Topsail Angler's Fishing Blog
The Bonito have ARRIVED!
Tuesday, April 15, 2008
Its official, spring fishing has begun! The mullet bite has been strong, plenty of nice speckled trout are being caught in the New River and its creeks and now the Bonito have showed up off of New River Inlet at Divers rock.
Speaking of Bonito, it’s one of my favorite fish and really gets my fishing blood warmed up in the spring. The bonito visit our coast line about this time of year and will stay a few weeks before heading further north.
The best time to target them is early in the morning around first dawn but you can find them at other times too. They usually travel in large schools and often can be seen busting on balls of baitfish at the surface. Quite a sight to behold for a set of winter-fatigued eyes!
Once the water gets above 62, you can start looking for them. They will come very close to the coastline but seem to prefer structure that breaks up the currents. The near shore artificial reefs are a great place to hunt for them. While they do come fairly close to shore it would be rare to be able to catch one from shore or the pier.
They spook fairly easy so you will need to approach them from up current if at all possible and then drift toward them. If they are not on the surface, use your fishfinder in combination with a vertical jigging rig to find them in the water column. Once you have located them and get close enough, they are fairly easy to target. They are a bit leader shy so I use a fluorocarbon leader, never metal or heavy monofilament.
You can fish for them much like you would for Spanish mackerel. I like to use a fast action, light duty rod and reel, much like a flounder or sea trout combo with 10 or 12 pound test line. Many fishermen like to use a light metal jig like a Maria lure or a Lurh Jensen crippled herring to target them on the surface. Anywhere from ½ to 1 ½ ounces usually works well depending on the water conditions. If they are deeper in the water column try using a diving type lure such as the Yo-Zuri Crystal Minnow Deep Diver or pull a Clark spoon on a trolling weight.
The bonito will at first bite seem almost an easy pull, but when the fish realizes it is being pulled away from the school and it will make a FAST run trying to catch up. Then they will begrudge you every inch of line as you reel them in. Once they see the boat it starts all over again, only this time the run isn’t quite as far. Pound for pound they are one of the hardest fighting fish out there. A pure blast on light tackle and a favorite of saltwater fly fisherman!
Catching Report
The Bonito action has started around the Diver’s Rock area and should be showing up at other near shore reefs as well. The Sea Mullet bite remains strong with a mixed bag of sizes. They are biting fresh shrimp real well but some anglers are reporting some of the bigger ones on fresh sand fleas. Vinita Gass, manger of Surf City Ocean Pier, reports good catches on mullet especially at night with some grey trout and a few flounder and puffers being caught as well. The marine weather hasn’t allowed to many trips out to the stream lately but the few days when boats have made it out confirm that the Yellowfin & Blackfin tuna bite is hot and some nice size Wahoo have also been caught.
Tight lines to all!
Photo Credit: Scott Erickson of Surf City holds a nice Bonito he caught while fishing near Diver’s Rock out of New River Inlet. Photo Courtesy of SaltwaterUniversity.com
SST Charts
Tuesday, March 11, 2008
This is the time of year when many offshore anglers start watching the SST Charts (SST=Sea Surface Temp). The data for these charts are obtained through satellites and are computed generated based on that data. The most detailed ones usually carry a fee to view them but many sites offer a free version.
Why SST you ask? Well this time of year offshore fishing is all about temperature. It has little to do with the daily air temps, they haven’t had much chance to effect the water yet. Rather its warm waters of the gulf stream. they start to move closer to shore this time of year and the winds have a tendency to break off or stretch “fingers” and “fists” of warm warm even closer.
Everyone knows that many of the migratory pelagic fish we cherish prefer warm water. But the key here isn’t just finding warm water but finding the Temperature break. That is the place where two bodies of water with slightly different temperatures meet. 1 1/2 to 2 degrees is all it takes. Fish will often “stack” up at these breaks, even with no significant bottom structure beneath them.
So studying the charts, finding a good temp. break and heading for it while watching the surface and the sonar is the strategy of many this time of year. Kings like 66- 68 degree water so look for a temp break in that range, motor to it, look for bait and there you are almost sure to find kings. Troll in a zig zag pattern across the break.
Tuna likely slightly warmer water so look for the 70 - 72 degree breaks.
Here’s some examples of charts & the sites they came from:
Tackle UP & get ready to fish!
Wednesday, February 27, 2008
Even though it has been a relatively mild winter in eastern NC, fishing activity for most folks slows down the first few months of the year. When I’m not spending my free time in the winter fishing, I use the time to get ready for the next fishing season.
If I can’t fish, at least I can get ready to catch a few once the fish begin to bite. A little time spent now preparing for the season will help me get off to a great start this spring and fish right on through the fall with fewer missed opportunities.
Like many anglers, I enjoy making my own rigs and this time of year is a good time to stock up on them. I make my own flounder, grouper, and king mackerel rigs. It saves a little money but the “reel” pleasure is a certain satisfaction I get when catching fish on something I handcrafted. It also keeps me connected to fishing activities when cold or stormy weather forces me indoors. The materials are simple and are available at most well equipped tackle shops.
