The Gulf Stream is farthest from North Carolina’s coastline off Cape Fear, making the runs from inlets at New River, New Topsail, Wrightsville Beach, Carolina Beach, Oak Island, Holden Beach and Ocean Isle Beach the longest for Tarheel State fishermen.
However, once spring warms the water and summer is on the way, that doesn’t bother these fishermen all that much. It seems fishermen around Cape Fear have a bit of an ace in the hole, with schools of dolphin and pods of sailfish that move well inshore of the Gulf Stream to feed along the many rocks, wrecks and artificial reefs along with king mackerel, amberjack, barracuda and a host of bottomfish.
That’s right, once the ocean water reaches the warm side of 75 degrees, a surprising number of dolphin, aka MahiMahi, and sailfish break away from the Gulf Stream and follow schools of baitfish closer to shore. This is so pronounced that the Capt. Eddie Haneman Sailfish Tournament, the only North Carolina tournament to feature sailfish, is held annually out of Wrightsville Beach at the end of July. The good news for fishermen is the action begins much earlier than that, typically by mid-June and occasionally as early as Memorial Day. Roving dolphin and sailfish bite throughout the summer and into the fall.
Father and son Rod and Barry Bierstedt of OnMyWay Charters and Dream Catcher Guide Service in Wilmington, N.C., are among the best who treat clients to this often-spectacular fishing. They charter a pair of boats out of Carolina Beach and offer services for fishermen who would like to learn from their own boats. They target the Cape Fear area, from Little River Inlet to New River Inlet, and spend a lot of the summer catching a mixed bag of MahiMahi, sailfish and king mackerel, plus others.
“We definitely have dolphin and sailfish, plus wahoo, tuna and more that move through our area inshore of the Gulf Stream each summer,” Rod Bierstedt said. “They are moving through and feeding as they go, so it’s rare to fish the same fish two consecutive days. However, it’s sure nice when your plans and a school of fish come together. Let me emphasize that advance preparation and planning helps this happen, but it isn’t foolproof. Some days the fishing is great, and some days you struggle.”
Bierstedt said there are more dolphin than sailfish in the area, and they are easier to find. They are looking for two basic things: comfortable water and food — lots of food. Dolphin are one of the fastest-growing fish in the ocean; they are constantly eating and may reach 30 pounds in a year, which means feeding at every opportunity. If the water temperature isn’t in their comfort zone and there isn’t abundant food, they move on.
“I think the starting point for this and other offshore trolling is to be with one of the satellite sea surface analysis systems,” Bierstedt said. “There are several that do a good job, but ROFFS (Roffer’s Ocean Fishing Forecasting Service) is the longest-running, has the most experience and has the most expert analysts. You’re wasting time and money if you don’t know where to find the water conditions you are seeking. You may get lucky, but you may not and this happens more often.
“Water moves, bait moves and the fish move with them,” Bierstedt said. “Dolphin prefer cobalt blue water in the 71- to 80-degree range filled with baitfish. Clear blue/green blended water or water a few degrees cooler or warmer is a good second choice — as long as there is plenty of food. Sailfish are much the same, so they are often feeding together or nearby. Another thing to consider is current. These are fish of the Gulf Stream, and they like a little current. If the current is less than a knot, they may be elsewhere.
“The sea surface analysis service checks all this, plus salinity, chlorophyll, upwellings, rips and more,” Bierstedt said. “They may not always put you exactly on the fish, but they put you in the neighborhood. Their information is a great starting point. Once I get the latest SST shot and report from them, I compare it to the chart of the area and make a plan that includes secondary locations within 10 miles. This is a reasonable area to consider covering if the water has changed or the fish have moved.”
Bierstedt advises having 18 to 24 premium baits brined, and six to eight rigged and ready to go, with the others ready to be rigged. He said to look for ballyhoo and cigar minnows with clear shiny eyes, bright color on the beak and or tail and no blood or brown matter in the bag.
