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October 31, 2010

Topsail Island Fishing ........ Tricks? or Treats?

2010 NC Recreational Coastal Waters Guide

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Fishing continues to improve. After the next good north east blow, expect surf and pier fishing, as well as inside fishing, to really take off! Everything else is right, just waiting for cooler water.

Jolly Roger Pier Fishing Report; Seeing more than a few slot and over the slot sized red drum mostly at night. Good numbers of pompano and blues, with some Virginia mullet and black drum as well. Seeing some keeper flounder caught on finger mullets. Tons of jumping mullet streaming by the pier. Good spot run today, beginning just before dawn and biting hard until about 5:00 PM, then nothing. Hope to repeat the cycle again tonight.

Surf City Pier fishing report; Catching some slot red drum (finger mullets) and a few speckled trout, mostly on shrimp. The flounder bite is good, several anglers caught multiple keepers. A few mullet mostly at night, some pompano during the day. Sand fleas are catching the big pound to pound and a half pomps. Spots are biting on and off. There are fish to be caught, you just have to be here and wait for the run to hit. It may only last an hour or so, then down time, then biting hard again for a while longer.

Sea View Pier fishing report; Anglers continued to catch Spots and Mullets off and on all day long. Runs of Bluefish were caught using Gotcha plugs, diamond jigs and bottom rigs. Trout, Pinfish, Flounder, Pompano, Skates and Croakers were also caught.

Surf fishing much the same thing. You can not predict when the fish will bite, you just have to sit out there and wait. If you do, you might be rewarded with some slot reds, nice flounder, a few spots, lots of small mullets and pompano with a few bigger ones mixed in. Even catching a few specks on bottom rigs in the surf. Water still needs to cool down for the speck bite to improve in the surf.

Inside fishing is producing good catches of specks and reds, as well as some big flounder. Fish the creeks especially the mouths of the tidal creeks. Heard reports of some nice big flounder biting near marker 98 and a big spot catch just outside of Topsail Creek. Fish the waterway, just off the channel for nice flounder, and check out the oyster flats for nice over slot red drum. Be quiet with the boat, they are spooking easily. Slow troll finger mullets on carolina rigs just off the ICW channel. Use enough weight to keep the bait on the bottom. Heard from one angler that attached a small float about a foot off the weight to keep the bait off the bottom. He got good results in a nice stringer of flounder, sized from 15 to 19 inches. Nice fish! Getting lots of reports of reds, most over slot biting in the surf off Lee Island. Plenty of bait behind the island, so take your cast net and keep that bait fresh!

Most of the tackle shops are having a season ending sales. Check them out for some great buys on clothing as well as tackle. Shrimp is reasonably priced, we found some at $2.99 lb heads on, nice big shrimp. Check out your favorite tackle shops here on Topsail Island. If you do get unlucky and miss the fish bite, all the seafood dealers have bins of beautiful fresh caught fish, so you ain't going hungry!

I'll try to post as often as I can, migraines have kept me off the beach most of the week, but I am hoping to get out before daylight several mornings this week. Thanks for the emails and your prayers.

Catch 'em up! Fishin' is getting gooood!

Till next time....
Tight lines!
Johnny aka "Fishin' Topsail"

