Sea Mullets and Spots

Spots and sea mullets are showing up more each day. I use "Sea Mullets" to include several species including whiting and va mullets. There is not much difference, but some prefer one to the other. It seems that blood worms are the best bait right now for spots. The worms are really out producing shrimp. So if you are a spot lover, get your bloodworms and head to the pier or your favorite fisbin hole.

If you recall me talking about the new pinball type game at Surf City Pier, it's still there. My fishin bud Ken has won 3 more rod and reel outfits. He knows how to play the game! Take a roll of quarters down there and try your luck.

Till next time, tight lines!
Johnny

Re: Shrimp harvest

This message was posted on my blog by Anonymous....

Anonymous said...
I read where the shrimp harvest in NC waters was down 80% this year from the five year average. Seems no one is catching many. In fact some shrimpers have told me they aren't even going out right now cause the catches are down and gas prices are up.

4:16 PM, August 30, 2005


I haven't heard about the shrimp shortage. I don't doubt that what you said is true. Shrimp are still pretty cheap, although the quality is off. You can buy a pound of shrimp for $2.99 but they are really small. I admit that I am not an expert, but I must believe that the otter trawls, which have been used for many years, should not be used. The trawl is dragged across the bottom. This intrusion stirs up bacteria and destroys the shrimp breeding ground. The other options, one of which is a floating frame net, do not disturb the bottom. Seems to me like a better option for the environment and the shrimp. You shrimpers, if I am wrong, let me know. Like I said I am no expert.

Till next time, Tight Lines!
Johnny

Flounder Anyone?

Thanks to our friends Ben and Doris for a couple of excellent days on the water. We were back in the Intracoastal again this afternoon. We had our fill of small sharks. There were several big hits that we were unable to get to the boat. Most just came unhooked, but a couple were line breakers. Ben had something really large that took out lots of line, which eventually broke. Judging by the bite, a gentle tap, tap. I am guessing flounder. Blues and sharks usually bite and run, so I don't think that's what Ben was hooked up with. Speaking of flounder, Donna caught the only keeper of the trip. A nicely colored 15 incher. Since Donna doesn't eat fish, the chore of disposing of the flounder fell to me. It was good! We carried the catch to Seahorse restaurant and they cooked it up nice and crispy. The fish was served up with a big baked potato and some delicious cole slaw. We also ate our fill of Sea Horse's dilicious hush puppies.
There wasn't much action on Surf City pier tonight. Although several anglers had some nice spot in their coolers. If you stay out on the pier all day or all night, you can get about half a cooler of spots and small croakers, with an ocassional blue or pompano. I am still hearing about large, really large red fish in a few of the creeks around Lee Island across the inlet at the extreme south end of Topsail Beach. When I find them, I will let you know.
Till next time, Tight Lines!
Johnny

Drifting the Intracoastal Waterway

Went surf fishing this morning. Didn't get started until 8 am. Real fishermen get up early to go fishing. Anyway, the surf was so nasty that 5 oz weights wouldn't hold the bottom. It bounced down the beach like a rubber ball. I walked along with it for about a quarter mile, but it never stopped. I thought if I could find a hole, it wouldn't wash so bad. That stragedy didn't work this time. After about an hour of realling in my rig every 3 or 4 minutes, I decided it was too much like work, and packed it in. When we arrived home, our friends Ben and Doris ask us if we would like to go out in the boat. We went out to the ICW and drifted with the current. We floated from Marker 76 down past the BC marker. We were catching small blues and small sharks. Doris caught one really nice blue, probably about 2 lbs. It is a couple of nice fillets now. Going to be a good dinner tomorrow night when added to the mullet and one spade fish I have in the fridge. Drifting down the Intracoastal Waterway is one of my favorite activities. It's so peaceful, especially at dusk, that catching fish is really not that important. WO, WHAT AM I SAYING. Ok, I'm back now. Back from whatever place I was in when I said catching fish wasn't important. We tried several different approaches. We dragged flounder rigs along the bottom. We fished finger mullets under a bobber. And we tried a new rig I bought recently. It is a wire attached to a float and a leader. The wire goes in the finger mullet's mouth and out, ummm, let's say where the sun don't shine. Then the double hook is attached to the wire. The small cork is at the minnow's head, and keeps it off the bottom. The rig is weighted with a 1 oz round bottom sinker. When rigged this way, it is extremely difficult for sharks or blues to bite off half the minnow without getting hooked. I think I like this rig, and I'll try it again.

