So far, a pretty mild Fall, a few cooler days but overall mild. We really need some cool air to get the fall fishing really going. Especially the local Speckled trout bite, I have had a handful of nice trout during October but not the numbers I like to see. November is going to be special this year for local trout fishing, you better be ready; it is going to be good I believe.
In early to mid-November, I look for Speckled trout in the creeks and channels just off the ICW; anywhere water is moving with tide flow and bait. Speckled trout like current; weather its hard current in a main channel or light current up a creek. You need current flow to catch trout; rising and falling tide can be good for trout do not let the tide keep you from going trout fishing! Marsh grass lines, oyster rocks that run into a channel and drop-offs in channels are all good places to find Speckled trout in November. Almost any grass lines with oysters will hold some trout. Look for places where there is a slight current break and those trout will be close by. Later in November all the above places will still hold trout and the inlets will start to hold more trout as the month goes on.
One key point to trout fishing I have found is that most days Specks will bite, but what are they hitting that day? I have found that in November hard baits work well. This is when you need to know where to start; what lures to try? One of my favorites is the good’ole MirrOlure; it has been around a long time, and it is still catching lots of big trout. The series I prefer are the 17MR & 22MR (Catch 2000jr) suspending, 18MR, 51M and 52MR sinking baits. Colors; MirrOlure makes a lot of different colors but here are some of my go too colors around Southeast NC area waters. MirrOlure color codes: 11, 21, 26, 51, 704,706, CFPR, CH, EC, HP and Capt. Jot Custom color #1, #2 and #3 color in 17MR, #1 in 22MR & 52MR. Any local tackle shop can help you with these color codes or at MirrOlure.com. Fishing Depths to use these lures; 17MR & 22MR use these lures in two to six feet of water. 18MR, 51M & 52MR use these lures in four to fifth-teen plus feet of water with current. If your lure is hitting the bottom go to a shallower running lure.
If you have ever done any trout fishing at all you know that grub (soft plastic) lures work very well for Speckled trout too! Berkley Gulp three-inch shrimp pattern is one of my go-to lures. I prefer colors sugar spice glow, pearl white, chartreuse and I really like the new sangria color. I also really like the Berkley Powerbait Pro Twitchtail minnow in three-inch colors Chartreuse Ice, Pink Ice and pearl white. I rig all my trout grubs on 1/16oz, 1/8oz and 1/4oz jigs heads in colors red or gray; I prefer Berkley Fusion jig heads.
Do not count out live bait if you enjoy fishing with it. Try live smaller mullets, mud minnows and live shrimp. In shallow waters of two to five feet I like to float these live baits with a cork and a small treble hook (#6). In deeper waters of six to ten plus I rig them on light Carolina rigs with a small number two J-hook Eagle claw L42. Just wait until you feel that trout take off with the bait and lightly set the hook, remember trout have very soft mouths fast hooks sets but with light power work best!
Here is one of my best tips I can give you for Speckled trout fishing around the Southeast NC area in November. The water gets clear, sometimes very clear around here in November. I always use Fluorocarbon leaders for Speckled trout fishing; for artificial as well as live bait fishing! You will catch more trout using fluorocarbon leader; trust me! I use Berkley Pro Spec fluorocarbon leader material in twenty- and thirty-pound test. Give it a try; you will be happy you did!
The bigger Reds (Bulls) start to show up in the ocean on hard bottoms and around the inlets during September and run until later November; this year has been a good early fall Bull Red bite. You never know when you might hook one of these hard fighting fish. When I fish for bigger Reds, I use fresh cut or live menhaden and mullet. I use fish finder rigs with a TroKar TK5 AP 8/0 or 9/0 circle hook and eighty-pound Berkley Big game mono leaders. Do not forget to keep your drag tight when using circle hook so they will do their job. One tip I can give you when fishing for Bull Reds, is do not use to light of tackle for these bigger Reds. If you fight them to long, there is a chance you can tire them out too much and kill them. Try a med/heavy rod and a reel with at least thirty-pound mono or braid, this will help you get the fish in quicker; with a better chance of a good release. Check to see if the Redfish has a yellow tag in its back; there are a fair amount of tagged Big Reds out there.
If you like to catch Bluefish and False Albacore there are just about as many as you like around during November. Fishing around and just outside of the inlets you should be able to find them. Casting metal jigging spoons like BigNic Spanish Candy’s or diamond jigs is a no brainer for getting some Bluefish. Just look for the birds working and cast in that area. Watch those Blues teeth they do bite hard!
