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Thanks to our Site Contributors. Please visit their websites and call for a charter.
www.fishintopsail.com
Capt. Mike Dennis
www.capefear-guide.com
Capt. Jot Owens
www.captainjot.com
Capt. Brent Stanley
www.currentadventurecharters.com
Capt. Ren Clark Jr.
www.tournamenttrailcharters.com
Capt. Rob Orr
Jolly Roger Inn & Fishing Pier
Topsail Tide Predictions and Surf Conditions
Surf City Pier area (old Ocean City Pier)
Topsail Island sea surface temperature estimates. http://www.surf-forecast.com/
May 7, 2013
May 5, 2013
Prescription Fishing Sunglasses - These are GREAT !
I ran across these sunglasses on the web. They look great and I can't wait to try them. Check these out. I think you will want to try them also.
Thanks,
Johnny aka "Fishin'Topsail"
Prescription Fishing Sunglasses Now With New Free-Form Progressive Lenses Made for Fishing
August 11, 2012
Pre Fishing for IFA Regional Championship Titusville, Fl
Fished around Titusville today but never made it to the lagoon. Ended up finding cruising fish right off a school of jacks and some snook this morning. Landed a lower slot red cruising w his back out of the water on my second cast. There were two reds cruising in 4 inches of crystal clear water on a bank loaded w bait. Moved down the bank and saw a couple more sitting Just a little deeper in 10 inches of water. These fish were aggressive. I bumped them and an upper slot red popped the soft plastic moving away from the boat. Decided to cover more water and hit some areas that looked good on satellite images. Hooked a large red shortly after putting the trolling motor down and it pulled the hooks after a short battle. Moved again and found two reds cruising the skinny busting shrimp. Popped one on this bank and moved again. Hit some structure and wacked two decent trout in a row and then called it a day. Only fished 3 hours in a place I have never fished before and had an inshore slam. Cant wait to hit the water tomorrow.
Pre Fishing for IFA Regional Championship Titusville, Fl
Fished around Titusville today but never made it to the lagoon. Ended up finding cruising fish right off a school of jacks and some snook this morning. Landed a lower slot red cruising w his back out of the water on my second cast. There were two reds cruising in 4 inches of crystal clear water on a bank loaded w bait. Moved down the bank and saw a couple more sitting Just a little deeper in 10 inches of water. These fish were aggressive. I bumped them and an upper slot red popped the soft plastic moving away from the boat. Decided to cover more water and hit some areas that looked good on satellite images. Hooked a large red shortly after putting the trolling motor down and it pulled the hooks after a short battle. Moved again and found two reds cruising the skinny busting shrimp. Popped one on this bank and moved again. Hit some structure
.. ..,,
,,
.""!
August 7, 2012
New Fishing Show
Begin message........ Hi Johnny, Pilgrim Studios, creators of marksmen competition series Top Shot, is currently casting for its newest series, Top Hooker. We're looking for the nation's best fishermen, and feel that readers of Fishin' Topsail might be interested in applying. Please see below…we'd appreciate it if you'd consider sharing this information on your website. Best, ~Amanda MEDIA ALERT PRODUCERS OF TV’S TOP SHOT, DIRTY JOBS, AND WICKED TUNA NOW SEEKING AMERICA'S BEST FISHERMEN FOR NEW COMPETITION SERIES Show seeks America’s best and boldest fishermen to take on Animal Planet’s extreme fishing competition, Top Hooker.
WHO: All COMPETITIVE, OUTGOING and SKILLED anglers, spear fishermen, game fishermen, fly fishermen, trawlers and trappers. It doesn't matter if your experience is commercial, sport or recreational. If you're skilled, adaptable and confident enough to take on anything thrown at you, you could win A BIG GRAND PRIZE and the title of Top Hooker.
WHAT: TV’s biggest, wildest fishing competition. On the new Animal Planet reality series, a handful of daring fishing enthusiasts tackle exciting and intense challenges on America's rivers, lakes, streams and even the open ocean.
WHEN: Deadline to apply is August 28, 2012 *
HOW: Send an email to TopHookerCasting@gmail.com with your name, phone number, location, a recent photo, and a brief explanation of why you could be America's first Top Hooker.
* Due to the high volume of submissions, we highly encourage you to apply as early as possible. All applicants must be legal U.S. residents and at least 21 years of age. For more information, visit www.pilgrimstudios.com/casting/tophooker.
PRESS CONTACT:
Amanda Powers
Babygrande PR
1832 Franklin Street
Santa Monica, CA 90404
310-300-3196
amanda@babygrande-inc.com
End message.
August 6, 2012
2012 Redfish Action Series Champs
I took a couple days off from guiding to fish the final leg of the Redfish Action Series in Beaufort, NC. My tournament boat is in the shop with some motor issues so I took the skiff up to Beaufort. With max speed in the skiff at 30 mph it eliminated us from running back to Topsail. I covered a lot of water and found two nice schools of upper and over slot fish along with several other singles and pods of fish. We popped our first two fish within 15 minutes of getting to our first spot. After one more cast we had two nearly perfect 27" fish. The fish were perfect in length, but were very skinny. We searched the rest of the day to upgrade to heavier fish without success. Our fish weighed 12.98 lbs and landed us in 3rd place for the tournament. With this strong finish we were able to capture the 2012 Redfish Action Series Championship.
