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Fishing Report: Wrightsville Beach, NC Fishing Forecast-August 2020

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.  And don’t forget NC keeper Flounder season is August 16th to September 30th 2020!

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 and 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)!  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; after six pounds the meat get tougher in texture.

North Carolina is not really known for Tarpon fishing but I do see them pushing just off Masonboro inlet and the lower Cape Fear River form 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 in to 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 three to five 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 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 or hot.  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/mid 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.  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, Reels: PENN Clash II & Spinfisher VI reels 2500, 3000, 3500 sizes for the Sheephead and Flounder.  Tarpon/Sharks/Bull Drum PENN SlammerIII 6500 & 7500 and PENN 20 Fathom II LW casting reels.  Rods: PENN Battalion II or Fenwick HMG Inshore series 7’ medium and med/heavy for the Sheephead and Flounder.  Tarpon/Shark/Bull Drum Rods: PENN Rampage Jigging series.  Line: Spiderwire Ultra-cast in fifth-teen, twenty or thirty pound (flounder, Sheephead) and Berkley Pro Spec Chrome mono in thirty pound for the Tarpon ,sharks ,Bull Reds.  Tackle Storage/bags I use: Plano Guide series 3600 & 3700 with Drop Zone (lure holder) Plano EDGE tackle trays inside; (water & rust proof)

Have a good August, stay cool & dry; watch those hurricanes and thanks for reading!

Capt. Jot Owens
www.captainjot.com
910-233-4139

Posted in Fishing Reports on July 31st, 2020

Fishing Report: Wrightsville Beach, NC Fishing Forecast-June 2020

 

One of the better fishing months in Southeast NC is June; lighter winds (hopefully), warm days and so many different kinds of fish to target.  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 in the shallow waters earlier mornings and afternoons will produce Redfish. I prefer MirrOlure Top dog Jr and Top Pup’s for great ‘walk the dog action’, fishing these along marsh grass edges.   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 pig’s rig on TroKar 7/0 1/4oz swimbait hooks in two to five foot 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 and eat 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. (Keeper season August 16th to September 30th)  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 new penny.  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.

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 1/0 hook, 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!

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 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 3oz, 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!

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!  Another great thing about Sheephead fishing when it’s hot outside is that you can hide under a bridge out of the sun to catch them.  Just think; fishing somewhere out of the sun and you’re catching great eating fish!  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)!  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!

Tackle run down: PENN Spinfisher VI or the new Clash II series spinning reels 2500, 3000, 3500 sizes for the Redfish, sheephead and Flounder.  Cobia: PENN Spinfisher VI 5500 & 6500 spinning reels or PENN 20LW, 25LW, 25NLD Fathom casting reels.  Rods PENN Battalion or the New Fenwick HMG Inshore series; 7’ medium and med/heavy for the Redfish, sheephead and Flounder.  Cobia Rods: PENN Rampage or Carnage II Jigging series 50 to 100 class casting and spinning.  Line Spiderwire Ultra-cast in ten and fifth-teen 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, 2020

Fishing Report: Wrightsville Beach, NC Fishing Forecast-May 2020

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Southeast NC in May, when fishing really gets cranked up!  Many different species of fish start to show up and it’s when I feel like summer fishing has really started.  And we all really need that right now in our lives!!!

As the weather stabilizes and the temps go up in May I see more days where I can get out in the ocean and look for those high speed, and good eating Atlantic bonito in earlier May (even early April this year) and spanish mackerel all May long.  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 or using fly gear in weights seven to nine can make for a great challenge on this light tackle.  Look for these fish 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 bonito, spanish mackerel and even king mackerel.  When using the Clark spoons, I would recommend the pink flash or regular silver spoons in sizes #0, #1 and #2; 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 bonito and spanish from time to time; sometimes too many bluefish are mixed in!

Redfish and May go hand and hand, this month is a favorite for casting artificial lures to Reds.  Redfish really start to settle down in their summer spots by early/mid May.  Casting Berkley gulp shrimp in three inch size on light jig heads is one of my go to lures for May redfish.  My go to colors are sugar spice glow, new penny, rootbeer gold/chart tail or natural.  Another Redfish lure I like is the Berkley Powerbait Grass pig for fishing shallow waters of one to three foot.  I rig the Grass pig lures on TroKar 1/8oz swimbait hooks.  Catching redfish on top water lures is so much fun; casting plugs like MirrOlure’s top pup or top dog jr.  You can also cast popping or rattling corks in these shallow areas with a Berkley Gulp three inch shrimp which will catch the Redfish in shallow waters.  If you would rather go the bait route; try some fresh cut Mullet or Menhaden on a light Carolina rig.  Try fishing fresh cut bait around docks in the ICW or along creek mouths when the tide is moving.

