Big Blues-Finger Mullets in the Surf

A 22lb king was caught from Surf City Pier yesterday. First one in a while. The pluggers have been catching a few blues in the morning along with some nice size spanish. The flounder bite remains good, with a few keepers coming over the rail each day. There are a few mullets at night, with a few spots, but not big ones.

I decided to try my luck in the surf this morning. I had my line in the water a little after seven. My bait consisted of three dozen live shrimp and four dozen live finger mullets. The mullet minnows were a little on the large size. The morning started out with a bang. I baited up with shrimp, and started throwing a mirro-lure hoping to latch onto a speckled trout. My bottom rig (shrimp)doubled over then went slack. I tightened the line, the fish made a hard run when it felt pressure. I gained a little ground, then another hard run, and then the line got tangled on something under the surface, and my line was broken. After tying another rig, and baiting with another live shrimp, I went back to casting my mirro-lure. After a couple of lost shrimp probably to pin fish, I got another good bite, this time bringing the fish all the way in to the breakers. But luck was not on my side, and a breaking wave knocked a big spec off my hook, just as I dragged it onto the sand. Fish 2, Horner 0. My friend Tommy got there about the time I was finishing my rant about loosing my biggest spec of the year.

Soon after big schools of mullet minnows were moving south down the beach, and with them came the blues. Big chopper blues. We went through all the shrimp, and all the finger mullets by afternoon, and I was in the surf throwing my cast net for more. We ended up catching 3 nice choppers, which Tom and Susan put away along with some fresh shrimp for their supper.

We should have caught more, but I didn't have any wire leaders, and I got cut off I don't know how many times. I thought I was going to run out of gear before I ran out of bait. After getting a hard bite, we would have just the head of our mullet minnow, or just the tail, whatever part we put the hook into was the part the blues would leave behind. Other anglers up and down the beach tried throwing gotchas and other lures, but the blues wouldn't bit anything but the live minnows. At times the water was black with bait fish.

But all in all, it was a fun day and one thing I learned is that I should always have a couple of wire leaders in my box. Another thing is that the speckled trout are starting to show up in the surf. Go to your favorite tackle shop, if you are going to be on Topsail Island soon, visit Chris at East Coast Sports, or Steve at Herring's Outdoor Sports and find out what the most popular mirro-lure colors are for this year. I haven't heard anything about the Berkley Gulp Salt Water baits for trout, but if they work for specs like they work for flounder and reds, better stock up on them while you are at the tackle shop also.

Till next time....
Tight Lines!
Johnny

Flounder and Nothing Much More at Pier

There are some flounder being caught from the Surf City Pier during the day. Most are biting finger mullets, which are kind of hard to find, so I am being told. I haven't been out too much lately. At night there are a few virginia mullets being caught, but not much else. Where are the spots? Waiting on a sustained NE wind, so the ol'timers tell me. Keep in touch with Chris at East Coast Sports or click his website for the latest in weather information. Stock up on "Fish Bites" before the run starts, they will get scarce. Chris has a full rack!

Till next time....
Tight Lines!
Johnny

Migraine-Northeast Wind

I have been in bed all day with a migraine. I went to doc this morning for a shot to put me down for the day. Hopefully I'll be back soon.

Weather says NorthEast winds tomorrow (Wednesday), this may bring in the fish to Topsail Island. Especially the spots. If you are not working tomorrow, and you like spots, got on down here and try them. Spots love the new Fish Bites, and you can get more than one fish on one little half inch piece. My Dad caught 12 spots last month on one piece. You can get them at East Coast Sports, and are very reasonable if you consider the amount of fish you can catch on a bag. Another thing I like about them, they don't stink if you leave them in the truck! If you like the fresh live worms, East Coast has them also, or you can get them at Herrings.

Until Next Time....
Tight Lines!
Johnny


17220

Fellow Kayak Angler - Email

This post is a series of emails and responses I received from kayak angler Andrew from Sneads Ferry, who reads the blog and is asking for tips for catching reds. I am posting them with his permission. If you would like to correspond with Andrew, send me an email and I will forward it to Andrew to get the channel of communication open. I hope you enjoy.

Begin Emails.



andrew wrote:

I just wanted to drop you a line and say that I am enjoying your blog. I
check in frequently. I recently got into kayak fishing myself, but haven't
had much luck. I noticed that a lot of your pictures look like they are
taking from the dock behind Herring OS. I put in there once, do you live
around there? Maybe I will see you on the water.

Well, anyways, just wanted to say hi and I appreciate the posts.

Take care,

Andrew


My response;
Date: Sat, 23 Sep 2006 21:27:30 -0700 (PDT)
From: "Johnny Horner" Add to Address BookAdd to Address Book Add Mobile Alert
Subject: Re: Hello
To: "andrew"

Hi Andrew, Thanks for your email and for reading my blog. I do live near Herrings. Steve (at Herring's) is a good friend, and I usually put in at Herring's dock. Do you live in the Topsail area or vacation here? Fishing has been really bad in the surf and piers this year, I have been fishing more from the kayak, hitting the creeks and flats. I have been lucky with the reds this year. And finding the "fish candy" Berkley Gulp was a big help. The fish really love it. I am sorry you aren't having much luck with the drum, if you have specifc questions, I'll be happy to help if I can. Keep in touch.
Johnny


Andrew responded;

Thanks for the reply,

I live in Sneads Ferry, but I travel around putting in at different spots.
Have you had particularly good luck at certain spots. I have fished back
behind Herrings in the creeks, the Chadwick Bay and surrounding ICW, and I
let in on the south side of the island and fished across the ICW in the
creeks. If you have any recommendations please let me know.

Thanks,

Andrew


My response;
Date: Sun, 24 Sep 2006 05:38:37 -0700 (PDT)
From: "Johnny Horner" Add to Address BookAdd to Address Book Add Mobile Alert
Subject: Re: Hello
To: "andrew"
I love Sneads Ferry Andrew. Donna and I brought our family to Topsail Island in the late 70's for our annual vacations, and I had to make the annual pilgrimage to Sneads Ferry just to take in the sights of an authentic fishing village.

Andrew, these fish are just about everywhere off the ICW. Try the larger "flats"areas first, and if you don't find them go to the smaller creeks. They are usually in very shallow water, from 18 inches down to 8 inches. Chris Medlin at East Coast Sports caught one behind his store in less than 8 inches of water. My favorite bait is the Berkley Gulp 3" White Shrimp, which you can get at East Coast, but they will bite spinner baits, live shrimp, finger mullet, pogies, and even cut shrimp when they are feeding. I think the key is to be quiet. The stealth and the ability to fish in very skinny water is what I like about the kayak. I use the wind and current to my advantage, and position my boat where they will move me over where I want to fish without having to put a paddle in the water. If you are using a carolina rig to present the bait, get the very small egg slip sinkers. I think mine are 1/8 ounce or maybe 1/4 ounce. I got them at East Coast which is the only place I have found the really small ones. I think the big splash of a larger weight might spook the reds. Sometimes, if the wind is really calm, I even rig with just a swivel and no weight. I don't use the red beads for this rig. Stay away from high traffic areas, and look for grassy banks that are near oyster beds. Reds love crabs, and crabs love oysters. Hope this helps. When you go to East Coast to get your Gulp and 1/8 oz egg weights, talk to Chris. He has caught more reds than I will ever catch and I know he can give you some more pointers.

Thanks again for the email, and good luck with the reds.

Tight lines!
Johnny



Thanks again Andrew for allowing me to post your emails, and good luck with the kayak adventures. If you only try one thing I mentioned, let it be the Berkley Gulp Saltwater 3" Shrimp, (East Coast seems to always have the 3" in stock) rigged carolina style with the small egg sinker or no weight at all. Throw out the bait a good distance from the boat and let it drift with the current. If you don't get a hit, try throwing to the banks, and move it very slowly. Thats the way I have had the most luck with this bait.

Till next time....
Tight Lines!
Johnny

Happy First Birthday Anna!

This is a picture of our youngest grandaughter Anna who was one year old on September 19, 2006. Anna's Mom and Dad are our Son and Daughter-in-Law, Scott and Jennifer, and Anna is their first child. Anna spent her first birthday at the beach with her MawMaw and PawPaw Horner. (That's us!) There are some more picture posted below of Anna and her Proud Mom and Dad, Scott and Jennifer.

The picture below is our other three granddaughters Christina, Erin, and Breanna. These lovely treasures are our Daughter Emiley's and Son-in-Law Ryan's daughters. And of course, you already know grandson Zack, which is pictured below also. God has blessed Donna and I with these wonderful children and grandchildren which we love and miss so very much. We look forward to our next visit with each of them.

No Fish, Rough Surf, South Wind

I fished a bit in the surf today. The surf was very rough. I didn't get a bite. Tommy came over to the beach at low tide, and he found some fleas, they were in the waters edge at dead low tide and deep. He only found a few here, and a few there. Unusual, I usually find them farther up the beach. Donna and I went to the pier. Nothing going on there today either. There have been a few flounder the past few days, and a couple of black drum. We are still waiting for the wind to change to NE. I haven't seen or heard of a king or spanish in weeks. Still hoping for the trout as the water cools some more.

Slot size drum are still being caught in the shallow tidal creeks and flats off the ICW. Slow fished spinner baits, or Berkley Gulp Shrimp seems to be the best baits. I am starting to hear of a few being caught on live mullet and live shrimp.

Till next time...
Tight Lines!
Johnny

Son Scott, First Kayak Redfish

Our son Scott, daughter-in-law Jennifer and Granddaughter Anna are visiting from Conover this week. We are very happy to see them. Anna is growing so fast and we don't get to see them as often as we would like to.

