Added on Thursday, June 26, 2008  Gary Hurley

Wrightsville Beach June 26, 2008

Chris, of Tex’s Tackle, reports that tarpon have shown up on the beaches, and anglers are seeing the fish rolling and free jumping near bait. Not many have been hooked yet, but the fish are around and may well surprise anglers trolling live baits for kings or other fish. 

There are still plenty of spanish mackerel and bluefish feeding along the beaches. Boats are hooking up with both fish while trolling Clarkspoons and Deep Divers.

Inshore, flounder fishing just keeps getting better near the inlets and in the creeks. Carolina-rigged mud minnows or Gulp baits will draw strikes from the flounder.

Reds are cruising the creeks and feeding around ICW docks. They’ll fall for live baits, Gulps, topwaters, and other artificials.

King mackerel are still feeding well at spots 10-15 miles offshore with scattered king action in closer. Many people are hooking up with the kings while trolling dead cigar minnows, but some anglers are also catching pogies in the river and live baiting the fish.

Dolphin continue to feed closer to shore, with fish reported from as close as the Liberty Ship lately. Larger numbers of dolphin are coming from between 10-15 miles out and the Gulf Stream. Trolling spreads of rigged ballyhoo or cigar minnows will get the dolphin’s attention.

The largest dolphin are feeding the furthest offshore in the Gulf Stream. Some wahoo are mixed in with them, and the billfish bite is still good, so anglers making the long run to the Stream may be rewarded with some aerial action from a marlin or sailfish.

Grouper action remains good for boats bottom fishing at structure 30 miles and further offshore. Most of the action has come from gags and reds lately. Cigar minnows and northern mackerel will fool the grouper on traditional bottom rigs, and many anglers are also hooking the fish on lighter gear while working butterfly jigs near the structure.

 

Jim, of Plan 9 Charters, reports that anglers are hooking up with red drum around ICW docks. Live baits are the top producers, but the drum will also fall for soft plastics or a variety of other lures.

Spanish mackerel are feeding heavily near the inlet on the outgoing tide. Anglers casting to the fish are having better luck than trollers, as small casting lures like diamond jigs better imitate the tiny baitfish the spanish are chasing.

Some larger spanish (18-20″) are chasing bait around the 5 Mile Boxcars. A lot of juvenile kings are mixed in, however, so anglers should be careful to correctly identify the fish before tossing it in the box. Dead cigar minnows have been producing well on the spanish and kings.

Larger kings (5-10+ lbs.) are feeding at structure in the 10 mile range. Dead cigars have also been fooling these fish, and anglers are also catching some while trolling Yo-Zuri Deep Divers.

 

Rick, of Living Waters Guide Service, reports that king mackerel fishing has been excellent at spots in 85′ and deeper lately. Live baits are producing the best action with the kings, and there has been a lot of bait to the south between the shoals and the Cabbage Patch.

Dolphin are spread out between inshore spots and the Gulf Stream. The bite was good in the 10 mile range last week, and anglers were hooking the fish on topwater plugs after attracting them with ballyhoo teasers.

Ledges in around 110′ produced some excellent red grouper fishing last week, and anglers caught the fish on bait and on butterfly jigs.

Butterfly jigging near the break is producing plenty of amberjacks (with some huge fish to nearly 100 lbs.).

 

Mike, of No Excuses Charters, reports that spanish mackerel, small kings, and bluefish are all feeding in the same areas close to the beaches and at nearshore structure.

Dolphin have started feeding consistently as close in as 10 miles. Most are peanuts, but there are a few larger fish thrown in.

Inshore, red drum are working their way into and out of the inlets as they follow bait with the tides.

Flounder fishing continues to improve with approximately half the fish over the 14″ minimum size limit.

 

James, of Johnnie Mercer’s Pier, reports that anglers are catching a lot of bluefish and spanish mackerel on plugs, with good numbers of juvenile kings mixed in.

Anglers fishing live baits on the bottom are doing well with the flounder.

Bottom fishermen are catching some whiting at night on shrimp.

Live baiters landed three big kings last week, with the largest weighing 29 lbs.

The water is 79.5 degrees.