The redfish are schooled up on the flats and there are some good sightfishing opportunties when the winds are light and variable. The schools on the shallow flats have been skiddish and tough to catch due to the gin clear water we have in the winter months. We can usually get a couple of fish to bite and then move on to find another school. The reds in the deeper creeks are easier to catch because we can keep the boat in deeper water and cast to the banks and holes. Most of the redfish have been caught fishing Gulp baits and DOA paddletail jigs. We can also pick up reds fishing mud minnows pinned to jigheads and light carolina rigs. We are also still picking up a few flounder and speckled trout while redfishing. I had five flounder on a trip on 1/9/12 with two being keepers and two small trout along with nine redfish.

The striper bite continues to be good in the Cape Fear River around Wilmington. The stripers are hitting a variety of soft plastic and hard baits. Gulp jerkbaits rigged weedless, swimbaits, deep and shallow diving stickbaits and rattletraps are a few of the artificials that work well on the stripers.

Hopefully we’ll continue to have these above normal temps and the fishing may get better as we get into mid January and Febuary. Thanks for reading the report and I should have a good one for the next couple of weeks. Check out a few of the photos from the past couple of weeks.

Thanks,
Jeff Wolfe
Seahawk Inshore Fishing Charters
North Carolina Inshore Fishing Blog
910-619-9580

Happy New Year!!! Heading across the mighty Cape Fear on a slick calm New Years day.

1/1/12 Jeff, from Winston-Salem with a nice over-slot red he caught on a Gulp Alive Shrimp

12/30/11 Tommy caught this 29 inch red while fishing with my son Christian on a DOA paddletail jig. He called me and told me about this red with around 75 to 80 spots. Check out the next photo.

1/6/12 One week later Fred and Marnie, from Greensboro doubled up out of a school of reds along the same grass edge that Christian and Tommy were fishing. Fred caught the same 29 inch multi-spotted red that Tommy caught.

Marnie with one of the many reds she and Fred caught fishing DOA soft plastics and Gulp Alive Shrimp

1/4/12 John and Kevin had a good day striper fishing in the Cape Fear River throwing soft plastics and deep diving plugs. We had around 10 stripers and lost a real nice one that straightened the trebles on a deep diving plug.

1/7/12 Mark and Jean, from West Virginia celebrated their 30th wedding anniversary with a backwater fishing trip on the lower Cape Fear. Another good double-digit day on redfish

1/8/12 John and Ty, from Clayton, N.C. celebrated Ty’s birthday with another double-digit day on reds.

1/9/12 Zach, from Washington, D.C. had a good day on the reds and picked up five flounder ( two keepers 15 to 17 inches) and two small 13 inch trout fishing Gulp Alive Shrimp

The redfish are schooled up on the flats and when the winds are light the sightfishing has been good. Some days we are locating five or six schools ranging from twenty to seventy fish on the flats. Some smaller schools of reds are working the creeks and we able to locate these schools even when the wind blows a little. We are also locating schools of reds blindcasting in deeper pockets of water around low tide. Working the baits slow has been key to getting the reds to bite lately. We have had some really good days on the redfish the past couple of weeks.

We are still catching some speckled trout and picking up a few flounder. The striper bite has also been good in the Cape Fear River around Wilmington.

Hopefully the weather forecasters are right and we will continue to have these above normal temperatures. If so, we should have some good fishing opportunities coming up over the next few weeks. Thanks for reading the report and have a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year. Check out a few of the photos from the past couple of weeks.

