Even with freezing and alternately spring-like weather waves washing across North Carolina every couple of days, fishing remains steady at the coast for a couple of species.
“Right now we’re catching predominantly red fish and striped bass,” said Wrightsville Beach’s Capt. Jot Owens (www.captainjot.com, Jot It Down Fishing Charters, 910-233-4139).
The recently-concluded Cape Fear River Watcher Striped Bass fund-raising tournament and banquet at Wilmington saw anglers land 33 stripers.
“It was pretty nice weather, a lot warmer, and we tagged and released a lot of fish,” Owens said.
Cape Fear River striped bass remain only catch-and-release as the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commision and N.C. Division of Marine Fisheries put them off limits for harvest four years ago in an attempt to build up the lower Cape Fear population.
The tournament’s anglers measured and released all caught stripers.
“The best lures were Gulp! jerk shads in 5- and 6-inch lengths in pearl, chartreuse, pepper, neon and new penny colors,” Owens said.
“We were catching them just south and north of Wilmington around pilings, docks, drop-offs and along the edges of channels.”
The best technique is to bump 1/8-, 1/4- or 3/8-ounce leadhead jigs with these Gulp! lures along the bottom or near pilings or other structures. Anglers are allowed single J hooks with barbs and can expect to land from six to 15 stripers per day in the Cape Fear.
Some red drum are being caught in the same areas, but more prominently at inshore creeks during clear days after sunshine warms mud bottoms.
“That’s happening around Wrightsville (Beach) and Topsail (Island),” Owens said. “On pretty days when the weather’s good we’re also finding good-size schools of reds in the surf.”
Owens is casting Ripple Mullets and Berkley Gulp! firetrail shrimp at ocean reds.
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