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07/02/09
"1,000 Words"
    
Here are some pictures from some recents trips. It's been crazy busy and I don't have much time to update my report but pictures are worth 1,000 words.
Capt.Mark
07/02/09
More Pics
    
Capt.Mark
06/27/09
"Backwater Bite"
   
I have had to take a different approach to the fising this week, normally this time of year we can stick it out around the inlet and catch the usual mixed bag of Spanish Mackerel, Bluefish, Flounder, Redfish, Black Drum and a variety of other species including small sharks. The wind switched to the southwest and this makes the inlet a little rough when the tide falls. We hooked another Tarpon on a recent trip when the tide was falling and I guess it to have been about 50 lbs. but it unfortunately made a couple of jumps and spit the hook. I have been fishing a lot of flooded marsh areas and probing grass banks with poping corks and live shrimp. This is the way to go this time of year since the fish seem to be real shallow. I watched a huge school of Redfish feed on a flat but I just could not get close enough to make a cast. Today we caught 20+ Trout with about 5 of them being keepers, two Black Drum, one Flounder and a Redfish; not a bad day. So far this has been a great charter season and I want to thank all my repeat clients for their business and referrals. Catch you guys on the next tide.
Capt.Mark
06/22/09
"Pleasant Surprise"
    
It has been a very busy season for me thus far and I just have not had time to update my report. We have had good days and better days as there is no such thing as a bad day on the water fishing. Early last week the fishing out at the inlet was really good and we were catching the usual mixed bag of Spanish Mackerel, Flounder, Bluefish, Ladyfish, Jacks, and a variety of small sharks. We actually caught a 4 ft Bull Shark on one trip which was pretty exciting. Wednesday the wind blew hard out of the east which really stirred things up for a couple of days but even though it was tough, we still managed to catch a couple of fish. Saturday we found a decent Trout bite at the Jetty's and Troy Quaglia from Canton, Mass. caught a 5.5 lber.
Today was a really great day, I met my guys at the usual time and the plan was to fish creek mouths in the Intracoastal Waterway for Specks and Reds. We hit a few spots with nothing to show for our efforts when I decided to switch gears and take advantage of the flood tide and probe some of the flooded grass flats. Live shrimp fished under a popping cork on a 1/8 oz. jighead is tough to beat in the shallows. We caught a few smaller Redfish and missed several more before moving on. Next we tried a few places on the Jetty's before finding the fish on the Eastern side. Floating live shrimp, we caught a couple of Redfish and then something very large struck and smoked the reel. The fight was on and as the fish jumped we suddenly realized what we had, a Tarpon. After about 10 minutes we finally landed the 15-16 lb. fish and got some pictures before releasing it to fight again. It is very rare for us to catch Tarpon here and in my lifetime of fishing this area, I have only hooked a handfull landing only one other small one in a backwater creek. We ended the trip catching a couple more Trout and then headed in, what a day! The Flounder fishing has also been pretty consistent in Tubbs Inlet and the bigger fish have been caught on live pogies not the store bought mud minnows. One of the neat things about fishing is the uncertainty of what you may or may not catch, but there is one thing that's for sure, if you don't go you will never catch them. Catch you guys on another tide.
Capt.Mark
06/05/09
"Mixed Bag"
    
Summer is here and we are settling into our normal summer time pattern of "mixed bag" fishing. This week has produced lots of different species including Redfish, Speckled Trout, Grey Trout, Flounder, Spanish Mackerel, Bluefish, Ladyfish, and a variety of small sharks. The best fishing was at the begining of the week when we were catching lots of Redfish and Flounder in some of the backwater creeks. The past few days we have had to move around a lot but have still had pretty good success using live shrimp fished on a 1/8 oz. jighead. The fishing at the jetty's has picked up and there are lots of Spanish Mackerel and Bluefish just outside the inlet. We got in on a killer topwater bite the other day and had the Spanish Mack's "sky rocketing" out of the water with the lures in their mouth. It's been a fun week with lots of great people and everyday has produced something different. Reserve your trip early as dates are filling fast. I'll catch you guys on another tide.
Capt.Mark
05/29/09
"Just Fishing"
   
