Randy (NCAngler) and I had the opportunity to spend a few days fishing this week. We headed to Oriental to target big red drum on the Nuese River. These are beautiful fish which grow rather large and live to be many, many years old (well over 50). They are blast to catch, they will give you quite a tug even on heavier tackle.
It started a little slow as the first evening we got run off the water by thunderstorms before we caught a fish. But the second day we boated 3 fish including a trip best 48" fish that Randy landed. On our third day we managed to land 5 fish in just over 2 hours before calling it a day and heading for dinner. All the fish measured from 38" to 48" with most of them in the 42-46 inch range. They were all released and safely swam away on their own. What a great trip.
For more details and pictures, visit my fishing report thread at: ... [Read More]
The Spanish have arrived, Spanish mackerel that is. Many anglers including myself have been enjoying the early spring mix of Atlantic Bonito and bluefish and now Spanish mackerel. Of course the drum and trout continue to be favorite targets in the sounds and creeks with larger flounder starting to show up too.
Often just called “Spanish” this fish is the smaller cousin to the king mackerel with a strong family resemblance. In fact Spanish mackerel look very much like a juvenile king mackerel. The easiest way to tell them apart is the front portion of the first dorsal fin of the Spanish is black, it looks like a flag. You can also tell by the lateral line on either side of the fish. On a King it drops down about halfway back on either side where as on Spanish it remains fairly level all the way to the tail.
It is very important to distinguish the difference as the creel and size limits are different for the two species. The current regulations for NC coast... [Read More]
Its official, spring fishing has begun! The mullet bite has been strong, plenty of nice speckled trout are being caught in the New River and its creeks and now the Bonito have showed up off of New River Inlet at Divers rock.
Speaking of Bonito, it’s one of my favorite fish and really gets my fishing blood warmed up in the spring. The bonito visit our coast line about this time of year and will stay a few weeks before heading further north.
Once the water gets above 62, you can start looking for them. They will come very close to the coastline but seem to prefer structure that breaks up the currents. The near shore artificial reefs are a great place to hunt for them. While they do come fairly close to shore it would be rare to be able to catch one from shore or the pier.
The best time to target them is early in the morning around first dawn but you can find them at other times too. They usually travel in large schools and often can be seen busting on balls of baitfish... [Read More]
Even though it has been a relatively mild winter in eastern NC, fishing activity for most folks slows down the first few months of the year. When I’m not spending my free time in the winter fishing, I use the time to get ready for the next fishing season.
If I can’t fish, at least I can get ready to catch a few once the fish begin to bite. A little time spent now preparing for the season will help me get off to a great start this spring and fish right on through the fall with fewer missed opportunities.
Like many anglers, I enjoy making my own rigs and this time of year is a good time to stock up on them. I make my own flounder, grouper, and king mackerel rigs. It saves a little money but the “reel” pleasure is a certain satisfaction I get when catching fish on something I handcrafted. It also keeps me connected to fishing activities when cold or stormy weather forces me indoors. The materials are simple and are available at most well equipped tackle shops.... [Read More]
Last night as I prepared to go fishing today my wife asks "have you seen the forecast for tomorrow". I answer yes, to which she says "you must be crazy".
Cabin fever will do that to a man, make him crazy I mean. I've been cooped up indoors too long with the bad weather. Dave B. agreed to join me for the day. He too is hard core about fishing and needed to get out and smell the salt!
We left this morning with the temperature hovering at 36 and the skies threatening rain. The wind was fairly light but the weatherman promised that would change as the sun rose further in the sky and it did.
We anchored up about 8 miles off shore and started catching fish right away. First just some small Black Sea Bass, then some bigger ones. Pretty soon we were stacking up 15 inch plus black bass in the cooler.
Then I had a tug on my line that I knew was no Sea Bass. Several minutes latter this creature comes up to show its slimy self. Looks kind... [Read More]
Left the dock about 8:15 this morning and headed out to a spot about 13 miles out of the inlet. The seas were flat and the wind was calm - awesome weather, and on a Saturday to boot.
