Topsail – August 7, 2014
Becky Early, of Surf City, landed this citation 6.2 lb. spanish mackerel after it struck a live menhaden near the New Topsail sea buoy. She was fishing with John Bullock and Chuck Johnson.
Chris, of East Coast Sports, reports that anglers are finding a surprising number of red drum feeding around the shoals of local inlets for summertime. Anglers are hooking the reds while casting finger mullet and cut baits on bottom rigs, along with working lures like gold spoons around the breakers.
Surf and pier bottom fishermen are also hooking good numbers of black drum and a summer mixed bag of panfish like spot, sea mullet, and pompano. Shrimp are fooling most of the bottom feeders.
Boaters are reporting king mackerel at spots starting 4-5 miles offshore. The kings will bite live baits (like menhaden) or frozen ballyhoo and cigar minnows pinned to dead bait rigs.
Boats making the run to the Gulf Stream are reporting plenty of dolphin action still going on. Most of the ‘phins (and other blue water predators like wahoo, tuna, and billfish) are falling for ballyhoo paired with skirted trolling lures.
Black drum and sheepshead are feeding around local bridges, docks, and sea walls. Anglers can tempt both fish to bite shrimp or fiddler crabs fished tight to the structure.
Red drum are feeding in the bays and marshes off the ICW and New River. Anglers are fooling the reds on topwater plugs, spoons, soft plastics, and with a variety of natural baits.
Cody Roberts, of Sanford, NC, with a 38 lb. king mackerel that bit a skirted menhaden 40 miles offshroe of New River Inlet.
There’s still some decent flounder action going on around the inlets and inshore structure like docks. Most of the flatfish are falling for live baits and Gulps.
Daniel, of Flat Foot Charters, reports that red drum and flounder continue to provide the bulk of the inshore action in the area. Anglers are finding the flatfish near the inlets, in the marshes, and around inshore structure like docks and bridges. Live finger mullet and peanut menhaden are tough for the flounder to turn down, and anglers can also cast white soft baits with success.
Red drum are looking for meals in the marshes, especially along grass banks with some current. Live baits are tough for the reds to turn down as well.
Allen, of Breadman Ventures, reports that anglers are still hooking plenty of slot and over-slot red drum around Sneads Ferry. The fish are feeding on the flats and in the marshy bays, some in sizeable schools. Topwater plugs, gold spoons, and suspending lures like MirrOlure MR17’s are fooling the reds.
Some speckled trout are also looking for meals in the shallow backwaters off the New River. The specks have been taking an interest in topwater plugs and MR17’s as well.
Richard, of Seaview Pier, reports that anglers are hooking a few spanish mackerel on Gotcha plugs when clean water is around the pier.
The flounder bite is getting better, and anglers hooked decent numbers while soaking live baits under the pier last week.
Cole Argay with his first red snapper, hooked on squid while he was bottom fishing off Wrightsville Beach.
The dirty water recently hasn’t been conducive to speckled trout fishing, but anglers should still be able to connect with some trout if the water’s reasonably clear. Fishing live shrimp in the early morning hours is the way to fool the specks.
Bottom fishermen are hooking some spot and sea mullet, with bloodworms producing most of the action.
Chris, of Surf City Pier, reports that anglers are hooking some spot, black drum, and pompano while baiting up with shrimp and bloodworms.
Anglers fishing live shrimp and minnows around the pier are connecting with some healthy speckled trout and flounder.
Plug casters are connecting with a few spanish mackerel and bluefish while working Gotchas.
Josh, of Jolly Roger Pier, reports that some spot are biting bloodworms during the evening hours.
Both undersized and legal flounder are taking an interest in live baits on the bottom.
Black and red drum have been biting shrimp and cut baits on bottom rigs.