By early/mid May the cobia start to show up around southeast NC; one of my favorites! I forecast that the cobia will be here a little early this season. I look for cobia around inlets, shoals and bait schools; near shore/offshore reefs and ledges are all good places to look.   When the water is clear it will be easier to see those brown logs in the water. I throw big jigs like (Berkley Fusion 19 bucktails) or live bait to the Cobia.  Color really does not seem to matter, but go bright; I always put a Gulp five inch grub on a bucktail for Cobia.  If I’m casting live bait to Cobia I use a TroKar TK5 AP 8/0 or 9/0 circle hook with at least three feet of sixty pound fluorocarbon leader.  When I’m not sight casting for Cobia 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, pinfish or mullet as bait.  Sometimes a great bonus fish when fishing for Cobia that would be a nice bull Redfish.  You can chum if you like, but the sharks and rays will come and they will come in numbers!

With the warmer weather the Flounder will finally start showing up in better numbers, there are still a lot of smaller ones inshore, but the bigger ones will really start showing up in May!  Most of the Flounder fishing I’m doing is just off the beach (wrecks/ledges) and around the inlets.  I’ve caught Flounder on both live and artificial baits in May, 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 will catch the numbers of Flounder.  Berkley Gulp Jerkshad in five & six inch sizes will get the most keeper Flounder.  I rig these Jerkshad on 1/4oz, 3/8oz (inshore) and 1/2oz, 3/4oz & 1oz (ocean) jig heads with longer hook shanks in jig head colors red, white or gray.  Also Berkley Fusion bucktails with a five inch Gulp grab is a killer rig for ocean flounder as well, I use a 1.5 ounce bucktail for this.  *Keep in mind Flounder season is August 16th to September 30th 2020, no possession of flounder until those dates; all catch & release until then.

Tackle run down: New PENN Clash II & SpinFisher VI Spinning reels 2000, 2500, 3000, 3500 sizes. Rods: PENN Allegiance II and Fenwick HMG Inshore series rods 7’ Medium class 8 to 15 pound test rods.  Line Spiderwire Ultra-cast in ten and fifth-teen pound braid.  Cobia Reels PENN Fathom II 20LWcasting or Slammer III or SpinFisher VI spinning 5500 or 6500 spinning reels, with a PENN Rampage Jigging rod 50 to 100 pound class. Tackle Bags/storage I prefer the Plano Guide series tackle bags in 3700XL and 3600 sizes with Plano EDGE tackle trays inside.

Thanks for reading, stay safe, fish smart and #FishThroughIt !

Capt. Jot Owens
www.captainjot.com

 

 

Posted in Fishing Reports on May 6th, 2020

Fishing Report: Wrightsville Beach, NC Fishing Forecast-April 2020

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

North Carolina springs can be anything but predictable, that is about the same for spring fishing around these parts as well.  So far we’ve had a pretty good winter temperature wise; I think we are three weeks to a month ahead on spring temps and fishing.  Fishing wise here is what I look to target during April around Southeast NC area waters.

The Atlantic Bonito and False Albacore have already shown up just offshore of Wrightsville, Carolina and Topsail beaches in the one to ten mile range.  Trolling Clark spoons on planners or small deep driver lures can be the key to success some days for the Bonito and False Albacore.  When using the Clark spoons, I would recommend the pink flash spoon in sizes #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 for me on top too.

Look for birds working or marking bait on you fish finder is the way to find these feeding fish.  When the fish are not on top, I’ve caught some nice Blues and a few Bonito by casting a spoon out and letting it sink down before reeling it in.  I’ve found that sometimes these fish are deeper and you can get them by getting down to deeper depths.  If the fish are jumping and busting on top, try casting Big Nic Spanish candy lures in 1/2oz to 1zo sizes in colors pink, blue or green.  I use a thirty pound fluorocarbon leader at two to three foot long when casting these lures.

