Fall fishing in Carolina Beach is in FULL SWING – Blast from the past

Article by: Mark Mayo

Fall fishing is in FULL SWING in Carolina Beach and we have been very busy. INSHORE SLAMS * SPECKLED TROUT* FLOUNDER* SHARKS* IT’S TIME!

INSHORE: The red fishing bite has been pretty steady. We are seeing reds from 25 inches down to about 15 inches. It is good to see the 15 inch reds coming up as they are another generation of reds and the way they are biting they will be really big, really quick! We have had many inshore slams and the trout are just about to start biting well. We need the water temp to fall just a bit more but we did pick up a NICE 3-4lb trout yesterday.

The black drum and sheep’s head fishing is in full swing and the trout fishing is usually a week or so behind them, depending on the weather. The flounder fishing in the shallow water has been producing good numbers of fish. Try the small, narrow creeks where the bait is concentrated for best results. In some of these creeks the flounder are biting as good as pin fish!

Now for the bait to use….. This next part is a big relief to me. Ever since Berkley Gulp! has came out I have been a fan of it. I have caught more fish with it than I have with live bait, and that is really tough to say but I can now honestly say it is the truth. I will not throw a net for inshore live bait to use on the flats or shallow water. Gulp is all you need. But my problem was keeping it on the hook. All the jig heads I used failed. Either they were not weed less and they got snagged and hung up, or the shank on the jig was not designed in such a way to retain the gulp on the shank. After much testing I tried the new Gitzem WEEDLESS jig head and I have finally found the right combination. It does not get hung up, and the Gulp! stay’s on the hook even after you have caught two or three fish with it. The jig heads will allow me to use the 3” Gulp! shrimp OR the 5” Jerk bait. I use the ¼ ounce Gitzem heads. They are made by Barefoot tackle. I recommend trying them; they sure have made my life easy lately! These heads combined with the Gulp! baits have truly changed the way I fish.

OFFSHORE: The king mackerel are in close and are starting to stack up in the 10-15 mile range. This time of year with the water temp cooling off they will start feeding heavily. Dead cigar minnows or live bait will produce best results. The blue fish and spanish have been right off the beach and can be sights casted to with Mariah jigs and small sting silvers. The grey tout reports have been trickling in but so have the net reports. If the Grey trout bite is slow, you can thank the netters. The shark fishing is still on fire and we are still catching them in the 100 lb range and even had a 10’ 200 lb plus bull shark on the other day for about a hour before he tail wrapped the line and broke free. That’s a BIG shark to be caught right off the beach!

As you can tell fall fishing is in full swing. If you have thought about booking a charter call up your favorite captain and book a trip with them. The fishing is excellent, the weather is excellent…the only thing missing is you!

Tight lines!

Capt. Matt Wirt
Reel Adventure Charters
910-540-0570  Wilmington, NC

Mark Mayo

I research and report on fishing, fishing gear/equipment, survival topics, and marketing for outdoors related businesses. I assist here on CB Fishing as the editor. Articles may contain AI researched content. All content is published for education and entertainment purposes only, NOT LIFE, HEALTH, SURVIVAL, FINANCIAL, BUSINESS, LEGAL OR ANY OTHER ADVICE. Learn more about Mark Mayo