Wilmington Fishing Report: Flounders Crushing Artificials, Redfish and Trout Still Biting

**Artificial Lure's Wilmington Fishing Report - December 4th, 2025**

Hey folks, Artificial Lure here with your Thursday morning report for the Cape Fear region.

Let's kick things off with the tide. We're looking at a low tide at 3:25 AM this morning—that's already passed—with a solid high tide coming in at 9:25 AM. Water height should reach about 5.28 feet. That incoming tide is prime time for pushing baitfish into the shallow flats and structure, so get out there soon if you haven't already.

Weather-wise, we're sitting pretty with mostly clear skies and temps hovering around 45 degrees. Humidity's running about 79 percent, which means we're not looking at any rain interference today. Conditions should stay stable through the afternoon, making this a solid day to be on the water.

The flounder bite has been absolutely stellar around here. December's prime flounder season, and we're seeing both live bait and artificials producing quality fish. Mud minnows and small finger mullet are your go-to live baits right now. If you're throwing artificials, scented soft plastics like Berkley Gulp Jerkshads are absolutely crushing it in the stained water we've got around Wilmington. Carolina rigs with Eagle Claw L42 hooks in 1/0 are money rigs. Pro tip: bigger flounders are definitely responding better to the artificials than live bait these days.

Redfish and speckled trout are still active, so don't overlook those species. We're also seeing reports of good kingfish and black drum activity in these waters.

For your reel setup, grab a Slammer IV or Authority spinning reel in the 2500 to 3500 size range. You'll want something smooth and reliable.

Hit the flats around Wrightsville Beach early before the boat traffic picks up, or work the deeper channels off Carolina Beach. Both spots are holding fish right now.

Thanks for tuning in, and don't forget to subscribe for daily reports. This has been a Quiet Please production. For more, check out quietplease dot ai.

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This content was created in partnership and with the help of Artificial Intelligence AI