Fishing Report

The Late Fall fishing has been fantastic with many good days of over the slot drum, in the slot drum, and way too many little baby drum to count.... I am just plain tired of catching them this fall.  Also the Black Drum and Speckeled Trout have been phenominal and when I can get to them the Grey Trout have been a blast too!  This has been a good fall and hopefully will continue into the winter months for my son Robert and the other guides who stay here.  Now it is time for me to get ready to head south and get back to the bluewater fishing for the winter.  Next year is already starting with some early reservations, even with our weird economy, so plan ahead if you can.  I am.  Best to all and a Happy Holidays no matter where you are.

Fun fishing for nice Reds all the way down to youngsters catching croakers and trout.... what a week.  Weather is cooling and so is the water so the fishing is definantly heating up here in SENCland.  Lots of Reds and nice specks, flounder somewhat elusive, and all the various bottom dwellers are up and about.  The Cape Fear River is holding lots of fish in all the usual places and all types of baits and live baits are working well,  just get them in the water and see.  More to come later.

Well, here we go again!!!!  It was summer on Thursday and then turned winter on Saturday.  Dang, what a crazy year, but it sure is fun.  The young lady holding the nice black drum was fishing on Thursday and it was a bathing suit kind of day.  Robin, Karen, and the three girls Mallory, Olivia, and Cristina had a ball on the boat in shorts and suits catching 13, that's right, 13 different kinds of fish!!!  Eels, rays, drums, bluefish just to name a few and the assorted bottom fish, but what a ball for three new salt water fishermen, eh, fisherwomen and their parents.... just way too much fun.  And I have to say they were all excellent casters at the end of the trip, better than some of the men I fish with!!!!!  The eyes say it all.  Then on Saturday, it blew 30 and rained horizontally for 6 straight hours but Joe and Pam and Chick and Patt were dogged fishermen until Joe finally waved the white flag, er, towel.  Just look at those four drowned rats, er, fishermen.  And it was cold to boot.  Friday, Allen and his dad Hoyt caught some nice Trout that you see Allen holding up.  They were nice ones at that.  I just can not figure out the weather.  More photos on the Gallery page, but it has been a most unusual week of fishing, trust me on that.  The water temp is falling nicely and the days are getting shorter and the fish know they have to eat to get fat for the winter or else.  Come on down and try your luck, maybe the weather will hold!!!!  More later.

Lots of nice folks to fish with these past few days and some nice fish to boot.  Reds, Trout, Flounder, and Black Drum have been the mainstay as we can't get offshore some due to weather.  Water is cooling and the fishing is getting hotter, and some nice two to four boat trips with some of the other guides have been common.  There are lots of shrimp in the Cape Fear River and the fish are following them into the shallows.  But some funny fishing..... some day flounders, then the next day none.  Very peculiar, but at least I have not fallen out of my boat yet.  Jackets are now showing up in the mornings, and it sure feels good out now with the humidity dropping some.  Come on down and let's wet a line or two.  Best to all.

Well, Fishing of all types is in High Gear with the Redfish and Speckeled Trout as our top winners.  Flounders are here, but not strong in numbers.  We have nice Bait all over the place and the water has settled down from TS Hanna, and everyday things are getting better.  What a beautiful fall fishing season is shaping up for us.  This week as you can see from the photos, we have had some great rod bending action.  Pam caught some nice Drum and even Joe scored one or two.  Some drum this week had to released due to being too big to keep.  Jerry got his Flounder on a blowy day and some nice Bluefish to boot.   I have not been in the ocean lately because the inside fishing has just been too awesome to leave, but I understand the Spanish Mackerels have returned with the cleaner water after TS Hanna.  Very windy this coming weekend so fish the inside hard, that is where all the action is!  Lots going on so keep checking the site for more info and photos.  Better yet, come on down and do some pictures of your own!!!  Best to all and more later.

Here's Joe, Pam and Brian with their nice catch... Jerry gets his picture Here Too!!!!

