Feb 27 Fishing for Largemouth Bass

I fished a small Pond near Wal-Mart for a few minutes this morning in Morehead City while I was out running errands. I hadn't fished this spot since last October and I thought the fishing might be good. I was wrong. I only caught 2 Largemouth Bass on a small in-line spinner. These Bass were very colorful with dark green backs and bold black markings on their flanks. They were also pretty small, around 6" to 7" each. Later in the afternoon, I got an invite to fish in a couple of old Ponds in Beaufort that I haven't fished since 1990. Originally Old Barrow Pits, these Ponds are legendary producers of Big Bass and have been a heavily guarded secret for years. Access has been difficult due to No Trespassing Signs, being in a heavily wooded area, an inpenetrable shoreline, and for the last 18+ years the nearest homeowners have always had at least 4-5 Pit Bull-Rottweiler mixed-breeds named Diablo running loose. The few guys that have fished here through the years have always told tales of awesome top water action and plenty of Largemouth Bass from 2 to 8 pounds. Right in the "Heart of Olde Beaufort". Today wasn't the day, though. We fished late in the afternoon and 3 of us had NO bites. Total catch for the Day: 2 Largemoth Bass

Feb 26 Great Red Drum Fishing

Too much Largemouth Bass fishing for me lately! So with a great weather window, Chris and I went to the East this morning on a mission to find some Red Drum. The Ocean was beautiful and we found what we were looking for too! We worked over a school of Red Drum for a couple of hours and when we moved on, Chris and I had caught 5 Red Drum each. All these Red Drum were between 22" and 26" and were fat and healthy. We also caught Sheepsheads, Hogfish, Black Sea Bass, and Spiny Dogfish off a nearby wreck. The Black Sea Bass weren't real plentiful, but they were nice ones from 15" to 16". The Horn Dogs were all pregnant females at 10-12 pounds. On the way home we were treated to an awesome show courtesy of Mother Nature. Blue Planet Material. We found a huge school of Menhaden that were being pushed onto the Beach by dozens of Bottlenosed Dolphins. They were also being dive-bombed from above by a bunch of Pelicans. All of this in 2-4 feet of crystal clear water. The view from the Tower was awesome. The Dolphins were working as a team, some were shearing off small sections of the Menhaden school and herding them offshore to where other Dolphins were ambushing them. It was all taking place right under my bow. As I snapped photos, Chris snagged Menhadens with a stingsilver. All these Menhaden were 1-2 pounders. Nice, fat and full of roe. What a show! Total Catch for the Day: 10 Red Drum, 4 Black Sea Bass, 8 Spiny Dogfish, 2 Sheepsheads, 2 Hogfish, and 20 Menhaden.

Feb 25 Largemouth Bass Fishing

Boredom struck so I went Bass fishing today. The water was cold and the fish were a little slow. The first spot was a zero. The next spot produced 1 Largemouth Bass. The final place was a little better. I caught 5 Largemouth Bass and 1 Bluegill. I'm beginning to think these Bass know my Truck and they go into hiding when I pull up to the Pond. Total Catch for the Day: 6 Largemouth Bass and 1 Bluegill.

Feb 13 Wide Open Bass Bite

I set out today with a Fly Rod and a Micro-spining Combo spooled with 2# test Ande Premium. At my first stop, I found my old pal Mark in one of my favorite Urban Mung Holes, so I took him on the Grand Tour. Unfortunately, before I caught a Largemouth Bass on the fly rod, I busted apart my only popping bug on a chain link fence. Therefore, every fish I caught was on the 2# spin tackle, a pretty fair fight! The fishing was okay, until we got a tip from a friend that steered us to a "Virgin Storm Water Run-Off Pond". This place was ON FIRE!!! I caught a Largemouth Bass on probably 7 of my first 10 casts while Mark was doing the same. Mark and I each caught a Largemouth Bass close to 2 pounds. After we caught them all (?) and a few Bluegills, we went to one more spot that I hadn't fished since October and I did okay on a few nice Pumpkinseeds. Total Catch for the Day: 25 Largemouth Bass, 4 Bluegill, and 8 Pumpkinseed.

