These waters are especially giving in December
Cape Fear River anglers can expect plenty of mixed action in December. The weather is typically nice enough to produce a good, late-fall trout and red bite. And stripers are making their first appearance as winter approaches. And once in a while, an incidental flounder bites for a nice catch-and-release bonus.
Cutting his outboard and using his trolling motor to ease within casting range of the bank, Rennie Clark of Wilmington pointed out several dead trees and tide swirls off points in the marsh grass as likely places for stripers to get a break from the current while waiting for the falling tide to sweep bait past.
He started by casting a Category 5 paddletail and using a medium retrieve. After a couple of minutes, his rod tip bounced and he set the hook. The fish took off down the bank far enough that Clark thought it might be a red. Then it swung away from the bank and into deeper water, revealing it to be a striped bass. Clark finally got it to the boat.
Don’t be shy about moving to new water
Clark caught a second smaller striper. Then he decided to make a move as the tide fell to a creek mouth where a rice ditch ran into the river. That creek produced a couple of stripers before he moved to the junction of the Cape Fear and another tributary, the Brunswick River. He looked for trout or puppy drum, then moved even farther down the river to fish saltier water in the Snow’s Cut area.
That change produced a few reds and a speck. And once the tide was right, he headed into one of his favorite creeks, making the twists and turns between exposed oyster rocks and dry, mud flats for several minutes before gliding to a stop.
“We’ll creep in real slowly to where an oyster rock drops off pretty steeply into a spot where another small creek runs into this one,” Clark said. “There should be drum feeding shallow around the edge of the oyster rock. And maybe trout or black drum in the deeper water where the oysters run out into the creek.”
The move produced instant results. Clark flicked his paddletail to the edge of the oyster rock and gave it a light twitch, then another. His rod bent deeply. The fish ran up the creek and then made a boil on the surface, showing its tail and identifying itself as a red.
These fish are rarely alone this time of year
“This guy is clear, cast right over to the edge of the oysters,” Clark instructed a member of his fishing party. “Now, just lightly twitch it so it will drop down the edge of the oysters and get ready. This one hit as the bait was sinking. And I’m pretty sure more are here.”
The magic worked again, and a double was on — the first of several with fish that were hungry and not bashful. With the tide rising, Clark headed for a large bay, looking for reds and trout. He found several schools feeding actively enough to announce their presence. But they were spooky, so he moved to a spot roughly halfway in between where the fish had been working and lowered his Power Pole.
“These fish get beat up on a lot,” Clark said. “That’s why they’re so spooky. I think if we sit here and don’t move or make any noise, they’ll work back into casting range. Stand as still as you can and let’s see.”
In about 10 minutes, the first school showed again. Just as it reached casting range, a second school began rippling the surface just out of range. Clark told his angler to wait a little longer until the second school got within range. And when it did, he gave the go-ahead. Immediately, there was a double hookup — one fish off the stern and one off the bow.
DESTINATION INFORMATION
HOW TO GET THERE — Brackish and saltwater in the Cape Fear River begins at Wilmington and extends downriver to the ocean. I-40, US 421 and US 17 are the best highways to access the area. A downtown boat ramp is at Dram Tree Park on Castle Street, and a downstream ramp is at Carolina Beach State Park off I-40 on the ICW.
WHEN TO GO — Red drum and speckled trout are in the Cape Fear River year-round. Stripers join them for the winter and spring, usually arriving beginning in late November and staying through May.
BEST TECHNIQUES — Light-medium to medium-action, 7-foot spinning outfits are preferred, but baitcasting tackle will also work. Spool reels with 15-pound braid and tie on a foot or two of fluorocarbon leader. Anchor up outside creek mouths or around bridge pilings and cast to them using soft-plastics, topwater plugs and suspending baits.
FISHING INFO/GUIDES — Rennie Clark, Tournament Trail Charters, 910-465-8943, www.tournamenttrailcharters.com; Tex’s Tackle, Wilmington, 910-791-1763, www.texstackle.com; Island Tackle & Hardware, Carolina Beach, 910-458-3049, www.islandtacklehardware.com; Intracoastal Angler, 910-392-3500, www.intracoastalangler.com. See also Guides & Charters in Classifieds.
ACCOMMODATIONS — Best Western Inn at the Coastline Convention Center, Wilmington, 800-617-7732, www.coastlineinn.com; MainStay Suites, Wilmington, 910-392-1741, www.mainstaywilmingtonnc.com; Sleep Inn, Wilmington, 910-313-6665, www.sleepinwilmingtonnc.com; Cape Fear Convention and Visitors Bureau, 877-406-2356, www.cape-fear.nc.us.
MAPS — Capt. Segull’s Nautical Charts, 888-473-4855, www.captainsegullcharts.com, GMCO Chartbook of North Carolina, (888) 420-6277, www.gmcomaps.com.
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