Great Summer Fun!

Posted by on Sep 16, 2015 in Fishing Report | Comments Off on Great Summer Fun!

Great Summer Fun!

Wow, what a Summer! The Red Drum bite inshore has been really consistent, with lot’s of Topwater and Fly action up in the shallows. Great sightfishing action for feisty Reds is always hard to beat! The past Month or so has offered up some Tarpon fishing like I’ve never seen! We were very fortunate to be prepared for some unbeleiveable opportunities. Starting our season off with two fly bites in two days on Tarpon, right in the backyard!! The first one broke off on a violent sub-surface take of a custom Menhaden Hi-Tie by Scott Randall, but still left angler Mike Ollinger in a “knee-knocking” state of amazement for the rest of the afternoon. The next morning I had Bill Rustin, longtime friend and seasoned Tarpon Fly angler, and his wife Mary-Louise with me as we had hopes of another bite. Not an hour into the morning we amazingly had a shot at some rolling fish and Bill made a great cast and got another violent take on a black and purple Toad fly and we were “off to the races”, as the fish surged in a tight circle in front of the bow and proceeded to strip fifty yards of backing off the reel and then go airborne in classic Tarpon style. As Bill has caught hundreds of Tarpon on the fly, after a few more jumps and some dogged close in runs, he used his experience to subdue the fish boatside and bring the leader inside the fly rod tip, in under an hour, to constitute a legal tournament catch. He then deliberately broke the fish off with a barbless fly, to ensure the fish’s survival. we estimated the fish’s weight at 125lbs. Bill and I have been fishing together for more than ten years and I will never forget that day, we had discussed the possibilities of a Tarpon on the fly for years and were prepared when opportunities were possible, but I am still in awe of what happened. To top it of Mary-Louise caught an 80-90lb Tarpon the next day on bait off the back of the boat while Bill was looking for fish to throw the fly at on the bow! I have included some pics of a few of the Tarpon we have caught on bait in recent weeks, and also some White Marlin shots of a recent trip to Ocean City, MD. We tried a little Fly fishing but opted to conventional fish and caught nine! There should still be some weeks left in both seasons so if you have the time contact me to check available dates. Although Summer is leaving us it’s hard not to be excited about the Fall! Albacore, Speckled Trout, Striped Bass and some of the best Redfishing to be had all year mixed with some milder Temps make for great days on the water. http://www.northcarolinasportsman.com/details.php?id=5225 Give me a call if you would like to book a trip!  ...

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Beatiful Winter Weather

Posted by on Jan 21, 2015 in Fishing Report | Comments Off on Beatiful Winter Weather

Beatiful Winter Weather

Winter fishing can be challenging, but if you pick the right days it can be just as exciting and productive as any other Season. We’ve had some icy temperatures and dreary days and we’ve had some stretches of unseasonably warm and sunny weather! If your willing and able to bend your schedule around the weather, you can experience some fantastic fishing! Today being case in point- 65 Deg., Sunny and light or no breeze with a double -digit catch of nice Stripers. We recently had a few shallow Redfish days that would rival any other time of the year, with multiple fish on the fly and plenty of fish to sight cast to! If you want to be on my new e-mail list that will go out ahead of any stretches of pretty weather, e-mail me and let me know. Don’t miss out on any of the great days we will hopefully have throughout the remainder of the winter and receive a 10% discount on any charter after you get on the list! Let’s go catch one of my favorites, big Cape Fear Rive Striped Bass! We tied for Most Fish Tagged in the annual Striperfest Tournament held last Saturday but got beat out on time by our good Friend Captain Jamie and Dak  of Seagate Charters. Congats Guys! Always an awesome Tournament and Banquet!...

