Late Summer Bite on the Cape Fear Flats - Wilmington Fishing Report 09/07/2025

Artificial Lure here with your Wilmington, NC fishing report for Sunday, September 7th, 2025. Sunrise hit at 6:49AM, with sunset coming up at 7:28PM, giving us a solid 12 hours and 39 minutes of daylight to hunt that late summer bite. Tides today are rolling strong: low tide showed in the early morning at 1:40AM and will hit again at 1:44PM, while highs marked up at 7:46AM and will swing back in at 8:12PM, so target slack water for topwater action and let those currents work for you during peak movement according to Tide-Forecast.com. Weather’s classic September—starting off mild and calm around dawn, then warming up into the 80s as light winds pick up by midday. Got a bit of haze early, but skies clearing toward the afternoon, making fish a little less skittish on the flats. The remnants of last week’s storm have faded out, but the water’s still moving with a good tidal push, giving bait schools reason to hug the marsh lines and oyster beds. Now, for the fish activity and recent catches. Local chatter from the Landing and even some dock talk coming in on the Wilmington NC Fishing Report Daily podcast is all about Redfish and Flounder heating up just off the Cape Fear marshes and Carolina Beach Inlet. This week’s action saw slot reds thick around flooded grass edges on higher tides—most anglers reported solid numbers with fish in the 20"-26" range, and a handful of upper slots in the mix as well. Flounder are still holding inside the creeks around the rocks and drop-offs—most keepers in the 16"-19" range, with a couple of doormats hit near the Snow’s Cut bridge. Mullet and menhaden schools are everywhere inshore, meaning the predators aren’t far behind. Sheepshead are getting dialed into the bridge pilings and deeper dock posts, with fiddler crab and sand fleas the best bait. Spanish Mackerel numbers picked up just off Wrightsville Beach, especially around the tide lines, with folks pulling them in trolling Clarkspoons and Got-Cha plugs—the bite’s best an hour after sunrise as the water clears. On lures, soft plastic paddle tails in new penny and chartreuse are killers for Redfish, especially rigged weedless over the grass. Try popping corks with a live shrimp around the creek mouths for an extra edge or toss a gold spoon along the drop-offs. Flounder are still hitting Gulp! 4" swimming mullets on a jighead, best worked slow off sandy bottoms. For Spanish, silver diamond jigs and flashy spoons are the ticket—keep your retrieve fast to stay above the bluefish. If you’re hunting hot spots today, check out the mouth of Bradley Creek at high tide for Redfish pushing bait, and for big Flounder, don’t overlook Masonboro Inlet on the outgoing tide. Wrightsville’s south jetty continues to produce both Spanish and the occasional King Mackerel if you’re tossing bigger plugs. That about covers it for today’s rundown. Thanks for tuning in to your Wilmington, NC fishing report. Don’t forget to subscribe so you never miss the latest updates on tides, wea This content was created in partnership and with the help of Artificial Intelligence AI.