Topsail Fishing Report

Check out our Facebook Message Board Over 380 members and growing!
Do you know the current North Carolina size and catch limits?
Find out here2011 NC Recreational Coastal Waters Guide
<*))))>< <*))))>< <*))))>< <*))))>< <*))))><


Fishing is picking up here at Topsail. All the piers are reporting blues on gotcha plugs in the early am. Keeper spanish have been caught on Surf City Pier and Sea View Pier. Virginia mullet continue to bite, best time is at night. We are seeing more black drum and red drum as the water warms. Flounder are being caught, mostly small, but a couple of nice keepers have come over the rails at Surf City Pier. Very small spots and croakers are mixed in the bunch. And of course, sharks, rays, and puffers are being caught also. I haven't personally caught many puffers this year compared with previous years. I would love to catch enough for a good meal. I love the fish, even though they are hard to dress. I am really enjoying fishing at Surf City Pier this year and catching up with my fishing friends. Catch 'em up! Oh by the way, the Surf City Pier grill, along with their delicious hot dogs and mosquito burger, has a new burger this year. It's a turkey burger and it is GOOD!  A healthy choice for a good lunch / dinner at a great grill. Check it out. Thanks to all the pier folks, especially Vinita and Terry, for making our fishing trips interesting and fun. Surf City Pier is a great place to take kids fishing. It's a dry pier, (no alcohol) and my grand children love going there. The staff is extraordinally friendly to all kids. So, take a kid fishing! It is always great seeing a kid catch a fish, especially their first.


Till next time....
Tight lines!
Johnny

Oregon Inlet article

Check out our Facebook Message Board Over 380 members and growing!
Do you know the current North Carolina size and catch limits?
Find out here2011 NC Recreational Coastal Waters Guide
<*))))>< <*))))>< <*))))>< <*))))>< <*))))><


This is a story about the eventual closing of Oregon Inlet. I enjoyed reading it. Hope you do also. It's a shame the inlet might close. It supports so many families and communities. The economic losses will suprise us. The link is below.

http://www.newsobserver.com/2011/04/26/v-print/1153673/oregon-inlet-2011-how-we-got-here.html

Great area weather and Great area Fishing!

The weather has been just right lately for good inshore and near shore fishing; the great thing is the fishing has been great too! I feel that we are about two weeks ahead of the normal water temps and fishing for this time of year! Here is this weeks fishing report>>>

I’m seeing Bonita, Blues and a few Spanish when we are trolling off the beach to five miles off. Trolling Clark spoons and small deep driver lures has been the key to success. When using the Clark spoons, I would recommend the pink flash spoon in sizes #00, #0 and #1; the pink flash series has really helped me put more fish in the boat. A bird rig on top with a Clark spoon about five to six feet behind it or Blue water Candy Spanish daisy chain (blue, silver, pink) have worked very well on top too. Look for birds working or marking bait on you fish finder is the way to find the feeding fish. When the fish are not on top, I’ve caught some nice Blues and a few Bonita by casting a spoon out and letting it sink down before reeling is in. I’ve found that some times these fish are deeper and you can get them by getting down to deeper water.



With all this warm air lately the Redfish and Black drum have been moving in to the shallower waters. I caught some very nice Reds and Black drum this last few weeks in waters of five to as shallow as one foot deep. The trick for the Reds has been Berkley Gulp Alive in patterns three inch Shrimp and Mud minnow; fishing these baits around docks, oyster rocks and grass lines. Going with lighter jig heads 1/16oz and 1/8oz is working well on the fish that are in one to five foot of water. Bait fishing is still good and will continue right through the summer. Red and Black drum are hitting cut shrimp and mullet on Carolina rigs around the same areas; docks, oyster rocks etc… You never know how big or little the drum will be when you are bait fishing; we’ve had reds as small as fourteen inches and as big as over thirty inches lately.

The Flounder fishing should really start to pick soon, I look for Flounder around the inlets and just off the beach in the spring/early summer mouths. Small baits like mud minnows are great ‘Flounder finder’ baits, you can use these baits for a long time before they die and they are pretty easy to catch. Another way I really like to catch Flounder is with five inch Berkley Gulp Jerkshad; the pinfish don’t seem to tear these apart quite as fast as live baits. Just rig the Berkley Gulp Jerkshad like any grub and keep the flat side of the Jerkshad facing up where the hook comes out. Don’t really worry too much about color, but I would recommend going with brighter colors for Flounder fishing.

Fishing Gear I use:

Reels Penn Fierce and Battle spinning in sizes 2000, 3000 & 4000 sizes. Line: Spiderwire Ultra-cast and Berkley Fireline braid in 8, 10 and 15 pound. Rods: Fenwick HMG GS 70M-MF, Ugly stick lites 6’6” and 7’ Med & Med-Heavy. Leader material: Berkley Big Game mono & Fluorocarbon. Stren Fluorocarbon leader material in Tannic and Gunsmoke tints; tannic for river and stained waters, gunsmoke for clear water applications.

Thanks for reading this report, if you have any questions just let me know! If you would like to go fishing drop me a line; I’m booking now for this coming summer fishing season and don’t forget to take a kid fishing!

