# Corncake Inlet



## drumchaser (Jan 14, 2003)

I was wondering if any of you on here fished that inlet before it closed in. I remember fishing it with my Dad back in the 80's before it closed in. Can't say that we tore them up, afterall we only came fishing in the fall down here once a year for the weekend. Was the fishing in the bays down there any better when it was open? I was just curious to hear some opinions from folks that fished that area when the inlet was open compared to now with it closed.


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## Finger_Mullet (Aug 19, 2005)

I fished it for years. Caught flounder just about every trip. Caught my share of speckled trout as well. Used to flounder gig back in there back in the day. Had a blast. I have been hoping for years a storm would open her back up. Not that lucky yet. I have fished in my kayak a few times but with the kids I have not had a chance to paddle back to deeper water. 

Watched 3 young guys walk way out with a pocket of fleas and proceed to tear up the puppy drum. That was before I had any clue what I was doing. 

I talked to a old timer down at the boat dock below the ferry last year. He said the fishing is nothing like it used to be when the inlet was open. He said he still catches fish but nothing like it used to be. 

Darin


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## gshivar (Aug 29, 2006)

My God! First went there late 60's. fished it till it closed. I called it corncake or new inlet. We would drive down back side road and launch Al and Dixie skiffs and run to south side of inlet. A lot of the people who fished there are now gone. Couple of people who view this site might chime in. Mike?? best - glenn


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## speckhunter80 (Oct 3, 2011)

Started fishing it during Christmas with a college friend that lived in Wilmington in the early 80's. I was thinking the last time I fished it was Christmas of 97. Pretty sure I did and we hammered some trout. I thought it filled in in 1998.


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## drumchaser (Jan 14, 2003)

Thanks all. Yeah I've seen it referred to as New or Corncake inlet. I was figuring the fishing would have been better. I was reading an article from 1972 stating if it could be proven that there were enough oysters to harvest in that area that they would open it back up. Corps of Engineers didn't think there were enough. Hurricane Hazel had closed it off that time. I figured some good memories had come from that area. At least it did for Dad and myself what few times we got to fish it.


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## Tommy (Jan 24, 2001)

I have fished Fort Fisher and Carolina Beach north end (party zoo now) since the early 80's. Corncake inlet was a great place to fish, pulled many all-nighters down there back in the day....

Hurricane Bonnie filled in in back in 98 or so.

Tommy


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## drumchaser (Jan 14, 2003)

[QUOTE
Hurricane Bonnie filled in in back in 98 or so.

Tommy[/QUOTE]
Yeah i figured it reopened after Hazel closed it. Wish that would happen again.


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## Finger_Mullet (Aug 19, 2005)

The last couple of years it got shallow and the water was crazy fast on the falling and rising tide. I spoke to a ranger several years ago and they seam to think that a new inlet should open up in a future hurricane. Several years after it filled in a storm hit and water was crossing over near crossover # 3 at the time. Maybe # 2. Anyway they quickly filled it in with bulldozers. I figured it would have not left enough beach to drive on is why they stopped it before it got started.

It would help the bay out a lot if a new one formed.

Darin


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## gshivar (Aug 29, 2006)

My first trip across corncake in the sixty’s, I was surprised to see several old cars –sedans- With slick tires. They were owned by people in CB and KB and would drive them down to the point. There was a partial “back road” to use on high tide and on low tide they rode the beach. 2wd.!! I went shark fishing with Jerry W. and rode down the beach with two of these vehicles. They had fixed up one of the CG houses. Course this was prior to any development. Have seen a sow hog with piglets on beach walking the tide line for something to eat – only on Baldhead. Memories! Many drum overnight trips. Fished spring at Elmore’s or Rich Inlet. Fall was Baldhead side of Corncake and a few miles South of inlet. I have witnessed two surf fishing catches that are above other memories: #2: The point @ Buxton bout late 70’s – blue blitz 14 / 16# fish. And a guy is walking from surf with a 50+# drum on a Hopkins! A vivid memory! #1 : my life long friend Mike hooked a tarpon from the Baldhead side of corncake inlet in the surf on a squidder 70+ lbs beached. Yes I have a lot of memories from Baldhead side of Corncake Inlet….Best - glenn


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## drumchaser (Jan 14, 2003)

Glenn, that's what I was looking for. Great story, thanks for sharing. Sure wish it would open back up.


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## aln (May 29, 2006)

drumchaser said:


> I was wondering if any of you on here fished that inlet before it closed in. I remember fishing it with my Dad back in the 80's before it closed in. Can't say that we tore them up, afterall we only came fishing in the fall down here once a year for the weekend. Was the fishing in the bays down there any better when it was open? I was just curious to hear some opinions from folks that fished that area when the inlet was open compared to now with it closed.


Awesome memories of the south end of the island from the early 70's up until the inlet closed and everything down there went to commercial hell and gone. Back in the day before there was an aquarium with ez access out to the beach me and my buddy Steve Smith used to take his vw .. and instead of making the right hand curve going to the FF ferry we would go straight into what looked like the live oak batcave entrance towards the south end. There were some paths out thru there that were barely a car length wide and it was a true balls to the wall adventure because once you got headed in there was no turning back unless it was on foot. We fished the surf side of the inlet at night and caught some nice pups and some huge mullet but the best part about going down there was being there during the day and fishing (if memory serves) just a little back, maybe a couple hundred yards, towards the northwest side of the inlet on a deep cut off a mud bank maybe 50 yards across and the best place to drop the live bait was near where the water had eroded the sand around a bunch of scrub trees. Caught some really nice flounder there and saw some people catch some big flounder too. Also would see people there from time to time fly fishing and catching really big trout.

But the dude that really slayed the flounder back in the day was the guy named Steve Labanec that bought the old Bobby's Bait and Tackle and turned it into the Seagull Bait Shop right there at CB Lake. That fella fished further north of the inlet .. maybe a half mile or better up on some mud banks that ran for a good piece that he got to by launching a john boat from Fort Fisher. There was also some really easy oyster and clam pick-ups in that area. That dude caught 4-7 lb flounder up there on a regular basis as well as some nice drum.

What an awesome post .. I love post like this that bring back some of the best memories of my life ... THANK YOU !!


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## drumchaser (Jan 14, 2003)

Thanks aln, I really enjoyed reading your post. I remember Steve well. Great story!!!! Maybe this thing will open up again soon.


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## Finger_Mullet (Aug 19, 2005)

Where did Steve go after he sold Seagull B&T?

Darin


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## KB Spot Chaser (Nov 19, 2009)

Finger_Mullet said:


> Where did Steve go after he sold Seagull B&T?
> 
> Darin


Superintendent for big construction company in Wilmington, I forget the name of it but saw his wife Karen a few years back. Big drum in the surf, big trout at Helicopter Creek, and limits of big flounder n the surf fall run, and she was still open after Bonnie until late December 98 just had to walk there as they had it closed after Bonnie.


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## Jimmycancklebutter (Dec 4, 2021)

Anybody surf near Corncake inlet before or after it closed up? Just wondering because nautical charts mark it as significantly deeper than surrounding area pretty close to shore.


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