Wrightsville Beach August 14, 2008
Jacob and Lynn Vetter with a king mackerel Jacob caught on a cigar minnow near 23 Mile Rock.
Tex, of Tex’s Tackle, reports that anglers are catching plenty of flounder and red drum inshore. Live finger mullet on Carolina rigs and Gulp baits should get attention from both species.
Anglers can look for the reds around docks at lower tides, as well as feeding near and in flooded marsh grass when the water’s higher.
Flounder are feeding in the deeper holes of the marshes and creeks and near the inlets.
Despite the heat, anglers are still picking up a few trout at night.
Baits are thick in the Cape Fear River, and anglers are finding solid action with reds, flounder, and trout in the river as well.
Bridge pilings and other structure are producing action with sheepshead. Fiddler crabs and other small crustaceans are top choices for the sheepshead.
Despite the heat, anglers are still picking up a few trout at night.
Ladyfish are feeding throughout the area, and they can be targeted effectively around lighted docks and bridges at night. Anglers may be able to hook the ladies on topwater baits and other lures, but live shrimp and finger mullet are the most productive baits.
In the ocean, anglers are finding spanish and king mackerel feeding close to the beaches. Trolled Clarkspoons and other lures will fool the spanish. Live pogies are top choices for the kings, and they will attract bites from the largest spanish mackerel as well.
Some tarpon are also feeding just off the beaches and may surprise anglers slow-trolling for the mackerel.
Spadefish are schooled up on nearshore structure, and anglers can hook up with them on small pieces of jelly balls or shrimp.
Sailfish are joining king mackerel feeding at spots five miles and further offshore, and both will fall for live pogies or other baits.
Amberjacks are schooled up at the Schoolhouse and WR4, and live baits should get their attention.
Some dolphin are feeding in the same areas.
Bottom fishing has been solid at spots 25-40 miles offshore. Red grouper are making up much of the catch, and they’ll fall for live baits, cut baits, dead cigar minnows, and butterfly jigs. Some gag grouper are feeding a bit closer to the beaches.
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Phil Metz, of Wilmington, with a 12 lb. dolphin caught on a Hank Brown rig with a Blue Water Candy pink Hot Shot skirt and a dead cigar minnow. He was fishing near AR 368 with Capt. Jim Sabella of Plan 9 Charters out of Wrightsville Beach.
Jim, of Plan 9 Charters, reports that anglers are finding solid action with king mackerel and dolphin (some approaching 15 lbs. recently) at WR4. Dead cigar minnows are drawing strikes from both fish, and the downrigger has been hot over the past week. Live baits will get bites, too, but they seem to be more attractive to the amberjacks also inhabiting the structure.
North of Wrightsville, the king bite has also been solid around AR-368, Jesse’s Ledge, and the E Buoy. Both dead cigar minnows and live baits are producing the action.
Kings and spanish are feeding together around the first set of boxcars off Topsail, too.
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Danny, of 96 Charter Company, reports that flounder fishing has been good around north Topsail, especially towards the end of the falling tide.
Speckled trout and ladyfish are feeding together in the Cape Fear River, and anglers can find the fish around schools of finger mullet working the bays and grass banks in the lower river. MirrOlures have been fooling the trout and ladies recently. Topwater plugs are also proving effective on the trout early in the day.
Anglers are seeing tarpon along the shoals at the river mouth, and they’re hooking a few on live baits and dead baits fished on the bottom. Plenty of sharks are feeding in the same area as the tarpon. Blacktip and sharpnose sharks are making up the majority, and the sharks (some to 6-8′) are helping anglers kill time while waiting for a tarpon bite.
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Mike, of No Excuses Charters, reports that anglers are hooking good numbers of sharks just off the beaches (with some ranging up to 100+ lbs.). Live and cut baits should get attention from the sharks.
Sheepshead are holding on hard structure throughout the area, and fishing has been especially good around the Figure Eight Bridge recently. Fiddler crabs are producing plenty of action with the sheeps (most 3-5 lbs.) and some black drum feeding in the same areas.
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Dan, of Johnnie Mercer’s Pier, reports that anglers are still catching good numbers of bluefish and spanish mackerel on Gotcha plugs.
Live baiters hooked several tarpon last week, and they landed one.
Live finger mullet fished on the bottom are producing some flounder action.
Bottom fishermen are catching whiting and spot on cut shrimp.
The water is 81.5 degrees.
