Fishing Report

 

October 3, 2009........ These are the kinds of day you will remember forever.... touching a child's life in a fishing sort of way.  My friend Darius and his little buddy Chase were with me this afternoon and it was Chase's first fishing trip ever!  What a trooper.  He learned to cut Shrimp and bait his hook and proceeded to catch some nice spots and you would have thought that he was catching 1000 pound Blue Marlin.  Just look at his stance and him pulling that huge Spot into the boat!  And better yet look at Darius' grin and laughing smile watching Chase do all the work!  Way too much fun for everyone on board.  I don't know who I laughed louder at, Chase or Darius!  Anyway, Chase wants to come back again real soon for round No. 2!  Fishing with light tackle knows no boundaries or age limits.  Your turn next!

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Clemson Boys were back for another trip and we caught many nice Spanish Mackerels one day and hit the Bay the next where we played with the Puppy Drum and other species of inshore fish.... and once again the jokes and fun were wild..... It was hard carrying all eight of the fellows, so Robert and I split them up into two groups of four and had a ball!  That new Math they teach at Clemson works well.  And I found out what the "O" and "N" in Clemson stand for.... what a great joke for my older Brother, an IPTAY member.  Loads of fun and fish with a great group.  I hope I can get the Spanish pictures shortly to post.

 

The "O" stands for Honor and the "N" stands for Knowledge.

 

  October 5, 2009........ Well, we have the opportunity to have our good friend Robbie come down and do some fishing with my son Robert and I for a few days and try some new ideas out just for fun and boy did they work.  Just look at all the nice Red fish and a few nice flounders to boot!  And Robert's new Flats boat worked flawlessly..... and just look at all the casting and walking room the new boat has up front.  You could have a square dance up there and still not rock this boat.  It is now the new terror of the river.                                                     

 

For two straight days we had perfect weather and conditions and just tore up the nice Puppy Drum and we caught and released over thirty nice fish.  And we learned a lot with some new ideas and experiments we had been hoping to try.  It wasn't just the fish, but all the good times and tall tales we shared that made the day so much fun also.  And we did not pick on one another, no way Jose!

 

Now if you want to put yourself and a friend in this situation, just give us a call and ask for the "Two Man Flats Fishing Experience" and we can make all the arrangements.  Flats fishing at its best in the Cape Fear River, Big Ole Line Ripping Redfish, Sight Casting at its best and Action Galore!  Do I sound like some of the Florida style guides?  Yep, but just look at the rods, reels screaming and line burning, and the grins on the faces of the Anglers!  I'll be seeing you all real soon.

 

September 28th, 2009.......Redfish, more Redfish, and Flounder are here.  Rather slow on the Speckeled Trout right now, but they are here.  I just have not found them in numbers yet, but as the water temps fall, They will show up.  Lots of shrimp and minners for them to eat and the fishing is improving daily.  Now if the weather will cooperate.  Lots of water in the river from all the rain upstate and locally, buy we have needed it.  Now when the river cleans up some, the fishing should be just short of fantastic.  I know everyone will be ready to fish, so get your dates in order and come on down.  We have a bunch of new secret lures to throw at all these fish.

 

September 13, 2009....... OK, the flounder are here and getting bigger, thicker, and more of them in concentration.  Also the Reds and Speckeled Trout are getting bigger also!  It looks like a great fall season is starting and hopefully as the water remains cool and the bait gets thicker, the fish will too!  Just a lovely time to be on the water with your friends and family.  And at CB we now have the offseason rates in effect, so come on down and save some money!  Let's go fishing.  Soon.  More later.

 

September  7^th, 2009…… Raining and blowing like crazy today but what a weekend it has been…. Nice Redfish and plenty of pretty  Flounder  to liven up the Labor Day weekend here in Carolina Beach and lots of nice folks to charter with.  The Ocean was very rough, but Inside we did very well with the nice fish from Southport to the Carolina Beach Inlet!  The pictures are the proof!  Just a few Speckeled Trout for me and my parties, but have heard some nice ones are around, I just did not find them.  Dang!  Also our first real Northeaster of the season (winds blowing up to 25 knots)  is upon us so the water temps are falling and the bait is getting thicker.  Fall fishing has officially started and as soon as the wind and rains abate some, we will let you know what is happening here in SENCland.  The river and the bays have been very good so far this season and should improve with the cooling weather.  Let’s get serious and make plans for a great inshore trip now that we have THREE BOATS to better serve your every need!  More later……..