Feb 12 Windy Bass Fishing

It was way too windy for the Boat today so.....Chris and I went to Wal-Mart instead. Bass fishing. We also hit 2 spots in Beaufort. The fishing was much slower today. In Beaufort, I caught 2 chunky 15" Largemouth Bass on live mud minnows that I'd held hostage since December. Poor Minnows. At least I've been feeding them regularly. Chris got a nice Largemouth Bass on a Roostertail on his first cast, then he hooked up a Willow Tree and that was the end of that! The ponds at Wal-Mart were a let down. I did catch the Bluegills there however. I think our lack of strikes was partly due to the high winds that had muddied up the water at one spot and had the surface covered with pine straw at another. Total Catch for the Day: 3 Largemouth Bass and 5 Bluegill

Feb 11 Plenty of Action: Largemouth Bass and Red Drum

I had to go fishing today. Nothing else mattered. I figured it was a little breezy for the Boat. First stop was a Down East Creek where Speckled Trout and Red Drum can be found as cars and trucks pass overhead. I put on my waders and took a short walk up the shoreline and found a school of very small Red Drum. Probably 6-9 inch fish, very small indeed. After I caught and released 7 Red Drum I figured the stress of winter was enough and they didn't need me harrassing them so I left them alone. My next stop was in Beaufort at a couple of Local Urban Mung Holes that I like to fish. One spot didn't disappoint! After a slow start, I caught Bass after Bass on yellow hackle/black bladed Roostertail in-line spinner. These Largemouth Bass ranged from 8" to 1.5 pounds. I almost believe that I caught every Bass in the entire pond! By the time I left, every cast would be followed all the way back to my feet by 2-3 Bass that wouldn't bite. They had probably already been caught once. Bass and Bream were even biting at the ripple where my line entered the water. It was good fishing. The warm temperatures have certainly brought these small Ponds back to life. Fishing by myself, therefore Red Drum photos were impossible and Largemouth Bass photos were "in-hand" and"in-water" shots. Total Catch for the Day: 7 Red Drum, 30 Largemouth Bass, 3 Bluegill

Old Fishing Pictures Part 4

Here are three pictures from the early 1990's. Picture 1 The first picture is of my old pal Tom Whitehead from Greenville with a 45 lb Cobia. Tom introduced me to some great Largemouth Bass and Hickory Shad fishing around Pitt County during my college days. The Tar River and lots of nearby Oxbows, Pitchkettle Creek, Contentnea Creek, Burrus Construction's Barrow Pits, Voice of America Lake, Carolina Opry House, White's Concrete, The Original Mung Hole, State Lakes in Grimesland and, best of all Graham Flannigan's private Bass-Filled Pond. Many a day I whacked 50+ Bass on a Devil's Toothpick out of Flannigan's Pond. I even got NC Freshwater Citations for Green Sunfish and Yellow Perch from 2 of Tom's spots. We fished from his Johnboat or on Foot and we carried plenty of Beer and other non-fishing essentials. In return, I helped him catch his Cobia off the Papoose in April of 1990. We also caught lots of Beeliners, Red Porgys, Triggerfish, King Mackerels, and I caught a 56 lb Amberjack. Picture 2 Tom and I also lived to tell about a few crazy adventures on the Ocean. Here in June of 1990, we are trolling "way out there" south of the Big Rock in an 18 foot Boston Whaler Outrage with no loran, no gps, no cell phone, and no VHF radio. Were we STUPID or what? Somehow we always made it home with nice catches of Dolphin, King Mackerel, Barracuda, Amberjack, and Cobia. That summer now seems like a lifetime ago. Picture 3 Look at my hair and nearly perfect complexion. What happened! This fishing trip pretty much ruined my life for a couple of months on Valentine's Day in 1992. I decided to go Bottom Fishing on the Aeoulus and nearby 240 Rocks with Tony E and the Rouser on The Boogar and left my lovely fiance in Greenville all by herself. Needless to say, the next day, a cooler full of nice 2 pound Black Sea Bass, lots of Red Porgys, a 10 lb American Red Snapper, and a 22 lb Blackfin Tuna did NOT make things better in her eyes. My life was miserable for months! BTW, the following year, in March of '93, I finished her off with a 7 lb 15 oz Triggerfish. She didn't recognize the importance of a Citation Triggerfish when she saw one. Anyway, I'm still happily fishing and she is happily married to a dude called "Buck-Snort".

