Carolina Beach October 23, 2008
Brandon Peterson with a red drum caught and released at Johns Creek using a Carolina-rigged live mullet.
Seth, of Reel Bait and Tackle, reports that anglers are finding some excellent flounder fishing in Carolina Beach Inlet, with a few large fish (several to 11+ lbs. were weighed in last week) coming from Snow’s Cut and the Cape Fear River. Live finger mullet on Carolina rigs are producing most of the action with the flatfish.
The speckled trout bite is getting better as the water cools off, and anglers are finding the fish around grass islands and other structure in the Cape Fear River and at spots near Carolina Beach Inlet. MirrOlures, DOA shrimp, and live mullet and shrimp are producing most of the action with the specks.
There are still a few red drum feeding around docks off the ICW, but most of the fish have pushed out to the surf and are running the backsides of the breakers. Cut baits should fool the fish in the surf, and anglers can hook up while fishing live finger mullet or Gulps inshore.
Gray trout are schooling up around nearshore structure like Johns Creek and Sheepshead Rock, and they’re also feeding in the inlets. Live and cut baits will produce results with the grays, and anglers can also vertically work lures like Stingsilvers over the nearshore structure to hook up.
There’s still a solid king mackerel bite on the beaches from Topsail down to Southport, and anglers are hooking most of the fish while trolling live pogies. The pogies are starting to get pretty scarce on the beaches north of Cape Fear, but there are still good numbers schooled up off Southport. Although, they are getting more scattered as the weather cools off.
Some big spanish mackerel are mixed in with the kings and falling for live baits. Anglers are catching some smaller spanish while trolling Clarkspoons.
The grouper bite has been decent 30+ miles off the beach, where anglers are hooking reds and a few gags. Cigar minnows and cut baits are producing most of the action with the grouper.
Gulf Stream trollers are hooking up with good number of wahoo and a few blackfin tuna when the weather lets them get offshore.
Joe and Mario, of Wallace, with a couple of the sheepshead they caught while fishing Masonboro Inlet.
Bruce, of Flat Dawg Charters, reports that the nearshore king mackerel bite has been excellent off Southport recently. Anglers trolling live pogies and mullet are hooking up with kings (some exceeding 30 lbs.) along the beachfront and just off the inlets and at nearshore structure like Yaupon Reef and the river channel.
Gray trout are schooling up at nearshore structure on this side of the Cape, like Johns Creek and Sheepshead Rock. Anglers can hook them by vertically jigging with Stingsilvers or on bottom rigs baited with cut mullet.
Speckled trout fishing is solid in the Cape Fear River and at spots around Carolina Beach lately, with most of the fish falling for live shrimp fished beneath floats. Some black drum are mixed in with the specks, and they’re also falling for the shrimp.
Katlyn Hodge (age 11), from Wilmington, with a 4.3 lb. flounder caught on cut mullet from the north end of Carolina Beach.
Brad, of Fish Spanker Charters, reports that grouper are still feeding at structure like ledges and live bottoms 30-40 miles offshore. Reds are making up the majority of the catch with a few gags mixed in, and anglers are hooking both on cigar minnows, cut baits, and live baits.
Other bottomfish including beeliners, grunts, triggerfish, and pinkies are holding on the same structure, and they will take an interest in pieces of squid on bottom rigs.
King mackerel are feeding in the same areas as the bottomfish, and live baits or dead cigar minnows fished on weightless light lines will get their attention.
Kira, of Kure Beach Pier, reports that anglers are catching decent numbers of spot on Fish Bites imitation bloodworms.
Some spanish mackerel were taking an interest in Gotcha plugs before the wind got the water dirty last weekend.
