The month of April is one eagerly awaited by anglers as it is usually the first opportunity to catch a variety of fish after a long, cold and dreary winter. Well, so far, the month has not disappointed as fishing activity has increased daily and water temperatures have already warmed into the mid 60s.
Sea conditions subsided enough for anglers to head off the beach and see what was waiting and many were not disappointed. And in yet another typical April pattern, some unusual weather is forecast to make its way into the region in the coming week. We’ll have to wait to see if the long-range forecast holds true, but if it does, then below-normal temperatures and lots of rain will more than likely follow an unseasonable weather event, so get out there while you can, just in case the weather has an impact on both the fish and the fishermen next week.
Atlantic bonito have arrived off of Wrightsville Beach, something you may already know if you have been awaiting their arrival and keep calling the local tackle shops for updates. While some fish were found within one mile of the beach, the better fishing was between three and five miles out around some of the near-shore reefs. While trolling spoons and small artificial plugs will work, most anglers elect to find the busting schools of fish and sight cast into them while drifting nearby. As pointed out numerous times over the last few years, fishing etiquette is a must when several boats are fishing the same schools of fish. Stop your boat upwind or up-current of the school, turn off your motor, and drift toward them or allow them to come toward you. Running up on a school of fish will only make them sound to deeper water and even worse, you’ll probably get some choice words from those fishing nearby. Small weighted spoons are the main choice of anglers and with so many varieties out there, visit your local tackle store to see what’s been working. Another thing to remember about these fish is they don’t freeze very well and are best eaten fresh.
Offshore, the wahoo and some gaffer dolphin were caught over the weekend in the Gulf Stream. Some blackfin tuna were also reported. Conditions don’t look all that favorable for the weekend due to a cold front moving through but the fishing should only continue to get better as we progress toward May.
Inshore, the red drum fishing continues to be strong with lots of fish being reported coming from the creeks and waterway. Some speckled trout are also being caught in local waters but better fishing is still being found around New River and also the lower Cape Fear River. Pier and surf anglers are finding fresh shrimp is producing some decent bites from Virginia mullet, blowfish and a few black drum. Bluefish are being caught on Got-Cha Plugs.
With the arrival of the Atlantic bonito, the Spanish mackerel should not be too far behind if they’re not here already. Areas around Sheepshead Rock are normally the first to produce but it wouldn’t surprise me to hear of some off our beach in the coming days. Hopefully there will be some Spanish mackerel reports in next week’s edition!
