Early Summer Red Drum and Speckled Trout Bite Along the Cape Fear Coast

This is Artificial Lure with your Wilmington, North Carolina fishing report. We’re sitting under a classic early‑summer pattern along the Cape Fear coast. Light southwest wind this morning, building to a 10–15 knot sea breeze this afternoon, warm and humid with highs in the upper 80s to near 90. Skies are partly cloudy, with a stray afternoon storm possible inland pushing outflow toward the river and ICW later in the day. Along the beaches and in the river, local tide tables from the Cape Fear River gauge at downtown Wilmington show a pre‑dawn high tide, falling through the morning, with low tide mid‑day and another flood pushing in late afternoon into evening. That gives you moving water most of the day if you plan it right. Sunrise is just after 6 a.m. and sunset just after 8:20 p.m., so you’ve got long low‑light windows to work topwater. Inshore, folks have been steady on **red drum**, **speckled trout**, and a mix of **flounder** around Wrightsville Beach, Masonboro, and down toward Carolina Beach. Local tackle shops in the area report slot reds chewing best on the last of the falling and first of the incoming tide, especially along marsh points, creek mouths, and the edges of oyster bars. Specks are still hanging in slightly deeper bends and along drop‑offs in the ICW and feeder creeks. Flounder catches are scattered but improving around inlets, docks, and the river rock walls. Best lures right now: - For reds: 3–4 inch paddle‑tail plastics in natural or new penny on 1/8–1/4 oz jigheads, and gold spoons slow‑rolled over grass edges. - For trout: small paddle‑tails and jerk shads in white or chartreuse, plus topwaters like a Spook Jr. at first light along current seams. - For flounder: Gulp shrimp or mullet on a jig, hop‑and‑dragged along the bottom near structure. Top baits: live **mud minnows**, **finger mullet**, and **shrimp**. Reds have been hammering live bait under popping corks; trout are responding to live shrimp drifted with the tide; flounder are taking live minnows on Carolina rigs fished tight to pilings and rock. Nearshore, anglers running just off the beach to the AR reefs and livebottom are finding **Spanish mackerel**, the odd **king**, and **bluefish**. Small Clarkspoons and other chrome spoons behind planers or mackerel trees are producing Spanish, especially when you find glass minnows flipping on the surface. Early morning is key before that sun gets high. Out at the jetties and along the river, there have been a few **black drum** and **sheepshead** caught on fresh shrimp and fiddler crabs, fished tight to the rocks and pilings. Use just enough weight to keep your bait in place in the current. A couple of local hot spots to circle on the map: - **Masonboro Inlet and surrounding marsh**: Work the inlet edges and nearby grass lines on the moving tide for reds and trout; then slide inside and pick at flounder on the drops. - **Carolina Beach Inlet and Snows Cut area**: Current‑swept structure, docks, and rock hold a good mix of reds, trout, flounder, and the occasional drum when the water is moving. Focus on tide changes, keep an eye out for bait getting nervous on the surface, and match your lure size to the bait in the water. Light leaders in that 15–20 lb range will get more bites in the clear water around the inlets. Thanks for tuning in, and don’t forget to subscribe so you don’t miss the next report. This has been a quiet please production, for more check out quiet please dot ai. Great deals on fishing gear https://amzn.to/44gt1Pn