Hello from Surf City!
It's still summer, but fishing has been a lot worse. There isn't a lot of anything biting, but there is a little of everything biting. Seaview pier has been reporting blues, flounder, mullets, pin fish, speckled trout, gray trout, black drum, spanish mackerel, and a few kings. Surf City Pier is reporting spots, mullets, sheepshead, croakers, a few speckled and a few gray trout, some nice flounder, some blues, a few kings and some nice spanish off the end. Jolly Roger reports spots, mullets, black drum and puppy drum, speckled trout, gray trout, a few pompano, some nice flounder, spanish and a couple of kings. And of course, lets not leave out the skates, rays, and sharks.
Surf fishing is all of the above with the exception of the kings and spanish. The usual baits are still the baits to use. Live finger mullets, live pogies, live shrimp, live pin fish, anything still living will catch flounder, drum, and trout. Fresh cut shrimp will always be good bait. But remember, if it's not fresh enough to eat, don't buy it to fish with. Sand fleas will catch just about anything except spot, and some anglers tell me they catch spots with fleas. Blood worms are always good baits for just about anything that swims, especially pin fish. That's one reason I don't usually like to fish with worms. Old fashioned earth worms are also good baits. Dig'em before you leave home. The processed baits like "Fish Bites" are becoming really popular, and will really catch fish. They are so tough, that pin fish and crabs have a harder time picking them off your hook. Of course, no bait is crab proof.
The fishing inside is great. Anglers fishing the docks, bridges, and grass lines from boats are catching lots of "bull red drum" or over the slot drum, and some big speckled trout, up to 6 lbs in the creeks and deep holes. The drum are in shallow water, and are schooling on the incoming tides near oyster beds in less than two feet of water. Stealth is the key. A quiet bait presentation of live bait seems to be the best bet for catching a nice stringer. If you can't find live bait, try light jigs with 3 or 4 inch Berkley Gulp Saltwater lures. My favorites are shrimp and swimming mullet. Just so you will know, East Coast Sports right here on the island, has better prices on Gulp baits than anyone, even Walmart! So stock up next time you are on the island. If you have a trustworthy boat and motor, you might give Banks Channel on the southern end of Topsail Island at Topsail Beach a try. I like to go there when the tide in the sound is coming in, so the current is pulling me away from the inlet. Motor towards the inlet, being careful not to get too close to the rough inlet waters, then drift with the tide using a carolina rig with your bait of choice. Again, use the smallest weight that will hold your bait on the bottom. You want your bait to just bounce across the bottom, that's where old man flounder is lying in wait for your bait.
If you don't have a boat, but would like to try fishing inside in the sound and waterway, you might like to give kayaking a try. There are a couple of places on the island that will rent the complete set-up for a kayak fishing trip. East Coast Sports has rental kayaks, as does Herrings Outdoor Sports. Be sure to wear personal floatation device, because the boat traffic in the ICW can swamp a kayak easily. I have been dunked more than once.
So to sum up, summer time fishing may be slow, but there are fish out there. You just have to work a bit harder to get them.
Good Luck!
Till next time....
Tight lines!
Johnny
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