Weekly Column - July 31, 2006

This is the second of a two part series containing some of my favorite tips for catching flounder.

As I mentioned last week, there are probably as many thoughts on how to fish for flounder as there are fisherman. In this column, I’ve been sharing some of my favorite techniques -- but there are many others.

Flounder are not picky eaters -- if it looks appealing they will eat it. Fishing with live bait is a favorite of many fishermen. Finger mullet (finger sized pop-eye mullet), mud minnows, small menhaden and pin fish are all good choices to use for flounder bait. When using a pin fish, I usually cut off the dorsal fins to make the fish easier to swallow -- if you have ever been stuck by the fins of a pin fish, you know how it got its name!

One of the most popular ways to rig live bait for flounder fishing is called a Carolina rig. Let’s start from the bottom of a piece of 25- to 40-pound leader material (I like to use fluorocarbon). Tie on a 2/0 or 3/0 circle style hook; above that you can add beads and a spinner if you want; and then about 18 to 24 inches above the hook tie a barrel swivel. Tie on another piece of leader material about 12 to 15 inches long. Add an egg sinker to the line with a colored bead on either side. Finish the rig tie with another barrel swivel at the end of the line.

This rig allows the line to move freely through the sinker, which will keep the flounder from feeling the weight when it picks up the bait in its mouth. Also, the live bait is free to swim around in a natural way. Make up a variety of these rigs in advance using different size weights, from a half ounce and up, and using a couple of different hook sizes. Then when you are ready to fish, you can match the rig to the fishing conditions. Just select the appropriate rig and tie it directly to your line. A variation to this rig is to add the sinker directly to your main line and tie the line directly to the barrel swivel above the hook.

Other popular natural baits are shrimp (both dead and alive), cut mullet pieces, pork rind strips or squid strips. These are often tied to a standard two-hook bottom rig or to a lead jighead.

On the artificial bait side of things are bucktails and soft plastic baits. Bucktails are often tipped with a pork rind or piece of cut bait. A variety of soft plastic baits are available, many of them pre-rigged. My favorite artificial bait for flounder is a lead jighead loaded with a Berkeley Gulp! shrimp or pogy.

No matter which bait you choose, remember that flounder are opportunistic feeders, not hunters. They wait for food to come to them, and then they pounce. They use their great natural camouflage to blend into the bottom, wait for a meal to pass nearby and then attack.

However, once they take the fish, they often settle back down on the bottom to enjoy the meal; they usually do not run. This is where it can get tricky, especially if you are using live bait. If you try to set the hook before the flounder has swallowed the bait completely, you will pull the fish out of his mouth and not set the hook. When the flounder first takes the fish, you will sometimes only feel a slight tension on the line or a light tug.

At this point, keep the rod still, or play out line if needed and count to 20 or so; then take up any slack in the line and set the hook with a smooth short snap (not too hard). I think more flounder bites are lost because the hook set is attempted too soon than just about any other reason. It takes patience and attention to the line, but it’s well worth the extra effort and patience.

Catching report
Fishing continues to be very good but spotty at times. The catches seem to be stronger offshore, but I’ve seen some great catches inshore this week.

Flounder have been showing up in good numbers around the inlets on both sides and in the channels and drop-offs nearby. Fewer are being seen in the creeks and channels, though they are starting to show up there as well. The near shore reefs and wrecks are producing some good size flounder as well.

Red and black drum continue to bite well in the sound marshes and creeks as well as around the docks. The sheepshead bite has been good around pier, bridge and dock pilings. A few croaker and mullets are being caught inshore, but the bite is spotty. Speaking of spots, not many have appeared yet -- but there have been some reports of small ones being caught.

Offshore, the king bite and mahi catches have been excellent. Billfishing has been very good as well. I’ve heard some good reports on bottom fishing for grouper, snapper and other bottom dwellers in the 20 to 50 mile range.

The piers are reporting a typical summer mix of flounder, mullet, blues, sheepshead, drum and trout. The bite has been very sporadic, however -- early mornings and evenings have been the best times.

Don’t forget the second annual Mike Martin Memorial fishing tournament coming up Aug. 19 and 20 at Surf City Ocean Pier. There will be nine different categories of fish with prizes awarded in each. The cost is only $5 per category, or $30 for all nine. So sign up and come join in the fun -- and the chance to win a prize and bragging rights!

Tight lines to all!

Weekly column - July 24, 2006

Flounder are one of my favorite inshore fish -- they are fun to catch and they taste great! However, catching them with any consistency takes practice and patience.
This column is the first of a two-part series containing some of my favorite tips for catching flounder. There are probably as many thoughts on how to fish for flounder as there are fishermen, but I’ll be sharing some of my best techniques learned and practiced over the many years I’ve been flounder fishing.