Scott and I went out for his first kayak fishing outing Wednesday afternoon. The wind was out of the South something and nothing much was biting from the pier of surf, so when the wind lay down a bit we decided to give the kayaks a try. We paddled out to the ICW, trailing carolina rigged Berkley Gulp 2 inch Shrimp. I like 3 inch better, but Herring's was sold out of the three inch. Chris at East Coast Sports has the three inch Gulp Shrimp in stock now, but I didn't get there before we left to go out. On the way out I caught a small flounder which was released. We arrived at our intended location, tidal flats just off the ICW, and I started throwing a Mirro-lure while Scott was rigged with a spinner bait with a white currly tail grub (gold metal flake). Both of us were trailing a Berkley Gulp as we drifted with the breeze. After about an hour from the time we left the dock, Scott hooked up with his first red. He didn't seem too impressed, as the fish swam straight toward the boat, and Scott remarked "It's not very big." But when the red saw the kayak, it rocketed away with a reel burning run that caused Scott to hollar like us southern boys do, "OH MAN!"

After three more schorching runs and a couple of 360 kayak spins, the red was landed and measured. 26 inches. "Yea Scott, not very big. Any bigger and you would have to release it!" A while later, while Scott was exploring the flats and throwing the spinner, and I was anchored to fix a problem with a reel, the drag on my trailing rod began to scream. I realed in a 23 inch red which was released. (I have three in the freezer)

Scott said he had great fun. We got lucky for his first trip out. Isn't that the way is goes? Fishing is a great activity, and God aproves. That is why he always lets new comers catch a big one. Then they are hooked!

Until next time...
Tight Lines!
Johnny

From Cullowhee to Surf City!

Congratulations to Herb Potts who drove from Cullowhee, North Carolina to Surf City, North Carolina to try his luck with red drum. Well as it turn out, Herb's luck with the elusive red drum is pretty good. He hook up with a nice'un, a 23 inch slot fish that bit a piece of cut shrimp on a carolina rig and quoting Herb, "made several blistering runs before I could get him in the boat."

Herb was fishing in from a kayak rented from Herring's Outdoor Sports in Surf City. If you haven't hooked up with a five or six pound "puppy" drum while fishing from a kayak with light tackle, you have "missed the boat". The rocket like runs that these torpedo shaped fish make are nothing less than spectacular, and in my opinion makes the name "puppy" drum completely laughable.

Wind Still Wrong

The wind is still out of the SW and pretty strong, 15 to 20, the ocean water temperature at Topsail Island is in the middle to low 70's, and fishing is slow. The early morning is bringing a few blues and spanish from the piers, and a few pompano, black drum and flounder from the piers and surf. The speckled trout should have started showing up in numbers by now, but I haven't heard much about them. Nighttime fishing is slow, with a few sharks and small sea mullets. With winds forecast to change Thursday to NNE, and then E Friday, maybe the fish will move back in and fishing will improve. I will watch it closely and let you know. Sand fleas have been hard to find, but they are there. I have found them about 8 to 10 inches deep from five to seven feet from the max high tide line. They are easiest to find on a rising tide, as the wave action is washing some of the sand from the fleas. Best to dig your fleas early then fish near high tide for the large mullet, black and red drum. If you are looking for the bigger florida pompano, try casting to the sandbars baited with a sandflea.

We are waiting for the wind to change, and blow the schools of spots and mullets inshore. So, check the weather, and look for the NE wind, which will produce best on Topsail Island this time of year.

Oh yes, Herring's Outdoor Sports has bloodworms. I think price is $10.50 a dozen, but call ahead to be sure. Telephone number is 910-328-3291.

East Coast Sports is having a sale on fishing reels. The last time I was in they had Diawa reels, BUY ONE, GET ONE FREE!!! WHAT A DEAL!!! See Chris, Doug, Cathy (manager in training) or one of the other helpful folks at East Coast Sports, and let them help you with a new reel just in time for speckled trout season.

Till next time....
Tight Lines!
Johnny

Migraine

I woke up with a migraine Saturday morning, and it just got worse. I finally went to fueled up with meds and went to bed at 3pm. And only got up for BR breaks until about 5 this afternoon. Nausea, which was really bad last night and this morning, has eased a bit, and I actually ate a sandwich a bit ago.

Sorry, nothing to report as far as fishing goes. I know the wind has changed, and I heard this afternoon that the spots that were biting earlier in the week had slowed a bit. I know the water has cooled a little more, and that should mean the specs will start showing up early mornings if they haven't already. I think Herring's Outdoor Sports will have more of the large bloodworms Monday or Tuesday morning. Call them or send me an email and I will check for you before you make the trip.

I will get some more info posted as soon as I can out. Hopefully by morning, I will be able to face the sun.

Until next time...
Tight Lines!
Johnny

I See Spots! And Spot Tails!

More about the beauty above in a moment!

I had a pretty bad migraine this morning so I didn't go with Dad to Surf City Pier where the spots have been biting for a couple of days. This is not a "BLITZ" now, but a nice yellow belly spot every ten minutes or so isn't a bad morning. Dad came home with 20 nice yellow belly spots, and only fished for a few hours. Shrimp wasn't the bait of choice today however, and Dad visited the bait shop at the Surf City Pier and bought a bag of Fish Bites, Shrimp Flavor. This stuff is like candy to spots. They love it! And the great thing about Fish Bites, is you can catch as many as half a dozen spots on one little piece. So they don't cost very much in the long run when you figure how many spots you can catch with a bag of them. Spots isn't the only fish biting although they are the star of the show. There are also a few black drum, croaker, puppy drum, and the occasional flounder showing up in a few coolers on the pier also.

Now, as for the BEAUTY at the top of the page, I caught this one tonight (Wednesday) while fishing off my back porch. I did't weigh the BEAST but she was 22 1/2 inches long. She bit what is fast becoming my favorite bait for drum as well as flounder, Berkley Gulp Saltwater 3 inch Shrimp. I bought these at Herring's Outdoor Sports. Herring's has all the Gulp Saltwater line in stock. Herring's also has some beautiful bloodworms FRESH from the farm in Maine! They have the LARGE worms in stock, and at Herring's, you get a full DOZEN, NOT JUST 10, like you might get at some other places.

My Mom and Dad, sometimes referred to as "Momenem" (southern speak) are visiting this week from Burlington, North Carolina. I wanted to take Dad out in the kayak, but it's been too windy so far this week. As I said earlier in the post, I woke with a migraine this morning, and Dad went to the pier and wore the spots out. Later in the day, I was feeling better and the wind had died down a bit, so we loaded up the kayak and headed up the creek to see if we could locate a couple of red drum. We scored with a couple of flounder, both just a bit too small, but we couldn't find any reds, So we headed back home just before dark anticipating the fish dinner we had planned for the evening. After the "yak" was unloaded and put away, we went inside getting ready to go out for our meal. We were taking our catch from earlier in the week to Batt's Grill for a "Bring Your Own Feast". Just as we were leaving, I tossed the Berkley Gulp Saltwater Shrimp I had been fishing with earlier in the afternoon, into the creek and set the rod down on the porch. We gorged ourselves on fish, fries, hushpuppies, slaw, and a gallon of sweet tea. The fish was cooked to perfection, and the fries, slaw and hushpuppies were cooked just crispy enough. We ate our fill, Mom and Dad went back home, and I walked down to IGA and waited with Donna until she finished work, then rode home with her.

After we returned home, I went to the back porch to get in my fishing rod and reel, and as I reeled in the slack, I was supprised with a blistering run by the nasty old drum at the end of the line. It was dark by now, and I couldn't see into the water to see what I had hooked. I called for Dad to bring a flashlight, and to our suprise, we saw the beautiful red, shinning in the light. She had been hooked up by the circle hook for a while I think, because she didn't have much more fight left in her. The one long run was the all she had left, or so I thought, until I tried to pick her up from the waters edge in the grass. Off she goes again. Not a long run, but flopping one side to the other, making it almost impossible for me to get hold of her. I thought I was going to loose her before I could get her landed.

So, now I have another fish tale for the pier, during the slow times, and for when I call the grandchildren, especially Zack. He always ask if I am catching any fish. So this time, I can say, "Yea man, wait 'till you hear about the big one I caught from the back porch!"

Until next time....
Tight Lines!
Johnny

Spots at Surf City Pier

Breaking news.....
Spots are biting at Surf City Pier. They are nice size too! They aren't coming up two at a time, but folks are catching good numbers. Seem to be biting bloodworms better, but some are being caught on shrimp also. Herring's Outdoor Sports has nice big fresh bloodworms if you need them.

Until Next time...
Tight Lines!
Johnny

Red Drum at North Topsail Beach! WOW

Here is an email I received from a family on September 4th that vacations on Topsail Island. The Brothers family, also FishinTopsail's Blog readers, recently spent their summer vacation here and sent these pictures as proof of their fishing success while enjoying our wonderful beaches. Bruce had emailed me about their success and I ask him for pictures which he graciously sent. Thanks to Bruce and family, wife Karen, and son Christopher, for sharing their vacation, and congratulations to all for a wonderful stringer of fish. Besides the two shown in the pictures, they caught two more, and all four were released to fight with another angler yet another day!

email follows;

"Hi Johnny,

Wanted to get these to you earlier but I've been busy back in NY getting ready for the opening of another school year. We had a killer day about 2-3 weeks ago. One afternoon we cought a 29", 26", 22" and 20" Puppy drum. This picture is the 29" fish that my son Christopher cought. You can tell by the smile on his face that he was happy with his catch. The next picture is the 26" fish that my wife Karen caught.
Feel free to add them to your blog.

Sincerely,

Bruce Brothers"


My apologies to Bruce for taking so long to get these posted. I had a problem getting the pictures to open for the blog. I finally got it solved. Thanks again Bruce.

A reminder, I will be honored to post any pictures of anyones catch in the Topsail area. Just send in a digital pic attached to an email, jpeg format, along with the fish tale that goes with the picture. I am thinking of awarding a prize for the best fish tale if I get enough response. Something to think about.

