# North Topsail 6/28/19 - 7/05/19



## nissan11 (Jan 24, 2010)

I'm heading to Topsail tomorrow morning for a week-long family reunion. There will be more relatives than usual on this trip so I plan to do lots of fishing and drinking under the neighbor's boardwalk. I will not stop (drinking and fishing until I have caught all four summer target species:

Pin fish, sting ray, black tip and blue crab


I will report back a couple times a day starting tomorrow. Today I prep.


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## nissan11 (Jan 24, 2010)

Fished high tide yesterday with fish bites only and caught a couple keeper whiting and croaker. We did see a nice spanish chasing bait fish near the shore. There is no wind today and the ocean looks like a lake.


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## Papa-T (Sep 5, 2011)

Ahhhhhhh. I can smell the salt already. Thanks for the report.


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## nissan11 (Jan 24, 2010)

Nothing is going on today. Only sharks on a fireball rig and small croakers on river rigs. I am enjoying the new tackle box I got from the outfitter in Hampstead, tho.


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## poppop1 (Feb 16, 2004)

Where is your rental?, has the same walk way and gazebo as the one I rented for this fall ( 1316 NRIR). Good luck, ...pop.


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## nissan11 (Jan 24, 2010)

We are at 1310. 

The water is more glassy today but still not clear.


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## nissan11 (Jan 24, 2010)

I had a rough skim boarding accident yesterday and am moving slow this morning. Those things are dangerous.


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## Guest (Jul 1, 2019)

Good luck......going to be hot this week


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## nissan11 (Jan 24, 2010)

I have lots of croakers and black tips to report. It is hot. The buzz fish has overtaken me early.


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## hansenb40 (Jul 11, 2018)

nissan11 said:


> I have lots of croakers and black tips to report. It is hot. The buzz fish has overtaken me early.


How big were the black tips?


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## nissan11 (Jan 24, 2010)

They were all small. About 12 inches.


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## poppop1 (Feb 16, 2004)

nissan11 said:


> We are at 1310.
> 
> The water is more glassy today but still not clear.


Thanks, I will be at the light green house to your left this fall, did they fix the walk way and gazebo like they told me they did?? Will I have somewhere to get my fishing cart to the beach without having to use the steps? Was your skim boarding accident alcohol related? Enjoy yourself and thanks again for all the pics and reports,...pop.


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## poppop1 (Feb 16, 2004)

Looks like you are going to have a beautiful beach day today, warm south breeze and cold beer!


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## nissan11 (Jan 24, 2010)

Your gazeebo is gone and there is no way to get a cart to the beach without riding it down the stairs.


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## nissan11 (Jan 24, 2010)

No-fish dinner


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## poppop1 (Feb 16, 2004)

Thank you very much for that picture of 1316 NRIR, it had a walk way and gazebo just like your rental, we are old folk and some of us were looking forward to being out of the sun and under the gazebo ( I'm old but I like the sun). Hope you get into some fish,...pop.


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## nissan11 (Jan 24, 2010)

Buzzfish conditions are optimal.


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## abass105 (Jun 13, 2006)

Nice. Thanks for sharing.


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## nissan11 (Jan 24, 2010)

Made it to Buddy's today


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## nissan11 (Jan 24, 2010)

Rained in at Buddys. All the beach bunnies piled in to get out of the storn. I might have to skip fishing today.


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## greendave (Mar 13, 2006)

nissan11 said:


> Nothing is going on today. Only sharks on a fireball rig and small croakers on river rigs. I am enjoying the new tackle box I got from the outfitter in Hampstead, tho.



I dig the bag - who makes it?

-Dave


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## nissan11 (Jan 24, 2010)

Another Topsail special


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## nissan11 (Jan 24, 2010)

The bag is a Plano and is awesome


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## nissan11 (Jan 24, 2010)

.


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## nissan11 (Jan 24, 2010)

The choppy surf was good for croaker this AM. Still not a single blue to report. Hit buddy's again.


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## nissan11 (Jan 24, 2010)

.


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## poppop1 (Feb 16, 2004)

Looks like the buzzfish are biting again. Wish I were there, thanks for the report and pics.


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## Sean B (Jul 29, 2010)

nissan, I like the combination rod/beverage holders. Could I trouble you to post a close up picture?


