Still a few fish

I am getting a few reports (very few) of speckled trout in the surf. It seems that there are a few more being caught in the sound and creeks. Specifically, the grassy banks around ICW marker 98 and Turkey Creek. I haven't been fishing in weeks, so I am only getting second hand reports. I'll post more information as I get it. I have seen first hand the stringers being brought in by those that are flounder gigging. It seems that they are everywhere off the waterway in shallow water. Just pick a night when there is no wind. Just about everyone that goes out near here is coming back with close to their limit.
Till next time,
Tight Lines!
Johnny

Bandit Charters Offshore Report

Got an email from Capt Tim Fairchild of Bandit Charters today. Here is part of the email.

"Only trip Last week was tuna Trip. Caught one BlueFin 93" long Est. weight 150-180lbs. Tag and released. Same trip got into Big blue fish (great bluefin bait). Had couple black tip Sharks that night."

"Next trips will not be until Jan 7,14,21 all bluefin Tina charters. Stripers have tried for them around divers rock (no Luck) Black sea bass still all over from 5-15 miles off along with some Gag Grouper."

"Talk to you later Capt. Tim"

You can contact Capt Tim for a charter at 910-512-6047 or 910-327-3980. Or you can email Capt Tim at gradywhitebandit@aol.com or bndtchrtrs@aol.com.

Merry Christmas

Haven't posted in a while. The migraines have made me crazy. Doc has put me on new meds that are doing a number on me. On a positive note, I can't believe the flounder are still in the bays and creeks. I have a friend that went flounder giging three nights this week. Got a total of 20 flounder and never left Becky's Creek! I have never seen so many flounder in one spot. I can't get one to bite a hook for nothing, but they are out there. I promise you, Lord willing, I will have flounder lights on my boat by next spring. And, I will have a freezer to store all the flounder I will have for the winter fish fries!

Trout

Trout are everywhere behind the island. I am hearing that most creeks off the ICW are holding trout. Most are small, but they are out there. Hear they are hitting brightly colored plastics on jig heads or spinners. They are also catching some in the surf around daylight.
Till next time;
Tight Lines!
Johnny

Kayak Adventure

I received this email from reader Ward Clark. I hear many stories about fishing the grassy banks off the ICW(Intracoastal Waterway). I haven't had this kind of luck in my sixteen foot flat bottom boat, but I am haven't given up. I know that trout and puppy drum in this skinny water, as some boaters call the shallow flats behind Topsail Island, spook really easily.
Please feel free to email your Topsail area fish tales and I will post them.

Hope you enjoy reading this as much as I did.
......................................................................

HI,

I stumbled onto your blog postings about six months ago and find them very informative. Thought I would share a fishing story.

I get to Topsail once a year, in the summer, and love to fish. This past summer we visited the 3rd week of July. Surf fishing was slow so one morning I went to Herrings (spelling?) kayak and fishing place and rented a kayak. I tooled around in the marshes behind their store for a couple of hours. I threw spinnerbaits at the banks, but replaced the skirt with a green and white mr. twister type rubber jig. I landed two really nice redfish in the 25” range (one may have been bigger) and lost 2 others. They were released unharmed. The bigger one towed me around for a bit before tiring. I had a blast and this was the fist time I ever fished from a kayak and the first time I ever “targeted” shallow water reds. I can’t wait to do it again. I have caught a couple over the years in the OBX while surf fishing with cut bait.

Is this typical of all the shallow backwaters behind Topsail during the summer or did I luck into one of those “great memories”? All the fish were holding in or near oyster beds.

GO TOPSAIL!!

Ward Clark