Feb 10 NO-FISHING Fishing Report

The weather is warming up and I'm getting a little antsy. I think I'll go out and wade a couple of Down East Creeks tommorrow and see if any Red Drum want to come out and play. Also, it is nearly time to begin my annual Hickory Shad quest with a trip to the Neuse River. Hopefully this year will be more like 2006 when 100 fish days were common and double-headers were frequent! Finally, I was on Ocracoke Island for our little winter storm two weeks ago. Here are a couple of pictures.

Jan 30 Boat Trials

Yesterday all the fuel lines were replaced on my boat. Sounds easy but it wasn't. I launched her this morning and ran up to Cape Lookout and back to Beaufort Inlet and had NO PROBLEMS. Hopefully my fuel problem is behind me and I can get back to some fishing. Even though I didn't fish today, I saw some good things. The water temp is in the mid 50's on the beach and the Rock Jetty at Cape Lookout is covered with bait. I can't wait to go back out there and look for some Red Drum and Albacore. I guess this week is about shot with a Small Craft Advisory up and the Super Bowl. The next time I get home from Ocracoke I'll be ready and finally ready to go fishing.

Jan 18 Striped Bass in Virginia

I made the trip up to Va Beach today and pretty much killed one of the most consistent bites on the East Coast. That's right, 45 straight days of every boat in the Ocean and the Bay catching their limit came to an end today! We did manage to land 2 Striped Bass out of 4 hook-ups on light spinning tackle, but they were found out past the 3 mile limit so we had to let them go! To make matters a little bit worse, it was raining and rough so I didn't even get a picture. Marcus R did manage to wrangle up a nice Spiny Dog on a Bucktail. My Striped Bass was a small one around 10 pounds. I lost another one that was smoking my reel. I'll just assume that was my 50 pounder and I would have had to release him anyway. My losing streak continues......Total catch for the Day: 2 Striped Bass and 1 Spiny Dogfish.

Jan 14 Mailbox Full of Citations

The agony of NOT FISHING and a trip to see a Dermatologist was partially lessened today when I went to the mailbox. It was stuffed full of NC Fishing Citations.

Jan 13 Lack of Reports

During the past month I have had very few fishing reports. Reason's are: 1. I'm working on the Ocracoke-Swan Quarter Ferry Run and Fishing is nearly impossible while I'm at work. 2. The Weather generally has sucked when I've been home. 3. I've had some kind of lingering Crud for 3 weeks. 4. My Boat has a problem that I need to spend a day on and I haven't done it yet! Hopefully I will have a good report to post on Jan 18th because The Rouser and I are making the trip up to Va Beach to go Striped Bass fishing. I might also wrangle a "creek trip for Red Drum" out of Capt Kyle Brown this week if he would get "duck hunting off his mind." Finally, congrats to THE PLUG (BJ Swain). He and Mary annouced that BJ is pregnant. Oops, I mean Mary is pregnant. Ocracoke will never, ever be the same. The picture is of BJ with one of 7 Red Drum we caught from the surf at Ocracoke a good night a few years back.

Jan 3 Black Sea Bass, Spottails, and Dog Sharks

Stan and Alex joined me today for a half day of inshore bottom fishing and jigging. We headed to the western Artificial Reefs and even though the water was a little cold, we managed to scrap up a few decent fish. We had our best luck in 50 feet of water on cut squid. We fished out to 70 feet and even though the temp was much better, we didn't have as many bites. Stan got the first fish of 2009 when he caught an Oyster Toadfish on the first drop of the morning! I also caught a small Scamp Grouper which is the first Scamp I've ever caught this far inshore. Unusual! Total Catch for the Day: 40 Black Sea Bass up to 14", 25 Spottail Pinfish, 2 Spiny Dogfish up to 10 lbs,, 1 Gag Grouper, 1 Scamp Grouper, 1 Sheepshead, 1 Scup, 1 Pinfish, and 1 Oyster Toadfish.

