Topsail June 16, 2005
Ricky Kellum, of Speckled Specialists Charters, reports there is still a very good speckled trout bite going and should last a few weeks before the water gets too hot. Shrimp are finally beginning to show in deep water but it is still tougher to get bait than catch the trout. Notable catches this week included a 5.5 lb. trout this past Friday to several fish in the 3.5 to 5 lb. range. There are some up to 9 lbs. being caught in the area. Other than the good trout bite, the river has also been good for black drum and bluefish which are eating the shrimp as well.
Eric, at New River Marina, reports speckled trout still very good in the river with the biggest this week of 6.5 lb. caught on a live shrimp. Redfishing in the river is doing well and black drum along with sheepshead have moved in to offer more variety. Flounder fishing is getting better but no big ones reported yet. Nearshore is offering kings, spanish, and black sea bass while further off the dolphin have been reported as close as the 10 miles out.
Frank, at Seaview Pier, reports a lot of everything is biting but Saturday there was a nice run of King mackerel. 5 kings were landed including a 30 and a 48 pound smoker. On Friday a 26 lb. king was caught to start the run. Pluggers are getting bluefish with the occasional spanish mackerel. Along the pilings the sheepshead have shown up. Bottom fishing is producing a few black drum, flounder, spots, and sea mullet.
Allan, at East Coast Sports, reports that the windy weather limited the offshore action, but there are numerous school kings at the nearshore wrecks and reefs within 1 to 5 miles off the beach. Most f the fish are in the 36-48 inch range, and they’re coming on slow trolling both artificials and live bait. There were also some dolphin reported in close, so this is a good sign that the warmer water is moving in.
The surf still has blues, but the spanish have been real scattered. There’s also scattered bites of spots and sea mullet. Reds are around the inlet and in the back creeks. Not much on flounder yet, with very few guys reporting catches. The surf has probably been the best place for flounder.