Until next time....
Tight Lines!
Johnny

Housework Bad! Fishing Good!

The view above is what I see as I look out my window while typing my blog entry. Ask me if I believe in God. This beauty can not be an accident.

Before I start my report today, I would like to give a shout out to my new friend and fishing bud Donald. Donald is a military man, back from Afghanistan now serving his country in our area. I met Donald on the SCP last night and we fished and talked for a while. God Bless Donald and his family, and all our military families for their great sacrifice while protecting US, YOU AND ME, OUR WAY OF LIFE, AND OUR FREEDOM. As I have said before and will say again.

FREEDOM IS NOT FREE! IT MUST BE PAID FOR. IT HAS BEEN PAID FOR BY THE BLOOD AND BRAVERY OF THOSE WHO CAME BEFORE US. IT IS BEING PAID FOR NOW, BY THE BLOOD AND BRAVERY OF THOSE WHO CHOOSE TO SERVE, AND IF WE ARE TO REMAIN FREE, IT WILL BE PAID FOR TIME AND TIME AGAIN. BECAUSE THERE ARE ALWAYS THOSE WHO WANT TO DESTROY AMERICA AND OUR WAY OF LIFE. DO YOU REALIZE THAT THE LONGEST A DEMOCRACY HAS EVER LASTED IS ABOUT 200 YEARS? DO YOU KNOW WHY? MOSTLY BECAUSE ITS PEOPLE BECOME COMPLAISANT AND LOOSE THE RESOLVE TO FIGHT FOR THEIR FREEDOMS WHICH THEY JUST LET SLIP AWAY.

SO IF YOU KNOW SOMEONE WHO IS SERVING OUR COUNTRY, GIVE THEM A CALL OR SEND A LETTER OR A CARE PACKAGE, JUST LET THEM KNOW YOU SUPPORT THEM. IT CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE.

GOD BLESS YOU DONALD, GOD BLESS YOUR FAMILY, AND THE FAMILIES OF ALL YOUR BROTHERS AND SISTERS SERVING OUR GREAT NATION!

Now, to fishing.....
After a week long migraine, my to-do list gets long. And, since I am retired, and do nothing outside the home, but fish, and occasionally a stretch of making some pottery, I do all the housework. So now that I have my chores caught up, (sort of) I hit the pier Thursday and Friday nights. A stiff wind was "in my face" as I stood on Surf City Pier looking towards North Topsail Beach, which is just the conditions that Donna's dad, locally known as "Mr. Lee", always said was the perfect wind conditions for a night of fall fishing. Well, Mr. Lee was right on Thursday night, because I landed no less than six different kinds of fish, and most were nice size fish at that. My stringer was highlighted by a couple of two pound black drum, perfect size for grilling, and a 15 inch gray trout. The gray came with a humorous story which I will share sometime when I don't have fish to talk about. Also included in my cooler was croaker, bigger than usually for this area, but not big enough to be called "Chesapeake croakers" like my brother Jesse, (lives in Virginia) catches in the Chesapeake Bay and James River that weighs up to two pounds. I also landed a nice puppy drum, but no matter how I stretched the fish, it wouldn't hit the 18 inch mark on my fish ruler. Fishin' bud and friends Ken and Karen contributed some large spot and sea mullet making a nice night of fishing on the Surf City Pier. I have to give some of the credit to the beautiful ocean shrimp that I bought at Herrings Outdoor Sports. They were so fresh they were practically swimming! As impressive as I thought our stringer of fish was, it paled in comparison to some others. There were coolers with as many as four black drum, not small ones like mine, but huge ones with tails sticking out of the cooler tops. There were coolers half full of nice spots. A flounder, about two pounds was caught by Mike Becker, author of the weekly fishing report in the Topsail advertiser and publisher of a fishing blog called "Topsail Angler".
During the daytime on Surf City pier, the guys and gals who target sheephead are getting a few, and friend and fellow angler Glenn has an eight pounder to his credit this year. Glenn has the touch with sheephead. Glenn is also catching some nice spanish plugging with gotcha plugs.
Most of the serious pluggers are catching blues and spanish during the morning hours, and bottom anglers are catching blues all day and into the night. As for spanish, they were so thick Thursday, now get this, that a guy bottom fishing caught one on a piece of cut shrimp and a bottom rig right behind the breakers! Neighbor and friend Tommy while throwing his cast net in the breakers near old Barnacle bills pier had a large spanish or small king pass within a few feet of where he was standing. So what I am saying is, the fish are thick! Bait is everywhere. Large schools of huge row mullet are passing by the pier one school after another. Most are just out of reach of cast nets, but a few are being caught by the serious cast netters.
As the flood water from the recent storm makes it's way down to the sounds and inlets from the rivers and creeks upstream, I am concerned that the huge influx of fresh water doesn't run the abundance of fish we seem to have back out into the deeper water. If that happens, we will just have to wait until they return.

On another note, I have always heard that when we see yellow butterflys coming in across the ocean in the fall, the huge yellow bellied spots will follow close behind. Well I have seen a few in the past week. But as I am sitting at my computer looking out over the salt marsh, what seems like hundreds of them are flying inland. So hopefully all the lovers of the famous panfish that has a festival named after it, the "Spot" will have all they can catch in the coming days. So if any of you are reading this, get your gear ready and loaded in the truck or van, or wagon, or however you get here, 'cause,

them spots, they are a comin'!

Till next time.....
Tight Lines!
Johnny



16015

Finally, Water Cools, Fish Return to Surf City Pier

Send Johnny an E-Mail
I went fishing last night for the first time in a couple fo weeks. I joined friends Ken and Karen, Andreaus, Karen, and Mike. My wonderful, loving, UNDERSTANDING wife, Donna, was working. I have to say that it wasn't my night, but any time fishing is good, right? I only caught two very small spots, but the fish were biting. And they were biting well. All up and down the pier, anglers were pulling in the fish. Puppy drum, sea mullet, croaker, not the croaker we usually see in N.C. but big Virginia croaker. And spot, the yellow belly spot that usually show up in late September or early October. And black drum. I have never seen so many black drum, in the two to three lb range, caught on the same night. One lady caught three black drum that would go three pounds easily. She was fishing with artificial bloodworms and fresh shrimp, but using a bottom rig that had colorful skirts. Skirts that, according to her, "matches my shirt". Well Ken went to the pier house and returned with an identical rig, and although it didn't "match" his shirt, it seems that it makes a difference, because Ken did have a monster on the line, but dropped off on the way up. What a night for us not to have a drop net. Looked to me like the black drum would have went five pounds easily. The north side was diffinately the better side, but fish were coming over the rail on the south side as well. I had a good hit on my penn gear, set up for drum with a fish finder rig and spot head. But when I locked down the spool, the fish pulled loose with the fish head. Andreas' son Mike was the "HERO" of our group, pulling in fish after fish, mullet, pompano, and croaker. Not little ones either. They will make a fine meal. I think Mike is going to give pier fishing lessons every Thursday and I am going to get my reservation in before the class fills up! Thanks to the recent tropical storm that dumped at least twelve inches of rain on Topsail Island in 24 hours, which cooled the sea water down from 84 to 81 degrees. That doesn't seem like much but something happened to turn the fish on, and I can't think of anything else.

So if you if you have been waiting for the fish to come in, seems to me the wait is over. October may have come early this year. Get your stuff and come on down.

Oh, I almost forgot to mention, the puppy drum and flounder were still biting in the tidal creeks and sounds off the ICW before the storm. I don't know what effects Ernesto will have on the waters behind the island. But try using the Berkley Saltwater Gulp Shrimp, thats what they were biting last week. It seems the best way to fish them, is not to. Just let them lay, or move with the current, and hold on.

Just a note, Herrings Outdoor Sports has fresh
bloodworms. Go gettum' while you can! Those spots just love 'em!

For pictures of last nights fishing at Surf City Pier, click on the link below.

Surf City Pier Pictures

Till next time....
Tight Lines!
Johnny

Tropical Storm Nearly a Hurricane

The picture above, illustrates why I don't surf.

Sorry I haven't posted. I have had a killer, KILLER, migraine. This one has lasted most of two weeks. But, here we go. Tropical storm Ernesto made landfall just south of Topsail Island at Long Beach, putting us in the North East quadrant of the storm, which the hurricane experts say is almost as bad as a direct hit. We had twelve inches of rain in a 24 hour period. Lots of street flooding, some sound and tidal marsh and creek flooding but overall we did OK. There is a lot of debris laying around but I didn't see anything major.

Now to fishing. As I said I haven't fished in over two weeks. But I heard that there are fish to be caught. They aren't jumping in the coolers, but a little patience and persistence will pay off. It is August, the water is HOT, 84 degrees F. but their are some good fish hanging around our beach and sounds. Kings, spanish, blues, sheephead, mullet, spot, spadefish, croakers, trout, and flounder are being caught. Not in large numbers, but they are being caught. And the same folks are not catching everything. Surf anglers are catching some mullets, larger whiting, spots, an occasional flounder, black drum and some puppy drum. On the pier during morning hours, pluggers are getting some spanish and blues. The big rigs on the end of the piers are getting the occasional king and even a record tarpon. Anglers dragging minnows are getting flounder, mostly small, but some keepers. Live shrimp under a float are getting a few speckled trout. So, fishing is not dead, but pretty good for this time of year. And, it's only going to get better as the water cools.

Hopefully I will be back in the water soon. Thanks for the emails from wellwishers. I am feeling some better.

Till next time....
Tight Lines!
Johnny!

No Post, Migraine and Flu

Sorry I haven't posted lately. I have had the flue and some killer migraines.

