Greetings from the Cape Fear Coast
Wrightsville Beach nearshore fishing has been solid over the last couple of weeks. Kings and Mahi have been mixed togther from 7-18 miles out. Then a two good days of rain mucked the water and the Mahi seemed to have disappeared. The Kings have stuck it out in the same areas but the live bait bite slowed a bit. Before the rains came Capt. Travis Dant (Flatout Flying) and Max Gaspeny (Fishermans Post Editor) and myself got out Wednesday and has a decent day with 3 Mahi (one spit the hooks) and 4 Kings (one lost at the gaff) and a nice Cobia. We had several strikes on the downrigger that went straight through #4 wire.
Wrightsville beach inshore has also been good trolling for Spanish and lots of small blues keep the clarkspoons and diamond jigs busy. There have been some nice schools of Menhaden and finger mullet inshore so bait is not a problem. There are also some nice schools of popeye mullet inshore crusing the banks near deep water if you like them offshore. The drum and flounder are hitting jigs and livebait around area docks and other inshore structure. I have seen some nice catches of Sheepheads from Wrightsville beach to Southport in the last couple of days. The guys who have this fishery dialed in are doing well. If you want to give this a try you had better step the gear. Imagine catching and 9# bream on steriods. Most people are using mud crabs and fiddler crabs.
The Cape Fear River is producing some nice Speckled Trout, Red Drum and Flounder. Topwater and subsurface plugs are working on the trout and swimbaits and jigs for the flounder and drum that are laying in shallow water. There are tons of small shrimp and mullet in the river flats and the menhaden are everywhere.
Keep Chasing Trophies,
Capt. Danny Wrenn
96Charter Company
910.619.2224