Great Fishing and Weather around the area!

I hope everyone is enjoying this very nice weather we’ve had lately. We have had a few cooler days and the wind has been blowing but for the most part; it’s a lot better than the stuff we had this winter!!! The water temps are coming up with good speed and it looks like we are getting on track for normal water temps for this time of year.

There has been a good bite of Redfish and Black drum in the ICW and creeks just off the ICW. We are starting to see a few smaller Reds 14” to 21” in some of the creeks on warmer days. Most reds and black drum are hitting mud minnows and “fresh as you can get shrimp”. We use two hook bottom rigs with 2, 1 & 1/0 bait holder hooks, with the fresh shrimp. If you would like to go the artificial root, I would recommend using scented grubs. The best bet I’ve used has been Berkley Gulp and Berkley Powerbait shrimp in colors Pearl & New Penny. Jigs heads for the grubs in ¼ to 3/8 oz, colors red and black seem to be the trick. Work’em slow around docks and drop-offs on grass lines and oyster rocks. The best tides have been falling or raising but fishing closer to the lower parts of the tides.

We are seeing a few small Speckled trout around Wrightsville, south of Wrightsville the bigger one’s should really start to bite any day. Grubs have been the best bet for the trout; we’re using Saltwater Assassin sea shad and shrimp patterns. Colors that have worked lately; Elec. Chicken and Chart Diamond and Chicken on a chain. Don’t forget those never fell; Mirrolure’s, in colors silver mullet and white on white. Mirrolure I like are the 17MR and 27MR in the spring. The water is still cool so don’t forget to work the lures a little slower. Look for the Specks around marsh grass lines that have oysters on the edges of them.

Fresh water large mouth Bass fishing has really picked up lately, we’ve had some great day’s bass fishing in the last two weeks. We are fishing local lakes, pond and the NE Cape Fear River. The best lures have been; sinko worms rigged with no weight in colors green pumpkin, watermelon and black/red fleck. I prefer Berkley’s 5” & 7” heavy weight fat sinkworm series, I rig the worms on 7/0 wide gag worm hooks. We have also had some luck with the 17MR MirrOlure in colors 18, 49, 50 and BKGCH. I really surprised at how many saltwater lures work so well for fresh water fishing, but also how many people don’t try’em! We are catching eight to over fifth teen bass a day; sizes of a pound to over four pounds.

Near shore bottom fishing is good now with catches of sea bass, ringtails and tautogs. The dog sharks are thick just off the beach too, we had over 25 sharks on the last near shore bottom fishing trip. Squid has been the bait of choice, I like squid because it stays on the hook and it’s easier to catch the bigger fish with it. I like to make my own bottom rigs for bottom fishing. I use sixty pound mono with three way swivels and 3/0 off set J hooks. A two to four once bank sinker tied to twenty pound mono, that way if it gets hung-up you can get your rig back. This kind of fishing is great for kids and beginners because it’s instant gratification; drop down and get a bite!

Fishing Gear we use:

Reels Penn Conquer and Sargus spinning in sizes 2000 and 4000. Spiderwire
Ultra-cast braid in 10 and 15#. Rods: Ugly stick lites 6’6” and 7’ Med & Med-Heavy and the All Star ASR spinning rod ASR844S and ASR845S. Fresh water gear: Pflueger Spinning reel Supreme XT 9035XT.

In Other Fishing News:

Don’t forget; there are some great boat and fishing expos coming to North Carolina. If you like fishing and boats you don’t want to miss these shows and fishing seminars! Here are the one’s that myself as well as other Ranger boats pro staff members will be at this spring.

April 23-25, 2010 Tex’s Tackle Spring Tackle Sale and Show. I’ll be there with PENN Reels and Pure fishing. We will have some of the new Tackle from Penn and Pure Fishing, if you have any questions about any products from Penn or Pure fishing we’ll be happy to answer them for you.

June 5-6, 2010 “In the Water Fishing School” Myself, Capt. Rick Bennett
and four other of the best local guides are putting on this school on. This school will be real-time hands on fishing experience! There will be one day of hands on classroom instruction and the next day on the water, real-time fishing experience. The school is limited to the first 24 participants! If you want to learn from the best local guides and see how we do it, take the time to check it out; http://www.rodmancharters.com/inthewater-fishing-school.htm I’m really looking forward to being part of this school!