Kayak, Berkley Gulp, Puppy Drum

This red drum bit a Berkley Gulp Saltwater 3" Shrimp at about 8 am this morning on a rising tide in a tidal creek off the ICW. The 22 1/2 inch, 3 1/4 lb puppy drum made at least three hard runs before being landed, and turned my kayak at least 360 degrees. He wouldn't come in peacefully. I had three more on before the morning was over, one straightened out the hook on a white beetle spin, another broke the line stealing my beetle spin, and the third broke off my berkley gulp shrimp. I also caught three flounder on a berkley saltwater gulp. Flounder and reds LOVE this lure! The area I have been fishing these lures has lots of oyster beds. I am thinking the drum are feeding on crabs that are hanging around these beds. The best way I have found to fish these oyster beds is to throw the lure out and just let it lie there. If I try to fish it back to the boat, the oyster shells cut my line up, then a hookup will break the bait off. I mentioned earlier that I had one broken off this morning. I ran my fingers down the line, and I could feel the nicks in the line caused by the oyster shells. It was a fun morning and I have fish in the freezer. Life is good. The flounder were biting everywhere in the sounds and creeks this morning. I heard of several over two pounds, and one that approached three. Also the trout are supposed to start picking up now around the deep holes and around the docks. Trout love live shrimp. If you can find them, float them under a cork at a depth of about 18 inches or more depending on water depth. Keep the shrimp off the bottom, or it will be crab food.

UPDATE, 2nd Annual Mike Martin Memorial Fishing Tournament at Surf City Pier: Fishing was slow for the first day of the tourney. The largest and only flounder weighed in was less than a pound, 0.64 lb I think. The largest VA. mullet was weighed in by fishing bud Blake, at .72 lb. There was a nice spanish, over four lb, but I don't think the angler was registered for the tournament. Also caught was a 3 lb pompano. Now that's a "NICUN"! Hopefully the action will pick up for the conclusion of the tourney tomorrow.

Until next time......
Tight Lines!
Johnny

PS To our friends Andreaus and Karen, Fishing is starting to pick up. You better head south as soon as you can! We may catch them all before you get back!

14773

Fishing Contest at SC Pier, and Why Do Mullet Jump?

Today was a good day at Surf City Pier for Kings and Spanish. Heard that two large kings were caught before 3pm. (about 25 pounds each) Pluggers were also catching blues and some big spanish in the 4 to 6 pound range. Also typical mixed bag for an August day, a few flounder, small mullet, pompano (not many large ones yet), a keeper speckled trout and a spot or two.

Everyone is gearing up for the 2nd Annual Mike Martin Memorial Fishing Tournament, this Saturday and Sunday, August 19th & 20th at the Surf City Ocean Pier. Contest starts Saturday at 6am and ends Sunday at Noon. Awards Presentation at 3pm. $100.00 1st place prize and $50.00 2nd place prize will be awarded in each of the following
EIGHT categories: KING SPANISH BLUEFISH SPOT VA. MULLET PUPPY DRUM FLOUNDER SHEEPSHEAD. A Grand Prize of $500.00 will be awarded for the Largest Speckled Trout. ENTRY FEE $5.00 per Category OR $30.00 will enter you in to all NINE Categories
Including the Grand Prize Category for Speckled Trout.

A ChildrenÂ’s Division for Children 12 and Under: A 1stt ,2ndd, and 3rdd place prize will be awarded for the Largest Three Fish caught of any kind. All Children will receive a gift package for participating.

The Awards Presentation and the drawing for a Phoenix Grill will take place at 3pm on Sunday. Door Prizes will be awarded daily at the top of each hour. For more information on the Raffle or the Contest and Rules please call the Surf City Ocean Pier @ (910)328-3521.

All Contestants must have a valid fishing pass or Season Pass in addition to the entry fee. All fish must be caught from the Surf City Pier during the Contest days and times to qualify. If there are two fish caught weighing the same, the fish caught and weighed in first will qualify as the winner. There is no second place prize for the Largest Speckled Trout Category.


As I sat on our back porch with Donna this evening watching the egrets and Great Heron feeding in the tidal creek behind our home, the quiet was often disturbed by the sound of the popeye mullet jumping. I have often ask myself why these fish jump. What is it that drives these fish to just jump? I understand when a whole school of them bust the surface when apredatorr is chasing them, but when a long mullet just jumps, sometimes two or three times in a row, what is the reason for that. So I decided to research the question this evening. A couple of hours on the computer, and I am not much closer to under standing the question than when I started my quest. Below is the only article I could find that really addressed the issue at all, and I am not sure about theaccuracyy andrelevancee of this article as this was written about the mullet native toAustraliaa. If anyone has any ideas, or information, let me know by email at fishintopsail@yahoo.com, and I will post it on the blog. Anyway, here it is.


Why do mullet jump?

I grew up in Oatley, on the Georges River in southern Sydney. Of an evening, and early in the morning, the otherwise calm is briefly disturbed by a splash of a mullet jumping. They seem to do this when it's calm, and often jump twice or occasionally three times in a short space of time. Why do they do this?

Over the years there have been numerous theories concerning the leaping of mullet. There seems to be two categories of leaping: predator avoidance and aerial respiration.

Leaping to avoid predators usually involves more than one fish jumping simultaneously, retaining an upright posture and entering the water cleanly.

The second type of leaping involves a single fish that does a slower, shorter leap, often flipping onto its side or even onto its back. They may also roll at the surface or move with their head above the water.

The research of Hoese (1985) suggests that Sea Mullet use this second category of movements to fill the pharyngobranchial organ (an area at the back of the throat) with air.

The trapped air is believed to allow the fish to remain active in water of low oxygen concentration for about five minutes.

Several interesting lines of evidence support this theory. The number of jumps is correlated with the concentration of oxygen in the water. The less oxygen, the more jumps.

Secondly, Sea Mullet feed during the day often in bottom sediments that have low oxygen concentrations. Jumping occurs much more commonly during the day. Sea Mullet rarely jump at night.

And there you have it. I guess it was better than no answer at all. But it still leaves me wondering.

Until next time....
Tight Lines!
Johnny

East Coast Sports Fishing Report

Photo of Chris Medlin of East Coast Sports and a keeper red drum.
Nice catch Chris!

Here is this weeks fishing report and forecast from Chris at East Coast Sports. Check out East Coast for your fishing needs from bait to fishing rods and reels to that perfect fishing shirt and hat. East Coast is one of my favorite places on the island to browse and shop. Chris and Doug will help with any fishing problems or questions you may have. If you can't get there in person, visit them on the web at East Coast Sports.com. Be sure to ask Chris about Charley, Chris's new baby boy. Chris is really a proud Dad, and rightly so.

Report follows;

I have the PDF to the inlet Survey. But it has not been analyzed yet.

Check out this new link to Inlet Photos they just updated the photos to April 2006.

Inlet Aerial Photography

Here is a link to the buoys off of Topsail

UNCW Coastal Ocean Research and Monitoring Project

Check Out my Online Boating Store

At www.eastcoastsports.com



If you wish to receive this fishing report

Via e-mail just reply VIA E_MAIL and say add me to the list.

Do not reply on the message Board.

Dredge Report

The dredge Schedule is no longer available.



All waypoints are listed from 1-8 or 1-2. #1 waypoint will

Be the closest to the ocean. East Coast Sports, its affiliates or

Employees cannot be held responsible for damages occurred

While using the information contained in this document. This Document

Is for informative use only and dose not indicate safe passage in or

Out of any inlet. These coordinates are supplied by the USACE and can

Be found at http://www.saw.usace.army.mil/nav//.



New River Report

Wpt #1 34.31.5055390 N X 77.19.7238788 W

Wpt #2 34.31.5992437 N X 77.20.3719018 W

Wpt#3 34.31.6760790 N X 77.20.4860834W





New Topsail Report

Wpt #1 34.20.0949014 N X 77.39.2831813 W

Wpt #2 34.20.2801249 N X 77.39.5666339 W

Wpt #3 34.20.3922875 N X 77.40.1008268 W

Wpt #4 34.20.5738885 N X 77.40.1812363 W

Wpt #5 34.20.7706658 N X 77.40.1303687 W






Piers

Surf City Pier = Caught the new Pier Record 124 kbs, 3 kings Yesterday, Lost 2 today, and a few Flounder as well as small Spanish in the Mornings

Jolly Roger Pier = Black Drum , Puppys , Big Pompano ,Spanish and a few Flounder , 1 King Yesterday Lost.

Sea View Pier = Big Spanish on Diamond Jigs , A few Spots , and a few Black Drum

Conclusion

Tie up some gold hook rigs for them Spanish.

Surf

New River Inlet to Surf City = Plenty of Reds at New River

Surf City to Topsail Beach = A few nice Mullets in the Suds

Topsail Beach Tonfiltered= Some Bigger Pompano

Lee island North end = Reds and Blues

Conclusion

A few Big Pompano around.

Waterway / Inlet
Reds all over the flats. I been catching them on Berkley Gulp Crabs and Shrimp. Cast in front of the fish and DO NOT MOVE THEM



Spanish have started showing back up just outside the inlet early in the morning. Lots of bigger fish mixed in with small kings make sure you know the difference (Gold Dots on the fish does not mean it is a Spanish)

Inshore 0-20 miles

E-Buoy Has Been doing well.

N 34 22 061 X W 077 10 951



Offshore 20 mile- 200 fathoms



No Report Been kinda Bumpy

Weekend Marine Forecast Inshore

S Of Cape Lookout To N Of Surf City Nc Out 20 Nm-

This Afternoon
NE winds 10 to 15 kt. Seas 2 to 3 ft. A chance of showers and tstms.

Tonight
E winds 10 to 15 kt. Seas 2 to 3 ft. A chance of showers and tstms in the evening...then a slight chance of showers and tstms after midnight.

Thu
E winds 10 to 15 kt. Seas 2 to 4 ft. A slight chance of showers and tstms in the morning...then a chance of showers and tstms in the afternoon.

