NC Fishing - Hunting - Outdoors Reports

Hi folks Capt. David with the outdoors report. The fishing is great,weather permitting. This time of the year it’s a good idea to pay close attention to the weather reports and use some common sense. Thunderstorms ain’t funny when you get caught in one and it doesn’t matter whether you are 30 miles offshore or in the sound. Lightening is a killer and being the tallest thing around doesn’t help much! Not to mention the winds associated with a strong thunderstorm. No matter how good a seaman you are, if you ain’t scared in a storm,you’re stupid! Lay the rods down, lower the antennae and stay low. If you are on the sound get out of the boat if possible. Get to shelter as soon as possible. The reason i’m telling you folks this is I got caught in one the other day and it scared the heck out of me. I pulled up to a community dock and got out of the boat and under the shelter till it passed. Then we went and caught some Reds!
Ok, Offshore everything is pretty much the same with everything biting. Folks I’ve been hearing reports of Sailfish in as close as a mile out the inlet. Kings are just outside the inlet as well. The artificial reefs are holding a mixed bag ranging from bottom fish such as Black bass,Snappers,Flounder, and maybe a Grouper. Up in the water column,Kings,Sailfish,Sharks,Barracuda,Spanish,and Tarpon are readily available now. Folks just name your game and go after it now. Small boat owners should be able to get in on anything out there now.
Inshore pretty much the same with Redfish everywhere. Trout in the surf and up in the River. Flounder are under the docks and around any structure you can find. The deep hole at the mouth of most marsh creeks is a good place to start looking . All three species will use them as a feeding station. You might hook up to a Ladyfish too. There is plenty of bait in the water and it’s easy to get. A good cast net is all you need. Finger mullet or Menhaden are great baits as well as live shrimp. I usually try to get a few of each and see what the fish are in the mood for today. Believe it or not, fish can be mighty picky about what they eat. Hey just go fishing!
Dove season opens SATURDAY! Let the games begin folks. I know it’s going to be a good season when my wife is already starting to get aggitated with me. Then boys and girls the next saturday is the opening of bow season for DEER! Yippee ki yaa! I hope you read the new rules this year. We now can get extra doe tags. Check your shotguns and bows and get ready cause it’s my favorite time of the year. Hunting and fishing all in the same day,what more could a country boy want I ask. Well thats about it for this week so remember to take a kid with you and be safe.

Capt. David

Visit Headhunter’s website at http://www.headhunteroutdoors.com

Hi Folks, The weather is still hot, but we are already seeing some signs of “fall fishing” activity. The finger mullet population is one of the biggest I have seen. Some big spanish mackerel have moved in and the flounder bite keeps improving. Big reds have been patrolling the nearshore reefs. The Rod-Man, along with daughter Kathy and son Ricky, fished the local first annual Wolfpack “Back the Pack” tourney and we took home the largest spanish mackerel (female angler) and the largest flounder (male angler) plaques and a lot of fond memories.Now here’s my report:

Inshore: Some nice flounder have been biting on the rising tide in the inlets and the river. Reds are biting on the falling tide in the ICW and the inlets. Some nice blues are biting at the inlets on the flood tide.

Near Shore: We have had some very good days with spanish this past week. Clarkspoons on bird rigs and #1 planers have been working very well. Nice flounder and a few gray trout are hanging around the AR’s. Big reds are biting at the AR’s; best bite at night.

Offshore: Kings, amberjack and ‘cudas along with some big spanish macks have been biting in the 10- 25 mile range, with the spanish at the closer of the range. Live bait, cigars, ballyhoo; all are getting the job done. Try some GULP squid or cigar minnows…the fish love them and you can catch them easy at the tackle shop.

Gulfstream: Wahooooooooo….Wahoo!

When last I wrote I announced the dates for the 2008 Rod-Man Fishing Schools in Raleigh and Wilmington. I would like to add the we will have tackle for sale from Bug-em Bait, including almost everything the various captains talk about. To see the details you can go to http://www.rodmancharters.com/2008-annual-fishing-school.htm

Stay cool and……

Let’s Go Fishing!!!
Capt. Rick Bennett
Rod-Man Charters
910-799-6120

The Wrightsville Beach fishing, Topsail Island fishing, and Carolina Beach fishing has been great! We have had some real neat things happen this week. First we have a resident dolphin that we have named Jumper that has been hanging out with us while shark fishing. He will put on a great show, jumping over and over, 6’ in the air. He is fun to watch. Another neat thing was we were fighting a 35 lb Amberjack on king mackerel tackle 25 miles offshore, we saw this fish many times during the 30 minute fight and all of a sudden it had a big red spot on the side of it. My customer hastily got it to the boat, I gaffed it and about a 300 lb 10’ long bull shark came up looking for more to eat. The shark was awesome to see. Wait till you see the AJ pic below! We were lucky to get that one in! We are catching lots of sharks right now and sometimes they are so thick you can walk on them it seems, we even saw one biting a floating beer can. Not that’s one shark with a serious problem! And for the first time ever, there was a marriage proposal by one of my customers aboard one of our trips. We wish them the best and she better like fishing!

Inshore: The redfish and flounder continue to be the top producers and a few speckled trout are still around. We are catching everything on Berkley Gulp and/or live bait. Our bait fish are everywhere right now and the redfish are feeding heavily and are very active due to the warm water temps and bait. You almost have to put it right on their nose to get them to bite at times. They have no shortage of food this time of the year so you must make your bait stand of from the others to draw a strike. If the reds are feeding on mullet try a Gulp! Shrimp and if they are busting on shrimp (you will see the shrimp popping on the surface) throw a Gulp! Jerk bait or a Johnson gold spoon. This combination has been paying off. The fish are everywhere right now…..flats, creeks, docks, river, ICW….everywhere. They are not jumping in the boat, but if you work hard at it you should get a few.

Offshore: The shark action has been exceptional. We have had many sharks over 30lbs, lots in the 50lb range, and we had LOTS go over 100lbs. My repeat customer’s come this time of year to shark fish and the action has been great! So great in fact, that I already have days booked for this time next year! This is some of the best action one could ask for and it is rare to go 10 minutes without a bite. We are using 40-50lb stand up tackle with 80 lb spider wire and 135lb main wire to fight these fish. This is still light tackle!!!! Be very careful sight casting to these sharks. Last year they all seemed to run away from the nets when hooked up. This year it seems they are all running for them. The shrimper’s don’t like hooks in the nets. It can damage their gear or pinch the net reducing their catch or worse. Be careful and respectful when fishing behind the shrimp boats. The Spanish have thinned out a bit but are still around. Try early morning for best results, you might luck up and find a 1 acre pod like we did a few days ago. The Kings are close by and I mean close! Try the inlets for best results and this is where you will also find the larger Kings. I refuse to run more then 10 miles out this time of year for snake kings. There are plenty in the 7 to 10 mile range and this cuts down on your ride time and maximizes your fishing time. The Amberjack fishing is still going strong but they have moved further offshore to cooler water . If you are ready to hunt some redfish or catch LARGE sharks give me a call. I will guarantee the sharks but getting them to the boat is your job!

Be sure to check out our new website @ http://WWW.TOPSAILISLANDFISHINGCHARTERS.COM it is still under construction with lots more to come.

Click here for this weeks photos: www.reel-adventure.com/blog/

Let’s go fishing!
Capt. Matt Wirt
Reel Adventure Charters
Next Level Custom Rods
910-540-0570 Wilmington, NC
www.reel-adventure.com
www.carolinabeachfishing.net
www.wrightsvillebeachfishing.net
www.topsailislandfishingcharters.com