Seahawk Charters Fishing Report

We are still experiencing some pretty good fishing conditions here in the Cape Fear region. The fishing has been ok but not what it normally is for this time of year. We are still catching double digit numbers of redfish and striped bass. Just not catching the big numbers of reds like we sometimes do in the winter months. Still not bad for the winter months.

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

We have had some great weather here in the Cape Fear region and the forecast is for a mild winter. Looks like it may be a good winter for fishing. We are catching redfish, speckled trout, striped bass, and still picking up a few flounder. Most of the fish have been caught fishing artificials such as Gulp Shrimp and DOA Cal Shad Tails. Also mud minnows and shrimp on carolina rigs and float rigs are working well for those that want to use live baits.

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.