Wilmington Fishing Report: Bonito, Mackerel, and Drum Bites in Full Swing for May

Good morning from Wilmington, this is Artificial Lure with your fishing report for Monday, May 5, 2025. The water’s finally warmed up and the May bite is firing on all cylinders across the Cape Fear coast. Sunrise was around 6:15 AM and sunset will be close to 8:00 PM, giving us long days on the water. We’ve got a waxing moon tonight, and this morning’s high tide peaked just before dawn with the outgoing tide running strong through midday. That should keep bait and gamefish moving well inshore and nearshore. Offshore and nearshore, the Atlantic bonito bite is as hot as it gets. Folks have been pulling in bonito consistently both trolling Clarkspoons and deep diver plugs along the nearshore reefs and ledges, and casting metals like Beach Bum jigs or Jigfish lures when you find them busting bait on the surface. There’s a good showing of Spanish mackerel moving in as well, especially around structure and inlets—the water temps are just right for them. Bluefish are mixed in, though some days it’s more hit or miss. For king mackerel, be sure to check sizes, as some unders are mixed in with the schools of Spanish. If you’re heading offshore past the 100-foot mark, the grouper season just opened and anglers are already reporting solid catches over rocks and ledges, with black sea bass and the occasional big sheepshead showing up on the wrecks[1][3]. Blackfin tuna and some wahoo are being found farther out, and it won’t be long before we see sailfish start to show. Inshore, the red drum and black drum action is picking up around docks, seawalls, and hard structure—Carolina-rigged shrimp is the go-to for both. Sheepshead are starting to trickle in, mostly on fiddler crabs near pilings, and that bite will only get better as the month rolls on. Bottom fishing with shrimp will get you some nice sea mullet too. For baits and lures: - Nearshore and surf, Clarkspoons, Big Nic Spanish Candy, and glass minnow style jigs are best for the mackerel and bonito. - Inshore, live or cut shrimp and fiddler crabs are pulling in the drum and sheepshead. - Offshore, chunk bait and squid work over reefs for grouper and sea bass. Hot spots today are the Wrightsville Beach nearshore reefs for bonito and mackerel, and the Carolina Beach Inlet for inshore drum and sheepshead action[2][3]. Overall, it’s shaping up to be one of those classic May bite windows we look forward to all year—bring your spinning gear, some high-speed lures, and a bucket of fresh shrimp or crabs, and you’ll be into fish all day. Tight lines and good luck out there! This content was created in partnership and with the help of Artificial Intelligence AI.