Added on Thursday, June 18, 2009  Fish Post

Topsail June 18, 2009

Chris, of East Coast Sports, reports that surf and pier fishing has settled into a typical mixed bag pattern with anglers landing a variety of fish including spot, whiting, croaker, pompano, and other bottom feeders. Shrimp, sand fleas, or bloodworms will produce action with the bottomfish.

Anglers are hooking good numbers of sheepshead (to over 5 lbs.) from the piers and around structure in the sound. Fiddler crabs are fooling most of the sheepshead.

Red drum are feeding in the inlet and in the Lea Island surf. Gold spoons are attracting most of the red strikes.

Inshore and in the inlet and surf, anglers are finding action with plenty of flounder, and decent numbers of keepers are mixed in with the shorts. Live baits will produce action with the flatties, but most anglers are using Gulps with success.

Speckled trout are feeding in the surf towards the north end of the island, and anglers on Seaview Pier have been hooking good numbers on live shrimp.

Spanish mackerel are feeding around the inlets and along the beachfront, and anglers are hooking them while trolling Clarkspoons and casting Gotcha plugs and diamond jigs.

The dolphin bite is still solid well inshore of the Stream, with good reports coming from the second set of buoys 14 miles out of Topsail Inlet. Even more dolphin are being reported at spots in the 30 mile range. Most anglers seem to be live-baiting for the fish with pogies.

Anglers are still catching plenty of dolphin in the Stream, and a large blue marlin was released last week near the Same Ol’ as well.

 

Eric, of New River Marina, reports that the dolphin bite is excellent out of New River lately, with solid action starting around 10 miles out near Christmas Rock. Plenty of fish are also coming from the E Buoy and Honeymoon Rock areas, too.

Good numbers of king mackerel and amberjacks are also in the same areas, and boats are hooking up with some cobia as well. Live and dead cigar minnows and dead ballyhoo have been drawing most of the strikes.

Anglers making the haul out to the Gulf Stream are still catching big numbers of larger dolphin (some around 40 lbs.) and some wahoo.

The grouper bite is still solid, and anglers found good action with gags at structure around 10 miles out last week. Sardines, Boston mackerel, and cigar minnows pinned to bottom rigs are producing most of the grouper.

The spanish mackerel bite has slowed a little over the past week, but anglers are still picking away at the spaniards while trolling Clarkspoons near the inlets. Plenty of bluefish are providing action as well.

The flounder bite has been good over the past week, and anglers are finding the fish in the inlet, the surf, and the backwaters near the 172 Bridge. Live finger mullet on Carolina rigs and Gulp baits are attracting attention from the flatties.

The speckled trout and red drum bite is solid in the New River and the ICW, and anglers are hooking the fish on topwater plugs, live shrimp, and Billy Bay Halo shrimp.

Anglers bottom fishing near the 172 Bridge are hooking some spot, a few black drum, sheepshead, and croakers. Shrimp are producing most of the action.

 

Jim, of Plan 9 Charters, reports that there’s been excellent fishing lately in the vicinity of Christmas Rock, Honeymoon Rock, and the E Buoy. Anglers trolling live and dead cigar minnows are hooking good numbers of dolphin and king mackerel along with plenty of amberjacks and a few cobia. The dolphin have been running 8-15+ lbs., the kings are mostly school-sized, and most of the cobes are running around 20 lbs.

 

Ricky, of Speckled Specialist Charters, reports that anglers caught double digit numbers of trout every day last week, and the action’s been hot in the New River from Sneads Ferry up to Jacksonville. Anglers also caught good numbers of specks around ICW structure and the inlet. Live shrimp are the most productive baits, but anglers caught several on topwater plugs last week. Billy Bay Halo and Storm shrimp imitations also produced some fish.

Red drum are feeding in many of the same areas as the trout, and they’re also cruising the nearby bays. Topwater plugs and Gulp baits are the ticket for the reds.

 

Vinita, of Surf City Pier, reports that bottom fishermen are landing a few spadefish, spot, whiting, bluefish, and flounder.

Plug casters are hooking up with some bluefish and spanish mackerel.

One king was landed last week, weighing 15 lbs.

 

Robin, of Jolly Roger Pier, reports that plug casters are hooking some spanish mackerel in the early mornings and late evenings on Gotcha plugs. Undersized cobia are also taking an interest in the Gotchas.

Some fat pompano (up to 3 lbs.) are falling for shrimp and sand fleas on bottom rigs.

Anglers dangling sand fleas next to the pilings are scoring some sheepshead.

A few keeper flounder (most 15-16″) are falling for live mud minnows fished on the bottom.

 

Earl, of Seaview Pier, reports that anglers are catching some bluefish and spanish mackerel on Gotcha plugs and diamond jigs.

Live mud minnows and shrimp are producing a few keeper flounder.

It’s been a good week for speckled trout, and anglers fishing live shrimp and mud minnows on float rigs caught good numbers of specks (most 2.5-3 lbs.) last week.