Wrightsville Beach – July 2026
Tex, of Tex’s Tackle, reports that inshore anglers have been chipping away at some scattered red drum, as these fish are spread out. Natural baits are a great option, but whatever anglers choose to rig up, they should be prepared to do some bouncing around to stay on a bite.
Topwater plugs are another good option if on the water in the early morning, and topwaters also open the opportunity to catch a speckled trout.
Flounder are staged up everywhere from the jetty rocks to back around docks and grass banks in the ICW. Soft plastics or a Carolina-rigged live bait are two good options to entice strikes from them.
Nearshore anglers have been catching some spanish mackerel and bluefish, but both species are scattered.
The offshore fishing has been good for mahi. As water temperatures continue to heat up, these fish will start spreading out and pushing into areas around 20 miles out (and even much closer).
Grouper fishing has remained strong for anglers fishing structure 15+ miles out.
The billfish bite is good for those making the longer run out to the Gulf Stream.
Jackson, of Intracoastal Angler, reports that the red drum action has been steady, even with these fish traveling in smaller groups and scattered about. Topwater plugs make a great bait for scouting oyster areas and longer stretches of grass banks. This tactic is best for anglers on the water in the early mornings.
At other times, a Carolina-rigged cut or live bait has been the top bait choice for red drum. Anglers’ main target areas for the bait fishing has been docks and creek mouths from the waterway to the inlet.
A few speckled trout are mixed in the action, and they’re mostly being caught by anglers throwing topwaters in the early morning.
Flounder are all over the place, and any live bait or artificial put near the bottom is getting strikes.
Grabbing some fiddler crabs and targeting the deeper dock pilings and bridges has been producing a mix of black drum and sheepshead.
Off the beach, spanish mackerel fishing has been steady. The schools are scattered, but trolling a variety of spoons or sight-casting metal jigs is getting some fish in the boat.
Bluefish are in the shallow waters off the surf and will hit the same offerings, and a few king mackerel are scattered in along the beach, too.
Anglers bottom fishing with chunks of cut bait at the jetties have caught a few big red drum.
Further off, mahi action in the 25-50 mile range has been pretty good, with anglers catching fish on ballyhoo under Sea Witches in a multitude of colors or by pulling Sea Vixen flying fish imitations.
The bottom fishing action has been great for triggerfish, vermilion snapper, and black sea bass.
Pushing further offshore, a ton of billfish are around (both blue marlin and sailfish) in the 50+ mile range.
Glenn Herrington, of Wilmington, with a 27” speckled trout caught behind Masonboro Island on a 4” weedless paddle tail.
Pierre, of Rising Sun Fishing, reports that red drum are the most consistent bite, with topwaters being a great way to locate fish first thing in the morning. As the day moves on, switch over to cut bait.
Spanish mackerel are off the beach (35-40’ range), but the bite has been spotty. The key is to drop down the lure size and rip those smaller lures quickly around bait. The Hogy Epoxy jigs have been one of the best producers.
Flounder are showing up all over, with fresh bait being the key to generating bites.
Some black drum can be found up under docks when using fiddler crabs rigged on Carolina rigs.
If targeting sheepshead, use the same bottom rig setups around structure but make sure to not use circle hooks.
Victor, of Carolina Charters, reports that the sheepshead bite is seeing plenty of 12-18” fish around. The bite has been better on the lower tides around structure such as docks or oyster beds, and the best baits have been fiddler and mud crabs.
Black drum are set up under docks and will hit the same baits used to target sheepshead.
Anglers focusing on red drum will do best with natural baits such as cut mullet or menhaden.
Cole, of Island Guides, reports that the red drum bite has been a little inconsistent, with some days producing solid action and others requiring a lot of searching. The lack of widespread bait has certainly played a role, but as more bait continues to arrive throughout July, expect the bite to improve. Most of the better redfishing has come from areas holding the highest concentrations of bait, especially around moving water and structure.
Flounder fishing has seen significantly better numbers, and the average size has been impressive. Both artificial lures and live bait presentations have been producing quality fish.
Speckled trout are still around, but the bite has been limited primarily to the early morning hours, particularly around deeper water and current. The action tends to fade quickly once the sun gets higher in the sky.
Nearshore, spanish mackerel are being caught mostly along the beaches by casting Big Nic Spanish Candies or trolling Clarkspoons behind #1 or #2 planers. Expect to encounter a few bluefish mixed in with the spanish.
Offshore, the gag grouper bite has been excellent in the 20-30 mile range. Live pinfish have been the most productive bait, especially when fished around areas of hard bottom and live bottom that are holding plenty of bait.
A few cobia may appear while working these same offshore areas.
Matt, of Johnnie Mercers Pier, reports that anglers bottom fishing have been catching baby sharks, pompano, sea mullet, croakers, bluefish, and flounder.
Those sight-casting are hooking both spanish mackerel and bluefish, and king mackerel are around.