Thanks,
Jeff Wolfe
Seahawk Inshore Fishing Charters
North Carolina Inshore Fishing Blog
910-619-9580

12/12/11 Joe picked up his first redfish and caught a few more casting Gulp Alive Shrimp in the creeks of the lower Cape Fear

12/13/11 Jim had a good day when we located a school of reds stacked up in a hole around low tide

12/16/11 We are still picking up a few flounder. Kenny caught this one on a Gulp Alive Shrimp

12/18/11 Brad picked up this 19 inch flounder on a DOA paddletail jig

12/18/11 Mike and Brad caught good numbers of redfish on a windy day fishing the creeks behind Bald Head Island

Christian with a red he caught sightcasting on the flats as the sun was setting over the mighty Cape Fear River

Brett and Robert had a good father and son trip sightcasting to schools of redfish on the flats and in the creeks. This was one of those slick calm days where we saw and caught lots of redfish sightcasting DOA soft plastics and Gulp Alive Shrimp

12/22/11 Will with a striper he caught fishing a swimbait in the upper Cape Fear River around Wilmington

My neighbor, 6yr old Cian with a speckled trout and flounder he caught throwing artificials. He was fishing with Dan his dad across from our house in the Masonboro Sound area.

12/24/11 Christian with a nice red he caught fishing the creeks of the lower Cape Fear area.

The redfish bite has been good to excellent on the days when the weather cooperates. Getting good weather days makes things a lot easier on locating reds and getting them to bite. There are lots of reds around, but somedays they are a bit skiddish and getting them to bite can be difficult. There are some large schools on the flats and smaller schools working the creeks and the sightfishing has been good when the winds are light. On the windier days we are concentrating our efforts in the smaller protected creeks where we can catch reds on artificials and live baits. Gulp scented baits are working best along with DOA paddletail jigs. Mud minnows and shrimp on light jigheads and carolina rigs are also working well. The reds have not fully got into their winter pattern and are still spread out. When the water cools a bit more they should bunch up and be easier to locate.

The speckled trout fishing is still going strong in the Cape Fear area from Wrightsville Beach to Southport. The specs are normally larger this time of year and we have picked up a few fish over four pounds. Most of the specs with me have been caught fishing the main creek channels of the lower Cape Fear. DOA soft plastic splittails, paddletails, and shrimp on popping floats along with Gulp Shrimp, jerkbaits,and swimming mullet are all working well on the trout.

We are still picking up a few flounder when we are blindcasting Gulp baits for reds and trout. There have also been some reports of good striper catches in the Cape Fear River around Wilmington. I hope to get up there to do a little striper fishing over the next couple of weeks. There should also be some reds and specs to be caught along with the stripers.

I had Michael Brazda www.mjbproductions.com on the boat on 12/5/11 to do some filming of fishing in the lower Cape Fear. We had a good day catching reds, a few trout and flounder and he got some awesome footage. Michael is a professional film producer who loves to fish and produce fishing videos. He has worked on several projects on the Outer Banks and does a great job. Check out his video Oyster Bed Reds on http://vimeo.com/33379567

I have the new 19′ Carolina Skiff in action and it is working well. I can get three anglers on this boat and get to those shallowwater reds. I will also have a new 2012 17′ Ranger Banshee Extreme soon. Thanks for reading the report and I should have good one for the holidays. Check out the photos from the past few weeks.

Thanks,
Jeff Wolfe
Seahawk Inshore Fishing Charters
North Carolina Inshore Fishing Blog
910-619-9580

11/19/11 Bobby and Amy doubled up on reds fishing mud minnows on carolina rigs

11/20/11 14 year old Weston was rewarded with a fishing trip for being a good kid with good grades. He had a good day sightcasting for redfish and picked up a few specs with one around 23″ and four pounds.

Chris, Ricky, and Colby fished with me two days with similiar results on both days ( Reds and Speckled Trout ). 11 year old Colby was one heck of a fisherman picking up some of his fish casting Gulp Alive Shrimp and DOA soft plastics.

11/23/11 Dee also fished two days and caught good numbers of reds and speckled trout

11/26/11 Avery and Jeremy had a good trip catching reds on a beautiful November day with light winds and highs in the 70’s. Avery is confined to a wheelchair, but has not let that stop him from doing the thing he loves, fishing. So glad I could accomodate you Avery. You are such a inspiration and it was a honor to have you on my boat.

