The last couple of weeks the fishing has been pretty good just off the beach.  The Spanish Mackerel have been biting very good most days and the fish are a really nice grade.  Some fish over six pounds, that’s a good pull on light tackle!  Early morning seems to be the best bite, but some fish have stayed around all day on some days.

Most of the Spanish are biting Clark spoons trolled behind #1 planner’s.  The Clark spoons that are working the best for us are sizes; 00 and 0 in plan silver and pink flash.  When the Spanish are on top feeding and jumping, Maria jig spoons have been the trick.  The colors that seem to be working are pink, green and blue in sizes seven & fourteen gram.  We have also caught a few very nice Spanish on the fly rod too.

We are starting to catch Flounder pretty good; we are seeing a few fish inshore as well on the near shore reefs and wrecks.  Most of the flounder inshore are mixed in size, but the fish in the ocean are a little better in size.  Live bait and grubs are the best bet.  Carolina rigs for the live bait and heavy jig heads for the grubs.  I prefer bright grubs; Saltwater Assassin’s sea shads in colors chart/diamond and silver mullet work real well.  Watch out when fishing in the ocean for the flounders; we’ve had some very nice fish eaten by Barracudas just under the boat.  It’s not a fun thing!!

I’m still seeing a few Tarpon around the inlets and off the shoals; the Tarpon should stay around till mid September. We fish for Tarpon on the bottom using, live and fresh dead baits like; spots, bluefish and Menhaden.  We rig these baits on fish finder rigs, with three to five feet of 80 to 100 pound mono leaders.  Circle hooks are the best bet for good hook ups and landings for Tarpon in hook sizes 7/0 to 9/0 depending what hook series you like.  We’ve caught some very nice bluefish while Tarpon fishing lately.

The Shark fishing is still going very strong most days.  Very nice sharks in the forty to over two hundred pounds are mostly what we are seeing.  We’ve been using light tackle and fly rods to catch these powerful sharks. When we use spinning reels we use; 300+ yards of thirty and forty pound Ugly braid super line and a good fast tipped rod.  They are a lot of fun on spinning tackle!

Thanks so much for reading this report, if you would like a Fishing charter give me call or drop me a line.  Good fishing to ya!

Fishing gear we use;

Tarpon and sharks Reels Pflueger Contender G15L, Rods Shakespeare Custom “USCB 1166 MH” Penn spinning reels 560L Live Liner with Penn Torque jigging rod 7’ 20 to 50 braids.

Spanish and Flounder: Reels Pflueger Medalist spinning in sizes 6035 and 6040. Rods: Ugly stick lites 6’6” and 7’ Med & Med-Heavy.

Good Luck,

Captain Jot Owens

www.captainjot.com

910-233-4139 

My charters have had some great early morning Redfish and Trout bites. We are fishing mud flats and oyster flats in creeks and along the ICW. Multi fish hook-ups are not uncommon at all! Top water plugs like the Rapala skitter-walk have done very well. Rattle and popping corks with live mullets and little menhaden have been working great! The best rattlin’ corks for me have been the Saltwater Assassin’s “Kwik-cork” this is one of the loudest corks on the market; “trust me; try some!”

Another hot weather favorite of mine is the great fighting and great eating Sheephead. If you just started fishing or you have for years, you will love the time and fight it takes to catch one of these fish. The best fishing lately for us has been around bridges, docks and bulk-heads. Fishing in water from six to fifth-teen feet for sheephead seems to work the best for us. We fish mostly using small Carolina rigs, with forty pound mono leader and small but strong live bait hooks. Baits we are using; fiddler crabs and sand fleas have worked just fine. Give it a shot, it takes time but you’ll get one; Hold-on”!

The Spanish mackerel are still picking good most days. Most of the Spanish are biting Clark spoons trolled behind #1 planner’s. The Clark spoons that are working the best for us are sizes; 00 and 0 in silver, gold and pink flash. When the Spanish are on top feeding and jumping, Maria jig spoons have been the trick. There has been some bigger Spanish around the last couple of weeks; with some fish over five pounds. Always fun on the ultra light or fly rod!

We are still seeing some Tarpon around the inlets and shoals. Live and dead baits on the bottom have had the best luck for getting bites; fresh spots, menhaden and mullet work the best. Shark fishing will be good through the end of October. We’ve had some really nice lemon and black tip sharks already this year and a few on the fly-rod. We mostly are fishing around and just off the local inlets. There also has been some locally good flounder fishing; in the creeks and around the bigger inlets like Carolina and Masonboro inlets.

