Wilmington Fishing Report: Tides, Temps, and Top Bites for November 19, 2025

Morning folks, Artificial Lure here with your fishing report for Wednesday, November 19th, 2025, covering Wilmington and the bite from the river all the way out to the beaches. We’re up before the sun this morning, with first light hitting at 7:20 and sunset rolling in about 6:32 this evening. Tides are running strong today: look for low tide just after midnight at 12:03 AM, then a solid high around 6:42 AM pushing just over five feet, with another low at 12:50 PM before the water fills in again tonight. That means your early morning and late afternoon windows are prime, especially at creek mouths and along the marsh edges. The tidal swing today is on the high side—perfect for moving bait and waking up those predators—so you’ll want to fish the moving water for best results. According to the Wilmington chart for today, the best major bite times are 4:24 to 6:24 AM and again 4:52 to 6:52 PM. Weather’s seasonably cool and clear, with a touch of northwest wind, not enough to keep you off the water but it’ll put a light chop on open areas. Water temps are moderate, meaning speckled trout and flounder are both active with redfish sliding into the creeks and marshes as things cool down overnight. Don’t be surprised to find trout topping off your stringer if you get after ‘em at dawn—anglers are reporting limits this week throwing soft plastics like the Z-Man MinnowZ in opening night and new penny colors, as well as the ever-reliable Mirrolure MR17s when the fish get picky. Wrightsville Beach and Carolina Beach piers have seen good action on slot reds and some over-the-slot releases—cut bait and live mullet are still the ticket, but Gulp! shrimp in natural or pink are putting in work. Black drum and smaller sheepshead are showing up around the bridge pilings and docks, especially if you’ve got fiddler crabs or fresh shrimp to slip down the pilings. If you’re hunting for flounder, remember, keeper season is closed, but catch-and-release has been fun with plenty of 16–18 inchers showing up at the creek mouths on bucktails tipped with Gulp! Swimming Mullet. Stay mobile and hit the main points at falling tide. This week, inshore hauls are mostly speckled trout—lots of action, plenty of two- to three-pounders, with some short fish mixed in. Redfish are schooled up in the bays, particularly north of Snow’s Cut and in the backwaters off Masonboro. A few folks made it out offshore early this week and picked up some black sea bass and a couple of nice gag grouper, but with the wind kicking up, most have kept it close. If you’re itching for a hotspot, try Bradley Creek for trout at sunrise, especially around the oyster beds. For redfish, the flats inside Masonboro Inlet are always worth a drift, and Snow’s Cut has been reliable late in the afternoon. Those fishing the Northeast Cape Fear around the railroad trestles have pulled in some chunky stripers as a bonus. Most popular baits this week are live shrimp under popping corks and finger mullet, but plenty This content was created in partnership and with the help of Artificial Intelligence AI.