Happy New Year

Happy New Year to everyone. Look forward to fishing with you or seeing you on the water in 2009. My Fishing Resolutions are: 1. More Fish 2. Bigger Fish 3. Better Fish

My 2008 season was tough. My Charter Business was down by 50%. Some of that was my fault by cutting advertising expenses, some of it was my misfortune of a couple of Great Clients moving away, some of it was Horrible fishing when expectations were high, and some of it was the Economy. The work on my boat was slower that I expected and I missed some Spring Fishing. The Cobia season at Beaufort Inlet was a Complete Bust. Finally, the weather this Fall/Winter has been very inconsistent. That seems to be the case every year now. Working a week on-week off schedule is great, except when I work those beautiful 4 to 5 day stretches in November. I know I will pay for it when my week off comes! Hopefully my "weather luck" will turn around in 2009 and if it does, better fishing will result!

My Citation Count in 2008 was okay considering I didn't jack the number up with huge Red Drum numbers. After hammering away for straight 10 years, I had sort of "burned out" on that fishery, but I must say that I kinda missed it. My Clients, Guests, and I landed 40 Citation-sized Fish in 2008. In the past 9 years, we have averaged 87 Citations and my best season was 2000 when we had 180 Citations. In 2009, catching more Adult Red Drum will be a priority, along with more King Mackerel and Grouper fishing. Hopefully the Atlantic Bonito and Cobia seasons will be good ones also. Bigger and more plentiful Flounders would be nice. Pretty weather for Speckled Trout in late fall/early winter would be great and Striped Bass on the Shoals at Cape Lookout would be a great to end 2009!

Personally, everybody knows that I've been on a personal crusade to collect all the NC Citations. This year I added 1 new Citation to my total. In August while fishing in the deep off Oregon Inlet I got a 12 lb 10 oz Tilefish. The NCDMF made a few changes in the Citation Program in 2008 when they added a couple of species, dropped Tautog, and adjusted the minimum weights for several species. Based one new weight requirements, I would have already had my Atlantic Bonito, False Albacore, Blackfin Tuna, and Bluefish Citations. Hopefully in 2009, I can knock off a couple of these and resume my chase to collect all the NC Citations. 29 Different NC Citation Species collected and 8 to go!

Dec 30 Speckled Trout and Gray Trout

Probably not the smartest thing for a SICK Person to do, but I spent 3 hours in the Radio Island Surf this afternoon casting for Trout. I wasn't very good at it either. My slump continues but the fishing was okay. The fish were mostly small and they had a preference for Mud Minnows. I was fishing strictly with Gulps. Lots of fish were caught by everyone and I probably caught less fish than anyone. But that's okay, at least I was fishing and with tommorrow's windy forecast, chances are that these will be my Final Fish of 2008. My Total Catch for the Day: 12 Speckled Trout up to 13" and 4 Gray Trout up to 16".

Cold and Flu Season

The picture is of the entrance to Silver Lake at Ocracoke on Dec 27, as a heavy fog was just lifting. Meanhile, I was just entering a personal fog that has not yet lifted! DO WHAT! I've been lucky, I haven't had the Flu since 1994. My luck might have gave out last week. I've been battling something. A Super-Cold or a minor Flu, I'm not sure. All week at Ocracoke I was confined to my Engine Room and my Bed. Couldn't sleep and I still can't talk. I'm getting over it, slowly but surely. Now I'm back in Beaufort and foolishly the pretty weather is killing me and I'm headed out to Radio Island to look for a Speckled Trout. Maybe tommorrow I'll throw out some more "old pictures" or hopefully a new one! After the New Years passes, hopefully I will feel better and go on a real fishing trip. Weather and Health allowing, I will be availiable for fishing on Jan. 2, 3, and 4.

Merry Christmas

I'm headed back up to Ocracoke this afternoon and I will not be home until December 30, so this is my last opportunity to wish everyone that checks out my Fishing Reports a Merry Christmas. Hopefully everybody will have a great Christmas and hopefully I can get some Good Fishing Reports going after the holidays. As far as this week's Fishing goes, it's going to be tough. I'll be stuck on the Ocracoke-Swan Quarter Ferry for the next 7 days from 5:30am until 6:45pm and fishing is difficult at Ocracoke during the hours of darkness. Especially when I will not even get a chance to "look around" during the day time. In other words, it ain't going to happen. Ocracoke is much different than Hatteras in this regard. My best bet this week would be to make the trip up to South Dock and possibly find some hungry Squid. I'm packing the Squid Jigs just in case!

