Fishing Reports
2007
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Fishing Report 12-28-2007

 
Finally got a nice day to go fishing when the wind wasn't blowing 25 mph. We headed off shore to do a little bottom fishing. Couldn't believe the water temps are around 25 miles  they were in the high 60's and at 32 miles it was 74 degrees. The 1st ledge was good and we had 5 keeper Reds around 10 to 14 lbs. I put out a light line for kings and didn't even get it 20 feet behind the boat and it started going off. There were plenty of kings 8 to 10 lbs. The surprise of the day was when the light line went off and it started jumping. We caught a 12 lb Mahi in late December at 32 miles. Moved to several other spots with some action. At 40 miles the water was 78 degrees. Overall a great day especially for December 28th 10 grouper, 12 kings, 3 AJs and a Mahi and the normal grunts/sea bass etc. I also caught a 250 lb shark on cut bait. Sorry I forgot the camera so no pictures.

Annual Bone Fishing Trip

We took our annual trip to Miami to visit the in-laws and slipped away for a day of bone fishing around Biscayne Bay with Captain Joe on the “FunnyBone”. The weatherman must have followed me from NC with the winds because it blew 25 mph NE. It helps when fishing on the flats to have less wind but we still had a blast. Had shots at a lot of fish on the flats but very spooky and no takers until around 2:00 in the afternoon. We staked out and chummed a few shrimp and started catching fish. In 2 hours we had 10 strikes with 6 fish in the boat. My son David actually caught and previously tagged fish. The University of Miami funds a bone fish tagging program. We had 2 double headers and as usual Joe made us laugh all day long. If you are ever down around Miami and want a great flats fishing guide give Joe Gonzalez a call at 305-642-6727.

           

         

Fishing Report 12-08-2007

 
Had a king/grouper trip on Saturday. The weatherman was kind for a change with light winds and 2 foot seas. We caught bluefish and then jigged up sardines before heading out 35 miles. The guys wanted to catch kinds 1st so we slow trolled around the ledges. We had plenty of action but had a hard time keeping the hooks in the fish. We put 3 in the box and missed at least 12 strikes in about 2 hours. Decided to bottom fish. We had a lot of action with Scamps (all were short), Reds and some Gags. We had 2 large Gags that pulled the rods to the gunnel with some knuckles scrapped up and the fish won the battle. One of the guys brought their own bottom rod and while battling a large Red the rod broke at the butt. The top of the rod went down the line and the angler reeled the fish to the boat with just the reel. I think it was the biggest Red of the day. Had plenty of action and fun and the guys brought home some good grouper fillets.

 

Fishing Report 12-01-2007

 
I took Wade Moore from NCCoastalfishing.com and friends out on Saturday. This was the only day we had available due to schedules so we had to take a chance with the weather. Unfortunately, the weatherman did not do us any favors. Headed out planning on trying to get out 30 miles for some kings and grouper. The winds were NE 10 to 15 on the way out but started picking up at about 15 miles. I decided to try at some ledges around 20 miles. Set up on the ledge with no problems and the 1st live bait in the water was eaten before it got to the bottom. There was no doubt a grown Amber jack as it stripped line off the reel with the drag locked down. It eventually broke us off. A few more missed fish and finally a good grouper bite 12 lb Gag in the box. We had a couple of other fish we missed and then Wade hooked another large AJ. After a good battle we took a few pictures and let her go back to the ledge. We decided to cut our loses around 11:30 when the waves were 5 ft every 5 seconds and the wind showed no signs of letting up. We took our time getting in and hopefully we will get a break next time with the weather.

     

Bottom Fishing Report 11-16-2007

 
Headed out on a bottom fishing trip on Saturday. We caught live Bluefish,Pin fish, Cigars and Sardines and started with flat calm seas and no wind. Started trying to fish around 25 miles but because we had no wind or current it was impossible to anchor so we tried drifting. Could not get any grouper bites but plenty of grunts and large sea bass. We had a school of about 100 AJs come up to the boat. Went out another 10 miles and finally found some current. Made a couple of drifts and then set the anchor. Started catching large grunts, bealiners and short red grouper. I decided to put a live Cigar on a light lines that was in the rod holder about 10 seconds before it started screaming off and we caught a nice king. I put out a large Bluefish and watched a large king chase it in circles and it ended up cutting the mono. We picked through a few short reds and caught 4 keepers. The wind picked up later in the afternoon so we went back to the 23 miles ledges looking for some Gags. Once we got the anchor set up right it didn't take long when I put a live Bluefish down. I had 2 nice 18 lb Gags and lost 3 others. The end of the day was a very large AJ and we headed in with a stiff SW breeze and a setting sun.

