Wrightsville Beach July 11, 2013
Jonathan Schudin, of Raleigh, with a 30″ red drum that bit cut menhaden near Wrightsville Beach while he was fishing with Capt. Jamie Rushing of Seagate Charters.
Hunter, of Tex’s Tackle, reports that dolphin are providing consistent action for trollers working the 20-30 mile range off Wrightsville. Most are falling for ballyhoo paired with skirted trolling lures, but live baits and dead cigar minnows will also tempt bites from the ‘phins. Some sailfish are feeding in the same area, but the sail bite hasn’t truly heated up yet. Ballyhoo are the best bets for anglers looking to hook up with the sails, and trolling teasers like daisy chains, dredges, or spreader bars will up anglers’ odds of a sail encounter.
Much of the same action is going on for boaters making the run to the Gulf Stream, with scattered blackfin tuna, wahoo, and marlin, but the blue water bite hasn’t been red hot. Skirted ballyhoo are the way to go for all the offshore pelagics.
Bottom fishing in the 20-30 mile range is producing plenty of action with legal black sea bass for anglers dropping small vertical jigs or bottom rigs baited with squid and cut baits.
Gag grouper are looking for meals at the same structure and will bite live baits or dead cigar minnows, sardines, and mackerel. Scamp and red grouper are holding around structure further offshore, and they will strike the same baits.
King mackerel have been feeding alongside the dolphin and as close as the 10 mile range. Live baits or dead cigar minnows will fool the kings.
The water’s still a bit dirty along the beachfront for good spanish mackerel action, but anglers who find clean water should be able to find some hungry spaniards. Trolling Clarkspoons, daisy chains, or other small, flashy lures is the best way to tempt bites from the spanish, and they will also fool plenty of bluefish feeding in the same areas.
Inshore, the red drum and flounder bite remains solid around the inlets and in the marshes. Live finger mullet and peanut menhaden are tough for either fish to turn down. Anglers can also hook both on Gulp baits and other soft plastics, and they can tempt the reds to bite gold spoons, spinnerbaits, and topwater plugs.
Ladyfish have shown up in the surf and inshore. The best bet for anglers looking to hook up with the ladies is around lighted docks and bridges in the evening hours. Small baitfish imitations like Yo-Zuri 3D Minnows or smaller topwaters are some of the best artificials.
Trevor, of ProFishNC Charters, reports that anglers are hooking big numbers of flounder in the inlets and creeks right now. The area’s finger mullet are now large enough to be good flounder baits and are abundant all over the inshore waters. Drifting with mullet pinned to circle-hook Carolina rigs has been the best bet for the flatfish lately. Gulp baits on jigheads and bucktails will also tempt bites.
James Hargrove wityh a 6.92 lb. sheepshead that bit a live fiddler crab near a Wrightsville Beach dock.
Some large chopper bluefish (10-15 lbs.) are also looking for meals in the inlets and will bite a variety of baits and lures.
Red drum are feeding around structure like docks inshore, and they have a tough time turning down live mullet and menhaden. Gulp baits are also good choices for anglers looking for the reds.
Jamie, of Seagate Charters, reports that anglers are still seeing a good speckled trout bite near the local inlets. Topwater plugs have been effective on the specks in the early morning hours, with soft plastics and suspending hard baits fooling the fish later in the day.
Red drum are feeding in the creeks, around ICW structure, and in the inlets. The reds will fall for live and cut baits or a variety of artificial lures like soft plastics and topwater plugs.
Like the reds, flounder are feeding throughout the inshore waters. They’ll pounce on small live baits or soft plastics like Gulps.
Ladyfish have shown up inshore and will bite a variety of flashy baitfish imitators, especially around lighted structure in the evening hours.
Lynn, of Shearwater Charters, reports that anglers are connecting with king mackerel and dolphin as soon as they can find clean water offshore. The water color change has been hovering around 18 miles offshore recently. Trolling rigged ballyhoo or dead cigar minnows will fool both fish.
Bottom fish like sea bass, grunts, and grouper are looking for meals at bottom structure in the same range and will strike squid, cut baits, and cigar minnows or sardines.
Dirty water on the beach has the spanish mackerel bite a bit off, but it should improve as soon as the water conditions do.
Steve, of Johnnie Mercer’s Pier, reports that anglers are hooking some sheepshead while dangling sand fleas near the pilings.
Bluefish are biting Gotcha plugs and bottom rigs, and plug casters have also been hooking some spanish mackerel when the water’s clean.
Flounder are feeding under the pier and will take an interest in small live baits fished on the bottom.
Anglers baiting up with shrimp are hooking some sea mullet.
The water is 81 degrees.
