Topsail May 31, 2012
Derek King, Jeff Brown, Mark Hitchcock, Randy Fishinger, and Jennifer King with a quintet of upper and over-slot red drum they caught and released in the surf at South Topsail on cut mullet baits.
Chris, of East Coast Sports, reports that the sheepshead bite is strong inshore and in the ocean around Topsail. Anglers are finding the fish around hard structure like the ocean piers, bridge and dock pilings, and rocky areas inshore. Fiddler crabs and sand fleas are some of the best baits for the sheeps, and dangling them tight to the structure will produce the most action.
Red drum are feeding around the shoals of Topsail Inlet, and anglers are catching them from the south end of the island and the north end of Lea Island. Cut baits and finger mullet are fooling most of the reds.
Surf casters along the rest of the Topsail beaches are connecting with some large chopper bluefish and sea mullet. Cut baits and finger mullet are also excellent choices for the blues, and most of the sea mullet are falling for shrimp or sand fleas.
Red drum are also feeding on the flats adjacent to creekmouths inshore, where topwater plugs, Gulps and other soft plastics, or a variety of cut and live baits will tempt them to bite.
Flounder fishing is getting better inshore, with the best action around structure like bridges and docks. Live mud minnows on Carolina rigs or jighead/Gulp combos are tough for the flatfish to turn down.
A cobia was caught from Seaview Pier last week, and more of the fish should be prowling the coastline and structure within a few miles of shore. Live baits or bucktails tipped with large soft plastic trailers will attract attention from the cobia.
Melissa Weber, of Jacksonville, NC, with a 5 lb., 1 oz. speckled trout that bit a 3" Gulp pogy on a flat in the New River while she was fishing with her husband.
Daniel, of Flat Foot Charters, reports that the sheepshead bite has been hot at the bridges and other hard inshore structure from Figure Eight up to Swansboro. Live fiddler crabs and plenty of patience are the tickets to hooking the notorious bait thieves. Anglers should experiment with different stages of the tide and various depths along the pilings to find the best action on a given day.
Black drum are feeding in many of the same areas, and they will take an interest in fiddler crabs or shrimp.
Flounder fishing is still solid near the inlets (with several 4-5 lb. fish lately). Fishing deeper (around 15’) holes on moving tides has been producing the best results with the flatfish, and live menhaden and mud minnows, as well as Gulp baits, are all tempting them to bite.
Red drum are looking for meals on the inshore flats, and anglers are fooling them with topwater plugs, soft plastics, and live baits. There’s also been a good drum bite in the surf for anglers fishing cut baits.
Richard, of Seaview Pier, reports that chopper bluefish (to 10+ lbs.) are biting live baits on king rigs and cut baits on the bottom. A few red drum have also been falling for the cut baits.
Plug casters are catching some smaller bluefish on Gotchas.
Bottom fishermen are hooking a few sea mullet on double-hook rigs baited with shrimp.
Doug Lovings, of Lexington, NC, with a 9 lb. sheepshead that bit a live fiddler crab near Sneads Ferry while he was fishing with Capt. Daniel Jarvis of Flatfoot Charters.
Bob, of Surf City Pier, reports that anglers are connecting with some spot and sea mullet while bottom fishing with shrimp and other baits.
Robbie, of Jolly Roger Pier, reports that anglers are hooking a few bluefish in the early mornings while working Gotcha plugs.
Some larger chopper blues are falling for live baits on king rigs fished from the end of the pier.
Bottom fishermen are catching some fat sea mullet and an occasional black drum.