Dec 20 Nothing but a Boat Ride

Chris and I launched my Boat today. First time she's been in the water in 14 days. I really needed to run some Marine Fuel Stabilizer through my fuel system to combat the effects of Ethanol. So we went for a ride and my Boat went places it had never been before! I'm sure we looked funny running through the North River Marshes in a 25 foot Tower Boat. We also took long hard looks at the Radio Island and Shackleford Rock Jetty Trout Fleets, but we made very few actual casts. We saw a few Speckled Trout and Black Drum and we heard of a 4 pound Speckled Trout from Radio Island. As for Chris and I, we never had a bite. Total Catch for the Day: Nothing

Dec 19 Red Drum, Speckled Trout, and Flounder

Kyle had an interesting day with a "Carolina Inshore Grand Slam" and a TKO. I also caught a "Carolina Slam" and a severe headache. Kyle and I each caught and released at least one Red Drum, Speckled Trout, and Flounder. Our goal was a big catch of Speckled Trout, but Dense Fog caused us to abort our plan to go to Cape Lookout this morning. Instead we fished inside from Beaufort Inlet to the head of Oyster Creek and when it was all said and done, the Total Catch for the Day was: 15 Red Drum, 3 Southern Flounder, and 2 Speckled Trout.

NO Fishing and Old Pictures part 3

My bi-weekly Hatteras Fishing Vacation (my job) has temporarily been upset. Last week, and for the next 6-8 shifts, I will be working on the Ocracoke to Swan Quarter Run. This is a great place to work also. Great guys and a lot of fun. But no fishing. I fish. They hunt. These boys talk deer all day and stare at ducks with their binoculars. What's up with that! As for fishing at home, fuel problems and bad weather have put a halt to my Fishing!

Now for the Old Pictures. Pic #1 is David Scott Esham with a Blackfin Tuna that I honestly don't remember! David Scott who now owns and operates The Pony Island Motel at Ocracoke. David Scott is well known and well liked by everybody. In June of 1992 we had paired up with another Ocracoke Legend and was working with Ronnie O'Neal on the Miss Kathleen while home for the summer from UNC. Anyway, I sailed with them and 2 Californians as part of a make-up party on a beautiful June morning. Actually the fishing was as slow as the weather was good. It was a day your mind could wonder off to never never land. Around noon, I was glazed over with a blank stare and while sitting in the chair, I watched a sickle shaped object appear around 7 feet behind a swimming Spanish Mackerel that David Scott had on a flat line that was tight to the port stern. The sickle lazily wagged back and forth and kept pace with the Mackerel. It didn' t even register in my mind. I watched as time crept by. Then a bill rose from the surface a crashed beside the Mackerel but missed. "What the Hell was that" I wondered. I peeled myself out of the chair and walked to the stern. I peered over the side and there under the surface is a huge purple shape, keeping pace with the boat's forward motion, a few feet below the Mackerel. I quickly turned around to see where everybody else was and this is what I saw: David Scott and Capt Ronnie were inside the cabin making sandwichs and the 2 Californians were engaged in an intimate conversation about who knows what. I was alone with a Blue Marlin! I quickly turned back to look at the fish and with a mighty thrust the fish rose and engulfed the Mackerel. No doubt about it. I flipped Ronnie's old 9/0 Penn Senator into free spool and killed the clicker. I picked up the rod and I felt the smooth tempo of line peeling off the reel. Without speaking I threw the Reel back into gear and I can't even say I set the hook. It was already set and the Rod developed a deep bend and the fish's forward speed went from what felt like 6 knots to 20 knots. Suddenly 150 feet behind the stern and moving from right to left a 400+ pound Blue Marlin shot out of the water and propelled itself 60-70 feet on its tail. Incredible, and I was the only person that knew. I had great news to tell Ronnie and David and I figured the best was to announce it was to engage the clicker! What a beautiful sound an old 9/0 makes when hooked to a Locomotive! David Scott appeared in seconds and saw the second jump which was now 200 yards away. He started clearing lines as quickly as possible and Ronnie saw from the location and direction of the fish that a quartering turn would be more effective than backing. I saw the real problem though, line was melting off the Reel too quickly and David Scott needed help. I put a Californian in the chair and handed him the Rod and hadn't even cleared a single line by the third jump. It was 600 yards out and seconds later the line broke with the sound of a rifle shot. The old 9/0 had about 20 wraps of 50# mono left on the spool. The entire event probably lasted less than 30 seconds from bite to break! Incredible dissapointment 16 years ago has faded. Today this fishing trip remains my favorite Blue Marlin experience even though it ended with a lost fish!

