45.3 F
Wrightsville Beach
Tuesday, March 19, 2024

Hook, line and sinker

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Despite the hot air and water temperatures, both the inshore and offshore fishing remain decent for anglers. Water temperatures are reading in the mid-80s, just about as hot as they get around these parts. Wilmington has set a record of 57 consecutive days when the low air temperature didn’t fall below 70 degrees — a record held since 2012. With winds finally arriving from the north and a slight cooling, there are actually some mid-60s lows being forecast for the overnights, so we’ll have to wait and see if these temps turn the fish on even more.

Flounder fishing has been very good in the Cape Fear River, around Wrightsville Beach and also around the near-shore wrecks and reefs. Live bait appears to be doing a tad better than artificial baits, although both are still catching fish. Both peanut menhaden and finger mullet are abundant in the creeks and marshes and are a hard bait to beat. Although some of the flounder being reported are undersized, a lot of them are decent sized in the 2- to 3-pound range with a few fish over five pounds being caught. Red drum are holding in the same areas.

Anglers trolling Clark Spoons are reporting some action is still being found from the Spanish mackerel, although with the heat, finding the fish has been rather difficult and a lot of the fish are small and undersized. Early mornings are the better time to fish for them and using fluorocarbon leader will also help as the water conditions are extremely clear. Some anglers have managed to find larger Spanish in the 3- to 5-pound range by targeting them with small, live baits around the nearshore reefs. King mackerel have been reported in the 10-mile range and most fish are running in the 10- to 15-pound range. A few small inshore dolphin have also been reported in the same waters.

Surf and pier anglers are finding some decent flounder fishing by using live minnows with quite a few keepers being reported. Anglers using fresh shrimp have been having some luck with pompano, Virginia mullet and black drum. A few red drum have also been coming from the surf on cut bait.

Bottom fishing in the 20-mile range has been good for grouper, black bass and snapper. With the warm water temperatures, anglers are encountering more sharks in the shallow waters, so fishing in depths around 100 feet will help limit — but not eliminate — your exposure to them. Anglers light lining while bottom fishing have reported some decent action from dolphin and king mackerel. Further offshore in the Gulf Stream, lots of sailfish are being reported along with some wahoo, blackfin tuna and dolphin.

Some good news to report on the legal front is the possession limit for black bass in our area has been increased to seven per person.

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