East Coast Sports Fishing Report

Thanks to Chris Medlin at East Coast Sports for this weeks Topsail Island fishing report. If you are interested, he includes the waypoints for navigating the inlets and has some really nice links for weather and such. Check it out.


Capt. Chris Medlin's Surf City Fishing Report

Piers
Surf City Pier = Sheepshead doing well a few Trout and Flounder. One 11lb King Yesterday
Jolly Roger Pier = A few Specks, Blues and Spanish. 1 King Yesterday 20 Lbs
Sea View Pier = Black Drum, Blues and Spotted 3 Tarpon but no takers.
Conclusion
Summer Mixed Bag
Surf
New River Inlet to Surf City = Summer Mixed Bag
Surf City to Topsail Beach = Summer Mixed Bag
Topsail Beach Tonfiltered= Summer Mixed Bag
Lee island North end = Summer Mixed Bag
Conclusion
Reds in Topsail Creek

Thanks again to Chris at East Cost Sports.

Till next time....
Tight Lines!
Johnny

Stargazer Information

I really enjoy getting feedback from readers of my fishing blog. Thanks to these folks for sending some information on the stargazer. I have included their posts below. To protect their privacy, I have not included their last names. The first post is from Trent. Trent and his family vacation and fish on Topsail Island.

"Johnny,
I wish a speedy recovery to your wife. I'm surprised my wife hasn't needed this surgery yet (ha ha). Seriously, your wife must be a special one just to tolerate all of the time you devote to fishing. Mine's special that way too. The Stargazer is a neat fish. One of the great things about saltwater fishing is you never know what you're going to catch. Here is a link to a credible site about the fish. See link above. Apparently, they can produce up to 50volts. Wikipedia says their spines are poisonous but I could not verify this anywhere else. Only nine days until I arrive for my Topsail vacation. Get your rods and reels ready 'cause the fish are going to be biting that week.
Tight Lines!
Trent
The next email is from Jim. Jim and his family also visit Topsail Island for vacations each summer. It's ironic that both readers came up with the same website about the stargazer.

The link, referenced above, gives a good amount of detail about the fish. It does indeed produce a current and should be handled with care at least in the water.
Enjoy you blog as we vacation in Topsail with friends each summer.
Thanks,
Jim Robinson


Thanks again for your feedback. It is really appreciated. I encourage all the readers to send emails about their fishing trips. I would love to know what everyone else is catching here at Topsail Island.

Until next time.....
Tight Lines!
Johnny

Surf City Pier Report

Donna's knee is doing well after her surgery on Tuesday. We will go to the surgeon tomorrow for a check-up. Thank's to everyone who emailed their best wishes and prayers. I haven't gotten out this week to fish or even talk to any anglers. This is the best I can do for now. The kayakers I have talked to haven't caught anything, not even any bites. I haven't talked to any surf fishermen this week. I have a report from Surf City Pier which follows....

"You can tell that Summer is here....There have been some speckled trout caught in the 2-3 lb range...some pompano...couple of sheepshead...some small blues...and...small va. mullet at night....water is very clear...but no kings or spanish....Pin-Fish are biting 2 at a time....come get all you want....There is a little of all..... and a lot of none.....Typical of summer fishing.... "

Hopefully, Donna's check-up will go well and I will be back on the water in my kayak or in the surf by the first of next week.

Till next time.....
Tight Lines!
Johnny

13524

Stargazer

I rarely see one of these fish. They are truly strange, and kind of beautiful, in a strange sort of way. It is a stargazer, and I am told they can shock like an electric eel. I need to check up on this and see if it is true. Notice the fishes upturned mouth, and the eyes on top of the head. Anyway, this beauty was caught on Surf City Pier. Photo courtesy of Vinita.

They are catching a few keeper flounder, along with a few spot and mullet at night. Nothing else to brag about.
Till next time...
Tight Lines!
Johnny

Knee Surgery

My wife and best friend Donna had knee surgery today. I am her care nurse, so I will be able to post only what I hear from other anglers for a few days. Probably through the weekend. Hopefully by then her knee will be good-as-new! She denies it but I know she hurt it by kicking my a#@ so often! I told her to go easy on this poor old man, but she wouldn't listen. I am reading this aloud to her, and good for me, she can't get out of bed right now. Maybe by the time the good drugs wear off she will have forgotten it. She will forget this by Friday, right? ......................... Come on guys, right? No! Not that hand Baby! That's my reeling hand! hahaha! I think I'm in for it now. She doesn't think this is too funny.

