Wrightsville Beach Winter 2010
J.R. Pena, from Wilmington, with a heavily spotted red drum he hooked on a Halo shrimp in the Cape Fear River while fishing with Capt. Mark Armstrong.
Tex, of Tex’s Tackle, reports that the water has cooled to the 60 degree mark inshore, and the trout bite’s been excellent inshore (though many of the fish have been small). Some larger specks have been feeding around the inlets and in the surf. Live shrimp and mud minnows along with MirrOlures, soft plastics, and other artificials will fool the specks.
Flounder and red drum are also feeding in the surf zone, and anglers can entice them to bite Gulps and live or cut baits.
Luke Dudley (age 4), with his first speckled trout. It fell for a live shrimp at the Masonboro Jetties while he was fishing with his father.
Anglers baiting up bottom rigs with shrimp and sand fleas in the surf are landing some stout whiting around Wrightsville Beach.
Off the beaches, gray trout are on the feed at the nearshore hard and live bottom areas. There are a lot of small fish, but also decent numbers of quality trout in the mix. Anglers are hooking them on a variety of baits and jigging lures like Shore Lure Glass minnows.
Gag grouper are still feeding fairly close to shore, and some good reports came in from spots in the 18-20 mile range recently. Cigar minnows, live baits, and cut baits will attract attention from the grouper.
Slightly further offshore, anglers are hooking up with some solid red snapper and red grouper around bottom structure further offshore in the 35-40 mile range. They’ll take an interest in the same baits as the gags.
Pat Horning and Phil Luther with Phil's first sailfish. The sail fell for a ballyhoo under a blue/white Ilander near the Steeples while they were fishing on the "Salty Seaman" with capt. Paul Horning.
King mackerel are moving offshore as the water cools for the winter. Lately, anglers have been able to find king action from the Schoolhouse on out to Frying Pan Tower. Generally, anglers can find action with the kings as close as 23 Mile Rock and WR4 until Christmastime. The fish will continue heading offshore as the temperature drops, wintering near the Tower where they can find water in the upper-60’s. Trolling dead cigar minnows, strip baits, and Drone spoons will produce plenty of bites when anglers can find the concentrations of mackerel.
Not many boats have made it to the Stream recently, but there should be some wahoo and blackfin tuna around when the weather lays down enough for anglers to make the run.
Capt. Travis Dant and Owen Wrenn with the result of a striped bass double hookup. They found the fish busting pogies on the surface in the lower Cape Fear River while fishing with Owen's father, Capt. Danny Wrenn of 96 Charter Company.
Frank, of Intracoastal Angler, reports that anglers have been experiencing excellent speckled trout action around Wrightsville lately, with some 50-75 fish days. The fish are feeding in the local inlets, the creeks, off the ICW, and around inshore structure. Anglers are hooking up with them while casting Bass Assassins, Gulps, other soft plastics, and D.O.A. and Billy Bay shrimp imitations, both beneath popping floats and alone.
The red drum bite has also been solid inshore lately, with the fish feeding on the grass flats, around docks, and in the bays and creeks off the ICW. The reds are spooky in the clear water, however, so anglers must be stealthy in order to get close enough to cast to them.
Offshore, the gag grouper bite is on fire at structure 18-20 miles offshore, where anglers are hooking solid numbers on live, dead, and cut baits.
Boats making the run to the Gulf Stream last week found some excellent action. Big numbers of sailfish and wahoo are in the area right now, along with a few black and yellowfin tuna, and anglers will find them around bait concentrations and temperature breaks in the blue water.
Marty Worth, from New York, with a couple of 18" flounder caught in Howe Creek on a Gulp-tipped bucktail.
Jim, of Plan 9 Charters, reports that there’s been some excellent bottom fishing 10-15 miles off the beaches lately. Anglers are hooking keeper gag grouper and some fat sea bass around bottom structure in that range. Bottom rigs baited with squid, cigar minnows, and other baits will fool the gags and bass. Anglers can also hook up with the sea bass on jigging lures like Stingsilvers.
Speckled trout fishing has been excellent around Wrightsville Beach lately (with some 7-8 lb. fish in the mix). Live baits are producing the larger fish, and fishing at night has been the most productive lately.
Rick, of Living Waters Guide Service, reports that anglers are easily limiting out on gag grouper while working bottom structure in the 20-25 mile range with cigar minnows, as well as cut and live baits.
A bit closer to the beaches, some fat black sea bass have moved in to structure in the 5-10 mile range, and anglers are hooking them on jigging lures and on bottom rigs baited with squid and other baits.
Danny, of 96 Charter Company, reports that the speckled trout bite in the Cape Fear River has slowed down since the influx of rainwater last week, but anglers are still finding a few fish in the lower river. Soft plastics and topwater plugs will attract attention from the specks.
Striped bass are still feeding upriver, and they’re falling for soft plastics and crank baits around structure, channel edges, creeks, and schools of bait moving through the river.
Some puppy drum are mixed in with the specks and stripers.
Rob, of Johnnie Mercer’s Pier, reports that anglers are landing some black drum, bluefish, and whiting on bottom rigs baited with shrimp (with good numbers of whiting in the 1-2 lb. range).
Some smaller speckled trout are feeding near the pier. Anglers are picking up a few on the bottom rigs and some on lures and live baits specifically intended for the trout.