   

Fishing Report - Gulf Stream 11-12-2007

 
Decided to take a trip to the stream with a couple of friends since we haven't been able to go due to weather. Headed off shore at sunrise to a gentle NE swell and ran 40 mph the complete 60 miles. The water was still 78 degrees but not blue it still has a little green murky tint because of all the bad weather. Put lines in at around 150 feet and started seeing birds working with small 2 to 5 lb albacore jumping and then started seeing very large Yellow fin feeding on them. After about 20 minutes the short port rigger went off and 300 yards melted off the reel. The fish came back to the boat after 20 minutes and then made 3 more long boat runs. With 30 feet to go one quick head shake and he was done. Worked the area around the Same Ole for a while longer but only a few knock downs. Headed north and found a good weed line and we picked up a few small Mahi. Once we were about 1/2 mile from another ledge area in 180 feet we saw hundreds or maybe thousands of Flying fish everywhere. They actually looked like large flocks of birds. We picked up a couple of nice Black fin tuna but still no Wahoo. We went back to the weed line and picked at the Mahi with a couple of doubles. Then at around 2:00 the long line went off and finally a Wahoo was on with no doubt as line streamed off the reel. It turns out the other long rigger was cut off by another Wahoo at the same time. 20 minutes later we sunk the gaff into a nice 45 lb fish. We had a few more Mahi and Tuna strikes. Headed back in and cleared the inlet at dark. Overall a great day for November with Mahi, Black fin,Yellow fin and a Wahoo. Hopefully the water will clear up because we saw more bait than I have ever seen at the stream.

   

Tournament Report - Fall Brawl

 
Myself and son David fished the last tournament for the year as a father and son team. As usual the weatherman was not too kind. We could fish either Sat or Sun. I woke up Saturday morning at 3:00 AM walked outside to 20 mph winds and rain and decide to fish Sun. We woke up Sunday to no ran but 25 mph NE winds. Caught some bait in the dark and headed to Southport. Most of Saturday's fish came from around Lighthouse Rocks about 7 miles offshore so I decided to give it a try. Once I got to the numbers the waves were 5 to 6 feet every 5 seconds and the water looked brown with no bait. I moved back to the beach around Lockwood Folly inlet and started catching fish. The 1st fish was around 20 lbs which turned out to be the biggest. We stayed pretty busy but no larger fish. Caught fresh bait on the beach around 12;00 and fished off Youpon Pier but still could not find a bigger fish. We finished 30th place (4 places out of the money) but David won 4th place Jr. Angler and 1st place SKA Jr. Angler. Lets hope the weatherman is a little more helpful in the 2008 tournament season. It is now time to gear up for the fall grouper fishing stay tuned. 

Fall Fishing Heating Up 10-13-2007

 
Headed out on Saturday for a little fall fishing with some friends. Started off in the morning finding live bait and ended up off Holden Beach. Fished around Lockwood Folly inlet and had a couple of fish. Fished a couple of areas around Southport but fishing was slow. Headed to the east side and around 2:00 the kings went off in fall feeding frenzy. We had a blast with double hook ups and fish skying on baits behind the boat. We caught out limit of 12 fish in a couple of hours and headed in leaving the fish feeding. The fall season is just getting started so give me a call if you want to experience some of the best fishing of the year.

Tournament Report - US Open KMT Southport

 
I have been off the water for the last couple of weeks due to knee surgery but I am back on the water and doing well. We fished the US Open KMT Friday and Sat with 400 boats. The NE/East winds kept most boats closes to the beach which is where the fish are anyway. It was a very strong field of fish caught and you had to have a 30 lb fish to be in the top 20. We fished both days close to Lockwood Folly inlet and caught nice fish both days. The largest was 28.1 lbs which put us in 28th place. Hopefully the winds will let off and the fishing should just keep getting better so drop me a line if you want to try fall fishing at its best.