Thu Night
E winds 10 to 15 kt. Seas around 3 ft. A chance of showers and tstms in the evening...then a slight chance of showers and tstms after midnight.

Fri
E winds 10 to 15 kt. Seas around 3 ft. A slight chance of showers and tstms.

Fri Night
E winds 10 kt becoming NE after midnight. Seas around 3 ft.

Sat
NE winds 5 to 10 kt becoming SW. Seas around 3 ft.

Sun
SW winds 5 to 10 kt becoming NW. Seas around 3 ft. A chance of showers and tstms. Winds and seas higher in and near tstms.



Conclusion

Looks Good all week.

Water temp on the beach

83 degrees F


Till next time...
Tight Lines!
Johnny

14672

Windy and rough surf

An afternoon fishing trip to the beach near the old Barnacle Bills Pier turned into a review of lessons past learned. When I left home to go fishing, the wind seemed to be a non issue as they were very light. However, as I walked over the dunes on the access steps, the wind slapped me ferociously in the face. A gentleman standing on the access watching the wind driven waves of the churning ocean commented on the wind. I answered that it was windy, but I was here and was going to give it a try. I soon realized that I only had a couple of three ounce lead weights in my bucket and the fishing rod I had brought with me was a medium light 7 footer with a fast, or limber tip, and my favorite fishing rod for mullet fishing, but not enough backbone for heavy weights. Although I could have walked back home and exchanged my gear, (only three blocks) I decided to use what I had. Stubborness or laziness? I guess that is debateable. Anyway, as I was rigging up, I noticed a huge colony of sand fleas at the edge of the surf, and I grabbed my flea rake and made a hurried scoop. That one scoop must have netted me at least 50 huge fleas. Delighted that I had plenty of my favorite surf fishing bait, I finished rigging with a hand tied double drop rig with the three ounce sinker and baited up with the fleas.

Now I am not against a walk on the beach, but I usually don't while I am fishing. But the wind and current was so strong that my weight was bouncing down the beach like a super ball. (The older anglers will know what a super ball is.) Now was the time to dig up some long ago learned surf fishing lessons. I cast again into the surf, and as the rig moved down the beach, I moved with it, holding my fishing rod high trying to keep it out of the waves as much as I could. Sure enough, soon my rig stopped moving. I had found my fishing hole. A few minutes of waiting yielded no bites, so I reeled in and marked my spot on the beach and walked back to get my gear left before I began my walk.

I returned to the hole and about ten minutes of fishing didn't produce any catching. As I reeled my rig in slowly, as I normally do hoping to catch the attention of a passing fish, my rig suddenly became "stuck". I realized that this was the edge of the hole. As I began to tug on the rig to get it over the edge of the hole, I felt a nice bite, and reeled in a hand size pompano. I baited up again and tried the same thing. Threw into the hole, reeled in slowly to the edge when I felt my rig get tight against the edge, and waited. Another bite. So, I summized that's where the pompanos were feeding. I am no expert of underwater currents of wave action, but I am thinking that as the waves and current washed the sand off the edge of the hole, the fish were feeding on the critters that were being washed out of the sandy bottom. I stayed until dark catching more than a few hand sized pompano.

So, next time someone ask me if it is too windy to fish, I will tell them that it may be too windy for the fishermen, but not for the fish.

Till next time...
Tight Lines!
Johnny


14641

Tuesday night

I am just getting over a bad migraine. I have been shut in for several days. I haven't been fishing, but I did hear a little today. Becky at Surf City Pier Grill told Donna that the flounder has been biting, and there has been several nice keepers. Also a large cobia, and a couple of kings. I heard from Ken this morning that they had caught a couple of nice mullet in the surf. I will post more when I get out.

Below is an email from Trent, a reader from Greensboro who spent last week on Topsail Island with his family for summer vacation. Thanks to Trent for this entry in the blog. The picture below is Merle, Trents sister showing off her catch.

"Hello Johnny!

Vacation is a funny thing, you look forward to it for months and when it finally gets here it's gone in a flash.

I had internet access this week but no email to let you know how I was doing.

We had a fairly successful week of fishing. Between the eight of us, we caught 16 species of fish- flounder, spot, croaker, whiting, spade fish, black drum, pompano, bluefish, sting ray, northern searobin, lizardfish, grunt, vermillion snapper, red porgy, amberjack, and yellow sea bass. We didn't have much luck in the sound although my son, Benjamin, thought he was reeling in a log while fishing in the sound when the biggest flounder he's ever seen flopped on the surface and spit his gold Johnson Silver Minnow. We had great luck in the surf near the New River Inlet as well as at Surf City Pier. The grunts, snappers, porgys, yellow sea basses, and amberjack were caught on the full day trip aboard the Vonda Kay. Most of the fish were released but a few were kept to make a couple of great meals.

I also had my share of mishaps this trip. I backed the trailer of my boat into the dock piling at the boat ramp which ripped the leaf springs from their brackets and lodges the wheel on that side against the frame. Fortunately I was able to dislodge it with several strong kicks and do a makeshift repair which held long enough to get it to a welder in Sneads Ferry (T-Roys Welding-good work). The next day I blew a tire on the trailer. Friday night while we were fishing at the Surf City Pier, I thought the small ray I caught was a clear nosed skate. When I went to remove the hook I got a quick lesson that a sting ray's barb in the top of your hand really hurts. I contnued to fish until the pain had moved up to the top of my arm. If you didn't know this already, the remedy is to soak the affected area in very hot water for about 45 minutes. I had no pain whatsoever after doing this (except to my ego for doing something so dumb).

Besides fishing, we found time to search for sharks teeth (I think the dredging in the inlet stirred up some good ones), eat at Max's, Cindy's in Surf City and Mike's Farm in Back Swamp, and do a little shopping at East Coast Sports (great store), and spend some quality time with my family.

Tight Lines,

Trent Kreitler"






Till next time....
Tight Lines!
Johnny


14546

Saturday NIght

I went to the pier (Surf City Pier) this evening about 8 pm. I had some mud minnows and fished with a carolina rig (flounder rig) and a drum rig. I fished until 10:30, staying in the suds. Surf was near high tide, and the water was really high. The moon is just a bit past full, so I am not sure why the tide is no high. It was really high in the tidal creek behind the house today also. The water was way up in the marsh grass. I didn't catch anything tonight, but there were some mullet, spots, and blues caught on the pier tonight. Nothing fast and crazy, but one here and there. Pier was crowded.
Until next time..........
Tight Lines!
Johnny

Migraine, no post today.

Pier Fishing at Surf City Pier

Weather is HOT!!! I stayed on the pier this morning as long as I could stand the heat, which was until about noon:30. I was a little late getting started this morning. I got involved doing something last night and didn't get my "stuff" ready to go this morning until after 8 am. There was a trout and a couple of spanish caught before I got there, along with a good number of blues. I went loaded for flounder, but didn't have the ammo I wanted, which was live shrimp or finger mullets. So I settled for mud minnows, which I can catch most anytime with a trap and a piece of loaf bread. So I put the mudders on ice in my cooler and headed for the pier making a stop at Hardee's for a ham biscuit. To be clear, perfectly clear, just like the water was this morning, I didn't catch a thing. To add insult to my already shattered ego, I used the same mud minnow, a whoper about 2 and a half inches long, from the time I arrived at the pier until I left. I couldn't even loose my bait. I saw a couple of undersized flounder come over the rail, and one really nice keeper, a beautifully spotted summer flounder, probably about 20 inches long. The doormat flounder was hooked under the pier in the shade of the pier. There were also a few, maybe a half dozen small mullet caught that I saw, and some pin fish. Pier friend Glenn hooked up with a nice sheephead and with help, landed the big fish in a drop net. Our friends Andreaus and Karen were out this morning, and their luck was about like mine, landing no keepers. Andreaus did hook into something huge out near the end of the pier. After a brief but intense battle, the mystery fish proved to be the winner this time, escaping without being seen by anyone on the pier. There were several large sheephead roaming under the pier, picking barnacles from piling to piling. We also could see very large spadefish feeding on some of the numerous jelly fish that were floating in the water. As I walked to the pier house after deciding to leave until cooler temperatures prevail, possible tonight, I looked here and there in the clear water and noticed more than a few stingray, most about the size of dinner plates, cruising or just laying on the bottom just behind the breakers. I don't think I would wade in the surf today after seeing these.
Until next time......
Tight Lines!
Johnny


14258

First King

This young angler named Garrison caught his first king on his second day of king fishing from Surf City Ocean Pier. He only had the bait in the water for about 5 minutes! Garrison is the son of Ed Lore, owner of Surf City Ocean Pier. Way to go Garrison!

Till next time.....
Tight Lines!
Johnny










14112

Monday night

I finally felt like getting out of the house, so I went fishing this evening. Donna and I went over to the beach beside the old Barnacle Bills Pier. I caught sand fleas which were plentiful, although most were on the small side. There was virtually no undertow, and the bait stayed pretty much where I threw it. The tide was almost full high. The water was really clear except right in the surf where the waves turned over where it was a little muddy. I varied my casting distance trying to find fish, but the only thing I could find was pinfish, I am guessing, that would strip my flea leaving nothing but the shell in about five minutes, and I never saw a bite. I never landed anything. I didn't go to the pier, (Surf City) but I could see it from where I was fishing, and there was not many anglers there. The kayakers I have talked to haven't caught anything yet either.

A subscriber, Trent, and his family are on the island from Greensboro, NC this week. I hope Trent is having better luck than I had today. Good Luck.

Till next time.....
Tight Lines!
Johnny

Heat Wave

I just can't stand the heat. If I try to go out in the day time heat, the migraines get really bad. I am going out a bit at night, but not for a long period of time. Thank God for air conditioning. I saw some mullet on the Surf City Pier last night. There were also a few spots and lots of foot long sharks. One angler was cleaning a flounder that looked to be about 15 inches long. No reports from surf or sound side.
Till next time....
Tight Lines!
Johnny

Flounder

Donna's rehab is going nicely. A lot of the stiffness and swelling was going down. We took a walk to the beach this evening, and upon returning we discovered that the swelling had returned. The ice packs are back on tonight. Thanks again for the emails.