Thanks so much for reading this report, if you would like a Fishing charter give me call or drop me a line. Good fishing to ya!

Fishing gear we use;

Tarpon and sharks Reels Pflueger Contender G15L, Rods Shakespeare Custom “USCB 1166 MH” Penn spinning reels 560L Live Liner with Penn Torque jigging rod 7’ 20 to 50 braids.

Reds, Spanish and Sheephead: Reels Pflueger Medalist spinning in sizes 6035 and 6040. Rods: Ugly stick lites 6’6” and 7’ Med & Med-Heavy.

Good Luck,

Captain Jot Owens

www.captainjot.com

910-233-4139

The summer trend of local fishing is really starting to show.  One of my favorites has rally started to show this last week; the always fun Tarpon!  I have only Tarpon fished once; last week.  We saw a few fish and had a strike, and a jump but no hook up “that’s Tarpon fishing for ya”.  Always good to see them around the boat; gets my blood pressure up every time!

We fish for Tarpon on the bottom using, live and fresh dead baits like; spots, bluefish and Menhaden.  Rigging these baits on fish finder rigs, with three to five feet of 80 to 100 pound mono leaders.  Circle hooks are the best bet for good hook ups and landings for Tarpon in hook sizes 7/0 to 9/0 depending what hook series you like.  I have also had a fair share of Tarpon on my kite rig with live baits like greenies and menhaden.  Nothing like seeing a Tarpon hit kite baits!

When the Tarpon start to show up, the sharks are already here!  I’m not talking about one to three footers; I’m talking about four to seven plus footers, running fifty to two hundred pounds; on light tackle and fly rods.  Don’t knock it til you have tried it!  It’s a lot of fun most of the sharks come right up to the boat and take the bait or fly.  We catch Lemon, Dusky, and Black tips and a few Hammerheads from time to time as well.

Best baits for the near shore sharks are, fresh and live Menhaden.  When we use bait to catch the sharks we use spinning reels, with 300+ yards of thirty and forty pound Ugly braid super line.  Rigging the baits; eight feet of 80 pound mono leader; some will wind on to the reel. Connected to a fifty pound swivel, then to Two to three foot of #9 SS wire and a 8/0 or 9/0 off set J hook.  If you prefer Fly fishing, I like Striped bass flies in Menhaden patterns with 4/0 and 5/0 hook sizes.  We use ten to twelve weight set ups; have lots of extra flies with you!

The Redfish are still picking good, you just have got to get out there and find some fish that have not been fished too much.  Live, fresh cut bait and scented grubs have been the ticket.  Spanish mackerel are biting as well, casting and trolling are best bets for these speedsters.  Don’t forget that great hot summer fish the Sheephead, the hotter the better for those Sheephead.  One-armed bandits seem to be one of best baits for me.  Fish them around docks and bridges.

Thanks so much for reading this report, get out there and try some of these tactics you’ll catch’em!

Fishing gear we use;Tarpon: Reels Pflueger Contender G15L, Rods Shakespeare Custom “USCB 1166 MH”

Sharks: Same as Tarpon and Penn spinning reels 560L Live Liner with Penn Torque jigging rod 7’ 20 to 50 braid.

Reds, Spanish and Sheephead: Reels Pflueger Medalist spinning in sizes 6035 and 6040. Rods: Ugly stick lites 6’6” and 7’ Med & Med-Heavy.

Captain Jot Owens
http://www.captainjot.com/
910-233-4139

The Spanish mackerel have still been biting good to great on most days.  Most of the Spanish are biting Clark spoons trolled behind #1 planner’s.  The Clark spoons that are working the best for us are sizes; 00 and 0 in plan silver and pink flash.  When the Spanish are on top feeding and jumping, Maria jig spoons have been the trick.  The colors that seem to be working are pink, green and blue in sizes seven & fourteen gram. (Hint): keep it to smaller lures when the weather gets hot!

My charters are starting to catch a few Flounder; we are seeing a few fish inshore as well on the near shore reefs and wrecks.  Most of the flounder inshore are mixed in size, but the fish in the ocean are a little better in size.  Live bait and grubs are the best bet.  Carolina rigs for the live bait and heavy jig heads for the grubs.  I prefer bright grubs; Saltwater Assassin’s sea shads in colors chart/diamond and silver mullet work real well.  I’m starting to see a few Mullet and Menhaden around the creeks and small channels.