Question......where is all the shrimp? I haven't netted any shrimp in a couple of weeks. All my "honey holes" are not producing any longer. Ponder this and post a reply if you have any ideas. Better sign off now, got to get up early in the morning to go fishing. As they say "The early bird gets the worm uh er I mean the fish. Until next time,
Tight Lines,
Johnny

Flounder and Trout at Surf City Pier

Congratulations to my 10 year old fishing bud Cody. Cody caught a nice speckled trout last night from the Surf City Ocean Fishing Pier. Cody snagged the monster with a live pogie (menhaden). The spec weighed in at 3 lbs. Go Cody!
There were several other smaller specs caught on live shrimp the last couple of days. Also some nice flounder were brought up this morning. Most bit a live minnow or live shrimp. I saw a large spot tail pin fish caught about noon. I think these usually are found offshore. There were several coolers about half full of larger than average spots and some sea mullets, most caught on blood worms. About noon the water was full of small blues, which were biting off the flounder angler's finger mullets. Lot of angry flounder anglers. There were some spanish caught early, but still no kings. Several tarpon were seen jumping off the end of the pier, but were out of reach of the king baits. This evening Donna and I walked out on the pier and saw an angler cleaning a huge shark which was caught at the end of the pier. The 125 lb shark hit a live blue on a king rig. The bat rays could be seen in the water cruising the pier in groups of 10 or 12. Aldofo was walking the pier chanting "Here fishy fishy fishy." Maybe thats why the bite has improved the past couple of days. Andreas and Karen, Hurry back down. The spots are starting to bite! I am hearing that the flounder are starting to show up in the waterway, especially near the New Topsail Inlet. Try 3 or 4 inch finger mullets or live shrimp. Mud minnows should produce also. Also getting some reports of large red drum in the surf south of Jolly Rodger Pier to the inlet. Fish with finger mullets, small spots or spot heads, and sand fleas. Leave your bait clickers on, or loosen up the drag on your spinning reels, or you may be chasing your rod and reel through the surf if a big red hits your bait. Let them run and don't try to horse them in. They can break your line with the flip of their tail. I use a 30 lb test shock leader, about 10 to 12 feet long tied to my casting line, which is 15 to 17 lb test. I tie on a slider rig, with about 6 inches of line tied to a 3/0 circle hook baited with a spot head if I can get one. Then HOLD ON!

There's a new game in the game room at the Surf City Pier. It's like a pinball setup. Drop in a quarter, and a little ball rolls out on the play board. If you flip the ball to a certain spot, you get a free ball. The good part is, there are special plastic balls in the game, and if one drops out, you win a prize. NOT JUST A PRIZE, BUT A NICE FISHING ROD AND REEL! Today I won an 8 ft rod and a Penn spinning reel! Already spooled with line! A really nice one! Go by and check it out. Maybe you will get lucky too!
Till next time, Tight Lines!
Johnny

Spanish at Surf City Pier

Got a report that several spanish were caught at Surf City pier this morning. The sheephead are all around the pier, but not biting. Maybe because the water is so clear. Lots of rigs have been lost or bitten off by large fish. Could be skates, sharks or maybe black drum. Reports of several large black drum caught in the surf near the pier. Spot, mullet, and pompano's are biting here and there. Some large popano around two pounds. Sand fleas are hard to find, could be the heat. I am hearing about some large trout and nice flounder being caught in the New River, near the bridge. Untill next time, Tight Lines!

1st Annual Mike Martin Fishing Tournament a SMASHING SUCCESS!