Tackle run down: PENN Battle III DX, Slammer IV or Authority Spinning reels sizes 2000, 2500 & 3000 for the Speckled trout. Rods Fenwick HMG Inshore series rods in 7’ & 7’6” med/light and medium action; line Spiderwire Ultra-cast in eight, ten and fifth-teen pound braid. Bull Reds PENN Fathom II 20LW and PENN Carnage III Jigging Rods 30 to 80 class with 30-pound Pro Spec chrome mono. Tackle Storage system I prefer is the Plano Guide series in 3700 and 3700XL Tackle Bags with Plano EDGE stowaway Boxes inside.
*Keep your eyes on my FaceBook page for I will be releasing the two dates of my inshore fishing schools later this month. I will have one school day on a March Saturday and one on an April Saturday. This school is limited to 32 anglers each date and it will sell out within two days of release date.
Thanks for reading, good luck fishing and have a Happy Thanksgiving!
Capt. Jot Owens
www.captainjot.com
910-233-4139
Posted in Fishing Reports on November 4th, 2022
October is the month when ‘Fall’ fishing really gets in full swing around Southeast, North Carolina! So many great fishing opportunities during October; Big Redfish, Gator Specked trout, High Speed Spanish Mackerel and False Albacore. As the waters cool down from the fall air the Redfish really get active, and this is the time to catch some good numbers in shallow water. The mullets will be in full run by early October and the Redfish take full advantage of this! Casting top-water lures along marsh grass banks and oyster rocks in creeks and along the ICW will sure to put a Redfish on your line. Try these top-water lures; MirrOlures Top-pup or Top dog Jr. Remember work these lures with good side to side action (walking the dog) for a sure strike bite action! Also, you can cast live finger mullets on rattling or popping corks for these shallow water Redfish as well.
The bigger Reds start to show up in the ocean on hard bottoms and around the inlets during September, they usually run until later October. You never know when you might hook one of these hard fighting fish. When I fish for bigger Reds, I use fresh cut or live menhaden or mullet. I use carolina rigs with 8/0 or 9/0 TroKar AP TK5 circle hooks and eighty-pound Berkley Big game mono leaders. Don’t forget to keep your drag tight when using circle hooks so they will do their job. One tip I can give you when fishing for Bull Reds, is don’t use to light of tackle for these bigger Reds. If you fight them to long, there is a chance you can tire them out too much and kill them. Try a med/heavy rod and a reel with at least thirty-pound mono or braid, this will help you get the fish in quicker; with a better chance of a good release. Check to see if the Red has a yellow tag in its back; there are a fair amount of tagged Big Reds out there.
Speckled trout are not too hard to catch but knowing what lures to use and when can really make a difference in how many you catch. I prefer to use grubs and hard baits in deeper waters (six to twenty feet) like MirrOlure 52m & 52MR’s or 18MR series. The grubs I prefer are Berkley Gulp 3” shrimp, the 3” Ripple mullet and Berkley Powerbait Pro Twitch Tail minnows. When I’m targeting Speckled trout in shallower waters (two to six feet) I prefer lures like the MirrOlure 17MR and 22MR (catch 2000 jr): on very calm mornings try a MirrOlure She pup top or Top pup top water lures. It’s so exhilarating to see a big fall Trout hit a top-water lure! If you would rather use live bait, try live mud minnows or live shrimp; rig the live bait on a light Carolina rig for deeper water or a float rig for shallow waters. Another important tip for Trout fishing I can give you. I always use Fluorocarbon leaders for trout fishing. Trout have great eyesight and the waters in southeast NC can get pretty clear in the Fall. I prefer Berkley Pro Spec twenty-pound test Fluorocarbon.
Spanish mackerel and False Albacore fishing can be great during October. The Spanish and False Albacore run the biggest all year during the fall. You can cast or troll for them and the fly fishing can be great as well. The Spanish and False Albacore will be around the inlets and near shore artificial reefs. Look for jumping/busting fish and diving birds; that is where you will find the Spanish and False Albacore. Casting small spoons or jigs (Big Nic’s Spanish Candy) on light spinning tackle will put some fish in the boat for you. If you would rather troll, give a Blue Water Candy Daisy Chain a try on top and a #1 planner down deep with a Clark spoon. If you would like to give fly fishing a try, use a six to nine weight set up with floating line with a small minnow pattern fly or epoxy minnow pattern work best.