 

August 29th,2009..... With the passing of Hurricane Bill, the offshore bite has slowed quickly and dramatically.... the Spanish and King Mackerels have just disappeared from the CB area.... but the inshore bite has made up for it!  Trout, Reds, Flounder, and all sorts of fish are active and doing well.  And a lot of  the Reds have been over the slot size and had to be released back to the river and bays.  Just beautiful weather now and looking forward to the start of the fall season shortly.  No major storms on the horizon, so come on down now that the kids are back in school.  See you all soon.

 

Mid  August, 2009...... Flounder are everywhere... Ocean, Bays, and Sounds and River!!!!  Redfish too!!!  Lots of fish of all kinds and sizes and just way too much fun!  Just look at the photos and imagine you are here in them.  Think about it!

 

Late July-Early August, 2009…… Summer weather  has finally kicked in and boy is it HOTT with two T’s…. and the Finger Mullet bait are here finally in good size and numbers and so are the FISH!  Flounder are plentiful and of great eating size and the Redfish are biting well in the sound, river and Bays…. Lots of action with lures to boot so just great summertime fishing.   Of course, we have our days with unsettled weather and some really violent thunderstorms to chase us off the water, but that is August weather.  It has just been some of the best Summer fishing I have seen in a long time and hopefully will continue right up into our fall fishing time.  I have not caught as many Speckled trout as last year, but hey, with the coming of the river shrimp, they will arrive also.  That is not to say I have not caught them, just not in the same numbers as of last year yet.  The Spanish and King Mackerels are still plentiful and fun to catch, but with the strong inshore bite going on right now, I just have not been trolling that much.  Just look at the photos and you will see why! 

 

July 26th, 2009......Well, it is very hot in SENCland now and Humid and Blowing from the South.... feels like we live on top of the stove pipe from Heck!  Summer has finally kicked in with all four afterburners and I mean it is HOTT with two T's.... and I am loving it!  We still have nice Spanish Mackerels around in the ocean and they are good size this year.... some so large I am checking to make sure they are not small Kings (as they would be illegal in size)!  The nearshore reefs are now producing some flounder in quality and quantity, but it is somewhat late for this bite.  Better late than never.  Inshore the Redfish, Flounder and some nice Speckeled Trout have been fun and the bite is improving for me daily.  It is just a fun year and if you hunt and peck hard and long enough, you will catch some nice fish.  The flats boat has been fun and is doing well so keep that in mind for fall.  And like all fishing trips, some days are just better than others.  Still occasionally fighting the winds and weather, but hey, that is summertime fishing!!!  Let us just keep the faith and have fun.  The finger mullet bait is finally here and the fishing should improve dramatically with their arrival and advancement.

Some folks are saying "Where are all the photos and updates and Reports?"  I am just glad to report that I have been very busy here at our Marina and that I am running hard and I am hot and tired and worn out at the end of a busy day and that I just have not had the energy to do all the reports, pics, and stuff that I used to do.  That is a good problem to have.  I hope everyone will understand and realize that from 0600 hours to 2000 hours makes for a long day, but that is good.  I am blessed to be busy and look forward to continuing to be busy.  I will do the best I can with what I have left in me.  Patience.

Thanks for all the support, emails and phone calls.  Let's go FISHING!

