Topsail October 10, 2013
Brayden Aguilar, of Raleigh, and Ryan Starkey, from Surf City, with their first red drum, 21″ and 24″ fish that bit finger mullet in the Surf City surf.
Doug, of East Coast Sports, reports some excellent spanish mackerel and bluefish action right now from the beaches, piers, and nearshore in boats. Anglers are hooking both species while casting metal jigs and Gotcha plugs from the piers and beaches, and while trolling Clarkspoons and other flashy lures from boats. Some false albacore are mixed in with the spanish and blues and attacking the same lures.
Surf casters are also hooking good numbers of sea mullet and pompano on shrimp, sand fleas, and bloodworms.
Red drum are feeding in the surf as well, and anglers are tempting them to bite shrimp, sand fleas, cut baits, and finger mullet. Some large flounder are also taking an interest in finger mullet along the beachfront.
Some spot are showing up inshore and from the piers, and the big fall spot run should be just around the corner.
Flounder fishing is good in the sound around structure (like docks and bridges) and in the inlets. Live finger mullet and scented baits like Gulps are attracting attention from the flatfish.
Red drum are looking for meals in the same areas and in the marshes and creeks. Live baits and a wide variety of artificials (including topwater plugs) are drawing strikes from the reds.
Speckled trout fishing is heating up inshore as well, with the Surf City Bridge and Topsail Channel both hotspots recently. The specks will fall for a variety of live baits and artificials, and Rapala X-Raps have been very effective of late.
Offshore, there’s been an excellent king mackerel bite at spots 15-25 miles offshore (with big numbers but not many big fish). Live baits and dead cigar minnows are both attracting attention from the kings.
Some wahoo have also been landed within 25 miles of the beach over the past week, and boats making the run to the Gulf Stream are reporting some excellent numbers. Live baits are fooling the fish closer to shore, with rigged ballyhoo and high-speed trolling lures producing action in the blue water.
Bottom fishermen are hooking solid numbers of grouper along with plenty of black sea bass, grunts, porgies, and other bottom dwellers at structure 10+ miles off the beaches. Squid, cigar minnows, and sardines are producing most of the action with the bottom dwellers.
Roger Sutton, of Kenly, NC, with a 30.5″ red drum he caught and released near Emerald Isle after it struck a live finger mullet.
Allen, of Breadman Ventures, reports that anglers are seeing plenty of red drum tailing and feeding in the shallows of the marshes off the New River and ICW right now. Anglers are hooking them on MirrOlure topwater plugs, gold spoons, and TTF soft plastics.
Flounder are feeding in the marshes, too, and soft plastic baits are fooling them as well.
The fall speckled trout bite is getting started, and anglers are hooking the specks in the creeks and marshes. Soft plastics, topwater plugs, and gold spoons are fooling the trout as well as the drum.
Richard, of Seaview Pier, reports that anglers are hooking spot, sea mullet, and a few drum while bottom fishing with shrimp, bloodworms, and other baits.
Some keeper flounder are taking an interest in small live baits fished under the pier.
Plug casters are connecting with plenty of spanish mackerel and bluefish while working Gotchas and diamond jigs from the pier.
Live-baiters fishing from the end of the pier are hooking some larger spanish (to 6+ lbs.) and a few king mackerel.
Bob, of Surf City Pier, reports that anglers are hooking some king mackerel on live baits fished from the end of the pier.
Spanish mackerel are falling for diamond jigs and Gotcha plugs that anglers are working from the pier.
Spot, sea mullet, and some black and red drum are biting bottom rigs baited with shrimp, bloodworms, and other baits.
Robin, of Jolly Roger Pier, reports that anglers are finding intermittent runs of spot in the evening hours, and they’re hooking the fish on shrimp and bloodworms.
Pompano are biting bottom rigs baited with shrimp and sand fleas in the daytime.
Bluefish and spanish mackerel are taking an interest in Gotcha plugs and diamond jigs, particularly early and late in the day.
Live baiters landed several king mackerel last week (to 25+ lbs.) from the end of the pier.
