Fishing is great in Southeast North Carolina
Hi Folks,
The fishing has been heating up along with the water and air temperatures! Almost everything is biting, if you’re in the right place at the right time. Morning and evening tend to be the best times to fish in this heat, although tides and the moon are still important factors to consider. Here’s a summary of what’s biting and where:
Inshore: Redfish and flounder are biting well in the waterway, creeks, and inlets. Soft plastics like Z-Man curly tails and paddle tails are effective, as are live bait fished on Carolina rigs. The falling tide is good for reds and the rising tide is good for flounder.
Near shore: Spanish mackerel can be found at the inlet mouths and along the beach in depths of 20-40 feet. Clarkspoons, jigs, and deep divers are good choices. The near shore artificial reefs are also producing some nice flounder.
Offshore: King mackerel are biting well, and we recently limited out and headed home from the 10 mile mark by 11:00 AM on a super trip with lots of strikes and landings. Mahi are biting mostly in the 20+ mile range, and can be caught with live bait, cigar minnows, or ballyhoo.
Gulf Stream: Larger mahi are biting well, and there are also billfish in the area. Wahoo and a few tuna can also be found, but the water is getting very warm and slowing down the meat fishing.
Cape Fear River: Flounder, reds, and a few trout are biting inshore. As with other areas, early and late daylight hours are best.
Looking ahead: For those fishing near shore, mahi will soon be coming into the 10 mile range. As the water temperatures continue to rise, the flounder fishing at the near shore artificial reefs should improve. So come on out and let’s go fishing!
Capt. Rick Bennett
www.rod-man.com
rod-man at rod-man.com
910-520-7661