Good luck to all you anglers out there. I'll be back when I can, or when I hear something.
Till next time......
Tight Lines!
Johnny




13379

Clouds and Wind Slow Fishing

There was not much going on today with the wind and rain. There were a few blues caught on Surf City Pier, by the got-cha pluggers but not much else that I have heard about. King fishing has been slow, and live bait for the king fishermen has been hard to find. The sheephead are still hanging out around the pier pilings for the angler with enough patience and gear to haul them in. A few trout early in the morning on live minnows or live shrimp, mostly on the south side of the pier. There was one small puppy drum caught in the suds this morning. At night it's been more of the same, small mullet, spots, and croaker. The flounder bite from the pier continues to be disappointing. There have been lots of flounder caught, but not the big ones that are usually coming up this time of the summer.

The surf has been really rough. Take your heavy gear to the surf because it takes at least four ounce or five ounce storm sinker to hold bottom even a little. The only thing I have been able to catch is small spots, pompano and foot long blues. It seems the blues are really skinny. There is not much meat on them for the length. The blues and spots are biting cut mullet and shrimp , and the pompano are biting sand fleas. I haven't caught a mullet or whiting in several days. For me the best time to fish continues to be the last to hours of the incoming tide and the first two hours of the out going tide. Sand fleas are still my favorite bait for surf fishing and they continue to be plentiful, although sometimes you have to look for them if the high tide is in.

Be careful if you are wading in the surf to cast. I have seen several stingray in the waves and I even saw a couple left on the beach by the waves, where they flapped their wings until the next wave came and carried them back into the surf.

Till next time....
Tight Lines!
Johnny



13334

Too Windy?

I didn't fish for a couple of days because of a bad migraine. I did go out to the surf yesterday evening where I found really windy conditions. Folks kept asking "Isn't it was too windy to fish?" My answer to them was "Not for me." My answer now might be. "Too windy for the angler or for the fish?" It wasn't too windy for the blues I was catching. I must have caught a dozen in the hour and a half that I fished just before dark. I didn't have a light with me, and with the sun going down, I was wary that one of the toothy blue fish would latch onto my finger in the dark. Although small, they were fun to catch in the wind and roaring surf. The surf was so rough that the four ounce sinker I was using bounced around like a super ball. Remember those? It was really difficult to tell if I was getting a bite or if the wind and waves were causing the tip of my fishing rod to jump up and down. But with careful observation, it was possible to tell a bite from the action caused by the waves and the wind. I didn't keep any of the blues. I don't like them frozen, and I was not in the mood for blue fish last night. I really didn't feel like dressing them, and they were fun to catch so I let them live to fight another day.

Till next time....
Tight Lines!
Johnny


13278

Red Drum are feeling quite safe today.

I woke up with the alarm clock buzzing, my ears ringing, and my head pounding. A migraine has kept me in all day, but it is starting to diminish as I make this post. After yesterday's fiasco, it's probably stress that triggered this one....or maybe the excitement of seeing all those beautiful monster reds swarming around my little kayak. Anyway, the word has probably gotten around in the undersea world around Topsail Island that Johnny FishinTopsail poses absolutely no threat to the fish population, especially the red drum community. But that's ok, it gives me the upper hand and the opportunity to turn a bad day into something positive. Now that the drum population's guard is down, I will sneak up on them with my super tough abrasion resistant 30 lb test leader line, and my newly purchased Berkley Gulp baits, direct from Herring's Ourdoor Sports and decend upon the unsuspecting undersea world with a vengence! And I plan to start this evening! If I can't get out in the kayak, I will get out to the surf. Yea, those crafty red drum might not fear me, but to the sand flea world, I'm known as a crafty and unstoppable cereal killer! (get the pun?) Yea, sand fleas fear me!

A call from a couple of sources tell me that trout are biting on Surf City Pier still, and the flounder are getting larger. The kings are getting bigger with more hookups. And their have been some HUGE sheephead caught. So come on down and get yours, before the water heats up and runs everything out past the point of "nocancastthatfar".

Till next time.....
Tight Lines!
Johnny


13182

Big Red Drum...Berkeley Gulp...Pulling my Hair Out!