He said a number of bait and lure options that will work well: ballyhoo, strip baits, natural squid, cigar minnows and lures in a variety of combinations. He will use them all to see what the fish prefer on that day. He rigs ballyhoo with a variety of skirts and naked, plus strip baits cut from the belly of false albacore and squid. Skirts may be full-size sea witches, plastic lures or small king skirts. Some days, he said, dolphin pass all the other baits to eat baits rigged with small king mackerel skirts.
It is also important to get at least one bait or lure below the surface. This can be done by trolling a diving lure or running a rigged bait behind a planer. Bierstedt said this is an excellent location in the spread to run a strip bait. The strip bait can be rigged with two hooks, virtually eliminating short strikes.
Fish are naturally curious as long as the splashes are rhythmic. Bierstedt said it is important to make at least one section in your spread so attractive that fish can’t ignore it. He uses small birds in front of long ballyhoo lines, plus squid chains, spreader bars and dredges to get a fish’s attention. This brings curious fish right up into the spread, where they see all the baits and lures and get fired up and attack.
Bierstedt said a small boat can troll five lines without tangling, and at least one should be below the surface. A larger boat, with outriggers, can troll seven lines, and Bierstedt suggests putting two below the surface. Trolling speed is 5 to 7 knots, and each bait must be checked to make sure it is swimming properly. Bierstedt said two lines with baits that are swimming right and look natural are better than six or seven lines with half the baits spinning. Take the time to rig baits properly and check them before dropping them back into the spread. If they aren’t swimming correctly, re-rig them or switch them.
Other summer catches in this area include king mackerel, wahoo, tuna, amberjack and more. Bierstedt said 30-pound class tackle should handle everything, with some larger fish requiring a little more finesse. The fishing is a mixed bag, and dolphin or a sailfish aren’t guaranteed, but dolphin are a pretty good probability and sailfish are a distinct possibility.
These are pelagic fish that like the eddies that spin off the Gulf Stream and bring bait inshore. Dolphin are always hungry, so if you figure out where they’ll be and troll their preferred baits, you’ll most likely have opportunities to add them to the fish box. There’s also a reasonable probability of getting a picture of you with a wide grin and holding the bill of a sailfish you’re about to release.
Dolphin, sailfish alley
When the ocean water warms, North Carolina fishermen are treated to roving schools of dolphin and small pods of sailfish well inshore of the Gulf Stream. These fish break away from the Stream in eddies that are carrying bait. The water is warm everywhere from June through August, so when the eddy dissipates, they continue feeding until the baitfish break up. This brings them close to land, often 10 to 20 miles off the beach and sometimes within just a few miles.
This phenomenon is very pronounced in the waters around Cape Fear, North Carolina’s southernmost cape. Water temperatures often range into the 80s from the Gulf Stream all the way to shore, and being in their temperature comfort zone, MahiMahi and sailfish turn to their other prime trait: eating. Following the baitfish brings them through an area roughly from Frying Pan Tower to 23 Mile Rock and inshore. There are many rocks, shipwrecks and artificial reefs in this area, and it is popular with king mackerel fishermen. Feeding MahiMahi and sailfish often try to pilfer baits intended for kings and give unsuspecting fishermen cheap thrills and a welcome addition to the catch.
About 20 years ago, local fishermen began the Capt. Eddy Haneman Sailfish Tournament in late July. The tournament honors Haneman, one of the first to target and call attention to the number of dolphin and sailfish caught in this area each summer. Fittingly, dolphin is the secondary category in the tournament.
The boundaries in the Capt. Eddy Haneman Sailfish Tournament emphasize fishing well inshore of the Gulf Stream. They include the area inside of a line drawn from Masonboro Inlet to Frying Pan Tower, to WR 4 (John D. Gill shipwreck), to 23 Mile Rock, to Dallas Rock and back to Masonboro Inlet. This is Cape Fear’s dolphin and sailfish alley.
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