11/28/11 John had a good day on the reds and picked up a couple of nice trout and a flounder for his wife.

12/3/11 Jason with a red and spec he caught casting a DOA paddletail jig

12/4/11 Matt and Christian doubled up on reds out of a school in the creeks. The new Carolina Skiff is rigged and ready for action, minus the Minn Kota Talon Shallow Water Anchor and poling platform I will be installing in the near future. This boat is working well on the flats and shallow creeks and can accomodate three anglers and myself.

Tommy with a nice red he picked up fishing with Christian on the 19′ Carolina Skiff. I had to think twice about posting this pic with all of that Hoggard stuff on. Tommy is is the assistant baseball coach at Hoggard highschool.

12/6/11 Dave, Ed, Rick, and Michael had a great day with the reds and also picked up three nice speckled trout casting DOA soft plastics and Gulp Alive Shrimp.

12/4/11 Christian with a overslot red and a nice 21″ and 23″ spec he caught fishing DOA fluketail jerkbaits

My good ole friend David Byerly jumped on the Kenner for a couple of hours after a trip and picked up a couple of reds and trout. We had a good time reminicing about the good times we had growing up fishing and surfing on Carolina Beach. David is living and working in PA. and does not get to saltwater fish much.

The speckled trout fishing has been good to excellent in the Cape Fear area from Wrightsville Beach to Southport. The specs are around the inlets and creeks and hitting a variety of lures. DOA Shrimp on popping corks, DOA paddletails and fluketails, Gulp Shrimp and Gulp Swimming Mullet, Mirrolures, and twistertail grubs are all working well for me. Of course live shrimp on a float rig or carolina rig will also put a hurtin on a speckled trout. There are a lot of small specs around which is a great sign for next year. Hopefully we will get back to having some normal winters here in the Cape Fear area and the trout will rebound to healthy numbers like they were prior to the last two winters.

The redfish bite was a bit tough, but has picked up lately and will continue through the winter months. Some of the best redfishing of the year can occur in late November and the months of December and January. The reds are hitting Gulp Shrimp and DOA paddletails, mud minnows, live and dead shrimp on float rigs and carolina rigs. There are some schools roaming the flats and grass banks and the sightfishing should be good when conditions are right. On Sunday Oct. 13th I had four guys on the boat throwing artificials along a grass bank where a school of reds were feeding. All four hooked up sightcasting to the school and landed all of their reds from ranging from 24″ to 27″. That was pretty exciting.

There are still a few flounder around, but will be moving out soon. Most of the flounder have been caught while fishing for redfish with artificials and live baits.

There are some decent sized black drum around and lots of smaller ones. The black drum are hitting dead shrimp on carolina rigs around oyster bars, dock pilings, and shelly bottom holes around low tide.

The whiting fishing has been excellent along the edge of the shipping channel in the lower Cape Fear River. Two hook bottom rigs baited with fresh shrimp are putting big numbers of these tasty fish in the cooler. Some of the whiting are good size, hit hard and pound for pound are one of the scrappiest fish out there.

Thanks for reading the report and I will try to stay more consistent with my fishing reports. It has been a busy summer and fall and I would like to thank my customers for their business. I have met so many great people and made lots of friends and memories through my charter business. It is a great to leave the dock with a customer, get to know them, and come back as friends. Check out the photos from some of the recent trips. These are just a few of the good catches we have had lately. 
LOOK FOR GREAT WINTER RATES STARTING IN DECEMBER. REDFISHING CAN BE INCREDIBLE IN DECEMBER, JANUARY, AND INTO FEBUARY.