Tournament Report FLW NC Series Atlantic Beach

 
We fished the last FLW series KMT on Saturday in Atlantic Beach. Pre-fished Friday and found a lot of fish just no king mackerel. Saturday morning we woke up to rain, lighting and a nice hard wind. Caught bait before check out and went out the inlet into 6 to 8 foot seas. Jumped the shoals (what fun) and headed to the east side to the 1700 Rock. Fishing was very slow all day and finally at 12:00 the sound we were waiting for when the short line started screaming. We made short work of the fish which was very long and skinny. We did catch another fish around 18 lbs. The fishing was slow due to the front that had move through and our fish was good enough for 4th place 28.8 lbs. This also qualified us to go to the championship tournament in Alabama which was the good news.

Fishing Report 8-26-2007

 
Had a full day live bait trip with guys that have fished a couple of times this year. Headed out in a slight SW swell but still able to run 30 mph. Stopped on a great looking weed line at 20 miles with flying fish and bait everywhere but not takers. Continued out to 27 miles and the seas started laying down and the bait came up everywhere. The 1st fish was a small cuda then we hooked a big AJ on the 20 lb tackle the angler did a great job landing the fish which was 45 lbs. While he was fighting the AJ on the light tackle I hooked 2 more on the big rods and we has a triple header. All the fish we landed and released and we were done with the AJs or tried not to target them. We caught 2 nice Mahi and had more AJs hit the 20 lb tackle. Around 12:00 we had to run from some bad looking storms and moved South to some 20 mile ledges. As soon as the lines were out we had a double header of kings solid teenagers. At the end of the day we went by the 18 mile wreck and played with more very large Cudas that jumped and put on a great show. Stayed busy all day and headed back with a stiff SW breeze.

   

 

Tournament Report 2nd FLW North Carolina Series KMT

 
We fished Saturday the 2nd leg of the FLW series out of Southport. I had a light crew fishing, myself and buddy Jammie Ezzel. We caught bait in the dark and ran to Southport to check out. Headed out 38 miles to deep water. The 1st line in the water was hit but missed the hooks but the 2nd line went off quickly. We stayed very busy for the 1st 2 hours. The middle of the day slowed down and we did pick up a small African Pompano (see picture). It was very cool with the long trailing fins. Then at the end of the day I was dropping back a bait that was smoked out of my hand by a 20 lb Wahoo. We had a great day with 12 to 15 kings, many AJs and Cudas, African Pompano and a Wahoo. We weighed in a 20 lb 12 oz. fish that put us in 12th place in the tournament.

Fishing Report 22 Aug 2007

Had a 3/4 day with a return family from Pittsburgh, Pa. This time they brought a couple of lady anglers that did great. The weatherman gave us a break for a change and the ocean was not bad with a west wind. That was the good news the bad news is that the ocean looked dead everywhere. We started at the inlet and caught a nice 75 lb lemon shark caught by the 11 year old lady angler. Moved off to 10 miles and caught a large Spanish and a large Cuda. Headed out 20 miles looking for better looking water and we found the bait everywhere and caught 2 small kings and a nice AJ. Moved out to 28 miles and had a lot of Cuda strikes but had a hard time staying connected. Finally ended the day at a 12 mile wreck and caught a very large Cuda that skied 20 plus feet into the air. Overall a busy day with a lot of species but we had to work for it by running around. The water color just didn't look right and I heard the other boats fishing had a same problem.

   

Fishing Report 8-19-2007

 
Had a 3/4 day with some guys from Australia. The wind was not helping with 10 to 15 from the E/SE with 3 to 4 footers. Headed out 18 miles and fished a wreck loaded with bait and activity. 1st line in the water was a health 26 lb Barracuda. Tried to get the AJs to eat but nothing doing. Also tried for large sharks with the big rods but no takers. After the dive boats showed up we moved over to some ledges and live bottom. We had a good king strike immediately on the down rigger but bit through the leader while ripping out 250 yards of line. We had another small king and large Baracuda. Moved into around 10 miles and finally the downrigger went off with a nice 18 lb king. Then the long line started screaming and after 15 minutes and 3/4 of a mile pulling the boat we had a very large Bonita 20 plus lbs.

