Fishing Report: Wrightsville Beach, NC Fishing Forecast-September 2023

Posted in Fishing Reports on September 3rd, 2023

Fishing Report: Wrightsville Beach, NC Fishing Forecast-August 2023

August fishing in southeast NC can be pretty good but a few things to keep in mind. Most August’s we must watch the water temps, they can get high during August. Also, we sometimes get very heavy rain/thunderstorms which can dirty up the waters quickly and this dirty water can last a few hours to a few days. Here are my warm waters and stained waters August fishing tactics.

Flounder can be a tougher species to catch in dirty water, but keep in mind they still must eat too! Working live or artificial lures slower so the flounder have time to see and react to the target (bait). Live bait is good for catching higher numbers of Flounder, but no always as many larger size flounder with live bait. Mud minnows and small finger mullet will be the best live baits for Flounder in August. Small menhaden work too but die very easy in the warm waters of August.

Rigging the live bait on carolina rigs with Eagle Claw L42 sizes 1 or 1/0 hooks is a good choice of rigs for Flounder. If you prefer to use artificial baits which I do prefer and I see bigger size flounders more often on artificial lures. Scented and unscented grubs work well in clear or stained waters. Berkley Gulp Jerkshad in five and six inch and colors of new penny, pearl white, fire tiger and chart pepper neon are all good too. Darker colors like new penny and fire tiger (bright but not bright?) in heavy stained/dirty waters work better to get more bites. Also try Berkley’s Powerbait Grass Pig lure in colors, chartreuse, crazy chrome violet, and swamp gas (new penny). I rig these lures on jig heads in 1/4oz, 3/8oz and 1/2oz weights in colors red, gray, or white. Another “set” of colors that is just hitting the tackle shows is the Chrome series of Gulp baits. I tested some of these baits last year and had good luck with inshore Flounder and Redfish. I prefer the all chrome, purple chrome, and red chrome. PS: word is there is some more chrome series colors coming out soon…stay tuned!!

Look for the bigger flounder around deeper water docks with good current, bait fish and lots of structure inshore. The inlets, offshore reef and ledges are all good places to find hot weather flounder. What do all these places have in common; deeper water, current and structure. Do not forget look for the clearest water possible and when fishing very stained/dirty water slow down your presentation of the bait. *Keeper North Carolina Flounder season for 2023 at the time of this report is September 15th to September 29th. Any Flounder caught outside of these dates must be released.

One fish that is always on my hot weather and stained waters list is the Sheephead. The Sheephead is a good challenge to catch and they fight hard, but they are also good to eat! All you need is some fiddler crabs or sand fleas for bait. A medium/heavy action spinning or casting rod with Spiderwire twenty- or thirty-pound braid for line will help you bring in that big Sheephead in. Tie on a short carolina rig with forty- or fifty-pound fluorocarbon leader and a small live bait J hook (sharp/strong)! Another rig I have been having success with is a NC treat jig rig for Sheephead fishing. Drop that fiddler crab down beside a piling on one of these rigs and when you feel that little bump; set the hook and hold on! PS: they are great eating in the two-to-eight-pound range in my opinion.

North Carolina is not really known highly for Tarpon fishing but I do see them pushing just off the southeast inlets and the lower Cape Fear River from time to time. If you want a good challenge, give Carolina Tarpon fishing a try this August. The best times are very early morning or late afternoon and into the night. I fish for Tarpon on the bottom or free lining, using live and fresh dead baits like; spots, mullet, and menhaden. I rig these baits on fish finder rigs, with one to three feet of 80-to-100-pound fluorocarbon leaders. Circle hooks are the best bet for good hook ups and landings for Tarpon in hook sizes 7/0 to 9/0 depending what hook series you like. I prefer TroKar AP TK5 9/0 circle hooks, super sharp and super strong! It is not easy to catch a NC Tarpon, but I promise if you do or even just jump one off its still really cool to see!

I also enjoy shark fishing later in the summer (late July to early September). Sharks on light tackle are always a good pull and boy the kids love to catch’em! Sharks do not really seem to care if the water is dirty either. I drift live and fresh dead bluefish, Spanish mackerel, mullet, or menhaden in twenty to forty feet of water offshore. I rig these baits with a 7/0 to 9/0 TroKar circle hook TK5 with one foot of ninety pound plus wire and six to eight feet of eighty-pound mono leader. You can free line the bait and /or put a small egg sinker on to keep the bait close to the bottom. You will know when you get a bite! Most sharks are in the ten-to-one-hundred-pound range.

