January is the kind of month that I watch the weather forecast very closely. Weather changes much quicker during the winter around our area and can be a big influence on the fishing. I look for warmer, lighter wind and mostly sunny days, even better if we get a few of these kinds of days in a row. January is definitely a pick your fishing day kind of month for the best possible bite chances. I’ll tell you though, you can have epic fishing days during January, they are just harder to come by because of the weather. January is starting out mild and this could setup a good winter season start but watch that forecast closely; winter could show up any day!
Large winter Redfish schools are one of my favorite fish to look for during winter mouths. On calm, light wind days you can find these Reds on dark mud flats and oyster rocks. You can also find large schools around inlets and sand bars just off the local beaches. When you find these schools approach very slow and quietly, for they spoke very easily; also, a high-quality pair of polarized sunglasses will help big time seeing the schools of Reds. I really like Smith optics with ChromaPop. Most of the time the winter school Reds will bite pretty easily, but one thing that will help is scented baits like Berkley Gulp. I prefer Berkley Gulp three- or four-inch shrimp in colors sugar spice glow, scooby and sangria for the flats Reds. When I am targeting the inlet and ocean bar Reds I like to cast five and six inch Berkley Gulp jerkshad in colors pearl white and Chart pepper neon. Sometimes you may need to work the bait a little slower during colder months, so try using a lighter jig head; this will allow you to work the bait slower. Jig head weight; Inshore Reds 1/16oz to 1/4oz, ocean Reds 1/4oz to 3/8oz.
You can also use as fresh as you can get cut shrimp or mullet on a light Carolina rig with a Eagle Claw #4 Bait holder hook if you prefer to use bait. I only use cut bait for the inshore Reds not the ocean fish. Don’t rule out a Black drum or sheepshead while using fresh cut shrimp during the winter months. Typically, if you find one Black drum there are others around, I’d stick around a little while if you catch one.
During January you can find some of the big Speckled trout, you’re not going to find big numbers, unless they are smaller fish; but the big ones will bite when it gets colder! Work your lures slower and know that you’ll fish for hours, but the payoff can be great! Try to have patients when winter fishing!
A lure that always seems to help me find more winter Speckled trout is the MirrOlure in the 51M and 52M or MR. Fishing lighter colors due the clear water we sometimes get during the winters here. Working MirrOlures slowly in deeper water breaks and drop offs can produces some very nice trout. If the water gets a bit dirty due to winds or rain/ice/snow, give Berkley Gulp three-inch shrimp, shrimp and five-inch Jerkshad a try. Another winter lure I like Berkley Pro Twitchtail’s on lighter jig (weight 1/16oz) heads; here again work them just a bit slower due to the colder water temps. Don’t rule out a nice Gray trout (weakfish) mixed in during the winter while Speckled trout fishing. Look for the bigger trout to be sitting close to the current, but just off and out of it. Remember these fish are not going to burn calories so they don’t have to be swimming against the current. Remember with clear cold water it’s very important to use a high quality fluorocarbon leader material, it will make a difference; trust me!
Not too far from Wrightsville Beach in historical downtown Wilmington runs the Cape Fear and North East Cape Fear Rivers. During the winter months usually starting in December the local population of Striped Bass start to bite in the rivers. These fish are not the easiest to catch, but they fight very well even in cold water. Working drop offs on the edge of the river, docks and creek months is where you can find the Stripers. I prefer using swim bait lures like Berkley five inch PowerBait Grass pig or Berkley Gulp Jerkshad rigged on weighted swim-bait hooks. Colors that I prefer are pearl white, swamp gas (grass pig) and chart pepper neon. Mid-water diving crank-baits work too but, be careful around pilings to not get hang-ups and lose your lures, it’s very easy to do in the Cape Fear with all the timber on the bottom. You can catch these Stripers on any tide, as long as it’s moving. Don’t forget that the Cape Fear River Striped Bass Fishery is closed; catch and release only.
Tackle run down: PENN Battle III DX & Slammer IV series spinning reels sizes 2000, 2500, 3000 & 3500 for the Redfish, Speckled trout and Striped Bass. Rods: Fenwick HMG Inshore in seven foot; med/light (Speckled trout) and medium action; line Spiderwire Ultra-cast in eight, ten and fifth-teen pound. Berkley Pro Spec Fluorocarbon leader material, twenty pound trout fishing, thirty or forty pound Redfish and Striped Bass. Tackle Storage I prefer, Plano Guide Series Tackle Bags with Plano EDGE Boxes.
Have a Happy New Year, good fishing to you and thank you for reading!
Capt. Jot Owens
www.captainjot.com
910-233-4139
Posted in Fishing Reports on January 3rd, 2022
Where has this year gone??? December really; Christmas just around the corner! But hey, there is still good fishing to do around Southeast, NC! So far this fall the temps have been pretty fair in my opinion. We’ve had a few cool/cold days but then we have runs of mild weather. This typically keeps the bite going, Fingers crossed for good weather!!!
