The weather is getting nicer and nicer here in southeast North Carolina. Warmer days mean warmer water temps, and that could only mean one thing; Spring fishing! In my opinion we are running about two weeks ahead in water temps. I fished on Thursday 3/13, the water temp in the water way (ICW) was 59.5` to 61.2` and in the ocean was 58.5` to 59.4`.
These temps are about 4 to 5 degrees warmer than last year this same time. So what does this mean? I hope an early and longer fishing season this year. We will just have to see what happens; hopefully it will mean better fishing. So far so Good! To the fishing report
Just off the beach, in the three the fifteen mile range there is some bottom fish. We fished the Liberty ship wreck on 3/13. We caught some very nice Black sea Bass and Ring tail porgies. The fish were mixed in size; from 8 to 15 plus inches.
You can find these fish and also Jolt head porgies, Dog sharks, and Tautogs. They are hanging on ledges and artificial reefs just off the beach. These fish are not too hard to catch once you find them. Cut bait is the way to go on these fish, Squid seems to work the best and it stays on the hook better. If you would rather go artificial, jigs and jig spoons, two to five oz. any colors will work “go bright”.
Inshore fishing is picking up as well. Redfish, Speckled trout and Flounder are biting. You just have to get out on the water and put some time in to find them. In the spring you need to slow down your presentation and add some scent to your lures. Doing these things will help you catch more fish.
The Redfish are hitting grubs, cut bait and live bait. Live bait is just starting to show up around this area, most of it is small in size. Grubs that have been working well: Saltwater Assassin’s (Blurps) in colors molting, good penny and pearl. Cut bait to use, fresh shrimp and fresh mullet. Rig the cut bait, Carolina rig style.
Flounder and Speckled trout fishing is just starting to pick up. We have been catching most of the Flounder and trout on grubs. Assassin Sea shads in colors S&P. PH/CHART.TL and CHART-DIAMOND are working well. Those color “codes” came right off the back of the packages. Red or black jig heads seem to be the best. One good trick I use is some (Bang) shrimp scent to spray on my grubs. This scent works great for Flounder and trout fishing.
In other fishing news, Xtools and Pflueger have come out with some new products for this year. Xtools has come out with over nine new products from Xtoolkits to RodXRacks. You can check them all out at www.xtools.us Pflueger has made a very nice saltwater bait caster, (Patriarch) check it out and other new products at www.pfluegerfishing.com Thanks for reading this report! We are booking up quickly for the season so give me a call and let’s go fishing. Don’t forget to take a kid fishing as well!!
Good fishing to ya,
Capt. Jot Owens
www.captainjot.com
910-233-4139
Posted in Fishing Reports on August 18th, 2011
Spring is Springing around Southeast North Carolina! Warmer weather is starting to show up and the fishing is picking up. In other good news, I finished rigging the new boat and she is ready to fish! So give me a call and let’s go fishing! Now to the fishing report!
With the weather getting warming the water temps are on the raise, which is a very good thing. Redfish are biting around docks and marsh grass drops in the water way and creek mouths. Most of the falling tide and the start of the raise is the best time to catch these Reds. Anywhere you can find the sun warming the water around docks, there should be some Reds close by.
The Reds are taking scented Grubs and fresh bait like shrimp or mullet. The best bet for grubs are Saltwater Assassin (Blurps), these are some of the best scented grubs on the market! Colors I would recommend; Molting, Good Penny and Drunk monkey. The best Grub head colors red and black these seem to work the best. Work the grubs slow, this will let the scent spread out more so the Reds can find the grubs.
A few Speckled trout are biting, same set up as the Reds. Try to find some fish warming up in the sun, on flats and oyster rocks. Work Grubs and Mirrolure’s very slow for these fish. Good colors for the grubs are Saltwater Assassin salt & pep chartreuse tail and chart/diamond. These are two of my favorite colors. If you see the Trout on the bottom cast on the edge of them not right in the school. If you cast in the school it will scare them. If you can get any live bait use it!
Just off the beach, in the three the fifteen mile range there is some bottom fish. The Black sea bass, Jolt head porgies and Tautogs are biting in this area. There hanging on ledges and artificial reefs, these fish are not too hard to catch once you find them. Cut bait is the way to go on these fish, Squid seems to work the best and it stays on the hook better. If you would rather go artificial, jigs and jig spoons, two to five oz. any colors will work “go bright”.
We are booking up fast for this up coming summer season, book now to get the day you want! Check out the new web page for fishing reports and charter specials from time to time. Thanks for reading this report, and Good fishing to Ya!!!
Capt. Jot Owens
910-233-4139
Posted in Fishing Reports on August 18th, 2011
Hello to all, I hope everyone is doing well. It will not be long at all before spring will be here and that can only mean one thing “spring fishing”! I can’t wait!! I picked up the new boat last week and I’m almost done rigging it. Just a few more things to do and I’ll put her in the water for the season.
To the fishing report we go>>>>. Redfish are biting on those nice warm sunny days. The best bet for these guys is to look for them on flats, oyster rocks and grass lines on warm calm days. The Reds will be sunning and trying to find bait that is doing the same thing. Best lures to use; jigs “go light” 1/8 and ¼ oz. jig heads this way you will not spook the Reds in shallow water. Rig them with a good scented grub like Saltwater Assassin Blurps. In the sea shad pattern; colors pearl or molting seen to work the best in the winter mouths.
