Monthly Options

January ~ February ~ March
Bluefin Tuna	St. Bass
The month of January is the first of 3 weather sensitive months. It does provide some outstanding fishing opportunities. The Bluefin Tuna fishing can be fantastic. These Tuna average well over 200 pounds and occasionally weigh over 500 pounds. King Mackerel and Blackfin Tuna are also caught occasionally by Tuna fishermen. In fact, King Mackerel fishing can be outstanding in January. Big Mako and Thresher Sharks are other fish that are sometimes caught when Tuna fishing. These encounters are never forgotten! Most years we have some Speckled Trout around and those fish are generally large ones. The last couple of years have seen some big catches, both size and numbers. The biggest Speckled Trout of the year are often caught on cold January nights. Live bait catches the majority of these fish, however, lots of these big fish are snagged because the cold water has lowered their metabolism and the fish are very sluggish. During the day, these fish are sometimes visible in the extremely clear surf and are easily targeted. There are usually some Albacore around this month. Most of the time they can be found within 10 miles of the beach. Bottom fishing for Black Sea Bass, Grouper, and Snapper is a great way to spend a beautiful winter day. Black Sea Bass, Bluefish, and an occasional Flounder are found within 20 miles of the beach. Venturing out farther we can still find plenty of Grouper, Snapper, Amberjacks, and an occasional pelagic species on the light line. February fishing for me was simple a few years ago. If the weather is pretty, I'd be Striper fishing out of Oregon Inlet. Unfortunately, the past 2 years, 2007 and 2008, the fishing has been very unconsistent. The fish have been staying far to the North and it hasn't been worthwhile for me to even attempt to participate in that fishery. Hopefully, in the years to come that fishery will return to the way it was from 1998 to 2006. I do have a couple of options around home. I've got a couple of places in the Haystacks that traditionally hold Red Drum on warm sunny days. Back in '98 and '99 I used to fish them pretty hard and caught a lot of fish. It is extremely shallow water fishing. Reminds me a little bit of Bonefishing. First you find the fish, then you sneak up on them, and then you cast to them. Sometimes we put on waders and walk in to these fish. It is quite challenging. Speckled Trout are still laying around in the surf waiting for the warm-up. Also, Black Sea Bass fishing can be very good this time of the year. Sea Bass can be found in good numbers starting about 20 miles out. One day in Feb. of 2000, we were catching them 4 at a time. Some of these fish were 2 and 3 pounders. Other bottom fish such as Groupers, Snappers, and Amberjacks are availiable farther offshore and can be targetted during real pretty weather. Every February has a few of those days. A good Bottom fishing trip on a pretty day is a great way escape the winter doldrums. Bluefish can be pretty reliable on the nearshore wrecks in 60 feet of water or deeper. Finally, schools of Albacores can be found in the Ocean and they occasionally may even enter the Inlets if the water temp. stays in the 50's. Back in 2001, we had a few Albacore schools in Beaufort Inlet in February. The toughest month of my fishing year is March. My favorite thing to do in March is fish for Hickory Shad in the Neuse River. Back in 2006 we had numerous 100+ fish days catching Hickory Shad on the Neuse River. Lots of these fish were over 2 pounds. We also caught a few American Shad, Chain Pickerel, Channel Cats, and Bowfin. I will be doing "guided bank fishing"in 2008. In other words, I will supply all the tackle and I will use my truck for transportation to various spots along the bank of the Neuse River. I also plan to try to fish the Cape Fear for American Shad this year. As far as my regular charter trips go, some years the Albacore fishing can be outstanding in March. Such was the case in '01. Bluefish usually show up in greater numbers at some point in the month. These early Bluefish are usually small inshore, while larger Blues stay around the Wrecks offshore. I do some Black Sea Bass and Tautog fishing in March and would be open to doing that on a pretty day. Also, Red Drum are becoming more active with the rising water temperatures and can be targeted in the marsh and in the surf. Schools of Gray Trout sometimes appear on the reefs this month. I think more of them would be caught, if more people were out looking for them. Most of these options could be explored in a full day of fishing. One final possibilty for March is Sea Mullet fishing. Some years, this extremely popular panfish can be found in good numbers in March. Usually if you can find them, you can catch large numbers of them. Good Sea Mullet fishing quickly attracts a large fleet of boats!
