Spanish Mackerel Fishing Atlantic Beach, NC

Capt. Ronnie Boyd, looking for fish jumping, birds, and boats.  Keep your eyes open for signs of feeding Spanish Mackerel.


A nice cooler filling up with Spanish Mackerel.


Look at the size of this Spanish Mackerel.  Note the dark fin and the spots.

When the water warms up in the Spring and Summer.  It's time to go trolling for Spanish Mackerel.  This is a great eating fish and the creel limit is high.  They will readily bite early in the morning and late in the evening, but can readily be caught any time of the day.

Our main tactic is to fish with four lines and troll slowly at about 800 to 1,000 rpm.  We will have two poles out, and two hand lines with planers to get the lure down to 5-10'.

The gear:

Two-hand lines directly behind the boat.  We get the 00 Clark Spoons down around 5-10 feet using a Sea Strike planer (SSP1).  You can find out more by looking them up on the proper line to use, length of line needed and how to set them.  When the fish strikes, the planer comes up and we reel the fish in by hand.  It is simple and effective.  Leave plenty of mono-filament or Fluorocarbon as a leader.  Make sure you're using a swivel.  Vanish Fluorocarbon makes the best leaders in my opinion.  Use about 25-30 feet of it.  Spanish have sharp eyes and they can see the line.

The two fishing rods will have ball bearing trolling sinkers on them to get the lure down.  Again use 25-30 ft of Vanish as a leader with swivels.  Get the lines out there.

Technique:  When you get your lines out, make sure that they're far enough away from the boat.  Try using a gold spoon, silver spoon, green with flecks, or pink with flecks.  Take note of which ones you're catching fish on and the switch to that particular spoon color to catch more fish.  The fish might be very color sensitive.  This is the key to getting more fish in the cooler.

You want a GREAT Tip:  Spanish are not that heavy and are very toothy.  I throw them straight into the cooler with the line and lure.  Pull the line until the fish's head is sticking out, press the cooler lid on his head to get it to open its mouth.  Take the lure out, then release the cooler lid and the fish will be off the hook.

Throw the hook back into the water and catch more fish.  This is a great tip, and you will never have to get slime on your hands ever again.  We've gone out with four people and caught 30-60 fish in a day.  It's relaxing just bouncing around the boat, watching the lines.  You don't have to be that far from shore to catch Spanish, and we're fishing in about 17' of water.  Happy holidays and good luck with your fishing adventures.

Crappie Bites at Twilight

May 11, 2011-I could smell the smoke from the fires in Dare County; it made it feel like there was a haze in the air. It was cool and I had been doing 3 hours of yard work for the past two days, so today is going to be a fishing day before it rains for the next 5 days if the weather man is right.

I made it out the driveway with the boat hooked up by 5:30 p.m. and decided to hit the Tar River Reservoir instead of Sapony Creek. I’ll stop by my favorite bait shop EL’s and get some medium minnows, a.k.a. crack for crappies. No go….EL’s was closed, which was very unusual. I’m going have to do it all with jigs, that’s fine, I like working the reel.

Pulled in the boat launch parking lot and to my surprise there was only one boat trailer there. I saw two boats vertical fishing around the supports to the Bend of The River Bridge. I took a right and starting fishing right next to the boat launch. I would hit all my old haunts where I’ve caught fish before.

At my 1st cove I caught one keeper. I kept working the area, changing out lures, fan casting, switching the pace of retrieve, etc., but nothing else was biting. Now it’s 6:30 p.m., but still plenty of daylight for fishing.

I motor up and get to my second cove, water temperature is 74 F, and I’m in 5 to 4’ of water. Again fan casting with the tube jig tipped with Berkley crappie nibble gave some short strikes from bream, but no crappie. I switched up colors from red & white, to black & white/red tail, and finally to a grasshopper crank bait.

Got some nice strikes and a bream to keep me entertained, but the big slabs were elusive. Looking down, my watch now reads 7:30 p.m. Feeding times chart said prime time is around 7:00 p.m., and there’s a half-moon in the sky.

I switched to a small Rebel crawfish color crank bait, and decided to fish the main channel and cast to the bank as I drift. There was a light wind and I wouldn’t need to put the trolling motor down. I might as well give it one last shot before going home with one fish.

I drifted by a good size man made brush pile and got a good keeper size crappie on the crank bait just 20 yards from the brush pile. I immediately set the anchor to stop, and fan casted the area again with the crank bait. No luck. Now I switch to the trusty old red & white tube jig. Casting up wind, I threw right next to the brush pile. One thousand 1, one thousand two, and boom…

I got a nice strike, another keeper.
Now I’ve got three fish in the live well. I quickly re-baited the hook and threw again. This time I didn’t get to one thousand two, and a nice fish hit it. This one pulled hard and the line went straight down. Splash, splash, splash, I could see I needed the net for this guy and wasn’t going to yank him into the boat using the line. 14.5” long, wow, I’m pumped now!

