Topsail July 5, 2007
Chris, of East Coast Sports, reports that surf anglers are catching a normal summer time mix of pompano, whiting, and bluefish. Shrimp and cut baits should produce good results in the surf.
The flounder bite has been excellent for boats drifting live baits in the inlet. Flounder fishermen are also hooking up with a few red drum.
Kings and spanish mackerel are feeding along the surf and at nearshore structure. The kings will respond well to live pogies and dead cigar minnows trolled on Hank Brown rigs. Boats can hook up with the spanish by trolling smaller live baits, Clarkspoons, and Yo-Zuri Deep Divers.
Anglers are catching sailfish as close to shore as the inlet sea buoy. The sails will strike a variety of live and dead baits, and some boats are scoring explosive surface strikes by dangling live bluefish from kites.
Dolphin are feeding 4 miles and further offshore. Cigar minnows on Hank Brown rigs have been producing good results for most boats, but the dolphin will hit a wide variety of natural and artificial baits.
Boats making the run to the Gulf Stream are hooking up with big dolphin, some wahoo, and white and blue marlin. The Swansboro Hole and Big Rock have been hot spots over the past week. Skirted ballyhoo will draw strikes from all these species, and Moldcraft squid and chuggers have been especially effective on the billfish.
Ricky, of Speckled Specialist Charters, reports that New River trout fishing remains strong. Most of the action has come while fishing live shrimp underneath floats, although the fish will also bite Storm and Halo shrimp imitations.
The best trout fishing has been around Sneads Ferry over the past week.
Vinita, of Surf City Pier, reports that whiting, spot, and pompano are biting shrimp fished on the bottom.
Flounder (up to 3 lbs.) are biting live baits on Carolina rigs.
Gotcha plugs are fooling both bluefish and spanish mackerel.
Several kings, along with some 4-5 lb. spanish, were caught over the week. The largest king weighed 27 lbs.
Joe, of Jolly Roger Pier, reports that small live baits are getting strikes from flounder (up to 18”).
Those fishing shrimp on the bottom are hooking up with black drum and pompano.
Bluefish and spanish mackerel are biting Gotcha Plugs well.
Several king mackerel (up to 16 lbs.) were caught last week, and live baiters got several tarpon strikes. The tarpon and kings seem to be following large schools of pogies up and down the beach, although live bluefish are accounting for most bites from both species.
Wayne, of Sea View Pier, reports that bottom fishermen are catching black drum, whiting, pompano, and a few spot. Cut shrimp is producing the best results on the bottom rigs.
Flounder (a mix of short and keeper fish) are hitting live baits fished on the bottom.
Plug casters are hooking up with bluefish and spanish mackerel on Gotchas and diamond jigs.
Sheepshead are taking an interest in sand flea and fiddler crab baits and running 3-7 lbs.
Live baiters are catching kings and some big spanish mackerel.
Eric, of New River Marina, reports that inshore flounder fishing has been excellent. Most of the flounder are coming from creek mouths off the river and from the area around the 172 Bridge. Small live baits fished on Carolina rigs will prove too much for most flounder to resist, and anglers are also hooking up with them on spinnerbaits.
Speckled trout fishing is still good around the bridge and further up the river. The trout are running 1-3 lbs. on average, and they will fall for live shrimp, Gulp baits, or Halo Shrimp.
Red drum are on the feed in area creek mouths, and they will readily strike spinnerbaits, spoons, and soft plastic lures.
Spanish mackerel and bluefish are chasing bait up and down the beach. Trolled Clarkspoons and Yo-Zuri Deep Divers will take the spanish and blues.
Kings are feeding near the beach and around bottom structure and bait concentrations up to 30 miles offshore. Dolphin (in the 10-15 lb. class) are mixed in 8+ miles from the beach. Both the kings and dolphin will fall for live baits or dead cigar minnows and sardines.
Gulf Stream trolling is producing big dolphin (40-60 lbs.), wahoo, billfish, and an occasional yellowfin. Ballyhoo trolled underneath Ilanders and Sea Witches are the ticket to hookups with all the Gulf Stream predators.
Grouper fishing remains hot, with boats finding good numbers of gags within 10 miles of the beach. Red grouper and red snapper are feeding further out—from 35 to 50 miles.
