Topsail August 5, 2010
Alden Lindstrom and Thomas Moriarty, of Kernersville, NC, with a pair of gag grouper they hooked 20 miles off New River Inlet on dead cigar minnows while fishing with Capt. Phil Leonard, who is holding the king mackerel in the background.
Doug, of East Coast Sports, reports that anglers are finding action with some red drum and flounder in the sound and the creeks. Live baits, Gulps, and other lures will tempt bites from both fish.
Sheepshead are feeding around bridge and dock pilings and other inshore structure. Anglers are catching them (some to over 10 lbs.) on live fiddler crabs.
A few speckled trout are also holding around the area’s bridges, where anglers can hook them on live shrimp and minnows. Fishing at night will up anglers’ odds of connecting with the specks.
In the surf, anglers are finding good numbers of whiting, black drum, and pompano, with an occasional red drum or flounder. Shrimp are the best baits for all the surf bottom feeders. There are still plenty of large red drum feeding in the breakers at the north end of Lea Island, where anglers can hook them on gold spoons, finger mullet, and cut baits.
Spanish mackerel and bluefish are feeding just off the beaches, and anglers are hooking them while casting Gotcha plugs from the piers and trolling Clarkspoons and other lures from boats.
A few king mackerel have also been caught from the piers lately, and boaters have found sporadic king mackerel action from the beaches out to structure 5-6 miles offshore. Live pogies and dead cigar minnows will fool the kings.
Dolphin are feeding as close as 6-7 miles off the beaches, but the best bite (and largest fish) has been at spots in the 30 mile range. Dead baits like ballyhoo and cigar minnows are fooling most of the dolphin.
Bottom fishermen who know where to look are finding action with gag grouper at spots 7-8 miles offshore. The fishing’s a little easier at structure in the 18-20 mile range, where plenty of smaller bottom feeders are in the mix. Cigar minnows and other whole live or dead fish are the best baits for the groupers, while cut baits and squid will attract attention from the smaller bottomfish.
Amberjacks are schooled up on structure from a few miles offshore on out. Live baits and a variety of lures will attract attention from the jacks.
Eric, of New River Marina, reports that there’s been a pretty decent king mackerel bite within a few miles of the beaches recently. Live and dead baits are fooling the kings.
Spanish mackerel are feeding just along the beaches, where they’ll take a liking to trolled Clarkspoons, Yo-Zuri Deep Divers, and other lures.
Some cobia have been sighted and hooked along the beaches as well. Live baits should tempt them to bite.
Further offshore, anglers are hooking up with some gag grouper and dolphin in the 8-10 mile range.
Inshore, black drum and sheepshead are still feeding around the 172 Bridge, channel markers, and other structure. Fiddler crabs, shrimp, and other crustaceans will tempt bites from both.
The red drum are schooling up in the bays and along the ICW. They’ll strike live baits or a variety of lures like topwater plugs, spinnerbaits, soft plastics, and more.
Speckled trout are feeding at predictable summer locations like bridges, docks, and deep holes inshore. Live shrimp or shrimp-imitating lures will fool the specks.
Anglers can find flounder in practically all the places where they are trout and drum fishing. Small live baits or Gulps will attract their attention.
Spot and croaker are feeding in deeper holes inshore and around the bridges, and a bottom rig baited with shrimp should produce fast action with both.
Jeffrey Fleenor (age 12), of Jacksonville, with a 24 lb. king mackerel he hooked on a live bluefish while fishing from the end of Surf City Pier.
Wayne, of Last Resort Charters, reports that anglers are still catching some red drum on the grass banks and docks between Topsail and Figure Eight. Live and cut pogies have been producing most of the bites from the reds. Some larger over-slot fish are feeding around inshore structure to the north.
The water’s cooled down a bit, but the flounder bite is still best around deep structure and holes inshore (where several citation 5+ lb. fish were caught last week). Live finger mullet and peanut pogies are fooling the flatties.
Wayne, of Seaview Pier, reports that anglers are catching some spot, whiting, and black drum on shrimp. The bite’s been best at night.
Plug casters are connecting with some spanish mackerel.
Live baiters landed one king mackerel and hooked several tarpon last week.
Vinita, of Surf City Pier, reports that anglers are finding a summertime mix of pompano, whiting, spot, small flounder, large red drum, and more while bottom fishing from the pier. Shrimp will fool the smaller fish, while live and cut baits will attract attention from the flounder and drum.
Live baiters landed several king mackerel last week, the largest 36 lbs.
Rob, of Jolly Roger Pier, reports that anglers landed a decent number of large (some to 5.5 lbs.) speckled trout last week on live shrimp.
Some red and black drum are falling for live shrimp and mullet and cut baits.
Anglers soaking fresh shrimp are hooking spot and whiting at night.
Live baiters have been landing some large spanish mackerel and a few kings, and they’ve also been hooking some tarpon recently.
