Wilmington, NC Fishing Report: Summer Bite Heats Up With Reds, Trout, & More

Artificial Lure here with your Wilmington, NC area fishing report for Wednesday, June 11, 2025. Fishing’s hitting a summer stride from the Cape Fear River to Wrightsville Beach and up the ICW. Sunrise was at 5:59 AM, with sunset rolling in at 8:23 PM—plenty of daylight for that early bite and the golden hour blitz. Tide-wise, low hit at 4:57 AM and 4:37 PM, with highs at 10:25 AM and 10:47 PM. That means your best action is hugging the edges of those moving waters, especially as the tide starts pushing in late morning and again after dusk, according to Tide-Forecast.com. Let’s talk weather: expect warm temps, moderate winds, and a shot at scattered clouds—just what you want for those summer patterns, as Fisherman's Post has noted this June. Redfish are the big headline—broken up into smaller packs, now spread along marsh edges, docks, and the inlets. Topwater lures like MirrOlure Top Dog Jr and Top Pup are hot in the low light, especially worked tight to oyster rocks and grass lines. Once the sun’s high, switch to soft plastics like Berkley Gulp Shrimp or Powerbait Bonga Shrimp, or slow-roll a swimbait like a 5” Berkley CullShad near docks and deeper holes, as Capt. Jot Owens detailed in this month’s report. Speckled trout are still popping, especially around first light and again in the evening. They’re keyed in on soft plastics in natural colors, or live shrimp under a popping cork, and there’s a decent flounder bite on Carolina-rigged finger mullet or slow baits, especially around the creek mouths and sandy drops. Black drum are also showing up on fresh shrimp around boat docks, with sheepshead lurking for anyone drifting fiddler crabs near pilings and bridges. Nearshore waters are alive with Spanish mackerel and bluefish. Trolling Clarkspoons behind planers or casting small metal jigs and spoons to surface feeding schools is putting plenty in the box. A few cobia have been caught on nearshore reefs—try live menhaden for your best shot. Hot spots right now? Hit the marsh edges around Masonboro Island at first light for reds and trout, or swing out toward the jetties and nearshore reefs for Spanish and the occasional cobia. Don’t sleep on Wrightsville Beach’s ICW docks for a mid-morning black drum or sheepshead. Recent trips have been solid—Captain Experiences reports folks catching 30 fish in just a few hours, with reds, trout, and drum the main stars lately. Best baits: live shrimp and mullet, fresh cut menhaden for the big drums, and artificial lures in natural and bright colors for those hungry summer fish. That’s the scoop from the water! Thanks for tuning in to your daily Wilmington fishing report—don’t forget to subscribe for your daily bite forecast and more. 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.