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Fall Fishing

Posted by on Oct 6, 2014 in Fishing Report | Comments Off on Fall Fishing

Fall Fishing

Fall fishing is here! Cooler temps have kicked off Fall migrations and our local inshore fishing has been consistently good. Redfish and big Drum are around in numbers, Speckled Trout have been eager to smack a topwater plug at the right place and time and False Albacore along with big Spanish Mackerel have been just off the beaches and in the inlets. The Reds have been following the higher tides into the grass and up onto the shallow flats, happily tailing and looking for something to eat. It’s always exciting to stalk a tailing fish and watch him eat your fly! While Albacore fishing the other morning just outside Masonboro Inlet, we witnessed a large school of Tarpon traveling South ahead of the first real cold front of the season! With 12wt ready we positioned well ahead of the school and waited, but never saw them again. Oh well, we had the fly in front of some fish earlier in the year also and learned a lot, maybe 2015 will be our year for Tarpon on the Fly in NC. The Striped Bass fishing has already been good this season and we even had some spectacular late Summer bites with quality fish weighing into the double digits! Speckled Trout will be on the move with the falling water temperatures, and should only get better into December It’s a great time of year to get out on the water and go fishing! Thanks for reading! Capt. Jon  ...

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Shallow Water and Fly Fishing Fun!

Posted by on Jul 2, 2014 in Fishing Report | Comments Off on Shallow Water and Fly Fishing Fun!

Shallow Water and Fly Fishing Fun!

  Sight -fishing for shallow Redfish has been really productive lately with large schools, singles, doubles and some “tailing” fish too! The Reds have been eager to crash a surface fly like the Crease Fly when properly presented and it has been really exciting. Gotta love a topwater fly bite! Topwater plugs and light soft plastics thrown on a spinning rod have been getting their fair share of shots also. We have been concentrating on the inshore Redfish recently, but did get outside of the inlet to throw 12wt. outfits at some hefty Amberjacks. The Mahi- Mahi are starting to show and some Tarpon have been seen! New to the fleet is a 22′ Currituck Bay Boat that will allow us to host up to four anglers and expand our range. There are pictures of a Brown Trout and a Bear both taken at a recent Western NC, Spring Creek, 3wt Dry Fly Excursion. It was a first for me and a ton of fun! Hope to do that again! There are days available and the fish are here! Thanks for reading and hope to see you soon Capt. Jon    ...

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Hot Winter Fishing

Posted by on Jan 21, 2014 in Fishing Report | Comments Off on Hot Winter Fishing

Hot Winter Fishing

The Striped Bass in the Cape Fear River have been biting consistently lately, and we have caught some really nice fish! The weather has been really hard to predict, but the Stripers don’t seem to mind. There have been a few locals who have caught their first river Stripers and just days prior to the Cape Fear River Watch Striperfest Tournament I managed to catch my personal best a 14lber!(see pic). As far as the tournament goes I always say that ” I would rather be lucky than good” and I am really gratefully that some good luck shined upon us. My anglers, Robbie Rhyne and Frank Spencer and I found a couple of really good fish(28″ and 29.5″ inches) that held on to take the Largest Aggregate and Largest Fish prizes! It was a tough, windy and cold day, to say the least, and the 5 fish that Jason Dail and his anglers caught to win Most Fish Tagged, were hard earned. Love the tournament and banquet, it’s always a good time for a great cause!!...

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Cold and Fishy!

Posted by on Dec 4, 2013 in Fishing Report | Comments Off on Cold and Fishy!

Cold and Fishy!

Winter weather overtook mild Fall temperatures pretty quickly and our water temperatures plummeted right along with our air temps. The fish reacted, and we all had to change gears to stay on the them, but once things settled into a chilly pattern the fishing got really interesting. Big numbers of Speckled Trout and Redfish have been on the prowl in and around area beaches and inlets, as well as the marshes. Fishing in the River has been really consistent with a few more “Firsts”, such as an angler’s first ever Trout and Striped Bass and the first Super Inshore Slam ( Striped Bass, Speckled Trout, Redfish, and Flounder on the same trip) of the season !!  My good buddy Robbie and I had a beautiful, warm day on the water today with Redfish and Stripers as a bonus. December usually hands out plenty of mild days and there are plenty of quality fish to catch, Masa’s First Trout so get out on the water if you can! Happy Holidays and Tight Lines Capt....

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