Can you say hot weather and yes we need the rain, but the fishing has been great for the most part! Going a little earlier in the morning lately and getting back earlier has been my fishing times for the last few weeks! With this heat the water temps have come up a bit and this has changed a few patterns of fishing this last few weeks.
Flounder has been the winner for me in the last few weeks, my clients have caught a few very nice Flounder lately and the bigger Flounder are hitting artificial baits! I have found most of the Flounder just off the beach on hard bottoms, ledges, around the local inlets and docks in the ICW. The Flounder are still mixed in size, but there are some very nice Flounder starting to mix in with the throw backs. I have always been a live bait guy when it comes to Flounder, but let me tell you my clients have caught some big Flounder in the last few weeks on artificial baits.
Barkley Gulp and Gulp Alive Jerkshad are really putting some nice Flounder in my boat for my clients! I am rigging these five inch Gulp Jerkshad on 1/4oz, 3/8ox and 1/2oz jig heads; I use forty pound mono or fluorocarbon as leader. The colors I prefer for the Jerkshads are pearl, chart pepper neon, new penny and root beer gold. If you would rather go the live bait root, try live baits like mud minnows, finger mullets or small menhaden. Rig these live baits on Carolina rigs with Eagle Claw L42 #1 and 1/0 hook sizes.
The Redfish action has been a little slower with all the warm air and warm water temps, but I’m catching a hand full in the early mornings with a little patients. Working scented baits like Berkley Gulp slowly along grass banks and docks has worked the best for me lately. A new Berkley bait that is just getting in to stores now has been very good for me on the Redfish; the baits are the Berkley Fire Tail three inch Shrimp. These are good looking baits with great action and in proven color patterns! The colors I have had the best luck with are the rootbeer gold/chart, new penny/chart and cajun purple/chart; rigging these shrimp on jigs heads in sizes 1/8oz and 1/4oz weights. Thirty of forty pound mono or a better choice fluorocarbon for leader when casting grubs/jigs for Redfish. Tip: when water temps are up try to work your jig a bit slower for the Redfish; “who wants to run in hot weather?”
Spanish Mackerel are hitting very good most days just off the beach in twenty to fifty feet of water, just look for the bait on your fish finder and you are sure to catch some Spanish Macks! I’ve had the best luck with deeper spoons on number one planners, yes I’m seeing a few on the top line but the best has been deeper. Clark-spoons in sizes 00 and 0 are doing the trick in colors silver, gold and pink flash. The Spanish hitting the top baits are hitting Blue Water Candy’s Spanish Daisy chains in colors pink, blue and silver; the great thing about this rig is you can pull it off lighter tackle outfits. When the Spanish are jumping I’m casting spoons in sizes one to three inches long with a fast retrieve and keeping my rod tip low to the water to keep the spoon just under the surface. Tip: most of the Spanish I’m finding are in the cleaner and clearer waters off the beach.
I’m starting to see the first push of Tarpon heading up the coast, last week we jumped off about a seventy pound Tarpon just off Masonboro inlet.
Tarpon fishing in North Carolina can be very fun, but it can be a challenge to get one to bite! I fish for Tarpon on the bottom or free lining, using live and fresh dead baits like; spots, bluefish and Menhaden. I’m rigging 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 10/0 depending what hook series/maker you like. I have also had a fair share of Tarpon on my kite rig with live baits like mullets, bluefish and menhaden. Keep your eyes peeled for rolling and feeding Tarpon if you’re in the hunt for one of these beasts.
Fishing Gear I use:
Reels Penn Battle spinning in sizes 2000, 3000 & 4000 sizes. Tarpon Fishing reels: Penn Battle 6000 & 7000, Penn 320LD and Torque 12 & 15. Line: Spiderwire Ultra-cast and Berkley Fireline braid in 8, 10 and 15 pound. Tarpon Line: 30 or 40 pound Berkley Big Game Mono. Rods: Fenwick HMG GS 70M-MF. Tarpon Rods: Ugly Stik Tiger Lite Jigging series or Penn Toarque jigging series in 50-100 class spinning and casting. Leader material: Tarpon; Berkley Big Game mono & Fluorocarbon in eighty to one hundred pound. Stren Fluorocarbon leader material in Tannic and Gunsmoke tints; tannic for river and stained waters, gunsmoke for clear water applications.
