Wrightsville Beach November 14, 2013
Jason Gregory, of Kernersville, NC, with 8.25 and 7.33 lb. flounder that bit live baits near Masonboro Inlet while he was fishing on the “Spoils of War.”
Chase, of Tex’s Tackle, reports that the area’s speckled trout bite is heating up as the water cools down. Anglers are connecting with the specks primarily around the area inlets and in the creeks, and topwater plugs and soft plastic baits have been fooling them lately. Suspending hard lures like MirrOlure MR17’s are a good option as well.
Flounder are looking for meals around the inlets and along the beachfront. Anglers are still hooking some inshore, but the majority of the flatfish seem to be on the move and the inlets and nearshore reefs are the best places to look for flatfish numbers right now. Live baits and scented soft lures like Gulps will tempt them to bite.
Red drum are feeding inshore around docks, schooling in the creeks, and looking for meals in the inlets and surf zone. Anglers are hooking solid numbers of the reds on live and cut baits, along with topwater plugs, Gulps, and other artificial lures.
King mackerel have likely cleared out of the inshore waters, but anglers should still be able to find some hungry kings in the 10-20 mile range. Live baits or dead cigar minnows will tempt bites from the kings, and anglers can find them around schooling bait in upper-60’s water temperatures all winter long.
Not many boats have been offshore recently, but the wahoo bite was still going at last report. Anglers are seeing a few late season dolphin as well. Both are falling for skirted ballyhoo.
Brent Hinson, of Wilmington, with a 29″ red drum he caught and released after it struck a chunk of bluefish in Masonboro Inlet. He was fishing with Capt. Jamie Rushing of Seagate Charters.
Bottom fishermen are connecting with gag grouper within 10 miles of the beachfront, but better action (and bigger fish) are around structure 10-20 miles off. Live, dead, and cut baits will all fool the gags, along with black sea bass and other bottom feeders in the same areas.
Rick, of Living Waters Guide Service, reports that anglers are seeing some excellent action when the weather lets them make the run to the Gulf Stream. Blackfin tuna have shown up in force, and anglers are hooking them while trolling ballyhoo and skirted lures or when working topwater plugs and vertical jigs around fish they spot on the surface or depth sounder.
Some wahoo, sailfish, and a few late-season dolphin are also in the blue water mix and falling for the same baits as the tunas.
Closer to the beaches, anglers are finding king mackerel feeding in the 15 mile range and hooking them on trolled and light-lined cigar minnows.
Bottom fishing around structure in the same areas is producing gag grouper, black sea bass, grunts, and more. Dead cigar minnows, sardines, and squid (or live baits like pinfish) will fool the grouper.
Amberjacks are feeding around high-relief structure in the same range, and they will pounce on live baits.
Anglers bouncing bucktail jigs around bottom structure in the 5-10 mile range are hooking decent numbers of flounder.
Tracey McCarter, of High Point, NC, with a 65 lb. wahoo that bit a Ballyhood Express high-speed lure at 15 knots while McCarter was trolling off Wrightsville Beach with Matt Huff on the “Total Chaos.”
Lynn, of Shearwater Charters, reports that there’s been some solid king mackerel action 10-25 miles off the beach in recent weeks (with larger fish closer in and schoolies further out). The fish are falling for live baits, dead cigar minnows, strip bait/sea witch combos, and Drone spoons. Anglers should be able to connect with the kings all winter long wherever they can find water in the upper-60’s and concentrations of bait, often within sight of Frying Pan Tower.
Trevor, of ProFishNC Charters, reports that anglers are still seeing some false albacore chasing bait within sight of the beachfront. Anglers can find the feeding fish under working birds and cast diamond jigs or other small, metal lures into the action to hook up.
Black sea bass are looking for meals at bottom structure in the 5-10 mile range. They’ll bite bucktails, vertical jigs, and bottom rigs with a variety of baits.
Steve, of Johnnie Mercer’s Pier, reports that anglers have been hooking big numbers of slot-sized red drum from the pier lately, mostly on shrimp and sand fleas. Some black drum, sea mullet, and pufferfish are mixed in and also falling for shrimp.
Flounder are feeding under the pier and biting small live baits.
Bluefish are also around, and they’re taking an interest in bottom rigs and casting lures like Gotcha plugs.
The water is 66 degrees.
