The warmer weather is finally starting to bring the water temps up and the fish are responding. The inshore fishing picking up with catches of speckled trout, redfish, blackdrum, sea mullet, and even a flounder or two. It is not uncommon to catch to catch red drum, black drum, and speckled trout all in one trip.

We are catching red and black drum around structure like dock pilings and rock piles. The bait of choice is fresh shrimp on carolina rigs or jig heads. The black drum are nice fish two to five pounds. The reds are mixed in size, just under the slot with a few slot fish mixed in. There are also some schools of reds on the flats, around shellbeds and oyster rocks. We are catching the schooling reds by sigthcasting and blindcasting artificials and live mud minnows on light jigheads.

We are starting to catch a few speckled trout and the numbers and size should get better as the water warms. Spring is the time to catch large specs in the Cape Fear area. The specs are hitting Doa and Gulp shrimp imitations and of course live shrimp when available.

The sea mullet are in the lower Cape Fear river. These tasty fish can sometimes be caught two at a time by fishing two hook bottom rigs with fresh shrimp Forty and fifty fish days are not uncommon.

I think we have finally turned the corner on the inshore fishing. Check out the photos from the past couple of weeks.

Thanks,
Jeff Wolfe
Seahawk Inshore Fishing Charters
Fish Carolina Beach Blog
910-619-9580

We have been catching good numbers of redfish the past couple of weeks. We are catching the reds on scented artificials and mud minnows fished around oyster and shell points close to shallow muddy bottoms. Most of the reds in these areas have been smaller fish with a few slot fish mixed in. The larger reds are schooled up on the flats and have been tough to catch due to the cold water temps and windy conditions. The reds on the flats will turn on with the air and water temps coming up over the next few days. The sightcasting should be good on the calm days. The reds should start showing up around docks also.

The speckled trout bite in the Cape Fear River will be getting better as the the water warms and the fish get more active and move up from their winter hideouts. The black drum should start showing up around docks and rocky bottoms in the waterway and the river. The whiting are also biting in the lower Cape Fear River.

Hopefully for the next report I will have some catches of speckled trout and black drum along with the redfish. Check out the photos from the past couple of weeks.

Thanks,
Jeff Wolfe
Seahawk Inshore Fishing Charters
Fish Carolina Beach Blog
910-619-9580

C. Wolfe with a nice red he caught blindcasting on a shell point on 3/8/09

Gene from Blacksburg, Va with a red he caught out of a school sunning on some muddy bottom on 2/27/09

Mike from Burlington, N.C.with a red he caught out of a large school on 2/26/09

Christian with a Febuary redfish caught on a live mud minnow on a jighead

Going redfishing at sunrise on 2/27/09