August fishing in southeast NC can be pretty good but a few things to keep in mind. Most August we have to watch the water temps, they can get pretty high during August. This year not so much, it’s rain and lots of it. With that said here are my “goto” tactics for stained and dirty water inshore/near shore fishing for later summer.
Flounder can be a tougher species to catch in dirty water, but keep in mind they still have to eat too! Working live or artificial lures slower so the flounder have time to see and react to the target (bait). Live bait is good for catching higher numbers of Flounder, but no always as many keeper size flounder with live bait. Mud minnows and small finger mullet will be the best live baits for Flounder in August. Small menhaden work too but die very easy in the warm waters of August.
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 prefer and I see bigger size flounders more often on artificial lures. Scented and none scented grubs as well as spinner baits will do the job in shallow waters. Berkley Gulp Jerkshad in five and six inch and colors of new penny, pearl white and chart pepper neon are all good too. Darker colors like new penny in heavy stained/dirty waters work better to get more bites. Also try Berkley’s Havoc Grass Pig lure in colors, chartreuse, pearl white silver and swamp gas (new penny). I rig these lures on jig heads in 1/4oz, 3/8oz and 1/2oz weights in colors red, gray or white.
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.
One fish that is always on my hot weather and stained waters 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 or raining cats & dogs you can hide under a bridge out of the sun/rain to catch them. Just think; fishing somewhere out of the sun/rain 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.
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. 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 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: PENN Battle 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 LW casting reels. Rods PENN Battalion or Allegiance II 6’6” & 7’ medium and med/heavy for the Sheephead and Flounder. Tarpon/Shark/Bull Drum Rods: PENN Rampage Jigging series. Line Spiderwire Ultra-cast in ten and fifth-teen pound and Berkley Pro Spec Chrome mono in thirty and forty pound for the Tarpon/sharks.
Have a good August, stay cool & dry and thanks for reading!
Capt. Jot Owens
PENN Fishing Tackle Elite Staff
www.captainjot.com
910-233-4139
Posted in Fishing Reports on August 3rd, 2018
July around Southeast NC is a good month for fishing but with the warm season we’ve already had this year yo
u may need to fish a little differently this July. Go earlier or later in the day to find that cooler water. Even a light rain shower can make the fish feed better. Small changes can make for a better day of fishing or (catching)!
The Flounder fishing is in full swing about everywhere by July and it’s been a good Flounder season already! In July you can find Flounder around most inlets, in creeks (deeper water parts), main channels (ICW) and just off the beach. Using smaller lives baits like mud minnows, finger mullets and little menhaden should do the trick to put dinner in the boat for you. I rig these live baits on Carolina rigs, with #1 and 1/0 L42 Eagle Claw hooks; a forty pound mono leader will work fine for Flounder fishing. Casting and slowly retrieving this rig, drafting or anchoring with this rig are all good ways to catch Flounder with a Carolina rig. You can also go the 
artificial root as well to catch Flounder; (which I prefer). Try a Berkley Gulp five or six inch jerkshad in colors pearl white or chart pepper neon. I rig the jerkshad on 3/8 to ¾ ounce jig heads, working the jig slowly across the bottom. Remember it is always a good idea to have a good landing net for Flounder fishing; FraBill makes a lot of nice landing nets.
Redfish in July, well you can catch them but with the water really warming up you need to change the way you fish a little. If you want to target Reds in shallow waters, you really need to go early in the morning or late afternoon when the water is a bit cooler; top-water lures like MirrOlure Top Pup’s are my choice in the shallows. During the mid parts of the day try to fish a little deeper with jigs and grubs, the Reds like a little deeper water when the sun gets high in the sky. I really like Berkley Gulp baits, hey you can’t beat there great scent and Redfish love’em! Berkley’s three inch shrimp is my go to Redfish lure during the hot summer months, I like them in molting, sugar spice glow and white colors. I rig my Gulp baits on 1/16, 1/8 and ¼ ounce jig heads in colors red, gray and brown with thirty or forty pound Berkley Pro Spec fluorocarbon leader material.
I really start to keep my eye out for the silver king (Tarpon); these big silver fish are making their way up from Florida; they are a little early this year. I’ve already jumped two nice ones! The long trip has made them hungry and hungry fish are easier to catch, ‘most of the time’! I look for Tarpon around local inlets, shoals and hard bottoms close to shore. Live or fresh dead baits like Menhaden or Mullet on the bottom and free lining are the best bet for getting a bite out of these beasts. I prefer Trokar AP circle hooks in sizes 8/0 to 9/0 and my leader material is always Berkley Pro Spec sixty or eighty pound fluorocarbon; Tarpon have great eye sight! Tarpon are around from mid June to mid September most seasons around Southeast NC. If you hook in to one of these Tarpon hold on tight, they fight very hard!
I also enjoy shark fishing later in the summer and July the bigger sharks really start to show up. Sharks on light tackle are always a good pull and boy the kids love to catch’em! I drift live and fresh dead bluefish, Spanish mackerel, mullet or menhaden in thirty to forty five feet of water just offshore. I rig these baits with a 7/0 circle hook with one foot of ninety pound 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.
Tackle run down: PENN Battle II & SpinFisher VI reels 2500, 3000, 3500 sizes for the Redfish and Flounder. Tarpon/Sharks PENN Spinfisher VI 6500 & 7500 and PENN 20 Fathom casting reels. Rods PENN Allegiance II 7’ medium and med/heavy for the Redfish and Flounder. Tarpon/Shark Rods: PENN Rampage or Carnage Jigging series. Line Spiderwire Ultra-cast in ten and fifth-teen pound and Berkley Pro Spec Chrome mono in thirty and forty pound for the Tarpon/sharks.
