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November 29, 2006
Swamp Water
Until next time....
Tight lines!
Johnny
UPDATE: I JUST GOT WORD FROM A FRIEND THAT IN THIS DIRTY WATER THAT A WHITE MIRROLURE IS CATCHING BIG SPECKLED TROUT. I DON'T HAVE THE NUMBER, BUT I WILL POST IT WHEN I GET IT. SUPPOSEDLY AN ANGLER CAUGHT HIS LIMIT THIS MORNING WITH A WHITE ONE, WHEN NO ONE ELSE COULD GET A BUMP.
November 28, 2006
Trout Action Slows
I haven't bottom fished at all in over a week, and I have seen a few nice whiting yesterday and today, caught mostly on fresh cut shrimp, as sand fleas are getting almost impossible to find. An surf angler today said he dug for two hours Sunday afternoon and found only eight fleas. On a positive note, it seems that most of the sea mullet and whiting being caught are keepers, so bait isn't being wasted on the little fish. A few black drum are still in the surf, but the size of the fish being caught is decreasing a bit. For you angles that love puffers, or toad fish, they are starting to bite. I have seen several in the last week. Nothing real big yet, but I am sure they are on the way in.
Recently, I have had a few problems with the pictures on my blog. Blogger has made some changes that I had no control over. If you wouldn't mind sending me an email, let me know if you can see the pics, and what browser you are using. Some friends using INTERNET EXPLORER are having problems getting the pics to load. I am using MOZILLA FIREFOX and they are loading fine on my computer. I need to know this information, so I can get the tech's at Blogger to work on the problem. Thanks for your help.
Till next time....
Tight Lines!
Johnny
November 26, 2006
Michael and Richard Fishing Bonanza!
Check out the whiting that my friend Richard caught. Two pounds and eleven ounces. And that was about three hours after it was caught. What a beautiful fish. The 18 inch fish was thought to be a puppy drum when it was first caught. And check out this stringer of trout. These guys can reel them in. These were caught in Surf City, in the surf. There were no tricks used to catch this stringer, just the love of fishing. Michael and his father in law Richard will come down Friday, and will be on the beach most of the time until they have to make the trip back home late Sunday. I am not sure if they even stop to eat. They are fishing when I get to the beach, and they are fishing when I leave the beach. This stringer is typical of most weekends with these guys. You have seen their work here before. This isn't the first stringer I have posted on the blog. Michaels catches include one of the most beautiful red drums I have ever seen, a slot beauty with fourteen spots! Ten on one side! I am sure this isn't the last stringer that I will post. As a matter of fact, the pictures he sent last week have been lost somewhere in cyberspace. Maybe I can find them and post them sometime. Congratulations guys on a job well done. Keep up the good work. I have heard from my friend Tommy, that Michael has been up to his tricks this weekend also. Tom says Michael caught a "bunch" of trout, and was throwing back "keepers" because he wanted the "big ones". Go Michael!
I talked to Steve at Herring's Outdoor Sports this afternoon, and he tells me that he has been getting reports of limits all up and down the beach. One HOT TROUT HOLE that I will give you a hint about is in Surf City, and you old timers will know what I am talking about! The hint is "Sunny Bee". That's all I can say. haha! My trout fishing bud's are about to string me up for talking too much about where the specks are biting. So if you want specifics, email me.
The black drum are still everywhere, and if you bait up a bottom rig, you are going to catch them. Most are not real big now, but they are plentiful. These fish don't have a lot of meat on them when they are small, but if you cook them whole and don't try to filet them, they are really good.
I haven't heard anything recently about fishing behind the island. If anyone has been fishing in Banks Channel, the ICW, Turkey Creek, or anywhere behind Topsail Island, or has any information, please email me so I can post it. Thanks in advance.
Until next time....
Tight lines!
Johnny
Trout, TROut, TROUT!!!
Till next time....
Tight lines!
Johnny
November 23, 2006
Happy Thanksgiving
Till next time....
Tight lines!
Johnny
November 21, 2006
Rain, Wind, Sea Mullets on SC Pier
Till next time.....
Tight Lines!
Johnny
November 19, 2006
More Specks!
