By whatever name you know them, whiting are a tasty reminder that spring is on the way in North Carolina’s coastal waters.
One of the finest-tasting panfish along the Cape Fear coast has to deal with a bit of an identity crisis, but it might be a good thing, as stocks of whiting, aka kingfish, sea mullet or Virginia mullet, are in good shape and not managed by any regulations.
Some fishermen are slow to talk much about these tasty members of the drum family for fear of increasing their popularity to the point that regulatory oversight is required. On the other hand, some anglers don’t think it’s right to hold back information about whiting, because there are people who have never enjoyed them hot from the frying pan or felt their energetic bite.
Whiting are found along the entire North Carolina coast, but they show a particular fondness for the Cape Fear River and the nearshore ocean around it. They rarely hit lures or make long runs, but they readily eat natural baits and taste great when introduced to seafood breading and hot grease. Their following isn’t as large as the group chasing red drum, speckled trout and flounder, but it is just as dedicated.
Butch Foster of Yeah Right Charters in Southport added an inshore boat to his offshore business several years ago and has a growing inshore clientele. He said fishermen like to catch trout, flounder and redfish, but those in the know also like to take home a bunch of whiting — and they’re his family’s favorite fish to target on his rare days off.
Foster primarily fishes two areas for whiting: the edge of the Cape Fear River’s shipping channel from Battery Island to the mouth of the river, and the ocean a few hundred yards off of Oak Island’s Caswell Beach. He said whiting are usually easy to catch once located, and while they are occasionally picky about bait, they’re typically hungry and feeding. Foster can usually find a few whiting marks on his fish finder, but when he can’t he drifts until he finds them.
In the river, Foster concentrates on the edge of the shipping channel and targets the 18- to 20-foot depths, picking up a few fish a little shallower or deeper. In the ocean, there are broken patches of sand and mud bottom at various depths, from just off the beach out to well beyond the ends of the piers. He has some favorite locations saved in his GPS, but many days he drifts and catches whiting in small schools at multiple places. He drifts with baited outfits in rod-holders and jigs another outfit with a Hopkins or Kastmaster spoon in case gray trout, red drum or other fish are around.
“I fish a little heavier tackle than most for whiting, but in this area, you never know what might bite,” Foster said. “If a big red drum bites, I want my fishermen to have a good chance of landing it. I fish Fenwick medium-light rods with Abu-Garcia Ambassador or Shimano Curado reels loaded with 17- to 20-pound mono line.”
Foster ties three surgeon’s loops in the end of his line to make his rig. He uses a 3-ounce sinker — banks sinker in light current and pyramid in strong currents — in the bottom loop, then long-shank No. 6 hooks in the top two loops. The middle loop is about 6 inches above the sinker, and the top loop is 9 to 12 inches above it.
Foster believes whiting, which are members of the drum family, often use their noses to locate food in turbid water, so he strives to have the freshest bait possible. Whiting like fresh shrimp, so in the spring when fresh shrimp is rare, Foster goes to the fish market and buys shrimp destined to be eaten. He also saves soft-plastic Gulp baits that have been bitten off and slices the remaining part into thin bait pieces that he uses for whiting and other bottom feeders.
Dennis Barbour of Island Tackle Fishing Charters in Carolina Beach begins looking for whiting in the Cape Fear River below Snows Cut and works toward the mouth of the river. He said there is often good whiting fishing along the edges of the shipping channel below Sunny Point, plus along the Southport-Fort Fisher Ferry channel, especially on the Fort Fisher side of the river.
“I fish the high edge of the drop-off where the river bottom drops into the channel,” Barbour said. “There is usually enough trash rolling along the bottom in the current it is hard to use the fish finder to locate fish, but I concentrate on fishing between 18 and 22 feet deep.
“I like to fish the slower-moving current in the last couple of hours of the falling tide through low tide into the first couple of hours of the rising tide,” Barbour said. “I’ve caught whiting at other tide stages, but have done best then. You can move away from the channel to get out of the strong current during the middle of the tide, but the fish don’t always follow.”
Barbour uses a double-drop bottom rig with green beads just above the hooks. He likes a small, long-shank hook like the Eagle Claw 066 series in Nos. 5 or 6 and uses a 2- or 3-ounce banks sinker because it will bounce and move along the bottom in the current and allows covering more area. He casts out to the sides and lets the lines slowly work their way by the boat until they are trailing off the stern.
Barbour said whiting usually come by in waves, riding the current. He doesn’t know why, but the best fishing is often when he catches dogfish every third or fourth fish. They are aggravating, but he believes they are a good sign.