Thanks for reading this report, if you would like to go fishing drop me a line. Book now for this coming summer fishing season and don’t forget to take a kid fishing!

Good Luck,

Captain Jot Owens
Ranger Boats Pro Staff
PENN Reels Elite Staff
www.captainjot.com
910-233-4139


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

Boaters Beware!

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

Hello from Topsail Beach. A notice from the NC Wildlife Resources Commission follows.

[quote]Boating:

Be prepared for the 2010 boating season.
As of May 1, anyone younger than 26 operating a vessel powered by a 10-horsepower or greater motor on public waterways must have successfully completed an approved boating safety education course or otherwise be in compliance with General Statute 75A-16.2. Visit our Web site for course availability or call (919) 707-0030.

Also, check your vessel registration before hitting the water. Call 1-800-628-3773, Monday through Friday, 8 a.m.-5 p.m. or visit a wildlife service agent to renew your vessel registration.

Fishing

Spring is here — time to make plans to go fishing.

For trout anglers, hatchery-supported waters open Saturday, April 3, at 7 a.m. When fishing hatchery supported waters, you can keep a maximum of seven fish per day, with no minimum size limits or bait restrictions. Hatchery-supported trout waters and regulation information, as well as trout maps are available on our Web site.

For striped bass anglers, the harvest season on the Roanoke River Management Area, Tar-Pamlico River between Rocky Mount Mill dam and the N & S Railroad Bridge at Washington, and on the Neuse River between Milburnie dam and the Southern Railroad Bridge at New Bern is open until April 30. The daily creel limit is two striped bass with a minimum length limit of 18 inches. No striped bass between 22 and 27 inches can be possessed at any time and, on the Roanoke, only one fish in the daily creel can be larger than 27 inches. Find places to fish on the Roanoke River, useful hints, and regulations currently in effect by visiting the Roanoke River Fishing Report, posted on our Web site every Thursday afternoon until mid-May.

Before heading out to your favorite fishing spot, make sure your fishing license is valid. Purchase a license https://www.ncwildlife.org/Apps/Purchase/LicenseSelection1.asp, from a wildlife service agent, or by phone at 888-248-6834, Monday through Friday, 8 a.m.-5 p.m.
[end quote]

Till next time....
tight lines!
Johnny

Really Great Weather Weekend!

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

WECT tv in wilmington, says the weather should be great this weekend. Mid 70's Friday and Saturday. Today the water temp is 55*. Maybe the sea mullet and red drum will come in. They are holding about a mile offshore.

Till next time....
tight lines!
Johnny

Topsail Weather

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

The weather was sunny and warm today, only problem, the wind! Blowing way to hard to fish, ocean or sound. Someday soon!

Johnny

Great Hand Warmers!

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

Hello from Topsail Beach! As most of you know, this winter has been the coldest winter on record for this area in many years. To fight the cold while fishing or walking the beach, I obtained some of these hand warmers. This company has a website, www.handwarmers.net and offers these handwarmers for sale. I must tell you that I was delighted with these products! They are simple and easy to use, just open up the protective package, shake the product and put it in my pocket. The packet stayed warm for hours! Picking up sea shells and sharks teeth in mid winter with a nor'easter blowing can be numbing on my hands and fingers. When I put my hands in my pockets, I was delighted to see the warmers were nice and toasty and had my hands warmed up in no time. These products can be obtained via mail order. Check out this website for more info and to purchase your hand warmers. HandWarmers.net. You all know me, you don't often see me endorse a product on this site, after all, I am not in the business of selling anything. But these were so comfortable and warm, I had to pass this info along to our readers. Get yours now! www.handwarmers.net

Till next time....
Tight lines!
Johnny

Mullet Time!

