Hello everyone!
It has been an incredibly long and cold winter down here on Topsail Beach. Thankfully, I think winter has finally loosened its grip on us. We had several beautiful days earlier in the week, and with this rain we are now having, everything should be green in no time. It won't be long before the fishing really starts to take off. This warmer weather has already had an effect with the water temperature. It jumped from the mid-upper 40's to 51.5 in just two days! The upper slot to oversized drum are already out and moving about. Several large schools have been sighted moving up and down the beach. Scented baits such as Berkley Gulp with a light (1/16) once jig head, or white (clear water) and chartreuse (dirty water) bucktails are good baits for the drum.
We are all eagerly awaiting the arrival of the first virginia mullet. I feel that they might be just a little late this year due to the extremely cold winter. If this water temperature continues to rise, however, they should be here within the next couple weeks. There is nothing like the first batch of fresh fish coming out of the fryer in the spring; especially when it is virginia mullet! After they arrive everything else should quickly fall into place. If you haven't done much springtime fishing at Topsail, and are interested in giving it a try this year, I invite you to join the Jolly Roger Inn and Pier's new Facebook page and check out the spring fishing essay. It will give you an overview of what type of fishing goes on during the spring, and exactly when it all happens.
Offshore fishing is also starting to heat up. It is a bit hit or miss as of right now, but improving daily. We ventured out to the Gulf Stream earlier this week on our first shakedown trip of the year. Did I mention the fishing had been hit or miss so far? Unfortunately we missed on this trip. The conditions changed overnight, and the weatherman was a bit "off" on his forecast. Instead of 2' seas and 10-knot winds, we found 4' seas and 20-knot winds. Needless to say it was a bit uncomfortable. The Jones Brothers Cape Fisherman handled it well though, and it was very nice to stick my hand down into lukewarm 74-degree water for a change! Everyone we spoke to reported the same thing. It was one of those "should have been here yesterday" deals. The people fishing that area the day before had done really well on the large wahoo and blackfin tuna. Oh well, thats why they call it fishing! A little closer to shore the black seabass fishing has been good lately. Most of the larger fish are holding in the 20+ mile range, although there are opportunities to find them closer to shore. The grouper are also holding on these same rocks and ledges, but with the current closure, it is illegal to keep any species of grouper.
It is time to replace that old line and sharpen the those rusty hooks; fishing season is just around the corner! Give us a call at the office for up to date reports, and to make reservations for your spring fishing adventure!
Hope to see you soon!
Capt. Rob Orr
Jolly Roger Inn and Pier
Topsail Beach, NC
(910)-328-4616
Topsail Area Charter Boats
2009 NC Recreational Coastal Waters Guide
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