A long held tradition on our coast is the public fishing pier. Usually the piers are privately owned but available for all to enjoy. The ocean piers on Topsail Island provide easy access to deeper water and a wider variety of fish. And to be honest, they just plain make fishing easier.

Growing up in this area, like many of the local youths, I learned to ocean fish on our piers. It wasn’t till much later that I had the opportunity to fish from a boat. We would show up in early afternoon, plunk down our money for a ticket and some bait and then proceed to fish to our hearts content. Often we fished through the night and into the wee hours of the morning.

A while back, a friend and I were trying to remember all the names of the piers from over the years. We counted at least seven that have made home on Topsail Island at various times. I think I have fished on most of them at one time or another.

The recent boom in beach development has left many of North Carolina’s beach communities without a public fishing pier. The land is often “worth” more developed for residential use than for commercial purposes. We are very fortunate on Topsail Island to still have three ocean piers, one in each of the three townships.

Located in North Topsail Beach, Seaview pier is the newest pier on Topsail Island. With a pier length of 1000 feet, they also have the longest pier on the island. Their fully stocked tackle shop offers fresh bait for sale and rod rental. A unique feature among the island’s piers, their restaurant will cook your catch for you right on the spot for a small charge. They charge $7.00 per rod for fishing and offer a discount for military personnel.

The Surf City Ocean Pier is located just over the bridge to the right. Originally built in 1948, it was the first pier on Topsail Island. The structure was completely rebuilt after Hurricane Fran destroyed it in 1997. The 937 foot long fishing pier is owned and operated by the Lore family and features a 40 foot octagon with a live well tank at the end for King Mackerel fishing. The pier house is well stocked with tackle and bait. They have a grill with screened in dining and a game room for children of all ages. The fishing fee is $7.00 per rod for a twenty-four period.

Topsail Beach is home to the Jolly Roger Fishing Pier. Built around 1954 and currently owned and operated by the Orr family, this pier is also a landmark amongst fisherman. The pier is about 880 feet long and offers a grill for hot food and plenty of snacks and drinks. The have a well stocked tackle shop and carry a variety of baits. The cost to fish is $11 per person with each angler allowed two poles. Children under fourteen years of age are charged half price.

All three piers have a “blanket” fishing license so individuals do not need a saltwater license to fish from the pier. However this year you will need one to fish from the surf, sound side or in a private boat. They can be purchased at most of the area’s tackle shops.

Catching report:

The fishing is really picking with the warmer weather. Sound side fishing is producing some red drum near the docks along the ICW with a good number of flounder now being caught as well. Near the beaches the Spanish and blue fish bite has been very strong. There also have been a few nice cobia caught this past week.

In the surf, some pompano and drum are being caught with an occasional flounder. The piers report a nice spring mix of Spanish mackerel, blues, pompano and mullet being caught. The chopper blues are making runs through the shallow water causing some excitement at the end of the piers. A few kings have been caught also.

Off shore fisherman are reporting king mackerel being caught from 10 miles out. They are also picking up some nice mahi further out. Reports from the gulf stream include catches of yellowfin tuna, wahoo and a few billfish.

Happy Memorial Day and tight lines to all!