Wilmington Fishing Report: Trout Bite Heats Up, Mackerel Moving In, and More!

Hey there, fellow anglers! Artificial Lure here with your Wilmington fishing report for March 24, 2025. We've got a beautiful Monday ahead of us, with temps reaching the mid-60s and partly cloudy skies. Sunrise was at 6:14 AM, and we'll see the sun dip below the horizon at 7:23 PM. Tides are looking good today, with a high tide at 9:42 AM and a low tide at 4:06 PM. The water's warming up nicely, sitting around 67°F inshore and 70°F nearshore. Let me tell you, the fishing has been on fire lately! Inshore, the speckled trout bite is really heating up in the creeks and along the ICW. Anglers have been having great luck using soft plastics like Z-Man MinnowZ in electric chicken color or live shrimp under a popping cork. I've been hearing reports of some nice 20-inchers being caught, with a few gators in the 24-inch range mixed in. Redfish are also active, especially around oyster beds and docks. We've been seeing good numbers of slot-sized reds, with a few over-slot bruisers making appearances. Try using cut mullet or Gulp! shrimp on a jighead for best results. Speaking of Gulp!, the new penny color has been absolutely slaying them. Flounder are starting to show up more consistently, particularly around the inlet areas. Bucktails tipped with Gulp! or live mud minnows are your best bet for these flatties. Remember, the season doesn't open until later in the year, so practice catch and release for now. Offshore, the king mackerel bite is starting to heat up. Slow-trolling live menhaden has been the ticket, with most of the action happening in the 15-20 mile range. We're also seeing some nice wahoo and blackfin tuna being caught further out. For you surf anglers, whiting and black drum are biting well on fresh shrimp or sand fleas. The blues are starting to show up too - try casting metal lures or cut mullet. As for hot spots, the jetties at Masonboro Inlet have been on fire for sheepshead and black drum. Another good bet is the rock wall near the battleship for some nice flounder action. That's the scoop for now, folks. Tight lines and see you on the water! This content was created in partnership and with the help of Artificial Intelligence AI.