Today I decided to exclusively use Shimano Butterfly jigs on a Shimano Trevala rod with the Avet reel. Man those jigs are awesome. I boated a 9 pound grouper, two 18 inch flounders and a hand full of nice sized black sea bass and one white grunt (go figure). Threw back quite a few smaller ones including some smallish but legal BSB.
Nice day on the water & now some good eating!... [Read More]
Warning: this column contains a fish story, while it’s a clean story, if you are sensitive to the truth being stretched, twisted, altered, or obliterated, you may want to avoid politics and stick to reading stories from fisherman.
On a fishing trip last year off shore I had the opportunity to catch a fish, twice. The same fish twice that is.
The seas were calm with a gentle breeze and a few clouds in the sky. The kind of day that is very enjoyable just to be out in the ocean. You know what I mean, peaceful, serene, and relaxing.
We decided to head out about 20 miles to some ledges and try our luck bottom fishing. I made up some of my super, duper grouper rigs the night before. Much like the ones you can buy in tackle shops but with a unique bead pattern. I alternate red, green and silver beads above the hook but below the lead weight and swivel. A tradition I started one day years ago while goofing around on a slow fishing day.
Freckled fish. I heard that term said one day almost in a whisper by an angler answering his wife’s inquiry about what was in his cooler. freckled fish. That is code for Speckled Sea Trout. Or around these parts we just say Specks.
Speck fishermen are some of the most secretive anglers I know. Oh don’t get me wrong, they will tell you exactly how they caught the fish, what bait they used, what tackle was used, what technique was employed. But try to learn the location of the catch and you might as well try to take a piece of meat out of a lion’s mouth.
As one speck fisherman told me, “catching specks is easy, finding them is the hard part”. He went on to say “they will eat just about any bait when they are hungry”.
The hard part is FINDING them. You see specks move around throughout the day in rhythm with the tides, currents and especially the bait. Getting a handle on these patterns will help you locate them next time you go out. So location of a particular day’s catch... [Read More]
It’s one of the best tasting fish in this neck of woods, but you won’t find it at the grocery store. It’s not on the menu at any of our local restaurants. Don’t look for it at the fish markets. If you could find it, you would pay a small fortune for it.
The fish I speak of -- Florida pompano.
This prized fish is caught only on hook and line, and while they run in schools, they are not caught commercially in large numbers. An occasional pompano can be caught in the summer here any time the water temperature is above 70 degrees. However, they show up in the biggest numbers in September when the northern waters begin to cool down, and they head south to their winter home off the coast of Florida.
An average pompano weighs about a pound, with some of the bigger ones reaching more than two pounds. They feast on small crabs and shrimp, and the sand flea (sand mole crab) is their favorite meal. They can be caught in the surf or from the pier. Anglers catch them in the shallow water... [Read More]
This column is the second of a two-part series containing some of my favorite tips for catching flounder. I published this article last year and it is back by popular demand.
As I mentioned last week, there are probably as many thoughts on how to fish for flounder as there are fisherman. In this column, I’ve been sharing some of my favorite techniques -- but there are many others.
Flounder are not picky eaters -- if it looks appealing they will eat it. Fishing with live bait is a favorite of many fishermen. Finger mullet (finger sized pop-eye mullet), mud minnows, small menhaden and pin fish are all good choices to use for flounder bait. When using a pin fish, I usually cut off the dorsal fins to make the fish easier to swallow -- if you have ever been stuck by the fins of a pin fish, you know how it got its name!
One of the most popular ways to rig live bait for flounder fishing is called a Carolina rig. Let’s start from the bottom of a piece of 25- to 40-pound leader mater... [Read More]
This column is the first of a two-part series containing some of my favorite tips for catching flounder. I published this article last year and it is back by popular demand.
Flounder are one of my favorite inshore fish -- they are fun to catch and they taste great! However, catching them with any consistency takes practice and patience.
