The inshore and backwater fishing in the Cape Fear area is picking up with cooler air and water temps. Hurricane Irene is brushing the Cape Fear area as I post this report, but should not affect the good fishing we have been experiencing over the past week or so. We are having good catches of redfish and flounder, along with a few speckled trout, sheephead, and tripletails.

The redfishing has been good to excellent in the backwaters of the lower Cape Fear. The reds are schooled up on the flats and the sightfishing and topwater bite has been incredible when conditions are right. We are also catching good numbers of reds in the creeks and bays blindcasting topwater plugs, Gulp baits and DOA soft plastics. Live mullet, mud minnows and shrimp on carolina rigs and float rigs are also producing good catches of redfish by anchoring down and pitching these baits to known productive areas. The reds are all slot fish with a few over slots (up to 33 inches) in the mix. These fish are super strong in the warm water temps and a absolute blast to catch on light tackle.

The flounder fishing is improving and should be getting better as the water cools and the fall fishing approaches. Most of the flounder have been caught fishing the same areas and baits that are also producing catches of redfish. Some large flatfish have been caught over the past couple of weeks.

We are seeing a few more speckled trout in the area and September is typically a good month for specs in the Cape Fear River. Some of my best catches of specs have been in the month of September. The specs are hitting DOA jerkbaits, mirrolures, Gulp Shrimp, and live shrimp on float rigs.

The sheephead bite is turning on after being slow for a few weeks. I picked up four nice sheeps on a charter on 8/25/11 along with some redfish and flounder. The sheephead are falling for fiddler crabs fished around structure. I have also picked up some nice tripletails suspended under floating debris and crab pot bouys.

I can make inshore and backwater fishing fun and simple for children and fisherman of all skill levels. Some of the tactics we use are similiar to fishing for crappie, bream, bass, and catfish in a local farm pond or lake. Fishing artificials for reds, trout, and flounder is similiar to fishing for largemouth bass.

Thanks for reading the report and I look forward to a good report for the middle of Sept. Check out the pics from some recent trips.

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

Rob was excited to get his first tripletail. Rob grew up in Texas and has always wanted a shot at a nice tripletail. Hey Rob, I decided not to post the pic of you looking at your hand shaking. He was a bit nervous and so was I that my landing net had somehow flew out of the boat. I had to get him with the boga grip. Congrats Rob.

Sisters Sydney and Sarah with back to back tripetails. Good job girls!!!

The kids are having a blast catching reds, flounder, sharks, croakers and other inshore species fishing the calm backwaters of the lower Cape Fear

Jessie, one of our fine military men from Ft. Bragg had a awesome day to sightfish for reds on the flats and also picked up a inshore slam fishing the creeks

The ladies with some of their recent redfish catches

Seth caught some good redfish and also picked up a keeper flounder on artificials. Way to go Seth!!!

Reel men with reel fish

Rodney and Seth with Rodney’s multi spotted redfish

Kevin Gray with a 4.5lb flounder and 5.7lb redfish that got us 1st place flounder and third place redfish in the Cape Fear Homebuilders Tournament

Christian and fishing buddy Luke took top honors in the speckled trout division and second place redfish in the Cape Fear Home Builders Inshore Tourney