In December I catch some of the biggest Speckled trout all year, but you need to know which lures work better for bigger trout. Hard baits like MirrOlures have put some big trout in the boat for me and for many other anglers over the years. One key point to trout I’ve found is that most days Specks will bite, but what are they hitting that day? This is when you need to know where to start; what lures to try? 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 to 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 (Pink back/white belly), #2 (purple back/pink belly) and #3 (Blue back/pink belly) colors in 17MR, #1 in 22MR & 52MR (only found at Tex’s Tackle shop) 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 the grub (soft plastic) lures work very well for Speckled trout. Good looking scented lures that have been working very well for me are Berkley Gulp’s three-inch shrimp and five-inch Jerkshad. Gulp comes in many colors, but here is a few that I like for trout in (shrimp pattern); sugar spice glow, pearl white and new this year the sangria color. The Sangria color has quickly become my new “goto” Gulp Trout color. I have been crushing the trout this fall on this new color! Berkley Gulp’s jerkshad in pink shine, pearl white and chart pepper neon work well too.
I also really like the Berkley Powerbait Pro Twitchtail minnow in three-inch size; colors Chartreuse Ice, Pink Ice and pearl white. I rig all of my trout grubs on 1/16oz, 1/8oz and 1/4oz jigs heads in colors red, gray or white and I always use a fluorocarbon leader when trout fishing. I prefer Berkley Pro Spec twenty pound in clear, thirty pound if the blues show up in numbers.
Don’t 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 six feet I like to float these live baits with a cork and a small treble hook. In deeper waters of six to ten plus I rig them on light Carolina rigs with a small number one 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.
In December another fish I really like to hunt for on sunny, warmer and light wind days is schooling Redfish. I find these schools on oyster rocks/flats, sand bars in the surf and shallow flats just off the ICW. In December the Reds are not hard to catch when you find them, but sometimes finding them can be a challenge. My go to bait for the winter Redfish are scented grub like the Berkley Gulp jerkshad or shrimp; Redfish love these things. Rig grubs with thirty fluorocarbon and a darker colored jig heads like red or gray should get the redfish to bite for you. Sometimes a light Carolina rig with a small piece of cut shrimp; for those stubborn fall/winter Redfish may help get a bite.
Just a little inland in Southeast, NC runs the Cape Fear River and in the Cape Fear there is one of my favorite winter fisheries the Striped Bass. These fish are not the easiest to catch, but they fight very well even in cold water. Working drop offs and grass lines on the edge of the river is where you can find the Stripers, using swim bait lures like Berkley Power Bait Grass pig lures and Berkley Gulp Jerkshad. These lures should put a few Cape Fear Stripers on your line. I rig these lures on swimbait hooks for weedless fishing, (lots of hangs in the river). I use TroKar TK170 and TK178 swimbait hooks, super sharp! Don’t forget that the Cape Fear River Striped Bass Fishery is closed; catch and release only!
Tackle run down: PENN Battle III DX & Slammer IV Spinning reels sizes 2000, 2500 & 3000 for the Redfish, Speckled trout and Striped Bass Rods: Fenwick Inshore HMG 7’& 7’6” med/light (Speckled Trout) and medium action; line Spiderwire Ultra-cast in eight- or ten-pound test for Speckled trout fishing and ten and fifth-teen pound for Reds/Stripers.
Thanks for reading Merry Christmas, Happy New Year and good winter fishing to you!
Capt. Jot Owens
www.captainjot.com
910-233-4139
Posted in Fishing Reports on November 29th, 2021
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; MirrOlure’s 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. 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 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 to 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 and Slammer IV 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 Rampage 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 Red line Thirty-pound Berkley Pro-Spec Chrome mono (I Like the Orange line). Tackle storage I use Plano Guide series 3700 tackle bag for Lures and Plano Z-Series 3600 tackle bag for terminal tackle.
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 October 7th, 2021
September is the month of change, summer starts to wind down and fall starts to show it’s self. I personally really like to fish in September, warm days, a little less humidity, much less boat traffic and best of all; great fishing! Here are some of the “goto” fish I like to target during September. PS: the mullet run has started; Bait moving equals fish feeding!!!
September this year is a little different because it’s Flounder season (September 1st to September 14th), here is how I target flounder in September. Working live or artificial lures slower so the flounder have time to see and react to the target (bait) is my favorite way to fish for flounder. Live bait is good for catching higher numbers of Flounder, but not always as many bigger size flounder come to the boat on live bait in my opinion. Mud minnows (larger) and smaller finger mullet will be the best live baits for Flounder in September, both are hardy baitfish in hot weather. Small menhaden work too but die very easy especially in the warm waters of early September, but may work better later in the month with a bit cooler waters.
Rigging the live bait on carolina rigs with Eagle Claw L42 1/0 or 2/0 hooks is a good choice of rigs for Flounder. If you prefer to use artificial baits which I do and I tend to see bigger size flounders more often on artificial lures. Scented and none scented grubs like the Berkley Grass pig (5”) or Champ swimmer (4.6”) are good choices in colors, chartreuse, green back and swamp gas (new penny). Berkley Gulp Jerkshad in five and six inch in colors of fire tiger, pearl white and chart pepper neon are all good colors. Darker colors like new penny in heavy stained/dirty waters work better to get more bites. I rig these lures on jig heads in 1/4oz, 3/8oz and 1/2oz weights in colors red, gray or white with thirty- or forty-pound fluorocarbon leader material for inshore flounder fishing.