Thanks,
Jeff Wolfe
Seahawk Inshore Fishing Charters
North Carolina Inshore Fishing Blog
910-619-9580

Jacob and Gabe with some mid Oct. reds. They caught these fish with live mud minnows on carolina rigs

Mark and Mike with a catch of sheephead, redfish, and flounder

Douglas, Larry, and Steve with some nice specs, reds and sheephead

A couple of nice specs in the 20 inch range

A pair of Bald Eagles we have been seeing on the lower Cape Fear

John had a double inshore slam

Gary, Carlton, and Paul had a good trip on a day with winds predicted to blow 35 to 40. They were determined to make a day of it and we did with good numbers of redfish and black drum fishing the protected creeks behind Bald Head Island

Tammy with her 27′ red she took home and had mounted. Caught fishing a dead shrimp on a carolina rig.

Phil, Matthew, Sarah, and Andrew caught lots of redfish and a few black drum on 8/8/11

Bill fished with me two days with similiar results on both days. Redfish, speckled trout, and black drum.

Bob with his 33″ red he caught on a Gulp Shrimp on his one more cast.

Hannah with of one her many reds she caught fishing dead shrimp on a carolina rig. Hope you didn’t rub it in on Jackson to bad Hannah

Kim the other half of the girls vs guys backwater challenge on the Kenner Bay boat. With one of the reds that put her and Hannah the victors for the trip.

The redfish bite has been up and down until recently and seems to be picking up significantly. We are seeing lots of reds chasing bait and the sightfishing has been good when conditions are right. Most of the reds have been caught blindcasting Gulp Shrimp, DOA soft plastics, and topwater plugs. We are also picking good numbers of redfish using the simple methods of fishing live mullet and shrimp on float rigs and bottom rigs. We are also picking a few flounder fishing artificials and live baits while fishing for redfish.

The speckled trout fishing has made an upward turn with the cooler air and water temps and should be getting better as we get into late October and November. The specks are around the inlets and creeks and falling for a variety of artificials. DOA soft plastic splittails, paddletails, DOA shrimp under popping floats, Gulp Shrimp, and mirrolures have all been effective. Live mullet and of course live shrimp on float rigs and bottom rigs are putting good numbers of these tasty fish in the boat.

The sheephead are on the move and normally larger this time of year. The sheephead are hitting fiddler crabs fished around structure like rocks and dock pilings. Sheephead fishing is a blast and these fish are very challenging to get away from the structure and into the landing net. There are also no regulations on sheephead and they are great to eat. We are also picking a few black drum while fishing for sheephead.

We are picking up a few flounder fishing DOA soft plastics, Gulp shrimp and jerkbaits, live mullet, and mud minnows. Flounder love Gulp baits and most of the flounder have been caught by dropping the trolling motor, covering ground and tossing Gulp baits. This a great way to get that Carolina inshore slam (flounder, redfish and speckled trout).

There are lots of panfish around like spots and croakers and the whiting should be showing up soon. Two hook bottom rigs baited with shrimp and bloodworms are filling up coolers in the mouth of the Cape Fear river. This is a great way to entertain small kids and put tasty fish in the boat.

There is a large variety of fish to target in the Cape Fear area this time of year and this trend will conitinue thru November. Thanks for reading the report and I should have a good one for the next couple of weeks. Check out the photos from some of my recent trips.

Thanks,
Jeff Wolfe
Seahawk Inshore Fishing Charters
North Carolina Inshore Fishing Blog
910-619-9580

Robert, Lucas, Jerry, and Jeremy with a good catch of sheephead, along with speckled trout, redfish, flounder,and black drum on 10/5/11

Tim with a first for me, a flounder that hit a Rapala Skitterwalk topwater plug in about 5 inches of water

Tim completed his inshore slam and almost got it all on topwater. After catching the flounder, he picked up a spec on topwater and missed a couple of redfish. He finally got his redfish on a soft plastic.

Hunter, one of the original Goober Brothers with a nice flounder he picked up fishing a mud minnow on a carolina rig

Zach, the other half of the Goober Brothers with a nice redfish while Hunter concentrates on the next bite

My son, Christian and me getting our 4th place check at the IFA Redfish Tour Surf City, NC event

Bill with a overslot red that crushed a Rapala Skitterwalk topwater plug

Scott with a red he caught sightcasting to the fish tailing on a marsh flat

Two father and daughter double hookups on redfish. Great memories and very rewarding trips for me.