Four fish in the boat. I cast again to the same area, but no luck. I begin to cast to the edges of the brush pile, again no bites. I switch up and use my black with white/red tail and get another keeper into the boat.

Now I casted to the edge of the pile, and count to one thousand two…and then Wham, another good strong pulling fish. This one measured 15' long.

The sun was going down, and I kept throwing like a machine, but nothing was biting. I decided to reposition the boat and anchor up wind of the pile and see if there were fish on the other side.

I stayed and threw for a good 5 minutes and didn’t get anything. I decided to go back down wind and try some more, I had about 5 minutes of twilight and got one more keeper.

Wow, what a great day on the water. And to think I was going to quit and head in at 7:30 p.m. I’m glad I went around the corner and fished the main channel at 6-7’. It made the difference between a 1 fish day and a 7 fish day.

Von and Sarah Bass Puller (Sapony Creek, NC)

 

Von and Sarah Bass Fishing

The kids and I fished Sapony Creek cove April 4, 2011. There were a lot of boats in and out, and we had anchored up fishing the edge of the weeds for crappie. We saw agressive splashing in the middle of the weeds. I had a Scum Frog, and put it on and threw in the general area. Our nice little bass hit it without hesitation as the frog came into open water. No time to wait, the fish set itself. Fish are starting to bite, and the water was 60 F.

Big Bass In Small Ponds

Monster Bass In Small Ponds

Location: Raleigh
Time: 7:40 p.m.
Date: 5/16/07

I had planned to go to Lake Jordan today and put my angler skill to the test. My plan was to catch a mess of 'Slab' crappie, clean them, fry them to a golden brown, and peel the flaky white meat off the bone. Needless to say, it didn't happen as I had pictured it in my mind. When I got to Lake Jordan, it was blowing a gale, at least 20 to 30 mph winds. I was skunked. Fishing off the banks was not productive.

Feeling depressed and low, I went home and decided to catch some large bream at a pond in my apartment complex. It was great pitching tubes to strong little slab bream, some were bigger than the closed palm of your hand. Bream are one of the hardest fighting fish anywhere pound for pound.

This is where the story gets interesting. I like to let the fish run a little and tire itself out before pulling it in. All of a sudden, a large swirl and splash occured next to the shoreline where I was standing. My forearms flexed as it held a tight grip on the rod. The reel was singing as the fish ran and took drag.

In my mind I was thinking, 'What the hell, this is the strongest bream in the world, there is something in these waters!' A bass had swallowed the bream whole and was running to the deep end. I tried with all my might to turn the fish. I knew that I could never hook it because the I had a tiny little hook, and it was in the mouth of the bream, that was trapped inside the mouth of the monster bass.

Finally, the bass spat out the bream unharmed. That was a jolt of adrenaline in my body that is truly the trill of catching big bass. It's equivalent to a knockout, a home-run, a touch down, a try, what every you call it, it's an emotional high and it feels great.

Nothing eventful happened after that, and I continued taking pleasure in catching blackberry size bream. Finally I caught a bream that was just the right size, not too big, but not too small. Somewhere in the mixture of cloudy muddy swirls and clear water lurked a monster. The large mouth bass is the Apex predator of these fresh water ponds.

Can lighting strike twice, I'm living proof of it. A monster bass pounced on my helpless bream swimming back and forth in the semi-clear water. The reel screamed like banshee. Line was peeling off my reel like there was no tomorrow. This time I played it cool and didn't fight the bass as much. I loosened up my drag and let her run.

The line was piano string tight as it pointed toward the deep end of the pond. Once I was sure that the bass had swallowed the bream, I began the fight. On my line was 4 lb. test, and I was careful not to break it or allow the fish to get tangled on structure. When the fish finally came to the surface, my eyes bulged and heart raced as I could see that she was a monster.

I knew I had to get a photo of this. I found a large hole, that looked like it was made by a gopher and put my rod and reel in it. Then I found a rock to anchor it down, hoping that the fish didn't come back to life and pull my rig in as I ran as fast as I could to my apartment to get the camera.

As I was running back I passed by a couple and they were able to take a couple of photos of the monster that swam in the apartment pond. The couple were taken back when they saw the fish and commented that it was bigger than their pet poodle, which the woman held tightly against her chest.

