Wrightsville Beach October 13, 2011
Bryan Williams, with a 7 lb., 8 oz. flounder he hooked in 30' of water on a live finger mullet while fishing with Nick Patsalos on the "Slip Slidin."
Chip, of Tex’s Tackle, reports that the speckled trout bite continues to improve throughout the area. Anglers are finding the fish feeding in the inlets, creeks, and marshes around Wrightsville and Carolina beaches and around oyster rocks and grass islands in the Cape Fear River. Live shrimp are tough to beat for the specks, but anglers are also hooking them on a wide variety of artificials including soft plastics, topwater plugs, and suspending and slow-sinking hard baits like MirrOlures.
Anglers are also finding red drum all over the area, from the backwater marshes and creeks to the inlets and the surf zone. The reds will fall for a variety of artificials like topwater plugs and soft plastics. Live and cut baits are also tough for the reds to pass up.
Flounder are still feeding around docks and other structure inshore and in the inlets. Live finger mullet and peanut menhaden along with scented soft plastics like Gulps are the way to go for the flatfish.
Off the beaches, bottom fishermen are reporting some solid gag grouper action at spots starting 10-15 miles out. Plenty of black sea bass are mixed in, and anglers only have until October 17 before the sea bass season closes until next June. It’s tough to beat live and cut baits for the grouper, and the sea bass (and plenty of other bottomfish) will take an interest in squid and smaller cut baits.
Not many boats have made the trip to the Gulf Stream due to the rough seas lately, but the wahoo bite was excellent at last report and should still be going strong when the seas are calm enough for the run to blue water. Some blackfin tuna and other pelagics are mixed in, and all will take an interest in trolled ballyhoo and skirted lures.
Frank, of Intracoastal Angler, reports that flounder fishing is still solid around Wrightsville, where anglers are hooking the fish on live baits and scented soft plastics. Inshore structure like docks and the inlets seem to have been producing the best action with the flatfish lately.
Red drum are mixed in with the flounder, and the drum are feeding just about everywhere from the backs of the creeks on out to the surf zone. Topwater plugs, soft plastics, and a variety of other lures will get attention from the reds, and live and cut baits will also get their attention.
Kyle Delk (age 11), of Wilmington, with a 24" red drum he hooked in the surf at Masonboro Island on a live finger mullet.
Speckled trout fishing keeps improving as the water temperatures fall. Anglers are connecting with the specks in the creeks and channels, the inlets, and around inshore structure in the area. Topwater plugs, soft plastic baits, MirrOlures, and other artificials will fool the trout, but live shrimp are almost impossible for them to resist, though they can be tough to find.
Offshore, anglers can expect to find gag grouper feeding at structure 10-20 miles off the inlets and red and scamp grouper 30 miles and further. Plenty of other bottom feeders are mixed in, and all will take an interest in squid and dead, live, and cut baits along with vertical jigs.
The weather’s been a little too rough for boats to make the run to the Gulf Stream recently, but wahoo and blackfin tuna along with other blue water predators should reward boats making the long haul to the break when the wind calms down.
Rick, of Living Waters Guide Service, reports that large (many 3-5 lbs.) spanish mackerel and false albacore are chasing baits just off Masonboro Inlet. The spanish have also been feeding strong offSouthport. Casting bucktails and small, shiny metal jigs around working birds and fish feeding on the surface will attract attention from the mackerel and albacore.
Sharks are feeding behind shrimp boats just off the beaches, and they will provide fast action and tough battles for anglers drifting with large cut baits near the shrimpers.
Jim, of Plan 9 Fishing Charters, reports that there’s still been a good spanish mackerel bite within a few miles of Masonboro Inlet. Trolling Clarkspoons behind planers is the way to put the mackerel in the boat.
Large sharks are cruising just offshore and feeding around shrimp boats, and it shouldn’t take them long to find a cut bait.
Inshore, there’s been some decent speckled trout and red drum action around the inlets lately. Flounder are feeding in the same areas, and casting MirrOlures and Gulp baits has been putting all three in the boat. The best bite recently has been around both ends of the falling tide, with slower fishing on rising water.
Stephanie Gilliam, of Wilmington, with a 32” red drum she caught and released under a Wrightsville Beach dock after it inhaled a peanut menhaden.
Brandon, of Johnnie Mercer’s Pier, reports that anglers are catching some bluefish on baited rigs and fast-moving metal lures from the pier. Some spanish mackerel were mixed in before last week’s front dirtied up the water, and they should be back when it cleans up.
Some flounder are falling for small live baits fished under the pier.
Bottom fishermen are connecting with some spot and sea mullet at night on shrimp and bloodworms.
The water is 72 degrees.
