Southport/Oak Island – July 2024
Blake, of Dutchman Creek Bait and Tackle, reports that nearshore anglers are finding king mackerel scattered all along the beaches.
Spanish mackerel have also been pretty thick just outside the inlet and over the nearshore ARs.
Surf anglers are starting to see good numbers of pompano showing up.
The inshore action includes a mixed bag of black drum, red drum, speckled trout, sheepshead, and a bunch of flounder.
Josh, of Oak Island Sporting Goods, reports that some pompano have started showing up for anglers both in the surf and fishing from local piers.
Pier anglers are also catching spanish mackerel, king mackerel, and (recently) hookups on the tarpon that are starting to move through.
Inshore anglers have been finding that the bait has been much more plentiful. Subsequently, the red drum action has picked up right along with the increase of bait.
Flounder are around and just about everywhere for anglers rigged with live bait.
Sheepshead and black drum catches have been steady, with anglers having the most success with fiddler crabs or mud crabs on bottom sweeper jigs.
Ramsay Barrett, of Oak Island, hooked these mahi in 70′ of water offshore of Oak Island near the Shark Hole using skirted ballyhoo.
Robert, of Reelin’ Pelican Fishing Charters, reports that inshore anglers are catching a nice mix of red drum, black drum, and sheepshead while targeting docks with cut shrimp. However, the summertime action does include plenty of trash fish, especially while using this tactic. Anglers just need to be prepared by carrying more shrimp to combat the undesirables and move around if not quickly finding the target species in that area.
Tons of flounder are also around these docks, and most of the flounder will be caught with live mullet or menhaden.
Off the beach, spanish mackerel numbers remain pretty good.
King mackerel action has been best out in the 10-15 mile range. Structure in the 10-20 mile area will also hold the occasional cobia.
Moving into July, anglers will start seeing over-slot red drum caught around shoals at the mouth of the river, and the occasional tarpon will show up both off the beach and in the river.
Hunter, of Dockside Fishing Charters, reports that anglers are having a bunch of success with red drum and the occasional speckled trout by casting out small mullet under corks. Shrimp also works very well, though pinfish and croakers make life difficult as you run through shrimp quickly.
A bunch of bluefish are inside as well, and they’re being caught while floating shrimp.
Some gray trout are in holes or near structure in 10-12’ depths. Shrimp under slip corks or Big Nic diamond jigs have been getting most of the strikes.
Spanish mackerel are everywhere along the beaches and over the Ars, and a bunch of bluefish are mixed in alongside the spanish. The summertime tactics work well: sight casting to surface-feeding fish early, and then trolling spoons behind planers as the schools push down.
With some big menhaden out on the beaches, king mackerel are scattered all over.
Steve, of Reel ‘Em Up Charters, reports that red drum action on the inside has been focused around creek mouths both in the ICW and up the Cape Fear River. Natural baits work best now that water temperatures are up, whether that’s live shrimp, live menhaden, or cut bait.
Some speckled trout are being caught by anglers rigged with live shrimp in the early mornings.
The occasional black drum is mixed in the catches, and the black drum fish are mostly hitting dead shrimp.
Sheepshead fishing remains strong while fishing docks with fiddler crabs or shrimp on Carolina rigs.
The spanish mackerel action has been great when trolling off the beach. On the higher, incoming tides, some spanish are also inside the inlets.
Kevin Jones, of Oak Island, found this sheepshead at the entrance of Saint James Marina using a fiddler crab.
Kaleb, of River Run Charters, reports that early summer efforts have found the red drum and black drum action being steady in bigger creeks off the waterway. Typical of fishing in these warmer months, live and natural baits have had the most success, especially when targeting docks and other hard structures.
Hooking a red drum has been made harder by all the active flounder in the area.
Sheepshead have been another good target species, with deeper and cleaner waters around the Cape Fear River seeing most of the action. The best tactic has been to rig with live fiddler crabs.
Ryan, of Fugitive Charters, reports that good numbers of nice-sized (2-3 lb.) spanish mackerel are just off the beaches.
Getting into summer also means there are a ton of sharks around (blacktips and spinners).
The 15-20 mile area is seeing action pick up, with any mix of king mackerel, cobia, and mahi all a possibility. Trolling live baits or dead cigar minnows can attract strikes from any of these species.
Bottom fishing remains a great option out in the 40-mile area. Rock hinds, strawberry grouper, large vermilion snapper, and black sea bass are all part of the mixed bag.
Troy, of Ocean Crest Pier, reports that anglers out fishing live shrimp in the early mornings have been catching some speckled trout.
Casting plugs are producing a bunch of bluefish and some spanish mackerel, and for bigger spanish mackerel, the best strategy has been to use live bait.
Bottom fishing is producing a few spot and some spadefish, and sharks are also around now with waters temperatures up.
Donna, of Oak Island Pier, reports that anglers live-baiting off the end have landed a few king mackerel. Some sharks are also hitting the bigger baits intended for the kings.
Spanish mackerel are being caught with Gotcha plugs and metal casting jigs. In addition, the live bait anglers have been finding a bigger class of spanish.
Bottom fishing has produced whiting and plenty of croakers, and early morning anglers have been catching speckled trout.