It is official folks! I just received word that the first Virginia Mullet of the year has been landed on the Jolly Roger Pier. Although the water temp. is still hovering in the lower 50's, it appears as if the mullet have begun their spring migration. I have been watching the commercial mullet net boats working up and down the beach for the past two days. That is a very good sign that there are good numbers of mullet in the area. The wind is forecast to remain out of the South for at least the next two days. That, combined with these warm days/nights we are having should be just what the doctor ordered to put the 2010 fishing season in high gear.

It was an absolutely beautiful weekend here at the beach. I took the small boat out for a shakedown cruise this morning and saw lots of surf fishermen down on the point taking advantage of this nice weather. There were quite a few boats heading offshore as well. I will try to get some information on how they faired and provide a report a little later in the week. Just a heads up to those boating in the Topsail area, the Bush's Marina boat ramp in Topsail Beach is currently closed for repairs. Although it should be reopened soon, the Wildlife ramp in Surf City is the best bet right now.

The weather is supposed to be warm and sunny for the majority of this week! Give us a call or stop by the tackle shop/office for an up-to-date report. This is the last week to take advantage of the winter rates at the Jolly Roger Inn; don't miss out!

Until next time,

Capt. Rob Orr

Jolly Roger Inn & Pier

803 Ocean Blvd.

Topsail Beach, NC

(910)-328-4616

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

Spring Weather and Good Fishing around the area waters

(Finally) is this week’s word; finally the weather is warming up. Finally we are starting to see more fish inshore; FINALLY!!! We have been waiting all winter for weather like this; let’s hope it stays this way and spring is really springing! With the warmer weather we are starting to see and catch more fish around the area waters. Let’s talk about that in this week fishing report.

I know I have talked about them all winter but the surf Redfish are still there and going pretty strong most days we can get to them. On Tuesday 3-9, we had a good day; we went 16 for about 25 bites. Six of the Redfish were over the slot, with the biggest coming in at 33”; not a bad (winter) Redfish! The Reds were hitting Saltwater Assassin grubs in colors 10w40 with lime tail and Copperhead. They also were hitting Berkley Powerbait 5” jerkshad in the color Golden Sardine. We were using 3/8oz red jig heads, with 20 pound Stren gunsmoke tinted fluorocarbon leader material. The water was pretty clear that day and the fish had seen a lot of lures.

The local fresh water fishing has picked up lately with catches of large mouth bass and catfish. On winder days we have gotten out on the river and some of the local lakes. The best luck we have had for the bass has been worm fishing; Carolina and Taxes rigging. I’ve been using a new worm lately by Berkley; it’s the Powerbait Heavy weight series in 5” and 7” Fat. The colors that are working well have been; Grn Pumpkin/Wmln, June bug and Watermelon. We have also caught a few Bass on MirrOlure 17MR series in colors red back and silver.

Catfishing has been up and down, some nights fifth teen or more catfish but some nights just a few cats. Most catfish are hitting chicken levers and Berkley Gulp blood/shad dough. We are using 2/0 EC bait holder hooks with forty pound mono leader about eight to twelve inches long and a ¾ to one ounce river sinker (Carolina rig). Fishing at night has produced the best numbers and biggest catfish. Now that the weather is warmer, night fishing is not too bad.

Speckled trout fishing should really start to fire off very soon with the warmer weather and water temps. In the spring I like to throw quite large list of lures. The reason for this is; I’ve found that trout are eating different kinds of baits in different places IE creeks, channels and inlets. With bait being a little short in the spring, they will hit about anything. Presenting the bait can be the harder part; the reason for all the different baits! Here is a list of what works for me in the spring.

MirrOlures; 17MR and 27MR in colors: 18, 50, BCH, BKGCH, BNSBO. Catch 2000 20MR & Catch 2000jr 22MR in Colors 18, 808, BNS, CH. I use these styles in depths of one to five feet of water. Classic 52M & 52MR in Colors 18, 19, 23, 808, CH. MirrOlure Series III S52MR in Colors 18, 808, BCH, BNGBO, GR. I use these styles in depths of four to ten feet of water. These color codes are right from MirrOlure’s web site. http://www.mirrolure.com/

Soft plastics: Saltwater Assassin Sea Shads, (4) four inch size. These colors are for clear blue/green waters; S&P SLV.PH/CHART.TL, CHART. DIAMOND, PINK DIAMOND, GREENBANK SHINER, CRYSTAL SHAD. Dirty, Stained or River water Colors: CHICKEN ON A CHAIN, PUMP SEED/CHART. TL, TEXAS ROACH and MORNING GLORY. In shrimp pattern soft lures I prefer Berkley Powerbait shrimp in colors pearl white and natural. I rig all these soft baits with 1/8oz to 1/4oz jig heads in colors red, gray and black.

