Hello all,

I am a new member here and after spending some time on exploring the site I can tell this is a great place for a novice like myself to get some tips!

I was an avid fisherman as a kid but nobody else in my family was, so my exposure to the sport was limited to fishing with shrimp and bloodworms from the pier during beach vacations and a little bit of bass fishing when not at the coast. Then I didn’t fish at all for many years. But now I have three boys of my own that are really into angling so my fire has been stoked again…

So, I have reason to be in Wrightsville in early November and I’m taking the boys for a day of surf fishing. I would love some advice from the pro’s about what fish to target that time of year. I was thinking of trying to catch some bait with a cast net and throwing out a couple of carolina rigs. I also could go with spoons or gotcha’s… are blues or spanish a possiblity that late in the year?

I have a couple of small rods that make spot seem like a good fight and I have three 7ft spinning rods with around 20lb test on them.

We’ll throw some frozen shrimp out there too so we don’t get shut out (hopefully) but I also want to try to catch something a little more exciting than spot!

All advice will be much appreciated.

Regards,

Chris

PS - after reading the other threads on King mackeral, Red Drum, and wahoos, I apologize for starting such an amateur-level conversation but I have to crawl before I can walk/run…!!!

Is everyone on radio silence?

Well, my trip is this weekend. I am planning to catch some baitfish with a cast-net and fish from the shore with Carolina rigs.

All advice and/or comments are welcome…

Thanks,

Chris

Hey Fish - sorry somehow I missed your post the first time.

Sounds like you got the right idea and equipment.  Finger mullet have been a little hard to find lately but they are still some around, just have to look.  Can’t go wrong with a C-rig.  You might want to try one under a cork too, that’s a good way to target specks this time of year.

Hope you have a great week-end and catch ‘em up.  Be sure to post a report of how you did when you get back!

Results…

We hit the surf this past Saturday. Catching bait in the surf with a cast-net proved to be difficult, didn’t get anything. I looked around and even see any minnows in the water so I gave up on that.

So, we stuck with shrimp and caught a Virginia Mullet and a small Flounder (pic attached).

The weather was great and my boys had fun playing on the beach, but, as for the fishing… I’m going to need a better plan next time.

Question: Is it a bad idea to try cast-netting at just a random spot in the surf? What is a better plan?

Thanks!

Glad you caught a few and keep the boys occupied.  Casting a net at a random spot might get you a few here and there but it will wear you out after a while with little to show for it.  Like I said earlier, this time of year it gets harder to find them.  Now with cold snap a lot of them have left.  Another option is to pick up some mud minnows at the bait shop.  Or if you have access to a sound side pier or beach area try there at low tide.

Hello Fish Catching bait fish in the ocean is hard enough when the mullett are running .Try catching bait away from the ocean.Boat baissions are good place to start.At low tide try finding a saltwater ditch.One good place is on Sloop Point Rd.The creek runs under road.But be carefull these places love to steal cast nets.