Wrightsville Beach – November 12, 2015
Arlen, of Tex’s Tackle, reports that anglers are seeing some solid speckled trout fishing as the fall season cranks up around Wrightsville. The best action has been on rising tides around deep marsh banks and creek mouths. The specks will bite a variety of lures, but MirrOlure MR17’s, Storm Shrimp, and Mambo Mullet have all been particularly effective lately.
Red drum are feeding in the same areas and around the inlets. Topwater plugs and Gulp baits rigged weedless have been top drum producers in recent days.
Anglers are hooking flounder around the inlets and inshore structure like docks while casting live mud minnows and finger mullet or Gulp baits rigged on jigheads.
Surf casters are reporting some red drum action along with bluefish, spot, and some fat sea mullet. There’s also been a good spot bite in the ICW around Figure Eight Island.
Citation-class red drum are feeding around the Masonboro jetties, bait schools, and nearshore structure off Wrightsville. Large cut baits on big circle hooks are the way to connect with the reds.
King mackerel are feeding hard 5-15 miles offshore, and anglers are hooking big numbers on Drone spoons and dead cigar minnows, with some larger fish on slow-trolled live baits. There were also an unusual amount of dolphin landed 10-20 miles out by king fishermen last week, but they’ll be moving offshore quickly as the water cools.
Gulf Stream trollers are reporting solid catches of wahoo when they can get out, with the best action around the Nipple and Same Ol’ Hole. Most are falling for skirted ballyhoo, but anglers are also hooking up while pulling high-speed lures around bait marks.
Blackfin tuna are in the same areas and biting ballyhoo along with smaller trolling lures like cedar plugs and green machines. Anglers are also connecting with the tuna while working vertical jigs and topwater poppers around fish they see on the surface or depth sounder.
Good numbers of sailfish (and some large ones) have been mixed in with the tuna and wahoo, so anglers should keep a naked pitch bait at the ready in case a sail comes calling.
Bottom fishermen have been connecting with solid numbers of gag grouper and some large sea bass at spots in the 70-90’ depths lately. They’ll bite a variety of baits but Decoy Jigs tipped with cigar minnows and Blue Blue jigs have both been effective lately.
Grouper fishing out deeper in the 120’ area has been a bit slower, but anglers are picking up plenty of large triggerfish and beeliners at the deeper bottom.
J.J. Khoury, of Wilmington, with a 10 lb. flounder that bit a live bait in the ICW north of Wrightsville Beach while he was fishing with friends.
Jamie, of Seagate Charters, reports that the speckled trout bite has turned on throughout the Wrightsville area, and anglers are hooking excellent numbers while working Back Water Candy soft plastics and other artificial lures.
Red drum are looking for meals around docks and in the inlets. Cut and live menhaden and mullet are top choices for anglers looking to connect with the reds.
Flounder are still looking for meals in many of the same areas as the reds and trout, and they’re fooling them with soft plastics and live baits.
Bluefish, false albacore, and spanish mackerel are on the feed from Masonboro Inlet to a few miles offshore. Anglers can hook all three while trolling flashy lures like Clarkspoons or casting jigs like Blue Water Candy Slingshots to fish they spot feeding on top.
Kelsey Lingerfelt, of Wilmington, with a 19″ speckled trout that bit a soft plastic bait near Wrightsville Beach while she was fishing with her boyfriend, Warren Phillips, and his parents.
Rick, of Living Waters Guide Service, reports that anglers are connecting with some wahoo, blackfin tuna, and sailfish when the weather lets them make the run to the Gulf Stream at present. Most are falling for trolled lures, but anglers are also hooking blackfins on vertical jigs and topwater poppers.
Closer to the beaches, bottom fishing has been excellent from the 80’ depths on out. Gag grouper, black sea bass, and a host of other tasty bottom feeders are looking for meals in that range, and they’re biting live, dead, and cut baits. Vertical jigs will also attract attention from the bottomfish.
Frank Dalli, of Wake Forest, NC, with a 71 lb. wahoo that bit a ballyhoo under a Blue Water Candy JAG while he was trolling near the Same Ol’ Hole with Capt. Mike Jackson of Live Line Charters.
Jim, of Plan 9 Charters, reports that anglers have been seeing a phenomenal king mackerel bite at structure in the 10 mile range recently (with most fish 10-20 lbs.). False albacore and some stray spanish mackerel are mixed in, and all three are falling for cigar minnows on dead bait rigs.
Bottom fishing in the 15-20 mile range is producing plenty of action with keeper sea bass and gag grouper along with some triggerfish and cobia. Cigar minnows and cut baits will fool the bottom feeders.
Nicole Stewart with a flounder she hooked on a finger mullet near a Wrightsville Beach dock while fishing with Capt. Jason Shi of Simple Life Charters.
Lynn, of Shearwater Charters, reports that anglers are seeing some decent king mackerel action at spots 10-20 miles off Wrightsville right now, along with a few false albacore and dolphin.
Bottom fishing has been solid in the same range, with gag grouper, black sea bass, and many more tasty species biting cigar minnows and other baits.
Steve Wright, of Wilmington, with a 5.03 lb. speckled trout that bit a live mullet in a creek behind Masonboro Island.
Warren, of Johnnie Mercer’s Pier, reports that anglers are connecting with big numbers of bluefish while working lures like Gotcha plugs from the pier.
Red drum (from slot-sized to citation-class) are biting finger mullet and cut baits around the pier.
Anglers bottom fishing with shrimp and other small baits are hooking good numbers of sea mullet and pufferfish.
The water is 71 degrees.