Last but certainly not lest is Bull Redfish (big Red Drum). The Bull Reds will start showing up in good numbers around inlets and hard/live bottoms just off the beach to about ten miles out in early August. Live or fresh dead bait is the key to catching these brutes. Most fish will be twenty-eight to over forty inches in length, very fun to catch size! It is not hard to rig for the Bull reds; short carolina rigs with a 7/0 to 9/0 TroKar circle hook will do the trick. Live or fresh cut Menhaden or mullet as bait. Remember if your catching larger Drum, please use heavier tackle; these Drum will work so hard when the water is hot and it is easy to kill them using to light of tackle (fighting them to long). *Please take the time to revive Red drum especially bigger fish during warmer water months; it may take upwards of fifteen minutes to do so.

Tackle run down: PENN Slammer IV & (New series) Authority spinning reels 2500, 3000, 3500 sizes for the Sheephead and Flounder. Tarpon/Sharks/Bull Drum PENN Slammer IV & Authority 5500 & 6500 and PENN 20 Fathom II LW casting reels. Rods Fenwick HMG Inshore spinning 7’ medium and med/heavy for the Sheephead and Flounder. Tarpon/Shark/Bull Drum Rods: PENN Carnage III 40 to 80 Boat series. Line Spiderwire Ultra-cast in ten and fifth-teen pound and Berkley Pro Spec Chrome mono in thirty pound for the Tarpon/sharks. Tackle Storage I prefer Plano Guide and Z-series tackle bags with EDGE Boxes inside.

Have a good August, stay cool and dry, thanks for reading! Good fishing to You!

Capt. Jot Owens
www.captainjot.com
910-233-4139

Posted in Fishing Reports on August 2nd, 2023

Fishing Report: Wrightsville Beach, NC Fishing Forecast-June 2023

June, one of the better fishing months in Southeast NC; lighter winds (hopefully), warm days and so many kinds of fish to target. Precipitation anybody’s guess, some June’s super dry; some June’s monsoon! Here are some of the fish I like to target during June around Southeast NC.

Redfish are in their summer trend by June and the trick to summer Reds is to find the fish that have not been pressured too much. For this I like to use search type lures. Top water lures and rattling corks (popping) in the shallow waters earlier mornings and afternoons will produce Redfish. I prefer MirrOlure Top dog Jr or Top Pup’s with a great ‘walk the dog action with sound,’ fishing these along marsh grass edges with oyster rocks. Working grubs like Berkley Gulp later in the day will also produce Reds for you, fishing deeper holes and docks (fishing deeper with the sun high). Slow rolling swimbaits like a Berkley Powerbait Champ swimmer or Grass pigs rigged on TroKar 7/0 1/4oz swimbait hooks in two to five feet of water has produced some nice Reds. Keep in mind just because you find the Redfish, does not always mean they will bite. Hey someone could have pressured those same fish the day before or just before you got there. Covering area will help you find the biting or less pressured fish.

Everybody loves to catch a Flounder; they are really getting their act together by June. Keep in mind you can fish for Flounder but the season is closed in NC; you must release all flounder. Check with NCDMF for current set Flounder season (at the time of this report the 2023 season had not been set). You can find Flounder just about anywhere when June rolls in. In southeast NC, I look for bigger Flounder around deeper channel drop-offs; in waters of five to fifth-teen feet plus deep. The local inlets and cuts; south Topsail, Rich’s, Mason’s, Masonboro, Carolina Beach and snow’s cut are always a good place to find some bigger size Flounders. Last but certainly not least, are the artificial reefs, ledges, and hard/live bottoms from one to ten miles off the beach, these areas always hold very nice Flounder in June.

Once you have found some Flounder you need to know how to catch’em. If you want to go the artificial root, try bigger baits; this will greatly help you catch bigger size Flounder. I prefer Berkley Gulp five- and six-inch Jerkshad in colors pearl white, chart pepper neon and Fire tiger. Also, Berkley Powerbait Grass pig lures in colors Chartreuse silver fleck, green back or crazy chrome violet. Rigging both the jerkshad and grass pig lures on 3/4oz to 1oz jig heads or Berkley Fusion bucktails in 1oz or 1.5oz for ocean fishing. Another great Flounder lure is the Berkley Gulp four-inch shrimp pattern; this bait is great for cast up and down inshore drop-offs in creek channels. I rig these baits on jig heads in sizes 1/4oz to 3/8oz for inshore; in colors red, gray, and white. Leaders; inshore thirty or forty pound and ocean fishing forty- or fifty-pound Berkley Pro Spec fluorocarbon leader.

