Weekly Column - March 27

This is a copy of my weekly printed column in the Topsail Advertiser:

My gear is ready, the boat is ready and I’m long past ready for some spring fishing!

We had a very mild winter but I’m ready for cabin fever to be replaced by spring fever. All the current signs are that we will have a great start to fishing season this year.

I haven’t seen or heard of any major temperature-drop-related fish kills among the drum or speckled trout this winter. They have been biting all winter long, though it was a slow, light bite. With the current water temperatures in the upper 50s, their appetites should be aroused soon as the water continues to get warmer.

Warmer water and baitfish are preludes to the start of the new fishing season. I’m seeing more and more baitfish in the water already. A friend of mine recently caught a bunch of baby spots in his cast net, and I saw several huge schools of minnows on a recent outing.

However for me, a sure sign that spring fishing has begun is the arrival of the Atlantic bonito, (Sarda Sarda). Often confused with a similar looking fish, the False Albacore, bonito are related to the tuna family and are a good tasting fish that put up a great fight for their size.

They show up near our beaches when the water temperature reaches the mid-60s, and the baitfish are in abundance. These fish arrive sometime in early to mid-April and stay until the middle or late May. They like heavily-structured bottoms, so the artificial reefs just off our beaches are productive grounds for bonito.

Soon after the Atlantic bonito arrive, the Spanish mackerel and bluefish will begin to appear on our coastline. While the flounder bite doesn’t get hot until mid-summer, we should start to see some caught on the piers and beaches in the spring.

As winter fishing winds down, I for one will be happy to see the spiny dogfish (a small shark) depart. The National Marine Fisheries (NMF) maintains that the spiny dogfish population is declining, and the group actively manages the fishery. However, some recent studies done here in North Carolina coastal water seem to indicate the data used by NMF may be flawed. While I’m no scientist and my data points are not empirical in nature, it seems the dogfish bite is stronger than ever. For many fishermen, they are just a plain ol’ nuisance. However, they are important to the ecosystem and help to maintain balance in our fisheries.

On the bright side, their seasonal departure is another sign winter is giving way to spring!

The mullet are starting to bite, another early sign of spring. Sea View Pier in North Topsail Beach reports some small mullet already being caught off the pier, along with spiny dogfish and skates. Mullet are being caught in the surf.

Be sure to catch the season opening of the Surf City Pier at 6 a.m. on March 31. As in past years, they will give away a free season pass to the first angler to catch a mullet from the pier.

The Sea View and Jolly Roger piers are already open.

As the catching heats up, I will post reports several times a week on my blog, so be sure to check it for the latest catching report.

Tight lines to all!