There has started to be a Black drum and small redfish (rats) bite the last two weeks, most days we are catching six to over ten on a half day. This type of fishing will get better very soon. Most of the drum are biting around docks and creek mouths in the ICW. The best bait has been fresh cut shrimp in small pieces. We are using small two hook drop rig, with a number 2 bait holder hook and one or two oz bank sinkers.

Fishing Gear we use:

Reels Penn Conquer and Sargus spinning in sizes 2000 and 4000. Spiderwire
Ultra-cast braid in 10 and 15#. Rods: Ugly stick lites 6’6” and 7’ Med & Med-Heavy and the All Star ASR spinning rod ASR844S and ASR845S.

In Other Fishing News:

Don’t forget; there are some great boat and fishing expos coming to North Carolina. If you like fishing and boats you don’t want to miss these shows and fishing seminars! Here are the one’s that myself as well as other Ranger boats pro staff members will be at this winter.

March 20-12, 2010 Cape Fear Wildlife Expo, at the Coastline Convention Center. http://www.capefearwildlifeexpo.com/ Outdoor enthusiasts will enjoy two days of hunting and fishing exhibitors, wildlife art, decoys, boats and accessories, truck and ATV displays, Hunter Safety Certification Class, fly fishing demos, camping, guides, outfitters, sportfishing simulator, contests, archery demos and fun for the entire family.

April 23-25, 2010 Tex’s Tackle Spring Tackle Sale and Show. I’ll be there with PENN Reels and Pure fishing. We will have some of the new Tackle from Penn and Pure Fishing, if you have any questions about any products from Penn or Pure fishing we’ll be happy to answer them for you.

June 5-6, 2010 “In the Water Fishing School” Myself, Capt. Rick Bennett
and four other of the best local guides are putting on this school on. This school will be real-time hands on fishing experience! There will be one day of hands on classroom instruction and the next day on the water, real-time fishing experience. The school is limited to the first 24 participants! If you want to learn from the best local guides and see how we do it, take the time to check it out; http://www.rodmancharters.com/inthewater-fishing-school.htm I’m really looking forward to being part of this school!

Thanks for reading this report, if you would like to go fishing drop me a line. Don’t forget that special winter rates end on March 31st, so if you have cabin fever and want to get out on the water; give me a call. Book now for this coming summer fishing season and don’t forget to take a kid fishing!

Good Luck,

Captain Jot Owens
Ranger Boats Pro Staff
PENN Reels Elite Staff
http://www.captainjot.com/
910-233-4139

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

Fisheries In Jeopardy?

This post is a little out of the ordinary, and not a fishing report. It does, however, have much to do with fishing. There is much being discussed and considered right now on the national level concerning our fisheries, and fishing in general. Every recreational fishermen, commercial fisherman, and coastal business owner holds a vested interest in the laws passed governing fishing. Because of more advanced fishing techniques, and a higher than ever commercial demand for the marine resources, measures are needed to insure that our children, and grandchildren are able to enjoy the sport we love so much.

We must be carful, however. There are some that believe fishing is wrong, and fishermen are cruel. They have proposed long term (30 year) closures of specific species of fish such as the grouper, and they would like to place more Marine Protected Areas (MPA's, much like a wildlife refuge except in the ocean), along our coast. These MPA's would severely limit fishing opportunities when and where they are implemented. These changes will affect each and every person affiliated with the fishing industry. The people that are pushing for these extreme measures have substantial amounts of pull on the leadership of this country. They are fighting, as I type this, to end fishing as we know it.

