October is the month when ‘Fall’ fishing really gets in full swing! So many great fishing opportunities during October; Big Redfish, Gator Specked trout and Jumbo Flounder!
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 7/0 or 8/0 circle hooks 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.
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 new 3” Ripple mullet and Saltwater Assassin Seashads in 4” size. 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 will catch’em. 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.
During October you can catch very good size and numbers of Flounder. I catch most of my October flounder around the inlets, creeks and channels (deeper is better) that lead to the inlets. Casting lures like Berkley Gulp Jerkshad in sizes five and six inch should put some keeper Flounder in the cooler for you. If you would rather use live bait; try a Carolina rig with a three to six inch mullet in the same areas. Try an Eagle Claw L42 1/0 size hook for your flounder Carolina rig. Just remember to take your time when you hook that door mat Flounder, they are great at getting off the line and have a good landing net close by like an EGO rubber mash net.
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 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; my favorite!
Tackle run down: PENN Battle II’s and Conflict II Spinning reels 2000,2500, & 3000 sizes for the Redfish, Speckled trout, Spanish, Albacore and Flounder. Bull Reds PENN Fathom casting reels or Slammer III spinning reels. Rods PENN Battalion 6’6” & 7’ medium and med/heavy for the Redfish, Spanish, Albacore and Flounder. Med/light 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.
Thanks for reading and good fishing to you!
Capt. Jot Owens
PENN Tackle Elite Staff
www.captainjot.com
910-233-4139
Posted in Fishing Reports on October 4th, 2017
PENN Fishing Tackle has brought another great spinning reel to the fishing market; it is the new PENN Conflict II spinning reel series. If you love your original Conflict spinning reels you’re really going to love the Conflict II. PENN has been working hard to come out with LIGHT yet strong spinning reel and they have done just that with the Conflict II series! Here are some of the features that make the PENN Conflict II stand alone as a great light spinning reel.
The Conflict II is a great looking, light and durable design with a super smooth yet strong drag. These are a few of the reasons so many anglers will love to fish this reel! And now with CNC gear technology smooth and light is the name of the game for the Conflict II series.
Key Features of the PENN Conflict II Spinning Reel:
• Superline Spool™ – No backing needed because of the rubber gasket keeps superline (braid) from slipping
• Machined and anodized aluminum spool
• HT-100™ Carbon Fiber drag washers provide smooth drag under heavy loads
• Line Capacity Rings
• 7 stainless steel ball bearings
• Infinite anti-reverse
• Rigid Resin RR30 Body & Rotor
• Machined anodized aluminum/Carbon handle with foam knob.
• Heavy-duty Aluminum bail wire.
• CNC Gear Technology
By keying the proprietary HT-100 Versa-drag washers into the spool PENN was able to use both sides of each drag washer giving the Conflict II higher max drags, more range and smoother start ups than the competition. PENN’s HT-100 washers are greased with our proprietary PENN grease for longevity.
Cap and Stats:
CFTII1000: Mono cap yds/lb: 275/2 135/4 105/6 Braid cap: 160/6 130/8 110/10 Bearings: 7 Max drag: 9 lbs Ratio: 5.2:1 Weight: 6.3oz
CFTII2000: Mono cap yds/lb: 240/4 180/6 125/8 Braid cap: 230/8 180/10 165/15 Bearings: 7 Max drag: 10 lbs Ratio: 6.2:1 Weight: 7.4oz
CFTII2500 Mono cap yds/lb: 255/6 175/8 140/10 Braid cap: 240/10 220/15 160/20 Bearings: 7 Max drag: 12 lbs Ratio: 6.2:1 Weight: 7.9oz
CFTII3000 Mono cap yds/lb: 200/8 165/10 120/12 Braid cap: 250/15 180/20 130/30 Bearings: 7 Max drag: 15 lbs Ratio: 6.2:1 Weight: 9.1oz
CFTII4000 Mono cap yds/lb: 270/8 220/10 165/12 Braid cap: 360/15 260/20 185/30 Bearings: 7 Max drag: 15 lbs Ratio: 6.2:1 Weight: 9.5oz
CFTII5000 Mono cap yds/lb: 225/12 200/15 135/20 Braid cap: 420/20 300/30 240/40 Bearings: 7 Max drag: 25 lbs Ratio: 5.6:1 Weight: 14.5oz
I was one of the field testers for the new PENN Conflict II during the design stage and here are the features that I enjoyed while fishing this reel. The new Conflict II has a much lighter weight which you can feel when casting for hours on the water. When I was fighting hard pulling fish like Redfish and Striped Bass the drag stayed smooth and kept its setting throughout the entire fight. Meanwhile casting for hours I never had tried the hands or arms; the weight is just so light with this series of Conflict II’s. I really enjoy the feel of the foam handles and the handles didn’t flex under pressure even with the light weight aluminum/carbon design. The Conflict II has clean look to it with a black body, carbon fiber detail ring around the spool and handle.