Tackle run down: PENN Battle III DX, Slammer IV or the new Authority series Spinning reels in sizes 2000, 2500, & 3000 sizes for the Redfish, Speckled trout, Spanish and False Albacore. Bull Reds PENN Fathom II 20LW casting reels or Slammer IV 5500 or 6500 size spinning reels. Rods Fenwick HMG Inshore 7’ medium and med/heavy for the Redfish, Spanish and Albacore. Med/light 7’ or 7’6” for the Speckled trout. Bull Reds PENN Carnage III Jigging class rods in 50 to 100 class. Line Spiderwire Ultra-cast in ten and fifth-teen pound. Berkley Pro Spec fluorocarbon leader material in twenty pound. Bull Redfish line Thirty-pound Berkley Pro-Spec Chrome mono (I Like the bright orange line). Tackle storage I use Plano Guide series 3700 tackle bag for Lures and Plano Z-Series 3600 tackle bag for terminal tackle with EDGE boxes inside.
Thanks for reading, have a great Fall and good fishing to you!
Capt. Jot Owens
www.captainjot.com
910-233-4139
Posted in Fishing Reports on September 30th, 2022
August fishing in southeast NC can be pretty good but a few things to keep in mind. Most August’s we have to watch the water temps, they can get pretty high during August. Also, we sometimes get very heavy rain/thunderstorms which can dirty up the waters quickly and this dirty water can last a few hours to a few days. Here are my warm waters and stained waters August fishing tactics.
Flounder can be a tougher species to catch in dirty water, but keep in mind they still have to eat too! Working live or artificial lures slower so the flounder have time to see and react to the target (bait). Live bait is good for catching higher numbers of Flounder, but no always as many keepers’ size flounder with live bait. Mud minnows and small finger mullet will be the best live baits for Flounder in August. Small menhaden work too but die very easy in the warm waters of August.
Rigging the live bait on carolina rigs with Eagle Claw L42 sizes 1 or 1/0 hooks is a good choice of rigs for Flounder. If you prefer to use artificial baits which I do prefer and I see bigger size flounders more often on artificial lures. Scented and unscented grubs work well in clear or stained waters. Berkley Gulp Jerkshad in five and six inch and colors of new penny, pearl white, fire tiger and chart pepper neon are all good too. Darker colors like new penny and fire tiger (bright but not bright?) in heavy stained/dirty waters work better to get more bites. Also try Berkley’s Powerbait Grass Pig lure in colors, chartreuse, crazy chrome violet and swamp gas (new penny). I rig these lures on jig heads in 1/4oz, 3/8oz and 1/2oz weights in colors red, gray or white.
Look for the bigger flounder around deeper water docks with good current, bait fish and lots of structure inshore. The inlets, offshore reef and ledges are all good places to find hot weather flounder. What do all these places have in common; deeper water, current and structure. Don’t forget look for the clearest water possible and when fishing very stained/dirty water slow down your presentation of the bait. *Keeper North Carolina Flounder season for 2022 at the time of this report is September 1st to September 30th. Any Flounder caught outside of these dates must be released.
One fish that is always on my hot weather and stained waters list is the Sheephead. The Sheephead is a good challenge to catch and they fight hard, but they are also good to eat! All you need is some fiddler crabs or sand fleas for bait. A medium/heavy action spinning or casting rod with Spiderwire twenty- or thirty-pound braid for line will help you bring in that big Sheephead in. Tie on a short carolina rig with forty- or fifty-pound fluorocarbon leader and a small live bait J hook (sharp/strong)! Another rig I’ve been having success with is a NC treat jig rig for Sheephead fishing. Drop that fiddler crab down beside a piling on the carolina rig and when you feel that little bump; set the hook and hold on! PS: they are great eating in the two-to-eight-pound range in my opinion.
North Carolina is not really known highly for Tarpon fishing but I do see them pushing just off the southeast inlets and the lower Cape Fear River from time to time. If you want a good challenge, give Carolina Tarpon fishing a try this August. The best times are very early morning or late afternoon and into the night. I fish for Tarpon on the bottom or free lining, using live and fresh dead baits like; spots, mullet and menhaden. I rig these baits on fish finder rigs, with one to three feet of 80-to-100-pound fluorocarbon 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. I prefer TroKar AP TK5 9/0 circle hooks, super sharp and super strong! It’s not easy to catch a NC Tarpon, but I promise if you do or even just jump one off its still really cool to see!
