Wrightsville Beach June 10, 2004
Tex, at Tex’s Tackle, reports lots of flounder with more fish breaking the 14 inch mark around Rich’s, Topsail, and Masonboro area inlets. The Spanish mackerel bite has returned with fish along all the beaches being caught on gotchas, mackerel trees, and clark spoons. Red drum have begun to move around the waterway areas and will take topwater, spinner baits, or live menhaden. Sheepshead numbers continue to improve, but there have been very few big fish. Cobia up to 41 lbs. are being taken from the beach out to 18 miles. Spadefish have arrived at 10 Mile Boxcars, and amberjack are starting to hit topwater around the schoolhouse. Teenager size king mackerel are scattered in the 10 to 30 mile areas biting slow trolled live bait. Dolphin weighing 5 to 6 lbs. are in the 23 Mile Rock area, and further out to the stream the bigger dolphin are dominating the catch. Bottom fishermen are finding black sea bass from 10 to 20 miles out and grouper 30+ miles.
Dickie, at Tidal Market, reports very good flounder fishing from Rich’s Inlet to Carolina Beach inlet with bigger fish coming out of the Snow’s Cut area. The best bet for red drum fishing is in the river, and sheepshead are showing on pilings in the waterway. Spanish mackerel are biting well, and small kings are in the Boxcar, Dredge Wreck, and Dallas Rock areas on out to the 23 Mile Rock where dolphin are mixed in.
Larry, at Johnnie Mercers Pier, reports bluefish are being caught consistently on the end on gotcha plugs, and spanish mackerel are mixed in. The spanish are biting better on high tides and in the morning. A 2 lb. 2 oz. flounder was weighed in this week and was caught on a strip bait. No kings were caught.
Tyler, at Intracoastal Angler, reports a good dolphin bite if you can make it out to the stream with fish mostly ranging in the 10 to 20 lb. class. Very few and small wahoo and tuna were being caught, and no billfish were reported this week. Snake kings are scattered around 10 mile areas and out. Sheepshead fishing is picking up, and there are plenty of fiddler crabs along the banks for bait. Small flounder are still dominating the inshore catch, and the red drum are moving in the creeks and flats. They are eating small pogies or may take topwater in the morning/evening.
Lewis, at Bug-Em Bait Co., reports a few red drum around Rich’s Inlet and in the Lollipop area behind Wrightsville Beach. They’re biting live bait. Plenty of flounder are in the sounds and creeks biting mud minnows. There are some good catches in Mason’s Inlet if you have a shallow drafting boat. Not many reports from offshore due to rough conditions, but the dolphin should be available from the 23 Mile Rock on out.
