Current Adventure Charters » Topsail Beach Redfish

Topwater Redfish Action

Capt. Brent — Mon, 27 Jun 2011 19:05:44 +0000

With temperatures returning closer to normal and not in the triple digits as of late, the Redfish bite picked up considerably over the weekend.

I set out early Sunday morning on a recon mission with my brother-in-law James and it didn’t take long to find a great school of tailing Redfish in about 2-1/2 feet of water. This school consisted of upper and over slot fish that aggressively consumed top water plugs at first light.

We launched from Topsail Beach at first light and made an early morning run down the glass slick ICW to our first location. Once on scene, I quietly ascended atop the poling platform of my East Cape Vantage to get an eagle’s eye view of the flat surrounding me while James took position on the bow ready to cast at my call. We quietly floated across the flat observing a slew of bait fish breaking the mirror like surface of the windless water. Off my bow and at about 2:00, I spotted the unmistakeable wake of a small school or Redfish exiting off our bow as they sensed our approach. Then, as I turned my head and looked to my South, there they were.

“James, tailers at 9:00″

Our hearts started to race at the sight of large tails breaking the surface as the fish were obviously feeding and by the looks of some of the tails I was seeing, I knew there were some big fish in this school. Spinning the Vantage 90 degress to port, I gave a couple of pushes with the Stiffy push pole to get just within casting range.

“Now James, cast” I commanded and he let the skitter walk fly through the air landing just on the other side of the tailers.

“Twitch it now” I said and the once, mirror like water shattered into a massive explosion of white water as the Red engulfed the tiny plug from the surface and the stradic began to sing as the fish made a fruitless attempt to escape with the bait firmly planted into his mouth. After a short battle, the fish came boatside and was released to fight again another day!!

If this sounds like your kind of fun, give me a call and let’s go fishing!!

Tight lines!!

Capt. Brent

Good Redfish bite at Topsail Beach

Capt. Brent — Thu, 08 Jul 2010 23:54:16 +0000

The Redfish bite in Topsail Beach area has been on fire the past couple of weeks. I have been finding lots of fish that have been willing to bite topwater baits. Zara Spooks and Top Pups have been working the best. The cold front that came through over the fourth of July weekend cooled down the water some and the fish responded by schooling up making for some exciting sight fishing in the shallow bays and flats.

The best bites have been in the early morning from sun up until about 10:00. After that, the wind tends to pick up and the fish aren’t as easy to see. The fish tend to want other baits such as soft plastics and bucktail jigs as the sun gets up and the heat of the day sets in.

If you are going to be in the Topsail area or other areas of the Cape Fear Region and would like to go fishing, give me a call and book a trip. I have good dates still available and the fishing is fantastic!!

Capt. Brent

Topsail Beach fishing report

Capt. Brent — Sun, 07 Mar 2010 23:58:33 +0000

Good weather finally graced us here on the Carolina coast so today I got out to take advantage of it. I hadn’t fished the North Topsail area in awhile, so I decided to see what I could find. I went to an area that I had found some fish last summer. The water was gin clear and the light winds made for a great sight fishing day.

After searching for a short time, I found a body of water that had a great mud bottom which was holding water temps 5 degrees warmer than surrounding areas. Soon, the gin clear water was turned cloudy which is a tale tale sign of feeding Redfish and moments later, I saw the fish scurrying off from the boat in all directions. A few cast later, I hooked up with the first fish of the day, but it soon shook the hook. After missing a couple more bites, I soon had my first fish in the boat.

With my power pole deployed, I anchored the boat and continued to catch a few more fish. Gulp jerk shads rigged on a weighted hook worked well on the school of fish. The fish in the school ranged in size from under slot fish to upper slot fish. Overall, it was a productive day for just a few hours on the water.

