The redfish bite has been tough at times and good at times depending on weather patterns and wind conditions. The reds are still schooling on the flats but have been a bit skiddish recently. When they’re in a feeding mood, topwater plugs and soft plastic paddletails will tempt them to bite, but scented baits like Gulp and live mud minnows are more effective on finicky redfish. The creeks are holding a few reds and we are picking up a scattered fish here and there on spinnerbaits, topwater plugs, Gulp baits, and DOA soft plastics. We are also picking up a few fish in the creeks by anchoring down and casting live mud minnows on carolina rigs into to holes around low tide. There are also some reds holding around docks in the ICW. Look for the redfish bite to really turn on as we get into May.

May and the first of June is usually a good time for speckled trout fishing in the Cape Fear area. The larger spawning specs should show up in the creeks and Cape Fear river. We have caught a few nice specs recently but not any numbers. Hopefully we’ll see the trout fishing turn around this month with more and larger fish. DOA soft plastics, DOA Shrimp on popping floats, Gulp Shrimp, and of course live shrimp on float rigs will tempt the specs to bite.

The flounder fishing will be getting better as we get into May. We are seeing some larger fish showing up and had a four pounder this past week on a Gulp bait. Most of the flounder on my charters have been caught by dropping the trolling motor, covering ground and casting Gulp baits. The drift fishing for flounder around the inlets should start to turn on, along with fishing live minnows and menhaden around structure in the Cape Fear river and ICW.

We are starting to see some sheephead and caught a few over the past week. More sheephead will be showing up and putting a few of these fish in the cooler is always a possibility as we get into late spring and throughout the summer months. Sheephead are a blast to catch, great to eat and there are no limits on size or number. Fiddler crabs and sand fleas will do the trick on the sheeps.

Small and large blues ( up to 13 lbs) have moved into the flats, river, and creeks and are crushing topwater plugs. We have caught some blues in the 10 to 13 lb range recently sightcasting topwater plugs to tailing fish in a couple of feet of water. These fish scream some drag, jump, and have been an abslolute blast to catch on light tackle.

Thanks for reading the report and check out a few of the photos from the past few weeks.

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

The redfish bite has been fair to excellent depending on tides and weather conditions. Most of the action has ocurred on the lower stages of the tides using live mud minnows and shrimp on carolina rigs. For those that like using artificials were are catching scattered reds in the creeks and finding large schools on the flats on the calmer days. Gulp baits and DOA paddletails are producing most of the action. The topwater redfish bite is starting to pick up and will be getting better over the next couple of weeks.

Good numbers of small speckled trout and a few larger specks are feeding in the same areas and hitting the same soft baits and topwater plugs. Looks like we may have a good spring trout season with all of the small fish that were here in the fall.

Deeper holes off the lower Cape Fear are producing some flounder action. Look for the flounder bite to get more consistent with some larger fish moving in. Live minnows and Gulp Baits are working on the flatfish. Flounder love Gulp Baits and most of the flounder have been caught while throwing these baits in the deeper holes.

The whiting bite has been excellent in the lower Cape Fear river. Fisherman are filling up coolers and 50 to 100 fish have been the norm. Some of these tasty fish have been the larger ones weighing one to two pounds. Whiting hit hard and a lot of fun to catch. Shrimp on two hook bottom rigs will do the trick on the whiting. We are also picking up a few small black and an occasional larger one using shrimp on carolina rigs and two hook bottom rigs. Catching whiting and black drum using these tactics are great for entertaining children and putting some good eating fish in the cooler.

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 some recent trips.

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

3/26/12 Dave, a fishing guide from Canada that also works in the movie industry spent about a month in the Wilmington area and fell in love with redfishing. He fished with me four times and had some awesome days sightfishing for reds. He turned me on to a great bait that works good on redfish, the Jackall I-Shad, a soft bait from Japan.

3/28/12 Derrick and Angel had a good trip catching reds fishing live mud minnows on carolina rigs.

3/29/12 Kevin with the result of a inshore slam. Caught on Gulp Baits and Jackall I-Shad soft baits

3/31/12 Adam and Amber had a good trip in the backwaters throwing Gulp baits for reds and flounder

4/1/12 Raleigh, Zach, and Randy mixed it up a bit with a catch of redfish, flounder, black drum, and whiting

4/2/12 Jared with a decent black drum he caught fishing shrimp on a carolina rig

4/2/12 Kyle and Jared with the result of a double hook-up of upper slot reds fishing mud minnows on carolina rigs. A great father and son fishing trip on the lower Cape Fear.

4/3/12 John and Ryan with another father and son double hook-up of redfish. Fishing mud minnows on carolina rigs

4/3/12 Ryan with a another nice red. Ryan and Jared from the photos above a great young fisherman and also do really well throwing artificials in the backwaters. These kind of trips are very rewarding for me.

4/4/12 Laurie with a nice red while hubby Robert is hooked up with another.

