white/silver Drone spoons on #6 or #8 planers has been the go to lure for kings in the 15-30 lb. range.
Offshore in the 30-45 mile range, the mahi bite has been solid and should remain good throughout the next few weeks, and anglers are using the same lures they are using for kings.
Out at the Gulf Stream, the wahoo, blackfin tuna, and mahi bite has been best in 30-50 fathom range. The wahoo have been biting black/purple Ilanders rigged with large ballyhoo on planer rods. The mahi and blackfin tuna bite has been steady. Pulling small blue/white and green/white Ilanders rigged with small ballyhoo has been working best.
Molly, of Kure Beach Pier, reports that bottom fishing from the pier has been steady. Anglers have landed whiting, bluefish, and croaker on a mix of dead shrimp and sand fleas.
Those plugging from the pier have picked up some spanish and bluefish on Gotcha plugs and Stingsilvers. A few kings have also been landed from the end of the pier.
Bobbi, of Carolina Beach Pier, reports that the king bite has remained steady from the end of the pier. Anglers have also landed good numbers of flounder and sea mullet on a mix of fresh shrimp and cut mullet.