There are some nice specs starting to show up all around the Cape Fear area

Derrick and Angel with a catch of redfish, flounder, sheephead, and black drum

Robert with a nice flounder he picked up on a Gulp Shrimp

Greg and Ray with a couple of reds they caught fishing live mud minnows on carolina rigs

It’s a double rainbow!!!! Just one of the beautiful sights we see here on the lower Cape Fear

The redfishing has been good to excellent in the backwaters of the lower Cape Fear. The reds are schooled up on the flats and the sightfishing and topwater bite has been incredible when conditions are right. We are also catching good numbers of reds in the creeks and bays blindcasting topwater plugs, Gulp baits and DOA soft plastics. Live mullet, mud minnows and shrimp on carolina rigs and float rigs are also producing good catches of redfish by anchoring down and pitching these baits to known productive areas. The reds are all slot fish with a few over slots (up to 33 inches) in the mix. These fish are super strong in the warm water temps and a absolute blast to catch on light tackle.

The flounder fishing is improving and should be getting better as the water cools and the fall fishing approaches. Most of the flounder have been caught fishing the same areas and baits that are also producing catches of redfish. Some large flatfish have been caught over the past couple of weeks.

We are seeing a few more speckled trout in the area and September is typically a good month for specs in the Cape Fear River. Some of my best catches of specs have been in the month of September. The specs are hitting DOA jerkbaits, mirrolures, Gulp Shrimp, and live shrimp on float rigs.

The sheephead bite is turning on after being slow for a few weeks. I picked up four nice sheeps on a charter on 8/25/11 along with some redfish and flounder. The sheephead are falling for fiddler crabs fished around structure. I have also picked up some nice tripletails suspended under floating debris and crab pot bouys.

I can make inshore and backwater fishing fun and simple for children and fisherman of all skill levels. Some of the tactics we use are similiar to fishing for crappie, bream, bass, and catfish in a local farm pond or lake. Fishing artificials for reds, trout, and flounder is similiar to fishing for largemouth bass.

Thanks for reading the report and I look forward to a good report for the middle of Sept. Check out the pics from some recent trips.

Thanks,
Jeff Wolfe
Seahawk Inshore Fishing Charters
North Carolina Inshore Fishing Blog
910-619-9580

Rob was excited to get his first tripletail. Rob grew up in Texas and has always wanted a shot at a nice tripletail. Hey Rob, I decided not to post the pic of you looking at your hand shaking. He was a bit nervous and so was I that my landing net had somehow flew out of the boat. I had to get him with the boga grip. Congrats Rob.

Sisters Sydney and Sarah with back to back tripetails. Good job girls!!!

The kids are having a blast catching reds, flounder, sharks, croakers and other inshore species fishing the calm backwaters of the lower Cape Fear

Jessie, one of our fine military men from Ft. Bragg had a awesome day to sightfish for reds on the flats and also picked up a inshore slam fishing the creeks

The ladies with some of their recent redfish catches

Seth caught some good redfish and also picked up a keeper flounder on artificials. Way to go Seth!!!

Reel men with reel fish

Rodney and Seth with Rodney’s multi spotted redfish

Kevin Gray with a 4.5lb flounder and 5.7lb redfish that got us 1st place flounder and third place redfish in the Cape Fear Homebuilders Tournament

Christian and fishing buddy Luke took top honors in the speckled trout division and second place redfish in the Cape Fear Home Builders Inshore Tourney

The redfish bite has been good to excellent on the flats and in the creeks. There are some large schools working the flats and there are some good sightfishing opportunities when conditions are right. There are also some smaller schools in the creeks and we are fishing these protected areas when on the wind picks up. Gulp baits, DOA soft plastics, live minnows and shrimp are the way to tempt bites from these drag screaming, hard fighting fish. We are also picking up a few flounder when fishing live baits and artificials for redfish.

