# Topsail Report, 10/18 - 10/24



## slosh (Jul 1, 2017)

Spent last week with my family at Topsail Beach (South Topsail, near the Jolly Roger). We arrived Sunday, 10/18 around lunch time, and we took the kids and hit the beach pretty quickly. There was a steady NE breeze, and 4 oz wouldn't hold steady even with little bits of salted shrimp. I managed to catch a couple small pompano that afternoon out past the breakers, and luckily low tide showed a decent hole right behind our house. Played with the kids and had family time that evening so didn't fish really hard past the afternoon. 

Monday was more of the same, steady NE'er and plenty of current. Fished through high tide that day and caught a few more small pompano on long casts. Also got into the puffers, again on long casts. The hole near the beach was dead, save for small pomps at high tide. Managed a 15" flounder on a #6 circle with shrimp and a little bit of fishbite, promptly returned it. No fleas to be found nearby. Around mid-morning one of my rods went down hard, and it was game on on a tiny bit of shrimp. Fish pulled drag for several seconds and I was thinking drum until it stopped completely. After a few minutes I landed the stingray, which had two rigs hanging from its mouth complete with hooks and sinkers. I'm guessing it earned those from the not-too-distant Jolly Roger pier. I tried again a that evening and caught one tiny whiting before calling it quits. Slow fishing.

Tuesday we started out fishing on the beach, but it was slow again. We ran to town to pick up a few things, then came back to let the kids play on the nice playground near our house. It took less than a minute for our 6 year-old to slip off the monkey bars and land hard on his wrist. He wound up with a buckle fracture in his left wrist, but he took it well. He was back on the beach playing and fishing that evening, but fishing remained slow. 

Wednesday I fished on the beach a little in the AM, caught 2 more 15" flounder (again returned). Saw birds diving off the beach, way out of casting range, noticed a few fish cutting through on top. I took the family and ran to the dredge dock and netted some finger mullet. Tried fishing on the 'inside' around the dock, but it was just lizardfish taking the tails off of my Gulps so I didn't try for too long. Went out to eat that evening, and when we got back I put glow sticks on the rods and hit the beach hoping for big whiting or maybe a pup. Tide was coming in, and because the ocean was rough I was fishing heavier stuff -- had the heaver out, then a couple 'heaver-lite' 11' rods rated for 4-8 oz, and then my Team Alabama 13 ft. rod chunking 5 oz. + mullet chunks. All was quiet, so I was sitting by the cart making rigs when I saw the Team Alabama's glow stick go down, and keep going down. I put down the pliers and hook and watched as it continued to the sand and then proceeded towards the water. I took off sprinting for it as it disappeared into the ocean. It was moving at about a 45° angle to the beach as it departed seaward and I picked an intercept course and hoped for luck. In about a foot of water I saw the faint green of glow stick a few meters in front of me, and after a final sprint I grabbed hold of the rod. The drag was set pretty loose, and the fish easily peeled line for a few seconds. Then it stopped, and I felt it shake its head, and it bit off 50-pound leader right at the snelled hook. No drum. I was glad to have saved the rod and reel. The old Daiwa Millionaire 5HS was the biggest victim. After a freshwater rinse it fished well the rest of the week, and after we got home it got a thorough cleaning (ultrasonic buzz and all). I think it will make it. "Forensic study" found that the tide had been creeping up around the rod holder and softened the sand a bit. While the drag was loose on the reel and functioned perfectly, the 13 ft. rod gave the fish a lot of leverage which also contributed. I loosened the drag up even more after that, just in case. No other fish that night after the drama.

Thursday the NE wind and heavy current continued. Walked on the pier and found fishing was slow there too. Managed a few more pompano, a few more flounder as well. Caught a sea robin, which the kids really enjoyed. A couple of mullet were bigger than the others, but nothing to write home about, maybe 12". Whiting were remarkably missing up to that point, unfortunately. 

Friday I got bored and wound up taking my oldest down to the South end, past the dredge dock, to the point near the inlet. Got a bunch of finger mullet in the net along the way, and fished for a couple hours through high tide. Managed a couple pinfish on fresh shrimp, nothing on live or cut mullet. Lots of people were fishing out there, but not much catching going on. I stopped at a couple other accesses down that way and found some nice looking structure, so we went back that evening to try it out. Same results as at the house -- a few flounder (I think we caught 3 there, 2 over 15" and one 13"), small pompano on long casts, and we managed a spot in close. Other guys fishing there said they caught some keeper black drum earlier in the week, but it'd been quiet since. 