Now for the fishing report.

Flounder, some really nice flounder in the two to five pound range are being caught on Surf City Pier . Also the few brave souls who hunt the wiley and strong sheephead are having a great time. There have been some three to five pounders caught using sand fleas (mole crabs). These are not rumors, I personally have seen the pictures on the wall at the pier. The talk is about the spots. There have been almost none. One here and there, but the spring run never materialized. Everyone is wondering if the fall spots that everyone loves so much will bypass us also. We certainly hope not. I haven't seen or heard of anything coming out of the ICW or the surf. The winds are out of the south and light, except at night when we seem to have a blow and some lightning most every evening. I'll post more when I get some more information.

I would like to say a few words about the new salt water fishing license that is coming for North Carolina anglers this coming January. As a child, I was always in the woods with my Dad, uncles, or older cousins, hunting. Ours was a family of hunters. Every weekend we hunted. Every type of game you can think of, we chased or our dogs chased.

My point is, I was an adult and married before I saw my first white tailed deer. This was only after the state started collecting a tax, or a license fee for deer hunting. Some may say that the license had nothing to do with this at all, but I believe, strongly, that it did. Now white tails are everywhere. Overrunning gardens in sub-divisions, and even showing up in heavily populated business districts. A large number of accidents in North Carolina are caused by collisions with white tail deer.

The fee for the license will be small, about the price of one days fishing on a pier. If pier fishing is your thing, the license will be included in the price of your pier pass. For out of state anglers, there will be a weekly license available. The funds generated by the salt water fishing license will be used to study and improve the health of our salt water fisheries. It will also be used as a lobby in congress to represent the interests of North Carolina anglers. In my opinion one of the problems facing us as saltwater anglers in North Carolina is the fishing boats that drag the huge nets so close to our beaches. This doesn't happen in our neighbors territorial waters. Virginia and South Carolina prohibits these large boats from fishing close to shore. Some are even prohibited from fishing in the sounds and waterways. If the nesting grounds are disturbed or destroyed, the fishing will suffer as fewer and fewer fingerlings reach adulthood.

Like all of you, I feel we are taxed to death, and everytime we turn around we are hit with another tax. I don't like it any more than you do. But I really feel this license will help our fishery, and a few years down the road, we will reap the benefits of the influx of dollars to the Marine Fisheries Budget. I urge all of you to get involved and make sure that these dollars are used where they should be used, in the Marine Fisheries budget.
Thanks for listening to my rant.

Until next time....
Tight Lines!
Johnny

Donna's Physical therapy is going well, and seems to be working. We know this because she hurts worse now than before. She is a tough lady, she will work through this. Thanks to all who sent encouraging emails. I am still not fishing, but staying with Donna so she can stay off the knee as much as possible. I also help her with the exercises that she has to do for the PT. Thanks to Trent from Greensboro (Trent and his family vacation on Topsail Island) for the picture of the nice red in today's post. Don't you just love 'em with more than two spots! I have heard of several tournaments where the most spots wins. I found last evening there have been some nice flounder and trout caught in the surf, as well as just off the ICW in deeper water. Trout are biting live shrimp, if you can get the little "snapper" blues off long enough for a trout to get the bait. Flounder and drum are biting finger mullet and Berkley Saltwater Gulp, shrimp flavor. If you go out fishing, surf, pier, or boat, be sure to drink plenty of fluids...it's really hot with temps in the mid to upper 90's and humidity is 51%. Heat Index is a whopping 110*!

SO BE CAREFULL!

Until next time.....
Tight Lines!
Johnny


13782

East Coast Sports Fishing Report

Thanks to Chris Medlin at East Coast Sports for this weeks Topsail Island fishing report. If you are interested, he includes the waypoints for navigating the inlets and has some really nice links for weather and such. Check it out.


Capt. Chris Medlin's Surf City Fishing Report

Piers
Surf City Pier = Sheepshead doing well a few Trout and Flounder. One 11lb King Yesterday
Jolly Roger Pier = A few Specks, Blues and Spanish. 1 King Yesterday 20 Lbs
Sea View Pier = Black Drum, Blues and Spotted 3 Tarpon but no takers.
Conclusion
Summer Mixed Bag
Surf
New River Inlet to Surf City = Summer Mixed Bag
Surf City to Topsail Beach = Summer Mixed Bag
Topsail Beach Tonfiltered= Summer Mixed Bag
Lee island North end = Summer Mixed Bag
Conclusion
Reds in Topsail Creek

Thanks again to Chris at East Cost Sports.

Till next time....
Tight Lines!
Johnny

Stargazer Information

I really enjoy getting feedback from readers of my fishing blog. Thanks to these folks for sending some information on the stargazer. I have included their posts below. To protect their privacy, I have not included their last names. The first post is from Trent. Trent and his family vacation and fish on Topsail Island.

"Johnny,
I wish a speedy recovery to your wife. I'm surprised my wife hasn't needed this surgery yet (ha ha). Seriously, your wife must be a special one just to tolerate all of the time you devote to fishing. Mine's special that way too. The Stargazer is a neat fish. One of the great things about saltwater fishing is you never know what you're going to catch. Here is a link to a credible site about the fish. See link above. Apparently, they can produce up to 50volts. Wikipedia says their spines are poisonous but I could not verify this anywhere else. Only nine days until I arrive for my Topsail vacation. Get your rods and reels ready 'cause the fish are going to be biting that week.
Tight Lines!
Trent
The next email is from Jim. Jim and his family also visit Topsail Island for vacations each summer. It's ironic that both readers came up with the same website about the stargazer.

The link, referenced above, gives a good amount of detail about the fish. It does indeed produce a current and should be handled with care at least in the water.
Enjoy you blog as we vacation in Topsail with friends each summer.
Thanks,
Jim Robinson


Thanks again for your feedback. It is really appreciated. I encourage all the readers to send emails about their fishing trips. I would love to know what everyone else is catching here at Topsail Island.

Until next time.....
Tight Lines!
Johnny

Surf City Pier Report

Donna's knee is doing well after her surgery on Tuesday. We will go to the surgeon tomorrow for a check-up. Thank's to everyone who emailed their best wishes and prayers. I haven't gotten out this week to fish or even talk to any anglers. This is the best I can do for now. The kayakers I have talked to haven't caught anything, not even any bites. I haven't talked to any surf fishermen this week. I have a report from Surf City Pier which follows....

"You can tell that Summer is here....There have been some speckled trout caught in the 2-3 lb range...some pompano...couple of sheepshead...some small blues...and...small va. mullet at night....water is very clear...but no kings or spanish....Pin-Fish are biting 2 at a time....come get all you want....There is a little of all..... and a lot of none.....Typical of summer fishing.... "

Hopefully, Donna's check-up will go well and I will be back on the water in my kayak or in the surf by the first of next week.

Till next time.....
Tight Lines!
Johnny

13524

Stargazer

I rarely see one of these fish. They are truly strange, and kind of beautiful, in a strange sort of way. It is a stargazer, and I am told they can shock like an electric eel. I need to check up on this and see if it is true. Notice the fishes upturned mouth, and the eyes on top of the head. Anyway, this beauty was caught on Surf City Pier. Photo courtesy of Vinita.

They are catching a few keeper flounder, along with a few spot and mullet at night. Nothing else to brag about.
Till next time...
Tight Lines!
Johnny

Knee Surgery

My wife and best friend Donna had knee surgery today. I am her care nurse, so I will be able to post only what I hear from other anglers for a few days. Probably through the weekend. Hopefully by then her knee will be good-as-new! She denies it but I know she hurt it by kicking my a#@ so often! I told her to go easy on this poor old man, but she wouldn't listen. I am reading this aloud to her, and good for me, she can't get out of bed right now. Maybe by the time the good drugs wear off she will have forgotten it. She will forget this by Friday, right? ......................... Come on guys, right? No! Not that hand Baby! That's my reeling hand! hahaha! I think I'm in for it now. She doesn't think this is too funny.

Good luck to all you anglers out there. I'll be back when I can, or when I hear something.
Till next time......
Tight Lines!
Johnny




13379

Clouds and Wind Slow Fishing

There was not much going on today with the wind and rain. There were a few blues caught on Surf City Pier, by the got-cha pluggers but not much else that I have heard about. King fishing has been slow, and live bait for the king fishermen has been hard to find. The sheephead are still hanging out around the pier pilings for the angler with enough patience and gear to haul them in. A few trout early in the morning on live minnows or live shrimp, mostly on the south side of the pier. There was one small puppy drum caught in the suds this morning. At night it's been more of the same, small mullet, spots, and croaker. The flounder bite from the pier continues to be disappointing. There have been lots of flounder caught, but not the big ones that are usually coming up this time of the summer.

The surf has been really rough. Take your heavy gear to the surf because it takes at least four ounce or five ounce storm sinker to hold bottom even a little. The only thing I have been able to catch is small spots, pompano and foot long blues. It seems the blues are really skinny. There is not much meat on them for the length. The blues and spots are biting cut mullet and shrimp , and the pompano are biting sand fleas. I haven't caught a mullet or whiting in several days. For me the best time to fish continues to be the last to hours of the incoming tide and the first two hours of the out going tide. Sand fleas are still my favorite bait for surf fishing and they continue to be plentiful, although sometimes you have to look for them if the high tide is in.

Be careful if you are wading in the surf to cast. I have seen several stingray in the waves and I even saw a couple left on the beach by the waves, where they flapped their wings until the next wave came and carried them back into the surf.

Till next time....
Tight Lines!
Johnny



13334

Too Windy?

