Topsail Angler's Fishing Blog
Flounder Gigging
Thursday, April 14, 2011
I had the pleasure of going gigging for a few hours with Breadman last night. The wind was calm and the tide falling so we headed out just as it got dark. It didn’t take long before we had the first fish in the boat. Within an hour and a half I had gigged 6 fish limit including the two 5 pounders in the picture. We stayed for another hour or so and gigged a few more fish. We saw lots of barely legal fish which we did not gig. They are out there guys, go get you some!
Rockin’ the Reds
Friday, March 18, 2011
It has been so long since I went fishing, I had to relearn how to hold a rod. Well maybe not that long but long enough. Finally had the chance to go today so I met up with Bread Man 1 and left out of New River Marina.
Our first stop was non-productive so after a half hour or so we headed to the next spot where it was GAME ON!
We caught 12 reds in a matter of an hour or so. The biggest one was 24 inches and the smallest was 17” with most of the others in the 18-19 inch range. We were using several different colors and style of Gulp on Bluewater Candy Jigheads. All the fish were caught in about 10 to 15 inches of water in the sound.
New NC Record Striper
Saturday, January 08, 2011
The striper fishing has been HOT out of Oregon Inlet this month! Just two days after a potential state record 63-pound striper was landed in Oregon Inlet, a 64-pound striper came across the transom on January 7th. Keith Angel caught the pending state-record striper.while fishing aboard the Poacher.
The Poacher is a 42-foot sportfisher charter boat out of Oregon Inlet Fishing Center and is run by Capt. Devin Cage.
“We were about in the same spot as where the 63-pound striper was caught, and the fishing conditions were calm,” Cage said. “There has been a lot of big stripers around this year and, as soon as this one came to my deckhand Russell Long, he yelled that he knew it was over 60 pounds.”
Angel caught the potential state-record striper at 1 p.m. while all six of the charter’s anglers were snagging fish.
Weighing 64 pounds, the bruiser bass measured 54 ¾-inches in length and had a girth of 33 ½-inches. The catch still must be certified by the North Carolina Division of Marine Fisheries before it is entered in the record books.
(revised Jan 12th - video added)
Jack’s first keeper Flounder
Friday, November 26, 2010
I took my friend Andrew and his son Jack fishing this morning. It was very windy (20 mph) but we decided to give it a try anyway. We headed over to some nice marsh creeks to see if we could find some specks. We did but not before Andrew caught a 17” drum and we each caught some small flounder. I had one BIG trout slam my bait but lost it on the way in on the surface not far from the boat.
Then Jack, age 11, caught his first KEEPER flounder! He had just been saying he wished we would find the “children good luck” spot. Guess we did! After a few more moves and no hits we moved out to my #1 high water speck spot (bi secret, only a few hundred people know about it…lol). And walla, Jack made the first cast (right were I told him to cast) and in comes a speck! Two more casts, two more specks. They were spikes but Jack had a blast anyway. Then he cast and nothing. One more cast and one more speck. Then the bite stopped and the rain was coming so we left.
Mission accomplished - we had a boat inshore nursery slam, and Jacks first ever keeper flounder and three big, broad smiles!
Supper
Saturday, November 20, 2010
Marine forecast looked awesome for today so I ran out mid morning thinking I’d fish through the afternoon. The 5 - 8 knot winds that were forecast turned out to be 15 knots by lunch time. Was right snotty with 2-3 footers but tight and lots of slop. I caught two flatties, one was barely 14” so I let that one go, the one in the picture below came home with me for dinner.
Talked to a couple of guys in a boat next to me, they had been there an hour or so and had caught 2 flounder and some black sea bass. I didn’t see them catch much after i got there. Typical (near) full moon slow bite I guess.