Carolina Beach September 15, 2011
Cheri Dail, from Wilmington, with a 12.3 lb. flounder she hooked in the ICW while fishing with her husband Jim. The big flatfish fell for a live mullet in around 8' of water.
Wes, of Island Tackle and Hardware, reports that anglers are starting to see a speckled trout bite in Carolina Beach Inlet, and the action should get better as fall weather and cooling water temperatures arrive. The action’s been best at night lately, and live shrimp have been doing most of the damage.
Flounder fishing remains solid (with plenty of citation fish to 12 lbs. weighed in lately). The best action has been in Snows Cut and the Cape Fear River in recent weeks. Live finger mullet and menhaden are top choices for the flatfish, but anglers can also tempt them to bite Gulp baits.
Sheepshead are feeding around the bridge pilings, rocks, and other hard structure in the area, and fiddler crabs and sand fleas are tough to beat for them.
Good numbers of red drum and smaller speckled trout are feeding in the lower Cape Fear River on both sides of the Fort Fisher rock wall. Live baits, Gulps and other soft plastics, and topwater plugs will fool the reds and specks.
Some larger reds have been feeding at nearshore structure in the ocean like the Marriott Reef and Johns Creek. Live baits like menhaden and finger mullet are the best bets for the bigger reds.
Some gray trout are feeding in the same areas, and live baits or vertical jigs like Stingsilvers are tough for them to turn down.
Offshore, amberjacks are schooled up around wrecks and other high-relief structure. They’ll respond well to live baits or quickly worked vertical jigs.
Blue water trollers found an excellent wahoo bite at local spots last week. Skirted and naked ballyhoo or baitless trolling lures will tempt bites from the ‘hoos.
Rick, of Carolina Beach Bait and Tackle, reports that the flounder fishing has been good in the island’s surf lately (with most fish keepers). Good numbers of larger flounder are coming from Snows Cut and the Cape Fear River. Live baits like finger mullet and mud minnows are the way to go for the flatfish.
Anglers are still catching plenty of pompano (though many are on the small side) in the surf. Bluefish are also feeding in the breakers and will devour nearly anything anglers bait up with.
Pier fishermen are hooking big numbers of spot, especially in the evening hours. Bloodworms are the most effective spot offerings.
Jeff, of Seahawk Inshore Fishing Charters, reports that the sheepshead bite has gotten good again. Anglers are hooking the sheeps while dangling fiddler crabs near hard structure like bridge and dock pilings and rocky areas.
Red drum are still on the feed in the backwaters off the lower Cape Fear, where anglers can find them schooling on the flats and in smaller groups in the creeks. Topwater plugs, soft plastics, and live baits will all fool the reds.
Leah Davis, of Wilmington, with a pair of fat flounder that struck live finger mullet in the Cape Fear River while she was fishing with her father Fred and sister Bethany on the "Turn it Up." The fish were released after the photograph.
Good numbers of flounder are in the same areas as the drum, and they have a tough time turning down live baits or the soft plastics.
Speckled trout fishing is improving, and anglers are hooking a few as bycatch while drum fishing. They’re also managing to target them successfully at other times. Fishing live shrimp or soft plastic lures near hard structure or deeper water that’s moving is the way to put the specks in the crosshairs.
Betty, of Carolina Beach Pier, reports that anglers saw some solid spot runs last week. Bloodworms and red worms were responsible for most of the action.
Some flounder and red drum are also coming over the rails. Live and cut baits are fooling them.
Brian, of Kure Beach Pier, reports that the spot are running. Anglers caught them for three days straight last week. Bloodworms are producing most of the spot action.
Some flounder and over-slot red drum are taking an interest in live baits fished on the bottom near the pier.
Bluefish are feeding around the pier and will bite a variety of natural baits or metal lures like Gotcha plugs.