I haven't been looking forward to posting tonight. I am so embarrassed. This morning about 8:30, just after the tidal marsh creeks were reaching their high tide, I found myself on top of more two foot long red drum than I have ever seen congregated in one place. Although I was fascinated to see these monster reds jet here and there in about 20 to 30 inches of water that was covering the oyster beds, I was equally frustrated that I couldn't get a single drum in my kayak. Now when I said I was "on top" of the reds, I meant "ON TOP" of the reds. They were running under my boat with jet like speed, and stirring up the bottom so that the water looked like mud holes. Their tails were sticking up out of the water as they were rooting like pigs on the bottom of the creek.

I tried almost every bait I had in my little tackle box. I don't take my large box in the kayak, for lack of space. Finaly I got them to bite the new Berkley Gulp white shrimp 3" size. The strange thing though, the would not bite the bait if I was retrieving it, or jigging it, swimming it, I even tried to float it under a bobber. Finally, I just threw it right in the middle of the frenzy, (that's the only word I can think of) and put my fishing rod in the rod holder, and just let the bait lay on the bottom, and as the boat drifted very slowly (breeze was almost non existant) across the oyster beds, the reds would pick it up. Success at last! My joy quickly turned to frustration as every time I would hook up with a red, my new (just installed yesterday) Trilene XT 10 lb test line would break. When I got my line back to the boat, I discovered that it was frayed and cut for about 10 feet from the break. This happened four times, that's right FOUR TIMES!!!!! I left the drag very loose, and that didn't help, because the red would run in and out of the oyster beds and still cut my line on the oyster shells! I lost all but one of the "Gulp" lures I had before the school of reds finally moved away and I lost track of them.

On a positive note, I caught two flounders on the one Berkley Gulp shrimp that I had left before I had to paddle back home before the tide was fully low. The tidals creeks I was fishing are so shallow at low tide I would have had to walk home.

Do you think I will try this again with stronger line and leaders? Good call! You bet I will.

Got a pier report from Charles today. There have been some nice speckled trout (specs) caught early in the morning. Baits have varried from live shrimp to grubs. Most productive have been mud minnows or finger mullets on a flounder rig, fished around the pier pilings on the south side of the pier.

I was in East Coast Sports tonight to buy some lead sinkers, and someone called in and ask how big a spec had to be to be considered for a citation. Doug Medlin's answer was at least four pounds. The caller ask how long they (East Coast) would be open, and if there was a charge to get the citation. So, I am guessing that the spec weighed at least four pounds, a nice spec in my book!

Summing up, fishing is getting better. Fish early for trout, use live minnows or shrimp if you have them, or try the Berkley Gulp. Same for puppy drum, but be ready for a "Pappy Drum" or maybe even "Grand Pappy Drum". And last but not least, drag that minnow or the Berkley Gulp for flounder. There are some nice ones out there, just go get 'em!

Till next time........
Tight Lines!
Johnny



33134

Another King at Surf City Pier

There was another king, about 30 lbs, caught on Surf City Pier (SCP) today. If I get a picture I'll post it. I also saw a picture of a nice trout, a speck about 3 or 4 pounds. An angler by the name of Bill caught several from SCP today with the above mention speck the largest. It seems the trout bit a flounder rig and minnows on a slow retrive on the south side of the pier near the old pilings. Fishing is picking up. An occasional puppy drum is being caught in the surf on sand fleas or finger mullets. There are more large mullets and whiting being caught up and down the beach. And the black drum are starting to show up occasionally. I haven't seen any large pompano yet. They should be showing up anytime. We are still waiting on the summer spots.
Till next time...
Tight Lines!
Johnny


13023

Sharks

Surf Fishing was a bit slow today, so I was told by a couple of friends who ventured out to get a line wet. Tommy said that a 7 foot shark was spotted in the breakers today. This is not the first I have heard of the shark sighting near the old Barnacle Bills Pier, but this confirms a previous sighting a couple of days ago. There have been no attacks, but a shark of the same description was reported by a swimmer, and all the kids playing in the surf were evacuated out of the water for a while until the shark left the area. Surf City Pier reports a few blues in between thunderstorms and rain showers.
Till next time...
Tight Lines!
Johnny

Surf City Pier King

Surf City Pier posted it's first king on Tuesday, July 11. The anglers name is Mark and the picture is included in this post. It has been windy the past several days and nothing much is biting. I am hearing the same from the surf as well as the piers. The weather is hot, humid and stormy in the afternoon and evening.
Till next time......
Tight Lines!
Johnny


12872

Pictures, Something's Fishy!