Sheephead fishing has slowed a bit, but the fish we are catching have been large fish up to ten pounds. The sheephead are feeding around bridge pilings, docks, and other inshore structure. We are also picking a few black drum while fishing for the sheeps. Fiddler crabs and sand fleas are tough for both of the striped fish to pass up.

Flounder fishing has been good in the inlets, creeks, and bays of the lower Cape Fear. Live mullet, mud minnows and Gulp Baits are producing most of the action for these tasty fish.

Bluefish and ladyfish are chasing bait on the surface in the Cape Fear area and topwater plugs are producing some exciting action for both.

Thanks for checking out the report and I should have a good one for the next couple of weeks. Check out some of the photos from the past few weeks. These are just a few of the good catches we have had lately.

Thanks,
Jeff Wolfe
Seahawk Inshore Fishing Charters
Carolina Beach Inshore Fishing Blog
910-619-9580

Adam and Thomas with a good catch of flounder, redfish, a speckled trout and a sheephead

Chris, Scott, and Josh with their catch of sheephead and flounder

A few of the sheephead we have caught lately in the seven to ten pound range

Dave with a nice black drum that fell for a fiddler crab fished around some dock pilings

Hanna with a nice redfish she caught float fishing around the marsh edge

Some recent redfish catches

The kids are having a blast catching reds, flounder and other species fishing shrimp, live minnows and artificials in the backwaters of the Cape Fear area

The redfishing has been good on some days and tougher on others. Most of the reds seem to be holding in the cooler deeper waters of the main creek channels. We have caught good double digit numbers when we find them and most are slot sized fish. There are also some smaller schools working the shallows and the sightfishing has been good when conditions are right. Live minnows on float rigs and carolina rigs have been the most productive baits. The topwater bite has been good in the early morning hours, with Gulp baits and DOA soft plastics working well in the afternoon.

The flounder fishing has been solid in the lower Cape Fear area lately. Live minnows and Gulp baits are putting a few of these tasty fish in the boat. Sheephead are feeding around bridge pilings and other structure in the ICW and Cape Fear River. There are also a few speckled trout and bluefish being caught while we are fishing for reds and flounder. We are also catching good numbers of panfish to keep the young kids busy.

Check out the photos from the past few weeks. These are just a few of the good catches we have had lately. Thanks for reading the report and I should have a good one for the next couple of weeks.

Thanks,
Jeff Wolfe
Seahawk Inshore Fishing Charters
North Carolina Inshore Fishing Blog
910-619-9580

Ladies first: The ladies seem to be wearing out the guys lately. These are a few of the ladies catches over the past few weeks.

The flounder fishing is picking up in the lower Cape Fear. These are a few of the flounder landed of the past few weeks.

Sheephead fishing has been good and these are a few of the nice sheeps we have caught over the past few weeks

The kids are having a blast catching reds, flounder, sharks and othe species fishing the beautiful backwaters of the lower Cape Fear

Kevin with a inshore slam, trout on topwater, flounder and redfish on Gulp Shrimp

Ed with a early morning topwater redfish.

Mark with speckled trout that hit a DOA paddle tail jig. There are a few more trout starting to show up.

John and Ryan had a good father and son fishing trip catching reds, flounder, and sheephead.

The inshore and backwater fishing around the Cape Fear area has been good over the past couple of weeks. There have been a couple of tough days mixed in, but we have still managed a few fish on those days. The weather has been great for fishing the beautiful waters of the lower Cape Fear. We are catching redfish, flounder, sheephead, black drum, bluefish, croakers and a few other species. This pattern should continue over the summer months.

