Topsail – August 6, 2015
Chris, of East Coast Sports, reports that pier anglers are still hooking some large spanish mackerel while fishing live baits from the ends of the structures.
Bottom fishing from the piers has been producing a summer mixed-bag of panfish, with the best action at night.
Surf casters are hooking a few fat black drum and sea mullet while baiting up with shrimp and sand fleas.
Red drum are still feeding around Topsail Inlet and biting cut baits and finger mullet for surf anglers.
Inshore, anglers are hooking some red drum and speckled trout in the early morning hours while working topwater plugs around the marshes and creeks.
Anglers are hooking more reds and good numbers of flounder in the shade of area docks during the daytime hours. Live baits are producing most of the action under the docks.
Trollers are reporting some solid spanish mackerel action while pulling Clarkspoons around the inlets and along the beachfront. Surprisingly, some over-slot red drum are falling for the spoons too.
There’s been a decent dolphin bite for anglers trolling around spots in the 30 mile range lately. The ‘phins are falling for live baits along with ballyhoo and cigar minnows on dead bait rigs.
Ray Campbell with a dolphin that struck a live menhaden 20 miles offshore of New River Inlet while he was fishing on the “Carasea2.”
Allen, of Breadman Ventures, reports that there’s still a good topwater red drum bite for anglers fishing the bays and flats around Sneads Ferry. Areas off the New River and ICW are both holding good numbers of fish, and anglers are hooking them on plugs like MirrOlure She Pups.
Gold spoons and Salty Bay soft plastics laced with Pro-Cure scents will fool the fish when they aren’t feeding on top.
Anglers also shouldn’t be surprised to find a few large speckled trout feeding alongside the reds and biting the same lures.
Richard, of Seaview Pier, reports that the spanish mackerel bite has slowed considerably, but anglers are still hooking a few big ones (to 5+ lbs.) while fishing live baits off the end of the pier.
Anglers are connecting with bluefish early in the day near the surf zone primarily on bottom rigs baited with cut baits and finger mullet. A few are falling for casting lures like Gotcha plugs.
Some over-slot red drum have been biting live and cut baits near the end of the pier.
Bottom fishermen are hooking spot, sea mullet, and other panfish while baiting up with shrimp.
Fernando Moya with an over-slot red drum he caught and released after it struck a cut bait in the Figure Eight Island surf.
Garrison, of Surf City Pier, reports that anglers have been hooking some large spanish mackerel early in the day. Most are falling for live baits fished off the end of the pier.
Bottom fishermen have been finding action with a few sea mullet.
A 4 lb. speckled trout was landed from the pier over the weekend.
April, of Jolly Roger Pier, reports that flounder are falling for live baits fished under the pier.
Anglers are also picking up a few speckled trout on live baits.
Plug casters are hooking some bluefish in the early morning hours. Anglers have been seeing some large spanish mackerel around the pier, but they’ve been tough to fool recently.
Bottom fishermen are connecting with croaker and a mixed bag of other panfish during the daylight hours. A few spot have been mixed in at night. Shrimp and bloodworms are fooling the panfish.