4/4/12 Robert and Laurie had a good husband and wife trip fishing the creeks of the lower Cape Fear. This was a excellent day fishing for reds and a bonus flounder. We made a pit stop at Jr’s Camp on the way out and took this cool photo. Heck I may even treat them with a anniversary gift certificate at this fine five star camp on Bluff Island over looking scenic Deep Creek. Just don’t forget the bug spray.

Another great family fishing trip with Hugo, Dick, Sam, and Mike. These 9 and 7 yr old youngsters did a great job fishing with their Dad and Grandfather in the creeks of the lower Cape Fear. We had a blast catching reds and black drum on shrimp and mud minnows.

Check out the most recent video I have added to the video library, Cape Fear Tripletail Fishing. Can’t wait for these fish to show up.

Special thanks to Mark and Christine at 601 Media (www.601media.com) for the great job they do on the website and editing most of my videos.

The redfish bite has picked up in the backwaters of the lower Cape Fear and Masonboro Sound area. There are some large schools of reds roaming the flats and the sightfishing has been good when the winds are light. There are also smaller pods of reds in the creeks and around docks along the waterway. Double digit days on the reds have been common the past couple of weeks along with a few flounder and speckled trout. Gulp Shrimp, Swimming Mullet, and DOA paddletails are working well, along with shrimp and mud minnows pinned to jigheads or carolina rigs. The reds are already hitting topwater baits and look for the topwater bite to improve over the next couple of weeks.

The whiting are here in big numbers and filling up a cooler with these tasty fish is always a possibility in the early spring. It should be an early season for speckled trout and we are seeing some good signs for a good spring trout bite. The flounder are starting to show up in better numbers with more keeper fish in the mix. The sheephead fishing will also be turning on soon and hopefully we’ll have a good spring black drum bite. The small and large bluefish, tripletails, and spanish makerel are not far behind.

Looks like it is going to be a great time to get on the water and experience some of the awesome inshore fishing we have in the Cape Fear area. I have some open dates for the spring and Easter breaks. Give me a call if you would like to get out there and do some inshore and backwater fishing. I can make it as simple as fishing in a farm pond for kids and inexperienced fishermen and fisherwomen. Thanks for reading the report and check out the photos from some recent trips.

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

2/27/12 Avette and Filip had a good day in the backwaters with a inshore slam. We had a few reds, a nice trout, and a couple of flounder. All on Gulp Shrimp.

2/28/12 Dave, a fishing guide from Canada had a good day with the redfish. Caught with some smallmouth jigs he had that resemble mud minnows.

3/2/12 Robert and Dave doubled up sightfishing out of a large school on the flats.

3/2/12 Dave with a over slot red he caught sightfishing on the flats on a foggy March morning. Caught with a Gulp Swimming Mullet in the Smoke color.

3/512 Joe with a 33″ red he picked up on a blue crab chunk fishing around some dock pilings

3/10/12 Scott with a nice black drum he caught fishing shrimp on a carolina rig

3/10/12 Scott with a grand slam. He had a good day on the reds, a black drum, flounder, and a trout.

Dave fished with me again on 3/12/12 with his so Liam. We had a great day sightfishing to schools of reds on the flats.

3/15/12 Kevin and Rich with the result of a double hook-up. Another solid double digit day sightfishing on the flats.

Ricky and Shane had an incredible day of redfishing on 3/18/12. Sightfishing on the flats in the early morning and fishing the creeks during the afternoon.

3/20/12 John had a double inshore slam with a couple of keeper flounder, trout, and lots of redfish

3/22/12 Bill with a 34″ red he caught casting a DOA paddletail jig.

3/22/12 Pete, Tom, Bill, and Mike (not pictured ) had a good day on the reds fishing Gulp Shrimp, DOA soft plastics, and shrimp on carolina rigs.

There are still lots of redfish around with lockjaw and also some around that are willing to bite. Knowing when, where, and what baits to use have been key lately to get the reds to bite. Most of the reds have been caught by dropping the trolling motor and quietly covering ground and casting to where schools of reds have been roaming the banks. Scented Gulp Shrimp and Swimming Mullet have worked along with DOA paddletails coated with Pro Cure Mullet Scent. Shrimp, crab chunks, and live mud minnows have also worked well, especially on the schools bunched up around the docks.

We are also picking up a stray speckled trout and flounder while throwing artificials for the reds. There are also some stripers being caught in the Cape Fear River around Wilmington. The whiting are just off the beach in the mouth of the Cape Fear River and will be soon making their move to into the river. Catching good numbers of these tasty fish is always a possibility as we get into March and April.

Looking forward to the spring fishing. It is always great getting out on the water with my repeat customers, and meeting and making some new friends. Thanks for reading the report and check out a few of the photos from some recent trips.

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

2/15/12 Henry with a nice red that he caught casting a DOA paddletail jig.

2/15/12 A rare sight in N.C., a seal that was very curious of our presence and kept poking his head up and checking us out.

