Great Fishing-5/17/10

The fishing is simply outstanding right now. May is always a great month for fishing at Topsail, but this year it has undoubtably been above average. The spanish mackerel and blue fish bite has been especially good. Fishermen (and women) on the Jolly Roger have been bringing in limits of both daily for over 10 days now! I have lived and fished at Topsail my entire life, and can't remember a spanish run that was this good and lasted this long. Gotcha plugs have been hands down the lure of choice for both the spanish and blues. The top colors have been white/red, white/blue, and white/chartreuse. On the sunny days when the water is clear and the spanish are more finicky, the silver chrome plugs have fared better. Early in the morning and late in the afternoon during low light conditions the all chartreuse gotchas show up and perform slightly better. Anglers bottom fishing at night have had good success with the virginia mullet for the last five nights. Fresh shrimp and orange clam fishbites have been the best baits for the mullet. Although there have been several cobia sighted, the king fishermen on the end have yet to land the first "big" fish of the year. Conditions are perfect, and with all of the menhaden, blues, and shad stacked up on the beach, it is only a matter of time.

Inshore: The fishing has improved dramatically in the last week. I spoke with several different groups who had success catching nice sized flounder and trout, both in the sound, and in the intercoastal waterway.

Offshore: Like both of the above reports, offshore fishing is just about as good as it gets right now. Nearshore the spanish and blue fishing is off the charts. Cobia are hanging out around the inlets and on the tidelines. The king mackerel have also moved into the nearshore hardbottom areas along with their favorite prey; the cigar minnow. Offshore just a bit further the flying fish and mahi are beginning to show up. I talked with several people who found flying fish as close as 5-12 miles, and there has been a showing or mahi in the 91-120' range. Grouper/bottom fishing in the same range is producing good catches of many species of bottom fish. In the Gulf Stream the mahi are THICK! Catches of up to 50 gaffers per boat have been reported within the last week. Wahoo and blackfin tuna area also mixed in with the mahi.

If you are thinking of heading to the beach for a fishing trip, don't delay! The fishing is great right now, but there is no telling how long it will last. Remember to give us a call at the Jolly Roger for daily updates/information.

Capt. Rob Orr

Jolly Roger Pier

Topsail Beach, NC

(910)-328-4616

www.jollyrogertopsailbeach.com

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