News from the Surf City Pier.... The spots were really biting today around noon, two at a time! Spots in the middle of November? What's going on here? With these fish runs occuring so late, are we going to have the trout schooling all the way through December? Could be. Stay tuned..........
Till next time....
Tight lines!
Johnny
November 18, 2006
Saturday Morning
Till next time....
Tight lines!
Johnny
21533
November 17, 2006
Speckled Trout
There were more speckled trout caught today from Surf City Pier. I didn't go anywhere else, so I can't say if any were biting in the surf. The bite was slow, but one every now and then was brought over the rail. The picture above is the speck that I caught today. It bit a chartreuse Berkley Gulp Saltwater Swimming Mullet, (4 inch) on a red jig head. I lost a couple more before I got them into the net. The water was still pretty rough and extremely muddy, and I was suprised that any trout at all were caught. They seemed to be biting only jigs and grubs, and bottom rigs baited with cut shrimp. I didn't see any caught on MirrOlures. Most anglers were fishing the grubs really slow. There was no one trout fishing from the surf near the pier with the exception of a few bottom fisherman. I also caught a nice whiting on a short stint of bottom fishing from the end of the pier. I had a gulp saltwater bait to get bit in half by a ?????, and so I cut what was left into chunks and baited a bottom rig with it. The whiting bit a chunk of gulp saltwater bait. FISH CANDY! EVERYTHING LOVES THIS BAIT! I also saw quite a number of black drum thrown in coolers, some two pounds or more. It was also a good morning for puppy drum, and Dad caught one on a tandem bucktail that was just under the slot, and was released. As I was heading into the pier this morning, someone gave me a bag of bloodworms. I gave them a try for a bit, but all I could get was tiny spots that were small enough to use as flounder bait. So I gave up on that idea after about ten minutes, and went back to casting my jig and gulp. It was a beautiful day at the beach, rough and muddy water, but a great day of fishing!
Until next time....
Tight lines!
Johnny
November 16, 2006
Bad Storms, Rough Surf, Tornados
Bad weather today has kept most everyone from fishing. The surf was really rough, with high winds, gusts to 40 mph and driving rain. I looked at the surf several times during the day, and there was no hope of doing any fishing. The storms passed later in the day, and things calmed a bit. The rain has stopped. Donna and I walked on the beach this evening about 8:30pm, and the wind and surf had laid down a lot. It's going to be cooler tomorrow, but it should be nice for fishing. Hopefully the trout will be back. Water temp is in the low 60's, which is perfect for speckled trout. I have heard from several folks that the whiting bite has been good at other parts of the beach, places where I normally don't fish. So I guess I just missed it this year. There is talk that lots of the huge two pounders were brought in using fresh ocean shrimp, mole crabs (sand fleas), and blood worms. The talk is that they will be moving out when the water cools below 60. So the speckled trout and toads, or blow fish, will be the fish of choice for anglers for the next month. So feed the need! Come on down and get that last fishing trip in while you can. I haven't heard of any stripers being caught around Topsail Island in many years, so you will have to head north after next month if you get that fishing bug. Well, let me get to bed, so I can drag out in the morning and get some of the specks while they are still hanging around! Oh, baits...... MirrOlure 808, and the new MirrOlure holographic series are doing great, as are Berkley Gulp Shrimp, and Jerk Shad in the new Rootbeer color. Give them a try, and don't forget to buy them at our local tackle shops.
Thanks, and until next time....
Tight lines!
Johnny
21434
November 14, 2006
Curse Broken, SPECKLED TROUT CAUGHT!
Till next time....
Tight lines!
Johnny
November 12, 2006
Speckled Trout Are in the Surf!
Expect More to Show Up As Water Gets Colder
Till next time....
Tight Lines!