I didn't fish for a couple of days because of a bad migraine. I did go out to the surf yesterday evening where I found really windy conditions. Folks kept asking "Isn't it was too windy to fish?" My answer to them was "Not for me." My answer now might be. "Too windy for the angler or for the fish?" It wasn't too windy for the blues I was catching. I must have caught a dozen in the hour and a half that I fished just before dark. I didn't have a light with me, and with the sun going down, I was wary that one of the toothy blue fish would latch onto my finger in the dark. Although small, they were fun to catch in the wind and roaring surf. The surf was so rough that the four ounce sinker I was using bounced around like a super ball. Remember those? It was really difficult to tell if I was getting a bite or if the wind and waves were causing the tip of my fishing rod to jump up and down. But with careful observation, it was possible to tell a bite from the action caused by the waves and the wind. I didn't keep any of the blues. I don't like them frozen, and I was not in the mood for blue fish last night. I really didn't feel like dressing them, and they were fun to catch so I let them live to fight another day.

Till next time....
Tight Lines!
Johnny


13278

Red Drum are feeling quite safe today.

I woke up with the alarm clock buzzing, my ears ringing, and my head pounding. A migraine has kept me in all day, but it is starting to diminish as I make this post. After yesterday's fiasco, it's probably stress that triggered this one....or maybe the excitement of seeing all those beautiful monster reds swarming around my little kayak. Anyway, the word has probably gotten around in the undersea world around Topsail Island that Johnny FishinTopsail poses absolutely no threat to the fish population, especially the red drum community. But that's ok, it gives me the upper hand and the opportunity to turn a bad day into something positive. Now that the drum population's guard is down, I will sneak up on them with my super tough abrasion resistant 30 lb test leader line, and my newly purchased Berkley Gulp baits, direct from Herring's Ourdoor Sports and decend upon the unsuspecting undersea world with a vengence! And I plan to start this evening! If I can't get out in the kayak, I will get out to the surf. Yea, those crafty red drum might not fear me, but to the sand flea world, I'm known as a crafty and unstoppable cereal killer! (get the pun?) Yea, sand fleas fear me!

A call from a couple of sources tell me that trout are biting on Surf City Pier still, and the flounder are getting larger. The kings are getting bigger with more hookups. And their have been some HUGE sheephead caught. So come on down and get yours, before the water heats up and runs everything out past the point of "nocancastthatfar".

Till next time.....
Tight Lines!
Johnny


13182

Big Red Drum...Berkeley Gulp...Pulling my Hair Out!

I haven't been looking forward to posting tonight. I am so embarrassed. This morning about 8:30, just after the tidal marsh creeks were reaching their high tide, I found myself on top of more two foot long red drum than I have ever seen congregated in one place. Although I was fascinated to see these monster reds jet here and there in about 20 to 30 inches of water that was covering the oyster beds, I was equally frustrated that I couldn't get a single drum in my kayak. Now when I said I was "on top" of the reds, I meant "ON TOP" of the reds. They were running under my boat with jet like speed, and stirring up the bottom so that the water looked like mud holes. Their tails were sticking up out of the water as they were rooting like pigs on the bottom of the creek.

I tried almost every bait I had in my little tackle box. I don't take my large box in the kayak, for lack of space. Finaly I got them to bite the new Berkley Gulp white shrimp 3" size. The strange thing though, the would not bite the bait if I was retrieving it, or jigging it, swimming it, I even tried to float it under a bobber. Finally, I just threw it right in the middle of the frenzy, (that's the only word I can think of) and put my fishing rod in the rod holder, and just let the bait lay on the bottom, and as the boat drifted very slowly (breeze was almost non existant) across the oyster beds, the reds would pick it up. Success at last! My joy quickly turned to frustration as every time I would hook up with a red, my new (just installed yesterday) Trilene XT 10 lb test line would break. When I got my line back to the boat, I discovered that it was frayed and cut for about 10 feet from the break. This happened four times, that's right FOUR TIMES!!!!! I left the drag very loose, and that didn't help, because the red would run in and out of the oyster beds and still cut my line on the oyster shells! I lost all but one of the "Gulp" lures I had before the school of reds finally moved away and I lost track of them.

On a positive note, I caught two flounders on the one Berkley Gulp shrimp that I had left before I had to paddle back home before the tide was fully low. The tidals creeks I was fishing are so shallow at low tide I would have had to walk home.

Do you think I will try this again with stronger line and leaders? Good call! You bet I will.

Got a pier report from Charles today. There have been some nice speckled trout (specs) caught early in the morning. Baits have varried from live shrimp to grubs. Most productive have been mud minnows or finger mullets on a flounder rig, fished around the pier pilings on the south side of the pier.

I was in East Coast Sports tonight to buy some lead sinkers, and someone called in and ask how big a spec had to be to be considered for a citation. Doug Medlin's answer was at least four pounds. The caller ask how long they (East Coast) would be open, and if there was a charge to get the citation. So, I am guessing that the spec weighed at least four pounds, a nice spec in my book!

Summing up, fishing is getting better. Fish early for trout, use live minnows or shrimp if you have them, or try the Berkley Gulp. Same for puppy drum, but be ready for a "Pappy Drum" or maybe even "Grand Pappy Drum". And last but not least, drag that minnow or the Berkley Gulp for flounder. There are some nice ones out there, just go get 'em!

Till next time........
Tight Lines!
Johnny



33134

Another King at Surf City Pier

There was another king, about 30 lbs, caught on Surf City Pier (SCP) today. If I get a picture I'll post it. I also saw a picture of a nice trout, a speck about 3 or 4 pounds. An angler by the name of Bill caught several from SCP today with the above mention speck the largest. It seems the trout bit a flounder rig and minnows on a slow retrive on the south side of the pier near the old pilings. Fishing is picking up. An occasional puppy drum is being caught in the surf on sand fleas or finger mullets. There are more large mullets and whiting being caught up and down the beach. And the black drum are starting to show up occasionally. I haven't seen any large pompano yet. They should be showing up anytime. We are still waiting on the summer spots.
Till next time...
Tight Lines!
Johnny


13023

Sharks

Surf Fishing was a bit slow today, so I was told by a couple of friends who ventured out to get a line wet. Tommy said that a 7 foot shark was spotted in the breakers today. This is not the first I have heard of the shark sighting near the old Barnacle Bills Pier, but this confirms a previous sighting a couple of days ago. There have been no attacks, but a shark of the same description was reported by a swimmer, and all the kids playing in the surf were evacuated out of the water for a while until the shark left the area. Surf City Pier reports a few blues in between thunderstorms and rain showers.
Till next time...
Tight Lines!
Johnny

Surf City Pier King

Surf City Pier posted it's first king on Tuesday, July 11. The anglers name is Mark and the picture is included in this post. It has been windy the past several days and nothing much is biting. I am hearing the same from the surf as well as the piers. The weather is hot, humid and stormy in the afternoon and evening.
Till next time......
Tight Lines!
Johnny


12872

Pictures, Something's Fishy!

Above is a photo of the last drum Tommy caught in the sound fishing from his kayak. The 26 inch monster hit a beetle spin with a gold blade.


Below is a picture of the big mullet I caught recently. I couldn't weight it but it was 18 1/4 inches long, fat and full of roe.



I finally got my old digital camera software to work with my new computer. So I will be able to post some more pictures if we catch any more big fish.

Gearing up

Donna and I took Christina home today after a weeks visit. Before Christina, Zack stayed two weeks. As much as I enjoyed the visit, I am relieved to get things back to normal. I am ready for some serious fishing, once I get the mess that we made of my fishing gear straightened out. Everything is messed up and mixed up. I have reels that have to be cleaned and oiled, and rod tips that need to be fixed. I love 'em but they can be destructive to fishing equipment. As far as the rigs and other aritficials go, I don't think they are too bad. There doesn't seem to be much missing. So, the plan is to clean the gear up, restock, and hit the beach for some serious fishing. I need to call my friend Ken to see if he will help, because serious fishing is tough, and I need all the help I can get. I might can talk Donna into helping me fish for a few weeks so I can get caught up. It's a bad thing to be behind on your fishing! Really bad!

BIG MULLET

Measured the mullet I caught last evening. The beast measured A WHOPPING 18 1/4 INCHES ! My largest this year by far. The rain is moving in. It rained a little this morning, and we are getting a sprinkle now. I hear thunder off in the distance, sounds like Hampstead. Weather man calling for thunder storms this afternoon, which is about normal for this area. Conditions are good for fishing. Surf is a little rough but not rough enough to bounce 4 or 5 ounces of lead down the beach. Last evening 3 ounce pyramid held nicely. These are the surf conditions I like. I believe that the larger fish move toward shore during these times because the rough surf stirs up the bottom, stirring up the sand fleas that mullet and drum love to eat so well. The abundance of these critters attracts smaller bait fish, which may attract larger blues as well, another species I tend to catch when the surf is rough. Water temp hasn't changed since last post, but may drop a few degrees if we get a lot of rain. The sounds and bays are not as productive as they were before the heavy rains we had last week. Must have reduced the salinity of the water, and drove the larger fish to the ocean. They should be back if we have some dry sunny weather.
Till next time......
Tight Lines!
Johnny

Migraine and Big Mullet

Migraines and big mullets, not exactly the best combination. A bad migraine has kept me from fishing much this week. I did go out to the beach this afternoon, about 3:30 pm with Christina. The expected crowd wasn't there so I got a fishing rod from the Blazer. Christina caught some fleas for me and I baited up while I watched her play in the surf with her new friend.

