Wrightsville Beach – June 4, 2015
Arlen, of Tex’s Tackle, reports that the area’s flounder bite has turned on, and anglers are hooking good numbers in the creeks off the ICW and around area inlets. Live baits and Gulps have been producing most of the flatfish action.
Lourdes Needing, of NY, with a gag grouper that struck a live pinfish 20 miles off Wrightsville Beach while she was fishing with Capt. Mike Jackson of Live Line Charters.
Red drum are feeding along marsh banks and around creek mouths. Anglers can tempt them to bite topwater plugs in the early mornings and on high, falling tides. Gulp baits, spoons, and natural baits will tempt bites from the reds when they aren’t feeding on top.
Sheepshead are feeding around seawalls and bridge and dock pilings in the area. They’ll pounce on fiddler crabs or sand fleas dangled tight to the structure.
Aaron Collier and Grayson Shallo with a doubleheader of cobia they hooked while casting bucktail jigs near a leatherback turtle off the end of Johnnie Mercer’s Pier.
Spanish mackerel are still feeding just off the beachfront. Anglers can tempt them to bite Clarkspoons and squid rigs while trolling or by casting lures like Hogy Epoxy jigs to fish feeding on the surface.
Cobia are still feeding off the inlets and around menhaden schools near the beachfront. Anglers can tempt them to bite live baits or bucktail jigs with large soft plastic trailers.
The king mackerel bite has been on starting at 4-5 miles off the beach, and anglers are hooking the fish on spoons, diving plugs, and live and dead baits.
Some dolphin are moving into the 10-20 mile range and should become more numerous over the coming weeks.
Amberjacks are schooled up at high-relief structure 15-30 miles out, and they’re biting live baits and artificials.
Bottom fishermen are reporting gag grouper action in 85’ of water and deeper, with good scamp and red grouper fishing in 110’+. Cigar minnows and cut and live baits will produce results with the groupers.
Gulf Stream trollers are seeing a few less wahoo than in weeks past, but excellent catches of gaffer dolphin and blackfin tuna. Ballyhoo paired with skirted lures like sea witches and chuggers are fooling the fish.
Blue water anglers are also seeing a surprising number of billfish in 100-150 fathoms offshore of the break, and they’re fooling them with larger ballyhoo and baitless trolling plugs.
Rick, of Living Waters Guide Service, reports that anglers are seeing some scattered dolphin along with wahoo and blackfin tuna while trolling along the break off Wrightsville.
Further offshore in the 100 fathom depths, there have been a decent number of billfish, and boats are encountering white and blue marlin while trolling in the deep. Both rigged ballyhoo and a variety of artificial lures will fool the billfish and meatfish.
Bottom fishing has been good around structure in 100’ of water and deeper. Gag, scamp, and red grouper are all looking for meals around the structure, and anglers are also hooking sea bass, triggerfish, beeliners, porgies, and more while dropping baited bottom rigs and vertical jigs to the structure. Cigar minnows, squid, and cut and live baits are the best bets for the bottom rigs.
Jamie, of Seagate Charters, reports that the flounder bite is improving on the nearshore reefs and wrecks off Wrightsville. Anglers are hooking good numbers of the flatfish on live finger mullet and other baits fished around the structure.
Spanish mackerel and bluefish are still feeding from the beachfront to a few miles offshore, and they’re falling for trolled Clarkspoons and metal casting jigs.
There are still some cobia around in the same areas, where live baits or bucktail jigs will get their attention.
Inshore, the red drum bite is still going on in the creeks, and live peanut menhaden are tempting bites from the reds.
There’s also been some solid action with large speckled trout in the Cape Fear River recently. Soft plastics and suspending lures like Rapala X-Raps are fooling the specks.
Jim, of Plan 9 Charters, reports that there’s been some good king mackerel action at spots 7-25 miles out of Wrightsville recently. The fish are still responding well to trolled spoons, and anglers can also hook them on dead cigar minnows, strip baits, and live baits.
Amberjacks and false albacore are in the same areas and falling for the same offerings.
Dolphin have moved into the 15-23 mile range and will take an interest in cigar minnows, ballyhoo, live baits, or a variety of trolled artificials.
Anglers are seeing a few cobia from the beachfront out to the 25 mile range. The cobes will take an interest in live baits or artificials like bucktail jigs.
Matt, of Johnnie Mercer’s Pier, reports that anglers are hooking some legal flounder on small live baits fished under the pier.
Bottom fishermen baiting up with shrimp are connecting with some sea mullet at night.
Plug casters are finding action with bluefish (some 8-10+ lbs.) and spanish mackerel while working Gotcha plugs from the pier.
Several cobia have been landed by sight-casters and live-baiters fishing the end of the pier this week, and a tarpon was also hooked.
The water is 78 degrees.
