Wrightsville Beach August 8, 2013
Warren Phillips, of Wrightsville Beach, with a 31″ red drum he caught and released at the Masonboro jetties after it inhaled a live finger mullet.
Matt, of Tex’s Tackle, reports that anglers are finding flounder scattered throughout the inshore waters from the inlets to far back up in the creeks. The ratio of keepers to short fish keeps improving, and it now seems more than half of the fish that anglers are catching are legal. Live baits and Gulps are fooling most of the flatfish.
Anglers are also seeing red drum feeding from the inlets to the creeks, with some of the best action in the creeks. Fishing the creek mouths on lower tides and further up when the water’s high has been the best bet. The reds have been biting topwater plugs well and striking live baits and soft plastics when they’re not feeding on top.
Sheepshead are still looking for meals around bridge and dock pilings in the area. They’ll pounce on live fiddler crabs or other crustaceans.
The summer speckled trout bite is still decent as well, with the best reports coming from behind Figure Eight Island recently. The specks are biting topwater plugs early in the day and soft plastics once the sun’s high.
Ladyfish and ribbonfish have inundated the inshore waters as well, and they are a likely bycatch when anglers are looking for the specks, reds, and flatfish.
Surf casters are catching puppy drum, ladyfish, bluefish, croaker, sea mullet, and more on shrimp and cut baits.
The spanish mackerel bite has been good on some recent days and nonexistent on others. Trolling Clarkspoons and other flashy lures in clean water is the way to find and fool the spaniards when they’re feeding.
Large sharks are feeding just off the beachfront and will readily attack dead and cut baits.
Anglers are catching good numbers of king mackerel in the 10-20 mile range, with scattered fish from there to the beachfront, where the piers have decked good numbers recently (with some fish over 30 lbs.). Live baits like menhaden and bluefish are fooling most of the kings.
Mate/Chef John Kraus with a 5 lb. triggerfish that he hooked while fishing some bottom structure in 100′ of water off Wrightsville Beach with Capt. Dave Gardner aboard the headboat “Vonda Kay.”
A few cobia are still feeding along the beachfront and around nearshore structure. Most are falling for live and dead baits on the bottom right now.
Some tarpon are also cruising the beaches and biting live and dead baits.
Bottom fishermen are hooking gag grouper at structure in the 10-20 mile range. Some black sea bass are mixed in. Red and scamp groupers and other smaller bottomfish are feeding further out in 90’ and deeper. Live and dead baits are the best bet for the grouper, while cut baits and squid will fool the smaller bottom dwellers.
Gulf Stream trollers are reporting a surprising summer wahoo bite along the break. A few dolphin, blackfin tuna, and billfish are in the mix, and all are taking an interest in naked and skirted ballyhoo.
Rick, of Living Waters Guide Service, reports that there’s been a solid gag grouper bite around bottom structure in the 70-80’ depths recently. Grunts, sea bass, and porgies are feeding in the same areas. Live and dead baits are fooling the gags, with cut baits and squid tempting bites from the smaller bottomfish.
Further offshore, anglers are also encountering red and scamp grouper, triggerfish, and a host of other bottom dwellers, and they’re hooking them on the same baits along with vertical jigs.
King mackerel fishing has been decent at spots 15-25 miles out lately, with live menhaden fooling most of the fish (some to 30+ lbs.).
Some large spanish mackerel (3-5+ lbs.) are looking for meals 15-20 miles out. Anglers can tempt them to bite live baits or trolling spoons.
Kaith Harabin with a 23″, 4.5 lb. flounder that bit a live finger mullet in Masonboro Inlet.
Trevor, of ProFishNC Charters, reports that with water temperatures unseasonably cool for August, anglers may see the fall bite start a bit early this year. There’s been solid red drum action around Wrightsville Beach lately around the inlets, ICW docks, and in the creeks. Most of the reds are falling for live baits, but anglers can also cast a variety of artificials with success.
Flounder are feeding in the creeks as well, and they seem to be getting larger (with more keepers than throwbacks now). Live and Gulp baits are fooling the flatfish.
The flounder bite is also turning on at nearshore structure in the ocean, where anglers are fooling the fish with live baits and Gulp-tipped bucktail jigs.
Lynn, of Shearwater Charters, reports that there’s been a decent king mackerel bite going on 8-20 miles off Wrightsville, with scattered fish along the beachfront out to the 5 mile range as well. Live and strip baits, dead cigar minnows, and trolling spoons will fool the kings.
Bottom fishing at spots around 20 miles out remains productive, with anglers landing gag grouper, sea bass, red porgies, and more. Dead and cut baits are producing most of the action with the bottom dwellers. Some cobia are in the same areas and taking an interest in live and dead baits.
Higher relief structure in the 20 mile range is holding plenty of amberjacks, which will pounce on live baits.
Along the beachfront, the spanish mackerel bite has slowed down, but anglers are catching some large sharks on cut and dead baits.
Matt, of Johnnie Mercers Pier, reports that anglers landed some spanish mackerel and bluefish while working Gotcha plugs from the pier last week.
Several king mackerel and a cobia were decked by anglers live-baiting from the end of the pier.
Bottom fishermen have been hooking some slot red drum on sand fleas and a few keeper flounder on small live baits.
The water is 80 degrees.
