Added on Thursday, July 31, 2008  Gary Hurley

Topsail July 31, 2008

Doug, of East Coast Sports, reports that anglers had a good weekend of offshore fishing last week. King mackerel bit well at spots from 5-15 miles offshore. Live and dead cigar minnows are producing most of the action, and green seems to have been an especially hot skirt color this week. Some cobia have been mixed in with the kings throughout the same range.

Dolphin (most 5-15 lbs.) are feeding well at spots 10-18 miles out of the inlets, and there have been plenty of flying fish in that range as well. When anglers locate concentrations of the flyers, they should be able to find the ‘phins. Cigar minnows are also fooling the dolphin.

Offshore bottom fishing has been good as well, and anglers landed red grouper, snappers, grunts and other bottomfish while dropping on structures 25 miles and further offshore. Cigar minnows are producing plenty of action, and anglers are also hooking a lot of groupers on butterfly jigs.

Surf fishermen are landing pompano, whiting, and a few spot and croaker on shrimp, clams, and sand fleas.

Inshore, there are still a good number of red drum in the marshes, creek mouths, and inlets. Live baits and Gulps will get the reds’ attention wherever anglers find them.

Boats are hooking up with good numbers of flounder while drifting in New River and Topsail Inlets. Carolina-rigged live baits will tempt bites from the flounder.

There are a few speckled trout still feeding at the swing bridge, and live shrimp will fool them. The best bite has been at night, although numerous ladyfish are making getting a bait to the trout somewhat difficult.

Anglers trying to hook up with the ladyfish are scoring bites on topwater plugs at the bridge and around docks.

 

Tyler, of New River Marina, reports that the speckled trout bite is still good all over the river, where anglers are hooking up with the specks on live shrimp.

Red drum are feeding in the river as well, and anglers are also finding them off the ICW and in the inlet.

Sheepshead and black drum are looking for meals around the 172 Bridge, and anglers baiting up with clams and fiddler crabs are getting in on the action.

A few spanish mackerel and bluefish are feeding near the inlet and along the beaches, and anglers are hooking up with them while trolling Clarkspoons and other lures.

King mackerel have been feeding all over the area, with some of the best action occurring just off the inlet at the New River wreck, where anglers caught kings as large as 30 lbs. last week.

Jig baits-like cigar minnows and greenies-are producing the best action, but boats are also hooking up on dead cigar minnows.

Bottom fishermen are catching some gag groupers at structure 6-15 miles off the inlet. The bite has been a bit off, even though divers are seeing plenty of fish.

The best bottom fishing action has been 40+ miles offshore, where boats are landing big catches of red groupers and a variety of other bottomfish on cigar minnows and sardines.

 

Ricky, of Speckled Specialist Charters, reports that the New River speckled trout bite remains solid. Anglers are catching the specks from Jacksonville downriver to Sneads Ferry.

Live shrimp are the most effective trout baits, and they’ve been so plentiful in creeks off the river that it should only take anglers a few cast net throws to load the baitwell.

 

Vinita, of Surf City Pier, reports that anglers are catching a summertime mixed bag: plenty of variety but not too many of one species.

Anglers are catching some bluefish on diamond jigs.

A few flounder are around, and fish up to 3 lbs. were caught last week.

Live baiters landed a 20 lb. king mackerel last week as well.

 

Sandy, of Seaview Pier, reports that bottom fishermen are catching some whiting, pompano, and black and red drum, along with bluefish. Shrimp should attract attention from all of them.

The flounder bite has been decent for anglers fishing live finger mullet.

Good numbers of speckled trout are falling for live shrimp.

Live baiters hooked several kings last week, with the largest 15 lbs.

 

Caleb, of Jolly Roger Pier, reports that bottom fishermen are hooking up with a few black drum, flounder, and pompano.

Bluefish and a few spanish mackerel are falling for Gotcha plugs.

Live baiters have been kept busy by a number of tarpon strikes over the past week.