Another fish that really starts to show up around the inshore creeks and inlets of Southeast North Carolina is the good’ole Bluefish and during April you can catch some bigger Bluefish too; like ten pounds plus big!  These blues will hit Berkley Gulp six inch jerkshads and Berkley Havoc grass pig lures in bright colors, I rig both of these lures on TroKar 1/4oz swim bait hooks.  Hard baits like big poppers and MirrOlure Top Dog’s work well too for the big Blues.  Don’t forget the steal leaders for these fish or they will get a free lure form you every time!  Try light single strand wire in sizes #2, #3 or #4 will keep your lure on the end of your line and not in a bluefish’s pocket!  I catch Blues in the one to fifteen pound range during April.

There is one fish that a lot of anglers over look in April and that is the Black Drum.  What I love about these fish is you can catch them in good numbers this time of year and there great to eat!  On top of all that they are also easy to catch; use a light two hook bottom rig with number two or number three size eagle claw bait holder hooks.  I make my own rigs with thirty pound fluorocarbon leader by making two overhand knots to put the hooks on.  I prefer as fresh as I can get shrimp for black drum fishing.  Fish these rigs around docks, oyster rocks and inlets for Black Drum; you might even get a Redfish mixed in as well. I will sometimes catch two Black Drum at the same time on the same rig; that’s what I call good fishing!

Cape Fear River Striped Bass can bite very well into April, but the fish move around a lot more during April, you’ll find them at one spot one day and the next day they have moved on.  In April the Stripers will start to move in to shallower waters, I look for the Stripers in three to ten feet of water in the early spring.  This is when you need to also shallow up your presentation, go lighter with you tackle.  I prefer Berkley Powerbait grass pig lures; I use colors green back and swamp gas.  Rigging the grass pig lures on TroKar TK170 swim bait hooks should put a Striper on the end of your line.  Look for Cape Fear River Stripers around mud-flat edges, bulk-heads and shallow reed-grass edges on sunny warmer days.

Also in the Cape Fear River I really enjoy heading to Lock & Dam #1 or #2 on the Cape Fear River during April to catch large American shad on light tackle and Fly tackle.  Casting shad darts in bright colors and shad flys is the way to catch these shad.  I use a double shad dart rig, this makes it easier to cast the light darts and sometimes you get two shad at the same time!  The shad run in the one to a few over four pounds; super fun on fly and light tackle setups “poor man’s Tarpon”!

Tackle run down: PENN Clash II, Clash II 3000 HS (high speed Bonito) & Conflict II Spinning reels (1000 & 2000 shad fishing), 2500 & 3000 sizes.  Rods: Fenwick HMG Inshore 7’ medium/light (shad) and medium action.  Line Spiderwire Ultra-cast in (six pound shad fishing) ten and fifteen pound.  Berkley Pro Spec fluorocarbon leader material for all my leaders. Tackle storage Plano Z-series & Guide series tackle bags with Plano EDGE Stowaway boxes.

I know we are in a very different and not in my life time kind of scenario with Covid-19.  I know personally I need outside time and of course fishing time as well!  Please get outside when you can safely and fishing if you can safely & legally.  We are in this together and if we are smart about it we can get through it safely faster.

Thanks for reading, good spring fishing to you and we will get through this!

Capt. Jot Owens
www.captainjot.com
910-233-4139

Posted in Fishing Reports on April 1st, 2020

Fishing Report: Wrightsville Beach, NC Fishing Forecast-March 2020

March is a month of watching the weather forecast and like the weather the fishing can be the same too.  One day bad fishing the next they are jumping in the boat!  Here are the species I like to look for during March around Southeast North Carolina.

In March the Redfish finally start to move around a little more than they have all winter.  Not that they don’t move around in the winter; they just start to show up in place’s they like more during warmer times of the year.  This is the time of the year you need to get out and find where the Redfish are going and showing up.  In the cooler months I’ve seen crustacean patterns work better for Redfish; due to the fact that these baits are a little easier to catch, than say baits like fish patterns.  A good handful of our local shrimp has wintered over because of the mild winter weather, also some of the little baitfish stayed too.  All of this will make for a better March fishing scenario for sure!

