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. 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 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 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. (Keeper season had not been set at the time of this report) 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)! 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 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 #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!
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 Clash II series spinning reels 2500, 3000, 4000 sizes for the Redfish, Spanish, sheephead and Flounder. Cobia: PENN Spinfisher VI 5500 & 6500 spinning reels or PENN 20LW, 25LW, 25NLD Fathom casting reels. Rods PENN Battalion II 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, 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 4th, 2021
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 after last year about this time; I’M SO READY!!!
As the weather stabilizes and the temps go up in May I see more days where I can get out in the ocean. I love to look for those high speed, good eating and so much fun to catch 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 (Big Nic Spanish Candy lures) or using fly gear in weights seven to nine can make for a great challenge on 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 or Gulp curly tail grubs on light jig heads is one of my go to lures for May redfish. My go to colors are pearl white, 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 on a 1/16oz jig head 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. Using Eagle Claw L42 1/0 hooks to make up a Carolina rig. Try fishing fresh cut bait around docks in the ICW or along creek mouths when the tide is moving.
By 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 the 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 Pro Spec 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 or later in the season Tarpon! 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 size Flounder I have found. 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. I really like the new Berkley Fusion Jig heads, great hooks with the best lure keeper I’ve have seen! (See Photo) 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 at the time of this report has not been set. As soon as it is set I’ll post it!
Tackle run down: New PENN Clash II & Battle II DX series Spinning reels 2000, 2500, 3000, 4000 sizes. Rods: Fenwick HMG Inshore series rods 7’ Medium class 8 to 15 pound test rods for Redfish, Inshore flounder, Bonito etc. Ocean Flounder 7’ Med/Hvy class 12 to 25 pound test. Line Spiderwire Ultra-cast in ten and fifth-teen pound braid. Cobia Reels PENN Fathom II 20LWcasting, 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 (3700XL) size and Z-series (3600 or 3700) size tackle bags with Plano EDGE tackle trays inside.
Thanks for reading, stay safe, fish smart, get outdoors and #FishThroughIt
Capt. Jot Owens
www.captainjot.com
910-233-4139
Posted in Fishing Reports on May 1st, 2021
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 two (+/-) weeks 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 (good eating) and False Albacore (don’t recommend eating but fun to catch) 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 a small daisy chain (squids) in colors blue, silver or 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, green or (Capt. Jot Custom color) I use a thirty pound fluorocarbon leader at two to three foot long when casting these lures (no swivel).
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) & Battle III DX 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 other species. Berkley Pro Spec fluorocarbon leader material for all my leaders. Tackle storage Plano Z-series & Guide series tackle bags with Plano EDGE Stowaway boxes.
Thanks for reading and good spring fishing to you!
Capt. Jot Owens
www.captainjot.com
910-233-4139
Posted in Fishing Reports on April 2nd, 2021
February in Southeast NC is one of the tougher months to get out and fish, the weather windows are much smaller and the temp can be downright cold some days. But it’s not all doom and gloom, fishing can be great during February especially when we have mild runs of weather. Here are some of the species I target around Southeast NC during February.
Cape Fear River Striped Bass are one of my favorites for winter fishing in our area. I look for the Stripers on drop offs, around pilings and creek mouths. Working baits like Berkley Gulp five or six inch jerkshads and Berkley Powerbait grass pigs in five inch should get you a bite or two from a Striped Bass. I prefer white and chart pepper neon for the jerkshad and swamp gas and chartreuse silver flake in the grass pig. I rig my jerkshad and grass pigs on swimbait 7/0 TroKar TK-170 hooks, in 1/4oz or 3/8oz weight. Mid water crank baits work too, try lures that dive from three to eight feet deep for best results, Rapala X-raps work well. If the Stripers are sitting shallow a MirrOlure 17MR can get a bite or two as well. If the crank bait starts to hit the bottom let it float up a bit or trust me you’ll lose it to structure! Water temps are cold this time of year in the river, I prefer anything above 44 degrees but have caught them as low as 39*. Don’t forget that the Cape Fear River Striped Bass fishery is a closed fishery and is catch & release only; you must release all Striped Bass. Keep your eyes out for tagged Stripers there are a lot of tagged fish out there.
There is one fish that can be caught very easily during the winter months; if you find them! The Redfish bite can be some of the best of the year for catching numbers of fish; the deal breaker for this fishery is you have got to have good weather, calm seas and bright sunny skies for the ocean schools. I find the winter ocean Reds around the inlets, sand bars, up and down the beaches in the surf line. I use Berkley Gulp swimming mullet in colors pearl white; also the Berkley Gulp three & four inch Shrimp work well too both rigged on 3/8oz jig heads. A MirrOlure Catch 2000Jr or 2000 lures work well for winter Redfish in the ocean as well.
