Carolina Beach May 27, 2010
Margaret Pennstrom with her first sailfish. It fell for a rigged ballyhoo while she was trolling the Gulf Stream with Capt. Austin Eubank on the "Clearly Hooked." Photo courtesy of Island Tackle and Hardware.
Dennis, of Island Tackle, reports that the area’s flounder bite has finally turned on in earnest, and anglers had some nice catches last week from the river, the inlet, and other spots around Carolina Beach. Live mud minnows and peanut pogies on Carolina rigs are producing most of the flatfish action.
Spanish mackerel are still feeding just off the area’s beaches, with the best action down south around Sheepshead Rock and nearby spots. Trolling with spoons and diving plugs is producing the majority of the action with the spanish, but anglers can also cast small metal lures at schools of fish feeding on the surface to get in on the action.
The king mackerel bite has been solid nearshore lately (with a 41 lb. fish landed on the pier last week). There are some scattered fish along the beaches, but the best action has been around structure and bait in the 5 mile areas. Dead cigar minnows are producing most of the fish, but anglers can also slow-troll live baits like pogies to hook up.
Jeff, of Seahawk Inshore Fishing Charters, reports that anglers are finding some excellent red drum action in the backwaters off the lower Cape Fear River (most fish 25”+ with some over 30”). Schools of the reds (some huge ones) are working through the bays and creeks off the river and offering anglers some excellent sight-casting opportunities. Casting soft plastics like Redfish Magics is producing most of the hookups, but the fish are feeding actively enough to chase topwater plugs as well.
Decent numbers of flounder are mixed in with the reds and falling for soft plastics, and targeting the flounder around creekmouths and channel edges with live baits has been producing some solid flatfish catches.
Some speckled trout are mixed in with the flatties and drum, and the Cape Fear trout bite seems to be getting better by the week.
Sheepshead are feeding at rocky structure throughout the area, and anglers are hooking them (to 7 lbs. recently) on fiddler and mud crab baits dangled close to the structure.
David Blanton with a 41 lb, 12 oz. king mackerel that fell for a live bait fished from the end of Kure Beach Pier.
Brent, of Cape Fear Coastal Charters, reports that there’s been a good king mackerel bite at spots 10-20 miles off Carolina Beach. Both live and dead baits have been producing action with the kings lately.
Some cobia and a few dolphin are feeding in the same areas and will take an interest the live baits.
The grouper bite has been decent at spots in the 30 mile range, and anglers are hooking the fish on cigar minnows, sardines, cut baits, and more. Plenty of smaller bottom feeders are mixed in.
Inshore, the flounder action has turned on in the Cape Fear River. Anglers are hooking up with the flatfish on live baits pinned to Carolina rigs, and the bite’s been best further south in the river.
Brad, of Fish Spanker Charters, reports that bottom fishing around structure 30-40 miles off Carolina Beach is solid right now. Anglers are hooking up with gag, scamp, and red grouper, along with a host of smaller bottom feeders like pinkies, grunts, beeliners, and more.
Squid is the best bait for the smaller bottomfish, while cigar minnows, sardines, and cut and live baits are attracting attention from the groupers.
Trent McCumbee, of Leland, NC, with a 4 lb. flounder he hooked on a 3" Gulp shrimp in a creekmouth in Buzzard's Bay while fishing from his kayak.
Robert, of Carolina Explorer Fishing Charters, reports that bluefish and spanish mackerel are running along the beaches, where anglers can catch them trolling Clarkspoons or casting a variety of metal lures.
Some king mackerel are mixed in, and they’re more likely to fall for a live bait.
Fishing the backwaters off the lower Cape Fear River has been producing plenty of action with red drum. Most are falling for mud minnows and soft plastics, but topwater plugs are becoming effective as well.
The river is also giving up some nice (18-20”) speckled trout and flounder. Live mud minnows and pogies are fooling them.
Robin, of Carolina Beach Pier, reports that plug casters are hooking up with decent numbers of spanish mackerel and bluefish.
Bottom fishing is producing action with bluefish and a few flounder.
Mike, of Kure Beach Pier, reports that anglers are seeing decent numbers of flounder come over the rails. Most are still undersized (but a 4 pounder was landed last week).
Plug casters are finding some spanish mackerel and plenty of bluefish (and the bluefish have increased in size over the past few weeks).
Live baiters landed several king mackerel from the end of the pier last week (with the largest a whopping 41 lbs.).