Pic#2 is of a mate up at Hatteras on a 1990 fishing trip on the charter boat Atlantic Blue. My memory of this guy is etched in my memory for a different reason. This guy actually sold us a case of Budweiser at "Gulf Stream Prices" and then proceeded to drink at least 20 of them. I thought it was pretty funny.

Pic#3 is of Capt. Pizza Kannon with a Queen Triggerfish that was caught in Feb. of 1991. Capt. Pizza is one of my favoites and best Captains period. Back in 1990, he was kind enough, and patient enough, and probably desperate enough, to take an inexperienced, fishing-crazed, punk from Raleigh (ME) on the Continental Shelf's winter-time commercial fishing crew. That winter was a dream come true to me. I experienced species of fish and numbers of fish that even hard-core recreational fishermen will never experience. We fished on a 5 year old, extremely modern and efficient 100 foot Headboat, this wasn't no Snapper Boat, with a 6 man crew and we stayed out until the boxes were full! I woke up in 400 fathoms. I woke up 60 miles off Wrightsville Beach. I woke up 30 miles off Hatteras. We fished until we dropped. We had fish gutting parties that lasted for hours. We made rally rigs with 10-15 hooks and caught Beeliners and Silvers on every hook. I could go outside to piss (or throw up) and catch a Wahoo or a Tuna on a light line. Catch 8 Snowy Groupers up to 35 pounds on 1 drop and fill up a trash can. 18 King Mackerel that weighed 900 pounds on bottom rigs in 400 feet of water! 4000 pounds of Grouper in one amazing bite. It was amazing. And Capt Pizza would actually pay me for my efforts. Amazing. I can't do that for a living, but Capt. Pizza gave me a lifetime of memories from December 1990 until March 1991. Thanks Capt. Pizza, you were right about the first night of my first trip when I went outside. I went out to throw up and I was embarrassed. I tossed out a cigar minnow because I knew the guys were watching and I could hear them laughing. You told me to ease up that I didn't have to prove anything, but you sensed I was sick. I might have had 4-5 horrible days ahead of me. If I got sick and stayed sick, I would've never gone back out on a commercial trip. But that 31 pound Wahoo ate that cigar minnow and I felt so much better. That feeling lasted all winter and I'll never forget those experiences! We missed a great Super Bowl, the first Gulf War, an entire Basketball Season, and the height of Vanilla Ice's popularity but it was time well spent in my life!

No Fishing and Old Pictures part 2

Since this is Speckled Trout Season here are a couple of old Speckled Trout pictures. The top picture is of me and Greg Fodrie. We caught these Speckled Trout and a bunch of others late in the afternoon on December 15, 1990. We were the last boat to leave Cape Lookout and we ran out of gas just inside Beaufort Inlet. It was a crazy experience but we managed to make it home in pitch darkness. The next morning Greg's boat The Thunder Chicken had sunk at the dock! The second picture is of me and a partially obscurred catch of 100 Speckled Trout from 2-3 pounds each. It was taken in November of 1988. This was the first time I ever experienced "a Trout on every cast, all day long". I had the Town Dog, Jesse, with me and on the way home we stopped directly on top of a Humpback Whale and her calf off Shackleford Banks. I had the Whale's tail on one side of my 17 foot Boston Whaler and the Whale's head and giant pectoral fins on the other side. I expected to be tossed into the air! However, we survived the day without incident and for me, Speckled Trout fishing would never be the same!!

