Topsail Island – June 4, 2015
Kathy, of East Coast Sports, reports that anglers bottom fishing in the surf and from the piers are hooking some sea mullet, spot, pompano, black drum, and more. Shrimp are fooling most of the fish.
Plug casters and nearshore trollers are hooking a decent number of bluefish along with a few spanish mackerel.
Jeff Wood with an upper-slot red drum he caught and released after it struck a topwater plug in the New River while he was fishing with Capt. Allen Jernigan of Breadman Ventures.
Further off the beaches, there’s been a good number of cobia 12-18 miles offshore. Anglers can tempt the cobes to bite live baits or artificials like bucktail jigs.
Bottom fishermen are reporting a good grouper bite at spots 25-30 miles off the inlets. Live, dead, and cut baits will all fool the grouper.
Wahoo and dolphin are still feeding along the break off Topsail. Anglers are hooking both on ballyhoo paired with skirted trolling lures.
Inshore, speckled trout and red drum are feeding in the backwater creeks and bays. They’ll bite topwater plugs, suspending baits like MirrOlure MR17’s, soft plastics, and a variety of live baits.
There’s been a decent flounder bite in the marshes and around the inlets recently. Live baits and Gulps are attracting attention from the flounder.
Allen, of Breadman Ventures, reports that anglers continue to find red drum on the flats and in the bays off the New River and ICW near Sneads Ferry. Many days are producing good conditions to sight-cast to the reds, and anglers are hooking them on topwater plugs, Salty Bay soft plastics, and gold spoons.
Some speckled trout (a few citation-class fish) are feeding in the same areas as the reds, and they’re biting topwaters, soft plastics, and suspending hard baits like MirrOlure MR17’s.
Daniel, of Flat Foot Charters, reports that anglers are connecting with good numbers of red drum on many of the area’s shallow flats. Most are falling for live and cut mullet at present.
Flounder are feeding in deeper holes in the 10-15’ range. Anglers are hooking plenty of the flatfish on Gulp baits (but many are undersized).
Areas of moderate current near the inlets are producing some action with speckled trout, and live and artificial shrimp are drawing attention from the specks.
Richard, of Seaview Pier, reports that anglers are hooking a few spot and sea mullet while bottom fishing with shrimp and bloodworms, but small sharks have become quite a nuisance.
A few flounder are falling for live and strip baits in the daylight hours.
Plug casters are seeing a very slow spanish mackerel and bluefish bite at present.
Vinita, of Surf City Pier, reports that there’s been some action with spot, sea mullet, and a few pompano for anglers bottom fishing with shrimp.
A few flounder are biting live baits under the pier.
Anglers are also connecting with some scattered sheepshead on sand fleas.
Robin, of Jolly Roger Pier, reports that anglers are hooking a few bluefish and an occasional spanish mackerel while working Gotcha plugs from the end of the pier.
Some flounder are falling for live baits fished under the pier (but anglers must weed through the short fish to get to the keepers).
Bottom fishermen are hooking a summer mix of pigfish, croaker, spot, and more, with the best action at night. Shrimp and bloodworms are fooling the bottom feeders.
