Fall Fishing Frenzy in Wilmington, NC

Artificial Lure here with the Wilmington, NC fishing report for Sunday, November 9th, 2025. Folks are waking up to a **mostly cloudy morning** with temps hovering at **67°F** and a pleasant, light northeast breeze sweeping across the Cape Fear region. Today’s forecast calls for a high near 73°F, with just a slim chance of scattered showers mid-afternoon as the clouds thicken over the Intracoastal and local marshes—classic fall fishing weather in southeastern North Carolina, chilly enough to put the fish on the move but easy on us anglers, especially with sunrise at **7:12 am** and sunset at **6:45 pm**. That gives us plenty of daylight for a solid day on the water, with tidal movements keeping things active around creek mouths and drop-offs. According to tides4fishing.com, we’ll see a low tide at **6:05 am (-0.1 ft)** and a high tide rolling in at **11:44 am (5.4 ft)**, followed by another low at **6:54 pm (0.2 ft)**. With a **tidal coefficient of 98**, expect strong currents—the fish are likely feeding around the turns. **Fish Activity:** Bite reports over the last few days have been consistent and promising. Local guides and regulars are landing **striped bass, slot reds, and trout in good numbers**. The cooler water temps have pushed flounder out of most inshore spots, but those lingering around rocks and pilings near the USS North Carolina and Snows Cut bridge are taking live mullet and mud minnows. Speckled trout are thick from Wrightsville Island up into the Northeast Cape Fear. Recent catches include limits for boat and shore-bound anglers alike, with fish averaging 16–19 inches and some pushing past 20. Stripers are showing up in the rivers, especially at dawn, smashing topwater along shady banks. Redfish are working oyster beds and grass lines, with several overslot bulls caught and released around Carolina Beach Inlet and Masonboro sound this week, most on low light or outgoing tide. **Best Lures and Bait:** Trout are hitting **MirrOlure 17MRs** in chartreuse and electric chicken, as well as Z-Man soft plastics bounced along deep edges. For reds, it’s hard to beat a good ole **Gulp! Shrimp** rigged on a ¼ oz jighead, but they’re also responding to live shrimp and finger mullet. Stripers continue to clobber **Rapala X-Rap jerkbaits**, especially around structure. If you’re slinging for flounder, try a mud minnow on a Carolina rig or a white curly tail grub. For those working surface action, **Heddon Super Spook Jr.** is still getting explosive strikes early, especially in wind-blown pockets. **Hot Spots:** Two local must-try areas today: - **Masonboro Island** — The flats just inside the north jetty are firing, especially for trout and slot reds at the morning high tide. - **Snows Cut** — Between the bridges, anglers are picking up reds and stripers around the pilings and deeper eddies, especially near slack water and tide changes. There’s solid action if you stay mobile and adjust for the tides and cloud cover. Today’s big t This content was created in partnership and with the help of Artificial Intelligence AI.