We must make sure to show the leaders of the United States just how many fishermen there are, and what fishing means to us. As Herbert Hoover once said: "To go fishing is an accepted and valid reason for escape. It requires not explanation." We must fight to keep it that way. This is not a time that anyone can stand idly by and just "let someone else fight this one". Each and every person must stand up and voice their concerns; let us fish! Don’t get me wrong, I am all for effective and fair management regulations. I am as interested as anyone in the future of fishing, and have a vested interest in all sides. I have recreationally fished since before I could walk, my family has been in the fishing business for over 50 years, I enjoy going out to dinner and being able to order a plate of fresh fish, and lastly, I would love to someday be able to share the joy of fishing with my children. So yes, changes must be made in the fisheries management, and compromises between all the different entities involved will have to be made. The measures taken must be as fair and balanced as possible though. Simply shutting down complete fisheries and sections of beach/ocean, as the environmental extremists would have done, is not the answer. Commercial fishermen may have to make certain adjustments and sacrifices, and the recreational fishermen might have to let certain fish grow a little more before they put them in the cooler. But am I willing to throw a few fish back, and pay an extra dollar or two for my fish sandwich to insure the future of our fishery? Absolutely! It is a small price to pay for what God and the ocean has blessed us with.

We, as fishermen, must accept the compromises, and band together in this fight, if fishing, as we know it is to continue. First, we must fight to end the control that the extremists hold in Washington. We must fight to show our Congressmen and Congresswomen what fishing means to us. We must fight to improve the quality of the science that guides the making of fisheries laws. Science is supposed to be unbiased fact, not interpreted opinion that has been bent to favor one side. Once we have ensured that our rights to fish are safe, we must not revert back to the old ways of infighting amongst ourselves (commercial vs. rec. etc). Everyone must make the sacrifices necessary to ensure the future of this sport. We must prove that we are the best suited to be the stewards of this valuable resource.

This is an urgent matter, and one that is close to my heart. Please make sure, as a fishermen, and stewards of the oceans resources, that you take the time to become informed on this subject. I understand that time is a valuable commodity, but take a minute to think about what fishing has meant, and means to you, and then sit down and write your elected officials and tell them that very same thing. Let them know that this is a serious issue, let them know that if they don’t support balanced fisheries management, they will not receive your vote. This is the power you hold over them. Thomas Jefferson once wrote: “When the people fear the government, there is tyranny. When the government fears the people, there is liberty.” Lets work to put the fear back in the government, and establish liberty within our fisheries!

Thank you for your help in preserving our fishing rights and future!

Capt. Rob Orr

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

301058

Topsail Beach Fishing Report

Hello everyone!

It has been an incredibly long and cold winter down here on Topsail Beach. Thankfully, I think winter has finally loosened its grip on us. We had several beautiful days earlier in the week, and with this rain we are now having, everything should be green in no time. It won't be long before the fishing really starts to take off. This warmer weather has already had an effect with the water temperature. It jumped from the mid-upper 40's to 51.5 in just two days! The upper slot to oversized drum are already out and moving about. Several large schools have been sighted moving up and down the beach. Scented baits such as Berkley Gulp with a light (1/16) once jig head, or white (clear water) and chartreuse (dirty water) bucktails are good baits for the drum.

We are all eagerly awaiting the arrival of the first virginia mullet. I feel that they might be just a little late this year due to the extremely cold winter. If this water temperature continues to rise, however, they should be here within the next couple weeks. There is nothing like the first batch of fresh fish coming out of the fryer in the spring; especially when it is virginia mullet! After they arrive everything else should quickly fall into place. If you haven't done much springtime fishing at Topsail, and are interested in giving it a try this year, I invite you to join the Jolly Roger Inn and Pier's new Facebook page and check out the spring fishing essay. It will give you an overview of what type of fishing goes on during the spring, and exactly when it all happens.

