Big Reds, Flounder and Trout are biting in local waters.

I hope everybody is doing well and catching a few fish! I have got to say I’m glad Bill did not make it up here, but his power was felt up this way. We’ve had some strong swells the last couple of days, which has kept me out of the ocean and in the back water areas. Before the swells we did some good ocean fishing for Flounder and Gray trout.

Most of the flounder inshore are mixed in size, but the fish in the ocean are a little better in size. Live bait and grubs are the best bet. Carolina rigs for the live bait and heavy jig heads for the grubs. I prefer bright grubs; Saltwater Assassin’s sea shads in colors chart/diamond and silver mullet work real well.

How bout’ those Gray trout, the trout bite has really picked up the last couple of weeks. We are catching most of the Grays the same way we’ve been catching the Flounder; Carolinas rigs and live bait. My favorite live bait for Grays is finger mullet. If you would rather use lures, small jigging spoons and grubs will work just fine. I like to put a shot of scent on my grubs; “Bang’s” shrimp, crab, and Taxes tea are some of my favorites.
The Flounder and Trout are holding on near shore live “hard” bottom, wrecks, and ledges.

When we are Flounder and Gray trout fishing in the ocean, I prefer to use Carolina rigs with heavier egg sinkers. We use one, one&½ and two ounce egg or “river” sinkers. River sinkers are the ones that are flat or pan caked sinkers. We still use a L42 EC 1/0 hook and thirty to forty pound mono leader. This rig works well for many different kinds of fish you can catch on the hard bottoms just off the beach.

My charters have had some good early Redfish morning bites. We are fishing mud flats and oyster flats in creeks and along the ICW. Multi fish hook-ups are not uncommon at all! Top water plugs like the Rapala skitter-walk have done very well. Rattle and popping corks with live mullets and little menhaden have been working great! The best rattlin’ corks for me have been the Saltwater Assassin’s “Kwik-cork” this is one of the loudest corks on the market they work!

The Speckled trout have decided to bite from time to time the last few weeks south of Wrightsville Beach. Most fish are coming out of creeks and channels around the waterway and flats. Best bet for the trout so far has been grubs, working the grubs slow in holes and drop-offs. The grubs I like in the summer mouths when the water gets hot are Saltwater Assassin sea shad in 4”. Colors silver mullet, chart diamond, and chicken on a chain. I like to use shrimp (Bang) scent to help those trout find that grub in dirty waters we get from some of the recent down pours! I don’t use a lot of scents for Trout, but in dirty and stained water it can really help.


There are some Bull Reds starting to show up in the ocean on hard bottoms and around the inlets. You never know when you might hook one of these big fish might bite. When we try to catch these Bulls, we use fresh cut or live menhaden. We use fish finder rigs with 11/0 and 12/0 circle hooks, keep your drag tight and the circle hooks will do there job.

Speaking of Bull Reds, I’m heading up to Oriental, NC this week to try my luck at some of those Bull Reds and maybe just maybe a Pamlico Tarpon. I’ll give you a report when I get back.

Thanks so much for reading this report, if you would like a guided fishing charter; give me call or drop me a line. Don’t forget take a kid fishing and good fishing to ya!

Fishing gear we use:

Gear used: Redfish, Flounder and Gary trout: reels Penn Sargus SG2000 and SG4000 Rods: Ugly Stick Lite 7'0" Med light and Med act. Line: Fire Line crystal in 10 and 20 pound test. Bull Redfish and Tarpon Penn spinning reel 760L (Live Liner) and Penn Torque 100TRQ. Rods: Penn Torque 6’6” 30-80 class spinning and Torque 6’ 80-130 casting. Line: forty pound Spider wire Ultracast.

I have recently tried a new landing net that I saw at ICAST this summer and I really like this net. Super light weight, floats and yet is still very strong! The net is an EGO made by http://www.adventureproducts.com/ I use the clear rubber net in the large size product # 71157. This net is great for Flounder, Trout and Reds! Try one, trust me you will love it!!!