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## nissan11 (Jan 24, 2010)

They are just t-posts I welded some brackets to to accommodate pvc for rod holders. The pvc is held on with hose clamps. No need for a hammer. They can be worked forward and back by hand to get deep enough.
Also, this is my last day. I spent most of it bar hopping but am using up my last cut bait now. No bites...no blues....no sharks..it is dismal.


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## nissan11 (Jan 24, 2010)

.


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## Sean B (Jul 29, 2010)

Thanks for the photos. That gives me some ideas to have something ready for our trip next month to Corolla. I've just been using single pieces of PVC with a sharpened end. They work okay but I'd like to have my reels higher above the water. Sorry the fishing wasn't better for ya but being at the beach is rewarding enough in my book.


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## Sean B (Jul 29, 2010)

nissan11 said:


> They are just t-posts I welded some brackets to to accommodate pvc for rod holders. The pvc is held on with hose clamps. No need for a hammer. They can be worked forward and back by hand to get deep enough.
> Also, this is my last day. I spent most of it bar hopping but am using up my last cut bait now. No bites...no blues....no sharks..it is dismal.



So I found myself with too much time on my hands this week...

My son is currently serving in the Navy and deployed overseas, and won't make the annual beach trip this year... so I thought the paint was necessary.


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## Gottafly (Jul 27, 2009)

Sean B said:


> So I found myself with too much time on my hands this week...
> 
> My son is currently serving in the Navy and deployed overseas, and won't make the annual beach trip this year... so I thought the paint was necessary.
> 
> View attachment 60887


This pole holder is awesome. Do you have any details on the build?

Gottafly


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## Sean B (Jul 29, 2010)

Just used some of the salvaged aluminum I had laying around. Most kinds of aluminum angle would work. The piece on the left was part of an old coat hanger rack. An appropriately sized SS sheet metal screw will attach to anywhere along the slotted opening. I fastened those to the vertical piece with aluminum rivets. (I'd absolutely love to have a tig welder and the ability to weld aluminum) and used 1&1/2", 2" and 3" PVC for the rod and beer holders. The holes you see in the PVC were made just big enough for a Philips screwdriver to pass through. Bottom of the beverage holders is made from 1/2" pallet wood and nailed into place 1/4" up from the bottom of the holder. Then sharpened the bottom of the upright.


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## poppop1 (Feb 16, 2004)

Nice job, looks professional! The painted PVC sets it off, I painted my PVC added holders attached to my beach cart years ago and find the paint rubs off pretty easy, so have to touch up once in a while, maybe you painted them properly and won't have that problem, would that be ''Navy'' blue?


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## Sean B (Jul 29, 2010)

Thanks! Navy blue it is. I've painted lots of rod holders for our kayaks and canoes over the years and haven't had any issues with the paint rubbing off. Just give the PVC a good cleaning and light sanding beforehand and no worries.


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## poppop1 (Feb 16, 2004)

Sean B said:


> Thanks! Navy blue it is. I've painted lots of rod holders for our kayaks and canoes over the years and haven't had any issues with the paint rubbing off. Just give the PVC a good cleaning and light sanding beforehand and no worries.


I didn't sand the PVC, just wiped them off, old saying; ''never time to do it right, but always time to do it over'', I'll try sanding next time, thanks for the info. I just noticed your location, we are not that far apart,...pop.


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## nissan11 (Jan 24, 2010)

I will add that the reason I chose T-posts is because of the 'wing' on the bottom that keeps them from twisting and falling when the water comes in and the sand gets wet. I think your design is great but you may want to weld some thin flat pieces of metal near the bottom to help 'grip' the sand if you plan on letting the waves come up past them.


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## nissan11 (Jan 24, 2010)

One more suggestion, you may want to put a bolt through the bottom of the PVC pieces to keep rod butts from going all the way through. On big bait cast rods the reel will sit directly on the PVC and in some cases can scuff or scratch the reel.


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## Sean B (Jul 29, 2010)

poppop1 said:


> I didn't sand the PVC, just wiped them off, old saying; ''never time to do it right, but always time to do it over'', I'll try sanding next time, thanks for the info. I just noticed your location, we are not that far apart,...pop.


I wish my location was within one hour of OBX/Hatteras. I'd be there fishing every weekend. Smallmouth bass on the Susquehanna is my current passion but I could give it up for the salt water.


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## Sean B (Jul 29, 2010)

Thanks for the tips Nissan!


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