Added on Thursday, June 19, 2008  Gary Hurley

Topsail June 19, 2008

Doug, of East Coast Sports, reports that anglers are finding excellent fishing for large red drum (mostly over the 27″ slot limit) in the surf, especially around Topsail Inlet and the north end of Lee Island. Surf casters are hooking up with the reds on dead baits and metal lures.

Surf anglers are also catching good numbers of whiting and blues on shrimp and cut baits.

Inshore, anglers are catching a few flounder and smaller reds (on live baits and Gulps) on the back side of the island.

There are still some speckled trout feeding around the Surf City swing bridge, although the bite has slowed down a bit. Live shrimp or Gulp baits and other artificials will fool the trout.

There are plenty of spanish mackerel feeding just outside the inlet and along the beaches.

Boats can hook up with the spanish while trolling Clarkspoons or casting diamond jigs and other metal lures to the schools of fish.

The piers are catching a few king mackerel, but most of the fish are feeding at spots 5-12 miles offshore. Most anglers are hooking them while trolling dead cigar minnows, with a few falling for ballyhoo.

Dolphin are feeding as close as 8 miles from the beaches, although most are smaller. There are tons of larger dolphin feeding around structure and bait 25-30 miles off the beaches.

Rigged ballyhoo should tempt strikes from the dolphin.

The grouper bite seems to have moved a little further offshore, with most boats finding the best action 35-40 miles offshore. Cigar minnows, squid, and butterfly jigs will produce action with the grouper. At bottom spots closer to the beach, anglers are reeling in a lot of sea bass, grunts, and a few beeliners.

 

Ricky, of Speckled Specialist Charters, reports that anglers are still catching big numbers of speckled trout in the New River area. The action has been especially hot around Snead’s Ferry and in the ICW nearby. Live shrimp fished under slip float rigs are the best baits, and shrimp are plentiful in the area right now.

Anglers should be able to cast net plenty of shrimp in the creeks for a day’s worth of trout fishing. Suspending MirrOlures and Billy Bay shrimp will also draw strikes for anglers wanting to cast artificials.

More specks are feeding alongside some upper-slot and over-slot red drum just outside the inlet. Anglers fishing deep holes near the inlet are hooking up with both species on float-rigged shrimp, along with a few big whiting and bluefish.

The reds are also cruising bars along the beachfront, where white Powerbait shrimp have proven effective recently.

 

Terry, of Surf City Pier, reports that anglers are catching spanish mackerel and bluefish on diamond jigs and Gotcha plugs early and late in the day.

Anglers are catching some speckled trout and flounder on live shrimp.

Bottom fishermen are finding some action with whiting.

Live baiters landed a 15 lb. king mackerel last week.

 

Wayne, of Seaview Pier, reports that anglers working diamond jigs and Gotcha plugs are hooking up with good numbers of spanish mackerel and bluefish.

Anglers fishing live shrimp from the planks are catching a lot of speckled trout (with many 2.5-3 lbs.).

Bottom fishermen are hooking up with black drum, along with some whiting at night on cut shrimp.

Live baiters caught several kings this week off the end of the pier.

 

Robin, of Jolly Roger Pier, reports that some fat flounder are coming over the rails for anglers fishing with live mud minnows and shrimp.

At night, bottom fishermen are catching some whiting on cut shrimp.

Plug casters are catching some bluefish and spanish mackerel on Gotchas.

A 28 lb. king was landed on a live bait last week.