45.3 F
Wrightsville Beach
Tuesday, March 19, 2024

Fishing report

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The heat and humidity have been ruthless for anglers during the month of July and there’s no major relief in sight. But despite these conditions, the fishing has remained fairly steady and in some aspects rather decent depending on what you are fishing for. Water temperatures have crept into the mid-80s, which is very warm for any type of fishing, but even with this, anglers are having plenty of success. Obviously the fishing is not as frantic as the cooler days of spring or fall, but there are plenty of opportunities out there for anglers to have some good days of fishing if they plan accordingly and have a little bit of luck on their side.

Ocean fishing from the beach out to the Gulf Stream has been hit or miss mainly because of the weather patterns and the high temperature of the ocean waters. When anglers can get out they have enjoyed some pretty good summertime fishing. Along the beaches, the Spanish mackerel are still schooling up in water depths between 25-35 feet. Most anglers are targeting them by trolling 00 Clark Spoons on fluorocarbon leaders. The fluorocarbon is an important tactic for anglers to consider because of how clear the shallow waters are right now. This extra bit of expense will definitely help catch more fish. Live baiting along the beaches and further out has also been pretty good with reports of king mackerel being found from the inlets out to around 10 miles. A few cobia are still being caught in the same areas as have a few tarpon. The dolphin bite has been good starting around 15 miles out with some better fishing being found in the 20- to 25-mile range. Most anglers are finding dolphin holding around any sort of structure with the presence of baitfish being a must. Bottom fishing in the 20-mile range has also been good. For those going the extra distance to the Gulf Stream, they have reported some action returning from wahoo, as well as dolphin and a few blackfin tuna.

From the beach and the local piers, anglers are catching a variety of bottom fish using fresh cut shrimp and sand fleas. Virginia mullet and black drum are the main species being found using these baits, although a few croakers and spots have started being caught on shrimp as well. Cut bait and live minnows will interest bluefish, red drum and flounder. The flounder fishing has been pretty decent from the piers although there are a lot of small fish being reported.

Inshore, the red drum fishing has been fantastic around the docks and creek mouths. Anglers are finding fish with both natural and artificial baits and some throwing top water are finding the fish more than willing to attack early in the morning. The flounder fishing has also been really good, especially around Carolina Beach and in the river, although there are lots of fish also holding around the area docks at Wrightsville Beach. Anglers are finding a lot of sheepshead and some black drum hanging around the bridge structures and are targeting them with fiddler crabs and sand fleas.

As a constant reminder, fishing early and late in the day will help increase your chances of finding some fish eager to eat. The fish like to hide and become a bit lethargic during the heat of the day, much like anglers. And as always, keep an eye and an ear to the sky. The recent pop-up storms have been pretty ferocious. A fish isn’t worth jeopardizing you or your fishing partners when the weather starts to turn bad.

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