I just cannot believe it is already June! Well, you know what they say, “time flies when you are fishing!” The waters around Wrightsville Beach really start to warm up in June. We usually see water temps in the 75 degree mark and up to just over 80 degrees (inshore) by late June. In June, most of our favorite local fish are biting pretty well and you can target more than one species in a day. Here is a run-down of what’s going on around Wrightsville Beach in June.
Everybody’s favorite, flounder are really getting their act together by June. You can find flounder just about anywhere when June rolls in. Just knowing where to look to find the keepers is the key! In the Wrightsville area, I look for keeper flounder around deeper channel drop-offs; in waters of 5-15 feet deep. The local inlets, Carolina Beach, Masonboro, Mason’s and Rich’s inlets are always a good place to find some keeper size flounders. Last, but certainly not least, are the artificial reefs, ledges and hard/live bottoms from 1-10 miles off the beach. These areas always hold very nice flounder in June.
Once you have found some flounder you need to know how to catch’em. If you want to go the artificial route, try bigger baits; this will help you catch more keeper-size flounder. I prefer Berkley Gulp five and six inch jerkshad in Pearl, Chartpepper/Pearl and New Penny colors. Another great flounder bait is the Berkley Gulp mud minnow pattern. This bait is great for casting up and down inshore drop-offs in creek channels. I rig these baits on jigheads in 1/4 oz., 3/8 oz., 1/2 oz. and 1 oz. weights, in red, gray and white colors.
If you would like to go with live bait for the flounders, try mud minnows, small mullets or small menhaden as live bait. Rig these live baits on Carolina rigs with an Eagle Claw L 042 1/0 hook, 14-20 inches of 30-40 pound clear mono as leader. I prefer egg sinkers as my weight…the secret to how much weight you use is “as much as you need to stay on the bottom but the least amount you can get away with.” Of course, you need to be on the bottom for flounder, but going lighter will always get you more bites!
Redfish are in their summer trend by June and the trick to summer reds is to go early before that sun is high and hot in the sky. Topwater lures and rattling corks in the shallow waters in early mornings and late afternoons will produce redfish. Working grubs like Berkley Gulp later in the day in deeper waters will also produce reds for you. Slow-rolling spinner baits with a Berkley Gulp Ripple Mullet in the Root-beer with Gold/Chart tail as the trailer has produced me some nice reds when the water heats up. Sometimes it can be just like in the colder months, you have to slow down your presentation a little when the water gets hot. Give the redfish a little more time to catch up with your bait.
Last, but never least, cobia fishing is in full swing by early June and should be good until early July. I look for cobia around inlets, shoals and bait schools; nearshore/offshore reefs and ledges are also a good place to look, too. With the water being so clear, it has been easier to see those brown logs in the water. We are throwing big jigs, swim baits and live bait to the cobia. Color really does not seem to matter; but “go bright”! When I’m not sight-casting for them, we are fishing around inlets, shoals and nearshore artificial reefs. I float-fish, bottom-fish and kite-fish in these areas with live menhaden, blues and mullet as bait. You can chum if you like, but the sharks will come and they will come in numbers!
This month’s tackle run down. Reels: Penn Battle Spinning reels in 3000 & 4000 sizes for the redfish and flounder. For cobia: Penn Battle 6000 & 7000 and 320LD Penn casting reels. Rods: Fenwick HMG & HMX 6’6” & 7’ medium and med/heavy for the redfish and flounder. Cobia rods: Ugly Stik Tiger Lite Jigging series. Line: Spiderwire Ultra-cast in 10-15 pound and Berkley Big Game mono in 20-30 pound for the cobia.
I hope summer fishing is good to you and thanks for reading Coastal Angler Magazine!
Capt. Jot Owens
Penn Fishing Tackle Elite Staff
Ranger Boats Pro Staff
910-233-4139