Dec 7 My Slump Ends---Red Drum Frenzy

Capt Kyle Brown helped me out of a personal fishing slump by putting me in a Downeast creek that was about 40 feet wide and 3 feet deep that just happened to be full of hungry Red Drum. In other words, I couldn't mess this up! I would name the creek, but Kyle's brother Charlie would kill me! In 60 minutes of actual fishing time, Kyle and I caught over 30 Red Drum from 14" to 18". These Drum weren't big, but they were fiesty and on a day that the wind was 20-25 and air temps in the upper 40's, this was the perfect fishing trip. I caught all my Red Drum on gulps and grubs and 6# test mono. Nice little battles and drag pullers. Later we explored another dead-end creek that was full of more Red Drum and Jumping Mullets and there were Tundra Swans flying overhead. Kyle fishes these areas with a jet-drive on a skimmer. I don't think it's possible to get the Top Water in there; too bad!! Total Catch for the Day: 30+ Red Drum

Dec 6 Nothing

Rouse and I scoured the Cape Lookout Shoals and found nothing but Gannets, Gulls, Menhaden, and a Basking Shark. A few small Trout were biting at the Rock Jetty and off Shackleford Banks. I did manage to catch a Bluefish and a Menhaden while casting into a school of Menhaden. Rouse snagged 2 Menhaden. I found out after we got back to the dock that 10 miles to the Northeast was a huge school of 40-60 pound Red Drum that were shredding a school of Menhaden. That hurts.....Total Catch for the Day: 3 Menhaden and 1 Bluefish.

Dec 5 Radio Island Fishing

I made the walk today out to the end of Radio Island. I stayed probably 2 hours. I only made about 20 casts. I never had a bite. However, I was completely entertained. There was a 14 year old dude out there named Alec Burrow, who lives in Beaufort, and I predict that he will be a fishing force to be reckoned with in the coming years. This guy is obsessed with fishing. Today he was after Tautog and he was doing okay! Small Sheepsheads and decent Tautogs were biting on baby stone crabs and shrimp. My Total Catch for the Day: NOTHING.

No Fishing and Old Pictures

The number of Fishing Reports will be decreasing in the weeks to come, so I will be putting up some old pictures of me and my old pals from the late 80's and early 90's. These 2 pictures are from April of 1989. Around 12 people were on the Capt Stacy that day and Capt Maurice put us on the 881 Wreck first thing in the morning. Four hours later , all 3 fish boxes were full of mostly 2-4 pound Vermillion Snappers, or Beeliners as most people know them. There were no limits back then. Every drop was a doubleheader. I took home 51 fish over 140 pounds. I had a couple of 5 pounders! Straight Vermillion Snappers, 10 cranks off the bottom. Some other people caught alot of Tomtates and Sea Bass because they couldn't get the hang of the 10 crank rule. Also, hesitate on the bottom and you might hook a Sand Tiger. I also caught 3 Albacores on a light-line and we saw dozenss of Basking Sharks on the ride home. It was a great day!

Dec 2 Driving Home in the Sleet

Here we go again. I'm home for 7 days and while driving from Cedar Island to Beaufort there was frozen precip falling. I'm not really complaining this time, because Striped Bass are biting good at Oregon Inlet and they've been caught as far South as Ocracoke Inlet. That's just a few tail beats away from the Shoals at Cape Lookout. Hopefully they will take their winter vacation a little farther South this winter. Closer to home, the Speckled trout and Gray Trout should be biting while the Bluefin Tuna are battling extinction. I've got no fishing news to report from my stay on the Ocracoke to Swan Quarter Ferry Route. Lots of Buffleheads on Pamlico Sound and Rose Bay Oysters have rebounded in numbers and tastiness. I'm ready to go fishing. Open Dec 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, and 8. These pictures are of Silver Lake at Ocracoke Island. This should be everybody's favorite NC Island!

