Topsail – November 13, 2014
Joel Quinette, of Holly Ridge, landed this 22.5″ speckled trout after it struck a MirrOlure topwater plug in a bay behind Topsail Island.
Doug, of East Coast Sports, reports that surf anglers are seeing some excellent fishing along Topsail Island at present. Bottom fishing is producing fast action with large sea mullet and a few straggler spot, black drum, and puppy drum. Shrimp are fooling most of the bottom feeders.
Once the sun sets, casting MirrOlures and soft plastics in beachfront sloughs has been very effective on speckled trout, along with a few more puppy drum of late.
The trout are also feeding inshore, with the best action around creeks and structure like bridges and docks. Live shrimp are tough to beat for the specks, but anglers can also cast a wide variety of soft and hard plastic artificials with success.
Puppy drum are also on the feed inshore, particularly in the marshes and around the inlets. Live, dead, and cut baits or a wide variety of fish and shrimp-imitating artificials will fool the reds.
The dropping temperatures have flounder on the move inshore, and anglers are hooking them around structure close to the inlets as they stage up to head out to sea. Live baits or scented soft baits like Gulps are top choices for the flatfish.
Spanish mackerel have headed for warmer climes, but there are still plenty of bluefish nearshore willing to bite trolled spoons, metal casting jigs, and just about anything else they can fit in their mouths.
The king mackerel bite has been excellent in recent weeks, with the best action 10-12 miles off the inlets. Live baits are tough to beat for the kings, but they are getting harder to find. Dead cigar minnows and ballyhoo on jighead rigs are also excellent choices and have been fooling solid numbers of the kings.
Debbie Johnson with her first king mackerel, hooked on a cigar minnow near Christmas Rock while she was fishing with her husband Chuck, John Bullock, and Becky Early.
Gag grouper, black sea bass, and other bottom feeders are looking for meals around structure in the same range. Both will pounce on live, dead, and cut baits fished close to their rocky homes.
Allen, of Breadman Ventures, reports that anglers are still connecting with speckled trout, flounder, and puppy drum in the bays and backwaters off the ICW and New River. All are falling for artificials, and Storm Shrimp, MirrOlure MR17’s, and TTF soft plastics have been the most effective recently.
George, of Seaview Pier, reports that bottom fishermen are hooking some fat sea mullet, a few black drum, and plenty of stingrays at present. Shrimp will fool all the bottom feeders.
Plug casters hooked a few straggler spanish mackerel last week, but they’re likely headed south.
Chris, of Surf City Pier, reports that anglers are hooking some solid sea mullet while bottom fishing from the pier. Gray trout (most small), spot, small bluefish, pompano, and an occasional red or black drum have been mixed in with the mullet. All the bottomfish will take an interest in shrimp and cut baits pinned to double-drop rigs.
Connor McLean (age 7) with his first king mackerel, a 24.6 lb. fish that he landed on a Penn Fathom/Ally combo after it struck a menhaden underneath a Blue Water Candy Skirt 8 miles off Topsail Island.
There’s also been some decent speckled trout action from the pier for anglers working artificial lures in the evening hours.
April, of Jolly Roger Pier, reports that anglers are connecting with some black drum and sea mullet while bottom fishing with shrimp.
Some flounder are falling for live baits fished under the pier.
Anglers are also hooking a few speckled trout in the morning hours on soft plastics and other artificials.