There are probably as many thoughts on how to fish for flounder as there are fishermen, but I’ll be sharing some of my favorite techniques learned and practiced over the many years I’ve been flounder fishing.
Let’s start with their habitat. Flounders are predators and their favorite tactic is the ambush. They have a great camouflage in their flat body and spotted topside -- even their eyes are hard to detect. The shade of their skin can change depending on the environment. They lie on the bottom and wait for a potential meal to get close and then attack. They usually do not chase a meal very far, preferring to wait for their prey to come to th... [Read More]
This past week-end I discovered something I already knew. Has that ever happened to you?
I entered the Surf City Pier’s fishing tournament and arrived bright and early Saturday. Ready to catch fish and hopeful of winning one of the top prizes, I set-up my gear and began to fish. I did plenty of fishing, not a lot of catching mind you, but a lot of fishing.
I didn’t know any of the folks in my general vicinity but it wasn’t long before several of us struck up a conversation. This repeated through out the day as people would come and go. I noticed the same thing happening all over the pier, strangers meeting each other and making new friends.
That’s when the revelation hit me. You know -- the thing that I already knew but just discovered. Fishermen and women are nice people. Every time I go fishing in a place where there are other anglers near by (like the pier), I meet new people, nice people. Helpful people too – need to borrow a net or a pair of pliers, no problem there will... [Read More]
Surf City Ocean Pier is hosting the 3rd annual Mike Martin Fishing tournament this week-end. The competition begins at 6am on Saturday and runs till noon on Sunday. There are 10 categories of fish ranging from spots to kings. Each category cost $5 to enter or you can enter all 10 for $35.
The heaviest speckled trout pays $500.00 with each of the other categories paying $100 for first place and $50 for second place. They also have a special division for children 12 and under.
The awards ceremony is at 2PM on Sunday. They are also having a raffle and giving away door prizes throughout the week-end.
Catching report
Anglers fishing inshore have been catching some nice size flounder and red drum. The creeks and structures near the waterway have been the most productive. Live finger mullet and Gulp! Alive! Baits have been productive.
In the surf there have been some nice catches of speckled trout using live shrimp. Try them under a popping cork for added attract... [Read More]
Fishing remains hot and the marine weather has been pretty good overall this year! I hope you have had plenty of opportunities to wet a line!
Inshore and offshore fishing has been hot lately. Drum, trout, flounder and sheepshead are being caught in the waterway, creeks and marshes. Look for the drum near the marsh banks or on the nearby flats. Flounder are being caught near docks and pier pilings. There have been some nice Spanish caught but only a few here and there. The blues are biting near the inlets and along the tide line just off the beaches.
Red drum, a few pompano and some croakers are being caught in the surf. The piers are reporting a mixed bag of bottom fish. They also are seeing some big sheephead taken early in the morning and late afternoon on sand fleas near the pilings. Small blues and mullet round out the catching.
The Kings seem to be everywhere. Some are closer to shore with some being caught around the near shore reefs and ledges as well as off the piers.... [Read More]
Saltwater tournament fishing has become very popular on our coast. There is a tournament of some sort just about every week-end and sometimes several. Many of them have huge cash prizes and big entry fees. Some are smaller and designed more for fun than for winning money.
But almost all of them are based on fishing from a boat. There are a few exceptions including the Mike Martin Memorial tournament. This annual event is held at Surf City Ocean Pier in memory of their former manager, Mike Martin.
This event was actually the brainchild of Martin. His idea was to promote the fun of fishing and some bragging rights during the hot weather time of the season.
Tragically he passed away suddenly while still planning the first tournament. Later the pier management team picked up the ball and ran with it. Fittingly they decided to name the tournament for Martin.
This year’s tournament will be the third annual event and will be held August 18th and 19th at the pier. Fi... [Read More]
Topsail Offshore Fishing Club held its annual King Mackerel tournament this past week-end. The 23rd annual tournament was once again a Southern Kingfish Association (SKA) sanctioned event.
