Topsail June 10, 2004
Chris, at East Coast Sports, reports that the piers have been seeing blues and spanish during the day. The Surf City Pier has also been bringing in some spots at night. Fishing the surf from New River Inlet to Surf City, they have been picking up a few sea mullet in the sloughs. From Surf City to Topsail Beach there have been lots of good size mullet and pompano, as well as some blues. The spanish have been biting early in the morning. Topsail Beach to New Topsail Inlet has had lots of sea mullet and plenty of reds at night. There have been specks around the drawbridge as well as some nice black drum around the back gate bridge. The inlet has also been producing reds.
There have been plenty of kings, as well as some dolphin, at 18 Mile Rock. That is the only confirmed report Chris had this week, with the exception of some big kings spotted (not caught) at AR 360 estimated to be in the 50 lb. class. The gulf stream has had mixed reports. One day there are reports that it is dead, and then another day there are reports of multiple hookups on dolphin. His sources tell him that this is the year of the marlin. He recommends getting some of those big ole soft head chuggers in the green and black, as well as orange and black, and see if you can’t hookup on one.
Greg, at Seaview Fishing Pier, reports that the pluggers are getting bluefish and a few spanish mackerel. The bottom fishermen are catching spots and mullet. The best tide for both of these species has been the high tide, and catches have come in both during the day and at night. For bait, it has been bloodworms or cut shrimp. There was a 29-inch red drum recently caught and released from the pier. The red ate a cut piece of shrimp. There have been a few keeper flounder caught on mud minnows and strip baits but no real big fish.
Eric, at New River Marina, reports red drum have started to bite live shrimp and finger mullet. The speckled trout, weighing up to 7 lbs., are eating live shrimp also. Flounder are starting to get a little bigger and prefer live mullet. In the bridge area, anglers are catching spots, croaker, and a few sheepshead. They are also finding a good bluefish bite and a few spanish mackerel. The spanish are more plentiful just off the beach and are still hitting clark spoons. Further offshore, those slow trolling are catching cobia up to 30 lbs., small king mackerel, and small dolphin.
Lynn, at Sneads Ferry Campground and Fishing Pier, reports that speckled trout are still biting live shrimp on the ocean side of the bridge, as long as the tide is moving. The campground pier has seen catches of flounder up to 4 lbs. that bit live minnows. Spots are still biting in the river on red worms, and the spanish mackerel are still biting outside the inlets on clark spoons. King mackerel are still in the 8 to 12 mile structures, and they have been hitting live or dead baits. Dolphin is about the only catch further offshore, but the good news is the sizes of the dolphin are getting bigger.
