The weather conditions around Wrightsville Beach for the past week have been anything but frightful and yes, for the most part, have even been delightful. Above-normal temperatures have helped keep the water temperatures in check and even though it is getting into the latter half of December, they have yet to dip below 55 degrees. The extended forecast, although it does show some rain, doesn’t show much cooler weather anywhere in the foreseeable future.
Offshore, the fishing has been weather dependant and although the days may be warm, there have been plenty of days when the wind has thrown a wrench into any planned ocean fishing excursions. But for those days when the boats could make it out, there has been some solid fishing. Gulf Stream anglers are reporting the wahoo are still around with some tuna mixed in, although as mentioned, those days to make it so far offshore have been extremely limited. Much closer to the beach, fishermen are finding good numbers of keeper black sea bass in the 10-15 mile range. Right along the beach, there are still over slot red drum being found along with nearshore flounder and gray trout.
Inshore, the speckled trout fishing continues to be fairly strong. There are quite a few small fish being caught right now but for those who have the patience to fish hard, there are also plenty of keepers to be caught. Areas around the inlets have been producing well as has the Cape Fear River and some of the deeper creeks and channels around the beach. Some red drum are also being found in the same areas. Soft plastic artificial baits and also hard baits, such as MirrOlures, are all working. And speaking of the river, anglers have started catching some decent-sized stripers in the upper portion near downtown Wilmington. Remember though, this is strictly catch and release.
From the beach, anglers are finding plenty of speckled trout in the sloughs and deeper holes. The same baits are working from the surf as are in the inshore waters. Every angler has a specific tide he likes to fish, but an hour or two on either side of the higher water seems to be the better time. Fresh shrimp is catching black drum, Virginia mullet and blowfish. Sand fleas, if you can find them, will normally draw the interest from the larger mullet, some of which are weighing around 1 ½ pounds. From the pier, anglers are having some luck with mullet, blowfish and black drum as well. Speckled trout are also being reported.
If conditions persist and continue on their present course, the fishing should stay relatively good, for this time of year anyway, right on through the end of the year and maybe even beyond. Enjoy it while you can, because sooner or later we’re going to get a good dose of Old Man Winter.