October 21, 2010

Topsail Fishing Update

2010 NC Recreational Coastal Waters Guide

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Hello from Topsail Beach. Weather has been beautiful this week. Unfortunately, that's not what we need right now as far as fishing goes. Water temp is still in the low 70's. We need a good three or four day Nor'easter to blow the cool north air and the bait fish in to the surf. There are a few kings being caught at all piers, some days are great for king fishing. Example, one day last week the Jolly Roger Pier landed eleven (11) kings, got another 4 to the pier, and even more strikes but not hooked. Bottom fishing is slow and scattered. There are some nice fish being caught, but there is no rhyme or reason to the catches. You just have to be at the right place, at the right time, and you get your cooler maybe half full. There are a few blues on gotcha's as well as bottom fishing, larger blues are in the surf near the inlets. Spot's are scattered, with an occasional small catch here and there. Speckled trout are rare. Flounder seems to be the only bright spot. I have seen some nice flounder caught from the piers, as well as the surf and sounds. Live finger mullets best bet for a good strike, but live mud minnows and gulp sw may attract their attention. Success has been on carolina rigs as well as jigs, the lighter the better. Also try some small diameter line for added chance for a flounder or speck strike. Donna caught a nice keeper flounder last week on cut shrimp and a bottom rig. I have seen just a few whiting, but a lot of small virginia mullet and small pompano. A few large pompano have been reported from the surf using sand fleas or cut shrimp. There are a bunch of stargazers in the shallow surf recently, and with the extreme water clarity we have had this week, you can even see them on the bottom. I was in over knee deep water and could see the bottom clearly, along with the stargazers, skates, and baby flounder. There have been a few unverified red drum catches mostly on the southern end of the island. I have heard there are "huge" schools of over slot reds around Lee island. I have fished the northern shore of New Topsail Inlet several days, and haven't seen one much less a large school.

So we are still waiting for the "fall run" to develop, and it should bust loose any day now. If you like to fish from a boat, contact your favorite charter captain and book a trip. They all know where the "honey holes" are and are doing really well.

Good luck!

Till next time....
Tight lines!
Johnny

October 12, 2010

Topsail Update

2010 NC Recreational Coastal Waters Guide

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Finally got to get out on the beach this week. Fished Jolly Roger Pier in Topsail Beach and the New Topsail Inlet with Donna and Dad. Fishing is a bit slow, but expected to bust loose any day! We haven't been skunked this week, but the catch hasn't been much to brag about. Small spots, small mullets, even smaller pompano, a few undersize reds and flounder. Donna caught a nice keeper (15") flounder. Dad had a slot red in the suds when a wave knocked the fish off the hook. Not the first time that has happened. We need a good Nor'Easter to get the fishing really cranked up. If you put in the time ...... you can catch some fish. You just have to be there when the small schools pass through. Hopefully next report will be better.

Till next time....
tight lines!
Johnny

October 5, 2010

Topsail Fishing Report

2010 NC Recreational Coastal Waters Guide

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Hello from Topsail Beach. Fall fishin' is getting good! Went to Jolly Roger pier with a gotcha plug. Caught one nice blue, and kept  it for bait. Fished the falling tide from the point all afternoon. Caught today.  Three keeper size blues, two 13 " flounder, and an under slot red drum. Finger mullet were plentiful and just the right size. Couldn't find any sand fleas. Bait was cut blue fish, live finger mullets, cut shrimp. Caught several more small blues. Enough to keep me from a nap. Might fish tomorrow after a morning trip to Wilmington.



Till next time ....
Tight lines!
Johnny

October 4, 2010

Road Closures Pender County

2010 NC Recreational Coastal Waters Guide

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As of  1:00 PM Monday Oct 4, 2010

NC 53 remains closed from I-40 in Burgaw to Maple Hill, due to high water. 
NC 50 closed 0.4 mile east of Holly Ridge, Headed toward Surf City. 
Highway 210 from Hampstead to I-40 is still flooded in some places, use caution.


If you are headed to Topsail to catch some huge spots, red drum, whiting, flounder, and speckled trout, proceed with caution.

Johnny

October 3, 2010

New River Inlet

2010 NC Recreational Coastal Waters Guide

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Every week, someone asks, "Is there any big fish in the inlets around Topsail?" I answer ......... OH YEA!
Johnny
www.fishintopsail.com


 This "DOORMAT" caught in New River Inlet.
It was posted on Facebook "Fishin' Topsail" page in the Photos tab.
Thanks to the reader for posting.

Till next time....
Tight lines!
Johnny