Today TS Hanna is departing our area and left us with just a little rain (which we sorely needed) and some wind damage.... lights out, downed tree limbs, leaves all over the place, but was basically a non event even though the Weather Channel now is in the business of creating weather rather than reporting on it.  Beware the Weather Channel (Now owned and operated by General Electric) and its biased reporting, which will get worse with time.  Check out the NOAA reports for the true skinny on the weather in your area.  OK, now to fishing.  Recently the Red Drum bite has been excellent.  Flounder and Speckled Trout are here too, but the Reds have been Ripping IT!!!  Spanish Mackerels are still here, but we will see how they fared after the TS.  This should jump start the fall fishing season with a serious drop in the water temperature and freshen up the beach sands and just overall improve the environment for the fish to feed upon.  TS's are good, Hurricanes are Bad!  I'll keep you posted on the water conditions and what is happening.  Below you can see Alex and David from London, England and David's fine keeper Red fish!  Nice catch and I am sure there are more to come.  Best to all and tight lines, be careful in your TS Hanna clean up and let's get back to fishing.  I'll be on the water this coming Monday!  Later.

The fishing continues to be good during the crazy weather we have been having.  TS Fay brought us rains and winds which we could not control, but did help our farmers and yards and gardens, but may have hampered our fishing some.  Good days still continue and the Flounder bite is getting stronger and the Spanish Mackerels are still plentiful when we can get to them.  Reds are still here in good numbers and the waters are beautiful.  It is now time to get ready for the Fall Fishing Season and book a date with Capt. Charlie to fish the SENCland coast.  Come on down.  More later.........

Well, it's my birthday so I went fishing in the afternoon after a great trip with a wonderful family who caught a bunch of nice Spanish Mackerels, even one that weighed in at about 5 pounds!!!!  I thought it was a small king, and did a big doubletake after discovering it was just a huge Spanish.  Loads of fun and some great eating for my friends.  Then that afternoon, my old friend Capt. John and I snuck out to the flats for some drum and lo and behold, I caught three niceuns' and one had to go back, even though we released all three to fight again another day....  just way too much fun had with the Redfish and John.  And that was the end of a perfect Birthday day....  Hanna may be coming so check the reports for more details and fish stories.  Everyone be safe and have a great start to a wonderful Fall Fishing Season.  Later........

This week I have had family groups, anniversaries, and even fly fishermen, and we did well all around.  Fish on the fly, flounder for the anniversity folks, and redfish for the corporate groups.  Just great fishing all over.  Today the 19th was Sharks and Spanish Mackerels, so a mixed bag of fish all around.  Just way too much fun here in the Carolina Sun.  Fay heard we were having so much fun that she may even make an appearance!!!  More on that later too!!!!

OK, it was Shark Week on the Discovery Channel, so here we go!!!  Lots of sharks (caught and released) on light tackle for the maximum fun and excitement and just rod bending action.  No thick sticks here, just 20 lb. test line and lots of it!  We may only get one or two a day, but it ain't shark cranking on industrial size reels with oak trees for rods.... Just look at the size of the tackle and imagine going Bear Hunting with a Switch!!!!  Get the Idea?  Loads of fun to boot!

This seems to be the day for Father's and Sons to have fun, and the Spanish Mackerels helped us out a lot.  Great eating and on light tackle, they are sure fun to catch too.  Just look at all these smiling faces and you see why fishing with the "Lost Boy" can provided some great times and memories that no one will ever forget.  Life is short, fish hard and laugh a lot!  And did I mention it was Hot, I mean Dang Hot!  It has been a heck of a Hot Week Weather wise so we are all hoping for that cool front they say is coming, but not soon enough for some of us.  Still, I'll take the Hot Weather with the Super Hot Fishing we have been having anytime.  Soon it will be December, and we will all be complaining about the cold.  Nuff Said.

OK, you caught it so you have to hold it!!!!  Then we released it.  One of the best pictures I have this year, thanks to Dad....Great days in the Back Bay area when the heat is not too oppressive, but boy is it getting hotter by the day.  Still lots of fun and Dad even caught a great Flounder to boot!  This was later released to the frying pan I am told!  Now that is my kind of Catch, Filet, and Release to the Hot Grease kind of fishing I like to do.  Nice folks, nice flounder, nice calm water in the bays, just Nice.  My kind of fishing trip.