When I’m Ocean fishing for flounder I step up the weight and size of my lures a bit. Berkley Gulp six inch jerk shad and five inch Gulp grubs in colors fire tiger, chart pepper neon, pearl white and salmon red. I rig these on larger jig heads or Bucktails these are my goto’s for ocean flounder fishing. I prefer ¾ oz to 1.5oz jig heads or 1.5oz to 2oz Berkley Fusion Bucktail’s when targeting ocean flounder. Using forty- or fifty-pound Berkley Pro spec fluorocarbon leader material for ocean flounder fishing. The Fluorocarbon leaders help with all the sharp bottom structures and getting those nice flounder to the boat!
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 or lure. And again, don’t forget NC keeper Flounder season is September 1st to September 14tth 2021!
When the water starts to cool down (a little) the Redfishing (Red Drum) will heat up. I look for the Reds to be in the creeks, along the ICW docks and oyster rocks. Carolina rigs with live bait or fresh cut bait is a good bet to catch a Redfish. If you want to go the artificial root, try Berkley Gulp three or four inch shrimp in color sugar spice glow or molting rigged on a 1/8oz or 1/4oz Berkley Fusion jig head should get’em to bite. Early mornings or late afternoons the top water bite should be good; cast MirrOlure Top Dog Jr’s and Top Pup’s for the best bite. Look for the top-water reds to be along marsh grass lines and shallow oyster rocks. You can also use rattling or popping corks in the same areas you use top-water plugs, just rig them with eight to fourteen inches of forty pound fluorocarbon, 1/0 hook L42 Eagle Claw and a live figure mullet.
The bigger Reds are starting to show up in the ocean on hard bottoms and around the inlets. 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 carolina rigs with TroKar TK5 8/0 or 9/0 AP circle hooks and eighty-pound clear Berkley Big game mono leaders. Don’t forget to keep your drag tight when using circle hook so the hook will do its job. One tip I can give you when fishing for Bull (Old) 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 to 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.
Spanish mackerel and false albacore fishing can be great during September. The Spanish run the biggest (in size) all year during the fall. You can cast or troll for them and the fly fishing can be great as well. The Spanish/albacore will be around the inlets, up & down the beaches and near shore artificial reefs. Look for jumping Spanish and diving birds; that is where you will find the Spanish mackerel. Casting small spoons or jigs like Big Nic’s Spanish Candy on light spinning tackle will put some Spanish 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 five to eight weight set up with floating line with a small minnow pattern fly or epoxy minnow pattern; my favorite!
Shark fishing will be good until late September. I see lots of different kinds of Sharks in September; Black tip, black nose, Spinner, Hammerhead and Tiger. Best baits for the near shore sharks are fresh/live Bluefish, Mullet and Menhaden. I use spinning or conventional reels for Shark fishing with 300+ yards of fifty and sixty-five pound Spider wire Ultra-cast braid. Rigging the baits; eight feet of 80 pound mono leader; some of this leader will wind on to the reel. Connected to the 80-pound mono with a fifty pound plus swivel, then two to three feet of #9 SS wire and a TroKar 8/0 or 9/0 AP circle hook. (I push down the barb for easy release) If you prefer Fly fishing, I like Striped bass flies in Menhaden patterns with 4/0 and 5/0 hook sizes. We use ten to twelve plus weight set ups; have lots of extra flies with you!
Fishing Tackle I use: PENN Clash II, PENN Battle III DX or Slammer IV series reels 2500, 3000 or 3500 Flounder, Redfish (puppy drum) and casting to Spanish mackerel. If you enjoy using a low-profile bait caster. Check out the PENN Fathom 200 size, I love this reel for pitching for Flounder! Big Drum and Sharks PENN Slammer III or Slammer IV 5500 or 6500 series spinning reels or conventional Fathom II 20LW reels. Rods PENN Battalion II or Fenwick HMG Inshore series 8 to 15 pound 7’ class for puppy drum (Redfish) and Spanish mackerel. Big Drum and Sharks PENN Rampage jigging spinning or casting 30-to-80-pound class. Lines Light tackle Redfish (puppy drum) and Spanish/albacore Spiderwire Ultra-cast 10-to-15-pound, Big Drum and Sharks 30-pound Berkley Pro Spec Chrome mono on conventional reels or Spiderwire braid 50 to 65 pound on spinning reels. Tackle Storage I prefer to use are Plano Guide series tackle bags in 3600 or 3700 with Plano EDGE Tackle Tray/boxes inside for waterproof protection.
Good September fishing to you and thanks for reading!
Capt. Jot Owens
www.captainjot.com
910-233-4139
Posted in Fishing Reports on September 1st, 2021
