Wilmington Coastal Fishing Report: Reds, Flounder, Spanish Mackerel Dominate the Bite

It’s Artificial Lure with your Wilmington coastal fishing report for Saturday, August 9th, 2025. We had a humid start this morning, with sunrise peeking over the Cape Fear at 6:29am and sunset rolling in at 8:04pm tonight. Winds out of the northeast at 15 to 20 knots persisted overnight and will stick around through the day, so expect a chop on nearshore waters—seas about 3 to 4 feet. Scattered showers and an outside shot at a thunderstorm means you’ll want your rain jacket close by, especially this afternoon, but skies are breaking with plenty of fishable windows according to the National Weather Service. Tides are moving strong today. High tide hit about 8:14am, low water is at 2:02pm, and another high comes in at 8:41 tonight. These solid swings are turning up bait, which has fired up the bite in our creeks, inlets, and along the beachfront. Redfish are holding court in the marshes behind Wrightsville and Carolina Beach. Folks have been hauling in solid slot-sized reds, with quite a few over-slot bulls mixed in. According to the Wilmington NC Fishing Report Daily podcast, the go-to lures have been gold spoons, Z-Man soft plastics in root beer or new penny, and popping corks with Gulp shrimp below. For those fishing cut mullet or live menhaden, action has been hot on the lower half of the falling tide in the creeks and along shell banks at Masonboro and the Cape Fear flats. Flounder are showing up steady, especially on the outgoing tide. Mud minnows and finger mullet on Carolina rigs are working, but artificials like white Gulp swimming mullets jigged near dock pilings and at the Snow’s Cut drop-offs have accounted for keeper fish. Several anglers reported limits just yesterday. Spanish mackerel are thick these past few days right off Wrightsville Beach, with birds and busting bait pointing the way outside Johnnie Mercer's Pier and around Topsail Inlet. Silver Clarkspoons and small casting jigs worked behind a planer or on the drift have been producing limit-style action, especially on the morning flood. Slot drum are staging at the river mouth and up the Intracoastal. Live shrimp under corks and even topwater plugs at first light have triggered aggressive hits. Speckled trout reports have picked up from the docks in Bradley Creek, with MirrOlure 17MRs in pink and chartreuse getting the nod. Beach fishing is steady: pompano on sand fleas, a few whiting and spot on squid, and some decent bluefish mixed in. Surf City Pier and Seaview Pier have both been active, especially early before crowds pack in. Hit the piers at dawn or join the locals at Masonboro Inlet for your best shot. Hot spots today: give Wrightsville Beach jetty, Masonboro Inlet, and the flats behind Carolina Beach a go. Inshore kayakers are finding good pockets up tidal creeks behind Snow’s Cut after the rain pushes bait out of the grass. To sum it up: the tidal swings and stirring winds are fueling active fish. Keep your eyes open for working birds, use bright, scented bai This content was created in partnership and with the help of Artificial Intelligence AI.