Good Luck,

Captain Jot Owens
Ranger Boats Pro Staff
PENN Reels Elite Staff
www.captainjot.com
910-233-4139


Check out our Facebook Message Board Over 380 members and growing!
Do you know the current North Carolina size and catch limits?
Find out here2011 NC Recreational Coastal Waters Guide

<*))))>< <*))))>< <*))))>< <*))))>< <*))))><

Bigger dredge to help keep Oregon Inlet open

Check out our Facebook Message Board Over 380 members and growing!
Do you know the current North Carolina size and catch limits?
Find out here2011 NC Recreational Coastal Waters Guide

Make a Comment? Read Comments?
Click on the COMMENTS button on bottom of this post.

<*))))>< <*))))>< <*))))>< <*))))>< <*))))><

WRAL TV 5 in Raleigh posted this note concerning Oregon Inlet.
WRAL Web Editor: Matthew Burns

Here is the link to the story on WRAL T V5.

Till next time....
Tight lines!
Johnny

Blues Biting Hard

Check out our Facebook Message Board Over 380 members and growing!
Do you know the current North Carolina size and catch limits?
Find out here2011 NC Recreational Coastal Waters Guide

Make a Comment? Read Comments?
Click on the COMMENTS button on bottom of this post.

<*))))>< <*))))>< <*))))>< <*))))>< <*))))><

Hello from Topsail Beach. The Jolly Roger Pier reports that the blues were biting gotcha plugs on every cast this morning. Hate I missed it. Oh well, maybe tomorrow.

Till next time....
Tight lines!
Johnny

Surf City Pier: Virginia Mullet Bite Good

Check out our Facebook Message Board Over 380 members and growing!
Do you know the current North Carolina size and catch limits?
Find out here2011 NC Recreational Coastal Waters Guide

Make a Comment? Read Comments?
Click on the COMMENTS button on bottom of this post.

<*))))>< <*))))>< <*))))>< <*))))>< <*))))><

Hello from Topsail Island. I fished the Surf City Pier this am. The va mullet bite was really good. I caught several nice (one pound plus) mullets and several smaller keepers and released a number of small fish. There was a gray trout, several spots, and a couple of sharks that were undersized and released. There was a nice crowd there, and lots of talk about last nights catch. In the early am, there were lots of small blues caught on gotcha plugs, with some anglers keeping their limit of 15 blues each. These were not big chopper blues, but were reported to be "nice cooking size.

Jolly Roger Pier fishing report: [quote] "Fishing Report 4/18/11; A 25 inch puppy drum was caught by Jim Tsioumos Sunday afternoon. Sunday morning had blues on GotCha lures in good numbers. The mullet bite is still happening as well. Good Spring fishing!" [end quote]

Sea View Pier fishing report for 04-18-2011 [quote] "Today started off just like the last few days with a good blue fish bite in the morning’s high tide. Blue up to 3 pounds have been landed on plugs and jigs. Those fishing bait on the bottom have been getting sea mullets, croakers, spots, black drum, grey trout, skates, sharks and larger cow nose rays. Cow nose rays up to 30 pounds have been hooked and released." [end quote]




I saw large sand fleas in one anglers bucket, that were raked up under the SC pier at low tide yesterday. Spring fishing is quickle falling into place. With winds out of the south and west, the middle 60 degree water should warm quickly.

Till next time....
Tight lines!
Johnny

Surf City Pier Update 4-16-2011 _ Jordan's First Fish!

Check out our Facebook Message Board Over 380 members and growing!
Do you know the current North Carolina size and catch limits?
Find out here2011 NC Recreational Coastal Waters Guide

Make a Comment? Read Comments?
Click on the COMMENTS button on bottom of this post.

<*))))>< <*))))>< <*))))>< <*))))>< <*))))><

Surf City Pier angler Jordan with her first caught fish EVER! A nice pan sized virginia mullet. Congratulations Jordan! Good job!

There was a good bite at Surf City Pier Friday night. Anglers that left before 9pm missed out on a good run of virginia mullets. Most of the nice cooler of mullets were caught near or at the end of the pier. Congrats to the family that caught these nice fish!

The mullet bite slowed a bit today, with the storms heading our way the sea is really "angry." High waves, wind and whitecaps as far as you can see. Todays water temps: Today's Topsail Island Sea Temperature is: 15.7 °C (60 °F) thanks to www.surf-forcast.com.

Till next time....
tight lines!
Johnny

SC Pier Update

Fishing is slow at Surf City pier today. I have seen 2 nice va mullets, along with small mullets and puffers. NE wind, stiff and cool. Reports of nice catches here after 7pm last evening.
Johnny
Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

Finally Home

Check out our Facebook Message Board Over 380 members and growing!
Do you know the current North Carolina size and catch limits?
Find out here2011 NC Recreational Coastal Waters Guide

Make a Comment? Read Comments?
Click on the COMMENTS button on bottom of this post.

<*))))>< <*))))>< <*))))>< <*))))>< <*))))><

Hello from Topsail Beach, North Carolina.
I am home from the hospital and kidney stone surgery. Thanks for all your well wishes and prayers. A couple of days rest and I'll see you all on the beach soon.

I hear there are some sea mullets biting from the piers. Got a good report from Surf City pier, sea mullets, puffers, small spots, dogfish and skates. No reports of blues yet from the SC pier. Heard of a couple small blues on bottom rigs from Jolly Roger. Sea View reports sharks, a few mullets, small spots and slicks. I heard of some catches of reds at the south end at New Topsail Inlet and across the inlet at Lee island. Surf fishing very slow everywhere else.

Till next time....
Tight lines!
Johnny