The First Annual Mike Martin Fishing Tournament held Saturday and Sunday was a BLAZING SUCCESS! With almost a hundred and fifty entrants, the Surf City Ocean Fishing Pier was a hot bed of activity. Anglers of all ages were pulling out all the stops to catch the biggest fish in seven categories, trout, spanish, flounder, virginia mullet, pompano, and puppy drum. The leader boards changed constantly, as a steady stream of fish were carried to the weigh in station set up on the pier near the breakers. A registration package consisting of a Surf City Pier mug, and a bumper sticker was furnished to each entrant. The 32 oz mug included FREE ICE COLD SOFT DRINKS from 6 am Saturday, tournament starting time, until midnight Saturday night. With temps reaching the upper 90's, the cold drinks were appreciated by everyone. Every 30 minutes, at the top and the bottom of the hour, the loudspeaker rang out with another entrant's winning ticket number and the lucky angler claimed the prize. These really nice door prizes included a Dale Earnhardt Jr. grill set, rods and reels, lamps, knife sets, and "Gotcha" and "Seastriker" T-shirts, hats, and plugs. When the tournament ended at noon Sunday, the winners were determined, and prizes were awarded. First place, biggest fish in each of six categories was awarded $100 CASH, and second place was awarded $50 cash. Cash was also awarded to Junior Angler winners. First, second, and third biggest fish won cash for excited young anglers.
The biggest trout won the Grand Prize of $500. The trout category was very exciting, in that no trout was weighed in until about 10 am Sunday morning. Then within 30 minutes, two more large trout had been weighed in, with several more being hooked and not landed.
Grand Prizewinner Eddie Perry was awarded $500 for the biggest trout, a little over 3 lb. Other winners were; Trevor Hooks, spanish; Jimmy Grubb, flounder; Jimmy Grubb, puppy drum; Johnny Horner, that's me, virginia mullet; Edward Wright, spot; and Anne Jones, pompano.
Thanks to Ed, Terri, Neena, Charles, Becky, Bill and all the other SCP employees for an excellent tournament.
A special thanks to Mike Martin's son Darren and his wife Jeannie who came in from Virginia for the tournament. I know they realize how much we loved Mike and I hope they visit often.

Pictures will be posted if I get my software in order.

Fishing Tournament

The First Anual Mike Martin Memorial Fishing Tournament is being held Saturday and Sunday August 13 and 14. Turn out was good, and there were a lot of fish being caught. I led the flounder division for about two hours. I still lead the va. mullet division as of 10:30 Saturday night, with a catch of 1.21 lbs. I'm not sure it will hold. I will post Sunday evening after the finish with the final results and some details. Late to bed and early to rise. That's fishin!

ICW Action, Hello Doug

A first for me. Monday, I drifted the ICW in my boat. I caught at least 30 sharks, a couple almost three feet long. Also caught a nice blue, about 2 pounds. But what really supprised me, I caught a 3.61 lb spanish, 23 1/2 inches long. Besides being in the waterway, about halfway between New River Inlet and New Topsail Inlet, the unsual thing was I caught the spanish on a flounder bottom rig, and a finger mullet. I have never caught a spanish any way but plugging. Learn something new every trip.
Heard of a huge red caught on Surf City Pier, 44 lbs.
Not much going on at the pier for the spot and mullet anglers. A few here and there. There was a 10 lb sheephead and a 3 1/2 lb sheephead caught last week on two consecutive days. Both on sand fleas. The 10 pounder was caught on a flea "borrowed" from Tim. Tim says he won't loan any more fleas! He was just kidding. The story is that the angler was going to leave because he was out of bait. Tim says to try one more and handed him a flea. The rest is history.

Hello to my new friend Doug, who I met at Lanier's Campground Pier. Seems Doug reads this fishing blog. It's nice talk to someone who reads my scribbles. Thanks Doug, and good luck with your fishing trip. I would love to hear from anyone else reading my blog. Just drop me an email.

Later, Tight Lines!

Back in Action

Sorry I haven't posted in a while. Major hard drive failure. PC is trash. I am using a laptop given to me by my brother. Thanks Jesse.

Not much to report. A 100 lb tarpon was caught from Surf City Pier. A couple of kings caught at the end. Some spanish and lots of small blues caught by the pluggers, using got-cha and diamond jigs. Some nice angel fish are being caught on bottom rigs. Sheephead can be caught if you have the time and technique. There are a few spot and mullet for the night anglers along with the usual sharks and rays.