I hope you have a great Fourth of July, be safe on the water and good July fishing to you!
Capt. Jot Owens
www.captainjot.com
910-233-4139
Posted in Fishing Reports on July 4th, 2018
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. This year has been no different just some the up’s and down’s have been pretty aggressive; Snow and teens one week then seventies and rain! Target the back side of milder trends in temps and you’ll catch fish!
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 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 chartreuse silver flake in the Havoc grass pig. I rig my jerkshad and grass pigs on swim bait 7/0 hooks, in 1/4oz 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 crank bait starts to hit the bottom let it float up a bit or trust me you’ll lose it to a structure! 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! 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, calm 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. Also MirrOlure Catch 2000Jr lures work well for winter Redfish. 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. Don’t forget Speckled trout is closed at this time until June 15th 2018; you must release all Speckled trout.
Tackle run down: PENN Battle II & Conflict II Spinning reels sizes 2500, 3000 & 4000 for the Redfish, Speckled trout and Striped Bass. PENN Battalion in 6’6” & 7’ medium and line Spiderwire Ultra-cast in ten or fifteen; Berkley Pro Spec Fluorocarbon leader for leaders.
Thanks for reading, stay warm or cool and good fishing to ya!
Capt. Jot Owens
PENN Tackle Elite Staff
www.captainjot.com
910-233-4139
Posted in Fishing Reports on February 1st, 2018
September is the start of fall and one of my favorite months to fish! A bit cooler weather, less boat traffic and the summer fishing is only better! Here are some of my ‘goto’ September species.
The Flounder fishing has been good this season so far, with this said it looks like September should be a great mouth for Flounder too. We look for Flounder in the fall around the inlets, in the creeks; up and down the ICW. We also will find some very nice Flounder just offshore of Wrightsville/Topsail/Carolina Beach on live/hard bottom as well artificial reefs. Mud minnows and small finger mullet will be the best live baits for Flounder in September. Rigging the live bait on carolina rigs with EC 042 1/0 hooks is a good choice of rigs for Flounder. If you prefer to use artificial baits, which I do; scented and none scented grubs will do the job. Berkley Gulp Jerkshad in six inch with colors chart pepper neon and pearl white seem to work the best for me. Rig these on jig heads with longer hook shanks with will help with a better hookup ratio.
When the water starts to cool down the Redfishing will heat up. 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 inch in color sugar spice glow or molting rigged on a 1/8oz or 1/4oz 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 fish finder rigs with TroKar 8/0 or 9/0 AP 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 (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 fishing can be great during September. The Spanish 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 will be around the inlets 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 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. We see lots of different kinds of Sharks in September; Black tip, black nose, Sandbar, Hammerhead and Tiger. Best baits for the near shore sharks are fresh/live Bluefish, Mullet and Menhaden. We use spinning reels for Shark fishing with 300+ yards of thirty and fifty pound Spider wire Ultra-cast braid. Rigging the baits; eight feet of 80 pound mono leader; some will wind on to the reel. Connected to the 80 pound mono is a fifty pound swivel, then Two to three foot of #9 SS wire and an 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 weight set ups; have lots of extra flies with you!
Good September fishing to you and thanks for reading!
Capt. Jot Owens
PENN Tackle Elite Staff
www.captainjot.com
910-233-4139
Posted in Fishing Reports on September 6th, 2017
August fishing around Wrightsville, it’s the hot of the summer but fishing can be pretty good. I prefer to go earlier or later bet the heat and the crowds. Here are a few of my favorite August “goto” species.
Flounder are a great hot weather fish because it really does not seem to matter how hot it gets they still bite! Live bait is the key for catching higher numbers of Flounder, but if you want to catch bigger Flounder try artificial bait. Mud minnows and small finger mullet will be the best live baits for Flounder in August. 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; scented and none scented grubs as well as spinner baits will do the job in shallow waters. Berkley Gulp Jerkshad in five and six inch and colors of new penny, pearl white and chart pepper neon are all good too. Also try Berkley’s Havoc Grass Pig lure in colors, chartreuse, pearl white silver and swamp gas. I rig these lures on jig heads in 1/4oz, 3/8oz and 1/2oz weights in colors red, gray or white.
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.
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!
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! I drift live and fresh dead bluefish, Spanish mackerel, mullet or menhaden in thirty to forty five feet of water offshore. I rig these baits with a 7/0 to 9/0 TroKar circle hook with one foot of ninety pound 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 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).
Tackle run down: PENN Battle II & Slammer III reels 2500, 3000, 3500 sizes for the Sheephead and Flounder. Tarpon/Sharks/Bull Drum PENN SlammerIII 6500 & 7500 and PENN 20 Fathom LW casting reels. Rods PENN Battalion 6’6” & 7’ medium and med/heavy for the Sheephead and Flounder. Tarpon/Shark/Bull Drum Rods: PENN Rampage Jigging series. Line Spiderwire Ultra-cast in ten and fifth-teen pound and Berkley Pro Spec Chrome mono in thirty and forty pound for the Tarpon/sharks.
Have a good August, stay cool and thanks for reading!
Capt. Jot Owens
PENN Fishing Tackle Elite Staff
www.captainjot.com
910-233-4139
Posted in Fishing Reports on July 11th, 2017