    

Fishing Report 8-17-2007

 
Had a 1/2 day with a family in town from NY. The winds started blowing hard NE but it was reasonable fishing ta 10 miles. Had a good king on but the line was cut when a Baracuda ate the king. While I was putting out a fresh bait I saw what looked like a submarine coming up behind the boat. It was a 12 foot Tiger shark who swam behind the boat with his dorsal fin out of the water and ate my pogy on 20 lb tackle. The was like taking a knife to a gun fight but we fought him for 25 minutes and got a couple of good looks around the boat but once he decided to go down it was all over. I would estimate him at 12 ft and over 600 lbs. Had a few more kings strikes but the Cudas were hungry.
 

Fishing Report 8-08-2007

 
Had a 3/4 day with a group from Raleigh with 3 Jr anglers. Headed out 10 miles with a 15 mph SW breeze. I put the 1st line in the water and it started screaming. The 12 year old boy did a great job with the seas and wind and put a nice 16 king in the box. We had a few more strikes but the crew started feeling bad so we moved in a little closer to the beach. We caught 2nice black tip sharks and then to end the day a 30 lb Baracuda caught by the (2) 9 year old girls.It was exciting with a lot of jumps and screaming reel.
 

Tournament Report - Sneeds Ferry KMT

 
We fishing the Sneeds Ferry tournament on a friends boat Reel Greedy on the east side of Morehead. The weather was OK in the morning and we had plenty of action. The largest was 23 1/2 lbs which had us in 2nd place after the 1st day but the weather was better than predicted on the 2nd day and we fell to 13th place. Overall a good tournament and we had a lot of fun.
 

Tournament Report Industrial KMT

 
We fished a small local tournament on Sat with about 30 other boats. Caught bait early and headed towards the shoals. Once we got 15 miles south the wind picked up to SW 15 to 20 mph. Started fishing early but still very rough. Managed a large Spanish 1st thing but no kings and the water color didn't look good. Moved off shore and the wind let off and the ocean started to lay down. We found the kings and the bait and stayed busy for a couple of hours. Had a nice fish sky on the long bait but the cuda ate him before we could get him to the gaff. Also had a Sailfish in the baits but could get him to a take a hook. Finally later in the afternoon we put a good fish 23 1/2 lbs in the boat in one piece. We finished 3rd in the tournament and had a fun day fishing.
 
Fishing Report 8-05-2007
 
Had a full day live bait trip. The winds were light and headed out 10 miles to a area that others did good on Saturday. We found the bait and the Spanish mackerel on top 1st thing. The 1st fish was a small king and then every fish we caught kept getting larger. We had a nice 15 lb Mahi hooked but he through the hooks at the boat before we could get a gaff in him. Then around 10:00 the ocean came alive with large schools of bait on top with Spanish and Kings skying on the bait. We had 2 Sailfish come by the boat but not interested in the baits. This was one of the best king bites I have been on this year with double headers and 20 lb fish skying on the prop wash baits. The final count was 9 kings (2) 27 lbers, (1) 25 lber, 3 other between 20 and 25 and then solid teenage fish.

       

   

Fishing Report 7-26-2007

 
Had a 1/2 day in shore trip with a family from Mass in town. Started around Carolina Beach looking for sharks around the shrimp boats. We had a couple of hits and finally hooked up with a nice 100 lb Lemon. Everyone felt OK and the 1 shrimp boat was getting crowded so we headed out 12 miles. The water looked good but very little action. Finally the medium line started screaming and we had a nice king in the box. Headed back to the inlet and fished the tide line but no takers.
 