About 7:30 pm I think, I caught a really nice va mullet. I haven't measured or weighed it yet. It is on ice and will be measured and dressed tomorrow morning. Migraine was so bad tonight that I didn't have the umph left to clean the mullet tonight. This is the biggest mullet I have caught this year. I am sure it is over two pounds. It bit a large mole crab on a size 3/0 circle hook. When I first felt the pull, I thought it was a drum. Even when I saw it in the surf, it looked like a slot sized puppy drum. But as I landed the fish, I realized that it was a mullet. I even had a couple of beach walkers tell me that it was a drum, but I know a mullet when I see one. I will post size when I can. I hope to have a picture to post. I have a new computer, but I haven't installed my camera software yet, and I am not sure it will work.

Conditions were about perfect for mullet and drum fishing. The high tide was right around dusk, and a full moon brought in a higher than normal high tide. The water was just rough enough, but not too rough. There was virtually no undertow, and a three ounce pyramid held the bottom well. Mole crabs (sand fleas) are plentiful except near full high tide. Wind is out of the south at about five to ten mph. The water temperature at Surf City is 84 degrees. High temps in the upper 80's, warmer Tuesday with temps in the low 90's.

There have been some nice size trout caught from Surf City Pier, along with a couple of nice slot sized puppy drum. Blues and spanish are still biting, but still no kings. There have been a couple of nice spot runs, but they are small. It seems that fishing is finally picking up. I am glad to see the larger fish moving in.

Till next time........
Tight Lines!
Johnny


12679

Saturday, Bite Improving on Pier

What has been a slow start on Surf City Pier seems to be picking up. There was even a small spot run today, with better than average size spots being caught for several hours. This morning the blues hit got-cha plugs as well as bottom rigs, and there was a nice spanish caught. I am still trying to find out how big the spanish was. There was also a nice size (keeper) puppy drum caught according to my sources, however, I didn't see it. The sheephead continue to hold around the pilings, some whoppers are there and can be caught by the angler with enough patience to wait them out, and the gear to land them. The small to medium size mullets are still biting with a few larger ones now and then. I am hearing stories of speckled trout being landed on the piers and surf in the early morning and around sunset. Still no king caught from Surf City Pier.
In the surf, the whiting and mullets I have been catching are getting larger, and the drum are still hitting a bottom rig occasionally. They are biting finger mullets better, so I have been told by sources on the beach. Again, these are fish I personally haven't seen.
My granddaughter Christina and I went out in the kayak this afternoon, but didn't get anything. Something bit the curly tails off my grubs, but I didn't see the culprit. There are still a few puppy drum being caught in the sounds and bays behind the island by kayakers in the early morning when the tide is right, which seems to be rising near full high. Christina and I may try again early in the morning if the migraine I have tonight gets better. It seems to be on a rising tide also.
Anyway, it seems that fishing is picking up, just when it should be slowing down. Usually, July brings warmer temps and low pressure systems which turn fish off for some reason. But is seems that this year, for reasons unknown to me, fishing is getting better in July. I'm not complaining, mind you, just pondering the situation. Go git'em while ya can!
Till next time........
Tight Lines,
Johnny

PS..... Wow, my memory is getting bad. In this post I badmouthed July as a bad fishing month, but I have just looked back at my July 2005 posts, and was my memory ever wrong. July 05 was a very good month with several nice fish caught by myself and my fishing buds, Ken and A.C. Very large pompanos, huge whiting, and even keeper reds. What are we supposed to eat to improve our memory?

12543

Getting Better

Zack and I pulled an all-nighter last night. We got to the pier, Surf City Pier about 8:30 last night and didn't leave until after 9 am this morning. A long night but a worthwhile experience. Zack caught at least twenty sharks, most about a foot long. We also landed four virginia mullet and a nice two pound blue, Zack's first blue. We saw two really nice flounder, which appeared to be about sixteen to eighteen inches in length. Of course these were guestimates, made without actually taking the fish out of the cooler. The sheephead have been biting recently as well, for anyone with enough patience to wait them out standing on one's head, which seems to be the best way to catch them. I'll have to admit I have only caught one, and that was by accident while surf fishing for whiting and puppy drum. A really big sheephead, estimated at between six and eight pounds, (looked bigger than that to me), narrowly escaped the supper table the powerful jaws of the huge fish bit through the hook before it could be netted. So.... it seems that things are looking up, and fishing is getting better. Still, it is not the same as the last couple of years, but it is getting better.
Until next time..........
Tight Lines!
Johnny


12462

Independence Day

Zack woke me up today, July 4th, Independence Day, at 7am and wanted to go fishing. We got on the beach about 7:30. As I prepared our rigs for the morning of fishing, I could not help but think about our soldiers that are in peril on this Independence Day protecting my right and privilege to be safely fishing this morning with family and friends.
I am especially thinking of my nephew, a young marine, who has been overseas for a short while. A young man just out of high school, who felt it was his duty, his calling, to serve his country and ours, and protect, not only the rights of all Americans, but our very lives. Let us not forget the events of 911, proving our enemies willingness to kill Americans on American soil. Let us not forget that "Freedom" is not "Free". There is a price to be paid for our safety and freedoms as a nation, and now as individuals.
This is not a new concept to most of us. A price has already been paid to protect our safety and freedom. A price that some seem to have forgotten. The price has been paid by our fathers, our grandfathers, our great-grandfathers, and our ancestors before them. The price has been paid by our mothers, grandmothers and great-grandmothers, some who served in battle, others who kept the home and family intact and functioning in spite of the devastating loses of family members.
In addition, the brave young men and women who volunteer to be our protectors and champions are paying the price yet again. Moreover, by the mothers, by the fathers, by the brothers and sisters, the grandparents, the uncles and aunts, and cousins, and friends and loved ones of the brave souls who face peril daily so that we may live free and live safe. And they protect the freedoms of all Americans. Even the Americans who believe in no war for any reason. Americans who must believe that peace and freedom are somehow ordained, mystical, or magic. Those Americans who believe that left to its own accord, peace will simply be. That if we just leave everyone else to his or her own agendas', the rest of the world will leave us alone. IT IS THEIR RIGHT to believe what they believe. IT IS THEIR RIGHT to voice their opinion. THEIR RIGHT to voice their opinion as loud as they can.........
However, I wonder, if someone before them, before those who speak against fighting for any reason, someone before them, had chosen to say "NO". "NO" to fighting for our right to be safe . "NO" to fighting for our right to be free. "NO" to fighting for our right to worship as we please, or not to worship at all. "NO" to fighting for our right to free speech.... What if these brave souls that have gone on before us, giving their lives in wars and conflicts where others had attempted to take our safety and freedom away or destroy our country or our way of life, what if these brave souls had said "NO"? "I WILL NOT FIGHT FOR ANY REASON!" ...............What then............. Where would we be now? Could those who so disagree with war for any reason, would they be free to openly express the opinions they hold so dearly without fear of reprisals or even death?

Maybe...... Maybe not.

I say again...... Freedom is NOT FREE! SOMEONE ALWAYS HAS TO PAY! GOD BLESS THOSE BRAVE SOULS WHO HAVE PAID BEFORE AND THOSE WHO ARE PAYING NOW!

Sincerely, John R. Horner, Jr.

Kayak trip

Zack, my grandson and I got skunked again on our kayak trip this morning. We left the dock before 7 am, and Zack threw a jig and minnow while I paddled to the pre-planned fishing grounds. We tried several strategies, but nothing produced any fish. Both of us got a couple of bites, but nothing was ever hooked. The tails of the Gulp shrimp we were throwing got bitten off, along with some mud minnows that were bitten in half or stolen from the hooks completely. Another angler in a kayak said he hooked a large flounder but lost it at the boat. I am new to this kayak fishing, and although I love being on the water in the little boat, I still have a lot to learn before I become productive at the sport. But the most important thing, is Zack and I had fun and really enjoyed our outing. I am enjoying my grandson's visit. I don't have anything to report from the surf or the piers, except to say that the beach is so crowded that throwing a hook in the water is more likely to render a kid than a fish, so I am abstaining until the crowds thin a bit. There was no parking to be found at Surf City Pier when Zack and I went down to check out the fishing this afternoon, so I am guessing that the pier was full. If any "catching" was going on, well, that will just have to wait until I can find parking that is wakling distance. Like Zack told me this morning on our Kayak trip, I'm getting old and grumpy. Yea, that's what my ten year old grandson Zack said about me. I seriously considered letting him walk back home. (He would have had to walk in the water) But there are some pretty deep holes in the channels and creeks behind Topsail Island, so I decided to let it slide this time. Love ya Zack!
Till next time.......
Tight Lines!
Cranky old Johnny

12331

Ok, so someone is catching some nice fish.....

I talked to a guy on the pier Thursday evening. He set me straight on my comments about no one catching fish this year. Seems he has caught some nice trout from the pier. This is Surf City Pier we are talking about. I didn't get his name, so I will call him Joe Angler. Joe says he caught his limit of specs one night last week using a white and pink curly tail grub. He also caught one on a mirror-lure. Joe also caught a bunch of puppy drum the same night using sand fleas in the suds. I think he said sand fleas, I was so busy with my huge catch of two mullets during my 8 hour stay on the pier that I didn't take notes on what he said. Actually, my grandson Zack caught the mullets. I was just watching him catch them. Anyway, Joe says the reason there are no more big fish this year is no one is fishing for them. ????? I must be out there for the conversation. Maybe I really don't want to catch any large fish. Maybe Joe is full of it too. I mean if I caught my limit of specs, I would have told someone on the pier. The folks at the pier love to take pictures of catches like that. It's only good for the pier. Anyway, back to reality. One of my fishing buds, Glen, has had some luck this week, he has cought a couple of nice sheephead, one was six pounds I think. They DO have a picture of it in the pier house. Ok, to be fair to Joe, maybe he just doesn't know what a speckled trout looks like. Maybe he thinks they have leathery skin, black tips on the dorsal fin and tail, and a mouth full of teeth. That seems to be all most of the anglers were catching thursday night when I was there.
Till next time.........
Tight Lines!
Johnny