Let’s start with their habitat. Flounders are predators and their favorite tactic is the ambush. They have a great camouflage in their flat body and spotted topside -- even their eyes are hard to detect. The shade of their skin can change depending on the environment. They lie on the bottom and wait for a potential meal to get close and then attack. They usually do not chase a meal very far, preferring to wait for their prey to come to them.
This mean you will need to put bait "on top" of them. Both pattern casting and drift fishing work well. You want your bait to be on or close to the bottom.

If casting: after you cast and tighten your line, let it set on the bottom for a five count then just pick up the rod tip and let it drop back down. Wait another five count, then retrieve a few feet of line and pick up the rod tip again, repeating this until time to cast again. Another technique is the slow retrieve -- just use a steady but slow retrieve with an occasional pause. With either of these techniques, don’t be surprised to get a "pick-up" on the downward or slack movement of the bait.
Drift fishing for flounder is similar to casting, but you just leave the line out. Be sure to hold the rod -- the flounder usually will not run with bait, so if you set the rod down you may not know if a flounder gets on until too late. A flounder will often turn a live fish in its mouth before completely swallowing it, so patience is required or you risk pulling the bait from its mouth. If you are using live bait, when you feel him pick up your bait, let out a little bit of line to keep him from sensing the weight of the sinker. Then after a 20 count, gently tighten the line and set the hook.

Flounder are likely to spread out over a wide area, so don’t anchor in one spot for hours on end. When the tide is falling, try drifting around the mouths of inlets, rivers and the edges of a channel rather than anchoring. On rising tide, work the pilings around piers, docks and other hard structures.
Often you’ll find them on the flats, when there is enough water, or up against the oyster rocks (little fish hang out there so flounder hide nearby waiting for a meal). Flounder like structures such as sloughs, channels, deep holes, ledges and man-made things like piers and bridges.

When the water turns colder, look for them to move into deeper water and up on the mud bottoms instead of the sand (mud holds heat longer). Where small creeks and tidal ditches connect to bigger channels and creeks can also be productive places.
Remember, think ambush... Where would be a good underwater spot for an ambush? That’s where you’ll find the flounder. More on flounder fishing next week.

Catching report

Inshore and offshore fishing has been hot lately. Drum, trout, flounder and sheephead are being caught in the waterway, creeks and marshes. Look for the drum near the marsh banks or on the nearby flats. Flounder and sheephead are being caught near docks and pier pilings. Spanish and blues are biting near the inlets and along the tide line just off the beaches.

Red drum, a few pompano and some croakers are being caught in the surf. The piers are reporting some nice flounder being caught. They also are seeing some big sheephead taken early in the morning and late afternoon on sand fleas near the pilings. Small blues and mullet round out the catching.

The Kings have moved closer to shore and some smokers have been caught around the near shore reefs and ledges. Mahi are being taken from 10 miles and out -- look for a good weed line to work. Some nice sailfish, marlins and wahoo are being caught out near the Gulf stream.

Tight lines to all!

Fishing Trip - July 22, 2006

The wife and I decided to go tent camping on Hugh Taft Island (between Lea and Figure 8 islands) last night. It was very windy but we had a great time. I surf cast last night but didn't have much luck, a small shark and a ray. I got up early this morning, fixed coffee, pancakes and bacon, then shoved off to fish for a few hours while the wife went to the beach.

The drum bite was on! I boated a total of 10 drum in less than 2 hours. All in the 19 -25 inch range. I had 3 pulled hooks near the boat too. And all on my little speck rig, think I may have to check those drag washers..... It was a blast! I caught them on the marsh banks using Gulp! 3" pogies in the new penny color. Finally quit and went flounder fishing cause my arm was tired..... Caught two of those, a 17" and a 16".

Here's a sampling of the pictures:







We also got a kick out of watching our dog Star play with a crab. The crab didn't seem interested in getting away at all, it stayed to defend its territory!

Flounder - July 18th

Decided to go out for a quick fish after work tonight. Headed to a new spot and fished for an hour - no luck. So moved to one of my favorites a few miles away and bingo! Caught 2 nice 17" flounder within 5 minutes of each other. That was at 7:30 - and that was it - no bites after.

Saw a lot of Redfish but couldn't get them interested in anything I had - didn't have any live bait though.

It was a beautiful evening. Light breeze, clear sky and a beautiful sunset. What a great way to finish a day! I'm blessed living on the coast and having easy access to the water!

Weekly Column - July 17, 2006

This past week-end was a mixed bag as far as fishing goes. The “blow” that past offshore just as the week-end approached really made a mess of the offshore fishing. Inshore was decent on Saturday afternoon and Sunday.

Of course that was the Saturday some buddies and I had planned long ago to make a trip out to the Gulf Stream. We did make it out on Saturday but not to the Stream. Not even close. We left at 4:30 in the morning and were met by five foot seas with intervals of five seconds or less and building.