 

 

 Late June, Early July 2009..... Hey guys, the action has been fierce and furious here in SENCland and we are catching everything when the water conditions are right.  Flounder, Spanish, Kings, Reds, you name it.  Sorry I have not been better with my postings but with all the fishing trips and late evening trips, who has time for the computer?  No apologies as I am glad to be running trips and enjoying all my friends who have come back to Carolina Beach and wanted to go fishing, even in some crazy weather.  Hey, we even made the Weather Channel with Jim Catchatory with our 6.5 inches of rain in ONE HOUR!!!!!  Dang, what a mess it made of the river and College Road.  But we are still catching fish and as soon as I get a chance, I will post more photos.  Everyone come on down and sorry about the late postings, but that's life.  Best to all, Capt. Charlie Schoonmaker

 

June 28th, 2009......What a week this has been.  The weather has been hotter than a steel frying pan on a roaring fire and humid to boot, and then we had the spring tides on a dark of the moon.  Water all over the place and in the streets of CB and the river went to heck in a handbasket with trees (not just logs and limbs) but I mean trees floating down and by all my favorite spots.  It was just plain dangerous to run fast in the river this past week due to the junk that washed off the river's banks and edges.  But thank goodness for the favorable winds off the land and the calm seas we had.  Spanish mackerels all over the place and some fine flounder from off the nearshore wrecks and ledges.  Just excellent fishing in light breezes that felt like they were powered by a fire down below.  Did I mention it was hot?  REALLY HOT!  Come on down and let's go fishing. As the river cleans up and the bays return to normal, so should the fishing.  The Fourth of July week is shaping up to be an excellent one.  We have been really busy, two trips a day, and with the heat I have not done well with the internet postings, so forgive me.  Just to many to fish with and not enough time in the day to take care of all the incidentals.  Everyone be safe and stay as cool as possible.  More later, ........

 

 

June 12th, 2009.....The men from West Virginia were here in force and Mark and John and friend Seth fished hard and we caught some very nice Spanish Mackerels till the wind came up strong and we decided to head in to finish the day with some flounder fishing.  We got some, but they were all smaller than the minimum.  Still a lot of fun in the water and a wonderful group of guys... the ladies were out shopping so we had fun.  Hot and Humid, welcome to SENC:Land weather for the rest of the summer and early fall.  Beautiful skies and cool breezes helped us out temperature wize.  More to come later, let's go FISHING!

 

 June 11th, 2009.....Today Steve, Shawn, and Mark were on the "TAC" and what a mixed bag of fish.  The ocean was dead flat calm with no wind, I mean no wind at all, and we shot offshore to chase the fish and got more than we deserved.  Coming up on a flock of birds, we found a bait ball the size of New York and proceeded to catch some nice Spanish Mackerels and some fine Bluefish out of this ball of bait until the porpouses showed up and started slamming the baits and charging through them like mad.  It was quite a show to say the least.  Then we moved on to a ledge and proceeded to catch some bottom fish, hoping for a lot of sharks, but we only got a few, one of which we landed.  Really strange bite.  No flounder, go figure.  But an exceptional day of the water with some great folks from Wilmington and Ohio.  Lots of fish for dinner tonight.  More later.

 

 

 

June 9th, 2009..... OK, Guys, all is well and the season is starting to kick into High Gear.  The phone is ringing and the dock traffic is picking up a bunch now that most of the schools are out and with Graduation and Weddings this weekend, we expect the summer season to take off the Space Shuttle.  All is going well here in CB and now that I have made up for being out of country for the past 6 months, I hope to be better about my fishing reports and posting who did what with me that day.  Patience please as now I may be busier than I ever imagined, but that is not a bad problem in today's goofy world.  Thanks to everyone for all their help these past few weeks with all the stuff you have to go through to get back on board and into the saddle again.  All is well and if the good Lord will allow me to keep my health and strenght a little longer, I am going to fish like we have never done before!  Come on down and let's go FISHING!

