Topsail – June 11, 2015
Chris, of East Coast Sports, reports that anglers are now seeing some larger flounder and better fishing inshore than earlier in the season. Most of the flatfish are feeding around the inlets, marshes, and ICW docks. Live baits will get their attention, but many anglers have found Gulp baits like the 5” swimming mullet equally or more effective recently.
The red drum bite remains good on the area’s inshore grass flats. Anglers are fooling the reds on live baits, Gulps, topwater plugs, gold spoons, and more.
Justin Cleary, Luke Johnson, and Tim Fisher, of Tramway, NC, with a pair of dolphin they hooked on dead cigar minnows while trolling around AR-362 off New Topsail Inlet.
Anglers fishing the New River are connecting with some citation-class speckled trout. Most are falling for topwaters, soft plastics, and suspending hard baits like MirrOlure MR17’s.
Surf casters have been connecting with some black drum and sea mullet along the length of the island, primarily on shrimp. A few reds have been mixed in near Topsail Inlet.
Spanish mackerel are feeding just off the inlets and along the beachfront. Anglers are fooling the spaniards with casting lures like Gotcha plugs and diamond jigs or while trolling Clarkspoons behind planers, cigar weights, and bird rigs.
Cobia are following menhaden schools within a few miles of shore. Anglers are tempting the cobes to bite bucktail jigs and other artificials or live menhaden.
Dolphin have moved inshore of the Gulf Stream, with reports coming in from the break to 8 miles offshore last week. The aggressive fish will bite live baits, dead baits, and a variety of artificial lures when anglers find them.
Brad Weathersby, of Raleigh, with a 10 lb. dolphin he hooked while trolling a cigar minnow on a South Chatham Tackle Pirate Plug from his sea doo near AR-362.
Allen, of Breadman Ventures, reports that anglers are hooking some solid speckled trout on the flats off the ICW and New River and around area bridges right now. MirrOlure topwater plugs and MR17’s are fooling most of the specks in the shallows, with deeper running lures and live baits producing near the bridges.
Small schools and pods of red drum are working the area bays and creeks in search of meals. When anglers find the fish, they’re fooling them with topwater plugs, Flats Intruder spoons, and a variety of soft plastic baits.
The flounder gigging has been excellent recently, and hook-and-line action is improving as well. Most of the flatfish that anglers are hooking are falling for scented soft baits like Salty Bay cigar minnows.
Daniel Lucas with a 26″ red drum that struck a live bait beneath a popping cork near Sneads Ferry.
Richard, of Seaview Pier, reports that anglers are hooking some black drum, pompano, and sea mullet while bottom fishing with shrimp. A few small spot runs took place last week, and bottom fishermen have also been decking some gray trout in the evening hours.
Plug casters are catching some bluefish on Gotchas.
Anglers live-baiting from the end of the pier have seen several tarpon and cobia over the past week, but they haven’t landed any.
Garrison, of Surf City Pier, reports that there have been some spot and sea mullet biting bottom rigs baited with shrimp and bloodworms.
Spanish mackerel and bluefish are falling for Gotcha plugs and diamond jigs that anglers are working from the pier.
Danie, of Jolly Roger Pier, reports that anglers are connecting with good numbers of spanish mackerel and bluefish while working lures like Gotcha plugs.
Anglers fishing small live baits on the bottom are finding action with flounder (some 3-5 lbs.).
Sheepshead are feeding around the pilings, and anglers fishing for them landed some impressive sheeps last week (7-8 lbs.).
