Wrightsville Beach July 23, 2009
Holly Hendrickson, from Wendell, NC, and Traci Price, from Wilmington, with dolphin and kings they hooked at the Nashville while trolling with Tim Price. Yellow-skirted ballyhoo fooled most of the fish.
Arlen, of Tex’s Tackle, reports that the spanish mackerel bite is still good on the beach.
Anglers are catching good numbers of the fish while trolling Clarkspoons. There are some larger spaniards (5+ lbs.) around and feeding on the abundant schools of pogies near the beach, and free-lining or slow-trolling a pogy around the schools is a better way to tempt the larger spanish.
King mackerel have also been feeding strong along the beaches (with most teenage-class fish and a few larger), and anglers can hook up with them on the live pogies, too.
Some tarpon have also been spotted feeding in the pogy schools, and anglers may be able to tempt them to strike a live pogy as well.
The dolphin bite remains strong 20-30 miles offshore, and anglers are catching the fish on both live and dead baits. A decent number of sailfish are mixed in with the dolphin, and some king mackerel are feeding in the same vicinity, too. Boats making the run to the Gulf Stream recently have been rewarded with decent wahoo fishing and a few white marlin releases.
Bottom fishermen should be able to find some grouper action around bottom structure 20-40 miles off the beaches. Vertical jigging or dropping bait rigs with live or cut baits or cigar minnows will tempt the groupers to strike when anglers can find them.
Inshore, the flounder fishing has been solid lately. There are still plenty of short fish mixed in with the keepers, but the ratio of keepers to throwbacks continues to improve. Live finger mullet or peanut pogies on Carolina rigs will fool the flounder, and anglers can also cast Gulp baits with success.
The red drum bite’s been solid in the marshes behind Figure Eight and to the north. Anglers are hooking most of the reds on topwater plugs and spoons, with some fly-fishermen getting in on the action, too.
Andy and Carrie Bean, from Evansville, IN, with a stout king mackerel that fell for a live pogy while they were fishing with Capt. Philip Thompson of AUI Charters off Wrightsville Beach.
Frank, of Intracoastal Angler, reports that anglers are finding lots of flounder inshore in the area. The bite’s been good around the jetties, in the creeks, and on the grass flats, and anglers are catching the fish on live baits and Gulps.
Red drum are feeding behind Wrightsville and to the north, and soft plastics and topwater plugs are drawing bites from them.
The big pogy schools are still around the Wrightsville beachfront, and large spanish mackerel are in the area feeding on them. A free-lined pogy should be too much for the big spanish to resist.
Offshore, king mackerel, dolphin, and sailfish are feeding 10-30 miles from land. Both live and dead baits will fool them.
Rick, of Living Waters Guide Service, reports that the king mackerel and dolphin bite is steady around structure 20-30 miles offshore, and anglers are hooking up with both fish while slow-trolling live pogies. A few cobia are also mixed in.
Bottom fishing in the same areas has produced some big grunts and legal American red snapper lately. Live pogies are fooling those fish as well.
Further offshore, African pompano are holding around Frying Pan Tower, and anglers can tempt them to strike by trolling pogies close to the structure.
Bottom fishing at ledges near the Tower has been producing some action with red grouper and other bottomfish. Live baits are also good bets for the groupers.
Jim, of Plan 9 Charters, reports that the spanish mackerel bite has been excellent just outside the inlet. Trolling Clarkspoons behind in-line sinkers or planers is the way to hook up with the spanish.
King mackerel are feeding from the beaches out to the 10-12 mile areas. Dead cigar minnows on Hank Brown rigs are fooling the kings and the few remaining dolphin in the area.
Vance Hardy (age 8), from Wilmington, with a spanish mackerel he hooked on a Clarkspoon just inshore of the Liberty Ship. He was fishing with his uncle and grandfather Rob and Bob Tennille.
Danny, of 96 Charter Company, reports that anglers are finding action with king mackerel at spots 5-10 miles off Wrightsville Beach. Live pogies are the best baits for the kings.
Inshore, there’ve been some red drum feeding in Masonboro Sound, and anglers can hook them on Carolina-rigged finger mullet.
Rob, of Johnnie Mercer’s Pier, reports that live-baiters had excellent action with king mackerel towards the middle of last week, and anglers caught well over a dozen kings before the bite slowed with the weekend’s winds and dirty water.
This week’s calm forecast should turn the fish back on. Some sharks and tarpon have been feeding alongside the kings, so anglers could hook up with them on live baits, too.
Plug casters caught some spanish mackerel and bluefish last week.
Bottom fishermen hauled black drum, spadefish, and some croaker over the rails last week, along with a few flounder.
The water is 82 degrees.