When we were about 12 miles off shore we deployed five trolling lines and kept heading out. We figured we would stay in the 15-20 mile range. The seas and wind picked up considerably as we got further out. The last straw was when the wind shifted direction causing the tops of the swells to roll over in big white caps. It looked like we were in a washing machine. We couldn’t keep our lines from fouling each other so we headed in.

Later that afternoon I decided to take my wife and dogs out on the boat. We usually ride over to Lea Island or one of the other boat accessible beaches. Usually she relaxes on the beach and I do some surf casting. My wife doesn’t fish but she loves to go out in the boat. So this time I decided we’d stay in the boat and fish the marsh banks as the tides were right for drum fishing. My wife grabbed a book and got cozy in the bow.

After about 30 minutes I got into a school of good sized red drum. After working my first fish of the day for ten minutes or so, I had him near the boat for the third time. I asked my wife to bring the net over so I could put him in the boat for pictures, which she happily did. This one weighed in at over 7 pounds. Funny thing is later that day I hear my wife on the phone telling a friend about how “WE” caught this really big fish! Its okay honey, you can fish with me anytime, just keep that net handy.

The NC division of the FLW series held its first event for the 2006 season on Saturday. It was based out of Southport and had 100 boats entered. We saw a few of them in the morning but there weren’t fairing much better than we were. Only 38 of the 100 boats entered weighed in a King Mackerel. The winner of the tournament was the BLUEBYU team captained by Welsh Carson. They weighed in a 27.5 pound fish. Closer to home, Hampstead resident Captain Randy Griffin of the WILD RIDE FISHING team finished second with a fish tipping the scales at just over 24 pounds.

Catching Report

The Kings have finally moved in closer to the beach. They are hitting live menhaden the best but will also take a dead ballyhoo or cigar minnow. The weed lines are starting to re-form now that the wind has died back down. Check them for mahi mahi in the 10-20 mile range. There have been a few reports of tarpon too.

Inshore the drum, flounder and trout continue to bite. With the hot weather, deeper water in the early morning and late afternoon is producing the best bite. There are some reports of black drum and sheephead being taken on sand fleas and crabs near bridges and pilings.

Topsail Island’s piers are reporting a good mix of fish being caught. Surf City Ocean Pier reports some good runs of speckled trout, flounder, some Spanish and a lot of blues. An 80 pound tarpon was caught from Jolly Roger Pier this past Friday. Ed from Seaview Pier reports that plenty of blues are being caught with some Spanish and speckled trout also being taken.

Tight lines to all!

Fishing Trip(s) - July 15, 2006

Today started VERY early. Met up with my buddy, Dave and a couple of his buddies at WB ramp at 4:30 - yes that would be of the AM variety. We were on Dave's Wellcraft 25' CC, sweet fishing boat! We headed out in high hopes the weather man was wrong and the wind and seas would lay down.... Weatherman got it right this time - had 5 foot seas with waves 4-5 seconds apart with some 6 and 7 footers thrown in for good measure. Then the wind shifted and picked up - putting lots of white caps on the waves and making it like a big washing machine. After running out 15 miles and trolling for over an hour, we said enough is enough and came in and had a nice breakfast.

Thanks Dave for the ride and for the retrieve of my hat!

Went back out mid-afternoon with my wife and fished in the sound. I got into a load of puppy drum - all in the 24-26 inch range and all caught in a 30 minute period one hour before low tide. I was using 4" Gulp! jerk baits on 1/4 ounce red jig heads.

Below is a picture of the one we kept, 26" long and weighing over 7 pounds.

Pier Fishing trip

I did something I haven't done in over a year - I went to a public pier to fish. As a kid, I did most of my ocean fishing from NC's ocean piers. Since then I have often visited them from time to time but less often in recent years.

I went to Surf City Ocean Pier yesterday evening after work and fished till about 10PM. High tide was around 8PM with a full moon tug. I caught some small bluefish and a few pinfish. I tried targeting some pompano with sand fleas but had no takers. While the fishing was somewhat slow, the company was good. I meet several nice people from different areas and had some great conversations.

By the way, the pier is in great shape and seems well maintained. They have a great tackle shop and grill too! Surf City Pier

Weekly Column - July 10, 2006

It is time for a king. Maybe more than one king if all goes well. Sound like a recipe for anarchy? Not if it’s king mackerel that we are talking about.

This is the time of year when pier fisherman and small boat fisherman anxiously anticipate that a "smoker" king will find the bait they have dangling from their lines. Kings are migratory, but unlike many other pelagic species that visit out coast, they move more in an east-west direction than a north-south. This is the time of year they spawn and the time the really big fish can be found up near the beach.

