Topsail June 27, 2013
Diana Speelman, of Jacksonville, NC, with a 4 lb., 7 oz. speckled trout she hooked while fishing from Surf City Pier.
Chris, of East Coast Sports, reports that the flounder bite is improving inshore around Topsail, and anglers are hooking good numbers of fish around the inlets and at inshore structure in the area. Anglers are hooking the fish on live baits (like mud minnows and menhaden) and while working scented soft baits like Gulps.
Red drum are feeding around the inlets as well, and also looking for meals in the surf zone and back in the marshes. Live and cut baits, Gulps, topwater plugs, and a variety of other offerings are all effective on the reds.
Black drum are feeding in the sound and surf zone, where shrimp and sand fleas will get their attention.
Sheepshead are also holding around soundside structure like bridge and dock pilings and have a tough time turning down a fiddler crab. They’ve been a bit slow to show up at the ocean piers so far this season, though.
Ladyfish have made their summer appearance inshore. The best action is around lighted structure like bridges and docks in the evening hours, and flashy lures like Rapala X-Raps are solid bets for the acrobatic fighters.
Some fat spanish mackerel are biting around the piers and within a few miles of shore in the early morning hours. Trolling lures like Clarkspoons will tempt the spaniards to bite, but anglers can also hook up with larger fish on small live baits like menhaden.
A few cobia are still feeding along the beachfront and around nearshore structure, and they’ll take an interest in live baits or bucktail jigs.
Blue water trollers are reporting a good wahoo bite at local Gulf Stream hotspots, and some gaffer dolphin are still around as well.
Allen, of Breadman Ventures, reports that the inshore action in the area was red hot before last week’s full moon, but it’s slowed down a bit in the days since. As the moon gets smaller, the bite should get back on track.
The red drum and trout have been feeding very shallow lately. Leading into the moon, anglers found fish in just about all of the bays and marshes in the area, and along the shorelines of the Neuse River. Topwater plugs have been very effective on both inshore predators lately, but anglers are also connecting while casting soft plastic baits and weedless spoons.
John Holohan with an amberjack that struck a live pinfish near AR-366 off Topsail Inlet while he was fishing with his wife Connie on the “POPATOP.”
Flounder fishing continues to improve, but it’s still slightly off compared to late June in a typical year. Plenty of keeper fish are inshore to be caught, but predicting when and where they’ll feed has been more of a challenge this year than in the past.
Some jack crevalle are beginning to show up inshore. They’re feeding in some of the same areas as the reds and specks, where the same lures are also effective.
Sheepshead are feeding along the pilings of the area bridges and around other inshore structure. They’ll take an interest in live fiddler crabs or other crustacean baits.
Richard, of Seaview Pier, reports that some flounder are falling for live finger mullet and mud minnows under the pier, which also fooled a 4.7 lb. speckled trout last week.
Bottom feeders like black and puppy drum, spot, and sea mullet are biting bottom rigs baited with shrimp.
Some spanish mackerel and bluefish are falling for metal casting lures when the water’s clean.
Ed, of Surf City Pier, reports that bottom fishermen are connecting with spot in the morning hours and sea mullet at night while baiting up with shrimp and bloodworms. Some small flounder and black drum are also taking an interest in the bottom rigs.
Bluefish and spanish mackerel have been a bit tough to come by lately as the water’s been dirty.
Live baiters landed a 29 lb. jack crevalle last week from the end of the pier.
John, of Jolly Roger Pier, reports that there’s been a decent spanish mackerel bite in the morning hours lately for anglers working Gotcha plugs and diamond jigs. Only a few bluefish have been mixed in.
Spot and a few black drum are taking an interest in bottom rigs baited with shrimp and bloodworms.
Anglers fishing small live baits on the bottom are connecting with some bluefish and spanish mackerel.
