Added on Thursday, June 11, 2009  Fish Post

Topsail June 11, 2009

Chris, of East Coast Sports, reports that surf and pier anglers are finding a mixed bag of bottom feeders including whiting, spots, and pompano, with most fish falling for shrimp.

Bluefish and spanish mackerel are still feeding strong nearshore, and anglers are hooking them while casting Gotchas from the piers and trolling Clarkspoons from boats.

Pier anglers are seeing some cobia, so there should be some feeding around the nearshore structure and holding near buoys as well.

Bottom fishing at AR-366 and AR-368 has produced good catches of flounder over the past week. The best catches have come from anglers drifting Gulp jerkshads on Carolina rigs with 8 oz. weights.

Gulf Stream anglers are still finding excellent dolphin fishing when they can make it to the blue water.

Inshore, the red drum bite around the inlet has been on fire lately. Most anglers are hooking up with the reds on gold spoons while casting from the beaches.

Sheepshead are feeding around the docks and bridges in the area, and anglers are hooking a good number (some 6-8 lbs.) on fiddler crabs.

 

Eric, of New River Marina, reports that speckled trout fishing’s been excellent in the New River recently. Most anglers are hooking the fish on live shrimp (and a number of them are over 4 lbs.).

Some red drum are mixed in with the specks, and anglers are also finding schools of reds feeding in the bays off the river and ICW. Topwater plugs, Gulp baits, and live shrimp or pogies will all produce action with the reds.

The sheepshead bite is still good around the 172 Bridge, and anglers are hooking the fish on fiddler crabs and live shrimp (which produced a 10 lb. fish earlier in the week).

The inshore flounder bite has been solid in the inlet and around the bridges, docks, and other inshore structure in the area. Live baits like finger mullet or peanut pogies are tops when it comes to hooking the flatfish.

There are still some spanish mackerel and bluefish feeding within a mile of the beaches, but the bite’s slowed down a bit over the past ten days. Boaters should still be able to put together a catch by trolling Clarkspoons or Deep Divers around surface activity or working birds.

King mackerel and dolphin are feeding around the E Buoy and the Satellite Buoy, and most anglers are hooking them while trolling dead cigar minnows.

The grouper bite is still decent. Structure in the 12-18 mile range seems to be producing the most action right now, and anglers are dropping Boston mackerel, sardines, and other bait to hook up with the gags, reds, and scamps.

Blue water trollers have found plenty of dolphin and a few wahoo, sailfish, and blue marlin recently. Skirted ballyhoo are producing most of the strikes in the Gulf Stream, and the action’s been spread out up and down the break.

 

Ricky, of Speckled Specialist Charters, reports that the speckled trout bite is still strong in the New River. Most of the action’s been around Sneads Ferry recently. Live shrimp are producing the best results, although anglers have caught some nice fish on clear Billy Bay Halo shrimp lately.

There are still plenty of red drum feeding in the bays and creeks, but nets are making it hard to get where the fish are right now.

 

Jim, of Plan 9 Charters, reports that bottom fishing around inshore structure near Sneads Ferry has produced flounder, speckled trout, hogfish, croaker, and even a 9 lb. sheepshead over the past week. Shrimp are productive baits.

Bottom fishing at nearshore structure with squid is attracting attention from sea bass and other bottom dwellers.

Spanish mackerel are feeding nearshore up and down the beaches. Good catches are coming from Wrightsville and the New River area, but the fish seem to be a bit larger to the north. Clarkspoons were the best spanish producers last week.

Further out at structure in the 10 mile range, anglers are finding action with kings and spanish mackerel on cigar minnows trolled on South Chatham Tackle Pirate Plugs and Hank Brown Rigs.

 

Steve, of Surf City Pier, reports that bottom fishermen are decking a few spots and whiting on shrimp.

Live baits fished on the bottom are producing action with flounder (and some are keepers).

Spanish mackerel and bluefish are providing fast action for many pier anglers, and Gotcha plugs and diamond jigs are producing the most action with them.

 

Jonathan, of Jolly Roger Pier, reports that anglers are catching a few spot and whiting on shrimp, along with some small flounder.

Live shrimp are producing action with some speckled trout.

Plug casters are hooking up with spanish mackerel and bluefish on Gotchas.

 

Frank, of Seaview Pier, reports that they saw limit catches of speckled trout (averaging 2.5-3 lbs.) come off the pier last week, with nearly all falling for live shrimp fished under slip float rigs.

Bottom fishermen are hooking a mixed bag of whiting, black drum, pompano, and other bottom feeders on shrimp.

Plug casters are finding action with bluefish and spanish mackerel on Gotchas and diamond jigs.

Live baiters saw several pods of tarpon cruise by the pier last week and caught a pair of king mackerel (the largest just over 20 lbs.).