Topsail Winter 2010
John B. Parker, of Goldsboro, NC, with a pair of 5+ lb. pompano he hooked (along with three more over 3 lbs.) in the Topsail Island surf.
Chris, of East Coast Sports, reports that pier and surf anglers on the island are hooking up with some black drum, whiting, blowfish, and speckled trout. Shrimp on bottom rigs will fool most of the surf bottom feeders.
Some red drum are also on the feed in the breakers, and they will strike cut baits and gold spoons.
The specks will take an interest in MirrOlures, Gulps, and other soft plastics, and the best action is taking place at night.
Inshore, the speckled trout bite has been incredible lately. The fish are feeding around the creek mouths, oyster rocks, and deep channels in the area.
Andrew Merson, from NY, with a 50 lb. wahoo he hooked while vertical jigging in 280' of water near the Steeples. He was fishing with Capt. Mike Jackson of Live Line Charters out of Wrightsville Beach.
Anglers are hooking the trout on live shrimp and other baits, Gulps, soft plastic baits, MirrOlures, and more.
Offshore, bottom fishermen are finding some excellent action with gag grouper and black sea bass at ledges, live bottoms, and other structure 12-25 miles off the beaches. Squid, cigar minnows, and cut baits will fool the bass and gags.
The king mackerel bite’s still solid, but the fish are heading offshore. Starting at least 30 miles off the beaches is the best bet for the kings right now. Live baits are getting tough to find, but the winter kings will readily strike dead baits like cigar minnows.
Ronnie Barnett, Ross Deleon, and Chuck Johnson with a limit of king mackerel they hooked while trolling dead baits at Christmas Rock. Photo courtesy of East Coast Sports.
Eric, of New River Marina, reports that speckled trout fishing is excellent right now. Anglers are hooking good numbers of the specks throughout the inshore waters, but most around Sneads Ferry have been on the small side. Larger fish have been coming from the creeks further upriver and from the surf outside New River Inlet. There aren’t many live shrimp left to be had in the area, but Billy Bay Halo Shrimp, MR17 MirrOlures, and Gulp baits are producing plenty of bites.
Red drum are schooling up and on the feed in the bays off the ICW and around the inlet shoals. Gulp baits, topwater plugs, and other lures will fool the reds, and the clearer water this time of year presents anglers with excellent opportunities to sight-cast to the fish.
Off the beaches, anglers have hooked some fat sheepshead at nearshore structure like Diver’s Rock. Crabs and other crustacean baits will attract attention from the sheepshead.
The grouper bite is still solid within 15-20 miles of the beaches. Anglers are hooking gag grouper around bottom structure in that range while dropping cigar minnows, northern mackerel, and other baits on bottom rigs.
Pat Renfro with a wahoo that fell for a skirted ballyhoo near The Rise while he was trolling on the "Big Dawg" out of Sneads Ferry.
The king mackerel bite is still good, but the fish are moving further offshore by the week.
Boats making the run to the Gulf Stream recently have been rewarded with good catches of wahoo and black and yellowfin tunas. Ballyhoo under skirted trolling lures are fooling most of the blue water fish.
Ricky, of Speckled Specialist Charters, reports that anglers are still catching big numbers of speckled trout all over the area. The bite upriver around Jacksonville was hot (with some big fish) until the monsoon last week, but the fish should turn back on when the water clears up a bit.
The bite’s been solid around Sneads Ferry since the rains, and anglers are also catching good numbers of trout around south Topsail and Rich’s Inlet. Live shrimp are becoming tougher to find, but anglers are hooking plenty of fish on Halo and Storm shrimp imitations along with other lures.
Tim Ludlum, of Wilmington, and his grandson Xander Lamm, of Smithfield with red drum they hooked at New River Inlet on a new penny Gulp shrimp.
Mike, of Corona Daze Charters, reports an excellent trout bite from south Topsail down to Wrightsville Beach. The fish are feeding in the creeks, around structure like oyster rocks, and on channel edges. Anglers are hooking them on MirrOlures, small crank baits, and lime green D.O.A. shrimp. While many of the trout are spikes, some larger fish (up to 7 lbs.) are feeding beneath the smaller fish in many places, so deeper-running lures may produce bigger bites.
Red drum are schooling up in the surf zones and inlets off the barrier islands. Gulp baits will fool the surf reds.
Bobby, of Seaview Pier, reports that bottom fishermen are hooking up with some whiting, black drum, and a few flounder while baiting up with shrimp.
Some speckled trout are feeding around the pier, and live shrimp, green grubs, MirrOlures and other baits are fooling the specks.
Jan, of Jolly Roger Pier, reports that anglers are hooking decent numbers of speckled trout from the pier, but most are small. Some larger fish should begin to show up as the water cools down. The trout are falling for Gulps, other soft plastics, and live shrimp.
Anglers bottom fishing with shrimp are hooking up with some whiting and black drum.