I also enjoy shark fishing later in the summer (late July to early September). Sharks on light tackle are always a good pull and boy the kids love to catch’em! Sharks don’t really seem to care if the water is dirty either. I drift live and fresh dead bluefish, Spanish mackerel, mullet or menhaden in twenty to forty feet of water offshore. I rig these baits with a 7/0 to 9/0 TroKar circle hook TK5 with one foot of ninety pound plus wire and six to eight feet of eighty-pound mono leader. You can free line the bait and /or put a small egg sinker on to keep the bait close to the bottom. You’ll know when you get a bite! Most sharks are in the ten-to-one-hundred-pound range.
Last but certainly not lest is Bull Redfish (big Red Drum). The Bull Reds will start showing up in good numbers around inlets and hard/live bottoms just off the beach to about ten miles out in early August. Live or fresh dead bait is the key to catching these brutes. Most fish will be twenty-eight to over forty inches in length, very fun to catch size! It’s not hard to rig for the Bull reds; short carolina rigs with a 7/0 to 9/0 TroKar circle hook will do the trick. Live or fresh cut Menhaden or mullet as bait. Remember if your catching larger Drum, please use heavier tackle; these Drum will work so hard when the water is hot and it is easy to kill them using to light of tackle (fighting them to long). *Please take the time to revive Red drum especially bigger fish during warmer water months; it may take upwards of fifteen minutes to do so.
Tackle run down: PENN Slammer IV & (New series) Authority spinning reels 2500, 3000, 3500 sizes for the Sheephead and Flounder. Tarpon/Sharks/Bull Drum PENN Slammer IV & Authority 5500 & 6500 and PENN 20 Fathom II LW casting reels. Rods Fenwick HMG Inshore spinning 7’ medium and med/heavy for the Sheephead and Flounder. Tarpon/Shark/Bull Drum Rods: PENN Carnage III 40 to 80 Boat series. Line Spiderwire Ultra-cast in ten and fifth-teen pound and Berkley Pro Spec Chrome mono in thirty pound for the Tarpon/sharks. Tackle Storage I prefer Plano Guide and Z-series tackle bags with EDGE Boxes inside.
Have a good August, stay cool & dry and thanks for reading!
Capt. Jot Owens
www.captainjot.com
910-233-4139
Posted in Fishing Reports on August 1st, 2022
June, one of the better fishing months in Southeast NC; lighter winds (hopefully), warm days and so many different kinds of fish to target. Precipitation anybody’s guess, some June’s super dry; some June’s monsoon! Here are some of the fish I like to target during June around Southeast NC.
Redfish are in their summer trend by June and the trick to summer Reds is to go early before the sun is high and hot in the sky. Top water lures and rattling corks (popping) in the shallow waters earlier mornings and afternoons will produce Redfish. I prefer MirrOlure Top dog Jr and Top Pup’s with a great ‘walk the dog action’, fishing these along marsh grass edges with oyster rocks. Working grubs like Berkley Gulp later in the day will also produce Reds for you, fishing deeper holes and docks. Slow rolling swimbaits like a Berkley Powerbait Champ swimmer or Grass pigs rigged on TroKar 7/0 1/4oz swimbait hooks in two to five feet of water has produced some nice Reds when the water heats up. Sometimes it can be just like colder mouths, slow down your presentation a little when the water gets hot. Give the Redfish a little more time to catch up with your bait when the water temp is over eighty degrees.
Everybody loves to catch a Flounder; they are really getting their act together by June. Keep in mind you can fish for Flounder but the season is closed in NC; you must release all flounder. Check with NCDMF for current set Flounder season. You can find Flounder just about anywhere when June rolls in. In southeast NC, I look for bigger Flounder around deeper channel drop-offs; in waters of five to fifth-teen feet plus deep. The local inlets and cuts; south Topsail, Rich’s, Mason’s, Masonboro, Carolina Beach and snow’s cut are always a good place to find some bigger size Flounders. Last but certainly not least, are the artificial reefs, ledges and hard/live bottoms from one to ten miles off the beach, these areas always hold very nice Flounder in June.