SKA teams fishing in the event received points based on how they performed in the tournament. These points and the ones they earn in the other three qualifying tournaments in the division are used to determine who goes to the national championship at the end of the season.
Of course many other local boats fished in the tournament as well. This year the town of Surf City was a co-sponsor and provided the facilities at Soundside Park for the club to use during the tournament. Club President Wayne Batson said that the club was very appreciative to have use of the park for the tournament headquarters, weigh in and awards ceremony.
While the marine forecast held back some teams that would normally enter this annual event, almost 100 teams fished in this year’s tournament. Teams from all o... [Read More]
King mackerel anglers have enjoyed a great start to the season this year. The king bite has been very hot, especially near shore with plenty being caught from both pier and boats.
One of the big reasons is the abundance of menhaden schools near the beaches this year. Often referred to as pogies or bunker by local anglers, they are tops on the menu for king mackerel. I have seen school after school of pogies this year. Some of the schools are as big as a football field. They often are so thick they form a big dark blotch in the water when seen from above.
While some of the largest schools are in the ocean, many smaller schools have moved into the waterway and the salty portions of the creeks. It is easy to spot a pogy, especially in the early mornings or late evenings they like to flip just at the surface. Not a fully exposed out of the water jump like a mullet. Rather a popping like action right at the surface. In the dark just before dawn, you can often find the sch... [Read More]
This is the time of year when pier fisherman and small boat fisherman anxiously anticipate that a "smoker" king will find the bait they have dangling from their lines. Kings are migratory, but unlike many other pelagic species that visit out coast, they move more in an east-west direction than a north-south. This is the time of year they spawn and the time the really big fish can be found up near the beach.
Fishermen refer to the really big kings, those more than about 20 pounds, as "smokers." Some say the slang term is used because once they get that big, the best way to eat them is to smoke them on a cooker. Others attribute the moniker to what a fish of that size does to the drag on your reel. Regardless of where the term originated, it represents the prize fish every king fisherman hopes to catch.
One columnist once wrote that smoker-sized king mackerels "race like a greyhound and fight like a cornered hog." This is a very appropriate descriptio... [Read More]
A dedication to both fishing and the community has led the North Carolina Fishing Pier Society (NCFPS) to the bestow two awards for achievement and community service to a legendary fisherman and a distinguished fishing pier, said Al Baird, NCFPS founder and fishing advocate
The award ceremony is slated for June 16 at 1 p.m. at the Jolly Roger
Pier, Topsail Beach.
At the ceremony, the NCFPS will recognize Angelo DePaola for lifetime
achievement in pier fishing. This is the first Lifetime Achievement Award given by the organization.
To fishing enthusiasts, Angelo DePaola is a living legend, Baird said recently from NCFPS headquarters in Fort Mill, South Carolina. DePaola’s king mackerel total is equivalent to baseball’s Cy Young record for total wins (511 wins). It will likely never come close to being broken by any fisherman at any pier in the near or distant future.
Since 1958 DePaola has dedicated himself to hauling the big ones and his 490 king mackerel’s are counted in... [Read More]
A long held tradition on our coast is the public fishing pier. Usually the piers are privately owned but available for all to enjoy. The ocean piers on Topsail Island provide easy access to deeper water and a wider variety of fish. And to be honest, they just plain make fishing easier.
Growing up in this area, like many of the local youths, I learned to ocean fish on our piers. It wasn’t till much later that I had the opportunity to fish from a boat. We would show up in early afternoon, plunk down our money for a ticket and some bait and then proceed to fish to our hearts content. Often we fished through the night and into the wee hours of the morning.
A while back, a friend and I were trying to remember all the names of the piers from over the years. We counted at least seven that have made home on Topsail Island at various times. I think I have fished on most of them at one time or another.
The recent boom in beach development has left many of North Carolina’s... [Read More]
(bloggers note: this is from my weekly newspaper column)
Fishing for information on fishing? Most folks do these days.
