Carolina Beach – September 12, 2019
Kevin, of Island Tackle and Hardware, reports that the inshore catch over the past few weeks has consisted primarily of flounder and redfish. In addition, a few trout, sheepshead, and black drum are getting picked up here and there.
The flatties are being found in the river and Snow’s Cut.
Drifting live mullet in area inlets has produced on the red drum, with most of the reds measuring between 30-32”.
The few trout that have been caught are coming from back in the bays, with a lot of the action coming from the Fort Fisher area. The bite is sporadic, but it should continue to strengthen as temperatures cool and water clears.
The sheepshead and black drum are in their usual spots (mostly around structure), and they can be fooled with fiddler crabs and shrimp, respectively.
In the surf, anglers can look forward to battling and trying to evade a lot of pinfish. Getting your bait past them should produce whiting, croaker, the occasional pompano, and a puppy drum or two. Salted clams, artificial sand fleas, and fresh shrimp have been the top baits over the past two weeks.
Off the beach, bluefish and spanish are patrolling hungrily. Kings have been as close as 5-10 miles, but 25 miles has been the sweet spot.
On the bottom, black sea bass and other assorted bottom dwellers are chewing heartily.
Rich Masters, from Williamsport, PA, with a 17” pompano caught in the Cape Fear River using a Carolina rig with a fiddler crab.
Luke, of Spot On Charters, reports that flounder and red drum fishing in the Cape Fear River has been great, and the speckled trout bite has started to pick up as well (especially in the early morning and evening).
Despite the influx of mullet, though, pogies have been the best bait for the flatfish and reds. The drum like the flash of a pogie in darker water. Most of the fish have been a little over 25”.
The tripletails swimming in the river can be found around surface structure such as crab pots and buoys, where Carolina-rigged live bait should draw strikes.
The best fishing for all species is still in the middle to lower Cape Fear. The salinity in the upper river will eventually get to where it needs to be, but the big fish haven’t moved back in fully yet, though it’s only a matter of time before they do.
Luke, of Coastline Charters, reports that the inshore and nearshore red drum bite is on fire. Inshore reds are feeding well along docks, oyster bars, and grass banks. Live finger mullet and cut baits are working great for the inshore reds, and Z-Man soft plastics are also producing.
The red drum on the ocean side are feeding well around wrecks just off the beach, and there’s been an increase in over-slot reds on the Masonboro jetties, including a handful of citation-sized fish. Live baits on a Carolina rig will work best for the ocean reds.
The flounder fishing remains good, even though the season has unfortunately closed, but those still looking to fish for them are finding that live baits and bucktails on the nearshore wrecks are coming up with good numbers. You can also find flounder in the ICW in deep holes and around docks.
Speckled trout have started to feed well along the ICW, and also look for fish close to the inlets. Live baits (finger mullet or shrimp) under a popping cork are producing good numbers of fish along grass banks, oyster bars near deeper water, and deep holes. Topwater baits are getting the specks’ attention, too. Soft plastics (like Z-Man shrimp) with a Blue Water Candy jig head will do the trick, and the trout bite will continue to get better over the next coming weeks.
Lindsey Fogleman, of Carolina Beach, with an over-slot red drum caught in the ICW using Carolina-rigged live mullet.
Rod, of OnMyWay Fishing Charters, reports that spanish mackerel action has been hot just off the beach, with most of the fish coming from 25-40’ of water. Trolling Clarkspoons and #1 planers is still paying off, and casting with Big Nic Spanish Candies or similar lures will draw strikes as well. If you find birds working the surface, there are likely to be spanish underneath, and the tidelines outside the inlets are holding fish, too.
King fishing had been great before the hurricane, with most of the action coming from between 15-25 miles. Most king fishing trips in the past two weeks have seen limits of kings, and both slow and fast trolling is working to fool fish. When slow trolling, pull dead cigar minnows on Hank Brown rigs, and when moving fast, switch it up to Blue Water Candy Sea Witch/ballyhoo combos with a #2 planer. Drone spoons/planer combos have been working as well.
Inshore of the break, scattered mahi are tearing up small ballyhoo paired with small Sea Witches. A few wahoo (up to 45 lbs.) have come in as well, with the biggest fish falling for dead cigar minnows.
Bottom fishing has been fantastic in the 25-40 mile range. You’ll want to work the ledges and live bottom areas, with the goal being to find a hard bottom with a 2-4’ relief before anchoring up and dropping cut bait: spanish sardines, frozen northern mackerel, and squid. Expect to find plenty of black sea bass, pink snapper, beeliners, grunts, grouper, and triggerfish.
Maddie, of Kure Beach Pier, reports that fishing has been slow, but a few blues, croaker, spanish, and whiting have all been in the mix. Live shrimp has been the go-to bait.