Now to our local fishing: Fishing has been good from Southport to Sneads Ferry and everywhere in between. We are catching redfish, trout, flounder, and jacks on topwater lures, spoons, and soft plastics.
Book a charter now for some great inshore action!
Tight lines,
Capt Ren
www.CaptRen.com
I took a couple days off from guiding to fish the final leg of the Redfish Action Series in Beaufort, NC. My tournament boat is in the shop with some motor issues so I took the skiff up to Beaufort. With max speed in the skiff at 30 mph it eliminated us from running back to Topsail. I covered a lot of water and found two nice schools of upper and over slot fish along with several other singles and pods of fish. We popped our first two fish within 15 minutes of getting to our first spot. After one more cast we had two nearly perfect 27" fish. The fish were perfect in length, but were very skinny. We searched the rest of the day to upgrade to heavier fish without success. Our fish weighed 12.98 lbs and landed us in 3rd place for the tournament. With this strong finish we were able to capture the 2012 Redfish Action Series Championship.
Now to our local fishing: Fishing has been good from Southport to Sneads Ferry and everywhere in between. We are catching redfish, trout, flounder, and jacks on topwater lures, spoons, and soft plastics.
Book a charter now for some great inshore action!
Tight lines,
Capt Ren
www.CaptRen.com
2012 Redfish Action Series Champions
more times and pulled a 24 and 25 inch fish back to back. Left them alone and then fished a couple more spots and only found small fish. The next day I searched several miles of flats only to find a few single fish. Then I checked a couple more spots and found a nice school of fish being harassed by a couple large sharks. The fish pounced on a soft plastic and after a good fight I brought it to the boat-a perfect 27" fish. I went on to catch about 9 more from this school and all were 24" to 30". As I was leaving the fish to find some more I found another school of about 75 fish that looked perfect. Turned around as the fish were moving away in crystal clear water and led them with a cape lookout gold spoon and wacked a 26.6" fish. Left those fish alone and went to find more fish between them and the tournament check out. At one of the next two spots I found very aggressive fish but not many of them. I broke off the first fish on a popping cork rig. The next fish crushed my popping cork and then came after it again. I have had this happen in the past but have always been able to lift the cork up where the bait is on topWe weighed our two fish in and they yielded 12.98 lbs-not very heavy for two nearly perfect 27" fish. With this weight we landed in 3rd place for the tournament and secured the 2012 Redfish Action Series Championship.
June 13, 2012

Miss Jo Charters
Miss Jo Charters with Captain Stewart Johnston
Whether you are the avid fisherman or a family looking for a fun day on the water, we can accommodate your needs. Fish inshore for Spanish Mackerel and Blues or venture out to the “Graveyard of the Atlantic” for some excellent bottom fishing and trolling for dolphin or king mackerel. Open charter dates are filling fast!
Miss Jo Charters with Captain Stewart Johnston
Phone: (910) 742-7431
Captain Stewart is a true local, living his life here on Topsail Island. Capt. Stewart knows these waters, and can put you on the fish. Call now for a charter. Open dates are filling up fast.
Miss Jo Charters with Capt. Stewart Johnston
Phone: (910) 742-7431
June 4, 2012
Fishing Shorts from AFTCO
Do you know the current North Carolina size and catch limits?
Find out here2011 NC Recreational Coastal Waters Guide
February 22, 2012
Prayer Request
Prayer Request for Fishin' Topsail member Susie Guthrie Lentz: Susie's daughter Elizabeth age 34, will have surgery at Baptist to have half of her tongue and her lymph nodes removed. They are then going to take skin, blood vessels, and muscle from her arm to create and then attach a new tongue. The surgery takes about 8 hours, she will be in ICU for several days with a trach and a feeding tube. After ICU she'll be in the hosptal for 7-9 days. Please join me sending up your prayers for Elizabeth and her family. God Bless all.
Johnny Horner
October 14, 2011
Do you know the current North Carolina size and catch limits?
Find out here2011 NC Recreational Coastal Waters Guide
Red Skelton Pledge of Allegiance to the flag of the United States of America
October 13, 2011
Fwd: Rod-Man Report
Hi Folks,
Boat Update: I have sold my boat. Now I am working on obtaining a new one. It was a good time to sell the old, but I am missing some great fishing waiting on the new. You do not have to wait. Get out on the water with your boat or let me know and I will hook you up with a very good captain. Now here's my report:
INSORE: Fall fishing is on fire. Red drum, flounder, and trout: they are all biting. All the usual spots are providing fish. Fish the inlets, the waterway, the creeks and the river. Fish live bait, dead bait and artificials. It's all happening. My favorite artificial is a ¼ oz. led head combined with a Gulp 4" Baitfish or a 5" Jerk Bait.
