[dropcap]I[/dropcap]t’s July the mid-way point of summer and fishing is going strong around Wrightsville Beach during July. The waters are warming up and getting close to topping out by later July so you may need to tune how you fish the warmer waters a little. This will help you to have a successful July of fishing!
Redfish in July, well you can catch them but with the water really warming up you need to change the way you fish a little. If you want to target Reds in shallow waters, you really need to go early in the morning or late afternoon when the water is a bit cooler; top-water lures like MirrOlure Top Pup’s are my choice in the shallows. During the mid parts of the day try to fish a little deeper with jigs and grubs, the Reds like a little deeper water when the sun gets high in the sky. I really like Berkley Gulp baits, hey you can’t beat there great scent and Redfish love’em! Berkley’s three inch shrimp is my go to Redfish lure during the hot summer months, I like them in molting, sugar spice glow and white colors. I rig my Gulp baits on 1/16, 1/8 and ¼ ounce jig heads in colors red, gray and brown with thirty or forty pound Berkley Pro Spec fluorocarbon leader material.
The Flounder fishing is in full swing about everywhere by July and hey everybody loves to catch flounder right? In July you can find Flounder around most inlets, in creeks, main channels (ICW) and just off the beach. Using smaller lives baits like mud minnows, finger mullets and little menhaden should do the trick to put dinner in the boat for you. I rig these live baits on Carolina rigs, with #1 and 1/0 L42 Eagle Claw hooks; a forty pound mono leader will work fine for Flounder fishing. Casting and slowly retrieving this rig, drafting or anchoring with this rig are all good ways to catch Flounder with a Carolina rig. You can also go the artificial root as well to catch Flounder; I really enjoy using lures for Flounder fishing. Try a Berkley Gulp five or six inch jerkshad in colors pearl white or chart pepper neon. I rig the jerkshad on 3/8 to ½ ounce jig heads. Remember it is always a good idea to have a good landing net for Flounder fishing, try an EGO floating net; never worry about losing your net or a big flounder again!
I really start to keep my eye out for the silver king (Tarpon) by early July; these big silver fish are making their way up from Florida. The long trip has made them hungry and hungry fish are easier to catch, ‘most of the time’! I look for Tarpon around local inlets, shoals and hard bottoms close to shore. Live or fresh dead baits like Menhaden or Mullet on the bottom are the best bet for getting a bite out of these beasts. I prefer circle hooks in sizes 7/0 to 10/0 and my leader material is always Berkley Pro Spec sixty or eighty pound fluorocarbon; Tarpon have great eye sight! Tarpon are around from early July to mid September most seasons around Wrightsville Beach. If you hook in to one of these Tarpon hold on tight, they fight very hard!
I also enjoy shark fishing later in the summer and July the bigger sharks really start to show up. Sharks on light tackle are always a good pull and boy the kids love to catch’em! I drift live and fresh dead bluefish, Spanish mackerel, mullet or menhaden in thirty to forty five feet of water just offshore. I rig these baits with a 7/0 circle hook with one foot of ninety pound wire and six to eight feet of eighty pound mono leader. You can free line the bait and /or put a small egg sinker on to keep the bait close to the bottom. You’ll know when you get a bite! Most sharks are in the ten to one hundred pound range.
Tackle run down: PENN Battle II & Conflict Spinning reels 2500, 3000 & 4000 sizes for the Redfish and Flounder. Tarpon/Sharks PENN Spinfisher 6500 & 7500 and PENN 20 Fathom casting reels. Rods PENN Regiment & Battalion 6’6” & 7’ medium and med/heavy for the Redfish and Flounder. Tarpon/Shark Rods: PENN Rampage Jigging series. Line Spiderwire Ultra-cast in ten and fifth-teen pound and Berkley Big Game mono in thirty and forty pound for the Tarpon/sharks.
I hope you have a great Fourth of July and thanks for reading Coastal Angler Magazine!
Capt. Jot Owens
PENN Fishing Tackle Elite Staff
Ranger Boats Pro Staff
www.captainjot.com
Call: 910-233-4139
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