Johnny
21115
November 11, 2006
Bite Good in Surf
The large whiting that we anticipate every fall and early winter are finally showing up, but they are not biting fleas (mole crabs)like they usually do, or even fresh ocean shrimp. It seems this year the white monsters prefer bloodworms. Fresh bloodworms, not artificials, even Berkley Gulp SW bloodworm aren't working like the real thing. You know how I hate to spend ten or even twelve bucks for a dozen live bloodworms, but maybe I will splurge and buy a bag tomorrow. Donna is going to fish with me in the morning, and she loves to catch the big whiting as much an I do, maybe more! I know she usually outfishes me. She did today, pulling in an almost keeper flounder, short by less than 1/8 inch! We started to keep it, thinking it would grow another 1/8 inch in about twenty minutes, but we decided against it, lest the "man" make his weekend walk down the beach checking coolers before flattie had a chance to grow that 1/8 inch. Donna also pulled in a big whiting, almost two pounds, which I happily devoured for supper, and another shorter flounder. I had a small black drum. It was a beautiful day on the beach, fishing was good, but catching wasn't much to brag about unless you had the bloodworms, or got out of bed before 4am. We fished with some old friends, had some good conversation, met some new friends. All in all, a wonderful day on the beach! God has blessed us!
Till next time....
Tight Lines!
Johnny
21068
November 9, 2006
Michael Makowetski Fourteen Spot Red
Pictured here is the beautiful fourteen spot red drum caught last Sunday by my friend and fellow angler Michael Makowetski. Michael was fishing with light spinning tackle looking for flounder when the lunker hit a Berkley Gulp Swimming Mullet. After a good five minute battle and numerous long drag screaming runs, Michael landed the red in rough surf on 8lb test line. This has got to be the most beautiful redfish I have ever seen. As you can see in the other picture, Michael not only caught the red, but also caught a nice stringer of keeper flounder. Nice stringer Michael, I look forward to fishing with you again. Maybe I can learn something!
Until next time....
Tight Lines!
Johnny
20968
November 6, 2006
Not Fishing,
but Nice Buck from Moore County, NC
but Nice Buck from Moore County, NC
My fishing trip this morning was a bust, but my family in Moore County, North Carolina had better luck with their hunting Saturday. Josh Kimball, straight shootin' son of my cousin Joe Kimball from Moore County, North Carolina killed this nice buck at 6:25am Saturday morning with one shot from a muzzle loader. Josh is the handsome young man on the left. His daddy Joe, known locally as RiverJoe, is the not so purdy one on the right. haha! Josh is known around the county as a straight shooter, and always gets his share of big bucks. Hunting is a family affair around the Kimball household, as RiverJoe's oldest son Joey Kimball also joined in the Saturday deer hunt as well as RiverJoe's brother Dan Kimball. Congratulations to Josh for a job well done, and my love to the rest of the family. Hope to see you all soon.
Till next time....
Tight Lines!
Johnny
November 5, 2006
Black Drum Flounder Reds Trout
What would you call the list in the above title. A winter mix? Well that's what was biting this morning when I went for an early morning surf fishing outing. I personally caught the black drum and mullet in the picture above, but the other fish were coming in around me. A friend, Mike, that fishes here most every weekend caught his first and second red drum today. The first was caught on a slider drum rig with live shrimp, and the second hit a Berkley Gulp Swimming Mullet (white) while Mike was casting in the surf for flounder on a falling tide. It took Mike every bit of five minutes to land the 23 1/2 inch red with the light spinning tackle and 8 lb test line. The red was the most beautiful redfish I have ever seen, with four spots on one side and ten on the other for a total of fourteen spots. It was fat, and must have weighed eight or nine pounds. Mike also caught a couple of keeper flounder. He started his day about 5am, and was still there when Donna and I left the beach about one in the afternoon. Great job Mike. Hopefully Mike will send me a picture and I will post it to the blog.
Speckled trout have also been biting. I still haven't caught a keeper, but it seems everyone else that has wet a line has. They are biting everything from cut shrimp to mirro-lures and especially live shrimp. I have seen some huge ones, six and seven pounders! I will keep getting out there early in the am, and I will eventually hit the run and get my limit. Trout isn't my favorite fish to eat, but I love to catch them, they are so elusive.
The large whiting are still slipping away from me this year also. I have caught some, but not the large "over two pounders". A couple folks have said that they have caught some "whoppers" on bloodworms, and this year they aren't feeding on mole crabs (sand fleas) like normal because the fleas are buried so deep. Could be, I guess, but I have found lots of fleas right near the top on the incoming tides, and still haven't had much luck with the big whiting.