On warmer light wind days you can also find some nice schools of Reds in shallow water flats and oyster rocks. The Reds will sun on these dark colored bottom areas for a little extra warm up; this is also where you’ll see some bait fish doing the same thing (warming up). Work these baits slowly in front of the Redfish schools; not right through the school, all this will do is spook the Reds and will make it very hard to catch them. If the Reds are hungry they break away from the school and eat your bait!
There is one fish that a lot of anglers over look during the winter months, the Black Drum. What I love about these fish is you can catch them in good numbers this time of year and there pretty darn good to eat! On top of all that they can be fairly easy to catch; all you need is a little fresh (as you can get) shrimp. I use a light Carolina rig with an Eagle claw L42 #1 hook. Light meaning using as light as you can get away with sinker wise to not spook the drum. Fish around docks, oyster rocks and inlets for these Black Drum; often you’ll catch Redfish and Sheepshead (smaller) mixed in as well.
What a rollercoaster of weather this winter so far, like most winters in Southeast NC. You can find a good winter Speckled trout bite, but it takes the right weather pattern for good results. Here are some ways I like to target Speckled trout into later winter months. A lure that always comes to mind for winter Speckled trout is the MirrOlure in the 52M, 52MR and TT series. MirrOlure color codes I prefer are: 11, 21, 26, 51, 704, CFPR, CH, EC, HP AND Capt. Jot Custom color #1 & #3 (only found at Tex’s Tackle shop). Most any local tackle shop can help you with these color codes (a lot easier than spelling them all out here). As far as colors go I try to use light colors in clearer waters and darker colors in stained/river or dirty waters.
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 3” shrimp, fire tail shrimp, Berkley Powerbait Pro Twitchtail minnow or a Cash Out a try. Rig the Gulp shrimp or twitchtail on lighter jig heads, here too for the trout so you can work them just a bit slower due to the cooler water temps. Don’t rule out a nice Gray trout 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 they don’t have too swimming against the current.
Tackle run down: PENN Battle III DX & Clash II Spinning reels sizes 2500 & 3000 for the Redfish, Speckled trout and Striped Bass. Fenwick HMG Inshore 7’ medium rods 8 to 15 pound class and line Spiderwire Ultra-cast in ten or fifteen; Berkley Pro Spec Fluorocarbon leader for leaders; 20 pound for trout and 30 for all other species. Tackle Bags and Organization, I prefer the new Plano Z-series and Guide Series tackle bags. I use Plano Edge Stowaway boxes for organization of my tackle in these tackles bags.
Thanks for reading, stay warm or cool and good fishing to you!
Capt. Jot Owens
www.captainjot.com
910-233-4139
Posted in Fishing Reports on January 29th, 2021
So far a pretty mild Fall, a few cooler days but overall mild. Here we are in the first few days of November and just like that a strong cold front. We really needed this cool air to get the fall fishing really going. Especially the local Speckled trout bite, I’ve 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’s going to be good very soon!
In early to mid November I look for Speckled trout in the creeks and channels just off the ICW; any where 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 don’t let the tide keep you form 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 of 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 I’ve found is that most days Specks will bite, but what are they hitting that day? I’ve found that in early to mid 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’s been around a long time and it is still catching lots of big fish. 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 (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 a 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 and the new color all chartreuse. I also really like the Berkley Powerbait Pro Twitchtail minnow in three inch; colors Chartreuse Ice, Pink Ice and pearl white. Berkley Powerbait Minnow in colors Chartreuse shad and Emerald shiner in three & four inch sizes.
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 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 five 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!
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’ll be happy you did!
*PS: Also keep your eyes peeled for trout with yellow or red belly tags, I’ve tag a fair amount from south Topsail to Carolina beach inlet this year and last. Yellow tags are worth $5 and Red tags are worth $100!
The bigger Reds 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. Don’t 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 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.
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 teethe Blues they do bite hard!
Tackle run down: PENN Fierce III & Clash II Spinning reels sizes 2000, 2500 & 3000 for the Speckled trout. Rods PENN Battalion II or 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. Bull Reds PENN Fathom 20LW and PENN Rampage Jigging Rods with 30 pound Pro Spec chrome mono. Tackle Storage system I prefer Plano Guide series in 3700 and 3700XL Tackle Bags with Plano EDGE stowaway Boxes inside.
*Keep your eyes on my FaceBook page for I’ll be releasing the two dates of my inshore fishing schools later this month. I’ll 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 2nd, 2020