*Are you on Facebook? Check out my page Capt. Jot Owens/Jot It Down Fishing Charters LLC for lots of good info on local fishing, fishing tips, detailed live reports, photos and tackle giveaways; yes free stuff! Just Fan (like) the page on I’ll have monthly random drawings of Fans for free tackle!
Hey thanks for reading, have a great 4th of July, be safe and good fishing to ya!
Capt. Jot Owens
Penn Tackle Elite Staff
Ranger Boats Pro Staff
www.captainjot.com
910-233-4139
Posted in Fishing Reports on August 18th, 2011
Well folks the heat is on! The temps are staying pretty warm to hot for the last few weeks, but the coolest place to be is on the water; fishing of course! There has been no shortage of bait in the last few weeks and with all the bait the fish have followed and the fishing has been very good most days!
You know me let’s start with one I love to fish for; the Cobia! There has been a good number of Cobia around this season, I have seen one almost everyday I’ve been looking for them and there are some big ones around. My clients put four (keepers) Cobia in the boat this last week and I got to catch one myself this last week too. The two big Cobia in the last week was a 66.5 pounder and my 52.4 pound, the really cool part of my Cobia is I caught it on a medium action rod and a Penn Battle 3000 spinning reel with fifth-teen pound Spiderwire braid. What a fight; I did not ever think I was going to get that Cobia in, after a thirty minute fight I put the heat on the fish and got it to the boat!
I look this time of year 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 so clear it has been easier to see those brown logs in the water. We are throwing big jigs, swim baits and live bait to the Cobia. Color really does not seem to matter, brighter the better; Blue Water Candy makes some very nice Cobia jigs, check them out at our local tackle shops! 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, blues and mullet as bait. Yes sometimes I do chum, but the Sharks and Rays can sometimes drive you crazy it you chum a lot!
Casting and trolling for Spanish mackerel has been very good lately. I’m seeing Spanish and Blues all up & down the beaches in fifth-teen to forty-five foot of water as well as around all the local inlets. There has been a few very nice Spanish in the three to six pound ranger caught around the area too. Spanish mackerel have very good eye sight and to the catch the bigger ones you really should try a fluorocarbon leader, you would be surprised how this can make a difference sometimes!
I’ve had the best luck with deeper spoons on number one planners, yes I’m seeing a few on the top line but the best has been deeper. Clark-spoons in sizes 00 and 0 are doing the trick in colors silver, gold and pink flash. The Spanish hitting the top baits are hitting Blue Water Candy’s Spanish Daisy chains in colors pink, blue and silver; the great thing about this rig is you can pull it off lighter tackle outfits. When the Spanish are jumping I’m casting spoons in sizes one to three inches long with a fast retrieve and keeping my rod tip low to the water to keep the spoon just under the surface.
With this nice hot air around the Flounder are finally showing up in better numbers, there is still a lot of smaller ones inshore, but the bigger ones are showing every day! Most of the Flounder fishing I’m doing is just off the beach and around the inlets, with the new fifth-teen inch rule you just have got to pick through them to get the keepers. I’ve caught Flounder on both live and artificial baits lately, what I have seen is more numbers on live bait, but more keepers on artificial baits. Mud minnows on light Carolina rigs with #one L42 Eagle Claw hooks are catching the numbers of Flounder, Berkley Gulp Jerkshads in five & six inch sizes are getting the most keeper Flounder. Tip of the day: In most cases bigger bait will catch you bigger Flounder, but you will catch less numbers of Flounder by going with bigger bait.
Redfishing for me has slowed a bit, but the bigger fish are starting to show up around the inlets and near shore live/hard bottoms. I have had no real good numbers yet, just some spread out fish here and there while we are Cobia fishing. Bigger scented grubs like six and seven inch Jerkshads are a good bet for catching ocean Reds on artificial baits, live mullets or menhaden are good on the live bait side of things.