The piers are doing about the same, with small spot runs now and then, but nothing major. There are some big sea mullet and whiting being caught near the end, but not in big numbers. Black drum and puppy drum are the big guns near the surf, and are keeping most anglers busy. There have been some nice ones brought over the rails. The die-hard flounder anglers are still catching nice numbers of flounder, but keepers are not talked about much. I suspect that just like the speckled trout there are more being caught than are being reported. These guys and gals just don't like to advertise their success.
So winter fishing is heating up. Pardon the pun. Things are looking good. If you know where you can net some shrimp, live shrimp, even in the surf, is a good bet for large fish. Live mullet minnows would be my next choice, but they are hard to find in the surf right now. Make a trip down south to the inlet where they are easier to find. Next comes FRESH FRESH FRESH cut shrimp and cut mullet for large catches. And for you anglers that like the artificials, it's got to be the Berkley Gulp Salt Water baits. The swimming mullet seems to be the hot one right now, with white the color for bright sun shine days and new penny, orange, or pink the color for overcast conditions.
Remember to buy your bait and tackle at our local bait and tackle shops. Your continued support will assure that they will be able to compete with the large "Bass Pro Shops" and stay in business to be here for your next fishing trip to this fishing paradise. In addition to the piers, of which Surf City Pier is my personal favorite, there is Herrings Outdoor Sports, and East Coast Sports. Off the island there is Thomas Bait and Tackle, One Stop Bait and Tackle, and near Holly Ridge there is Doug's Tackle. No matter which is your favorite, you will walk away with your fishing needs satisfied, and probably have a new fish tale to share with your friends back home. There seems to always be someone hanging around these shops eager to talk fishing with visitors.
So till next time....
Tight Lines!
Johnny
20564
November 2, 2006
First Red Drum in Surf
23 1/2 inches long weighing almost 6 lbs
Caught on 8 lb test line with cut shrimp.
Congratulations Susan! Well Done!
Spots on Wrong Side of Pier!
Something new for me. The spots were biting today, sometimes two at a time, but from the south side of Surf City Pier. Something I have never seen in the fall and winter. I didn't see the first fish come over the north pier rail. Someone said the wind pushed them in on the south side, but the wind is from the north west, which here on Topsail is off the land. So the wind is not responsible. The spots were huge. They were biting on the farther out half of the pier in the deeper water. In the surf, the black drum still rule the day, with lots of them being caught. Mullet are starting to bite fresh shrimp, but are still shying away from sand fleas. (I still don't understand why they aren't biting fleas) The flounder are still biting well, but not many keepers are being caught. Puppy drum around 20 inches are coming in regularly on cut shrimp. Blues are small but plentiful. And last but certainly not least, speckled trout are in the surf early in the am.
Please join me in supporting our local tackle shops and buy your bait and fishing tackle from the local stores here on the beach. You will get personal one on one service and help from the folks at each shop, and the experiences you get at these local tackle shops are unforgettable and will be cherished for years to come. It is getting harder for these local shops to compete with the mega stores in the big cities, and they need your support. Remember, Shop Local! This is just my humble opinion, and was not solicited by any business on or off the island. Thanks for listening.
Tomorrow's Tides
High 04:34AM Low 11:17AM High 05:10PM
Here is the weather courtesy of Topsail Weather.com
Tonight: Clear, with a low around 41. North wind between 10 and 13 mph.
Friday: Sunny, with a high near 57. North wind between 9 and 13 mph.
Friday Night: Clear, with a low around 34. North wind between 8 and 11 mph.
Saturday: Sunny, with a high near 59. North wind around 11 mph.
Saturday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 37. North wind between 9 and 11 mph.
Sunday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 60.
Sunday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 41.
Monday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 64.
Monday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 48.
Tuesday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 69.
Tuesday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 52.
Wednesday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 75.
Wednesday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 53.
Thursday: Clear, with a low around 41. North wind between 10 and 13 mph.
Friday: Sunny, with a high near 57. North wind between 9 and 13 mph.
Friday Night: Clear, with a low around 34. North wind between 8 and 11 mph.
Saturday: Sunny, with a high near 59. North wind around 11 mph.
Saturday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 37. North wind between 9 and 11 mph.
Sunday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 60.
Sunday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 41.
Till next time....
Tight Lines!
Johnny
20356