Once you have found some Flounder you need to know how to catch’em. If you want to go the artificial root, try bigger baits; this will greatly help you catch bigger size Flounder. I prefer Berkley Gulp five- and six-inch Jerkshad in colors pearl white, chart pepper neon and Fire tiger. Also, Berkley Powerbait Grass pig lures in colors Chartreuse silver fleck, green back or crazy chrome violet. Rigging both the jerkshad and grass pig lures on 3/4oz to 1oz jig heads or Berkley Fusion bucktails in 1oz or 1.5oz for ocean fishing. Another great Flounder lure is the Berkley Gulp four-inch shrimp pattern; this bait is great for cast up and down inshore drop-offs in creek channels. I rig these baits on jig heads in sizes 1/4oz to 3/8oz for inshore; in colors red, gray and white. Leaders; inshore thirty or forty pound and ocean fishing forty- or fifty-pound Berkley Pro Spec fluorocarbon leader.
If you would like to go with live bait for the Flounders, try mud minnows, small mullets or small menhaden as live bait. Rig these live baits on Carolina rigs with an Eagle Claw L42 #1 or 1/0 hooks, eight to fourteen inches of thirty-to-forty-pound fluorocarbon as leader. I prefer egg sinkers as my weight, the secret to how much weight you use is ‘as much as you need to stay on the bottom but as least as you can get away with.’ You need to be on the bottom for Flounder but going lighter will always get you more bites!
One fish that is always on my hot weather list is the Sheephead. The Sheephead is a good challenge to catch and they fight hard, but they are also good to eat! All you need is some fiddler crabs or sand fleas for bait. A medium/heavy action spinning or casting rod with Spiderwire twenty- or thirty-pound braid for line will help you bring in that big Sheephead in. Tie on a short carolina rig with forty- or fifty-pound fluorocarbon leader and a small live bait J hook (sharp/strong). Also, I’ve had good luck rigging up a carolina Treat jig with a fiddler crab. Drop that fiddler crab down beside a piling on the carolina rig and when you feel that little bump; set the hook and hold on! PS: they are great eating in the two-to-six-pound range!
The Spanish mackerel fishing can be pretty good in June. These fish are a lot of fun to see busting the surface of the water and even more fun to see on the end of your line! Casting small spoons (Big Nic Spanish Candy lures) or using fly gear in weights seven to nine can make for a great challenge on this light tackle. Look for Spanish to be hanging around near shore artificial reefs, ledges and inlets. Trolling Clark spoons or small deep driver lures can be the key to success some days for the Spanish mackerel and even king mackerel. When using the Clark spoons, I would recommend the pink flash or regular silver spoons in sizes #00, #0 and #1; the pink flash series has really helped me put more fish in the boat. You might come over a few false albacore and bluefish mixed in with the Spanish from time to time.
Last but never least; Cobia fishing is in full swing by early June and should be good until early July; so far this year it’s been hit or miss for me. I look for Cobia around inlets, shoals and bait schools; near shore/offshore reefs and ledges are also a good place to look too. With the water being clear most of the time in June it should easier to see those brown logs swimming in the water. I like to throw big jigs, swim baits and live bait to the Cobia. Color really does not seem to matter, but (go bright); Berkley Fusion Bucktails in 1.5oz to 2oz, but I always add a Berkley Gulp 5-inch grub. When I’m not sight casting for them, we are fishing around inlets, shoals and near shore artificial reefs. I float fish, bottom fish and kite fish in these areas with live menhaden, spots and mullet as bait. You can chum if you like, but the sharks and Rays will come in numbers!
Tackle run down: PENN Battle III DX series or the Slammer IV series spinning reels 2500, 3000 & 3500 sizes for the Redfish, Spanish, sheephead and Flounder. Cobia: PENN Spinfisher VI or Slammer IV 5500 & 6500 spinning reels or PENN 20LW, 25LW, 25NLD Fathom casting reels. Rods PENN Battalion II or the Fenwick HMG Inshore series; 7’ medium and med/heavy for the Redfish, sheephead and Flounder. Cobia Rods: PENN Rampage or Carnage III Jigging series 50 to 100 class casting and spinning. Line Spiderwire Ultra-cast in ten and fifth-teen, twenty (ocean flounder) pound braid and Berkley Pro Spec Chrome mono in twenty and thirty pound for the Cobia; it is great line! Leader material Berkley Pro Spec Fluorocarbon 30 to 40 pound for inshore and 80-pound Cobia fishing. Tackle storage Plano Z-series or Guide series tackle bags with Plano EDGE stowaway boxes.
Stay cool and enjoy your summer fishing! Thanks for reading!
Capt. Jot Owens
www.captainjot.com
910-233-4139
Posted in Fishing Reports on June 3rd, 2022