Once the picture was taken, we could see the still wiggling bream's tail inside the gullet of the large bass. I was able to get the hook out and got the fish back in the water. She came back to life immediately and swam towards the deep end. This is the largest bass I have ever caught, and I'm happy to share my fish tale with you. A bad day turned out good, that's my story and I'm sticking to it! I figured the bass might have weighed 8 to 10 lbs. and measured 22' long.

Sonny

Puppy Drum in the Neuse

Puppy drum caught on 12 lb. Cajun wire using 1/4 oz. red jig head and Gulp
Shrimp.  Fish was caught in 2-3' of water at the salt water end of the Neuse River.


A beautiful day of shallow water fishing on the Neuse River, NC.  Walk and
stalking fish in 2-3' of water.


Another nice catch and release day.  These fish are fantastic fighters!

Target Puppy Drum For Fun!

I have a deep admiration for the Redfish. The smaller ones are called Puppy Drum. Whatever you want to call them, they can lay claim to one of the best sporting inshore fish ever!

There is not enough to be said about the fighting stamina for this fish, and it's understandable why they've developed such a devoted fan base. If you haven't caught the fever of Redfish Nation, get a hold of one of these bad boys and you will.

I had an opportunity to test the waters of the Neuse River near the Cherry Branch Ferry over the Easter Weekend. I was rewarded with a most vicious strike and excellent pull to get the old blood pumping and geared up for the inshore saltwater season.

My best friend down in Pensacola gave me his old Shimano Stradic 2500 spooled with 15 lb. line to try out. The redfish he catches down there would destroy this reel, but it's perfect for Puppy Drum and bass.

It was about 5:30 p.m. and slack tide. Wearing a pair of flip flops, and cargo shorts, I waded gently straight out from my in-laws house.

Although it was windy and blowing from the Southwest, the waters were clear, warm, and flat. I got into water up to my knees before casting. My trusty English springer spaniel circling me and spooking all the jumping mullet around me.

On my 5th cast, the fish struck my 1/4 oz. red jig head tipped with a penny colored Gulp Shrimp. It's amazing how good Gulp Shrimp is, and it was unbelievable that my shrimp was over a year old and still worked. Get the Gulp Recharge bucket; it's worth every bit of $20.

The fish gave an incredible fight, and ran three or four times. Thumper my dog was looked confused and surprised as I fought the fish and finally brought it in close enough for him to get a good look.

That Puppy Drum was strong and healthy. The hook was turned down in its mouth. I took a photo, unhooked it, and watch it swim back into the waters to grow some more. It was a great day, and great Easter Weekend. Nothing could be finer than to be in the Carolinas.

Sonny

Fishing On The Carolina Princess, Morehead City

Amberjack caught from the Carolina Princess, Morehead City, NC.

American Snapper "Red Snapper" caught from the Carolina Princess, Morehead City NC.

Fillet from Red Snapper......yummy fresh sushi!  Or if you prefer Cajun blackened, or southern fried as well.

The North Carolina coast offers some of the best inshore and off-shore fishing from the budget minded to high dollar charters.  For me, I'm budget minded.  Red Snapper season has been closed since 2008 and has yet to reopen, but there's still plenty of Vermilion Snapper, Grouper, Red Porgies, Trigger Fish, and other reef complex fish to be landed.

I caught these fish on the Carolina Princess Head Boat.  You can do a 1/2 day, whole day, or 18-hour fishing trip.  Check out their website for pricing, but it's typically about $50 for 1/2 day, $100 for whole day, and $140 for an 18-hour trip.  You will need to call and make reservations ahead of time and look at their calender.  The Captain Stacey is another head boat style fishing experience and pricing is a little lower and they have a 24-hour fishing trip.

What is provided:

1.  You do not need a salt water fishing license for the head boat.  It is provided.
2.  They will provide you with fishing tackle (it works, not the best).  You can bring your own if you like, but I can catch fish with their hook, line, sinker, rod and reels.
3.  They provide the bait.  Typically this will be cut bait, squid or Boston mackerel.
4.  The Carolina Princess has a galley.  They serve beer, sandwiches, soda's, chips, etc.

What to bring:

Bring a sleeping bag, appropriate clothes for the season, sandwiches, drinks, (no alcohol), a cooler, cash, and your own tackle if you don't like theirs.  It will be a 4-hour ride to the fishing grounds.  You will be fishing in 100 ft of water or more.  Bring a book, or some other form of entertainment.  I do not recommend a full day trip for kids under 10 because it's exhausting.  The 18-hour trip is only for the hardcore and is exhausting!  There is a top deck with bench seats.  You can sleep in the open air on the ride back.

