Topsail June 7, 2007
Doug, at East Coast Sports, reports that surf anglers are hooking up with whiting and black drum by fishing shrimp on bottom rigs. Spanish mackerel and bluefish are feeding along the surf line, too, and they will hit Gotcha plugs and diamond jigs.
In the sound, flounder fishing is finally getting hot, and anglers are catching good numbers of keeper flounder on Carolina-rigged mud minnows.
Speckled trout are feeding in the creeks and at the Surf City Bridge. The trout are running large, with several citations (over 4 lbs.) issued last week. Billy Bay Halo Shrimp and Gulp baits are accounting for most of the trout.
Spanish mackerel are feeding from the beach out to Diver’s Rock. Anglers can find the spanish by trolling Clark Spoons and pink or orange Yo-Zuri Deep Divers, or cast diamond jigs to schools of breaking fish.
Cobia are cruising the beach and hanging around the D and F buoys. They’ll hit almost anything, but menhaden heads have been an especially good bait lately.
Good numbers of grouper are coming from 25-35 miles offshore, along with big numbers of undersized beeliners.
Snake and teenager kings are mixed in with dolphin at 23 Mile Rock and nearby structure. Boats are hooking up with both by trolling dead cigar minnows beneath blue/white and red/white skirts.
Bigger dolphin are holding 50+ miles offshore at the Same Ol’ and Swansboro Holes. A few wahoo are feeding in the same area. Troll skirted ballyhoo for the best results on the big dolphin and wahoo.
Ricky, of Speckled Specialist Charters, reports that trout fishing is still hot in the New River. The trout are running up to 6 lbs., and most of the fish are coming from creeks off the main river.
The hottest artificial lures are Storm Wildeye and Billy Bay Halo Shrimp, but live shrimp will outfish both for anglers who can get them.
Sheepshead (in the 5 lb. class) are hitting the same lures.
Terry, of Surf City Pier, reports that bottom fishermen are catching whiting, pompano, and spadefish. A few trout and red and black drum were caught over the past week as well, and shrimp are the bottom bait of choice.
Anglers are catching some flounder on live baits and bucktails, but there are more undersized fish than keepers.
Early and late in the day, those casting plugs and diamond jigs are experiencing fast action with spanish mackerel and bluefish.
Live baiters caught several small kings and a 27 lb. cobia over the week.
Tyler, of New River Marina, reports that speckled trout have been the highlight of the inshore fishing over the past week. Flounder and drum are around, but they haven’t been feeding hard, possibly due to the full moon.
Live shrimp are the best trout baits, but they are hard to come by, so most anglers are catching the specks on Gulp baits, Billy Bay Halo Shrimp, and other soft plastics.
Black drum are still feeding under the Sneads Ferry Bridge, but most of the fish are on the small side.
Cobia are cruising the inlet, and they will respond well to chum and dead baits for anglers willing to fight off lots of sharks.
Trolling Clark spoons just off the beach will produce good catches of spanish mackerel and bluefish. Breaking spanish should also present opportunities to sight cast Gotcha plugs and Mirrolures.
At bottom structure in the 20 mile range, boats are finding action with small kings and bigger dolphin (from 10-20 lbs.).
The Gulf Stream is hosting killer dolphin fishing, and virtually every boat that made the run last week hooked up with at least one sailfish or blue marlin. Skirted ballyhoo are the prime bait in the blue water, getting attention from dolphin, billfish, and any other predators out there.
Red grouper fishing has been phenomenal at spots 30-50 miles offshore. Gags are feeding at structure as close as 7 miles from the inlet, but they are a little tougher to catch than the reds. Cigar minnows and sardines will score bites from the gags, and the reds are hitting virtually anything.
Frank, of Sea View Pier, reports that the bottom bite is slow, but spanish mackerel and bluefish are making up for it by hitting diamond jigs and plugs with abandon.
Anglers are catching flounder on live mud minnows and shrimp, and most are keepers.
Sheepshead are showing up on the pier’s pilings, but no one is fishing for them yet.
Live bait fishermen caught a cobia last week, and several kings bit but weren’t landed.
The water temperature is 74.8 degrees.