Guess what?, It is Shark Week on Discovery Channel and guess what all the kids want to catch?  That's right, SHARKS!!!!  Some smaller than others, but still a lot of fun on light tackle.  Bluefish, Flounders, Trout (both Speckeled and Grey) and some Red Fish are here also.  Just a great season to fishing Nearshore and Inshore here in SENCLand. 

Just for openers, the Speckled Trout are still here and some nice ones to Boot.  Just look at this photo and go figure it out.  Nuff said!!!

Flounder and Spanish Mackerels are all over the place with great weather to boot.  Starting to look like the old days when you just had to keep up your count so that you don't catch over your limit..... the Glory Days are Back it seems.  We had twelve, that's right, 12 big flounder one day, and the poor folks only could hold up 6 at a time.... just a great day on the water in the warm Carolina Beach sun.... Just look at those flounder

Flounder, and more Flounder, and just lots of fun catching them..... Bluefish also and still some nice Speckled Trout too!!!  Spanish Mackerels are a little thin right now, but they should be back soon as the water clears.  Lots of families and kids and great water days as the kids have been running the boat, pulling the anchors, baiting the hooks, helping me with the cast net catching bait, and the list goes on.  We always have a Quality Water Day and if the fish bite, that is just Icing on the Cake!  Wayyyy too much fun for one and all.  Thanks to Ray for the great shot of Victor, his dad Dave, and myself sitting off on the reef.... just one of those great days..... we could only hold up six of the nice flounder, but what a day.  Just look at the color of the water and how calm it was, and boy was it HOTTTTT to boot.  July in SENCLand is just wonderful.  More later.

OK guys, just look at the fe w photos below.  Red fish, Nice Flounder, Bluefish, Speckled Trout, Sharks for the Kids, Spanish Mackerels and also the elusive Oyster Toads and Lizzard Fish!!!!  They are all here and hungry.  The little tropical depression has blown by and now the seas this evening July 19th are flat as a fritter and just waiting for us to go and get them tomorrow.  They are all here and ready for you to try your luck with the Minnows and Shrimp I have on board the TAC.  Just hope all that rain we have just had does the farmers and my yard some good and gets the grass to growing.... we still are short on the water but it sure did help these past few days.  It may improve the fishing some also.... I will let you know.  Till then, travel safe and tight lines. 

This is an EXCEPTIONAL YEAR....... the bite is on and it is big time.  Lots of days we are limiting out on the Spanish Mackerels and nice Flounder are showing up and the Red fish are here in size and numbers and we still have some beautiful Speckled Trout..... What a year we are having with quality and quantity fish.  Just unbelievable....  we have been running everyday and the only problem has been some weather when the wind just makes the river a tough place to go.  Besides that small problem, the fishing and folks are just having way too much fun and boy am I glad I built that new fish cleaning station at my dock..... it has been a great addition to the slip.  This coming week is the 4th of July and both Robert and I and lots of folks here in CB are just slammed.... I sure hope the weather cooperates and helps us out.  The Finger Mullet are arriving and with this influx of bait the fish are becoming even more active and filling up the cuts and bays.  Heck, we are even running in the evenings with Honeymooners and families out for a nice evening on the water.  I have made many new friends this season and for that fact I am eternally grateful.  Just remember, "Happy people catch Fish!"  Come on down soon and join us for a great fun filled day on the water.... hey, you may even get to see some "Pelican Rides!"  More on that much later!!!!

Spanish, and I mean Big Ones!!!  All over the place from North to South.  On top and down Deep, just put some bait in the water and troll like crazy.  Even casting to schools of them!!!  River got slow on me yesterday and talked with a few other fellow fishermen and they too were slow in the river.  Go figure...... but Spanish are Everywhere.  Catch em up!  Phone is ringing hard today and school is out this weekend.  Marriages and Graduations this weekend too, so next week will kick off the Summer fishing season here in SENCland so let's GO!!!!  Give me a call for a great day on the water.... Later, and tight lines.