Topsail March 11, 2010
Chris Klingenberger and Mark Clemments with a pair of wahoo that fell for an orange/black Yo-Zuri plug and a black/red wahoo bomb near the southwest Big Rock while they were fishing with Pat Renfro on the "Big Dawg."
Doug, of East Coast Sports, reports that the red drum bite has been on in the surf off the southern tip of the island and from the north end of Lea Island. Most of the fish are over-slot sized, with a few upper-slots thrown in, and anglers are catching them on gold spoons and live mud minnows from the beach.
A few sea mullet are feeding in the breakers, too, and they should be showing up in numbers over the next few weeks. Bottom rigs baited with shrimp are tough for the mullet to resist.
Big numbers of sheepshead (with many double-digit catches recorded recently) have been biting around the old dredge dock on the south end. Most have been smaller (1.5-2 lbs.), and they’re biting bottom rigs baited with shrimp.
A few trout are feeding inshore, mostly in the creeks, and the bite should improve over the coming weeks as the water temperature comes up.
Good numbers of “rat” red drum are feeding in the backs of the creeks, and anglers have been hooking them on Gulp baits and fresh shrimp. Like the specks, the reds will get more aggressive as the water warms.
Sara Lucas, of Hampstead, NC, with a 19" speckled trout she hooked near New Topsail Inlet on a Gulp shrimp while fishing with her family.
The winter winds have kept many people from going offshore over the past few weeks, but those who’ve made it out have found some decent wahoo action (with some fish to 70+ lbs.). Some yellowfin tuna may join the wahoo party over the next few weeks. A trolling spread of skirted ballyhoo should attract attention from the wahoo and tuna.
Brent, of Current Adventure Charters, reports that there have been some solid schools of red drum feeding on the flats inshore near north Topsail. Bays with muddy bottoms are the best places to look for the reds, as the dark bottom warms the water up a few degrees. Gulp Jerkshads fished on weighted hooks are fooling most of the fish.
If the nice weather continues and the water warms up over the next few weeks, the drum will begin to feed even more actively, and the fish that wintered in the surf zone will begin pushing back inshore in search of meals.
Craig Cheers with a 35" red drum he hooked in the Lea Island surf on a grub in late February.
Mike, of Corona Daze Charters, reports that there’s been a good red drum and (surprisingly) flounder bite inshore in some deep holes around north Topsail. Some trout are around as well. Whole frozen shrimp fished on jigheads are producing most of the action, and anglers should fish very slowly in the deeper water to draw strikes from the lethargic fish.
The red drum bite has also been excellent in the surf off the barrier islands lately. The fish are schooled up tightly, and anglers are finding the schools, then casting Storm swimbaits and other lures to draw bites from the reds.
As the water temperature rises over the coming weeks, anglers will see the inshore reds move out of the deeper holes and begin schooling and feeding under docks and around other inshore structure at Topsail and Wrightsville Beach. When the water reaches 52 degrees (it’s currently around 49), anglers should be able to sight-cast to the fish around the docks, and whole shrimp or Gulp baits will draw them to bite.
Bobby, of Seaview Pier, reports that pier anglers are hooking up with a few whiting and an occasional bluefish from the pier. Bottom rigs baited with shrimp are producing most of the action.
Warming water over the next few weeks should bring about a better whiting bite, more bluefish action, and perhaps an early flounder or two.