Happy Thanksgiving

I'll be away from the computer for 7 days while Ferrying Pilgrams from Swan Quarter to Ocracoke so I wanted to take this opportunity to wish everyone a Happy Thanksgiving. Hopefully the Trout and Striped Bass will be hungry when I get home on Dec. 2nd. By the way, when I went down to the dock this morning to clean yesterday's Trout, I found a huge school of Roe Mullet swimming around in 3 feet of water. I couldn't resist taking a shot at point blank range with a 10 foot cast net. Unfortunately, I threw an egg and still managed to catch 3 Mullets up to 4 pounds. Marcus R will be chewing on grilled Mullets along with his fried Trout and Tog.

Nov 23 Speckled Trout and Tautog

Fishing was very interesting today. This morning, in the dark, the Speckled Trout were biting and we didn't have to go far from home! A nice 20 fish limit of 2-3 pounders with only a few small ones mixed in. These fish were hammering white jerk shad in 18 feet of water. Thanks for the ride Tracy, it's always nice for me to jump on somebody else's Boat...... I was back to the ramp by 7am and then came the frustrations of round #2. After I picked Marcus R up and we loaded the boat with live shrimp, we were set for a "Sow Trout" killing! Our first stop was where we left them biting this morning, but the tide had changed, the current was ripping, and the fleet was there. After wasting 10 minutes, we decided to "head east". On the way to Cape Lookout, however, we decided to check the Beach to see if we could find a school of Red Drum. What we found was staggering and utterly disappointing. School after school of 4-8 pound Speckled Trout in crystal clear water that would not bite. Not even a live shrimp. Thousands of Trout. School after school. The netters were having a field day while our baits went un-touched..... Later in the day, we managed to catch quite a few much smaller Speckled Trout at Cape Lookout and Radio Island, but the shock of seeing all those huge Trout never left our thoughts. Marc and I also caught lots of small Tautog, including my first ever. In the end, the keeping a small Tautog cursed us and we ran out of luck after we had caught 11 Speckled Trout in the 17" to 18" range. Total Catch for the Day: 45 Speckled Trout up to 20", 6 Tautog, 1 Red Drum, and 1 Black Sea Bass.

Nov 22 Late Afternoon Speckled Trout

"Take a knee." Yeah Right......Late this afternoon I made the hike down to the Fishing Hole to get my daily fix. I didn't stay long, but I did catch 18 Speckled Trout on 25 casts. Pretty good. My biggest fish was 15". I also talked to one of my friends that was "in the area" and he had 15 Speckled Trout over 4 pounds and the bite was ON. Looks like my plan of attack for tommorrow morning has been set! My Total Catch for the Day: 15 Speckled Trout up to 15"

Nov 21 The Weather Sucks

Right when I figure out (thanks to Dontcatchmany) a new trend that could help me and my anglers catch a few 5-6 pound Speckled Trout......It's blowing 25kts and snowing again. Re-shuffle the Deck. I'm headed out the door to buy a new camera and possibly try a couple of places out of the wind.......I did manage to catch 1 Speckled Trout today and it was a nice one!

Nov 20 Elusive Big Speckled Trout

Another day of hard fishing. Todd joined me and his perferred target was a 5 lb. Speckled Trout. Keeping with tradition, I was greeted by a 20+ knot west wind this morning which eliminated my first 2 choices of where to go fishing. By the end of the day we had ran 45 miles and we were still looking for the 5 pounder. Unfortunately, our first stop and our last stop would've been the Perfect Place except the bigger class of Speckled Trout had jumped the Rocks and we were fishing "on the wrong side". Very disturbing. For the trip, Todd and I caught and released app. 25 Speckled Trout from 7" to 15". After dropping Todd off, I journeyed back out and was "hard-headed" enough to anchor up in the same place. I caught plenty of small Speckled Trout up to 15", Bluefish, and Sheepsheads while I watched others catch 5+pounders. I finally I joined the crowd and caught me a fat 24" Speckled Trout that weighed 5 lb. 4 oz. that will qualify for an NC Fishing Citation. I also caught a 18" Speckled Trout and a 18" Gray Trout. Congrats to the Boats that had them "cornered". Hooray for me and I'm sorry to Todd. Those Big Trout weren't supposed to be there...Final Total Catch for the Day: 40 Speckled Trout up to 24", 1 Gray Trout, 5 Bluefish, and 3 Sheepsheads.