NEAR SHORE: Exciting times are just off the beach too. The Spanish bite is still on and producing some very nice fish. Also, there are some very good bluefish biting. King mackerel are cruising the beach and False Albacore are bending some rods as well.
OFFSHORE: Some more kings and false albacore are biting and Frying Pan is producing a smorgasbord of fishes.
GULFSTREAM: The stream is providing good action on wahoo, blackfin and a few yellowfin tuna.
UPCOMING: More and more of the same in the way of fall fishing will continue until it gets too cold, which doesn't seem a threat in the near future. But, when it does turn cold it will be boat show season and I will be there. I will be posting my schedule for Raleigh, Greensboro, Richmond and Wilmington soon. I am building a lot of my show special custom rods for the boat shows. I hope to provide you with one…or two!
Until next time…
Let's Go Fishing!!!
Capt. Rick Bennett
Rod-Man Charters (light tackle and fly-fishing, inshore and near shore)
Rod-Man Custom Fishing Rods (from ultra-lite, to fly, to marlin)
407 Fox Wood Lane
Wilmington, NC 28409
rodman@rodmancharters.com
http://www.rodmancharters.com
http://www.custom-fishingrods.com
910.520.7661
August 11, 2011
Fisherman's Post Topsail Report
Do you know the current North Carolina size and catch limits?
Find out here2011 NC Recreational Coastal Waters Guide
Hello from Topsail Island ..... Below is a link to view Capt. Chris Medlin's Topsail fishing report for Fisherman's Post magazine.
Read the report here ......
Till next time....
Tight lines!
Johnny
August 7, 2011
Do you know the current North Carolina size and catch limits?
Find out here2011 NC Recreational Coastal Waters Guide
Hello from Topsail Beach! This is a pic of my friends (Caleb Thornton, and Ron Sloan) with their catch! NICE sheepshead guys! Catch 'em up!
Fishin' Topsail Facebook fishing reports:
Johnathon Fann, Aug 6, 2011 ... finally a good day surf fishin. Dont know if it was the clouds or what. Caught some pompanos mullets and spots all in about 30 mins. after that caught a few more small ones and then it just died out. Fished high tide going out hope i can do that again tomorrow.
Allen Jernigan, Aug 6, 2011,
These guys drove in from Atlanta just for a gig trip. Could not let them down even though the wind was howling. Big fish was 27". Good night in the wind for rookies! They had a great time.
Surf City Ocean Pier reports: a few pompano and a few spanish and blues....heard of a flounder..not much else.
Sea View Pier Report: Tommy's 28 inch Red Drum..so sad he couldn't keep him ...
Kenny caught a nice Spanish Mackerel 8-6-11 ... Kenny caught 5.5 flounder on 8-6-11 ...
Jolly Roger Pier report: 96 lb Tarpon just landed Thursday morning by Alan Pleasant! Mike Stout caught Tarpon 80#, August 6, 2011 - released.
August 1, 2011
Monthly Free Fishing Tournament at East Coast Sports
Do you know the current North Carolina size and catch limits?
Find out here2011 NC Recreational Coastal Waters Guide
Monthly Free Fishing Tournament
We Will Give out a $10.00 gift card for the largest of each fish weighed each month. Each month species will vary.
Augusts fish species will be Sheepshead, Flounder (gigged division and hook and line division), Sea Mullet, King Mackerel, Grouper (all legal species), Mahi-Mahi.
We will have a big board right above the door with your picture and name for bragging rights. All you need to do to participate is bring a fish in to be weighed. That is is. No forms to fill out before hand just show up with your fish.
AND IT IS FREE!!!!!!!!
The fish must be caught hook and line. Net caught, gigged or speared fish are not eligble. Kings and grouper may have 1 gaff mark. Flounder that have been gigged qualify for gigged division only. Fish must be weighed at East Coast Sports. All fish weighed must be of legal size. No mutilated fish.
July 19, 2011
Surf City Ocean Pier
Do you know the current North Carolina size and catch limits?
Find out here2011 NC Recreational Coastal Waters Guide
Hello from Topsail Beach!
My grandson and myself fished Surf City Ocean Pier last night and the sharks were thick. I'm talking about 4 and 5 footers in knee deep water, not 50 feet from swimmers playing in the surf after dusk. What are they thinking????? It was crazy. We counted four sharks, at once, so don't know how many more there were that we couldn't count. Also in attendance were huge rays, at least a dozen. We didn't catch much, just small blues and even smaller croakers. But about dawn the larger blues moved in, and using gotcha plugs, we caught close to our limit, and even one 18 inch spanish. This was Zack's first time fishing with gotchas, and now he is hooked! We had much fun!
July 11, 2011
Cape Fear Guide Fishing in July




Do you know the current North Carolina size and catch limits?