I believe the PENN Conflict II’s are going to be one of the best spinning reels PENN has ever made and it’s the lightest they have ever made!
The Conflict II’s are arriving in stores now!
Check out all of PENN’s great fishing products at www.pennreels.com
Thanks for reading my over view, if you have any questions on the Conflict II or any PENN product let me know, I’ll be happy to answer them.
Capt. Jot Owens
www.captainjot.com
Posted in Product Reviews on September 27th, 2017
The PENN Slammer is back by popular demand, back as the Slammer III series! This Slammer III series is built for heavy-duty fishing from boat, shore, surf or kayak; however you fish hard core! Designed, tested and trusted by Charter and Fishing guides all over the world. The Slammer III reels feature the new IPX6 Sealed system which keeps water, salt and sand out of the gear box and drag system. PENN is also using the updated Slammer Drag System which now utilizes PENN’s proprietary Dura-Drag material. The same Dura-Drag material used in PENN Internationals; “Big Smooth Drag Systems”!
Here are some of the key features of the New Slammer III spinning reel series:
- Full Metal Body, side plate and rotor
- CNC Gear Technology; smooth out of the box and stays smooth under pressure.
- IPX6 Sealed body and spool design
- Sealed Slammer Drag system with Dura-Drag
- 6+1 Stainless Steel bearing system
- Super Line ready spool
- Line Capacity Rings
- Instant Anti-Reverse
- Techno-balanced body
- Slammer III comes in sizes 3500, 4500, 5500, 6500, 7500, 8500, 9500 & 10500
- Drag ranges of thirty (30) pounds 3500 size reel and Sixty (60) pounds 10500 size reel (Max drag)
You may notice the larger gold handle in the photos of the new Slammer III reels. I was on the test and design team for these reels for the last two years. Yes I was wondering the same thing out of the box; “boy that handle looks odd, how’s it going to feel and fish?” To my surprise it feels and works great. It’s easier on your hands and fingers, makes it easier to hold the rod and not have the reel walk back and forth in your hands. Also when reeling in fast or working a lure fast it’s easier to keep the speed constant with the easy control of the larger handle. All models of the Slammer III reels come with the metal gold handle knob and an EVA foam knob as well in the box. You can choose whatever you like to fish with!
As a guide on the design and test team for the Slammer III I’ve been very impressed with the lasting smoothness and strength of this series of reels. I’ve had them for just over a year & a half and they are still just as smooth as they were out of the box! On my 3500 test size I’ve cuaght hundreds of deep water Flounders of one to six pounds with countless by-catch sharks, sea bass and grunts. We also landed five Cobia over fifty pounds on the 3500 size Slammer III test reel! I’ll definitely have a set of these reels for next year’s fishing season, for sure! The Slammer III series should be in your favorite Tackle shops mid-November; Showing up Now!
f you have any questions of the PENN Slammer III series or any other PENN product please let me know or check out www.pennfishing.com
Thanks for reading and good fishing to you!
Capt. Jot Owens
Posted in Product Reviews on November 15th, 2016
And the rollercoaster of winter is almost here, it’s called February! February can be a 50/50 kind of month. Some years good, some years bad; I prefer a normal to a bit milder kind of February myself! Most years you need to pick the best days to go fishing around the Cape Fear area waters; warmer days with less wind are the keys to better winter fishing trips; “pick your days” and the fishing will be better!