Fishing Report 7-27-2007

 
Had a 3/4 day with a group from Ohio in town. Started at the 18 mile wreck looking for AJs but could not hook up on the big rods. They were chasing bait all over the top but would not take a pogy. Started slow trolling and caught a nice Barracuda 1st line in the water. Then of course a large AJ hit the double in the prop wash and with 20 lb tackle she broke us off in the wreck. Moved over to some ledges at 20 miles and got into a kings bite for about 1 hour. The downrigger was the hot rod and we couldn't keep it down for more than a few minutes. Then the sharks moved in and the kings shutdown. Moved out 25 miles and had some good action with Cudas then the downrigger went off and headed for the horizon. After and very long 60 minute battle and we followed the fish for 3/4 of a mile we gaffed a 33 lb African Pompano. This was a great angling job on 20 lb tackle. Moved back to the area we hooked up with the Pompano and the downrigger went off again. Another African Pompano 22 lbs. Headed in in flat seas at 40 mph with a full fish box.

    

     

Tournament Report - Greater Wilmington KMT

Fished the GWKMT on Saturday with nice weather for a change. We caught bait early and had lines in the water by 6:15. We fished around the Cabbage Patch area all day. We had a lot action but could not find a large fish. We did manage 2 kings around 22 lbs and 4 other teenagers. We also had over 12 large Spanish all over 4 lbs. It was a great day fishing and a little excitement coming in through thunder storms with 50 plus mph winds at the end of the day. We finished 15th out of 190 boats so heading the the right direction

Fishing Report 7-13-2007

 
Had a 3/4 day live bait trip with a 3 generation group from NY/Conn. Tried for kings at around 10 miles but not much happening. The hard winds all week moved the bait so the kings were a little hard to find in the morning. Headed out to try our luck with the AJs. We caught a few before the dive boats showed up. We moved to another wreck and hooked a small king that soon became bait. A 200 lb shark took 1/2 the king then 2 40 lb Barracuda finished the job. I dropped the head back over and hooked one of the Cudas. Moved back inshore and managed to catch a king for dinner.
 

 Fishing Report 7-14-2007 

 
 We had a large group from out of town that did a 5 boat charter. After everyone loaded up we headed offshore 10 miles. The kings were back and we had action all morning. Most of the fish were crashing the baits on top which was exciting. Around 1:00 everyone wanted to try their hand at the AJs. We pulled up just ahead of the thunder storms and managed to catch 2 monsters before running from the storms. One was over 40 lbs and the 2nd over 50 lbs. Finished the day at the inlet with 3 nice kings that all skied on the short baits. Everyone got a thrill watching the kings come 5 feet out of the water chasing the baits. Final count was 10 nice kings, 2 monster AJs, 2 Barracuda and a couple of sharks.

   

   

Tournament Report Got-Em-On KMT

 
We fished Sat in the Got Em-On KMT. Decided to fish down south and headed to South Port. Caught bait no problem on the beach but it was a little small. Went out to the Shark Hole and caught 8 to 10 lb fish all morning. Headed back in the the river channel to fish hero or zero. Had a couple of strikes but no hook ups. Finished up at the Cabbage Patch and while emptying the live well at 4:25 a fish skied on the medium bait. We made short work and headed to the scales for points. With only 3 minutes to spare we checked in and weighed a 17.9 lb fish.

Fishing Report 7-08-2007

Had a 1/2 day trip with clients from Calf and NY. The ocean was flat and we went out 10 miles. The area looked good with a lot of bait and we had fish skying on the baits but could not hook them. We had 4 strikes but no solid hook ups. After about a hour I saw the short bait get nervous and then the reel started screaming. After about 100 yards the fish went into a high gear and with 400 plus yards off the reel I finally got the boat turned. After a 20 minute battle I gaffed the fish and it weighed 36 lbs. Needless to say this would have been nice to have in the tournament yesterday. After a few pictures I started putting out lines and the 1st line in the water the reel started screaming again. This time it was our young anglers turn and he did a great job. After a 15 minute battle this fished weighed 29 lbs. 2 great fish in 30 minutes. We headed in a weighed in the large fish for a citation

     

 

