Topsail August 31, 2006
Chris, at East Coast Sports, reports that the piers are mostly catching spanish this past week. They’re also picking up some bluefish and spots.
Surf fishing is producing a mix of reds, mullet, blues, and some bigger pompano.
The inside fishing is the same as last week—reds on the flats as the main action.
Spanish continue to be caught in numbers just outside the inlet early in the morning.
Off the beach, the E Buoy has been doing well with kings.
No reports this week from the gulf stream.
Ricky, at Speckled Specialist Charters, reports a good mix of speckled trout and red drum biting around Sneads Ferry. The trout are keying on the large numbers of shrimp in the waterway and river. Good numbers of 2-3 pound fish are being caught, with the occasional bigger fish mixed in.
The reds are biting best in the bays and creeks off the waterway. They’re chasing mullet around. Early and late in the day has been the most productive, but don’t rule out night fishing.
Black drum and sheepshead continue to be caught around the bridges.
Along the beach on the nearshore reefs, the flounder are around to be caught on the bottom. And both spanish and king mackerel are in the same areas to be caught on light lines.
Eric, at New River Marina, reports that inshore fishing conditions are holding the same as last week. Redfish, flounder, and speckled trout are all being caught in the river and waterway on artificials and live bait.
The bridge has been the place to go for sheepshead and black drum. Try using sand fleas or fiddlers.
Off the beach, the flounder are biting on the nearshore hard bottoms on live baits. Spanish mackerel are outside the inlets and on the artificial reefs. The kings that were biting around the beach have shut down, but there still should be some fish around.
Terry, at Surf City Pier, reports a variety of nice fish caught over the past week, but none were in large quantities. Black drum and whiting are hitting shrimp and bloodworms on the bottom.
Fiddler crabs are producing sheepshead for anglers dangling them next to the pilings.
Flounder and trout are still around, and they’re falling for live baits.
Spanish mackerel and bluefish (up to 3.5 lbs.) are biting diamond jig/gold hook rigs.
Kings weighing 5.91 and 20 lbs. were caught this week.
The water is 82 degrees at the pier.
Bill, at Sea View Pier, reports that big croakers are eating shrimp on the bottom, in addition to pompano and spots. Some black drum are biting the shrimp as well.
Some keeper flounder have been decked by anglers fishing finger mullet and mud minnows.
Diamond jig/gold hook rigs are accounting for lots of spanish mackerel, as well as some blues.
Several small kings were caught this week.