All so look for big schools of Redfish in the surf on very nice days as well. These schools of Reds will be close to inlets, sandbars and sometimes jetties. Use the same kinds of jigs, but use heavier jig heads like 3/8 and ½ oz. This will make it easier to cast to the Reds. A few Trout are biting as well. A good bet for them would be Mirrolure’s and Grubs. Colors for Mirrolure’s chart back and white on white. Grubs silver mullet and one of my favorites chart diamond. Remember work them slow, during the colder mouths!
In the Cape Fear River there are still a few Stripers biting. The bigger fish for the most part are starting to slow down. We are catching most of the Stripers on jigs, rattle trips and mid diving X-raps. Colors white on white, green back and silver minnow. Just look for creek mouths, drop-offs and docks that hold any kind of bait. Work these areas hard and you will catch a few Stripers, patience pays off! There are some catfish biting in the river now as well.
Just off the beach, in the three the fifteen miles off. The Black sea bass, Jolt head porgies and Tautogs are biting. There hanging on ledges and artificial reefs, these fish are not too hard to catch once you find them. Cut bait is the way to go on these fish, Squid seems to work the best and it stays on the hook better. If you would rather go artificial, jigs and jig spoons, two to five oz. any colors will work “go bright”.
In other news, keep and eye out for Saltwater Assassin’s new sea shad color that just came out. It’s called “chicken on a chain” it glows, hard to explain the color you’ll have to see it yourself. I think it will be a good Trout and Flounder color here in NC. I hear it’s working well for the guides in FL chasing Snook!
We are booking up fast for this up coming summer season, book now to get the day you want! Check out the new web page for fishing reports and charter specials from time to time. Thanks for reading this report, and Good fishing to Ya!!!
Capt. Jot Owens
910-233-4139
www.captainjot.com
Posted in Fishing Reports on August 18th, 2011
Well the warmer temps have come back to the Cape Fear Coast and I like it! Got out on the water with a good friend and fishing partner of mine Duane Auman. Duane and myself headed up the Cape Fear River to try a little late season Striper fishing on a beautiful February day. The weather could not have been any better!
We put out a few swallow diving X-raps and started trolling, we trolled for a good hour with no bites so we decided to do a little jigging. We got out some pearl in color Saltwater Assassin Blurps and long shank Assassin red jig heads. We use the long shank to rig the baits weed less, there are a lot of hangs in the Cape fear.
We jigged around a few different creek mouths and drop offs up and down the river. On the next stop Duane got a fish the first cast, I got the net; looked down in the water it was a Redfish! Not to bad for a first cast, so I dropped my jig down. Bang I got one too, another Redfish.
We kept jigging for a while with a few hits but no more hook ups on the jigs. I got out an X-rap “Green back” and made a few cast, and bang got a small Striper. Duane did the same and got one too. After a few hours and a few more small Stripers we called it a day and headed for the ramp.
We were happy with a few Reds and Stripers on a warm winter day. It was just great getting out on the water!
Gear used: Pflueger Contender Low profile bait casters with 20# Ugly braid, Rods were Pflueger Trion 7’0” Med-Heavy Act.
Thanks for reading this report, good fishing to ya,
Capt. Jot Owens
www.captainjot.com
910-233-4139
Posted in Fishing Reports on August 18th, 2011
I think winter is finally here, I’m already looking forward to spring! Cooler temps have invaded the southeast Carolina coast, rainy and cold one day; cold and sunny the next. Sometimes we get a lucky 60` day mixed in, “I like those”! Spring will be here before we know it.
The new boat is here!!! I got to see it for the first time today, she is beautiful. I am really looking forward to fishing one of the finest bay boats in the world. The Ranger Bay 22` is a truly fine fishing weapon, built to fish, fish and more fishing. This will be one more very important weapon to catch those sneaky fish around here.
To the fishing report, a few Trout are biting. The key here is patience; take your time when the water gets cold. Cold water Trout fishing; slow jigging and slow retrieve will catch you more Trout. When the water cools down, I mostly fish Grubs and Mirrolures. It is easier to fish these lures slower, than other lures on the market. If you can get live bait, please use it!
The grubs I like in the winter mouths are Saltwater Assassin sea shad in 4”. Colors silver mullet, chart diamond, and salt/pep shad. I like to use shrimp Bang scent in the winter too, this helps because there is not much bait in the water. I don’t use a lot of scents for Trout, but in the cold winter it can really help. Mirrolures elect. ckin and chart and sliver belly colors. Work them SLOW!
Redfish are schooling well in the surf, if we can get a nice day to get out and get’em. They are pretty easy to catch; you just got to find them. That part can be a bit harder, trust me! A sunny, light wind day and good polarized sunglasses are the keys to catching these Reds.
Grubs seen to be the easy go to bait for surf Reds. Saltwater Assassin “Blurps” in pearl color work very well. You need to use heavier jigs heads, ½ and 5/8 plus for casting. Color of the head is not a big deal Red, white and black all work just fine. Hold on tight, they fight great even in cold water!
Let’s not forget those Cape Fear River stripers; they should bite right on to the end of February. That is if it does not get to cold, so far so good. . Most fish are eating shrimp jigs “Blurps” in pearl and molting have done well. Also Rattle traps and mid water diving plugs are catching a few too.
That is the report; keep an eye on the web page. As soon as I get photos of the new boat I will put hem on the web site. Thanks for reading this report, good fishing to ya!
Capt. Jot Owens
www.captainjot.com
910-233-4139
Posted in Fishing Reports on August 18th, 2011