I’ve seen a few Cobia around the inlets and near shore reefs.  Live bait fishing is the best bet for these great fighting fish.  Fishing live baits on top as well as on the bottom will get you the best chance at catching a Cobia.  I prefer bluefish, mullet and menhaden for bait; what ever is easier to get.  To catch a Cobia you’ve got to put your time in, sometimes you catch one right away most of the time you don’t.  That’s why they call it fishing!

We are seeing a few more Redfish around, most fish have been in the water way and around some of the inlets. As more live bait shows up, more Reds will come out of the ocean and in to the sounds.  This is starting to happen, the fishing should pick up in the next few weeks. The Reds we are getting are hitting fresh cut, bait live and scented Saltwater Assassin (Blurp) grubs in colors; drunk monkey and molting.

Thanks for taking the time to read this report. Get out on the water and take a kid fishing!  Don’t forget to take Dad fishing soon; father’s day is just around the corner!  Good fishing to ya!

Fishing gear used: Reels Pflueger Medalist spinning reels 6035 and 6040 size.  Rods: Ugly stick lite’s 7’ med and med hvy action.  All Stars’ Coastal inshore series Trout/Redfish Special 7’ code# CC TR2-S Great inshore rod!!  Line Ugly braid 20# and 30#   www.allstarrods.com 

Capt. Jot Owens
www.captainjot.com
910-233-4139

The real winner for me lately has been the Spanish mackerel. My charters have done real good the last few trips, with catches of thirty or more Spanish in a half day. Most of the Spanish are biting Clark spoons trolled behind #1 planner’s. The Clark spoons that are working the best for us are sizes; 00 and 0 in silver and pink flash. I really like the pink flash series, these spoons have worked very well for my charters.

There has also been plenty of blue fish up and down the beach as well. We have also caught a hand full of chopper blues too. These choppers are running in the six to over fifth teen pound range. The choppers are biting big poppers and mid water stick baits. Color really does not seem to matter to those big blues, just a lot of action from the lure!

Bottom fishing just off the beach has produced some nice Black bass, grunts and small Grouper, of course on the lighter wind days! Jigs and squid are the trick, fishing the squid on simple two hook bottom rigs. Jig fishing using two to five once jigs in colors pink, green and red/white. We are fishing mostly hard and live bottom areas for the bottom fish.

The flounder bite is picking up some too; we are starting to see a few fish inshore as well on the near shore reefs and wrecks. Most of the flounder inshore are mixed in size, but the fish in the ocean are a little better in size. Live bait and grubs are the best bet. Carolina rigs for the live bait and heavy jig heads for the grubs. I prefer bright grubs; Saltwater Assassin’s sea shads in colors chart/diamond and silver mullet work real well.

Red fish have been hit or miss for me lately, some days we get a few some days we don’t. This should change when more live bait shows up in the creeks and channels. What Reds we are getting are hitting fresh bait and scented Saltwater Assassin (Blurp) grubs in colors; drunk monkey and molting.

Thanks so much for reading this report. If you get a chance check out some of Xtools new products at www.xtools.us Arnette has some great new sunglasses out this year for the guys and gals, check them out at www.arnette.com Lets go fishing, give me a call>>>!

Capt. Jot Owens
www.captainjot.com
910-233-4139

Those high speed Bonita’s are showing up, good numbers should show up any day now. The Bluefish are mixed in with them too.  We’re catching them by trolling and casting.  The trolling rigs that we’re using are; a number one planner with thirty to forty feet of forty pound mono leader.  Tied to the leader is a Clark spoon in size’s 0, 1 and 2, I like to use the gold and pink flash Clark spoons.  Troll them about five to six knots. 

If you would like to try casting or jigging for the Bonita’s, I use Maria jigs.  They do have a price tag on them, but when the bite is tough these jigs will pay off!  Maria’s that I have the best luck with are size’s seven and fourteen grams.  The fourteens are easier to cast.  Colors to use; green, blue and pink seem to work the best for me.

The Speckled trout have decided to bite from time to time the last few weeks.  Most fish are coming out of creeks and channels around the waterway and inlets.  Best bet for the trout so far has been grubs, working the grubs slow in holes and drop-offs.   The grubs I like in the spring mouths are Saltwater Assassin sea shad in 4”.  Colors silver mullet, chart diamond, and salt/pep shad. I like to use shrimp (Bang) scent in the spring too, this helps because there is not much bait in the water yet.  I don’t use a lot of scents for Trout, but in the cool spring mouths it can really help.

