The pier strikes a pose for visual media and is a social media darling with more than 25,990 Facebook friends. Fans look forward to the pier’s weather reports, photos, and fishing reports.
“The pier has been family owned and operated for the last 28 years,” said Ed Lore, owner of the pier. “It was built by the Ward family in the late 40s. It was the first pier built on Topsail Island.”
The pier is 937 feet long from the door. At the deck at the point-end of the pier, it’s approximately 15 to 20 feet above the water. The ocean is approximately 15 to 20 feet deep at the end of the pier.
Perfect for fishing, the pier charges $10 per pole for a 24 hour fishing period. Anglers have snagged blowfish and mullet in recent days. Daily catches and smiling anglers appear on the pier’s Facebook page.
The largest fish caught from the Surf City Ocean Pier was a tarpon, said Vinta Glass, the pier’s manager.
The Surf City Ocean Pier is open 24/7 from late March to early December or late November.
“We’re very focused on the kids,” said Lore. “We host tournaments for children. We will help them get started with rigs and bait. We offer free brochures and we try to teach children the ‘dos and don’ts’ of fishing.”
Lore said they like to teach conservation. They stress disposing of used and tangled fishing line into the trash cans so that fish, turtles and wildlife are not endangered or entangled.
“We teach children to weigh-in the fish and if the fish are young, we teach them to throw the fish back,” said Lore. “We teach them common sense conservation.”
The Surf City Ocean Pier is a popular spot for fishing tournaments. On July 4, they host a tournament for children. On average 250 to 300 children compete in the tournament.
“We started online registration because it just got too big,” said Glass.
Registration will begin June 1 for the July 4 tournament.
Glass said the pier is well lit and is a safe place for women and children to fish.
Lore said the Surf City Ocean Pier is a basic pier that covers fishing licenses for anglers who want to pier fish.
What makes the pier unique is that it’s alcohol-free.
The pier features a grill, soft drinks, and 16 flavors of ice cream and two flavors of soft serve.
In the shop, the Surf City Ocean Pier offers a large selection of T-shirts – one which they designed as a tribute to all of Topsail’s piers. They sell a large selection of plush toys, including cute fish and turtles.
The pier carries a large selection of fishing gear and bait for a fun-filled day.
For more information about the fishing tournaments and services offered by the Surf City Ocean Pier, call 910-328-3521 or visit online at www.surfcitypier.com and social media.
The pier is located at 112 South Shore Dr. in Surf City, with designated parking across the street for pier patrons.