 

June 8th, 2009.... This was a first. Captain Charles had Charles and Charles Jr. Dry on board today... no problem remembering names for me today!  Great guys and we had a really unique and unusual experience.  After catching some big sharks we were fishing for flounder offshore on one of my favorite ledges when we were attacked by a 100 pound Green Sea Turtle.... it came up, blew it's breath, and scared Charles Jr. so bad I thought he was jumping off the boat!  After he collected himself, the turtle stayed with us on the surface for a good minute and a half before sounding, only to reappear once again, blow it's breath, and float not 5 feet away from the side of our boat!  This was Really Cool!  He just enjoyed our company and we got video and numerous shots before he decided to get tangled in one of our lines and after a short but strong tussle, we got him next to the boat where we duly untangled the turtle and with no harm to him/her or ourselves, he swam away never to be seen again.  Tangle and Release at it's Best!  Charles and Charles Jr. and I were just plain dumbfounded.  Doubt if this will happen ever again, or it may be a long time in coming.  Even the turtle was smiling about this event.  Just look at the pictures I took on the Gallery Page!!!!  Flounder were slow, but the eating sharks were on!  Lots of fight on light tackle.

 

June 7th, 2009...... Today I had the Rouse family and we had some nice flounder and some very beautiful Spanish Mackerels.... and I forgot my camera.  Dang!  Just had to mention that I goofed today.  Film at Eleven!

Also in the afternoon had Dawn and her friend Julia and her two kids and off for some sightseeing and boating adventures up to Wrightsville Beach.  Also did not have the camera.  Dug some clams for dinner and got muddy which washed right off and then had some food at the Bluewater Grill before returning to CB.... very nice day with some friends and family.

 

 

June 3rd, 2009.....Shawn and Dennis were my guests today and we had fun with the flounders, though they were on the small side.  Still just a great water day and hopefully the fish will get more plentiful and bigger.  Nice folks and a lot of fun had by one and all.  More later.

 

Kenny called and he and Rob and Bob were in town at a sort of reunion of some old army buddies, and somehow they found me and off we went in search of flounder and redfish.  We got the red but the river just did not cooperate so we shot offshore to the wrecks and ledges for the flounder, but every once in a while you have to go to Plan B, which we did shortly and the Atlantic Sharpnose sharks provided all the fun and fight we could stand on our light tackle rigs.  As I told the boys, we were "Bear Hunting with a skinny Switch" and boy, did these big ex MP's grunt and groan while trying to land these sharks on our super light rigs.  We busted off a bunch, but that was still a lot of fun and we landed our legal limit which went into some nice filet bags for a "fish and chips" supper later that evening.  Sometimes when the reds and flounder do not cooperate, you just shift gears and do something else.  Now these guys are planning a return trip.  Wonder why? Just a wonderful day with some great folks.  More later.

 

Danny,  Cornbread, and Junior were with me today and what a beautiful day on the water... we hadn't even cleared the inlet and we were in tears laughing at the antics of each other and all the stories.. just way too much fun.  Then Danny and Cornbread pulled the "electric eel" story out about Junior and I danged neared fell out of my boat laughing at these characters.... you just had to be there.  Payback is really bad according the Junior.  Anyway, we caught some big Spanish and we had good catch of them to boot.  Lots of fun and a few tangles, but these fish had minds of their own.  Three nice big  bags of filets for the boys back at the shop, but the main thing was they had some great tales to tell and a great time together.  Just look at the smiles and the calm seas behind them. You could not have asked for a better day.  Nuff said.

 

Luhrs, Misty and Jay were in town after a long winter and the Spanish Mackerels were strong and we caught some very nice ones early on, and then, since it was Misty's present to Luhrs for his birthday, we shot into the river for a while in search of flounder and redfish, but they were tough to come by.  It was just a great day on the water and they had a nice catch of some lovely Mackerels, but the flounder were hiding from Misty.  She is a strong fisherman, but it was a tough inside day.  Luhr's had no idea about his birthday present but he sure had a good day on the water with his brother and wife and just had a ball.  They will be back soon for a return trip now that summer is coming on so get ready to see them again soon, reds and flounder in hand.  Just way too much fun.  Notice the sweat shirts and hoods in the photo, blowing medium hard but rather a cool Late May day.  Go figure out our crazy weather patterns.  If you get them figured out, please call me and explain them to me.  I need weather help right now.  Best to all my friends and keep the lines tight.  Later.