“I use a slightly different bait setup than many fishermen, especially when fishing is slow,” Barbour said. “I begin by putting a 1/4- to 1/2-inch piece of Fishbites synthetic bloodworm on the hook and then tipping the hook with a piece of fresh shrimp. Fishbites are made to break down and release scent into the water, and it helps whiting find my baits. Even if something gets the shrimp off the hook, fish will bite the piece of Fishbites. Croakers and drum like shrimp and Fishbites and can add to your catch.”
Tommy Thomes of Oak Island Pier in Oak Island said whiting are the saviors of early and late-season pier fishing. He said they are often already around when the pier opens in March and are usually still biting when it closes after Thanksgiving. He said some fishermen catch them well into the winter.
“Unlike many other species, whiting like rough water and often bite best when the wind is blowing and the surf is 3 to 4 feet,” Thomes said. “That helps us out, too, as they aren’t as picky about bait in the rough, murky conditions. It’s pretty obvious they are using their noses to find food, and they are eating whatever they find. They will readily eat older shrimp, squid and other things they will sometimes turn down in the river.”
Thomes recommended using a double-drop bottom rig with long-shank No. 6 hooks and smaller pieces of bait because whiting have small mouths. He suggests 2- or 3-ounce pyramid sinkers, but sometimes goes heavier so his rig and bait don’t move and whiting tracking it by smell can find it easier..
Whiting might be found anywhere from the breakers to the end of the pier, Thomes said; some days they will be scattered through this entire range, and some days they will prefer a certain depth. Where they were biting the day before at the same tide stage is a good spot to start, but if they aren’t there, don’t give up until you have tried both shallower and deeper.
Whatever name you choose to use, whiting, sea mullet or Virginia mullet, any of the kingfish are fun to catch and excellent table fare. They are even more accommodating by being one of the first fish to arrive each spring and the last to leave each fall. There are even occasional years they don’t leave. Give whiting fishing a try and be sure to take some home. If you like fish, you’ll like whiting.
DESTINATION INFORMATION
HOW TO GET THERE — Anywhere between Wilmington and Southport, along with Carolina Beach and Wrightsville Beach, offers good boating access to the Cape Fear area. US 17, US 421, US 74 and I-40 will put most fishermen living in North Carolina within reach of these communities. Two ramps in Wilmington will serve most boaters’ needs: Dram Tree Park on the waterfront next to the US 76/421/17 bridge and River Road Park. Carolina Beach has a public ramp on the south side of the ICW off US 421 at Snows Cut and a fee ramp at Carolina Beach State Park. A public ramp at Fort Fisher at the end of US 421 is available.
WHEN TO GO — Whiting prefer cooler water and typically arrive in the waters around Cape Fear in March. They bite well through the spring, slow down in the summer and pick up again in the fall.
BEST TECHNIQUES — Whiting are easily handled on light- to medium-action tackle. The recommended rig is a double-drop bottom rig with one hook on the bottom and another 9 to 12 inches above it. Individual preferences range from speck rigs, with their small bucktails, to double-drop rigs with a bead, to Sea Striker rigs with a small squid skirt. The preferred bait is pieces of the freshest shrimp possible. Fresh frozen in water is the best alternative. Some fisherman also catching whiting on small pieces of Fishbites and Gulp baits.
FISHING INFO/GUIDES — Capt. Dennis Barbour, Island Tackle Fishing Charters, Carolina Beach, 910-470-5041; Island Tackle and Hardware, Carolina Beach, 910-458-3049, www.islandtacklehardware.com; Capt. Butch Foster, Yeah Right Charters, Southport, 910-845-2004, www.yeahrightcharters.com; Oak Island Pier, 910-278-6464, www.oakislandpier.com. See also Guides and Charters in Classifieds.
ACCOMMODATIONS — in MainStaySuites, Wilmington, 910-392-1741; Sleep Inn, Wilmington, 910-313-6664; Pleasure Island Chamber of Commerce, 910-458-8434, www.pleasureislandnc.org; Southport-Oak Island Chamber of Commerce, 800-457-6964, www.southport-oakisland.com; Southport Angler Outfitters, 910-457-7096, www.southportlodging.com; Lois Jane’s Riverview Inn and Riverside Motel, 910-457-6701, www.loisjanes.com; The Inn at River Oaks, 910-457-1100, www.theinnatriveroaks.com.
MAPS — Capt. Segull’s Nautical Charts, 888-473-4855, www.captainsegullsharts.com; Sealake Fishing Guides, 800-411-0185, www.thegoodspots.com; GMCO’s Chartbook of North Carolina, 888-420-6277, www.gmcomaps.com.
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