Wrightsville Beach, NC Fishing Forecast-May 2022
Southeast NC in May, when fishing really gets cranked up! Many different species of fish start to show and it’s when I feel like summer fishing is really getting started. Spring has been pretty good fishing so far, now if we can just get the weather to cooperate more!!
As the weather stabilizes and the temps go up in May I see more days where I can get out in the ocean. I love to look for those high speed, good eating and so much fun to catch Atlantic bonito in earlier May and Spanish mackerel all May long. These fish are a lot of fun to see busting the surface of the water and even more fun to see on the end of your line! Casting small spoons (Big Nic Spanish Candy lures) in sizes 1/2oz and 3/4oz on high-speed spinning reels really gets the bites! You can also use fly gear in weights seven to nine, this can make for a great challenge on fly tackle. Look for these fish to be hanging around near shore artificial reefs, ledges and inlets. Trolling Clark spoons or small deep driver lures can be the key to success some days for the bonito, Spanish mackerel and even king mackerel. When using the Clark spoons, I would recommend the pink flash or regular silver spoons in sizes #0, #1 and #2; the pink flash series has really helped me put more fish in the boat. You might come over a few false albacore and bluefish mixed in with the bonito and Spanish from time to time; sometimes too many bluefish are mixed in!
Redfish and May go hand and hand, this month is a favorite for casting artificial lures to Reds. Redfish really start to settle down in their summer spots by early/mid-May. Casting Berkley Gulp shrimp in three-inch size or new Gulp paddle-shad on light jig heads is my go-to lures for May redfish. My go to colors are pearl white, sugar spice glow, new penny, sangria and black/gold. Another Redfish lure I like is the Berkley Powerbait Grass pig for fishing shallow waters of one to three foot. I rig the Grass pig lures on TroKar 1/8oz swimbait hooks. Catching redfish on top water lures is so much fun; casting plugs like MirrOlure’s top pup or top dog jr. You can also cast popping or rattling corks in these shallow areas with a Berkley Gulp three-inch shrimp on a 1/16oz jig head which will catch the Redfish in shallow waters. If you would rather go the bait route; try some fresh cut or live Mullet or Menhaden on a light Carolina rig. Using Eagle Claw L42 1/0 hooks to make up a Carolina rig. Try fishing fresh cut bait around docks in the ICW or along creek mouths when the tide is moving.
By mid-May the cobia start to show up around southeast NC; one of my favorites! I forecast that the cobia will be here early this season. I look for cobia around inlets, shoals and bait schools; near shore/offshore reefs and ledges are all good places to look. When the water is clear it will be easier to see those brown logs in the water. I throw big jigs like (Berkley Fusion 19 bucktails) or live bait to the Cobia. Color really does not seem to matter, but go bright; I always put a Gulp five-inch grub on the bucktail for Cobia. If I’m casting live bait to Cobia, I use a TroKar TK5 AP 8/0 or 9/0 circle hook with at least three feet of sixty-pound Pro Spec fluorocarbon leader. When I’m not sight casting for Cobia we are fishing around inlets, shoals and near shore artificial reefs. I float fish, bottom fish and kite fish in these areas with live menhaden, pinfish or mullet as bait. Sometimes a great bonus fish when fishing for Cobia that would be a nice bull Redfish or later in the season a Tarpon! You can chum if you like, but the sharks and rays will come and they will come in numbers!
With the warmer weather the Flounder will finally start showing up in better numbers, there are still a lot of smaller ones inshore, but the bigger ones will really start showing up in May! Most of the Flounder fishing I’m doing is just off the beach (wrecks/ledges) and around the inlets. I’ve caught Flounder on both live and artificial baits in May, what I have seen is more numbers on live bait, but more keepers on artificial baits. Mud minnows on light Carolina rigs with #one L42 Eagle Claw hooks will catch the numbers of Flounder. Berkley Gulp Jerkshad in five- & six-inch sizes, also four-inch Gulp Shrimp will get the most keeper size Flounder bites I have found. I rig these Gulp baits on 1/4oz, 3/8oz (inshore) and 1/2oz, 3/4oz & 1oz (ocean) jig heads with longer hook shanks in jig head colors red, white or gray. I really like the new Berkley Fusion Jig heads, great hooks with the best lure keeper I’ve have seen! Also, Berkley Fusion bucktails with a five-inch Gulp grab is a killer rig for ocean flounder as well; I use a 1.5-ounce bucktail for this. *Keep in mind NC has a keeper Flounder season, know the dates before you keep’em!
Tackle run down: Reels New PENN Slammer IV series & Battle III DX series Spinning reels 2000, 2500, 3000, 4000 sizes. Slammer IV High Speed 2500 for Bonito & Spanish mackerel casting. Rods: Fenwick HMG Inshore series rods 7’ Medium class 8-to-15-pound test rods for Redfish, Inshore flounder, Bonito etc. Ocean Flounder 7’ Med/Hvy class 12-to-25-pound test. Line Spiderwire Ultra-cast in ten and fifth-teen pound braid. Cobia Reels PENN Fathom II 20LW casting, Slammer IV or SpinFisher VI spinning 5500 or 6500 spinning reels, with a PENN Rampage or Carnage III Jigging rods 50-to-100-pound class. Tackle Bags/storage I prefer the Plano Guide series (3700) size and Z-series (3600 or 3700) size tackle bags with Plano EDGE tackle trays inside.
Thanks for reading, Get out side and good fishing to you!
Capt. Jot Owens
www.captainjot.com
910-233-4139