Fishing Gear I use:
Reels Penn Fierce and Battle spinning in sizes 2000, 3000 & 4000 sizes. Cobia Fishing reels: Penn Battle 5000, 6000 & 7000, Penn 320LD. Line: Spiderwire Ultra-cast and Berkley Fireline braid in 8, 10 and 15 pound. Cobia Line: 30 pound Berkley Big Game Mono. Rods: Fenwick HMG GS 70M-MF, Ugly stick lites 6’6” and 7’ Med & Med-Heavy. Cobia Rods: Ugly Stik Tiger Lite Jigging series in 50-100 class spinning and casting. Leader material: Cobia; Berkley Big Game mono & Fluorocarbon in eighty to one hundred pound. Stren Fluorocarbon leader material in Tannic and Gunsmoke tints; tannic for river and stained waters, gunsmoke for clear water applications.
*Hey everybody likes a deal on tackle right?!?! This weekend at Tex’s Tackle it’s the Penn Summer Kick-off Sale! Lots of good deals, here are just a few; Berkley’s new Pro Spec Premium Monofilament line will be on sale for one (1) cent a yard. If you like to King Mackerel fish or troll offshore this is the line for you; super supple, thin diameter and excellent knot & impact strength! Berkley Big Game on sale for one cent, Spiderwire Invisi-braid ½ off! Also deals on Reels and Rods too! I’ll be there on Friday to answer any questions you may have about any Penn products come by and say hello, I look forward to seeing you!
**Are you on Facebook? Check out my page Capt. Jot Owens/Jot It Down Fishing Charters LLC for lots of good info on local fishing, fishing tips, detailed reports, Photos and tackle giveaways; yes free stuff! Just Fan (like) the page on I’ll have monthly random drawings of Fans for free tackle!
Hey thanks for reading and good fishing to ya,
Capt. Jot Owens
Penn Tackle Elite Staff
Ranger Boats Pro Staff
www.captainjot.com
910-233-4139
Posted in Fishing Reports on August 18th, 2011
Summer has really been showing its face around here lately and with the warm air comes more bait and more means more fish to catch! I’ve seen a big change in water temps in the last few days, the waters around Wrightsville Beach are hanging around 80` inshore; time to go for a swim! With this warm water the bait has just exploded in numbers in the area waters and it is very easy to find.
The Spanish mackerel and Bluefish are just about everywhere you go just off the beaches from twenty feet to forty feet of water; you should have no problem catching them. I’ve had the best luck with deeper spoons on number one planners, yes I’m seeing a few on the top line but the best has been deeper. Clark-spoons in sizes 00 and 0 are doing the trick in colors silver, gold and pink flash. The Spanish hitting the top baits are hitting Blue Water Candy’s Spanish Daisy chains in colors pink, blue and silver; the great thing about this rig is you can pull it off lighter tackle outfits. I’m using thirty and forty pound clear Berkley Big Game mono for all my Spanish leaders. Tip: keep your trolling and casting speed up; faster moving baits seem to get more bites, I troll around five knots or six mph.
If you know me at all you know I love to fish for Cobia and it is now Cobia season for our local waters; the Cobia have been showing up during the last few weeks. I look this time of year 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 so clear it has been easier to see those brown logs in the water. We are throwing big jigs, swim baits and live bait to the Cobia. Color really does not seem to matter; but “go bright”! 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, blues and mullet as bait. If you hook one of these beast, take your time fighting them, they don’t tire out easily; a green Cobia can really tear up a boat or you!
The Redfish have slowed a little bit over the last week due to the waters warming up so fast, but we are still catching them; going earlier in the morning seems to help the bite some. Fishing top-water baits like MirrOlure’s Top Dog Jr or Top Pup also Sebile’s Ghost Walker are catching me some really nice Reds in shallow water. When I’m fishing in deeper water for Reds like around docks, creek mouths and deeper grass lines; I’m casting Berkley Gulp products like the Ripple Mullet or the three inch Gulp shrimp. The colors I prefer in the Ripple Mullet are rootbeer gold/chart tail, goby magic chart tail, new penny and pearl white for the Redfish. Rig these baits on a red, black, brown or gray jig head with a thirty to fifty pound mono or fluorocarbon leader. I have had some good luck lately with spinner baits for the Redfish and the trick that seems to work for me is a Ripple Mullet in the color rootbeer gold/chart tail as the grub on the spinner bait. Remember reel that spinner bait; just fast enough to keep it off the bottom.
