The inshore fishing has been good the past couple of weeks and should be getting better as the fall fishing season is just around the corner. The lower Cape Fear is teaming with bait {mullet minnows and shrimp} and the redfish, flounder, and trout are coming into this area to feed. I have actually seen reds and flounder coming a foot out of the water and crashing bait.
The redfish bite has been excellent lately on live baits and artificials. I have fished some of the largest schools of reds we have seen all summer. The reds are schooled up on the flats and around drop offs with shelly bottoms. Topwater plugs have been very effective in the early morning hours along the marsh edges and into the afternoon on the schools on the flats. Jigs and live baits are working well on the deeper drop offs. For those that are not comfortable throwing artificials, live baits on jig heads and float rigs are an easy way to put good numbers of reds in the boat.
The speckled trout fishing is starting to pick up with September being one my best months to catch specs in the Cape Fear river. The trout are hitting live shrimp on float rigs, jigs, and artificial shrimp under popping floats. We are also picking up a few flounder when fishing for the reds and trout.
The sheephead are feeding around structure on fiddler crabs. We lost an eight to ten pound tripletail this week and caught one that weighed about four pounds that hit the float twice before inhaling a live shrimp below the float.
Check out the photos from the past couple of weeks. I have had some great people on the boat and it has been very rewarding watching them catch some nice fish.
Thanks,
Jeff Wolfe
Seahawk Inshore Fishing Charters
Fish Carolina Beach Blog
910-619-9580
Jason was the man on this trip with several reds, a inshore slam plus a nice sheephead.
Rob with a nice flounder that hit a redfish magic glass minnow
A 32″ redfish that crushed a zara spook topwater plug
Kenny and Christian with a double hookup out of a large school on the flats. They have been wearing them out on topwater.
Hunter with a cobia in the lower Cape Fear
Steve, Rob, and Jason had a triple hookup and several doubles out of a large school on the flats
Anthony with a nice red he caught along a creek bank on a jig