Wow! 2019 is here after 2018 went by in a seemingly blur. After a few changes in our fleet, we are now solely a Kencraft-Bayrider company. Starting 2019, we have 2 Bayrider Skiffs, and a Bayrider 239 Bay. These are truly top of the line inshore boats that can accommodate several different types of fishing. Although we went through some of the roughest and rainiest weather to date in the Cape Fear region, we were able to crank out another successful and fun filled year with some of the BEST customers and friends. Now that we are now in the dead middle of the winter season and also our winter special rates, the numbers of species has minimized but the red drum bite has not. This is our one go-to winter time fish that thrives even in the coldest of weather. With that being said, here is a look ahead of what you can expect when fishing with us in the next few months.

Speckled Trout-

The next few months should hold decent numbers of trout but if it is going to be anything like we have seen over the past couple months, they may be on the small side. The colder months however, sometimes will push some bigger fish into the creeks. Fishing scented soft plastics such as Gulp or Z-man will be the most common technique. Usually, we will scale down to a lighter jig head such as a 1/8th or 3/16th oz jig head if the conditions are appropriate for it. The slower the better when the water temps cool down. If we can get our hands on live mullet minnows or live mud minnows, you can also guarantee catching trout if the are anywhere in the area. Rigging them on the same jig heads as the artificials is the simplest way to fish the live baits. For the most part, the trout and reds will tend to lay in the same areas so a mixed bag isn’t uncommon.

Red Drum-

This typically is our bread and butter this time of year. Finding them can be difficult at times but when you find them, the numbers can add up pretty quick. Historically, double digit days are average with the potential of having much higher final tallies. The weather obviously plays a big role in how we fish for reds but even in some of the crappier days throughout the winter, we still have the possibility of having very good days. Normally we like to fish for winter time reds with a focus on schooling fish. Sometimes that may be the open flats in the bays, or back in the creeks where the water temps warm up quicker than most surrounding areas. The ticket is finding muddy flats or deeper holes that may produce a food source such as mud minnows or small crustaceans. Gulp shrimp and other small scented lures seem to be the best bite producers when fished on jig heads (similar to the trout tactics) but sometimes when all else fails, pieces of dead shrimp or live minnows can be a day saver.

Black Drum-

The next few months we should see a handful of black drum but the numbers will be relatively low. The closer we get towards spring, we should see a push of fish into our backwaters. January and February are most often our slower months for these fish but that doesn’t mean we wont catch them on occasion. We will target them with dead shrimp on a Carolina rig or a jig head also in similar locations as the reds and speckled trout.

So to wrap things up, the Cape Fear area can offer some fantastic fishing in the winter months. Spring will be right around the corner so if you are trying to squeeze in a winter trip, give us a call or shoot us a message/email. The winter rates will end at the end of February and our normal rates will resume. We will be making a few website changes over the next couple weeks so we would love to have you guys check out some of the new additions that will be put on. Happy New Year and we look forward to a “fishy” 2019!

God Bless,

Captains Jeff and Christian Wolfe
Seahawk Inshore Fishing Charters
Carolina Beach Inshore Fishing Blog
910-619-9580

Capt. Christian L. Wolfe
Mobile: (910) 619-5053

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Redfish, Flounder, Speckled Trout, Black Drum, and Striped Bass

We are very fortunate here in southeastern North Carolina with some awesome backwater fishing for several different species. Redfish, Flounder, Speckled Trout, Black Drum, and in a different part of our river, Striped Bass. Some of the best fishing of the year for these species can occur. The three main species that we target throughout the year, reds, black drum, and speckled trout, are usually chewing at their best and we can find big numbers of these fish on a weekly basis. The weather is often and pleasant with temperatures most of the time in the upper 50s and 60s and even low 70s. This report is based on now until the end of December.

Redfish-
The red drum fishing in the Cape Fear region can be at times some of the best in the state due to our vast amount of creeks and muddy flats. With the air and water temps cooling off each day, the numbers of fish that we find will continue to thrive. Sometimes we will find schools of reds that range from 10 to 50 fish in the creeks and even 100 to 200 fish on the flats. Some of the best days we have ever had are in the late fall and early winter days with final catch numbers over 100 fish! Most of the time when we get on that many fish, the majority of them are in the 15-17” range but there are many times where we find large schools of mid to upper slot fish as well. Most of the time we will fish dead shrimp or live finger mullet on the bottom to catch these fish but when the opportunity presents itself, we will throw scented soft plastics such as Gulp! and Z-Man baits. The big drum run will begin to phase out but there still may be opportunities to catch these massive 40+ inch fish along our beaches.

Speckled Trout-
Speckled trout fishing in November and December can be fantastic. We usually fish artificial lures when targeting them but fishing live shrimp on a float rig can be the ticket when all else fails. Soft plastics on 1/4 ounce jig heads and hard baits such as Mirrolures worked slow are often our top producers. A trout bite can be a blast when you find a school of them, especially when you find some nice quality fish!

Winter Black Drum Fishing-
An underrated fishery in our area which is also one of the best fisheries we have, is the black drum. On any given day we can fill up the cooler with these tasty fish or we can catch and release. This often is our bread and butter when all else fails. Black Drum will often school with redfish in some of the same holes on the lower stages of the tides. Black Drum are a blast to catch on light tackle and fight similar to redfish with a few more direction changes and typically fight deeper. These along with redfish, and speckled trout make for some incredible action and awesome table fare in the next couple months.

Winter Striped Bass Fishing-
Striped Bass can be caught throughout the winter months in the upper Cape Fear River. This is a catch and release fishery and these fish are a blast to catch on light tackle. The sizes range from 2 to 20lbs with an occasional larger fish caught. Sometimes we also catch redfish and speckled trout in the same areas that we are catching stripers. Trolling shallow and deep diving plugs or casting swimbaits, jigs, and hardbaits are the baits of choice for winter striped bass.

Thanks for reading the report and we can’t wait to see some of you on the boat! Let’s hope and pray for some beautiful weather these next several weeks for everyone who is fishing. Don’t forget in December we begin our winter rates! This is a killer deal for what may be the best fishing of the year. Also, if you’re looking for a Christmas gift for friends or family, gift cards are always a great idea. Just give us a call if that is something that sounds interesting and we would be happy to help you out. Take care!

God Bless,
Captains Jeff and Christian Wolfe
Seahawk Inshore Fishing Charters
Carolina Beach Inshore Fishing Blog
910-619-9580

Capt. Christian L. Wolfe
Mobile: (910) 619-5053