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 and six inch jerkshads and Berkley Havoc grass pigs should get you a bite or two from a Striped Bass. I prefer white and chart pepper neon for the jerkshad and pink, swamp gas and black in the Havoc grass pig. I rig my jerkshad and grass pigs on Moaner Stroker swim bait hooks, in 1/4oz weight; check out Moaner.com for great hooks at great prices! Mid water crank baits work too, try lures that dive from three to eight feet deep for best results. If the crank bait starts to hit the bottom let it float up a bit or trust me you’ll lose it to a log! 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.
Another fish that can bite well in the River during the winter months is the Blue Catfish. If you would like to give the Catfish a try, use baits like cut mullet, chicken livers and cut eel. I use heavy Carolina rigs when I fish for catfish. Try a TroKar Circle hook in 4/0 to 7/0 depending on bait size with fifty or sixty pound mono leader to make your carolina rig. Look for the catfish on drop-offs from five to twenty feet of water. We have seen some blue cats over thirty pounds caught in the river so try not to use to light of tackle; these are not always your ‘farm pond channel cats’!
There is one fish that can be caught very easily during the winter months; if you find them! This Redfishing 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 good weather, clam seas and bright sunny skies for the ocean schools. I use Berkley Gulp Ripple Mullet in colors Pearl/chart tail, New Penny and Rootbeer gold/chart tail; also the Berkley Gulp 2” & 3” Shrimp work well too. On warmer light wind days you can also find some nice schools of Reds in shallow water oyster flats and 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!
With the late fall we had, water temps are a bit higher this winter than past winters and the Speckled trout bite has been a good pick most of the winter! 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 (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).
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 and Jerkshad a try. Rig the Gulp or Saltwater Assassin Sea shad’s on lighter jig heads, here too for the trout so you can work them just a bit slower due to the colder 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 II & Clash Spinning reels sizes 2500, 3000 & 4000 for the Redfish, Speckled trout and Striped Bass. Battle II or Clash 5000 & 6000 for Catfish. PENN Battalion in 6’6” & 7’ medium and med/hvy action; and Battalion 7’ 15-30 class for catfish; line Spiderwire Ultra-cast in ten, fifth-teen and twenty pound; Berkley Pro Spec Fluorocarbon leader for leaders.
Here is the winter seminars, tackle sales and meet & greets I’ll be attending:
~I’ll be speaking at the Angler Academy in Charleston, SC on Saturday January 30th. The Angler Academy is held during the great Charleston boat show location Charleston Convention Center 5001 Coliseum Drive North Charleston, SC You are invited to learn the latest in techniques and tackle from the region’s leading fishing guides. www.angleracademy.fish
~Saltwater Sportsman National Seminar Series in Savannah, GA on February 6th A strong lineup of the region’s guides and Captains from offshore to inshore we cover it here.
www.nationalseminarseries.com
~Bass Pro Shops Spring Fishing Classic in Cary, NC February 20th & 21st This is Bass Pro’s Big Spring fishing tackle and sale. I’ll be at the Cary, NC store for meet & greet also to help you find the tackle you need for your spring fishing adventure! www.basspro.com
~Capt. Jot’s Inshore Fishing schools March and April are sold out, but I’ll do them again next year so keep your eye here for the announcement during late November 2016.
Thanks for reading, stay warm 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 January 20th, 2016
PENN Fishing tackle has done it again with the 2015 Best of Show Salt Water Fishing Reel at ICAST (International Convention of Allied Sportfishing Trades). It’s the new PENN Clash spinning reel series. If you love a super smooth, light weight, but strong spinning reel you really need to take a look at the PENN Clash series.
The new Clash comes in seven sizes to cover almost all fishing scenarios; inshore, near shore and offshore. The design and look of this reel is smooth and clean; with lots of great features that I look for in a reel today. We all know braided fishing line (superline) has gotten very popular for all types of fishing. Hey its great stuff, small in diameter and super strong; but its hard on reels IE: gears and drag systems. With the Clash’s CNC Gear Technology this delivers durability, smoothness and precision. PENN’s legendary HT 100 drag and utilizing a wave spring in the drag knob of the Clash so you no longer bottom the drag out and lose the last 25% of your drag curve. What’s the purpose of having forty pounds of drag if you can’t use the last ten pounds?