Above is a photo of the last drum Tommy caught in the sound fishing from his kayak. The 26 inch monster hit a beetle spin with a gold blade.


Below is a picture of the big mullet I caught recently. I couldn't weight it but it was 18 1/4 inches long, fat and full of roe.



I finally got my old digital camera software to work with my new computer. So I will be able to post some more pictures if we catch any more big fish.

Gearing up

Donna and I took Christina home today after a weeks visit. Before Christina, Zack stayed two weeks. As much as I enjoyed the visit, I am relieved to get things back to normal. I am ready for some serious fishing, once I get the mess that we made of my fishing gear straightened out. Everything is messed up and mixed up. I have reels that have to be cleaned and oiled, and rod tips that need to be fixed. I love 'em but they can be destructive to fishing equipment. As far as the rigs and other aritficials go, I don't think they are too bad. There doesn't seem to be much missing. So, the plan is to clean the gear up, restock, and hit the beach for some serious fishing. I need to call my friend Ken to see if he will help, because serious fishing is tough, and I need all the help I can get. I might can talk Donna into helping me fish for a few weeks so I can get caught up. It's a bad thing to be behind on your fishing! Really bad!

BIG MULLET

Measured the mullet I caught last evening. The beast measured A WHOPPING 18 1/4 INCHES ! My largest this year by far. The rain is moving in. It rained a little this morning, and we are getting a sprinkle now. I hear thunder off in the distance, sounds like Hampstead. Weather man calling for thunder storms this afternoon, which is about normal for this area. Conditions are good for fishing. Surf is a little rough but not rough enough to bounce 4 or 5 ounces of lead down the beach. Last evening 3 ounce pyramid held nicely. These are the surf conditions I like. I believe that the larger fish move toward shore during these times because the rough surf stirs up the bottom, stirring up the sand fleas that mullet and drum love to eat so well. The abundance of these critters attracts smaller bait fish, which may attract larger blues as well, another species I tend to catch when the surf is rough. Water temp hasn't changed since last post, but may drop a few degrees if we get a lot of rain. The sounds and bays are not as productive as they were before the heavy rains we had last week. Must have reduced the salinity of the water, and drove the larger fish to the ocean. They should be back if we have some dry sunny weather.
Till next time......
Tight Lines!
Johnny

Migraine and Big Mullet

Migraines and big mullets, not exactly the best combination. A bad migraine has kept me from fishing much this week. I did go out to the beach this afternoon, about 3:30 pm with Christina. The expected crowd wasn't there so I got a fishing rod from the Blazer. Christina caught some fleas for me and I baited up while I watched her play in the surf with her new friend.

About 7:30 pm I think, I caught a really nice va mullet. I haven't measured or weighed it yet. It is on ice and will be measured and dressed tomorrow morning. Migraine was so bad tonight that I didn't have the umph left to clean the mullet tonight. This is the biggest mullet I have caught this year. I am sure it is over two pounds. It bit a large mole crab on a size 3/0 circle hook. When I first felt the pull, I thought it was a drum. Even when I saw it in the surf, it looked like a slot sized puppy drum. But as I landed the fish, I realized that it was a mullet. I even had a couple of beach walkers tell me that it was a drum, but I know a mullet when I see one. I will post size when I can. I hope to have a picture to post. I have a new computer, but I haven't installed my camera software yet, and I am not sure it will work.

Conditions were about perfect for mullet and drum fishing. The high tide was right around dusk, and a full moon brought in a higher than normal high tide. The water was just rough enough, but not too rough. There was virtually no undertow, and a three ounce pyramid held the bottom well. Mole crabs (sand fleas) are plentiful except near full high tide. Wind is out of the south at about five to ten mph. The water temperature at Surf City is 84 degrees. High temps in the upper 80's, warmer Tuesday with temps in the low 90's.

There have been some nice size trout caught from Surf City Pier, along with a couple of nice slot sized puppy drum. Blues and spanish are still biting, but still no kings. There have been a couple of nice spot runs, but they are small. It seems that fishing is finally picking up. I am glad to see the larger fish moving in.

