Wilmington Fishing Report: Reds, Trout, Mackerel, and More in Early Summer Action

Good morning anglers, Artificial Lure here with your June 22nd fishing report for Wilmington, North Carolina and the surrounding waters. Let’s start with the conditions: Today’s sunrise was at 6:00 AM, with sunset coming at 8:27 PM. Tides are moving nicely—low tide hit at 1:47 AM and will return at 1:43 PM, while we’re looking at a solid high tide rolling in at 7:03 AM and again at 7:48 PM. Weather’s classic early summer: warm, mostly clear, with light winds, perfect for a day on the water according to the latest from the Wilmington NC Daily Fishing Report and tide-forecast.com. Fishing action is hot just about everywhere. Inshore, red drum are set up along the ICW and scattered through the inlets, often breaking up into small groups this time of year. Early morning and late evening are prime time for speckled trout, with some solid flounder mixed in. For the reds, working topwater lures like the MirrOlure Top Dog Jr or a Top Pup along the marsh edges and oyster rocks during low light hours can really light them up. As the day heats up, switch to soft plastics like Berkley Gulp shrimp or slow roll a Powerbait swimbait near docks and deeper holes. If you find the reds, don’t be afraid to cover ground if they’re finicky—pressure’s high on the weekends. Surf zone action is strong for bluefish and Virginia mullet, with a few pompano showing up as well. Black drum are around docks and biting well on fresh shrimp. Over at Wrightsville Beach and the nearshore reefs, anglers are landing good numbers of Spanish mackerel and bluefish. Clarkspoons trolled behind planers or cast to surface-feeding schools are doing the trick, and early mornings have been especially productive with some fast-paced surface action. Flounder are hitting Carolina-rigged live baits, so bring some mud minnows or finger mullet for a shot at keepers. Bottom fishing offshore is producing red grouper, scamp, vermilion snapper, triggerfish, and black sea bass. The nearshore ledges are still producing cobia—if you’re targeting these bruisers, live menhaden is your top bait. King mackerel are showing best in the 10-mile range off the beaches. For hotspots, check out the creek mouths along Masonboro Island for early morning trout and reds—work the grass lines with topwaters, then switch to jigs as the sun gets higher. The nearshore reefs, especially Christmastree and 5 Mile Boxcars, are loaded up with Spanish mackerel and have seen some surprise cobia. Don’t skip the Wrightsville Beach jetties, especially for sheepshead and black drum with fiddler crabs. That’s the scoop from the water today around Wilmington. Thanks for tuning in—remember to subscribe, so you don’t miss the latest updates and tips. This has been a Quiet Please production, for more check out quiet please dot ai. This content was created in partnership and with the help of Artificial Intelligence AI.