Wilmington NC Fishing Report: Steady Trout, Reds, Flounder Bite Despite Gusty Winds

Artificial Lure here with your Wednesday, October 29th, 2025 fishing report for Wilmington, North Carolina and the surrounding salt and brackish waters. First off, the **sunrise hit at 7:28 this morning and sunset will fall at 6:21 this evening**, giving anglers a touch under eleven hours to work the water before dark. The weather is unseasonably mild: temps are hovering between 71 and 74 degrees, the sky’s mostly cloudy with about 75% cover, and we’re feeling those *steady southwest winds* at 21 mph with some gusts over 25. That’s packing up a little chop out there and pushing some bait fish closer to structure along the leeward sides. Today’s **tide chart reads a low tide just after 7:00 AM at about 1.1 feet, then building to a high at 1:53 PM up to 4.5 feet, before dropping off again at 8:25 PM** according to the latest models from Tide-Forecast and TidesChart. The tide coefficient is moderate, meaning some good current movement around midday high, perfect for chasing red drum, specks, and flounder along marsh edges, inlets, and creek mouths. Let’s talk **fish activity**. According to Solunar Forecast, the best bite windows are running early, around sunrise, and again late afternoon into early evening. With water temperature hanging steady around 76°F, the inlets and creeks are lively. Surf and pier reports from Carolina Sportsman and local tackle shops the past few days show **solid catches of speckled trout, 16-22 inches on average**, mainly on MirrOlure 52MRs in electric chicken and silver-black, as well as Gulp! shrimp under popping corks. Folks casting artificials are seeing some surprise **slot reds up to 26 inches** mixing in, especially at the edges of the ICW and flats around Wrightsville’s grass lines. Flounder are still being plucked, though better numbers are coming from deeper holes by the Snows Cut rock wall and Masonboro Inlet. Live mud minnows and finger mullet on Carolina rigs are top choice. The pier bite is steady at **Johnnie Mercer’s and Kure Beach Pier**, with spot and croaker thick when the water clears on the incoming. Cut shrimp and bloodworms are the consistent baits, with a couple 2-pound pompano and some late-run bluefish mixed in. If you’re headed offshore or just inside the jetties, fall kings are popping—troll a Clarkspoon, Drone, or a flashy king rig with frozen cigar minnows if the wind lets up, especially off the Cape Fear River buoy line. **Local hotspots to target today:** - **Bradley Creek** (for trout and the occasional red, especially on outgoing tide along oyster beds) - **Masonboro Inlet jetties** (where the moving tide will stack up both bait and flatties) - **Wrightsville Beach rock groins** (prime for a schoolie drum and late-season flounder) - **Kure Beach Pier** (steady panfish and a shot at a bonus pompano or blue if you’re tossing shrimp or Got-Cha plugs) To sum it up, **best baits today are live mullet, mud minnows, and shrimp** for the natural approach. On the lure side, bring your soft This content was created in partnership and with the help of Artificial Intelligence AI.