What to expect:

You will work!  That's right, you're going to work for your fish.  Bait the hook with plenty of squid or fish.  When the captain says lined down "drop lines", flip your lever and let the 16 oz. sinker drop all the way to the bottom, once you feel the line go slack, reel up about 4 to 7 times and wait.  You WILL feel a jerk, and then you gently pull your rod up, or you can easily jerk back.  Some people are very aggressive at setting the hook, but I think you just waste energy and lose fish this way.  If 5 seconds has passed without a bite, you need to reel up because your bait is gone.  Remember you are reeling up and down in over 100 feet of water with a one pound weight at the end.  You will get a work out, and you're going to do this several times.

The most important thing is to relax and have fun.  If you get a strong tug on the line, and it's a big fish..it's important to reel up as fast as possible to prevent the fish from going back down into a hole or tangling your line on bottom structure.  You can lose the fish if that happens.  It is not uncommon to get double hook ups, two fish at a time, or a BIG grouper on the other end.  The deck hand will unhook your catch for you.  If it's a big fish, they will gaf it for you.

Sometimes you will come back with a cooler full of fish, and sometimes not so many.  Once you get a fish and it is of legal size and species, the deck hand will string it up with a number, then throw it in their large cooler.  You will collect your fish with the matching number at the end of the trip.  This will be your stringer of fish.  It is customary to tip the deck hand for good service.

There is typically a big fish pot, if you want to put $5 in.  The person with the biggest fish gets the cash pool.  Ask about the rules, it must be caught from a bottom rig.

Once you get back to the dock, you can have your fish cleaned and processed for a small fee, or just take it home and do it yourself.  The boat leaves early, 1st come 1st serve.  You will be back by 5-6 p.m.  The best position is to the rear of the boat.  Sometimes you can light line and fish for game fish off the back, but you have to pay attention because the captain will reposition the boat many times.  Good luck, enjoy our coast, and most of all have fun and eat fish!

Winter Fishing for NC Stripers!

Capt. Ronnie Boyd with a nice ocean striped bass caught from our NC shores, Morehead City.

Wheelbarrow full of fish.  Now that's a catch!

Look at that fish!  Beautiful.

These are delicious healthy fish caught in the Winter off Morehead City.

As the waters cool down, the inshore fishing will pick up.  Speckled trout, redfish, and some nice size flounder will hit soft plastic on 1/4 oz. jig heads, as well as MirrOlures.  As the water cools down, the blue fish and striped bass will be chasing baitfish into the surf.  Lots of action along the OBX with surf fishing.  All you need is a 4-wheel drive to get access to some hot winter fishing action.

Combat Fishing For Crappie

My son, Von, with an nice mess of crappie caught in 40 minutes on a sunny Spring day.  We caught one fish every 5-6 minutes.  "Combat" fishing.

A nice mess of crappie.  The smaller ones measured 10" long, but the Hawgs "Slabs" measured 14-15" long.

Sarah with a nice "keepr" crappie.

A nice mess of fish for the frying pan caught in 1 hour.

Nice "Winter" Hawgs caught from Lake Wilson.  Lake Wilson is a very small lake, but look at what was there.

Nice big slab caught from the Tar River Reservoir.  This is about a 1.5 to 2 lb. fish. 

The pending North Carolina State Record White Crappie measuring 17 1/8 inches long, 15 inches in girth and, most important, weighed 3 pounds, 11 ounces, came from the Tar River Reservoir.  This place is 12 minutes from my house.

I am not going to claim that I am an expert at catching fish, but I've pulled in my fair share.  This article will focus on one particular species called Crappie.  This fish holds a seat as one of the best fresh water fish to eat....period.  I am passionate about catching them and will share my tips and techniques for "Combat" fishing.

Combat fishing is a term I picked up from my father-in-law, Capt. Ronnie Boyd.  We use this term when we have multiple hook ups while fishing for dolphin fish, kings mackerel, Wahoo, and Spanish mackerel in the ocean.  It's the excitement of having two to three fish on line and trying to get them into the boat...it is chaos with fish.

The name “Crappie” (pronounced CROP-ee) is derived from the French-Canadian word “crapet-soleil," meaning "sunfish." The genus name for both black and white crappie is Pomoxis, meaning “sharp gill cover."
Across the U.S., crappie have 25 or more regional or “nicknames”—probably more than any other fish. Among the more colorful names are slabs, papermouths, calico bass, specks, sac-a-lait (which roughly translates as "sack of milk"), lamplighter, timber perch and John Demon, according to the Missouri Department of Conservation.  The funny thing is crappie are more closely related to bass than a sunfish, so they're really not sunfish at all.

