Slow

Fishing has been slow the past few days. I have fish in the surf, and on Surf City pier. Small mullet, spot, and lots of very small croakers. Heard of a huge trout and an 8 lb flounder caught at turning bridge on live shrimp. I caught a four foot shark from the end of Surf City pier Thursday night. Ken caught a bigger one, but we didn't get it on the pier. The water is very calm and a bit muddy. High today was 92. Humidity is 94%. SouthWest winds. Water temp 82.

Huge pompano

Caught a really nice pompano this morning in the surf at Topsail Beach south of Jolly Roger pier. 15 inches long and 7 inches top to bottom. Bait was sand flea (my favorite bait for the surf). I catch fewer fish using fleas, but what I do catch is bigger. Ken had an even bigger pompano, but it got loose in the suds. Also caught 2 nice mullet on fleas. Weather was overcast. No breeze at all. We thought it would rain any minute. The ocean was very calm. A passerby walking down the beach told us we wouldn't catch anything because the surf was so calm. I opened the cooler, and he just left. I started using commercail rig, but was not catching anything but seaweed. I tied a single drop rig, with a number 4 hook, baited up with sand fleas. I started catching fish. Today they liked the "naked" rig, with no silver hardware.

There was only a few anglers on Jolly Roger Pier this morning. Action was very slow. No king fishermen.

Big Reds in Surf at Topsail Beach

Went fishing this morning at 6 am with my friends Ken and A.C. Had a good morning. Weather was nice, overcast, about 85 degrees. Fished the incoming tide, high was about 11:05 am acording to muy tide table. About 6:30 or so I caught a gray trout, 15 inches long on shrimp. Soon after Ken started catching mullet. He had caught 8 nice ones by noon. A.C. caught a nice sheephead about 11 am. The fish weighed a touch over 3 lbs. The bait was a sand flea. I finally landed a red drum. I have lost several big ones the past week due to broken lines. I landed this one at 10 am. He bit a big sand flea. The surf was rough and loaded with seaweed. I finally changed my weight to a 2 ounce round bottom rig because the pyramid was bringing in so much seaweed. The 2 ounce bounced and moved up and down the beach, but I was tired of dragging in 10 lbs of trash every cast, so I tollerated the movement. The red hit a flea on a bottom rig with a number 4 long shank hook. He immediatly started stripping line. Ken walked with me up the beach as I fought the fish. He was telling me he would kick my a#% if I touched the drag! We saw the tail with the spot one time and then Big Red decided he was too close to the beach and made another long run. Finally the red was landed, weighed a little over 8 lbs, and was 26 inches long.

Black Drum

I may have figured out what has been breaking my line on the Surf City pier. Was told today that someone caught a 44 lb black drum in the surf just south of Surf City Pier. I think a 44 pound anything could break my 15 lb test I have been fishing with.

There were several flounder caught today, along with some mullet, a few spots and croakers. A very large fish was hooked by a king angler at the end of the pier. After a good 10 minute battle, the fish was lost without being seen.

The blazer is loaded, shrimp is in the fridge, and Ken, AC, and myself will be pulling out at 6 am. We are going fish south of Jolly Rodger Pier toward the inlet.

Stay tuned.

Surf City pier report

Mixed bag caught from the pier. A few kings and spanish. Lots of sheephead. Several nice flounder. Patient anglers can get a nice creel of spots, croakers (larger than normal for this area), mullet, blues, some nice trout (grey and specs), and a few smallish flounder. These species can be taken on regular bottom rigs and shrimp or blood worms. My friend Ken is still catching "Angel" fish, or spadefish. He caught 4 more last night. Spanish and larger blues can be caught on gotcha plugs and diamond jigs. Larger flounder can be caught on flounder rigs and live shrimp or minnows (mud minnows or finger mullet). I have caught small puppy drum and hooked some large reds, although I have been having some trouble landing them. I have upgraded from a penn peerless 9 to my Penn Peer 209 with 30 lb test line. Maybe this will help. The reds (or whatever they were) hit spot heads at night. My brother is coming in two weeks, maybe he can teach me how to land the big ones. Hurry Jess!

BIG KING

An angler caught a 33 lb king yesterday from Surf City Pier. Our friend Karen caught a 1.75 lb spade fish from S.C. pier. She caught it straight down between the pilings. Way to go Karen! A few spanish, and several blues were taken with gotchas. White with red head still the most productive. A couple of spanish were caught with diamond jigs.Three fishermen fishing at one bench about 3/4 out the pier caught big mullet all morning. They also caught several keeper trout. They were out producing everyone else about 10 to 1. I caught spots, small mullet, and a grey trout, 11.99 inches, and a flounder, 13.99 inches. HaHa. Almost keepers. There were several nice sheephead caught with sand fleas as bait. Sheephead fishing takes patience, patience, and patience. These anglers spend their morning bent over the rail looking at the water. But if you got the patience, the reward is great. Really big sheephead. There were also some nice spots caught off and on today. Night time is still producing mullet and spot, along with a few trout and puppy drum. The anglers that are spending the time on the pier, are catching their fill.

Big sheephead still coming from the pilings around the Surf City turning bridge. Sand fleas or fidler crabs the most productive bait.

Humidity is high, and night is producing best.

HOT LUNCH

Had lunch at Yogi's grill on Hwy 17 in Holly Ridge. Open faced prime rib sandwich, two veggies and homemade banana puddin'. $5.50 Can't beat it. Give Yogi's a try. If you don't know Yogi, he was the chef at Poliotti's in North Topsail Beach. Great food, reasonable price. If you want to get your cleaned and dressed catch cooked for you, try One Stop Restaurant just before the turning bridge in Surf City. They will cook your catch, and furnish two veggies and tea for about $5.00. The best shrimp lunch is at Batt's Grill in Surf City. Medium sized fried shrimp, falling off the plate, with fries and slaw, or any two veggies, and tea for $4.99. You can't even buy fresh shrimp for that much. Give Kenny Batt's place a try and you never have to leave the beach.