Wrightsville Beach May 27, 2005
Tex, at Tex’s Tackle, reports that the dolphin are getting some more size to them out at the Steeples, but the tuna and wahoo bite has slacked off. “Chicken Ship” had an excellent day offshore this week with 18 dolphin, and seven of those were over 30 lbs. Mixed in were a couple of tuna and a wahoo. Kings and dolphin are being caught at the 23 Mile Rock in the 8-12 lb. range on cigar minnows and ballyhoo, and a couple of tuna were also reported from that area. Kings from 5-14 lbs. and a few amberjack were caught this week at the Dredge Wreck. Cobia from 15-50 lbs. are along the beaches biting live bluefish and menhaden. Black sea bass are in the 18 mile range, while the grouper bite is around 30-35 miles out. Bluefish weighing from 8-10 lbs. are around the Masonboro Inlet rock jetties along with good numbers of the smaller sized blues. Flounder are everywhere along beaches, inlets, and creeks, but sizes are still small. Red drum are biting live bait along waterway and around docks. The spanish bite has slowed as the big fish have moved north, but the smaller fish are still along the beaches biting Clark spoons.
Dickie, at Tidal Market, reports that cobia are just about everywhere just off the beaches and will take a live menhaden. King mackerel are being caught at the Dredge Wreck and off the area piers. Smaller spanish mackerel in the 15 inch range are still along the beach. Flounder up to 4 pounds with the occasional doormat are in the inlets, waterways, and creeks, and they will eat a live mud minnow or menhaden along with the usual artificials. Black drum and sheepshead fishing improves with catches around docks along the waterway using fiddler crabs for bait. Red drum and trout are biting along the river, and further down towards Bald Head there have been some nice Virginia mullet and croaker catches.
Larry, at Johnnie Mercers Fishing Pier, reports that a bluefish weighing 14 lbs. and measuring 35 inches was the talk of the day. The pier also saw a 8.14 lb. blue weighed in. However, it is the smaller fish that are biting consistently. There was a 5.79 lb. and a 3.02 lb. spanish weighed in this week, but the larger spanish seem to have moved on so the pluggers will have to settle for the smaller sizes. Not much bottom fishing going on except for a 1.78 lb. flounder weighed in.