Redfish are schooling good in the surf and the ICW, when we get a nice day we get out and get’em.  They are pretty easy to catch; you just got to find them.  That part can be a bit harder, trust me!  A sunny, light wind day and good polarized sunglasses are the keys to catching these Reds.  Grubs seen to be the easy go to bait for the Reds.  Saltwater Assassin (Blurps) in pearl and molting colors work very well.  You can use jigs heads, 1/4 and 3/8 for casting.  Color of the jig heads is not a big deal red and black work just fine.  Hold on tight, they fight great even in cool water!

We are catching a few Flounder as well.  The flounder are biting while we are fishing for Reds and the Trout.  Grubs work just fine to get these guys.   Gear used: Reel Pflueger Infusion 7635SS and 7640ss, Rod: Ugly Stick Lite 7?0? Med light and Med act. Line: Ugly Braid in 15 and 20 pound test.  Thanks for taking the time to read this report, get out there and go fishing!   If you would like to go with me check out my web page www.captainjot.com and or give me a call 910-233-4139.

Capt. Jot Owens
Wrightsville Beach and Wilmington, NC
www.captainjot.com 
910-233-4139 

On some of the windier days when it’s been hard to get out on the coast to fish we’ve been doing a little bit of fresh water fishing.  The large mouth Bass have been biting well. Most trips we are catching nine to over fifth teen bass a day. The size of the Bass are running one to over five pounds, most fish are two to three pounds.  Bass are hitting Bass Assassin rubber worms in colors black and red shad “red and black”.  Rigging the worms Carolina style seems to work the best.

On the coast fishing has been a little hit or miss for the most part. Some days we go out and get over ten Redfish some days it’s less.  The best bait for the Reds lately has been fresh shrimp or live mud minnows.  I have had the most luck rigging the shrimp and minnows on Carolina rigs.  We are using EC L 42 style hooks in number “one” size.  The Reds are running in the sixteen to twenty-five inch range with a few bigger ones mixed in from time to time.

If you would like to go the artificial root, I would recommend using scented grubs.  The best bet is to use Saltwater Assassin “Blurps” in Colors Molting and good penny.  These Blurps are really well scented to put out one great scent trail. Those Reds will find them, trust me!  Jigs heads for the grubs in ¼ to 3/8 oz, colors red and black seem to be the trick. Work’em slow around docks and drop-offs on grass lines.

There are a few trout and flounder around as well, they are not very big, but some times you can pull out a keeper.  Mud minnows and grubs are the ticket for these fish.  Rig the minnows on Carolina rigs, go light on the leader fifth teen to twenty pound line.  Grub colors that we’re using; Chart. Diamond and Silver mullet with red head jigs.  Work’em slow on shore lines and drop off on the grass lines.

Gear used for the last few trips: Pflueger Medalist and Infusion SS spinning reels in size 6035 great for trout and light Red fishing. Rods: Ugly Stick Lite. Med act 7’ Line used Ugly Braid fifth teen and twenty pound test.  Thanks for reading this report, if you have any questions or comments drop me a line at www.captainjot.com

Thanks again,

Capt. Jot Owens
www.captainjot.com
910-233-4139

PS: Booking up FAST>>>>>>>>>

The Redfish have been biting fair to great. Good numbers are being caught, anywhere from five fish to over twenty on better days. The Redfish are hitting grubs, cut bait and live bait. . Grubs that have been working well: Saltwater Assassin’s (Blurps) in colors molting and good penny. The best cut bait so far has been fresh shrimp. Most of the local fish markets are starting get some fresh shrimp. Rig the shrimp Carolina style using a number one Eagle claw L42 hook.

We are catching a few Speckled trout from time to time. The trout are small with a few nice ones mixed in. Grubs have been the best bet for the trout; we’re using Saltwater Assassin sea shad and shrimp patterns. Colors that have worked lately; Elec. Chicken and Chart Diamond. Don’t forget those never fell; Mirrolures, in colors silver mullet and white on white. The water is still cool so don’t forget to work the lures a little slower.

There has been a few bluefish starting to show up around the inlets. These guys are a little early but that is good thing. I hope the Bonita’s are not far behind them! If you have ever caught a Bonita on light tackle or Fly rod you know just how fast they are and how much fun it is to catch them. If you have not ever caught one, you need to give it a try. This is one of my favorites to catch hands down and they are not bad to eat as well.