Fishing Report 7-01-2007

 
Had a full day live bait trip with a group that went to the Gulf Stream earlier in the year. The wind was blowing out of the west in the morning with 2 to 3 ft seas. Caught plenty of live bait in the morning and headed out to a 10 mile area. It didn't take long by the time the 3rd line was in the water the shot gun line went off. We stayed busy with a couple of double headers for the next couple of hours. All nice kings and some sharks mixed in. The bite slowed so we went over and played with the AJs at the 20 mile wreck. Caught a few and then started slow trolling. The wind started picking up from the NE and the bite slowed in the middle of the day. Moved offshore to another wreck and the wind let off and the fish started eating again. We finally caught a nice Cobia 34 lbs. The kings and barracuda were eating and most of the time only 2 lines fished before we had a strike. Had a double header and the 2nd fish was a very nice king around 25 lbs. Headed in around 4:00 with 2 ft seas. Final count was 10 kings, 34 lb Cobia, 6 or 7 AJs, 4 Barracuda and a few small sharks mixed in. We also had plenty of missed strikes. 

   

   

Tournament Report "Jolly-Mon" 6-23-2007

 
We fished our 1st tournament of the season out of Ocean Isle Beach on Saturday. There were 361 boats fishing Sat or Sun Captain's choice and we fished on the beach going "hero or zero". We fished to the north and had plenty of bait and the area looked good but only could manage a 12 lb fish. Moved another 15 miles north to a area that had produced some nice fish on Friday but the wind was blowing hard NE due to the front crossing the area. We did hook a decent fish but decided to move south due to the wind. Finished the day at Carolina Beach inlet with plenty of strikes and fish but all were small. The best we did was 20.9 lbs which was 43rd out of 361 boats. Not our best finish but OK. The next tournament we fish will be in a couple of weeks at Carolina Beach.

Fishing Report 6-22-2007

 
Had a 3/4 day bottom/live bait trip with a group of guys from Raleigh. The weather was nice with a west wind in the morning. Headed out to catch a few AJs to warm things up. They ate good for the 1st few drifts but they would take a bait. I think we landed 5 and lots a few more. Did a little slow trolling around the wrecks and had a couple of king strikes but they missed the hooks. Headed off shore for some bottom fishing and anchored up. Finally started catching some sea bass and large grunts but no groupers. The kings start hitting the live baits behind the boat and one finally skied out of the water with the bait in its mount. Also caught a nice Mahi on the light line. After the bottom fishing slowed and the winds picked up we slow trolled for a little while and ended the day with a nice double header of Mahi. Headed back in a stiff SW wind but had plenty of fish to clean for the guys.

   

Fishing Report 6-18-2007

 
Had a full day live bait trip with a group of guys in town for a wedding from Atlanta and Pa. The weatherman was kind in the morning with light 10 to 15 mph SW winds. Started at a 12 mile wreck and had some action from kings. Caught 1 nice fish but lost 3 other strikes. Moved off shore to try our hand at Amberjack tug of war. They were not disappointed with double hook ups on every drift. We broke off a lot of fish off but everyone landed their share until they were worn out. We did manage a very large 50 plus lbs fish that we released to fight another day. Headed off shore to try some bottom fishing but between the current and I heard from some divers about a thermocline just off the bottom the grouper fishing was slow. We did have a lot of action from various other none eatable species. After 3 different ledges I decide to go back to slow trolling live bait and before the 3rd line went in the water we had a nice king in the boat. Stayed busy for the next hour with Mahi and kings before heading with a good SW breeze.

     

     

Fishing Report 6-09-2007

 
Had another 3/4 day with a group from out of town all over. Had plenty of live bait before we left at 6:30 and headed out to the 20 mile AJ honey hole. We were the 1st boat there because it was a little rough with a stiff 15 mph SW wind. The AJs were hungry and we had multiple double headers. Everyone had multiple fish and the sharks got one also. We finally got them up next to the boat and watched them eat the live bait on top. It is amazing to watch once they get aggressive next to the boat. Could not find the kings around the wrecks slow trolling and the wind started laying down so the area got crowded. Headed off shore to some ledges at around 26 miles. The water was blue and clear. Started slow trolling and could not keep the down rigger out for more than a few minutes and the AJs were all over it.
Finally had a Mahi hit the top line and started jumping unfortunately he threw the hook at the boat. Had a few king strikes and another Mahi. The bite slowed again in the afternoon but a good day and nice ride home.