Find out here2011 NC Recreational Coastal Waters Guide
June 28, 2011
Charter Fishing Report
Do you know the current North Carolina size and catch limits?
Find out here2011 NC Recreational Coastal Waters Guide
Rodman Charters Report
[quote]
June 23, 2011
FISH FOR FREE IN NORTH CAROLINA'S PUBLIC WATERS ON JULY 4
Do you know the current North Carolina size and catch limits?
Find out here2011 NC Recreational Coastal Waters Guide
June 7, 2011
Do you know the current North Carolina size and catch limits?
Find out here2011 NC Recreational Coastal Waters Guide
Hello from Topsail Island! This is my reply to a question I received in an email.
"Welcome to our Facebook Fishin'Topsail Message Group. There is a really good chance fishing will be good through the month of June. It's decent right now,, could improve a bit by the end of the month. The best bite will come at night, but scan the beach in the daylight during low tide to find the best holes to fish in. When the tide is in, you can read the water to find the holes. Can't guarantee you will catch anything, but finding the holes can make the difference between a cooler full of fish and no bites except the bugs. This time of year, just about every species of fish will be near shore, and you can't be sure of what you will catch. That's one reason I love surf fishing here. Using the same rig and same bait, you could catch a pin fish, then the next cast a door mat size flounder. Also in the surf are spots, sea mullets, red drum, black drum, pompano, sea trout, and of course sharks, stingrays and skates. To improve your chances, use the freshest bait you can find. As a general rule, I don't fish with shrimp I wouldn't eat. I like it to be that fresh. Early mornings you may catch spanish mackerel and blue fish, throwing a gotcha lure. There will be some around the breakers, but many more near the end of the fishing pier. Buy a pier ticket will improve your chances of catching a nice spanish. Surf City Ocean Pier is hot right now. There have been some big ones caught this year. Even a 30+ pound king mackerel has been caught this year in the surf. Post any questions you may have, and someone will give you an answer if we have one. Good luck! and Catch 'em up!
Remember you will need a NC Saltwater Fishing License to fish in the surf or sound. If you fish the pier or hire a charter, there is no need to buy a pass. My favorite charters are available at Topsail Beach Fishing Charters at East Coast Sports on Roland Ave in Surf City. The owners have purchased blanket license to cover you.
Topsail Beach Charter Fishing
409 Roland Ave
Surf City NC 28445
(910) 358-4912
FAX (910) 328-5814
topsailcharterfishing@earthlink.net
Till next time....
Tight lines!
Johnny aka Fishin'Topsail
If you are into Purple Martins, check out my Topsail Beach Purple Martin blog. This is my first year as a purple martin landlord, and I am really enjoying the experience.
http://www.topsailbeachpurplemartins.blogspot.com
June 3, 2011
Topsail Update
Do you know the current North Carolina size and catch limits?
Find out here2011 NC Recreational Coastal Waters Guide
Surf City Ocean Pier Update
Surf City Pier reports a few blues and spanish on gotcha plugs, mornings and evenings. Bottom fishing is slow during the day, but picks up considerable in the evening and night. Bloodworms, available at the pier tackle shop, seem to be the best bait. While you are at Surf City Pier, check out their grill and try the Mosquito Burger. MMMMMMM GOOD!
Check out Surf City Ocean Pier Facebook for updates. Check out the new video posted by Michael.
To check out my new purple martin blog, Topsail Beach Purple Martins click here.
Thanks for visiting www.FishinTopsail.com
Till next time....
Tight lines!
Johnny and Donna
June 2, 2011
Fishing Report from The Fisherman's Post
Do you know the current North Carolina size and catch limits?
Find out here2011 NC Recreational Coastal Waters Guide
Here a link is the latest Topsail area fishing report from The Fisherman's Post.
Hope you enjoy.............
Fishermans Post ...... Topsail/Sneads Ferry Fishing Report.
Till next time....
Tight lines!
Johnny and Donna
Facebook Fishin' Topsail group
June 1, 2011
Finally, some good reports to post .........
Do you know the current North Carolina size and catch limits?
Find out here2011 NC Recreational Coastal Waters Guide
Finally, some good reports to post .........
Surf City Pier report ......... Some spanish and blues early yesterday. A few spots during the day and evening. A couple of keeper flounder on live bait. A few nice virginia mullets were caught along with many smaller fish. Got one report from a beachcomber this morning that a nice sheepshead was caught on SC Pier yesterday.
Sea View Fishing Report ....... by Sea View website ........
Jolly Roger report ....... by Rob Orr ..... "Blues & Spanish are being caught this morning on Got-Cha lures. Summer spots have been caught for the past week, mainly on bloodworms. Some nice whiting, pompano & black drum in the mix. Most of the bottom fish are being caught at night."
My fishing buddies, Caleb and Jonothan caught some nice sheepshead Monday. A couple were BIG! Not sure where they were fishing ....... Sorry I din't get any pics, my camera was full.
Reds were busting topwater lures in the tidal creeks off the ICW near Lea Island Monday and Tuesday. More fish were lost than were landed, but the anglers had a really enjoyable and exciting day.