April ~ May ~June
Big Bluefish	Dolphin
My best bet for April is casting trips for Albacore, Bluefish, and Atlantic Bonito. These trips usually cover lots of territory and involve casting metal lures on spinning tackle or fly fishing. Every year is different. During March and April of '01, I had several excellent days of Albacore fishing inside Beaufort Inlet. Normally, these fish stay in the Ocean and on the average trip I plan to run 2 to 20 miles offshore to look for them. This is also when we get our best fishing of the year for 8 to 12 pound Bluefish. We find them when we fish the Wrecks in 60 to 100 feet of water. I have encountered schools of Cobia on the Wrecks this month. Back in April of 1991, I was part of a crew that put over 30 Cobias in the boat one morning. We were fishing the Naeco Wreck which is close to 40 miles offshore. Regardless of that catch, finding a Cobia in April would be considered a bonus. Smaller Bluefish are consistently found on the Shoals at Cape Lookout and on the Artificial Reefs. Atlantic Bonito are a great fish to catch on light tackle. Pound for pound, they are among the toughest fish we catch. They have earned the nickname "Striped Ape" because of their brute strength. Unlike Albacore, which prefer to feed by plowing into bait schools with their mouths open, basically "siphoning" food; Bonito are more likely chase down a single bait fish, or hopefully a fly or lure! The Bonito show up on the Reefs from late April to mid May. One other thing that makes Bonito so appealing is that it is a great eating fish. It actually tastes a lot like Yellowfin Tuna. Another possibility on the Reefs are Gray Trout. It is very possible to land Bluefish, Gray Trout, Bonito and Albacore all in one day. In the past, I have also found some nice schools of Red Drum on the Shoals at Cape Lookout in April. On pretty days, it is always a good idea to ride the Shoals and take a look. Finding a school of Drum guarrantees a great day of fishing. One final possibility for April is Sea Mullet fishing. This tasty little fish sometimes invades Beaufort Inlet in vast numbers in April. They are easily caught on bottom rigs and are a fun fish to catch. May is a transition month with the weather getting better as the month advances. During the first two weeks of the May, the Atlantic Bonito fishing peaks.The Albacore generally move out and some Spanish Mackerel and small King Mackerel move in. The Bonito don't stay around very long. Soon after they peak, they are gone. Bluefishing remains good on the Shoals for 1 to 2 pound fish, and occasionally some 8 to 12 pounders. Some years, these big Bluefish hang around the Artificial Reefs for a week or two. Spanish Mackerel are a good bet around the middle of the month. The second to third week of May is the beginning of our Cobia Season. Cobia fishing can be great or frustrating depending on many factors. Some years the fish seem to show up at Hatteras and we only get a short, scattered bite. Some years we get a large number of BIG fish and some years all we get are the smaller ones. There are years when a 50 pounder is a nice one and other years when 50 pounders are a dime a dozen! The best thing about Cobia fishing is any Cobia is usually a"nice"one. The biggest Cobia caught on my boat, so far, weighed 92 pounds and was caught in May of '07. Most years during the peak season, I average at least one Cobia bite per trip. One of my best days was in May of '07. I caught 4 Cobias one afternoon that weighed between 38 and 67 pounds each. For the last several years, I have also caught around a third of my Cobias by sight casting. This very exciting fishery is only possible on pretty days. We basically ride around and look for Cobias swimming on top and cast bucktails to them. It also allows a better opportunity to catch them on lighter tackle. Also, GIANT Stingrays and Sharks of all varieties make Cobia fishing interesting. Some of these Stingrays weigh well over 100 pounds! The first part of June should see the peak of the Cobia fishing and the first Blacktip Sharks of the year. These acrobatic Sharks average 25 to 75 pounds and they are a great fish to catch. Not many people targets them, but that's starting to change. June of 2007 saw the beginning of the best summer of Shark fishing that I've ever experienced. Fishing behind the Shrimp Trawlers outside of Beaufort Inlet produced as many Sharks as you wanted to battle, and some of these Sharks were well over 100 pounds! Other large Sharks commonly caught include Duskys, Sandbars, Blacknoses, Spinners, Hammerheads and Bull Sharks. We also catch lots of Dogfish and Sharpnose Sharks. Both of these small species are mistakenly called "Sand Sharks". Cobia fishing usually remains very good through around June 15th. Some years it lasts a little longer. By the middle of June, we are in our Summer fishing pattern. King and Spanish Mackerel, Flounder, Spadefish, Dolphin and Grouper are all viable targets. I fish with live bait for nearly every thing this time of the year. Sometimes catching the bait is the best part of the trip. In June of 2004, I caught a 30 pound Barracuda on a Sabiki Rig that was tied with 4 pound test leaders! My favorite trips this time of the year target Big Spanish Mackerel, Flounders and Spadefish. Spadefish require a little extra effort, but they are worth it. They are amazing on light tackle. June of 2004 and 2005 saw the beginning of great Flounder bites that lasted for months. June is also a time of high pressures and light winds making it a great time to target Grouper and Dolphin in my 25 foot boat. Catching Grouper on light tackle is challenging and more rewarding than fishing with heavy tackle and/or electric reels. I also love to fish the weedlines with top water plugs and live bait for Dolphin. This month is my best shot at Big Dolphin. One of my most memorable catches occurred on June 24, 1988. I caught a 66 pound Amberjack on size00 Clarkspoon while trolling for Spanish Mackerel in Beaufort Inlet!