All Clash spinning reels come with braid ready spools, no backing needed for these spinning reels; you can put braid right on the spool with no worry of line slippage. Speaking of braid, how about a Leveline system; this system with the correct combination of slow oscillation and appropriate spool dimensions deliver the perfect line lay on the spool. This will help with longer cast and fewer wind knots.
Cap and Stats:
CLA2000: Mono cap yds/lb: 240/4 180/6 125/8 Braid cap: 210/8 180/10 165/15 Bearings: 8+1 Max drag: 10 lbs Ratio: 6.2:1 Weight: 8.2oz
CLA2500: Mono cap yds/lb: 255/6 175/8 140/10 Braid cap: 240/10 220/15 160/20 Bearings: 8+1 Max drag: 12 lbs Ratio: 6.2:1 Weight: 8.5oz
CLA3000 Mono cap yds/lb: 200/8 165/10 120/12 Braid cap: 250/15 180/20 130/30 Bearings: 8+1 Max drag: 15 lbs Ratio: 6.2:1 Weight: 10.2oz
CLA4000 Mono cap yds/lb: 270/8 220/10 165/12 Braid cap: 360/15 260/20 185/30 Bearings: 8+1 Max drag: 15 lbs Ratio: 6.2:1
Weight: 10.7oz
CLA5000 Mono cap yds/lb: 225/12 200/15 135/20 Braid cap: 420/20 300/30 240/40 Bearings: 8+1 Max drag: 20 lbs Ratio: 5.6:1 Weight: 16.9oz
CLA6000 Mono cap yds/lb: 335/15 230/20 210/25 Braid cap: 490/30 390/40 335/50 Bearings: 8+1 Max drag: 25 lbs Ratio: 5.6:1 Weight: 20.7oz
CLA8000 Mono cap yds/lb: 340/20 310/25 230/30 Braid cap: 475/50 390/65 345/80 Bearings: 8+1 Max drag: 30 lbs Ratio: 4.7:1 Weight: 27.2oz
Key Features to the PENN Clash Spinning Reel:
• Full metal body makes for a durable reel and keeps things lined up
• Superline Spool™ – No backing needed because of the rubber gasket keeps superline from slipping
• Techno-Balanced Rotor design
• Machined and anodized aluminum spool with Carbon Fiber wrap
• HT-100™ carbon fiber drag washers provide smooth drag under heavy loads with a Wave Spring to utilize the entire drag curve.
• 8 Sealed stainless steel ball bearings
• Infinite anti-reverse
• Heavy-duty Aluminum bail wire
• Spool design has line capacity rings.
• Leveline Oscillation system to help with longer cast and fewer wind knots
I was on the test team when PENN first started to design the new Clash line of spinning reels. When I first got the reels, the look is clean, light weight and well built. The Clash is noticeably super smooth out of the box, but what I found was after months of use, it’s still super smooth! I fished the test reels hard, lots of Striped bass, Redfish, Flounder, a few Cobia and even a few larger sharks brought to the boat side with these reels.
As a full time fishing guide the spinning reel is my choice tool I use every day, it must work and work well! When I look for a spinning reel, I look for the one that has a good price for what you’re getting; built well enough to last through a long day of a guided fishing trip or a super long day of a tournament and light weight is the cherry on top. The Clash cost a little more, but you really need to weight out what you’re getting with the new Clash. No one likes to pay too much for fishing gear, but if it works well it’s worth every penny! I really like this spinning reel, check one out today at your favorite tackle shop.
If you have any questions about the new PENN Clash series or any PENN product, let me know and I’ll be happy to answer your questions.
Thanks for reading,
Capt. Jot Owens
www.captainjot.com
Posted in Product Reviews on August 4th, 2015
October is the month when ‘Fall’ fishing really gets in full swing! So many great fishing opportunities during October; Big Redfish, Gator Specked trout and Jumbo Flounder!