Here is a list of sites where I aquire some of the info I post. If I can't get out to visit the piers, I will call them on the telephone for a report. I can't personally verify all the reports, due to my health problems, I just can't get out there that often, but from past experience with these folks, I believe they are pretty accurate.
Thanks to all who provide me with the data to post these reports, and a special thanks to the readers of this blog.
Surf City Pier
East Coast Sports
Sea View Pier
NC Angler Forums, NC coast
NC Angler Forums, Saltwater fishing
Jolly Roger Pier
Till next time....
tight lines!
Johnny
May 27, 2011
Red Drum Bite

Do you know the current North Carolina size and catch limits?
Find out here2011 NC Recreational Coastal Waters Guide
Red drum are biting in the backwaters of the Cape Fear River,yesterdays catch yielded two nice slot size red drum fishing is not on fire,but with the warmer water temperatures I expect the bite to be improving.Capt.Mike Dennis offers live bait charters for the avid angler or family who wants to have a successful day out on the water.
Capt.Mike Dennis - Capt.Mike@charter.net - 910-619-0928 - http://www.capefear-guide.com/
May 26, 2011
Summer Weather and Good Summer Fishing around the area waters!


Summer has really been showing its face around here lately and with the warm air comes more bait and more means more fish to catch! I’ve seen a big change in water temps in the last few days, the waters around Wrightsville Beach are hanging around 80` inshore; time to go for a swim! With this warm water the bait has just exploded in numbers in the area waters and it is very easy to find.
The Spanish mackerel and Bluefish are just about everywhere you go just off the beaches from twenty feet to forty feet of water; you should have no problem catching them. I’ve had the best luck with deeper spoons on number one planners, yes I’m seeing a few on the top line but the best has been deeper. Clark-spoons in sizes 00 and 0 are doing the trick in colors silver, gold and pink flash. The Spanish hitting the top baits are hitting Blue Water Candy’s Spanish Daisy chains in colors pink, blue and silver; the great thing about this rig is you can pull it off lighter tackle outfits. I’m using thirty and forty pound clear Berkley Big Game mono for all my Spanish leaders. Tip: keep your trolling and casting speed up; faster moving baits seem to get more bites, I troll around five knots or six mph.
If you know me at all you know I love to fish for Cobia and it is now Cobia season for our local waters; the Cobia have been showing up during the last few weeks. I look this time of year for Cobia around inlets, shoals and bait schools; near shore/offshore reefs and ledges are also a good place to look too. With the water being so clear it has been easier to see those brown logs in the water. We are throwing big jigs, swim baits and live bait to the Cobia. Color really does not seem to matter; but “go bright”! When I’m not sight casting for them, we are fishing around inlets, shoals and near shore artificial reefs. I float fish, bottom fish and kite fish in these areas with live menhaden, blues and mullet as bait. If you hook one of these beast, take your time fighting them, they don’t tire out easily; a green Cobia can really tear up a boat or you!
The Redfish have slowed a little bit over the last week due to the waters warming up so fast, but we are still catching them; going earlier in the morning seems to help the bite some. Fishing top-water baits like MirrOlure’s Top Dog Jr or Top Pup also Sebile’s Ghost Walker are catching me some really nice Reds in shallow water. When I’m fishing in deeper water for Reds like around docks, creek mouths and deeper grass lines; I’m casting Berkley Gulp products like the Ripple Mullet or the three inch Gulp shrimp. The colors I prefer in the Ripple Mullet are rootbeer gold/chart tail, goby magic chart tail, new penny and pearl white for the Redfish. Rig these baits on a red, black, brown or gray jig head with a thirty to fifty pound mono or fluorocarbon leader. I have had some good luck lately with spinner baits for the Redfish and the trick that seems to work for me is a Ripple Mullet in the color rootbeer gold/chart tail as the grub on the spinner bait. Remember reel that spinner bait; just fast enough to keep it off the bottom.
Fishing Gear I use:
Reels Penn Fierce and Battle spinning in sizes 2000, 3000 & 4000 sizes. Cobia Fishing reels: Penn Battle 5000, 6000 & 7000, Penn 320LD. Line: Spiderwire Ultra-cast and Berkley Fireline braid in 8, 10 and 15 pound. Cobia Line: 30 pound Berkley Big Game Mono. Rods: Fenwick HMG GS 70M-MF, Ugly stick lites 6’6” and 7’ Med & Med-Heavy. Cobia Rods: Ugly Stik Tiger Lite Jigging series in 50-100 class spinning and casting. Leader material: Cobia; Berkley Big Game mono & Fluorocarbon in eighty to one hundred pound. Stren Fluorocarbon leader material in Tannic and Gunsmoke tints; tannic for river and stained waters, gunsmoke for clear water applications.
Thanks for reading this report, if you have any questions just let me know! Get out there and enjoy this summer weather, winter was cold and summer is going to be Hot!