Offshore fishing is also starting to heat up. It is a bit hit or miss as of right now, but improving daily. We ventured out to the Gulf Stream earlier this week on our first shakedown trip of the year. Did I mention the fishing had been hit or miss so far? Unfortunately we missed on this trip. The conditions changed overnight, and the weatherman was a bit "off" on his forecast. Instead of 2' seas and 10-knot winds, we found 4' seas and 20-knot winds. Needless to say it was a bit uncomfortable. The Jones Brothers Cape Fisherman handled it well though, and it was very nice to stick my hand down into lukewarm 74-degree water for a change! Everyone we spoke to reported the same thing. It was one of those "should have been here yesterday" deals. The people fishing that area the day before had done really well on the large wahoo and blackfin tuna. Oh well, thats why they call it fishing! A little closer to shore the black seabass fishing has been good lately. Most of the larger fish are holding in the 20+ mile range, although there are opportunities to find them closer to shore. The grouper are also holding on these same rocks and ledges, but with the current closure, it is illegal to keep any species of grouper.

It is time to replace that old line and sharpen the those rusty hooks; fishing season is just around the corner! Give us a call at the office for up to date reports, and to make reservations for your spring fishing adventure!

Hope to see you soon!

Capt. Rob Orr

Jolly Roger Inn and Pier

Topsail Beach, NC

(910)-328-4616

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

Jolly Roger Pier Facebook

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

Hello from Topsail Beach. It's almost time ..... There were several folks fishing from Jolly Roger today. Saw them from the beach, don't know if they caught anything. Talked to my fishing bud Caleb today and got an offshore report. Lots of black sea bass! Can you say "Fish Fry"? Donna and I walked on the beach this morning, shorts and no shoes! Spring is a'coming!

Check out the Jolly Roger Inn and Pier facebook page.

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Topsail-Beach-NC/Jolly-Roger-Inn-and-Pier/314180554679

Till next time....
Tight lines!
Johnny

Topsail Beach fishing report

Good weather finally graced us here on the Carolina coast so today I got out to take advantage of it. I hadn't fished the North Topsail area in awhile, so I decided to see what I could find. I went to an area that I had found some fish last summer. The water was gin clear and the light winds made for a great sight fishing day.

After searching for a short time, I found a body of water that had a great mud bottom which was holding water temps 5 degrees warmer than surrounding areas. Soon, the gin clear water was turned cloudy which is a tale tale sign of feeding Redfish and moments later, I saw the fish scurrying off from the boat in all directions. A few cast later, I hooked up with the first fish of the day, but it soon shook the hook. After missing a couple more bites, I soon had my first fish in the boat.

With my power pole deployed, I anchored the boat and continued to catch a few more fish. Gulp jerk shads rigged on a weighted hook worked well on the school of fish. The fish in the school ranged in size from under slot fish to upper slot fish. Overall, it was a productive day for just a few hours on the water.

Capt. Brent Stanley
Current Adventure Charters
Current Adventure Charters
910.200.9959


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

Nice Schools of Redfish around the area-Fishing report

I love Southeast North Carolina for the seasons, but I’m really starting to get over this winter FAST! Man; up and down but mostly down as far as water and air temps go! The good news is we are in to March and hopefully it will start warming up soon. Just like the weather the fishing has been up and down lately; we have good days and slower days, for the most part we are catching a few fish. Let’s take a look at that in this weeks fishing report.

Redfish has been the main shot lately for my trips. On some of the warmer days, the bite has been good to even great! Here are some tips that will help you catch inshore winter Reds. Take your time when looking for winter Reds, they are less likely to get up and move when there cold. You want the lure to get to them before they know you are close by. Check every hole and oyster rock edge; we have found Reds in some of the smallest holes this year because of the cold waters. You have got to cover area to find winter inshore Redfish; it takes time and patients to find and catch winter Redfish.

