Topsail/Sneads Ferry – December 2023
Jerry, of East Coast Sports, reports that wintertime fishing provides a great opportunity to fish the nearshore bottom structures for vermilion snapper and jumbo black sea bass. Some well-rigged anglers will also have their eyes out for the giant bluefin tuna that could show up anytime in late December. Surf and pier anglers have been finding a good variety of fish, including Virginia mullet, red drum, pufferfish, and lots of black drum.
Late fall usually means spot fishing, but the bite didn’t show up again this year. Anglers fishing the backwater creeks and rivers have started to see red drum gathering into their large winter schools. In the coming months, the inshore waters will be gin-clear, and anglers need to remember that if you can see the fish, the fish can see you.
Speckled trout fishing has been steady and will remain a strong target in the colder months. Fishing baits super slow in the backs of creeks will entice strikes. Cut shrimp on the bottom can garner attention from black drum and the occasional pufferfish.
Mike, of Native Son Guide Service, reports that speckled trout have been moving back up into the rivers and mainland creeks, and the fish have been found better in the deeper spots. The trout are hitting a variety of baits, with anything from soft plastics, popping corks, Rapala X-Raps, and MirrOlure MR-17s and MR-18s enticing strikes. Anglers have had to move around quite a bit, though, as the trout are scattered.
Some bluefish are mixed around inshore. Red drum are scattered. These fish are moving from the surf zone to back inside where they are starting to school up in the shallow bays. Anglers targeting these fish will do best focusing on areas where the sun can heat up the water, even if only slightly. Be sure not to spook these schools, as these fish typically see a lot of pressure over the winter. Nearshore fishing has slowed a bit, but anglers in the 30-35’ areas are catching some sea mullet and black sea bass.
Capt. Adam Wallace, of Carolina Flats Fishing out of Hampstead, hauled in this big black drum in the Rich’s Inlet area using a 1/8 oz. Blue Water Candy jig with a Salt Strong slam shady.
Ray, of Spring Tide Guide Service, reports that speckled trout anglers have been having success targeting spots way back in the creeks. Artificial lures have worked great, with trout striking Storm baits, Bass Assassin soft plastics, and MirrOlure MR-17s. Some trout are also staged up in areas around the inlet.
Red drum (18-32”) are starting to school up as we move into winter. Anglers getting out in late December and January will continue targeting trout, with fishing baits super slow being the key to success. Bigger swim baits work well when fished weightless and slowly bounced along the bottom. On warmer days, the hard plugs seem to work a little better. Red drum will be moving around in their larger schools, and they will be on flats in the marsh and out along the surf zone.
Daniel, of Surf City Charters, reports that off the beach, there’s been a big run on Atlantic bonito. They have been a smaller (2 lbs.) class of fish, but the numbers are great for those casting diamond jigs. King mackerel are schooled up best in the 30-35 mile range, and targeting the areas with 67-69 degree water is best. Gulf Stream trips are producing wahoo and sailfish.
Into January, wahoo will be the top offshore target when the favorable weather windows show up. Nearshore fishing slows down a bunch, with black sea bass being the most reliable target. Bluefin tuna should make another pass in the area this year, and a good sign is that fish have already been spotted.
Jim, of Plan 9 Charters, reports that bottom fishing action is strong for anglers getting out over structure in the 10-20 mile range. The bigger class of black sea bass, grunts, and porgies are all biting well. Getting deeper can also net some of the remaining grouper species with an open season. For all the bottom fishing, cut baits such as squid and cigar minnows have been producing most of the strikes.
False albacore can pop up at any time while stopped to fish for the bottom dwellers. It’s a good idea to have a casting rod rigged with a metal casting jig. If you get into water temperatures in the upper 60s, a light line setup rigged with cigar minnows can entice a strike from a nearby king mackerel.
Erin Weaver, of Surf City, NC, hauled in this 4.56 lb. trout on the Surf City Pier using a live mullet.
Robin, of Jolly Roger Pier, reports that anglers have been catching some black drum (to 6 lbs.). Other species feeding on the bottom-rigged bait offerings are pinfish, pufferfish, and bluefish. Some late season pompano (to 2.7 lbs.) are still being caught, but the cooler waters should see them finally move on. Sea mullet are around in good numbers, with the better fishing action at night.
Vinita, of Surf City Pier, reports that good numbers of black drum (to 7+ lbs.) have been caught. There has been a great class of sea mullet as well, with multiple fish landed in the 2+ lb. range. Other bottom species mixed in the catches are gray trout, sheepshead, spots, bluefish, red drum (to 4 lbs.), and the occasional pompano.
Tyler, of Seaview Pier, reports that some black drum have been landed, with large fish (to 9.6 lbs.) around. Sea mullet and some spot are mixed in the bottom action. The occasional speckled trout and red drum are also sprinkled in the daily counts.