The redfishing has been a good with lots of double digit days recently. The redfish are schooled up on the flats and spread out along the marshes and creeks of the lower Cape Fear. The reds are hitting topwater plugs, DOA soft plastics, Gulp Alive baits and minnows on float rigs and carolina rigs. Most of the reds have in the 23″ to 25″ range with a few upper and over slot fish, along with a few under slots mixed in. These fish are so strong in the warm waters and an absolute blast to catch on light tackle. They have been really aggressive on topwater plugs, sometimes chasing these baits halfway back to the boat. This redfishing pattern should continue over the summer months.

The flounder fishing is picking up and should be getting better over the next couple of weeks. We are catching flounder on mud minnows, peanut pogies, DOA soft plastics and Gulp Alive baits. Flounder love Gulp baits and we have been picking up a few flounder when throwing artificials for redfish.

The sheephead are around bridges, docks, and other structure and are hitting fiddler crabs, sand fleas, and mussel clusters. I will sometimes get the mussel clusters off of floating docks and chum the sheephead to a piling, then drop a fiddler crab to the fish. We have to lock down the drags and get the fish out of the pilings. We have had several big sheephead break us off recently. Fishing for sheephead is challenging and lots of fun, and they are great to eat. There is also a chance of picking up a few black drum while fishing for the sheeps.

Both small and large bluefish are in the area and hiting all types of baits. We have been sightcasting to some large blues ( 8 to 10lbs) that are mixed in with some of the schools of redfish in the Masonboro Sound area. These fish are hard to stay hooked up to, but are a blast to catch when you do.

For small kids, we have been catching lots of croakers and other panfish to keep then busy. We can catch these fish along with the bigger fish such as redfish, black drum, and flounder. Watching small children catch fish is a blast and I had a nine year old catch a 8lb tripletail this week with the help of his dad. I can make inshore fishing very simple, similiar to fishing in a pond or lake for kids and inexperienced anglers.

Thanks for reading the report and check out some of photos from the past couple of weeks. These are just a few of the good catches we have had recently.

Thanks,
Jeff Wolfe
Seahawk Inshore Fishing Charters
North Carolina Inshore Fishing Blog
910-619-9580

Ed and James with a 8.5lb tripletail they tag teamed fishing a mud minnow on a float rig. I saw the fish around a crab trap bouy and 9yr old James with the help of his dad did a great job getting this fish to the boat. The first thing that James said to me when he got on the boat was ” I live to fish”. I knew then it was going to be a good day

Ed and James had a great father and son trip fishing the beautiful backwaters of the lower Cape Fear.

Kevin and John doubled up on reds casting topwater plugs in the Masonboro Sound area.

The kids have been having a blast catching reds, flounder and other species using the simple methods of fishing live baits and shrimp on float rigs and bottom rigs

The flounder fishing is picking up. These flounder were caught on Gulp Alive shrimp

Jeff with a red he picked up casting a DOA paddletail jig

Jim with a red that inhaled a Zara Spook topwater plug

James with a redfish he caught fishing a mud minnow on a carolina rig in the creeks of the lower Cape Fear

Tim and Mike with a good catch of sheephead and redfish. Enough fish to feed the 20 or so family members they had at the beach house.

Sarah with a red she caught fishing a mud minnow around some dock pilings

Matt with a large bluefish that inhaled a Rapala Skitterwalk topwater plug on the flats of the Masonboro Sound area. Large blues like this one have been mixed in with the schools of reds and tailing in a foot or two of water.

Kristin with a red she picked up fishing a mud minnow along a creek bank.

The inshore fishing has been good with catches of redfish, flounder, black drum, sheephead, and bluefish. We have had some great days to be on the water recently and the fish have responded well. Some of the best fishing of the year can occur in late May and June and I am looking forward to some good fishing opportunities for the next month or so.

The redfish are spread out among the marshes of the lower Cape Fear and Masonboro Sound, with many double digit days over the past couple of weeks. Most of the reds have been caught fishing mud minnows, peanut pogies, and shrimp on carolina rigs and float rigs. Fishing these baits around oyster rocks and marsh points is simple and fun for fisherman of all skill levels. The reds have been really aggressive on topwater plugs, and watching these fish chase topwater has been a blast. If they miss the plug, we’ll cast a DOA soft plastic or Gulp Alive Shrimp to them and it works almost everytime. We have also been able to do some sightfishing to small schools of reds that are roaming the marsh edges on calm days. We have also caught some reds fishing docks along the intracoastal waterway. Look for the redfishing to get better as we get into late May and June.

