a jack cravelle caught while fishing the Cape Lookout shoals with Capt. Noah Lynk.
I hope by the time you read this the weather will still be pretty mild as it has
been most of this winter. February can be a 50/50 kind of month. Some years it’s
good, some years bad! I prefer a normal to a bit milder kind of February myself!
Most years you need to pick the best days to go fishing around the Cape Fear
area waters…warmer days with less wind are the keys to better winter fishing
trips this month.
Cape Fear River striped bass are one of my favorites for winter fishing in the
Wrightsville area. I look for the stripers on dropoffs, around pilings and in big-
ger creek mouths. Working baits like Berkley Gulp five- and six- inch Jerkshads
and Berkley Havoc Grass Pigs should get you a bite or two from a striped bass. I
rig my Jerkshads and Grass Pigs on 1/4-ounce Moaner Stroker swim bait hooks;
check out Moaner.com for great hooks at great prices! Mid-water crank baits
work too…try lures that dive from three to eight feet deep for best results. If the
crank bait starts to hit the bottom let it float up a bit or trust me you’ll lose it to a
log! Don’t forget that the Cape Fear River striped bass fishery is a closed fishery
and is catch-and-release only; you must release all striped bass. But they’re still
fun to catch!
Another fish that can bite well in the Cape Fear River during the winter
months is the blue catfish. If you would like to give the catfish a try, use baits
like cut mullet, chicken livers and cut eels. I use heavy Carolina rigs when I fish
for catfish. Try an Eagle Claw L42 2/0 to 4/0 hook with 50- or 60-pound mono
leader to make your Carolina rig. Look for the catfish on drop-offs from five to
20 feet of water. We have seen some blue cats over 30 pounds caught in the river,
so don’t use tackle that’s too light…these are not always your ‘farm pond channel
cats’!
There is one fish that can be caught very easily during the winter months, if
you find them! This redfishing can be some of the best of the year for catching
numbers of fish. The deal breaker for this fishery is you have got to have good
weather, calm seas and bright sunny skies for the ocean schools. I use Berkley
Gulp Ripple Mullet in colors Pearl/Chart Tail, New Penny and Rootbeer Gold/