Wrightsville Beach November 17, 2011
Capt. Blair White, of Tightline Charters, and Josiah Gladden with a pair of slot red drum Gladden and his father landed near Wrightsville Beach after they bit live finger mullet.
Chip, of Tex’s Tackle, reports that anglers are finding some solid bottom fishing out of Wrightsville Beach right now. The gag grouper bite has been good at structure in the 10-20 mile range lately (though anglers have to weed through plenty of sea bass to get to the gags). Frozen squid, cigar minnows, and sardines or live and cut baits will tempt bites from the grouper. Red and scamp grouper are feeding at structure a bit further offshore (30+ miles) and will fall for the same baits or vertical jigs.
The king mackerel bite is still happening, with most of the action in the 30 mile range last week. Excellent reports have also been coming in from the Frying Pan Tower area. Live baits like menhaden and bluefish or dead cigar minnows are the tickets to king mackerel bites.
The wahoo bite is on fire in the Gulf Stream right now, and boats brought back big numbers last weekend. Trolling large ballyhoo under skirted lures, both on the surface and deep behind planers, is the way to go for the wahoo. Solid numbers of sailfish are mixed in with the wahoo and have been falling for the same baits, though smaller ballyhoo rigged naked are more to their liking. A few blackfin tuna and dolphin have also been reported lately.
Inshore, speckled trout fishing has been excellent, and anglers are finding the specks just about everywhere imaginable. MirrOlures, Gulp baits, and other soft plastics are tempting the trout to bite.
Some red drum are mixed in with the specks and taking an interest in the same baits.
Surf casters are reporting action with speckled trout, flounder, and good catches of sea mullet. The specks and flounder are taking an interest in soft plastics, and the sea mullet are falling for shrimp and sand fleas on bottom rigs.
Steve, of Intracoastal Angler, reports that speckled trout fishing is excellent inshore right now. Anglers are finding the fish in the creeks and around oyster bars and other structure. Paddletail grubs have been particularly effective lately, but anglers can also hook up on MirrOlures or live baits.
Red drum are also on the feed inshore. They’ve been easy to find in deeper holes near oyster bars at the lower tidal stages lately. Good numbers of fish are also feeding on fiddler crabs on flooded grass flats at higher tides, providing exciting sight-casting opportunities for anglers who go looking for them. Live baits, Gulps and other soft plastics, and topwater plugs will all attract attention from the reds.
Coel Argay (age 8), from Cary, NC, with his first dolphin, which fell for a blue/white skirted ballyhoo just north of the Same Ol' while he was fishing with his father and friends on the "Sandy Beach."
The cooling weather has flounder on the move, and anglers have put together some solid catches in the inlets lately (with many fish 18+”). Live finger mullet (when anglers can find them) and scented soft plastics like Gulp baits are the way to go for the flatfish.
Offshore, bottom fishermen have found some solid grouper action within 20 miles of the beaches. The fish are feeding around bottom structure in 70-80’ of water and will take an interest in a variety of frozen, fresh, or live baits.
King mackerel action has picked up, and boats found some excellent king fishing near Frying Pan Tower last week. Live baits like menhaden are top choices for the kings, but anglers can hook plenty on dead cigar minnows as well.
A solid temperature break near the Steeples produced some fast wahoo action for anglers making the run to blue water last week, and the fish should be around into the winter whenever warm water is within range of local boats. Some blackfin tuna and sailfish were also reported last weekend, and all are taking an interest in skirted and naked ballyhoo.
Jim, of Plan 9 Charters, reports that bottom fishing in the 10-15 mile range off Wrightsville has been producing some gag grouper action lately. Big numbers of sea bass and sharks are feeding at the same structure as the groupers, though, so anglers should be prepared to weed through plenty of both in order to get to the grouper. Cigar minnows and live or cut baits are top choices for the grouper.
Inshore, the speckled trout bite has been phenomenal throughout the area (though many of the fish are on the small side). They’ve been biting Gulps and other soft plastic baits, and the larger fish seem to have been coming from spots closer to the inlets, with smaller spikes feeding in the creeks and elsewhere further inshore.
Whitney Evick, of Wilmington, with a 32" red drum that bit a live finger mullet in Masonboro Inlet.
Brandon, of Johnnie Mercer’s Pier, reports that anglers are catching big numbers of sea mullet on bottom rigs baited with shrimp.
Anglers casting Gulp baits are hooking speckled trout in the early mornings, along with some flounder and a few red drum.
Bluefish are numerous near the pier and biting just about everything.
The water is 65 degrees.