Maintenance of my gear is very important too. I check my lures to make sure they are still serviceable. Looking for cracks or deep dings in the lure body or connecting materials and then replacing or repairing those lures as needed. That will prevent them from breaking when fighting that next smoker fish.
Some of them may need to have the hooks changed if corrosion or rust has appeared. Even if the hook looks fine, it probably could benefit from sharpening. I’ll have a better chance at catching fish with very sharp hooks.
Also it’s important to check leaders made from monofilament or fluorocarbon material to make sure there are no nicks or cuts and that the knots are still tight. I always replace the line if questionable rather than chance losing a prized catch. I also replace any wire leaders that are bent, crimped or with loose crimps.
Now is also a good time to get organized well. Cleaning out my tackle boxes and tackle bags will help free up some space and make it easier to find items. It also shows me where I need to restock. Now I’m getting closer to being prepared for the busiest fishing times.
It is also the time to clean and lube those reels. I check the guides on my rods to make sure the wraps haven’t begun to fray. Also checking for nicks on the inside of the guides, these can cause the fishing line to break and let the BIG one get away. I replace my monofilament line each fishing season. Even if it looks okay to the eye if it’s been in the water last season, it is in a weaken condition. Monofilament fishing line once wet will absorb some of the water then dry out causing the line to lose strength over a period of time. Catching fish also stretches the line and weakens it.
I also go through all my other gear like gaffs, landing nets, cast nets, etc to make sure they are in good shape and ready for another season.
Alright, time to make a trip or two to the tackle shop an now I’m ready for another season of fishing!
Tight lines to all!
Winter time fishing
Tuesday, December 18, 2007
It’s almost officially winter time. Does that mean the fishing has stopped? Nope, not in these parts anyway. There is still plenty of fish to be caught along our coast. Granted, the bite is slower and you have to work a little harder. However for an avid angler, there are fish to be caught.
Speckled trout and red drum are here all year round as are a few flounder. The big drum head out into the deeper waters of the ocean but the juveniles stay here. They gather in schools when the weather gets cool and can be found in the creeks. Look for them on the sand flats or shallow oyster rocks on a sunny day. Often they will tear up any bait or lure you send their way as the pickings are sparse in the winter. However a slow retrieve works best. Winter often also means clear water, so concentrate on presentation and stealth.
Much of the above goes for specks too. However, they tend to school up in the deep pools and channels. Mud holds warmth longer than sand. So at the beginning of the cold weather, mud bottoms are a good place to look for trout and for an occasional flounder. Yes I said flounder. While most of the flounder head into the ocean when water cools and the large schools of bait depart, some stay through the winter. Again, remember to slow down your retrieve.
The black sea bass have moved into our near shore waters and will remain there through the winter. My favorite way to target them is with 2 ounce diamond jigs on light tackle. Just drop the jig straight down to the bottom and then vertically jig it up and down till you feel a bite. That makes for some fun fishing and some fresh fish on a nice winter day.
Grouper fishing are also good in the winter but you will have to travel out about 20 - 40 miles. And of course if you have the right boat or go on a charter the Gulf Stream fishing is good all winter.
Another option is the Cape Fear River & North East Cape Fear River near Wilmington for striped bass. This fishery has rebounded nicely in the last few years. The stripers in the river don’t get to be as big as those in the ocean but still it’s not uncommon to catch an occasional 20 pound with many in the 5- 8 pound range. Try around hard structure on a falling tide. Just be prepared to loose some tackle as there is plenty of hard structure underwater to cut off your line.
Wacky Weather
Thursday, December 06, 2007
t’s wacky weather time. More often than not it seems each year we get some wacky weather this time of year.
Sometimes it comes in the form of temperatures that are out of the norm, like an 80 day in February or like this past week when the temperature vacillate between hot and cold. Sunday and Monday we had highs in the 60’s with an overnight in the high 50’s. Monday night thermometer plummeted from 62 in the daytime to 32 that night. A 40 degree shift! Brrrrr.
It pays to wear layered clothing, that way you can add or take off layers depending on the weather at hand. I also try to keep something water/wind resistant on top. That helps to keeps me warm and dry.
The fishing has been decent in spite of the wacky weather. From what I’m hearing and seeing we aren’t having a spectacular speck season this year in this area. Some are being caught but not as consistently or in the huge numbers we have seen the past two years. But that could still change as the water temperatures are still above average for this time of year.
The flounder bite has been got. A lot of little fish are being caught with some nice keepers mixed in. One just has to be patient and persistent. Natural bait, Gulp! shrimp, mirro-lures, X-Raps and Billy Bay shrimp are all working well for the trout and an occasional drum. Finger mullet (yes, there are still some here) and Gulp! are working well for the flatfish.
In the surf some very nice speckled trout are being caught. The north end of the island has seen the best action. The schools of drum are still making occasional visits to the inlets along the shoals. Plenty of grey trout are being caught on the ledges and rocky bottom areas in the 1-3 mile range.
Further out the black sea bass bite is going strong with some decent size fish being picked out of a ton of smaller ones. The grouper are still fairly close. Several of the big charter boats out of Morehead have been catching blue fin tuna if you want to give that a shot.
With the slower fishing season, I’ll be going to an every other week format through March.
I hope you catch ‘em up!