I am glad that the wind has stopped blowing, last week we struggled to fish in 25-30 knot winds. It was tough fishing but we stuck it out and caught fish on every trip although some were better than others. This week has been much better and we have been steadily picking away at the Flounder in Tubbs Inlet. Live menhadden and large mud minnows will produce more keepers than the usual small store bought bait. We have also been fishing lots of docks and creek mouths along the I.C.W. and it has been really good. Redfish, Black Drum, Trout, Stripers and even Flounder have been hanging out at these spots waiting on an easy meal. Live shrimp are prevalent now and can be caught in the cast net, they are in their usual early summer holes. The season is upon us and I am thankful to all my repeat clients that have booked early. Check back often for more reports, catch you guys on another tide.
Capt.Mark
05/18/09
"Flounder Pounder"
    
There has been a lot of stuff going on since my last report. The Spadefish and Cobia have showed up on the nearshore reefs and the Spanish Mackerel and Bluefish are schooling near the inlets (Shallote and Little River). I have been fishing in Tubbs Inlet lately and the Flounder bite has been pretty good. Our best trip was late last week when we caught over 20 fish and 11 were keepers. The average seems to be 10-12 fish keeping half that many but still the action is there and most folks miss more than they catch. There are lots of small Speckled Trout in the I.C.W. near creek mouths and the upper part of the tide is when they seem to bite best. Redfish are still abundant at the Jetty's but weather has kept us from fishing out there on most days.
The Dixie Chicken Fishing Funament is this weekend and I hope all of you come out and participate as all proceeds go to the Jim Caudle Reef which 10 years ago was the least frequented reef in the state but now it is the most frequented after lots of enhancement and community support. Jim Caudle was a dear friend of mine and I am honored to help with this funament and it's cause in his name. It's amazing what the local fishing community has done with this reef project and there is lots more to come. For more info check out www.dixiechickenfunament.com
Capt.Mark
05/04/09
"Catching Up"
    
Today was a day to "catch up" on boat maintenance, restock tackle and respool reels. Last week was the first week of the year that I was completely booked up and I was surely glad to see it. Overall the fish have bit really well, we have experienced a couple of trips that only produced 3 or 4 fish but most have been "double digit" days. For the most of last week the winds were light and we absolutely smoked the Redfish on the Jetty's. They were all bigger than the slot limit and could not refuse live shrimp under a float. High winds pushed me back into the creeks for the better part of the weekend where we caught lots of small Trout and Flounder with a few "keeper's" mixed in. Mud minnows on a Carolina Rig for Flounder and Bett's Halo Shrimp under a popping cork for the Trout. We also have caught some really big Bluefish lately (8 to 10 lbers.), we usually only catch 2-3 lbers. around here. The Spanish Mackerel have showed up around the shoal outside the inlet and hopefully the Cobia will be on the nearshore reefs soon. I really want to catch one on my fly rod this year. There is lots of opportunity here now when the weather permits and it looks to be another busy summer so reserve your trip early. Catch you guys on another tide, take care.
Capt.Mark
05/03/09
"Good Fishing"
I've been very busy and the fishing has been solid all week. We have experienced lots of wind since Friday and this has made weekend fishing a little tough. I will give a more detailed report tomorrow as I am tired and must get some rest.Stay tuned.
Capt.Mark
04/26/09
"Bragging Rights"
    
The weather has finally straightened out and we have had an absolutely beautiful weekend. I ventured up to Ocean Isle Beach for the weekend to fish the "Backyard Battle" a Trout and Flounder tournament. This is a fun little local event put on by two youngsters and their families. Mark Stacy, Brandon Sauls and I teamed up again this year to try and retain our title as we were last years winners. We started early and caught our Trout first thing it was a nice 5 lb. 14 ounce fish. This was an aggregate tournament so we also had to have a Flounder to win. We spent the next 4 hours looking for a "keeper sized" Flounder and actually caught the winning fish while waiting on the Sunset Beach Bridge to open. Later that afternoon we were awarded the top spot in the second annual event capturing first overall, top Flounder and 2nd place Trout honors but most importantly, bragging rights for another year. It was a great time with good friends and I look forward to next year.
Overall the fishing has been good here all week, the Jetty's have been producing lots of nice Trout and countless Redfish in the 24-30 inch class. Live shrimp are best but some fish have been caught on mud minnows. Flounder are much more abundant now and many fish are being caught but they are just under the legal size. There is lots of bait around so they should grow a little and next month be legal fish. Black Drum are plentiful around heavy structure like dock and bridge pilings and can't refuse jigheads tipped with a piece of fresh shrimp. This is a "fishy" time of year and with a near perfect week of weather in front of us I can't wait to get back out there. Catch you guys on another tide.
Capt.Mark
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