Topsail/Sneads Ferry – November 2025
Jerry, of East Coast Sports, reports that surf and pier anglers have started seeing little pushes of spot alongside sea mullet, croakers, and some red drum.
Bluefish have made a big push and are truly all over the place. Anywhere from nearshore areas off the beach, around bait off the beach, in through the surf zone, and back into the ICW are holding schools of blues.
Anglers looking for king mackerel are having better success pushing out offshore.
Inshore anglers are seeing scattered red and black drum around while fishing bottom-rigged natural baits.
Anglers are finding the trout action a little slow for now, but water temperatures are dropping pretty quick and that can fire off the speckled trout in the area.
Ray, of Spring Tide Guide Service, reports that speckled trout action is picking up. Migratory trout in the 16-21” range are starting to school up and stage around the inlet, while resident fish up the river are pushing into the creeks. More consistent cold nights should help fire up the bite.
Topwater plugs are producing well early in the day, with soft plastics on 3/16 oz. jig heads, MirrOlures, Vudu shrimp, and Rapala X-Raps working later. Target shoreline points and current rips with a little drop-off for best results.
Bluefish are thick and aggressively striking baits intended for trout.
Thomas Helms, of Surf City, landed this 28″ bluefish from the surf at south Topsail Island on a live finger mullet.
Red drum fishing has been solid. Cooler water has the reds active, but catching bait in windy conditions has been the biggest challenge. These fish will begin slowly moving into the creeks as winter approaches.
Off the beach, anglers can still pick away at a few spanish mackerel, though they are likely on the way out.
A couple king mackerel are also being caught by the live bait crowd, and keep a rod rigged in case you run into one of the schools of big red drum pushing down the coast.
Ricky, of Speckled Specialist Charters, reports that there are two main groups of speckled trout in the area—one staging around the inlet and another well upriver in the creeks. Stretches of hard north winds have pushed these trout into their wintering areas earlier than usual, but they remain very active.
Anglers are having great success with soft plastics like Big Slicks or Slick Jrs. rigged on 3/16 oz. jig heads. The lighter heads are especially effective upriver, where less current allows for a soft, natural fall through the water column. Down by the inlet, heavier jig heads are recommended to handle stronger current.
Live shrimp rigged under a slip cork continues to be a top producer.
Red drum are showing up in the mix while targeting trout, with both plenty of smaller fish and some solid 25-28” upper-slot reds.
Drifting shrimp is also producing black drum, with the best action coming from the Sneads Ferry area.
Jim, of Plan 9 Charters, reports that the jigging bite has been on fire out of New River Inlet. Anglers are finding success with small epoxy jigs, 007 diamond jigs, and even flies worked around bait schools. Surface action can reveal bluefish, false albacore, or late-season spanish mackerel, though all three species may also be holding deeper beneath the bait.
Jigging nearshore structure is producing plenty of gray trout, and big red drum are hanging around the nearshore bottom as they migrate through the area.
King mackerel (schoolies to 20+ lbs.) are also being caught around nearshore structure. While a few are in shallow, the 10-20 mile range is producing more consistent action. Both live and dead bait slow-trolled around structure are triggering strikes.
Just outside the king range, anglers are still picking up the occasional late-season mahi.
Joe, of Atlantic Sportfishing, reports that anglers looking to target big wahoo and blackfin tuna should be heading offshore, as stabilizing weather patterns and dropping water temperatures are fueling an increasingly strong bite.
Nearshore wrecks and ledges within sight of land are producing monster black sea bass, with jigs like Blue Water Candy Roscoes being especially effective.
Closer to the beach, false albacore fishing is picking up. Sight-casting diamond jigs around bait schools and using a quick, steady retrieve has been the top tactic.
Walker Bell, of Hampstead, landed this red drum in the ICW near Hampstead using a finger mullet on a Carolina rig.
Taylor, of South End Adventures, reports that off the beach, bluefish numbers are starting to outweigh spanish mackerel, as cooler water temperatures push the spanish out of the area.
King mackerel anglers are finding the most success in the 10-15 mile range, though there’s still a chance of hooking a nice king along the beachfront.
Robin, of Jolly Roger Pier, reports that bluefish have been biting well, especially during the early morning hours.
Bottom fishing has been more productive in the evenings, with bloodworms producing a mix of spots and Virginia mullet. A handful of sheepshead, pompano, and slot-sized red drum have also been landed.
Additionally, some big drum have made a showing for anglers fishing at night.
Vinita, of Surf City Pier, reports that overnight bottom fishing has been productive, with a mixed bag of spots, croakers, mullet, and pufferfish.
Some pompano have been landed, and bluefish remain plentiful. The blues are hitting both casting jigs and bottom rigs. Rounding out the action is the occasional spanish mackerel and slot-sized red drum.
Tyler, of Seaview Pier, reports that casting plugs around bait and surface-feeding fish is producing spanish mackerel and plenty of smaller bluefish.
Bottom fishing has been a bit slower, but the quality and variety of catches remain strong. Anglers are landing spot, sea mullet, croaker, sheepshead, black drum, speckled trout, and red drum.
