Wrightsville Beach, NC Fishing forecast-May 2024
Southeast NC fishing in May, when the fishing really gets cranked up! Many different species of fish start to show up and it is 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 a little 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 month 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 spoons (Big Nic Spanish Candy lures) in sizes 1/2oz up to the new 1.5oz (Capt. Jot edition) on high-speed spinning reels really gets the bites! I have really become a fan of casting a high-speed low-profile bait-caster reels when casting to Bonito and Spanish. I use a PENN Fathom high-speed 300 reel. See here in this link: https://www.avantlink.com/click.php?tt=pl&ti=8129&pw=363697&mi=20821&pt=3&pri=2258 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. 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! *We have already seen a good number of small King mackerel mixed in this year. Check your fish carefully for undersize Kings!!
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. I prefer inshore water temps of 70 degrees or higher for the shallow water bite to start. 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 new Berkley Powerbait CullShad in 5” in colors Cold beer, silver flash and Dark night (stained waters) fishing shallow waters of one to five foot. See here in this link: https://www.avantlink.com/click.php?tt=pl&ti=8125&pw=363697&mi=20825&pt=3&pri=10753 I rig the CullShad on Eagle Claw 1/8oz & 1/4oz 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 on the ICW or along creek mouths when the tide is moving, in five to ten feet of water.
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 am casting live bait to Cobia, I use a TroKar TK5 AP 8/0 or 9/0 bait saver series circle hook with at least three feet of sixty-pound Pro Spec fluorocarbon leader. When I am 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 (And yes, the Tarpon will be early again this season)! 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 am doing is just off the beach (wrecks/ledges) and around the inlets. I have caught Flounder on both live and artificial baits in May, what I have seen is more keeper size fish on artificial baits. Mud minnows or smaller finger mullet on light Carolina rigs with #1 L42 Eagle Claw hooks will catch the numbers of Flounder. Berkley Gulp Jerkshad in five- & six-inch sizes are my goto for Flounder fishing. I am really liking the new Key Lime chrome and Purple Chrome colors. See here in this link: https://www.avantlink.com/click.php?tt=pl&ti=8125&pw=363697&mi=20825&pt=3&pri=10774 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 Berkley Fusion Jig heads, great hooks with the best lure keeper I’ve have seen for all types pf soft plastic lures. Also, Berkley Fusion bucktails with a five-inch Gulp grub or four-inch shrimp 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 series Spinning reels 2000, 2500, 3000, 4000 sizes. Slammer IV & Authority spinning reels in the High-Speed series 2500 or Fathom 300 high-speed low-profile bait-casters for Bonito & Spanish mackerel casting. Rods: Fenwick HMG Inshore series rods 7’ Medium class 8-to-17-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 outside and good fishing to you!
Capt. Jot Owens
www.captainjot.com