Capt. Jot Owens
Ranger Boats &
Pure Fishing Pro Staff
http://www.captainjot.com/
910-233-4139

Fishing Topsail Message Board
Topsail Area Charter Boats
2009 NC Recreational Coastal Waters Guide

Speckle Trout & Red Drum

Fishing Topsail Message Board
Topsail Area Charter Boats
2009 NC Recreational Coastal Waters Guide
Red drum bite has been really good this week you just have to really hunt these fish down they have not really been in their normal spots but when you find them the bite is on! My charters are catching 10 -15 per day with most of the fish in the upper slot size,had one fish this week 33 " a really hard fighting fish.Speckle trout are beginning to show also had a really nice 5lb trout Tuesday of this week.
August is a great month to fish for the red drum,give the Cape Fear Guide a call,make a trip to Carolina Beach and you will see some great Red Fish action !
Capt.Mike Dennis
Capt.Mike@charter.net
http://www.capefear-guide.com/
910-619-0928

ETHICAL ANGLING ESPECIALLY IMPORTANT IN LATE SUMMER

Fishing Topsail Message Board
Topsail Area Charter Boats
2009 NC Recreational Coastal Waters Guide

Email from N.C. Division of Marine Fisheries

[quote]
THICAL ANGLING ESPECIALLY IMPORTANT IN LATE SUMMER



MOREHEAD CITY – Recreational anglers can do a lot to help conserve marine fisheries resources by learning how to handle the fish they catch and release.



This is especially true in late summer, when, for the fish, it becomes more of a life or death concern.



Research has shown that as sea water temperatures rise, so do post-release mortality rates for many species, such as red drum, striped bass and trout. Also, the longer a fish is out of the water, the less its chance for survival.



Anglers should handle fish gently and as little as possible before returning them to the water. Prevent the fish from thrashing around and hurting itself by gently gripping its body, keeping your fingers away from the gills. Larger fish, such as tarpon, can sustain internal injuries from being dragged on board a boat.



Do not use a towel to hold the fish; it removes protective mucous from the fish’s skin.



Use a pair of long-nose pliers to grip the middle of the bend of the hook and gently pull the hook free of the fish. Do not try to twist the hook free. If the barb has gone through the fish’s mouth, cut it off and pull the remainder of the hook free.



If the fish has swallowed the hook, cut the fishing line. Sometimes a fish can survive with a hook inside its stomach. Also, using circle hooks instead of traditional J hooks will help prevent the fish from swallowing the hook.



Here are a few other tips for ethical angling:

· Learn and obey fishing size and creel limits. The best place to find current size and bag limits for saltwater fishing is on the N.C. Division of Marine Fisheries Web site, www.ncdmf.net.

· Report violations. Call the N.C. Marine Patrol at 1-800-682-2632.

· Know how to identify the fish you catch. You cannot properly apply size and bag limits if you do not know what fish is on your hook. Drawings and descriptions of many of the more popular recreational catches in coastal waters can be found in the North Carolina Coastal Recreational Angler’s Guide, available for free at many visitor’s centers and tackle shops and for download from the Division of Marine Fisheries’ Web site.

· Practice catch-and-release. Don’t take the entire bag limit of fish just because it is legal to do so. If you’ve already got more fish than you know you will eat, let the others go when you catch them. Studies have shown that many released fish do survive to be caught another day.



###

nr-39-09
[end quote]

I fish like this always. Most everyone I know does also. And the younger generation of anglers in this case is as interested in protecting our fisheries as I am. Recently, I went out past the boxcars fishing for grouper with a couple of guys in their early twenties, fishing friends Jonathon and Caleb. Another boat was throwing grouper (too small) back in the water without piercing the air bladder. Both guys got upset, and we spent a time netting the floaters and piercing the bladder, reviving the fish and releasing them. I was really impressed with their concern for the resource as well as their actions.

Fishing on Topsail is still slow. Early morning and late evening into the night seem to be the best times to wet a hook, pier or surf. No reports from the sounds.

Till next time....
Tight lines!
Johnny aka FishinTopsail

274449

Hot Carolina Fishing; Flounder, Reds, Spanish and Tarpon

Hello Folks, is this summer going by fast for you? It sure is for me, they say time flies when you’re having fun. I guess I’m having a fun summer, fishing that is. Hey thank God we are not paying four+ dollars a gallon of gas like last year at this time!! Let’s talk some good fishing!

The last couple of weeks the fishing has been pretty good just off the beach. The Spanish Mackerel have been biting very good most days and the fish are a really nice grade. Some fish over six pounds, that’s a good pull on light tackle! Early morning seems to be the best bite, but some fish have stayed around all day on some days.

Most of the Spanish are biting Clark spoons trolled behind #1 planner’s. The Clark spoons that are working the best for us are sizes; 00 and 0 in plan silver and pink flash. When the Spanish are on top feeding and jumping, Maria jig spoons have been the trick. The colors that seem to be working are pink, green and blue in sizes seven & fourteen gram. We have also caught a few very nice Spanish on the fly rod too.

