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3,450-acre Topsail Sound fishing map with NOAA BlueTopo contours (93% measured, 97.7% assessed), exact NOAA ESI fish occurrence, 2021 NC DMF seagrass habitat, source-traceable wreck, pier and channel-edge spots, verified ramps, three forage calendars and current North Carolina marine rules. The water tops out around 24 ft. The depth chart is built from real agency bathymetry referenced to NAVD88; directly measured coverage remains distinguished from source interpolation. The channels, holes and drop-offs come from the source data, not a distance-from-shore model. Below is the species-by-species picture, pulled from the same data the map uses.
The drawn water covers 3,449 acres wrapped in 114.8 miles of bank, with 107 islands in the mix. That shoreline is heavily fingered (development index 14) — bays, points and pockets everywhere, which multiplies the fishable edge. About 98% of the surface sits shallower than 15 ft — that's the weed-and-bait zone. The basin spans about 8.7 mi end to end and 1.8 mi across at its widest. Its nearest charted neighbour, Stump Sound, is 8 mi to the northeast.
When the water first warms, red drum (redfish) slide up into 1 to 8 ft. By summer they slide out to 2 to 12 ft, and by winter most fish are in 3 to 15 ft. If you only fish one area, make it Coastal Inlets - Topsail Banks Channel Range 12 channel edge: a channel edge around 11 ft that scores prime in winter. In summer the feeding windows fall in early morning and the evening. Keep a weedless gold spoon or a paddletail swimbait rigged through the warm months.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 1 to 8 ft | dawn & dusk | 2021 NC DMF mapped patchy SAV edge (2 ft) | Gold weedless spoon, Paddletail on 1/4 oz jighead |
| Summer | 2 to 12 ft | dawn & dusk | Coastal Inlets - Topsail Banks Channel Range 12 channel edge (11 ft) | Weedless gold spoon, Paddletail swimbait |
| Fall | 3 to 20 ft | dawn & midday | Coastal Inlets - Topsail Banks Channel Range 12 channel edge (11 ft) | 1/2 oz spoon (schools), Big paddletail |
| Winter | 3 to 15 ft | midday & dawn | Coastal Inlets - Topsail Banks Channel Range 12 channel edge (11 ft) | Scented soft plastic on 1/8 oz head, Slow-rolled paddletail |
Start shallow in spring: spotted seatrout sit in 2 to 10 ft that time of year. Warm water sends them out to 4 to 15 ft; cold water stacks them in 5 to 20 ft. Top water on the chart: 2021 NC DMF mapped patchy SAV edge, a seagrass edge in the 2 ft range, prime in spring. Fish it in early morning and you'll meet the bite. Throw a popping cork + shrimp or a 1/4 oz jighead + paddletail (deep grass edge) until the fish tell you otherwise.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 10 ft | dawn & dusk | 2021 NC DMF mapped patchy SAV edge (2 ft) | Topwater walker, Suspending twitchbait |
| Summer | 4 to 15 ft | dawn | 2021 NC DMF mapped patchy SAV edge (6 ft) | Popping cork + shrimp, 1/4 oz jighead + paddletail (deep grass edge) |
| Fall | 3 to 12 ft | dawn | 2021 NC DMF mapped patchy SAV edge (6 ft) | Popping cork rig, Soft plastic jerkbait |
| Winter | 5 to 20 ft | midday & dusk | Coastal Inlets - Topsail Banks Channel Range 12 channel edge (11 ft) | Suspending twitchbait (long pauses), Scented plastic crawled on bottom |
When the water first warms, southern flounder slide up into 2 to 15 ft. Summer is a 3 to 18 ft game here, winter a 7 to 24 ft one. Start at Coastal Inlets - Topsail Banks Channel Range 12 channel edge. It's a channel edge holding about 11 ft of water and rates prime come spring. The feeding windows run early morning. Keep a jighead + gulp swimming mullet or a bucktail tipped with shrimp rigged through the warm months.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 15 ft | dawn | Coastal Inlets - Topsail Banks Channel Range 12 channel edge (11 ft) | 1/4 oz jighead + paddletail (white/chartreuse), Bucktail + Gulp shrimp |
| Summer | 3 to 18 ft | dawn | Coastal Inlets - Topsail Banks Channel Range 12 channel edge (11 ft) | Jighead + Gulp swimming mullet, Bucktail tipped with shrimp |
| Fall | 5 to 24 ft | midday | Coastal Inlets - Topsail Banks Channel Range 12 channel edge (11 ft) | 3/8 oz bucktail + Gulp (passes), Big paddletail on the jetty edge |
| Winter | 7 to 24 ft | midday | Coastal Inlets - Topsail Banks Channel Range 12 channel edge (11 ft) | Slow jig + scented grub in the holes |
