Wilmington Fishing Report: Reds, Specs and Kings Bite Strong as Fall Chill Arrives

Good morning, this is Artificial Lure and here’s your Wilmington, NC fishing report for Tuesday, November 11, 2025. The fall chill is sitting in, with today’s sunrise at 6:40 AM and sunset rolling in early at 5:10 PM, so plan to work those low-light bites. According to Tide-Forecast, we’re looking at a low tide around 5:36 AM, a solid high at 12:21 PM peaking near 5.1 feet, then another low come 6:49 PM. The tidal swing’s moderate with a coefficient of 54 climbing to 69 by sunset, which means decent current over structure and in the creeks—just what we want this time of year for active fish. Weather today is classic coastal November—expect temps in the 50s to low 60s, scattered clouds, winds shifting northwest at 10 to 15 knots, and a bit of leftover chop on the sounds from that blow overnight. Bundle up, but that wind pushing water out of the marshes will be getting those gamefish feeding hard on bait draining out. Let’s get into the fish. Reports from Captain Experiences and the docks have the **redfish** and **speckled trout** absolutely firing. The creeks off the Cape Fear River and around Wrightsville Beach are full of keeper reds—most falling for soft plastics like Z-Man MinnowZ in natural colors, rigged on a quarter-ounce jighead, bounced slow near oyster bars on the rising tide. Live mud minnows and shrimp under popping corks are putting plenty of trout in the box, especially around inlets and deep bends at the top half of the incoming tide. **Flounder** are showing, especially on sandy drop-offs near Carolina Beach Inlet, but you’ll need to hop big Gulp! baits or whole finger mullet near bottom—they’re hugging structure before heading out for the winter. Not huge numbers, but good quality fish when they bite. If you’re heading offshore or jetty-side, the **king mackerel** and a few **false albacore** are still moving, chasing the last schools of menhaden. Troll Clarkspoons or Yo-Zuri deep divers behind planers for a shot at a smoker king, especially just beyond the breakers anywhere from Masonboro down to the Fort Fisher reefs. For surf and pier anglers, **whiting** and **black drum** are a solid bet right now, with fresh shrimp or sand fleas on bottom rigs producing best. Night bite can be hot if you’re patient, especially at spots like Carolina Beach Pier. A couple hot spots you don’t want to miss: - **Bradley Creek**: Early morning and last light, work shallow points and grass edges for redfish and trout. - **Snow’s Cut**: Midday when that tide’s roaring in, drift live baits just off the ledge for a mixed bag, including a few late-run flounder and ravenous specks. - **Carolina Beach Inlet**: Find the deeper holes near the mouth for trout at high tide; outgoing brings the reds into the creek mouths. As for rigs, stick with 10–15 lb braid with a 20 lb fluorocarbon leader for inshore, and bring out the heavier stuff if you tangle with jetties or kings. Top artificial baits right now: MirrOlure MR17 for trout, paddle-tail soft pla This content was created in partnership and with the help of Artificial Intelligence AI.