Fishing Gear I use:
Reels Penn Fierce and Battle spinning in sizes 2000, 3000 & 4000 sizes. Cobia Fishing reels: Penn Battle 5000, 6000 & 7000, Penn 320LD. Line: Spiderwire Ultra-cast and Berkley Fireline braid in 8, 10 and 15 pound. Cobia Line: 30 pound Berkley Big Game Mono. Rods: Fenwick HMG GS 70M-MF, Ugly stick lites 6’6” and 7’ Med & Med-Heavy. Cobia Rods: Ugly Stik Tiger Lite Jigging series in 50-100 class spinning and casting. Leader material: Cobia; Berkley Big Game mono & Fluorocarbon in eighty to one hundred pound. Stren Fluorocarbon leader material in Tannic and Gunsmoke tints; tannic for river and stained waters, gunsmoke for clear water applications.
Thanks for reading this report, if you have any questions just let me know! Get out there and enjoy this summer weather, winter was cold and summer is going to be Hot!
Good Luck,
Captain Jot Owens
Ranger Boats Pro Staff
PENN Reels Elite Staff
www.captainjot.com
910-233-4139
Posted in Fishing Reports on August 18th, 2011
Well folks, we have had some cooler weather lately, but it seems that it has not hurt the fishing much at all. The water temps did not go down to much maybe a few degrees, but over all the fishing has been good to great most days. One thing I have seen lately is a good amount of bait showing up around the area, always a good sigh!
Redfish fishing has been pretty good the last few weeks, but one thing I’ve found is the weekdays have had more constancy of good Redfishing due to all the fishing pressure on the weekends. I have seen some very nice Reds lately coming form some shallow water spots, my clients this last week have caught some Reds over thirty two inches inshore. Those are some nice Reds for early May in shallow water and on very light tackle. Using bigger baits has paid off for me in the last two weeks with these bigger fish starting to bite.
One of the winners for me in the last few weeks for the Reds has been the Berkley Gulp Ripple Mullet, now I know I talk about this bait a lot; hey it works! Great swimming action and the proven fishing catching scent of Berkley Gulp! The colors I prefer in the Ripple Mullet are rootbeer gold/chart tail, goby magic chart tail, new penny and pearl white for the Redfish. Rig these baits on a red, black, brown or gray jig head with a thirty to fifty pound mono or fluorocarbon leader and you are good to go! I’ve never been a big user of spoons for Redfish, but I’ve been playing with a new spoon lately, well new to me at least. The spoon is a product of Sébile and it’s called an Onduspoon; let me tell you this spoon has got some action! I’ve caught some very nice Reds and Chopper Blues on this spoon in the last few weeks. The Onduspoon has rattles built in to it; great action and sound. The colors I prefer are gold, natural shiner, blue althea and red head; check them out at www.sebile.com
If you would rather go with the live/cut bait root for the Redfish, there is plenty on bait around; small mullet and menhaden are in most of the local creeks. The days I’ve caught bait, one cast of my net has yielded plenty bait for the day. Light Carolina rigs with an Eagle Claw L 42 #1 or 1/0 hook and twelve to sixteen inches of forty pound mono for leader as a rig. Fishing creek mouths, oyster rock edges and marsh grass lines will produce Redfish for you. Just remember fresh lively baits will catch more fish!
There has been just about all the Bluefish you want around the inlets lately and a good number of Spanish mackerel showing up as well. Trolling Clark spoons and small deep driver lures has been the key to success. Clark spoons in sizes #0, #00 and #1 in colors silver, gold and pink flash seem to work the best. Thirty or forty pound clear mono leader will work just fine and don’t forget the ball bearing swivels for those Clark spoons to keep you leaders from tingling up! There have been a few nice Chopper (bigger) Blues around the inlets in the last few weeks; casting bigger lures like the Onduspoon #3 or shallow water crank baits will find these bigger Blues. Just remembers a light steal leader for these fish for they will bite right through mono leaders.
Flounder fishing is really picking up around the area. Most of the Flounder are eating little menhaden and Mud minnows on light Carolina rigs. The Flounder are mixed in size to just under keeper size to a few over five pounds. I have caught some Flounder on Artificial baits as well. I have had the best luck with Berkley Gulp mud minnow in pearl white, sardine, killifish and new penny colors. Rig the grubs on a red or black jig head for best results. Flounder fishing should stay consistent right through the summer and fall.