Fishermen refer to the really big kings, those more than about 20 pounds, as "smokers." Some say the slang term is used because once they get that big, the best way to eat them is to smoke them on a cooker. Others attribute the moniker to what a fish of that size does to the drag on your reel. Regardless of where the term originated, it represents the prize fish every king fisherman hopes to catch.

One columnist recently wrote that smoker-sized king mackerels "race like a greyhound and fight like a cornered hog." This is a very appropriate description in my opinion. In fact, I think it describes the basis for why king mackerel are such a popular fish to catch. The adrenaline rush produced by fighting a 30-pound fish on light tackle is enough to keep fisherman on the lookout for hours and days at a time.

Big kings move in this time of year following the bait schools that can be found right now off our beaches. Sometimes these schools are the size of a football field and can be spotted from the beach. These attract those spawning kings hungry for an easy meal.

Boat fisherman will head just off the beach, find some clear water and look for the schools. Then they troll their baits near them, waiting for the kings to show up. While patience is required, it is a technique that is often rewarded with multiple hook-ups of prize fish.

Pier fishing for kings is done from the very end of the pier. Most of the piers on our coast have special set-ups at the end reserved just for king fisherman. Local king fisherman often use a two rod configuration to extend their live baits out off the end of the pier and get the best coverage possible from a fixed location.

The thrill of catching a 30- to 40-pounder makes the wait worth while!

Catching report

Flounder fishing is producing some nice-sized fish around the creeks and inlets. Try using finger mullet on a Carolina rig for good results. Some specs and reds are being caught in the creeks and near the marsh beds. There have been some nice black drum caught near the ICW and Topsail Creek. Ladyfish are being caught at night -- target them near the lights on docks and bridges. Red drum are being caught in the surf with some fish more than 30 inches reported. A few pompano are also being caught on sand fleas in the surf.

Surf City Ocean Pier reports "a good variety of fish being caught, just not enough of them." That hopefully will change this week as the water clarity has improved greatly in the last few days. They also report some nice sheephead caught. Jolly Roger Pier reported an 80-pound tarpon was caught this week! The folks at Seaview Pier reported a 17-pound King was caught on Sunday, the first since Memorial Day. All the piers report catches of mullet, flounder, spots, trout and Spanish.

Some large Spanish are being caught near the wrecks and reefs in the 3 to 10 mile range. Kings and dolphin are being caught in the 10 to 30 mile range, with a few kings starting to be found closer in. Sailfish are starting to show up around the 10-mile rock, 30/30 and 23-mile rock areas. Grouper fishing has been very good in the 25 to 40 mile range. Catches of wahoo, large dolphin and sailfish are being reported in the Gulf Stream.

Tight lines to all!

Weekly Column - July 3, 2006

When summer’s sun, light trade winds and warm water combine to make days like this past weekend, you can see smiles on the boat fishermen’s faces from a mile a way. The weather and sea conditions were ideal for those longer boat trips to that favorite fishing spot off the coast.

In fact, the weather is perfect for chasing down the location of the king mackerel schools lurking off our coast this time of year. They are out there, but the kings haven’t moved in closer in any numbers yet. The muddy waters and lower salinity levels from the heavy rains have kept them off shore.

Saturday found me out at the third set of box-cars off of New Topsail Inlet and various ledges in that general vicinity.

I was treated to the spectacular show that big summer time kings can display. We had a four-footer "sky" on our bait -- not once, but twice! What a sight to see a fish that size jump completely out of the water chasing your bait.

Too bad he didn’t swallow it. We did manage to hook-up two smaller fish, but I can’t help thinking -- what if?

Speaking of king mackerels, the Topsail Offshore Fishing Club holds one of the largest annual tournaments in the area. Usually it is in August, but this year they have moved it to the second weekend of October. So be sure to mark the date on your calendars.

Inshore the flounder bite is slow when fishing from land, but it is better just off the beaches and in the marsh creeks. Specs are also biting near the marsh grass just after high tide. The puppy drum bite is strong, but with all the rain a few weeks ago, they have moved out to the marshes. Puppy drum are being caught in the surf, too. There are some reports of croakers, spots and a few pompano being caught in the surf, although it is somewhat slow.

The kings and mahi are biting from 15 miles and out with some nice gaffer-size mahi coming in. The kings are hitting dead and live bait, and the mahi are responding well to ballyhoo. Offshore, grouper and snapper are being caught near the Gulf stream. There have been reports of wahoo being taken as well.

The local ocean piers are reporting a mix of mullet, spots and a few flounder and speckled sea trout being caught. Jolly Roger reports that the trout bite has been best in the mornings on live shrimp. All three piers report the black drum bite has started, but the muddy water has kept the Spanish and kings away from near shore. Seaview Pier reported that large schools of menhaden started showing up in the suds this week -- so the kings should be close behind.

Tight lines to all!