If you would like to go with live bait for the Flounders, try mud minnows, small mullets, or small menhaden as live bait. Rig these live baits on Carolina rigs with an Eagle Claw L42 #1 or 1/0 hooks, eight to fourteen inches of thirty-to-forty-pound fluorocarbon as leader. I prefer egg sinkers as my weight, the secret to how much weight you use is ‘as much as you need to stay on the bottom but as least as you can get away with.’ You need to be on the bottom for Flounder but going lighter will always get you more bites!

One fish that is always on my hot weather list is the Sheephead. The Sheephead is a good challenge to catch and they fight hard, but they are also good to eat! All you need is some fiddler crabs or sand fleas for bait. A medium/heavy action spinning or casting rod with Spiderwire twenty- or thirty-pound braid for line will help you bring in that big Sheephead in. Tie on a short carolina rig with forty- or fifty-pound fluorocarbon leader and a small live bait J hook (sharp/strong). Also, I’ve had good luck rigging up a carolina Treat jig with a fiddler crab. Drop that fiddler crab down beside a piling on the carolina rig and when you feel that little bump; set the hook and hold on! PS: they are great eating in the two-to-six-pound range!

The Spanish mackerel fishing can be pretty good in June. 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 like (Big Nic Spanish Candy lures) or using fly gear in weights seven to nine can make for a great challenge on this light tackle. Look for Spanish 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 Spanish mackerel and even king mackerel. When using the Clark spoons, I would recommend the pink flash or regular silver spoons in sizes #00, #0 and #1; 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 Spanish from time to time.

Last but never least; Cobia fishing is in full swing by early June and should be good until early July; so far this year it has been hit or miss for me. I look for Cobia around inlets, shoals, and bait schools; near shore/offshore reefs and ledges are also a good place to look too. With the water being clear most of the time in June it should easier to see those brown logs swimming in the water. I like to throw big jigs, swim baits and live bait to the Cobia. Color really does not seem to matter, but (go bright); Berkley Fusion Bucktails in 1.5oz to 2oz, but I always add a Berkley Gulp 5-inch grub. When I am not sight casting for them, 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, spots, and mullet as bait. You can chum if you like, but the sharks and Rays will come in numbers!

Tackle run down: PENN Battle III DX, Slammer IV or Authority series spinning reels 2500, 3000 & 3500 sizes for the Redfish, Spanish, sheephead and Flounder. Cobia: PENN Slammer IV or Authority 5500 & 6500 spinning reels or PENN 20LW, 25LW, 25NLD Fathom casting reels. Rods PENN Battalion II or the Fenwick HMG Inshore series; 7’ medium and med/heavy for the Redfish, sheephead and Flounder. Cobia Rods: PENN Rampage or Carnage III Jigging series 50 to 100 class casting and spinning. Line Spiderwire Ultra-cast in ten and fifth-teen, twenty (ocean flounder) pound braid and Berkley Pro Spec Chrome mono in twenty and thirty pound for the Cobia; it is great line! Leader material Berkley Pro Spec Fluorocarbon 30 to 40 pound for inshore and 80-pound Cobia fishing. Tackle storage Plano Z-series or Guide series tackle bags with Plano EDGE stowaway boxes.

Stay cool and enjoy your summer fishing! Thanks for reading!

Capt. Jot Owens
www.captainjot.com

Posted in Fishing Reports on May 31st, 2023

Fishing Report: Wrightsville Beach, NC Fishing Forecast-March 2023

March is a month of watching the weather forecast and like the weather the fishing can be the same too. So far pretty warm weather, but in March that can change quickly!! Same with the fishing; One day slow fishing the next they are jumping in the boat! Here are the species I like to target during March around Southeast NC area waters.

In March the Redfish finally start to move around a little more than they have all winter. Not that they do not move around in the winter; they just start to show up in place’s they like during warmer times of the year. This is the time of the year you need to get out and find where the Redfish are going and are showing up. In the cooler months I’ve seen crustacean patterns work better for Redfish; due to the fact that these baits are a little easier to catch, than say baits like fish patterns. A good handful of our local shrimp has wintered over because of the mild winter weather, also some of the little baitfish stayed too. All of this will make for a better March fishing scenario for sure!

