Surf City Ocean Pier
About
Unclaimed Compiled by Topsail Guide from public sources.
Surf City Pier has been standing at the end of South Shore Drive since 1948, which makes it the first ocean pier ever built on Topsail Island. Fran took it down in 1996. It was back the next year, and the same family has run it since 1973.
It reaches about 937 feet out over the Atlantic and widens into an octagon at the end, which is where you find the people who are serious about it. The pier is lit for night fishing and has two cleaning stations, so you can fish it at two in the morning and still leave with your catch handled. A day pass covers two rods, and there is a cheaper rate if you only want to walk out and look, which plenty of people do at sunrise. Ask about seasonal fishing and parking passes if you plan to be out here more than a few times. Rates shift season to season, so call 910-328-3521 rather than trust a number you read somewhere.
The pier house does more than sell bait. There is a full tackle shop, a grill working with fresh ground chuck, an ice cream counter and covered seating out of the sun. It is a no-alcohol operation and it stays family-friendly, which is a large part of why locals still come here rather than drive somewhere else.
The season runs from mid-March to the end of November and the pier stays open around the clock while it is in. There are live cams on their site, which beats guessing from the forecast. If you are fishing here in September, the NC flounder season guide covers the dates, the one-fish limit and the reporting rule that catches people out.
