Topsail area questions for family vacation

[vw_buggsy]

Wifey has planned a family vacation in the Topsail Beach/Surf City area for this upcoming summer, July timeframe. I'm pretty excited about it, I've never been to any of the NC beaches.

I crab here in Southern MD (just recreationally) and thought I'd like to do some crabbing on our vacation probably in the late afternoons after dinner or early mornings.

Right now I'm just planning on bringing a handful of collapsible traps (not a fan of ring nets) and just crabbing on the Banks Channel side from Soundside Park. We'll be staying just a few miles down the road from there.
I've familiarized myself with the rules and regs, size, and catch limits.

We'll be in an ocean side property with no pier access on the sound side, and on the public ocean beach side so I can't run any pots. So it will just be some fold-flat collapsible traps that I can pack away easily, and/or hand lines and in whatever public spots I can find to run them. I have a boat but I'll likely be leaving it at home, this trip being more about hanging out with the fam on the beach than boating around.

My questions are:
Is there a good place to pick up some chicken necks in this area? Just a few pounds. Around there they're in all the bait shops just before crabbing season starts and cheap(ish). Same down there? If that's not easy I'll just bring some frozen ones with me.

Is there a fee for soundside park?

Any other good spots in this area I should be looking at where I can drop traps or hand-line?

What about crabbing on the ocean side? Is that even a thing?

I see "Surf City Ocean Pier" isn't far from the soundside park, also just a few miles from where we're staying. Is it worth attempting any crabbing from the ocean pier? I've never crabbed in an ocean before around here it's all creeks and rivers. They have a $10 fee per fishing rod per day but don't mention crabbing. Would it be $10 per trap? If so... not sure it's worth it. I guess I'd need a really long string on that trap it looks pretty high up from the water.

This might be a dumb question but is it possible to crab on the ocean side from the beach in the mornings and evenings? Like, wade out and drop a trap a collapsible trap then come back and check it every 15 minutes or so? I'm guessing that's probably not going to work but I thought I'd throw the question out there. Maybe wear some water shoes and a head lamp and wade out there with a neck on a string and a dip net in the evening?

Where's a good place to buy crabs in this area? I don't really expect to feed the family crabs by catching them out there, this is just for fun!

Buggsy

[SWfishing]

No expert about that area I live a little higher in swansboro area.  But if you can find a piggly wiggly they usualy have necks  Food lion is probably hit and miss.  But if your running traps I would try to get some pogies or mullet.  Or you could hit the local fishing pier and see if anyone is cleaning fish and ask them for the heads. The evening would probably be best for people leaving. 
Crabbing from the pier was our go to when I was small. So it can be good  Not sure about the cost down there.  We also used to find little public docks in the sound or around a public boat ramp.  There is one in sneads ferry (ramp) and I think a lot of people go under the big bridge and fish there. (Bank fishing)    The tide can rip at times.

   I would imagine on a calm night you could wade out but watch for stingrays. Also I think the waves might move your traps with hitting the float unless you have a lot of anchor..   Crabs can be bought at most fish houses sneads ferry would be the place.  Just over the bridge to the right heading off the Isle.  Good Luck 

[vw_buggsy]

Thanks! Lots of good info there.

Never would have occurred to me to hit up the fisherman for fish bits, that's a great idea! I could probably do that around here too.

Since we got the place on one of those things where you rent from the owner (& he's a fisherman) I was planning to reach out to him and ask if he's for any ideas to, closer to when we go.

Buggsy