Good Luck,
Captain Jot Owens
Ranger Boats Pro Staff
PENN Reels Elite Staff
www.captainjot.com
910-233-4139
Check out our Facebook Message Board Over 400 members and growing!
Do you know the current North Carolina size and catch limits?
Find out here2011 NC Recreational Coastal Waters Guide
May 25, 2011
New Surf City Business has Grand Opening
Do you know the current North Carolina size and catch limits?
Find out here2011 NC Recreational Coastal Waters Guide

For more information about our shop or this event feel free to call us anytime at (910) 328-1009 or check out our website at http://www.ohanapaddlespor
Till next time....
Tight lines!
Johnny and Donna
Topsail Update
Do you know the current North Carolina size and catch limits?
Find out here 2011 NC Recreational Coastal Waters Guide
Surf fishing around Topsail slowed a bit yesterday. There were a few chopper blues around, but down from earlier in the week. A few mullets at mostly at night. On the piers, a few drum & sheepshead, Blues & Spanish are still hitting early morning & late afternoon, catching a few nice pompano, sea mullets at night. Seaview reports first legal cobia of the year on May 23. Surf City Pier reports a few blues and spanish in the early am and right at dark. Gotcha plugs. Charter captains are catching reds behind Lee Island.
Read more topsail area fishing reports on our facebook message board. We have over 400 members and still growing!
Catch 'em up
Till next time....
Tight lines!
Johnny
May 22, 2011
Small Virginia Mullets at Topsail Beach
Do you know the current North Carolina size and catch limits?
Find out here2011 NC Recreational Coastal Waters Guide
Hello from beautiful Topsail Island. It was another wonderful day on Topsail Island. Donna and I stayed on the beach all afternoon. Enough for me to get a good sunburn on my forehead. I forgot my cap. My forehead had not seen much sun this year. The bottle nose dolphins were out in force today giving everyone on the beach a free show. They were following a couple of kayaks around in the surf, riding the waves and jumping happily. There were a few virginia mullets in the surf at Topsail Beach this afternoon. They were not huge, but just frying pan size. I heard of a few really nice pompano in the surf as well. The action in the surf depended on who you talked to. My fishin bud Caleb fished behind Lea Island, but didn't catch anything except an undersized flounder. The piers all reported some nice catches of blues, and spanish in the early am. I won't get to fish tomorrow, having the car serviced. But I will probably get some reports, I'll post when I can.
We are blessed to live in such a beautiful place. God is good.
Till next time....
Tight lines!
Johnny
Purple Martins and Chopper Blues
Do you know the current North Carolina size and catch limits?
Find out here2011 NC Recreational Coastal Waters Guide
Hello from beautiful Topsail Island! How bout this post title. Actually, they have nothing to do with each other, I just thought I would include my new hobby in this fishing post. If you are a purple martin fan, check out my new purple martin blog. Topsail Beach Purple Martins. I am a new landlord and have birds hanging out in the colony. I am loving the experience.
Now on to the fishing report. There were huge chopper blues being caught everywhere yesterday. Many of the blues were over twenty inches! Folks on the piers, especially the end where the king anglers were. I had a report of a six pounder caught near the suds on a gotcha plug. Fifteen pound blues were not uncommon from the king anglers. They are catching them on all three piers. It's exciting to watch an angler pull in a four or five pound king on a gotcha plug! I got a report of a couple of limits of spanish from Surf City Ocean Pier. Better get out there! The sound and ICW are fat with reds and flounder. Big schools of reds are roaming the flats and hanging out in tidal creeks. According to reports I have recieved, Berkley gulp is the bait. Flounders are biting live bait fished on a carolina rig. If you don't have live bait, throw the Gulp. They should work as well. Pompano's are also in the surf. I have seen pomps over one pound, mostly caught on sand fleas, but fresh cut shrimp is working as well.
That's all I have time for right now, I will post new reports later as they come in.
The weather is beautiful on Topsail Island this morning. Why aren't you here?
Till next time....
Tight lines!
Johnny
aka Fishin'Topsail
Flounder Fishing - Carolina Beach Inlet

Do you know the current North Carolina size and catch limits?
Find out here2011 NC Recreational Coastal Waters Guide
May 18, 2011
Chopper Blues
Do you know the current North Carolina size and catch limits?
Find out here2011 NC Recreational Coastal Waters Guide
Hello from beautiful Topsail Island!
Surf City Ocean Pier is reporting huge chopper blues. Most being caught by king rigs. There are lots of them in the water, along with a few spanish. It seems the blues are running smaller fish away, only a handful of small virginia mullets and small spots are coming over the rail. A few skates, sharks and undersized flounder are being caught.