We are starting to catch Flounder pretty good; we are seeing a few fish inshore as well on the near shore reefs and wrecks. Most of the flounder inshore are mixed in size, but the fish in the ocean are a little better in size. Live bait and grubs are the best bet. Carolina rigs for the live bait and heavy jig heads for the grubs. I prefer bright grubs; Saltwater Assassin’s sea shads in colors chart/diamond and silver mullet work real well. Watch out when fishing in the ocean for the flounders; we’ve had some very nice fish eaten by Barracudas just under the boat. It’s not a fun thing!!

I’m still seeing a few Tarpon around the inlets and off the shoals; the Tarpon should stay around till mid September. We fish for Tarpon on the bottom using, live and fresh dead baits like; spots, bluefish and Menhaden. We rig these baits on fish finder rigs, with three to five feet of 80 to 100 pound mono leaders. Circle hooks are the best bet for good hook ups and landings for Tarpon in hook sizes 7/0 to 9/0 depending what hook series you like. We’ve caught some very nice bluefish and Spanish while Tarpon fishing lately.

The Shark fishing is still going very strong most days. Very nice sharks in the forty to over two hundred pounds are mostly what we are seeing. We’ve been using light tackle and fly rods to catch these powerful sharks. When we use spinning reels we use; 300+ yards of thirty and forty pound Spider wire super line and a good fast tipped rod. They are a lot of fun on spinning tackle!

We’ve caught a few Reds this last two weeks, not as good as I would like it to be but still getting a hand full. One thing we have in this area is a lot of pressure on the Redfish. So how do you catch them when lots of other people are out there doing the same thing?? (Time) put it in, get out and look for them, don’t go to the same old spots you always go, go look for new spots. Put in the time and you will catch Reds! “Tip of the week”

Thanks so much for reading this report, and don’t forget to take a kid or someone new fishing! Good fishing to ya!

Fishing gear we use;

Gear used: Redfish, Flounder and Sheephead: reels Penn Sargus SG2000 and SG4000 Rods: Ugly Stick Lite 7'0" Med light and Med act. Line: Fire Line crystal in 10 and 20 pound test. Sharks and Tarpon Penn spinning reel 760L (Live Liner) and Penn Torque 100TRQ. Rods: Penn Torque 6’6” 30-80 class spinning and Torque 6’ 80-130 casting.

Capt. Jot Owens
Ranger Boats and
Pure Fishing Pro Staff
www.captainjot.com
910-233-4139

Fishing Topsail Message Board
Topsail Area Charter Boats
2009 NC Recreational Coastal Waters Guide

River Redfish

The Redfish fishing near area rivers has been very good this week. Friday I fished the New River area of N. Topsail Beach with good friends Boyd and Will. These two have been trying to catch a Redfish on the fly for a couple of years now, but it seems that every time they come, the wind blows. Well, this trip was no exception, but it was not howling as it usually is and we had plenty of chances. I poled the new Vantage into the skinny water and worked three different schools of Redfish for a couple of hours, but Boyd and Will just couldn't seem to get the fly in front of the fish. After watching reds push, role and tail all around us, they couldn't stand it any more and picked up the spin tackle and immediately hooked up.
We worked the fish for a little longer then called it a day and headed home. Baits for the day were grubs fished on weighted hooks.

Today, I had Tanner from East Cape Canoes and Skiffs join me on the Cape Fear River looking for the Reds. Tanner, who has family in Holden Beach, worked on building my new Vantage and it was a pleasure to have him aboard. We fished for several hours poling the flats and working some areas that I hadn't fished in awhile. We ended up with six Redfish for the morning and missed a few others.
Gulp shrimp fished on weighted hooks and bucktail jigs were the baits of choice today.

The Redfish fishing is hot so call and book your trip today!!

Tight Lines!!!

Capt. Brent Stanley
Current Adventure Charters
910.200.9959

Fishing Topsail Message Board
Topsail Area Charter Boats
2009 NC Recreational Coastal Waters Guide

Hot Red Drum Bite

Fishing Topsail Message Board
Topsail Area Charter Boats
2009 NC Recreational Coastal Waters Guide
The red fishing bite has been really hot this last week for the Cape Fear Guide, every charter has caught their limit of red drum with most fish running from 20 " to 27".Flounders are also being caught,the last couple of days we caught from 10 to 15 red drum per charter releasing most of the fish.
August is a great month to fish for the red drum in the Cape Fear river,lot's of fun on the light tackle spinning rods !
Capt.Mike Dennis
Capt.Mike@charter.net
www.capefear-guide.com
910-619-0928