Spring is here along the Cape Fear Coast and after the mild winter we had the water temps are already up near 70 degrees inshore. With this warm water, lots of baitfish are showing up and many gamefish are transitioning into their spring patterns. From Topsail Island to Southport, the red drum are getting more aggressive and are already hitting topwater plugs. Some of the big schools of redfish are also beginning to break up into smaller groups and spreading out on the flats and creeks. I have also been seeing schools of redfish in the marsh that have recently moved in from the ocean and are covered in sea lice. The fiddler crabs are everywhere in the marsh and with the last set of tides we have seen many tailing redfish. Speckled trout fishing has been a little slow lately but should continually get better. Flounder are also starting to show up in better numbers and other seasonal species should be showing up in our area as the water warms.
This has been a good week on the water with many good anglers. Sunday I had fly angler Jeff on the boat for some shallow water sightfishing. The day started out windy and very cloudy without many shots at fish, but by mid day cleared up and improved our visibility. We started seeing fish right away and although the wind was still blowing Jeff made a good shot to a group of 4 fish. As he started stripping the fly, we watched as all 4 fish raced towards the fly bumping into each other trying to get it. Finally one inhaled it 15 feet from the boat and after a strong fight and a few pictures Jeff released his first red drum on fly.
Wednesday I had Robin and his son Clark for a day of sightfishing coastal NC. We managed 6 redfish on the rising tide with Clark landing his first 4 redfish ever. As the tide got high enough we chased tailing redfish in the spartina grass. Although we didnt catch any the guys had a good time as we saw many tailing fish.
Thursday Dennis Ray and son Patrick were in town and looking to chase some NC redfish. We started the day out with a good tailing tide and great weather. The first fish we saw was tailing good and presented us with a great shot. Dennis made a perfect cast and within a couple twitches of the rod he was hooked up to his first ever redfish. A couple pictures later and it was Patricks turn. We saw a few other fish but they didnt provide us with a good shot. I decided to take the guys to a spot where I had been seeing a school of around 100 redfish. As we left the protected creek the wind began to pick up very quickly and within a short time was blowing mid 30s with gusts higher. We decided to call the trip short and make up for it at a later date. The weather forcast was calling for a strong cold front and storms to move in that afternoon but unfortunatly it arrived hours early. The fishing along the Cape Fear Coast will only get better from this point on so don't hesitate to call and book your trip.
Capt. Allen Cain
http://www.sightfishnc.com/