Last but never lest; Cobia are starting to show up around the area waters. 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 so clear it has been easier to see those brown logs in the water. We are throwing big jigs, swim baits and live bait to the Cobia. Color really does not seem to matter; but “go bright”! 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, blues and mullet as bait. You can chum if you like, but the sharks will come and they will come in numbers!
Fishing Gear I use:
Reels Penn Fierce and Battle spinning in sizes 2000, 3000 & 4000 sizes. Cobia Fishing reels: Penn Battle 5000, 6000 & 7000, Penn 320LD. Line: Spiderwire Ultra-cast and Berkley Fireline braid in 8, 10 and 15 pound. Cobia Line: 30 pound Berkley Big Game Mono. Rods: Fenwick HMG GS 70M-MF, Ugly stick lites 6’6” and 7’ Med & Med-Heavy. Cobia Rods: Ugly Stik Tiger Lite Jigging series in 50-100 class spinning and casting. Leader material: Berkley Big Game mono & Fluorocarbon. Stren Fluorocarbon leader material in Tannic and Gunsmoke tints; tannic for river and stained waters, gunsmoke for clear water applications.
Thanks for reading this report, if you have any questions just let me know! If you would like to go fishing drop me a line; I’m booking 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
Posted in Fishing Reports on August 18th, 2011
The weather has been just right lately for good inshore and near shore fishing; the great thing is the fishing has been great too! I feel that we are about two weeks ahead of the normal water temps and fishing for this time of year! Here is this weeks fishing report>>>
I’m seeing Bonita, Blues and a few Spanish when we are trolling off the beach to five miles off. Trolling Clark spoons and small deep driver lures has been the key to success. When using the Clark spoons, I would recommend the pink flash spoon in sizes #00, #0 and #1; the pink flash series has really helped me put more fish in the boat. A bird rig on top with a Clark spoon about five to six feet behind it or Blue water Candy Spanish daisy chain (blue, silver, pink) have worked very well on top too. Look for birds working or marking bait on you fish finder is the way to find the feeding fish. When the fish are not on top, I’ve caught some nice Blues and a few Bonita by casting a spoon out and letting it sink down before reeling is in. I’ve found that some times these fish are deeper and you can get them by getting down to deeper water.
With all this warm air lately the Redfish and Black drum have been moving in to the shallower waters. I caught some very nice Reds and Black drum this last few weeks in waters of five to as shallow as one foot deep. The trick for the Reds has been Berkley Gulp Alive in patterns three inch Shrimp and Mud minnow; fishing these baits around docks, oyster rocks and grass lines. Going with lighter jig heads 1/16oz and 1/8oz is working well on the fish that are in one to five foot of water. Bait fishing is still good and will continue right through the summer. Red and Black drum are hitting cut shrimp and mullet on Carolina rigs around the same areas; docks, oyster rocks etc… You never know how big or little the drum will be when you are bait fishing; we’ve had reds as small as fourteen inches and as big as over thirty inches lately.
The Flounder fishing should really start to pick soon, I look for Flounder around the inlets and just off the beach in the spring/early summer mouths. Small baits like mud minnows are great ‘Flounder finder’ baits, you can use these baits for a long time before they die and they are pretty easy to catch. Another way I really like to catch Flounder is with five inch Berkley Gulp Jerkshad; the pinfish don’t seem to tear these apart quite as fast as live baits. Just rig the Berkley Gulp Jerkshad like any grub and keep the flat side of the Jerkshad facing up where the hook comes out. Don’t really worry too much about color, but I would recommend going with brighter colors for Flounder fishing.
Fishing Gear we use:
Reels Penn Fierce and Battle spinning in sizes 2000, 3000 & 4000 sizes.
Line: Spiderwire Ultra-cast and Berkley Fireline braid in 8, 10 and 15 pound. Rods: Fenwick HMG GS 70M-MF, Ugly stick lites 6’6” and 7’ Med & Med-Heavy. Leader material: Berkley Big Game mono & Fluorocarbon. Stren Fluorocarbon leader material in Tannic and Gunsmoke tints; tannic for river and stained waters, gunsmoke for clear water applications.
Thanks for reading this report, if you have any questions just let me know! If you would like to go fishing drop me a line; I’m booking 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
Posted in Fishing Reports on August 18th, 2011