Ocean Reds

Capt. Brent — Fri, 15 Jan 2010 19:59:27 +0000

My friend Jason and myself took advantage of the best day we have had all year, weather wise. We slid the Vantage into the water early and headed for the ocean. The seas were flat calm and the water was Gin clear. Jason and I eased along the beach and it didn’t take long to spot the fish. There were hundreds of Reds holding tight to the surf zone and the glistened in the sunlight as they rode the waves. The only downside was that the water temp was 47.8°F and they just didn’t want to bite.

We threw everything in the tackle box at them. Gulps, Mirrorlures, gold spoons and bucktail jigs. We did manage to catch 4 or 5 fish this morning, but we would have like to caught more. The cold temperatures and the fact that these fish have been pressured hard the last few weeks had given these fish a big case of lockjaw. However, it was great to be on the water and it is awesome to see so many redfish in the water at once.

Tight lines to all.

Capt. Brent

The Redfish bite is on!!!

Capt. Brent — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 15:08:24 +0000

The days are getting shorter, the nights are getting cooler, the water temps are falling and the mullet blow is kicking off. It can only mean one thing, fall fishing is here. The Redfish bite has been on fire in the North Topsail Beach area as of late as well as many other areas in the Cape Fear Region.

With the water full of finger mullet heading South, the top water action for big Redfish as been awesome. Early mornings while the sun is still low seems to be the best time for the topwater action, but cloudy days will produce strikes all day long. Skitter walks and Top Pups have been working well. Color doesn’t seem to matter much as the fish are feeding heavily and they just can’t resist the action of one of these plugs.

Top water is not the only baits that are working well now. Both Gulp™shrimp and jerk shads fished on weighted hooks have been producing a lot of fish. Skimmer jigs tipped with Fish Bites™ have been producing a lot of fish as well. Most of the trips taken lately have been producing double digit numbers of Reds in only a few hours of fishing.

The new ECC Vantage is performing beautifully and allows me to get into the skinny waters that tend to hold these great fighting fish. If you are looking to get into some great redfish action, give me a call and let’s get you out on the water. I still have some good dates in September available, but I will not be running any trips in October as I am getting married and will be heading to Hawaii for a couple of weeks with my new bride!!! Trips will resume in November and historically, Thanksgiving provides some really good fishing.

Give me a call and let’s go catch some fish!!

Tight lines!!!

Capt. Brent

Rainy Day Reds!!!!

Capt. Brent — Sat, 18 Oct 2008 22:21:30 +0000

Today I had Russell and Doug join me for a day of fishing in the rain at Topsail Beach. Knowing that the weather was going to be nasty, I call Russell and ask if they wanted to fish in the rain. They said that they came to fish, so fish is what we did.

The bite wasn’t exactly on “fire”, but both Russell and Doug managed to catch Redfish in the 5-6lb class. Russell also landed a flounder that was slightly under the size limit. Though the weather was less than perfect, we had a good time and Russell and Doug have two nice fish for their cookout!!! Good job guys!! You deserve those fish for battling the conditions!!1

Tight lines and good fishing!!

Capt. Brent

Topsail Beach Redfish-Huge Schools

Capt. Brent — Mon, 16 Jun 2008 17:13:02 +0000

I hit the water at 0530 Sunday morning to do a little pre-fishing for upcoming charters this week. The wind was calm, and the water was like a mirror. The first place I stopped, I had to search a little, but I was rewarded by finding a school of Redfish holding tight in a cove. These fish were schooled tight and willing to eat a top water plug. The first fish that I caught was a hefty 6.5lb upper slot fish. I felt like a kid in a candy store watching these fish wake around in the shallow water. I slipped my anchor into the water and proceeded to catch a couple more before easing out and leaving them alone.

Afterwards, I went searching for some more fish. I decided to check out a spot that I had looked at many times before, but had never found fish. Well today would be different. I spent quite a while in this location before I finally found the school, but when I did, it was on. There had to be at least 200 fish in this school, maybe more. Once again I caught a few fish, then slipped away quietly, leaving them in peace. Hopefully to will hold tight for this weeks upcoming charters.

There is a lot of great top water action to be had, so call and book your trip today!!!

Tight lines!!!

Capt. Brent