Till next time........
Tight Lines!
Johnny


12679

Saturday, Bite Improving on Pier

What has been a slow start on Surf City Pier seems to be picking up. There was even a small spot run today, with better than average size spots being caught for several hours. This morning the blues hit got-cha plugs as well as bottom rigs, and there was a nice spanish caught. I am still trying to find out how big the spanish was. There was also a nice size (keeper) puppy drum caught according to my sources, however, I didn't see it. The sheephead continue to hold around the pilings, some whoppers are there and can be caught by the angler with enough patience to wait them out, and the gear to land them. The small to medium size mullets are still biting with a few larger ones now and then. I am hearing stories of speckled trout being landed on the piers and surf in the early morning and around sunset. Still no king caught from Surf City Pier.
In the surf, the whiting and mullets I have been catching are getting larger, and the drum are still hitting a bottom rig occasionally. They are biting finger mullets better, so I have been told by sources on the beach. Again, these are fish I personally haven't seen.
My granddaughter Christina and I went out in the kayak this afternoon, but didn't get anything. Something bit the curly tails off my grubs, but I didn't see the culprit. There are still a few puppy drum being caught in the sounds and bays behind the island by kayakers in the early morning when the tide is right, which seems to be rising near full high. Christina and I may try again early in the morning if the migraine I have tonight gets better. It seems to be on a rising tide also.
Anyway, it seems that fishing is picking up, just when it should be slowing down. Usually, July brings warmer temps and low pressure systems which turn fish off for some reason. But is seems that this year, for reasons unknown to me, fishing is getting better in July. I'm not complaining, mind you, just pondering the situation. Go git'em while ya can!
Till next time........
Tight Lines,
Johnny

PS..... Wow, my memory is getting bad. In this post I badmouthed July as a bad fishing month, but I have just looked back at my July 2005 posts, and was my memory ever wrong. July 05 was a very good month with several nice fish caught by myself and my fishing buds, Ken and A.C. Very large pompanos, huge whiting, and even keeper reds. What are we supposed to eat to improve our memory?

12543

Getting Better

Zack and I pulled an all-nighter last night. We got to the pier, Surf City Pier about 8:30 last night and didn't leave until after 9 am this morning. A long night but a worthwhile experience. Zack caught at least twenty sharks, most about a foot long. We also landed four virginia mullet and a nice two pound blue, Zack's first blue. We saw two really nice flounder, which appeared to be about sixteen to eighteen inches in length. Of course these were guestimates, made without actually taking the fish out of the cooler. The sheephead have been biting recently as well, for anyone with enough patience to wait them out standing on one's head, which seems to be the best way to catch them. I'll have to admit I have only caught one, and that was by accident while surf fishing for whiting and puppy drum. A really big sheephead, estimated at between six and eight pounds, (looked bigger than that to me), narrowly escaped the supper table the powerful jaws of the huge fish bit through the hook before it could be netted. So.... it seems that things are looking up, and fishing is getting better. Still, it is not the same as the last couple of years, but it is getting better.
Until next time..........
Tight Lines!
Johnny


12462

Independence Day

Zack woke me up today, July 4th, Independence Day, at 7am and wanted to go fishing. We got on the beach about 7:30. As I prepared our rigs for the morning of fishing, I could not help but think about our soldiers that are in peril on this Independence Day protecting my right and privilege to be safely fishing this morning with family and friends.
I am especially thinking of my nephew, a young marine, who has been overseas for a short while. A young man just out of high school, who felt it was his duty, his calling, to serve his country and ours, and protect, not only the rights of all Americans, but our very lives. Let us not forget the events of 911, proving our enemies willingness to kill Americans on American soil. Let us not forget that "Freedom" is not "Free". There is a price to be paid for our safety and freedoms as a nation, and now as individuals.
This is not a new concept to most of us. A price has already been paid to protect our safety and freedom. A price that some seem to have forgotten. The price has been paid by our fathers, our grandfathers, our great-grandfathers, and our ancestors before them. The price has been paid by our mothers, grandmothers and great-grandmothers, some who served in battle, others who kept the home and family intact and functioning in spite of the devastating loses of family members.
In addition, the brave young men and women who volunteer to be our protectors and champions are paying the price yet again. Moreover, by the mothers, by the fathers, by the brothers and sisters, the grandparents, the uncles and aunts, and cousins, and friends and loved ones of the brave souls who face peril daily so that we may live free and live safe. And they protect the freedoms of all Americans. Even the Americans who believe in no war for any reason. Americans who must believe that peace and freedom are somehow ordained, mystical, or magic. Those Americans who believe that left to its own accord, peace will simply be. That if we just leave everyone else to his or her own agendas', the rest of the world will leave us alone. IT IS THEIR RIGHT to believe what they believe. IT IS THEIR RIGHT to voice their opinion. THEIR RIGHT to voice their opinion as loud as they can.........
However, I wonder, if someone before them, before those who speak against fighting for any reason, someone before them, had chosen to say "NO". "NO" to fighting for our right to be safe . "NO" to fighting for our right to be free. "NO" to fighting for our right to worship as we please, or not to worship at all. "NO" to fighting for our right to free speech.... What if these brave souls that have gone on before us, giving their lives in wars and conflicts where others had attempted to take our safety and freedom away or destroy our country or our way of life, what if these brave souls had said "NO"? "I WILL NOT FIGHT FOR ANY REASON!" ...............What then............. Where would we be now? Could those who so disagree with war for any reason, would they be free to openly express the opinions they hold so dearly without fear of reprisals or even death?