The sheephead fishing is starting to pick up and putting a few of these tasty fish in the cooler is always a possibility this time of year. Fishing live fiddler crabs on carolina rigs around pilings is the the way to go for some nice sheeps. These fish are challenging to get out of the pilings and are great to eat. We are also picking up some black drum while fishing the same structure for sheephead and redfish.

The flounder are starting to show up in decent numbers will be getting better over the next couple of weeks. Fishing peanut pogies on carolina rigs around the inlets, drop offs, docks, deep holes, and other structure is the best way to put some tasty flatfish in the boat. We can also pick up flounder casting Gulp Alive shrimp around some of these same areas. Flounder love Gulp Baits and we usually pick up a few flounder while throwing these baits for redfish.

There are always some large bluefish (8 to 12 pounders) roaming the inshore waters this time of year and hooking up with a big chopper blue is a lot of fun. I have run into some small pods of 15 to 20 fish feeding with their tails and fins out of the water and are crushing anything you throw at them. The problem is getting them to the boat after they make a couple of jumps and throw the plug or break you off.

I am looking forward to some good fishing opportunities for the next couple of weeks with a variety of fish to pursue in the Cape Fear area. Thanks for reading the report and I should have a good one for the first of June. Check out some of the photos from the past couple of weeks. These are just a few of the good catches we have had lately.

Thanks,
Jeff Wolfe
Seahawk Inshore Fishing Charters
North Carolina Inshore Fishing Blog
910-619-9580

4/28/11 Mike with a red that hit a Gulp Alive Shrimp

4/28/11 Caleb with a red that hit a spinnerbait with a DOA paddletail jig

4/29/11 Ed, Morgan, and Jason (aka Vinnie) with a few of the reds they caught fishing mud minnows on carolina rigs

4/29/11 Ed with a flounder he picked up fishing a mud minnow on a carolina rig

4/30/11 Margie and Horton had a great husband and wife fishing trip throwing DOA soft plastics and Gulp Alive Shrimp in the backwaters of the lower Cape Fear

5/1/11 Angel with a red she caught float fishing a shrimp along the marsh edge

5/1/11 Derek with a black tip shark that hit a mud minnow on a float rig

5/2/11 Declan with a red he caught fishing a mud minnow around some dock pilings

5/3/11 Mike and Joe with a catch of sheephead and a few of the reds they caught fishing fiddler crabs and mud minnows

5/4/11 Michael with a upper slot red he caught fishing a peanut pogie on a carolina rig

5/5/11 Jeff with a red he caught fishing a mud minnow on a carolina rig

5/7/11 Kim with a nice sheephead that hit a fiddler crab around some dock pilings

5/7/11 Adam with a black drum that hit a piece of shrimp on a carolina rig

Adam and Kim with their catch from 5/7/11

5/13/11 Victor and Cameron had a great father and son fishing trip throwing Gulp Alive Shrimp, DOA soft plastics, and topwater plugs along the marsh edge

5/13/11 Dave with a blue he caught on a topwater plug sightcasting to a school that was tailing on the flats of Masonboro Sound

5/14/11 Christian with multi-spot 32 inch red that inhaled a topwater plug on the flats of Masonboro Sound. This was a good day with large blues and redfish working the same areas.

5/15/11 Jeffrey with a over slot red he picked up sightcasting to a school on the flats of the lower Cape Fear. Caught on a Gulp Alive shrimp

5/16/11 Ira with a flounder he caught fishing a mud minnow around a oyster bed

5/16/11 Robbie with a red he picked up fishing a live mud minnow on a carolina rig