My friend Jonathon caught a nice flounder Tuesday afternoon. It bit a mud minnow fished on a carolina rig in the Topsail Sound near Banks Channel. Jonathon cooked the flounder along with fresh yellow squash and onions bought from the Surf City IGA. Charter captians are reporting nice catches of red drum in tidal creeks and grass lines. Gulp Alive baits or live finger mullets are the most successful baits. Surf fishing on Topsail Island is heating up with catches of medium size virginia mullets, chopper blues, small spots, and a black drum or two. A nice pompano was reported this week from the surf south of Surf City Ocean Pier. Offshore boats are catching some nice spanish just off the beach. It's gonna be a fine weekend, so get on down to Topsail and catch 'em up!
Don't forget the Wednesday Locals Only Specials at Surf City IGA. They have some good ones today, and remember the Wednesday specials are not just for locals, anyone can get the specials, they just aren't advertised, and you must ask the cashier or manager for the discounts. You can click on this link, Surf City IGA and get on the email list to be notified of the weekly specials as well as the Wednesday Locals Only specials.
Till next time....'
tight lines!
Johnny
May 15, 2011
Sea View Pier Update
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Find out here2011 NC Recreational Coastal Waters Guide
Hello from Topsail Beach! Below is a fishing report from Sea View Pier at North Topsail Beach.
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May 14, 2011
Topsail Fishing Update
Do you know the current North Carolina size and catch limits?
Find out here2011 NC Recreational Coastal Waters Guide
Good Morning from beautiful Topsail Island! I can smell the salt air, hear the waves turning over, and hear the beautiful songs of the purple martins in the yard. God is good!
Cuz Tom went to Surf City Pier this morning, and fished from 4:30am until 6am. His report follows. Folks were arriving at the pier at a steady pace this morning. There was not much biting while was there, but the reports are good for last night. Dad fished last night and there were some nice chopper blues along with the smaller ones, and several spanish were caught also. The bite is coming mostly on the falling tide, and there is a southernly light wind blowing this morning, so it should be a good day. You have to be there to catch 'em, so head out to your favorite pier and sling some gotcha plugs this morning! Catch 'em up!
Till next time....
Tight lines!
Johnny
May 12, 2011
Topsail Fishing Update
Do you know the current North Carolina size and catch limits?
Find out here2011 NC Recreational Coastal Waters Guide
Good morning from Topsail Island. I praise God that we are able to live at the beach. We are so thankful for all our many blessings.
It's not so great weather-wise. The skys are overcast, looks like it might bust out raining any moment. I have the remnents of a migraine, so I am kicked back at home relaxing.
The fishing report;
Surf City Pier caught the first king of the year (I think first) yesterday. Will Rivenbark caught the king Wednesday morning weighing in at 15 lbs. Congrats to Will who put up a courageous effort landing the king. He fought the fish down the north side of the pier about hundred feet or so before they could get the gaf in and haul the fish over the railing. Early am, there were a few blues caught on gotchas. I know of only one spanish caught yesterday, (caught by Gary Gibson) but there may have been more caught after I left.
Sea View Pier at North Topsail Beach reports spanish and blues, good bite early, and slow but steady for the rest of the day. A king was landed Wednesday morning, a 33 pounder. Nice! Sea View also reported scattered catches of small virginia mullets and small spots throught the day.
Jolly Roger Pier reported lots of blues, a few choppers, and even a couple of 25 inch class red drum.
Surf fishing is still rather slow, or at least for me, but should improve with a few more degrees of water temps. The water temp at Onslow Bay is reported at 69*. Sounds like spring fishing is here, it should only get better for the next month.
Thanks for reading our blog. We invite you to send us your Topsail area fishing reports and pictures. Or send us news about the Topsail area you think to be interesting. Send reports and pics to the blog email: johnny@fishintopsail.com.
Catch 'em up!
Till next time....
Tight lines!
Johnny
May 11, 2011
Topsail Fishing Update
Find out here2011 NC Recreational Coastal Waters Guide
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Hello from beautiful Topsail Island! It's a wonderful day at the beach. Of course I guess they all are wonderful, right? We feel so blessed to live on Topsail Island.
Dad, my nephew Dan, and myself went fishing at Surf City Pier Tuesday morning. Weather was great, wind was light, Topsail Island water temp was 67* and very clear, and the blues and spanish made several appearances throughout the morning. The glass minnows were everywhere. School after school passed by the Surf City Pier. Gotcha plugs were the bait of the choice Tuesday morning. The sheepshead were feeding off every pier piling. The water was so clear they were plainly visible to us but they were not biting real well. Could it have been the water clarity spooked them to the baits? Don't really know. I did see one nice sheepshead landed using a sand flea. The only virginia mullets I saw were small. There were no king strikes, at least while we were there, but the king anglers were catching plenty of blues for bait. Dad and Dan fished Surf City Pier again last night, but the fish had moved on. Surf fishing seemed a bit slow, I saw only a couple small ones while walking the beach Tuesday afternoon. Dan and Laiken failed to catch anything on an afternoon outing on the surf.
We are hopeful that the fish will show up again today. We are a bit late getting to the pier, maybe the blues and spanish will still be there............
Till next time....
Tight lines!
Johnny
May 10, 2011
What a great fishing season so far around area waters!