Spring black drum on Topsail Sound hold shallow, usually 4 to 24 ft. Depth-wise the year is flat: 3 to 18 ft in summer, 5 to 24 ft once it turns cold. Put Coastal Inlets - Topsail Banks Channel Range 12 channel edge first on the milk run — a channel edge near 11 ft that grades prime for winter. The feeding windows run early morning and the evening. The summer box starts with a shrimp imitation dragged slowly or a small crab jig.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 4 to 24 ft | midday & dusk | Coastal Inlets - Topsail Banks Channel Range 12 channel edge (11 ft) | Crab-tipped bottom jig, Shrimp on a jighead |
| Summer | 3 to 18 ft | dawn & dusk | Coastal Inlets - Topsail Banks Channel Range 12 channel edge (11 ft) | Shrimp imitation dragged slowly, Small crab jig |
| Fall | 4 to 22 ft | dawn | Coastal Inlets - Topsail Banks Channel Range 12 channel edge (11 ft) | Crab-tipped jig, Scented shrimp jig |
| Winter | 5 to 24 ft | midday | Coastal Inlets - Topsail Banks Channel Range 12 channel edge (11 ft) | Heavy bottom jig + crab |
Come spring, look for sheepshead tight to the bank in 5 to 24 ft. Through summer count on 3 to 15 ft; the winter hold is 7 to 24 ft. Start at NOAA charted pier. It's a dock line holding about 10 ft of water and rates prime come summer. Prime time lands in early morning. A small jig + crab piece is the honest summer answer here.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 5 to 24 ft | midday & dawn | NOAA charted wreck (5 ft) | 1/4 oz jighead + fiddler, Sheepshead jig + shrimp piece |
| Summer | 3 to 15 ft | dawn | NOAA charted pier (10 ft) | Small jig + crab piece |
| Fall | 5 to 20 ft | midday | NOAA charted pier (10 ft) | Jighead + shrimp, Small crab jig |
| Winter | 7 to 24 ft | midday | NOAA charted pier (10 ft) | Heavier jig + crab (deep pilings) |
Topsail Sound carries 148 mapped structure features, topping out (or rather bottoming out) at Coastal Inlets - Topsail Banks Channel Range 7 channel edge, about 21 ft down.
Access data: North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission — Boating Access Areas (OBJECTID 213). Confirm conditions and fees locally before you launch.
Season dates, license requirements, and size and bag limits for North Carolina waters are set by the North Carolina Division of Marine Fisheries — and special regulations can apply to Topsail Sound specifically, so confirm the current rules before you fish.
Check the official North Carolina fishing regulations →
Topsail Sound is about 24 ft (7 m) deep at its deepest point. The depth chart is built from real agency bathymetry referenced to NAVD88; directly measured coverage remains distinguished from source interpolation. The contours reflect measured and quality-assessed source depths.
Anglers target red drum (redfish), spotted seatrout, southern flounder, black drum, sheepshead on Topsail Sound.
Coastal Inlets - Topsail Banks Channel Range 12 channel edge is the top-rated area: a channel edge in about 11 ft of water that rates prime for black drum in winter. Open the map above to see every rated spot for each species and season.
For red drum (redfish), the summer bite is best in early morning and the evening. Each species page section below lists the seasonal windows, and the map shows a live NOW badge when you're inside one.
Fishing on Topsail Sound is regulated by the North Carolina Division of Marine Fisheries. Check the official North Carolina regulations for current license requirements, season dates, and size and bag limits — special regulations can apply to this specific water.
Stump Sound 8 mi · Alligator Bay 14 mi · Masonboro Inlet 18 mi · Salliers Bay 21 mi · Northeast Cape Fear River 21 mi, NC/SC · Cape Fear River - Reach 2 of 2 32 mi, NC/SC · Cape Fear River - Reach 1 of 2 37 mi, NC/SC · Bogue Sound 45 mi · Lake Waccamaw 52 mi · Shallotte River 54 mi, NC/SC · Money Island Bay 55 mi · Shallotte Inlet 55 mi
See how Topsail Sound stacks up: best red drum (redfish) lakes in North Carolina · best spotted seatrout lakes in North Carolina · best southern flounder lakes in North Carolina · best sheepshead lakes in North Carolina
Browse all North Carolina fishing maps or see every water on DepthScout. Bathymetry credit: NOAA BlueTopo (NAVD88; 93% measured, 5% source-interpolated). How we build these maps. Fish here with a sonar unit that logs? Send us your depth data and we'll improve this chart, credited to you. For fishing guidance only, never navigation.