Good Fishing Returns!

I am happy to report that the fishing on Topsail has returned to the normal outstanding fall levels that we expect during Oct.! It started last Thursday with the nice (24-35") puppy drum schooling up and moving along the beach. For two days in a row there was a school that hung out under the end of the pier! Since then there have been good numbers of them caught every day. I spoke someone this afternoon who has been experiencing an outstanding bite from the surf for the past two days. In just a couple hours of fishing this afternoon, he reported landing 9 quality drum himself!

There has also been a good smattering of everything else. When the wind finally cranked back up on Friday afternoon, the big virginia mullet started biting out on the pier. They have caught them consistently every night since then; fresh shrimp has been the key. After a week long absence, the spots reappeared on Saturday and have been off and on since with good runs Sat. and today. The bluefish have been THICK in the mornings and afternoons with most of the action coming on gotcha plugs. Other catches include spanish, (Saturday) nice flounder, black drum, and a few trout.

The water temps have stabilized and remain average to slightly above average for this time of the year. As far as a fishing "outlook" goes, I am hesitant to make any predictions. As a general rule though, I would look for the drum fishing to continue to be outstanding for at least three to four more weeks, (Oct. and Nov. are our best two months for drum) and for the trout to start bunching up upon the arrival of our next cold front. The spots usually remain strong through the 10th of Nov, and then they become a little more hit or miss, but the ones you do catch later in the year are normally the really BIG yellow bellies. Some of the best spot fishing I have ever experienced has been in late Nov. all by myself on the pier. When I say big, I'm am talking about spots that average just under a pound! Virginia mullet fishing is just now starting to hit its prime, and should only get better over the course of the next week or two. I am really excited that the the nice sized mullet in here this early, this bite should continue through Thanksgiving. They are a really fun fish to catch, not to mention they are one of the best eating fish out there! One other fish that generally shows in good numbers in Nov. is the black drum. Just this week I have heard several reports of them being caught from both the pier and surf.

As always, feel free to give us a call at the tackle shop for an up-to-date fishing report.

Until next time,

Rob Orr

Jolly Roger Pier

803 Ocean Blvd.

Topsail Beach, NC

(910)-328-4616

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