Well folks, we have had some cooler weather lately, but it seems that it has not hurt the fishing much at all. The water temps did not go down to much maybe a few degrees, but over all the fishing has been good to great most days. One thing I have seen lately is a good amount of bait showing up around the area, always a good sigh!
Redfish fishing has been pretty good the last few weeks, but one thing I’ve found is the weekdays have had more constancy of good Redfishing due to all the fishing pressure on the weekends. I have seen some very nice Reds lately coming form some shallow water spots, my clients this last week have caught some Reds over thirty two inches inshore. Those are some nice Reds for early May in shallow water and on very light tackle. Using bigger baits has paid off for me in the last two weeks with these bigger fish starting to bite.
One of the winners for me in the last few weeks for the Reds has been the Berkley Gulp Ripple Mullet, now I know I talk about this bait a lot; hey it works! Great swimming action and the proven fishing catching scent of Berkley Gulp! The colors I prefer in the Ripple Mullet are rootbeer gold/chart tail, goby magic chart tail, new penny and pearl white for the Redfish. Rig these baits on a red, black, brown or gray jig head with a thirty to fifty pound mono or fluorocarbon leader and you are good to go! I’ve never been a big user of spoons for Redfish, but I’ve been playing with a new spoon lately, well new to me at least. The spoon is a product of Sébile and it’s called an Onduspoon; let me tell you this spoon has got some action! I’ve caught some very nice Reds and Chopper Blues on this spoon in the last few weeks. The Onduspoon has rattles built in to it; great action and sound. The colors I prefer are gold, natural shiner, blue althea and red head; check them out at www.sebile.com
If you would rather go with the live/cut bait root for the Redfish, there is plenty on bait around; small mullet and menhaden are in most of the local creeks. The days I’ve caught bait, one cast of my net has yielded plenty bait for the day. Light Carolina rigs with an Eagle Claw L 42 #1 or 1/0 hook and twelve to sixteen inches of forty pound mono for leader as a rig. Fishing creek mouths, oyster rock edges and marsh grass lines will produce Redfish for you. Just remember fresh lively baits will catch more fish!
There has been just about all the Bluefish you want around the inlets lately and a good number of Spanish mackerel showing up as well. Trolling Clark spoons and small deep driver lures has been the key to success. Clark spoons in sizes #0, #00 and #1 in colors silver, gold and pink flash seem to work the best. Thirty or forty pound clear mono leader will work just fine and don’t forget the ball bearing swivels for those Clark spoons to keep you leaders from tingling up! There have been a few nice Chopper (bigger) Blues around the inlets in the last few weeks; casting bigger lures like the Onduspoon #3 or shallow water crank baits will find these bigger Blues. Just remembers a light steal leader for these fish for they will bite right through mono leaders.
Flounder fishing is really picking up around the area. Most of the Flounder are eating little menhaden and Mud minnows on light Carolina rigs. The Flounder are mixed in size to just under keeper size to a few over five pounds. I have caught some Flounder on Artificial baits as well. I have had the best luck with Berkley Gulp mud minnow in pearl white, sardine, killifish and new penny colors. Rig the grubs on a red or black jig head for best results. Flounder fishing should stay consistent right through the summer and fall.
Last but never lest; Cobia are starting to show up around the area waters. I look for Cobia around inlets, shoals and bait schools; near shore/offshore reefs and ledges are also a good place to look too. With the water being so clear it has been easier to see those brown logs in the water. We are throwing big jigs, swim baits and live bait to the Cobia. Color really does not seem to matter; but “go bright”! When I’m not sight casting for them, we are fishing around inlets, shoals and near shore artificial reefs. I float fish, bottom fish and kite fish in these areas with live menhaden, blues and mullet as bait. You can chum if you like, but the sharks will come and they will come in numbers!
Fishing Gear I use:
Reels Penn Fierce and Battle spinning in sizes 2000, 3000 & 4000 sizes. Cobia Fishing reels: Penn Battle 5000, 6000 & 7000, Penn 320LD. Line: Spiderwire Ultra-cast and Berkley Fireline braid in 8, 10 and 15 pound. Cobia Line: 30 pound Berkley Big Game Mono. Rods: Fenwick HMG GS 70M-MF, Ugly stick lites 6’6” and 7’ Med & Med-Heavy. Cobia Rods: Ugly Stik Tiger Lite Jigging series in 50-100 class spinning and casting. Leader material: Berkley Big Game mono & Fluorocarbon. Stren Fluorocarbon leader material in Tannic and Gunsmoke tints; tannic for river and stained waters, gunsmoke for clear water applications.
Thanks for reading this report, if you have any questions just let me know! If you would like to go fishing drop me a line; I’m booking now for this coming summer fishing season and don’t forget to take a kid fishing!
Good Luck,
Captain Jot Owens
Ranger Boats Pro Staff
PENN Reels Elite Staff
www.captainjot.com
910-233-4139
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Do you know the current North Carolina size and catch limits?
Find out here2011 NC Recreational Coastal Waters Guide
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