On warmer days the crustaceans and baitfish will move a little more; these are the days you need to be looking for Redfish in March. Working scented baits like Berkley Gulp in patterns two- and three-inch shrimp will get the Redfish to bite. These baits do not have paddle tails so you can work them very slow, which is still very important because the water still be pretty cool in March. Find those banks where the sun can warm up shallows just a little more than other places. Look for dark bottom banks and places with less current these are the areas where the water will be warmer and the Redfish will be more likely to be feeding. Remember to keep your eyes peeled in the shallow water areas for Reds, March can be a very good sight fishing month; just make sure you work the baits a little slower with a fluorocarbon leader (twenty or thirty pound) for those clear spring waters.

March can be another mouth when Cape Fear River Striped Bass fishing will pick up. The Striper size is very mixed during early spring. In March the Stripers will start to move in to shallower waters, I look for the Stripers in three to eight feet of water during early spring. This is when you need to also shallow up your presentation, go lighter with you tackle. I prefer Berkley Gulp jerkshad (six inch) and Berkley Powerbait grass pig lures (five inch); I use colors pearl & chart pepper neon (Gulp), Crazy chrome Violet and Swamp gas “new penny”. Using swimbait hooks size 6/0 or 7/0 in ¼ or 3/8 ounce should put a Striper on the end of your line. I prefer Trokar TK 170 swimbait hooks. You can also cast mid-water crank baits that dive three to eight feet, don’t let the lure drag the bottom to much or you will lose your lure to a stump or log! Look for Cape Fear River Stripers around mud-flat edges, bulk-heads, creeks, and shallow reed-grass edges on sunny warmer days. CFR Stripers are closed to keep; catch and release only.

Do not count out a nice Speckled trout during the month of March! But what is a trout going to hit in March? This is when you need to know where to start; what lures to try? One of my favorites is the good’ole MirrOlure; it’s been around a long time and it is still catching fish, but it’s cold so work them SLOW! The patterns I prefer are the 17MR, 18MR, 52M and 52MR. Colors; MirrOlure makes a lot of different colors but here are some of my go too colors in clearer area waters. MirrOlure color codes: 11, 21, 26, 51, 704, CFPR, CH, EC, HP AND Capt. Jot Custom color #1, #2 & #3 (only found at Tex’s Tackle shop). Any local tackle shop can help you with these color codes. Best depths to use these lures; 17MR use these lures in two to six feet of water. 18MR, 52M & 52MR use these lures in four to fifth-teen plus feet of water.

There is another kind of fishing I like to try in March but there is no saltwater involved. I like to hit the upper Northeast Cape Fear River and Sutton Lake the do a little Large-mouth bass fishing. If you want to try something different try some bass fishing, they are a lot of fun to catch on lighter tackle. Most of the time I use heavy sink worms from Berkley Powerbait MaxScent in colors black, cinnamon purple, purple and green pumpkin candy red. I rig these sinko style worms with a 6/0 Eagle Claw wide bend worm hook with no weight. Work these worms very slowly off banks and stump beds. If you like to fly fish, try slow sinking small minnow patterns along the grass flats in Sutton Lake on cloudy or foggy days.

Tackle run down: PENN Battle III DX, Clash II or the new Authority Spinning reels sizes 2500, 3000, 3500 for the Redfish, Speckled trout, and Striped Bass. Fenwick HMG Inshore 7’ medium rods 8-to-15-pound class and line Spiderwire Ultra-cast in ten or fifteen; Berkley Pro Spec Fluorocarbon leader for leaders; 20 pound for trout and 30 for all other species. Tackle Bags and Organization, I prefer the new Plano Z-series and Guide Series tackle bags. I use Plano EDGE Stowaway boxes for organization of my tackle in these tackle bags.

Thanks for reading, Happy Spring, stay warm or cool and good fishing to you!

Capt. Jot Owens
www.captainjot.com
910-233-4139

Posted in Fishing Reports on March 3rd, 2023

Fishing Report: Wrightsville Beach, NC Fishing Forecast-February 2023

February in Southeast NC can be one of the tougher months to get out and fish, the weather windows are much smaller and the temp can be downright cold. So far this year winter has really been a rollercoaster of weather. Fishing can be great during February especially when we have mild runs of weather. Here are some of the species I target around Southeast NC during February.