Maybe...... Maybe not.

I say again...... Freedom is NOT FREE! SOMEONE ALWAYS HAS TO PAY! GOD BLESS THOSE BRAVE SOULS WHO HAVE PAID BEFORE AND THOSE WHO ARE PAYING NOW!

Sincerely, John R. Horner, Jr.

Kayak trip

Zack, my grandson and I got skunked again on our kayak trip this morning. We left the dock before 7 am, and Zack threw a jig and minnow while I paddled to the pre-planned fishing grounds. We tried several strategies, but nothing produced any fish. Both of us got a couple of bites, but nothing was ever hooked. The tails of the Gulp shrimp we were throwing got bitten off, along with some mud minnows that were bitten in half or stolen from the hooks completely. Another angler in a kayak said he hooked a large flounder but lost it at the boat. I am new to this kayak fishing, and although I love being on the water in the little boat, I still have a lot to learn before I become productive at the sport. But the most important thing, is Zack and I had fun and really enjoyed our outing. I am enjoying my grandson's visit. I don't have anything to report from the surf or the piers, except to say that the beach is so crowded that throwing a hook in the water is more likely to render a kid than a fish, so I am abstaining until the crowds thin a bit. There was no parking to be found at Surf City Pier when Zack and I went down to check out the fishing this afternoon, so I am guessing that the pier was full. If any "catching" was going on, well, that will just have to wait until I can find parking that is wakling distance. Like Zack told me this morning on our Kayak trip, I'm getting old and grumpy. Yea, that's what my ten year old grandson Zack said about me. I seriously considered letting him walk back home. (He would have had to walk in the water) But there are some pretty deep holes in the channels and creeks behind Topsail Island, so I decided to let it slide this time. Love ya Zack!
Till next time.......
Tight Lines!
Cranky old Johnny

12331

Ok, so someone is catching some nice fish.....

I talked to a guy on the pier Thursday evening. He set me straight on my comments about no one catching fish this year. Seems he has caught some nice trout from the pier. This is Surf City Pier we are talking about. I didn't get his name, so I will call him Joe Angler. Joe says he caught his limit of specs one night last week using a white and pink curly tail grub. He also caught one on a mirror-lure. Joe also caught a bunch of puppy drum the same night using sand fleas in the suds. I think he said sand fleas, I was so busy with my huge catch of two mullets during my 8 hour stay on the pier that I didn't take notes on what he said. Actually, my grandson Zack caught the mullets. I was just watching him catch them. Anyway, Joe says the reason there are no more big fish this year is no one is fishing for them. ????? I must be out there for the conversation. Maybe I really don't want to catch any large fish. Maybe Joe is full of it too. I mean if I caught my limit of specs, I would have told someone on the pier. The folks at the pier love to take pictures of catches like that. It's only good for the pier. Anyway, back to reality. One of my fishing buds, Glen, has had some luck this week, he has cought a couple of nice sheephead, one was six pounds I think. They DO have a picture of it in the pier house. Ok, to be fair to Joe, maybe he just doesn't know what a speckled trout looks like. Maybe he thinks they have leathery skin, black tips on the dorsal fin and tail, and a mouth full of teeth. That seems to be all most of the anglers were catching thursday night when I was there.
Till next time.........
Tight Lines!
Johnny