Topsail July 25, 2013
Christina Vaughan with her first cobia, hooked on a Yo-Zuri Deep Diver 8 miles off Topsail Inlet while she was fishing with her father, Gery Vaughan of Hunters Haven taxidermy.
Chris, of East Coast Sports, reports that anglers are finding some solid action with citation-class spanish mackerel within a few miles of the beachfront. Free-lining and slow-trolling small live baits is fooling most of the big spaniards, and some anglers are also hooking up on baits dangled from kites.
There’s also been a good bite of smaller spanish for anglers working metal lures from Topsail’s surf over the past week.
Some school-sized king mackerel are feeding at structure starting about 10 miles out. Both live baits and dead cigar minnows will tempt bites from the kings.
Grouper are looking for meals around bottom structure in the same range, and they will pounce on cigar minnows and a variety of other baits.
A few sailfish have also been seen and hooked by nearshore anglers lately.
Surf casters are also connecting with decent numbers of pompano on shrimp and sand fleas pinned to bottom rigs. Some flounder are feeding in the breakers as well and biting live and Gulp baits. Casting finger mullet and cut baits near the inlets is attracting attention from some slot and over-slot red drum.
Inshore, the red drum bite is still solid in the marshes, around docks, and in the inlets. Live baits, Gulps, gold spoons, and topwater plugs are all effective for the reds.
Capt. Allen Jernigan, of Breadman Ventures, with a 29″ speckled trout that bit a MirrOlure She Dog topwater on a flat in the New River.
Flounder are feeding in many of the same areas and will pounce on live baits or Gulps.
Ladyfish are in the area in force, and anglers can hook big numbers while working flashy artificials like Rapala X-Raps around lighted bridges and docks in the evening hours.
Anglers are finding plenty of action with sheepshead around bridge and dock pilings and other inshore structure in the area. Live fiddler crabs and sea urchins are tempting the bites from the sheeps.
Allen, of Breadman Ventures, reports that anglers are still connecting with plenty of red drum in the bays and on the flats off the lower New River and ICW (with many schools of 20+ fish). Some speckled trout (including some gators to 29”) are feeding in the same areas and on drop-offs nearby. Topwater plugs have been fooling the specks and reds in good numbers lately. Anglers can also cast soft plastics or live baits to the fish when they’re not biting the surface lures well.
More speckled trout are feeding around bridges and other heavy structure in the area. Live shrimp fished under floats are fooling big numbers of the bridge specks.
Black drum and sheepshead are looking for meals amongst the bridge pilings, and both will pounce on fiddler crabs or other crustacean baits.
Richard, of Seaview Pier, reports that the pier saw its first king mackerel of the year last week, a 26 lb. fish that fell for a live bait off the end.
When the water’s clean, anglers are hooking some healthy speckled trout on live baits and artificials.
Skylar and Colin Hinnant and Ethan Davis with Colin’s first wahoo (a 30 lb. fish) and bottomfish they caught near WR2 while fishing with Capt. Lynn Hinnant of Fishinnant Charters out of Sneads Ferry.
Flounder and an occasional red drum are taking an interest in live baits fished on the bottom.
Sea mullet and spot are biting at night for anglers baiting up with shrimp and bloodworms.
Ed, of Surf City Pier, reports that spot have been the big story, with good numbers coming over the rails recently. Shrimp and bloodworms are fooling the spot.
A few red drum (some to 38”) have been taking an interest in bottom rigs near the pier recently.
Some speckled trout have been around and biting live baits and artificials.
Live-baiters fishing from the end of the pier landed some citation spanish mackerel and several kings last week (the largest 34 lbs.).
Robin, of Jolly Roger Pier, reports that anglers saw some solid spanish mackerel action when the water cleared up last week (with good numbers and big fish). Both metal lures (like Gotcha plugs) and small live baits are fooling the spaniards.
Bottom fishermen are hooking a summer variety of black drum, flounder, spot, sea mullet, and more.
Some sheepshead are feeding around the pier, and they will bite sand fleas or other crustaceans.
