For November 16th in Wilmington, North Carolina, the fishing scene is looking promising, especially with the cooling water temperatures. Here’s what you need to know for a successful day on the water.

### Weather and Tides
Today, expect partly cloudy skies with a high of around 68 degrees and a low of 52 degrees. The sunrise is at 6:43 AM, and the sunset will be at 4:58 PM. Tides are crucial, with high tide at 9:15 AM and low tide at 3:15 PM. The changing tides, especially around creek mouths and grass points, are ideal for targeting several species.

### Fish Activity
The cooler weather has really turned on the redfish, with many reports of them biting well. These fish are mostly in the 15-17 inch range, with some pushing into the mid-slot size. You can find them patrolling grass edges during higher water and moving down to shell-covered drop-offs during low tides. Speckled trout are also active, striking at scented soft plastics like Z-Man and Gulp shrimp, particularly in areas with moving water such as creek mouths and grass points.

Spanish mackerel are still abundant, and casting jigs or trolling Clark spoons can yield good results. Black drum numbers are increasing as temperatures cool down, and they can be caught using fresh shrimp on a Carolina rig, especially around oyster bars and deep creek holes.

### Best Lures and Bait
For redfish, use scented soft plastics or bottom-rigged dead shrimp. Topwater plugs and hard suspending lures are also effective, especially in the mornings. For speckled trout, stick with scented Z-Man soft plastics and Gulp shrimp. Black drum are best targeted with fresh shrimp on a Carolina rig. If you're after sheepshead, mud crabs or big fiddler crabs fished around docks and hard structures in the Cape Fear River are your best bet.

### Hot Spots
One of the hot spots is around the docks in the Intracoastal Waterway (ICW) closer to the inlets, where you can find slot red drum and sheepshead. Another great area is the shallow oyster bars, docks, and bridges, which are producing black drum and sheepshead. For those looking to sight-fish for reds, the grass edges and sand and mud flats around Wrightsville Beach and Masonboro Island are excellent choices.

Overall, it's a great time to be on the water in Wilmington, with plenty of fish to target and favorable conditions. Enjoy your day fishing