If you get a chance take a look at Xtool’s and Pflueger’s new gear. They have come out with some new products for this year. Xtools has come out with over nine new products from Xtoolkits to RodXRacks. You can check them all out at www.xtools.us Pflueger has made a very nice saltwater bait caster, (Patriarch) check it out and other new products at www.pfluegerfishing.com

Thanks for taking a look at this report. We are booking up quickly for the season so give me a call to book your next fishing trip. Don’t forget to take a kid fishing as well!!

See ya soon,
Capt. Jot Owens
www.captainjot.com
910-233-4139

These temps are about 4 to 5 degrees warmer than last year this same time.  So what does this mean?  I hope an early and longer fishing season this year.  We will just have to see what happens; hopefully it will mean better fishing.  So far so Good!  To the fishing report

Just off the beach, in the three the fifteen mile range there is some bottom fish.  We fished the Liberty ship wreck on 3/13.  We caught some very nice Black sea Bass and Ring tail porgies.  The fish were mixed in size; from 8 to 15 plus inches.

You can find these fish and also Jolt head porgies, Dog sharks, and Tautogs.  They are hanging on ledges and artificial reefs just off the beach. These fish are not too hard to catch once you find them.  Cut bait is the way to go on these fish, Squid seems to work the best and it stays on the hook better.  If you would rather go artificial, jigs and jig spoons, two to five oz. any colors will work “go bright”.

Inshore fishing is picking up as well. Redfish, Speckled trout and Flounder are biting. You just have to get out on the water and put some time in to find them.  In the spring you need to slow down your presentation and add some scent to your lures.  Doing these things will help you catch more fish.

The Redfish are hitting grubs, cut bait and live bait.  Live bait is just starting to show up around this area, most of it is small in size.  Grubs that have been working well: Saltwater Assassin’s (Blurps) in colors molting, good penny and pearl.  Cut bait to use, fresh shrimp and fresh mullet. Rig the cut bait, Carolina rig style.

Flounder and Speckled trout fishing is just starting to pick up.  We have been catching most of the Flounder and trout on grubs.  Assassin Sea shads in colors S&P. PH/CHART.TL and CHART-DIAMOND are working well. Those color “codes” came right off the back of the packages.  Red or black jig heads seem to be the best.  One good trick I use is some (Bang) shrimp scent to spray on my grubs.  This scent works great for Flounder and trout fishing.

In other fishing news, Xtools and Pflueger have come out with some new products for this year.  Xtools has come out with over nine new products from Xtoolkits to RodXRacks.  You can check them all out at www.xtools.us   Pflueger has made a very nice saltwater bait caster, (Patriarch) check it out and other new products at www.pfluegerfishing.com

Thanks for reading this report!  We are booking up quickly for the season so give me a call and let’s go fishing. Don’t forget to take a kid fishing as well!!

Good fishing to ya,

Capt. Jot Owens
www.captainjot.com
910-233-4139

With the weather getting warming the water temps are on the raise, which is a very good thing. Redfish are biting around docks and marsh grass drops in the water way and creek mouths. Most of the falling tide and the start of the raise is the best time to catch these Reds. Anywhere you can find the sun warming the water around docks, there should be some Reds close by.

The Reds are taking scented Grubs and fresh bait like shrimp or mullet. The best bet for grubs are Saltwater Assassin (Blurps), these are some of the best scented grubs on the market! Colors I would recommend; Molting, Good Penny and Drunk monkey.  The best Grub head colors red and black these seem to work the best. Work the grubs slow, this will let the scent spread out more so the Reds can find the grubs.

A few Speckled trout are biting, same set up as the Reds. Try to find some fish warming up in the sun, on flats and oyster rocks. Work Grubs and Mirrolure’s very slow for these fish. Good colors for the grubs are Saltwater Assassin salt & pep chartreuse tail and chart/diamond. These are two of my favorite colors. If you see the Trout on the bottom cast on the edge of them not right in the school. If you cast in the school it will scare them. If you can get any live bait use it!

Just off the beach, in the three the fifteen mile range there is some bottom fish.  The Black sea bass, Jolt head porgies and Tautogs are biting in this area. There hanging on ledges and artificial reefs, these fish are not too hard to catch once you find them. Cut bait is the way to go on these fish, Squid seems to work the best and it stays on the hook better. If you would rather go artificial, jigs and jig spoons, two to five oz. any colors will work “go bright”.

We are booking up fast for this up coming summer season, book now to get the day you want! Check out the new web page for fishing reports and charter specials from time to time. Thanks for reading this report, and Good fishing to Ya!!!

Capt. Jot Owens
910-233-4130
www.captainjot.com