Saturday the wind finally switched to the ESE, and fishing seemed to improve. That morning I caught more pompano and flounder through low tide, including another 12" pompano. Managed a sea robin, kids loved that. High tide was in the afternoon, so I left a couple hours prior to fish one of the holes down south again. Got there and it was packed, so I went back to my little hole behind the house only to find someone covering it with a 4-rod spread. Luckily there was still a little room for me, and I caught a couple more 15" flounder (nothing good to say about that situation by this point), more small pompano on long casts, and I managed a couple 12" - 13" whiting in close. Fishing was consistent enough that I ended up staying until just after dark. My neighbor vacated, so I was able to fish the hole a bit better and caught more whiting and pomps and of course, another couple flounder. Caught our first bluefish of the trip, maybe 10", but good to see something else. Just after dark I had a good hit on a bit of fresh shrimp. The fish got right to the edge of the breakers and then bit through 15lb fluoro, guessing a little bigger bluefish. It wasn't anything huge, but pulled a little better than what I'd been catching. I caught one more flounder before it was time to go. 

Good trip all-in-all, even though fishing was slow. Not what I expected for late-October, but that's fishing. The weather was pleasant in spite of the steady NE breeze, to the extent that the kids played in the water the whole time and never caught one chill. Last thing:
*Good Juju award for the trip goes to.......*the old brown 10ft. Fenwick surf rod I picked up for $10 at a junk shop this year, paired with an old Daiwa BG 30 I picked up for $8 at a different junk shop years ago. That rod caught more fish than everything else combined for the trip. It's crazy how that works sometimes, but for example Saturday evening it was fishing a double-dropper with shrimp, with a 4 oz weight. Other combos with the same rig just weren't producing, even when I shuffled the rods to different spots. Heck, another rod with same rig and bait, and a 2 oz. weight did nothing while the old Fenwick brought in 4 fish at one point. Neat how that works out sometimes.


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## LMG (Oct 27, 2020)

Thanks for the detailed report. I am taking my Dad up to Emerald Isle on 8 November for Veterans Day week and hopefully the colder weather and fish will turn on. And I agree on how certain rods and catching more fish. I have an Old Ted Williams Rod and reel combo that my Dad handed down to me from over 30 plus years ago and it by far catches more fish than anything newer that I have. Glad to hear also that your Son is doing well with his broken wrist. I broke mine two years ago and it is true what they say, I can tell the weather better now than before I had a plate and screws in my old bones.
Hope you get another chance to go fishing down on the coast soon.


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## dirtyhandslopez (Nov 17, 2006)

Great report, thank you.


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## retired (Oct 20, 2016)

Nice report. As you said, its called fishing for a reason.


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## jay b (Dec 1, 2002)

Great report, thanks !!

Is that old brown Fenwick a fiberglass rod ? 

I have two old Fenwick fiberglass rods that my Dad built from blanks back in the 60's. I had them both rewrapped with eyelets and a real seat about 15 years ago by a local Rod builder Ronnie Hogwood. One is an 8' Brown blank and the other is an 9' Yellow blank.

Like you they are my favorite beach rods when fishing for small stuff.


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## slosh (Jul 1, 2017)

jay b said:


> Great report, thanks !!
> 
> Is that old brown Fenwick a fiberglass rod ?
> 
> ...


It is. Somehow though it fishes and feels noticeably better than my newer cheapo glass rods. Super fast action gives it superb bite detection, but it lobs 4 oz+ bait no problem. It's heavy, but fine for bait fishing. Mine is due for a rewrap, lol I will have to order brown thread. 
I have an old Fenwick Lunkerstik in that same color I use for bass fishing. 5.5ft MH rod, with the removable reel seat/butt section. Super heavy compared to my newer graphite stuff, but it balances nicely with round reels. Would I use it in a tournament? No, but I don't feel badly handicapped using it to chunk a t-rig worm or jig and pig for pond bass. I wish there was an option for a newer 5.5ft MH rod, as it works great bank fishing.


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## slosh (Jul 1, 2017)

LMG said:


> Thanks for the detailed report. I am taking my Dad up to Emerald Isle on 8 November for Veterans Day week and hopefully the colder weather and fish will turn on. And I agree on how certain rods and catching more fish. I have an Old Ted Williams Rod and reel combo that my Dad handed down to me from over 30 plus years ago and it by far catches more fish than anything newer that I have. Glad to hear also that your Son is doing well with his broken wrist. I broke mine two years ago and it is true what they say, I can tell the weather better now than before I had a plate and screws in my old bones.
> Hope you get another chance to go fishing down on the coast soon.


Thanks for the kind words. Based on newer reports I think fishing is picking up already, hope yall slay em that week!


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