Lure’s that seem to do the trick have been, Saltwater Assassin grubs in colors 10w40 & lime-tail, Chicken on a chain and copperhead. In Berkley Power baits; 5” jerkshad in colors new penny and pearl white have worked well. We rig the grubs on ¼ Red jig heads with Stren’s 20# tinted fluorocarbon in tint “tannic”. When the fish are spooky this floro is the trick! When we rig the Berkley jerkshads, we rig them Texas style, with a bass worm hook and a bullet weight.
The Redfish are schooling in the surf and we are always looking for a nice day to get out and chase them. They are pretty easy to catch; you just got to find them. That part can be a bit harder, trust me! A sunny, light wind day and good polarized sunglasses are the keys to catching these Reds. Try to keep your boat as far form the school as you can!!! If you can’t cast real far; learn to or get a better casting rod & reel, try a PENN Conquer 2000. Trust me this will help you catch these Reds. I’ve seen a lot of boats running over the schools lately because they don’t know what they are doing. Take your time don’t get in a hurry the fish are not going anywhere but they will stop biting if pressured! Grubs seem to be the easy go to bait for surf Reds. Lures we are using are SWA 10w40/ Lime-tail and Berkley Powerbait’s Ripple shad in colors New penny and Smelt. You need to use heavier jigs heads, 3/8 and ½ oz plus for casting.

Speckled trout fishing has been more miss than hit lately but, it should get better with the warmer weather we have coming. We have caught a few specks lately while we are Drum fishing. The best bet for the trout this time of year is mud minnows and working artificial baits very slow. MirrOlure’s 17MR and 52M are a good bet this time of year. I like the colors 11, 51, CFPR and EC. SWA grubs in colors chicken on a chain, chart-diamond and silver-ph & chart tail. Berkley Powershrimp in colors Pearl and Natural; using 1/8oz jig heads have caught a few two to three pound trout lately. I use twenty pound Stren tinted fluorocarbon leader; I prefer gun smoke tint for clear water applications.

On some of the windier days when it’s been hard to get out on the coast to fish we’ve been doing a little bit of fresh water fishing. The river fishing should pick up as long as we don’t get to much rain. Lake fishing has been OK to good and should get great in the next few weeks. On good trips we are catching nine to over fifth teen bass a day. The size of the Bass are running one to over five pounds, most fish are two to three pounds. Bass are hitting Bass Assassin rubber worms in colors black and red shad “red and black”. We are also catching some of the bass on Powerbait senko worms. Rigging the worms Carolina style seems to work the best. A very slow presentation, is working the best on cooler days.

Fishing Gear we use:

Reels Penn Conquer and Sargus spinning in sizes 2000 and 4000. Fire line crystal braid in 10 and 20#. Rods: Ugly stick lites 6’6” and 7’ Med & Med-Heavy and the All Star ASR spinning rod ASR844S and ASR845S.

In Other Fishing News:

Don’t forget; there are some great boat and fishing expos coming to North Carolina. If you like fishing and boats you don’t want to miss these shows and fishing seminars! Here are the one’s that myself as well as other Ranger boats pro staff members will be at this winter.

March 20-12, 2010 Cape Fear Wildlife Expo, at the Coastline Convention Center. http://www.capefearwildlifeexpo.com/ Outdoor enthusiasts will enjoy two days of hunting and fishing exhibitors, wildlife art, decoys, boats and accessories, truck and ATV displays, Hunter Safety Certification Class, fly fishing demos, camping, guides, outfitters, sportfishing simulator, contests, archery demos and fun for the entire family.

April 23-25, 2010 Tex’s Tackle Spring Tackle Sale and Show. I’ll be there with PENN Reels and Pure fishing. We will have some of the new Tackle from Penn and Pure Fishing, if you have any questions about any products from Penn or Pure fishing we’ll be happy to answer them for you.

June 5-6, 2010 “In the Water Fishing School” Myself, Capt. Rick Bennettand four other of the best local guides are putting on this school on. This school will be real-time hands on fishing experience! There will be one day of hands on classroom instruction and the next day on the water, real-time fishing experience. The school is limited to the first 24 participants! If you want to learn from the best local guides and see how we do it, take the time to check it out; http://www.rodmancharters.com/inthewater-fishing-school.htm I’m really looking forward to being part of this school!

Thanks for reading this report, if you would like to go fishing drop me a line. Don’t forget that special winter rates end on March 31st, so if you have cabin fever and want to get out on the water; give me a call. Book now for this coming summer fishing season. Don’t forget to take a kid fishing!

Good Luck,

Captain Jot Owens

Ranger Boats Pro Staff

PENN Reels Elite Staff

http://www.captainjot.com/

910-233-4139

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2009 NC Recreational Coastal Waters Guide