Where to go:  The majority of waters throughout the U.S. will have crappie.  These fish are prolific in small ponds, rivers, and lakes.  I do not make a distinction and target both white and black crappie.

When to go:  For me the best time to fish for crappie is during the spawn, which is when the waters warm up in the Spring.  I've heard of people fishing for them year round, but I will pick my days.  If it is Winter, I will watch the weather and look for those few days when we have a warm front come through.  It seems to me that the fish are hungry and feeding during those short burst of warm weather.  Winter time has not been that productive for me.  I don't do the slow trolling or spider rigging.  When the water warms up into the mid-50's, you'll find me on the water targeting fish from 6'-1' deep.  Summer time is also a great time to target these fish in shallow waters.

What to use:  Use the lightest tackle possible.  5 lb. weight fly rod, cane pole, light action rod & reel with 4-6 lb. test.  My favorite tool to catch crappie is the 1/64 oz. jig hook with a wide variety of tube jigs, and an absolute must for me (my secret) Berkley Powerbait Crappie Nibbles.  It's always been said that big bait catch big fish.  This is true for crappie as well.  I've had success using large minnows fished under a cork, and this is one of my regular techniques.

The gear:  My go to rod and reel is going to be a light action rod, and small reel spooled with 4-6 lb. test.  I use a 7' rod because it allows me to cast farther with these little lures.  Crappie are small fish, and you want a sporting fight.  A crappie bite is very light and you will want a line that's as sensitive as possible to set the hook.  A light line also matches the sink rate of the 1/64 oz. jig.  Presentation is very important.

You can use a slip bobber to adjust the depth of the minnow.  I prefer a fixed bobber with a double hook crappie rig.  These can be bought at any bait and tackle and resemble a salt water surf fishing rig, but just a whole lot smaller.  You will be able to put two minnows at a time on a line with the rigs.

The technique:  One of the best ways to find out where the fish are out is to go out when the water is low and draw a map of the locations you see will hold fish.  This means noting down logs, tree stumps, and any other habitat that will hold the fish.  Don't forget ledges to main channels. 

When the waters are high, and the temperature is right...it's time to fish.  For me, I love to fish in the evening.  This is how I relax after work.  I will typically fish from 5:30 p.m. till it gets dark.  I've noticed that the bite turns on just 10 minutes before it gets dark.  I use the trolling motor, move, fan cast, in 5-6' of water.  Once I catch a crappie, I anchor up and start fishing the area.  I will use three poles, two live bait poles, and one jigging pole.

You will have to switch up as many colors as you can and figure out what the fish like.  Red/White, Red/Chartreuse/Black, Yellow/Green, are some of the colors that work in my area.  Always use the crappie nibbles on the end of the hook.  The scent attracts the fish, and it can mean the difference between going home with a mess of fish, or just a couple.

Have your live bait poles in the water.  Then slowly jig.  I will cast and then count one-thousand five times.  Once my line stops moving, I know the lure is on the bottom.  I gently raise my rod, a couple of turns on the reel, and let the lure gently drift back down again.  Repeat this until the lure is back to the boat....repeat.  If you see the line stop before hitting the bottom, a crappie has sucked it in.  They tend to strike while the lure is falling.  Set the hook gently, and be ready for a neat little fight.  The fish will run 3 or 4 times.  Maintain steady pressure, but not too much.  Always use the net on larger fish because we're only fishing with 4-6 lb. test.

Crappie are always looking up...remember that!  They will move from deep water to shallow in the evening.  These fish sense the slightest movement.  They use the sense of smell, and they bite gently....so set the hook gently.  They put up a great fight.

There has been many times that I will have two fish on at a time, or two poles with fish on them.  This is Combat fishing.  Be careful and work the fish because sometimes you will get a big catfish or bass that hit the minnow as well.

How to clean:  I use a very sharp and flexible fillet knife.  I wear gloves because the fish will be very slimy.  I start at the head, put the knife to the top of the rib cage and follow it all the way back, cutting on one side of the dorsal fin.  When I get past the ribs, I push the knife through to the bottom anal fin and work back to the tail in a sawing motion.  Flip the fillet back, keeping the skin to the tail.  Now run the knife between the fillet and the skin.  You should have a nice white boneless fillet.  Do the same on the other side.  There are some good videos on Youtube.com on how to do this.

Eat'n the darn thang:  I soak my crappie fillet in milk for 2 hours to a day.  Then I dredge the fillet through House Autrey Seafood Breader and pan fry in olive oil for 3-4 minutes per side on medium to medium high heat.  You will have a nice white flaky fish with a nice crunchy crust....it is absolutely heaven in every bite.  Chew slowly and enjoy your food.

I hope this writing will help those that love to crappie fish.