Cape Fear River Striped Bass are one of my favorites for winter fishing in our area. I look for the Stripers on drop offs, around pilings and creek mouths. Working baits like Berkley Gulp five- or six-inch jerkshads or Berkley Powerbait grass pigs in five inch should get you a bite or two from a Striped Bass. I prefer white or chart pepper neon for the jerkshad and swamp gas or crazy chrome violet in the grass pig. I rig my jerkshad and grass pigs on swimbait 7/0 TroKar TK-170 hooks, in 1/4oz or 3/8oz weight. Mid water crank baits work too, try lures that dive from three to eight feet deep for best results. If the Stripers are sitting shallow a MirrOlure 17MR can get a bite or two as well. If the crank bait starts to hit the bottom let it float up a bit or trust me, you will lose it to structure! Water temps are cold this time of year in the river, I prefer anything above 44 degrees but have caught them as low as 39*. Don’t forget that the Cape Fear River Striped Bass fishery is a closed fishery and is catch & release only; you must release all Striped Bass. Keep your eyes out for tagged Stripers there are a lot of tagged fish out there.

There is one fish that can be caught very easily during the winter months; if you find them! The Redfish bite can be some of the best of the year for catching numbers of fish; the deal breaker for this fishery is you have got to have good weather, calm seas, and bright sunny skies for the ocean schools. I find the winter ocean Reds around the inlets, sand bars, up and down the beaches in the surf line. I use Berkley Gulp paddleshad in colors black gold or black silver also, the Berkley Gulp three- & four-inch Shrimp work well too both rigged on 3/8oz jig heads. A MirrOlure Catch 2000Jr or 2000 lures work well for winter Redfish in the ocean too.

On warmer light wind days, you can also find some nice schools of Reds in shallow water flats and oyster rocks. The Reds will sun on these dark colored bottom areas for a little extra warm up; this is also where you’ll see some bait fish doing the same thing (warming up). Work lures like Gulp Shrimp in three inch size on light jig heads 1/16oz or 1/8oz slowly in front of the Redfish school. Try not to cast right through the school, all this will do is spook the Reds and will make it very hard to catch them. If the Reds are hungry, they break away from the school and eat your bait! I really like the color Sangria or Scooby Gulp shrimp for this presentation.

There is one fish that a lot of anglers over look during the winter months, the Black Drum. What I love about these fish is you can catch them in good numbers this time of year and there pretty darn good to eat! On top of all that they can be easy to catch; all you need is a little fresh (as you can get) shrimp. I use a light Carolina rig with an Eagle claw L42 #1 or #2 hook. Light meaning using as light as a sinker that you can get away with so as not to spook the drum. Fish around docks, oyster rock flats and inlets for these Black Drum; often you will catch Redfish and Sheepshead (smaller) mixed in as well.

What a rollercoaster of weather this winter so far, like most winters in Southeast NC. You can find a good winter Speckled trout bite, but it takes the right weather pattern for good results. Here are some ways I like to target Speckled trout into later winter months. A lure that always comes to mind for winter Speckled trout is the MirrOlure in the 52M, 52MR and TT series. MirrOlure color codes I prefer are: 11, 21, 26, 51, 704, CFPR, CH, EC, HP AND Capt. Jot Custom color #1, #2, or #3 (only found at Tex’s Tackle shop). Most any local tackle shop can help you with these color codes (a lot easier than spelling them all out here). As far as colors go, I try to use light colors in clearer waters and darker colors in stained/river or dirty waters.

Working MirrOlures slowly in deeper water breaks and drop offs can produces some very nice trout. If the water gets a bit dirty due to winds or rain/ice/snow, give Berkley Gulp 3” shrimp, fire tail shrimp, Berkley Powerbait Pro Twitchtail minnow or a Cash Out a try. Rig the Gulp shrimp or twitchtail on lighter jig heads 1/16oz, 1/8oz or 1/4oz; here too for the trout so you can work them just a bit slower due to the cooler water temps. Don’t rule out a nice Gray trout mixed in during the winter while speckled trout fishing. Look for the bigger trout to be sitting close to the current, but just off and out of it. Remember these fish are not going to burn calories they don’t have too swimming against the current. Also do not count out the beaches (surf fishing) for trout during the winter!

Tackle run down: PENN Battle III DX, Clash II or the new Authority Spinning reels sizes 2500, 3000, 3500 for the Redfish, Speckled trout, and Striped Bass. Fenwick HMG Inshore 7’ medium rods 8-to-15-pound class and line Spiderwire Ultra-cast in ten or fifteen; Berkley Pro Spec Fluorocarbon leader for leaders; 20 pound for trout and 30 for all other species. Tackle Bags and Organization, I prefer the new Plano Z-series and Guide Series tackle bags. I use Plano Edge Stowaway boxes for organization of my tackle in these tackle bags.

Thanks for reading, stay warm or cool and good fishing to you!

Capt. Jot Owens
www.captainjot.com
910-233-4139

Posted in Fishing Reports on February 1st, 2023