2/16/12 Josh and Herb had a good trip and doubled up out of a school that was roaming a creek bank. These fish were caught on DOA paddletails soaked in Pro Cure Mullet Scent

2/16/12 Josh with the leader of the pack. A stud of a redfish measuring 30 + inches.

2/17/12 Seth with a red he caught out of a school in the creeks. One of those tough days where we saw a lot of fish but could not get then to bite.

2/18/12 Becky and Mike had a good trip casting DOA paddletails, Gulp Alive Shrimp, and Gulp Swimming Mullet.

2/20/12 Joel with a flounder he caught casting a Gulp Shrimp

2/20/12 Joel with a over-slot red he caught fishing a chunk of blue crab on a carolina rig

2/20/12 Mike and Joel had a good father and son fishing trip in the backwaters of the lower Cape Fear

2/21/12 Joe with a nice spec that fell for a Gulp Swimming Mullet in the creeks of the lower Cape Fear

2/21/12 I got to make a few cast fishing with Joe and picked up this 26 3/4 inch red fishing some of Pure Fishings great products, Pflueger, Abu Garcia, and Berkley Gulp. This fish was caught on one of my new setups that is going to be great casting artificials. The Pflueger Patriach and the Abu Garcia Villian 7′1″ spinning outfit that together weigh around 10 ounces. We were fishing out of the new 19′ Carolina Skiff in the creeks of the lower Cape Fear.

2/23/12 Amy with a red that hit a chunk of blue crab on a carolina rig

2/23/12 Colby with a nice spec and flounder that hit a Gulp Shrimp. We had a inshore slam on this day with a few reds, a trout, and two keeper flounder.

The whiting will be showing up soon in the mouth of the Cape Fear River. Putting big numbers of these tasty fish is always a possibility in March

There are lots of schools of redfish on the flats, in the creeks, and around dock pilings. These schools range from 30 to 100 fish on the flats and smaller schools of 20 to 50 fish in the creeks and around the docks. The reds were biting good but have shut down this past week. Hopefully they will turn back on and start to feed again. We are still picking up a few fish even on the days when it is tough to get them to bite. The reds around the dock pilings and have been easier to catch using natural baits. Gulp shrimp, DOA paddle tails, are working well on the flats and in the creeks. Mud minnows, dead shrimp and crab chunks are working well around the docks.

We are picking up a few speckled trout in the creeks when casting Gulp Shrimp and DOA paddle tails and an occasional flounder. There are also a few black drum around the docks. Most of the black drum are small but we have picked up a couple of bigger ones in the 3to 4lb range. I have not been striped bass fishing but have heard some good reports from the upper Cape Fear River around Wilmington.

Thanks for reading the report and hopefully I’ll have a better report for the next couple of weeks. Check out a few of the photos from some recent trips.

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

Two recent additions to the inshore, backwater, and flats fleet. The 2011 19′ Carolina Skiff and the 2012 17′ Ranger Banshee Extreme are rigged and ready for action.

1/15/12 Jack, Peter, Danielle, and Dave had a good trip with 16 reds and a flounder. Caught fishing DOA paddletails and Gulp Shrimp.

1/17/12 Ed with a nice red he caught casting Gulp Alive Shrimp

1/17/12 Allen with a spec he caught on a DOA paddletail jig. A good double digit day on the reds, one speckled trout and a four pound black drum.

1/19/12 Grant and Mandy had a good day on the reds fishing DOA paddltails and Gulp Shrimp

Alex with a nice flounder he picked up on 1/20/12

1/20/12 Kevin with a over-slot red he caught out of a nice school along the marsh edge

1/20/12 Kevin and Alex had a good father and son trip and capped it off with a double hook up of reds out of a school along a creek bank

1/21/12 My son Christian continues to put his friends on fish with Garret picking up this nice red on a DOA paddletail jig. Christian should have his captains license soon and will be able to take some of my overflow.

1/23/12 Stone with a nice spec he picked fishing with Christian on the newly rigged Carolina Skiff

1/23/12 Christian with another nice spec

1/24/12 Rich, Fernando, and Peter went on a tear catching three keeper flounder and three keeper trout in about thirty minutes. They also had a good day on the reds. Notice the short sleeves, a beautiful day in late January

1/29/12 A tough day on the reds for Pat, Cory, Travis, and Roy . We did manage a couple of reds and about twelve tasty black drum for the frying pan

2/4/12 John with a couple of the reds he caught fishing dead shrimp on a carolina rig. We also picked up a few black drum.

2/5/12 Steve, Allen, and James had a good trip with around ten specs (only three keepers) and a couple of reds. One of the tough days where we saw a lot of reds but could not get them to bite.

1/31/12 This was a slick calm day where we saw several big schools of reds on the flats but they would not eat. Paul did pick up this over-slot fish on his first cast into a school. He said it was still an amazing sight to see that many fish in less than a foot of water.

Christian with a red he pulled out of some dock pilings fishing dead shrimp.

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