On warmer days the crustaceans and baitfish will move a little more; these are the days you need to be looking for Redfish in March.  Working scented baits like Berkley Gulp and Gulp Alive in patterns two and three inch shrimp, two inch peeler crab and 3” hollow shrimp should get the Redfish to bite.  These baits don’t have paddle tails so you can work them very slow, which is still very important because the water still be pretty cool in March.  Find those banks where the sun can warm up shallows just a little more than other places.  Look for dark bottom banks and places with less current these are the areas where the water will be warmer and the Redfish will be feeding.  Remember to keep your eyes peeled in the shallow water areas for Reds, March can be a very good sight fishing month; just make sure you work the baits a little slower with a fluorocarbon leader (twenty pound) for those clear spring waters.  A high quality pair of sunglasses can pay off big for spring sight fishing Redfish, I prefer Smith optics for this.

March is another month when Cape Fear River Striped Bass fishing will pick up.  The Striper size is very mixed during early spring.   In March the Stripers will start to move in to shallower waters, I look for the Stripers in three to eight feet of water during early spring.  This is when you need to also shallow up your presentation, go lighter with you tackle.  I prefer Berkley Gulp jerkshad and Berkley Powerbait grass pig lures (five inch size); I use colors pearl, chart pepper neon, Crazy chrome Violet (Powerbait) and new penny (swamp gas).  Using swim bait hooks size 6/0 or 7/0 in ¼ or 3/8 ounce I use TroKar TK170 hooks, should put a Striper on the end of your line. You can also cast mid-water crank baits that dive three to eight feet, don’t let the lure drag the bottom to much or you will lose your lure to a stump or log!  Look for Cape Fear River Stripers around mud-flat edges, bulk-heads, creeks and shallow reed-grass edges on sunny warmer days. CFR Stripers are closed to keep; catch and release only.

Don’t count out a nice Speckled trout during the month of March! But what is a trout going to hit in March?  This is when you need to know where to start; what lures to try?  One of my favorites is the good’ole MirrOlure; it’s been around a long time and it is still catching fish, but its cold so work them SLOW!  The patterns I prefer are the 17MR, 18MR, 52M and 52MR.  Colors; MirrOlure makes a lot of different colors but here are some of my go too colors in clear area waters.  MirrOlure color codes: 11, 21, 26, 51, 704, CFPR, CH, EC, HP AND Capt. Jot Custom color #1 & #2  (only found at Tex’s Tackle shop).  Any local tackle shop can help you with these color codes. Best depths to use these lures; 17MR use these lures in two to six feet of water.  18MR, 52M & 52MR use these lures in four to fifth-teen plus feet of water.

If you have ever done any trout fishing at all you know that a grub (soft plastic) lures work very well for Speckled trout too!  I also really like the Berkley Powerbait Pro Twitchtail minnow in three inch; color Chartreuse Ice, Pink Ice and pearl white.  Berkley Powerbait Minnow in colors Chartreuse shad and Emerald shiner in three & four inch sizes. Also another new bait I’ve had luck with this winter is the Berkley Powerbait Ca$h Out lure in colors cotton candy, morning dawn silver and Chartreuse shad. I rig all of my trout grubs on 1/16oz, 1/8oz and 1/4oz jigs heads in colors red, gray or black; always use a fluorocarbon leader when trout fishing, I use Berkley Pro Spec twenty pound.

There is another kind of fishing I like to try in March but there is no saltwater involved.  I like to hit the upper Northeast Cape Fear River and Sutton Lake the do a little Large-mouth bass fishing.  If you want to try something different try some bass fishing, they are a lot of fun to catch on lighter tackle.  Most of the time I use heavy sink worms from Berkley Powerbait MaxScent in colors black, cinnamon purple, purple and green pumpkin candy red. I rig these sinko style worms with a 5/0 wide gap eagle claw L092G worm hook with no weight.  Work these worms very slowly off banks and stump beds.  If you like to fly fish, try slow sinking small minnow patterns along the grass flats in Sutton Lake on cloudy or foggy days.

Tackle run down: PENN Fierce III & Clash II Spinning reels sizes 2000, 2500 & 3000 for the Redfish, Speckled trout, Largemouth Bass and Striped Bass.  PENN Battalion & Fenwick HGM inshore series rods in 7’ medium action. line Spiderwire Ultra-cast in ten and fifth-teen pound; Berkley Pro Spec Fluorocarbon for my leaders in twenty to thirty pound.  Tackle Storage systems I use: Plano Z-series and Plano Guide series tackle bags with EDGE Stowaway Boxes.

Thanks for reading, get outside and I hope March fishing is good to you!

Capt. Jot Owens
www.captainjot.com
910-233-4139

Posted in Fishing Reports on March 6th, 2020