When I was a teenager growing up on the coast of NC, the only information I needed before going fishing was when I had to return home. Nothing else mattered much. Of course it also didn’t matter much if I caught fish or not, I just enjoyed fishing with my buddies or even alone sometimes.
As I got older I became more interested knowing the conditions before I went. I try to get some idea of what to expect from weather forecasts, fishing reports, etc. Mainly that information came from the newspaper and TV and was general and often outdated.
Then came the internet. Now anglers go fishing armed with a wide variety of information ranging from detailed marine weather forecasts to fishing reports that are up to date and right on target.
Let’s take a look at some of my favorite web sites to get information before I head out.
The Bonito and blues have been strong the past few weeks. Some of the best bonito fishing has been around Diver’s rock just a few miles from New River Inlet. They also have been caught on nearby ledges and on the south end of the island at AR360 and Dallas Rocks.
One of the most amazing sights I have seen this year occurred while I was bonito fishing earlier this week near Dallas Rocks. I saw several bluefin tuna chasing bonito right out of the water. Both the bonito and the bluefin were airborne. What a sight to behold. The bluefin probably weighed in the 200 – 300 pound class. Simply amazing to see such a sight only a few miles off shore.
Soon that favorite target of near-shore anglers, the Spanish mackerel, will invade our waters. Often called simply "Spanish," this fish is the smaller cousin of the king mackerel, and there is a strong family resemblance. In fact, a mature Spanish looks very much like a juvenile king mackerel. The easiest way to tell them apart is to... [Read More]
The fishing is definitely picking up. The catching too! We were dealt a little bit of a set back from the Nor’easter and cooler air that blew through here earlier. While that hindered our ability to go fishing, I don’t think it bothered the fish. They are biting just fine now that we can get back out to them.
My understanding is that a fish can go several days without eating a substantial meal. But otherwise they need to eat pretty regular just like most animals. However how much they eat can vary with the metabolic rate which is influenced by many factors.
Some folks claim the barometric pressure influences a fish to eat or not eat. Others make a case for the tide direction or strength of the tidal current. I’ve heard others claim the time of day, the phase of the moon and many other factors.
I’m certainly no expert in that area but I have given it some thought. When it comes to saltwater game fish, I think they are opportunist more than anything else. When there... [Read More]
Most folks are aware that as of January first of this year a coastal recreational fishing license is needed to fish on NC’s coast. There are a few exceptions. The public piers have a blanket license and so do most charter boats but check with the captain before going out. He isn’t required to have the blanket license so you may need your own anyway.
One of the items the money from the license is supposed to fund is enforcement of our fishery rules. Most of that enforcement is done by the Division of Marine Fisheries (DMF). Not that enforcement is new to them. Quite the contrary, they have been enforcing the laws all along. It’s just that now they should be able to beef up the force and perform more enforcement activities.
If my experience is any indication, it’s working. I have been stopped four times in the three months since the year began. Last year I was stopped once in the entire 12 month period. Two of the four times there was an “officer in training” with the vete... [Read More]
Usually one of the first migratory species to visit us in spring is the Atlantic Bonito (Sarda Sarda). The bonito is related to both the tuna and mackerel families and shouldn't be confused with a similar fish, the False Albacore, that also visits our coast in the spring. To further confuse the two fish, in Florida they commonly call the False Albie a Bonita (notice the A instead of the O).
It is one of my favorite fish and really gets my fishing blood warmed up in the spring. The bonito arrive on our coast around the first to middle part of April and usually stay until about the middle of May. Once the water gets above 62 degrees you can start looking for them. When they first appear they usually are in schools by themselves but toward the end of their stay they sometimes will be mixed in with schools of Spanish mackerel.
They visit most of the NC coast but seem to congregate mainly in Onlsow Bay and off the Brunswick County beaches. They will come very close... [Read More]
09-12-2008 01:26 PM
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