July ~ August ~ September
Flounder Board	Night Drum
July is a great month to fish, especially on days when the southwest wind isn't blowing too hard. Big, citation sized Flounder and Spanish Mackerel are very common. One day in July of '92, I had 10 citation Spanish Mackerel that weighed 70 pounds collectively. The summers of 2004 and 2005 were the best Flounder seasons that I've ever had. So good, in fact, that I pretty much quit fishing for anything else! Those years, on the average half day trip from late June through October, I caught 15 to 18 Flounder and the average size was 20". My top fish was 28 1/2" and 10 pounds 6 oz. Nearly all these were caught on live bait in deep water! My best day was 36 fish in 3 hours, all from 17" to 24". The past 2 summers, 2006 and 2007, the Flounder fishing has been a little slow. In 2007, my favorite Flounder structure was covered up with a school of 8 to 12 pound Red Drum from June until September. These Drum made Flounder fishing difficult, but no one really complained. Some years, this month has consistently offered a shot at 25 to 30 pound Crevalle Jacks early in the morning. If they are around, hooking them is very simple on top water plugs or fly fishing! Landing them is not so easy. This action has been my little secret! July of '02 and '03 this fishing lasted for weeks. King Mackerel, Dolphin, Amberjacks, Barracuda and Spadefish are available. Night fishing around the Port in Morehead City is fun. Kids love this trip. Ribbonfish and Ladyfish are two interesting species that we catch at night. Ladyfish, which are related to Tarpon and Bonefish, are especially fun on light tackle. Some nights it is possible to catch 2 or 3 pounds of big Shrimp and a couple dozen Blue Crabs with a dip net. I also love to take kids Shark fishing and July is a good month to do it. The majority of our summer Sharks average from 10 to 50 pounds. July of 2007 produced many days of outstanding Shark fishing and many of these were adult Blacktips over 100 pounds. These Sharks are great gamefish. Big Spanish, small Kings, Cobia and Crevalle Jacks often interfere with our Sharking efforts! Giant Red Drum fishing steals the spotlight in August. I do my Drum fishing out of Cedar Island which is 40 miles east of Beaufort and I use the boat ramp at the Ferry Terminal. This is where I meet my parties. The fishing changes from year to year, but it is usually very productive. This is a 5 to 6 hour Night Fishing trip and since my first trip in '97, I have a 80% success rate. My best night was 19 Drum, over 40 pounds each, caught by 2 anglers. My smallest Cedar Island Drum has been 34" and my largest is 59". This is World Class Drum fishing! Getting a Drum Citation has never been easier. However, one good Hurricane can destroy this fishery for the year. The Flounder fishing should be excellent and the King Mackerel Live Bait fishing should be improving as the month advances. Thirty pound Kings become more common this month. I like to do trips targeting Amberjacks and Barracudas on the Wrecks at this time of the year. Both of these species are tough fighters. Sailfish and Dolphin are frequently inshore this month and are a possibility when fishing for Kings or on the Wrecks. August is a good month to chase schools of Spanish Mackerel and cast to them. I call this Rodeo Fishing! It can involve a lot of fast moving and quick casting. I usually do this after spending a morning fishing for Flounder or while running in from the Wrecks. Kids love to catch Sharks and this is a good month to catch them. I like to fish around the Shrimp Trawlers east of Beaufort Inlet. The summer of 2007 produced the best Shark fishing that I have ever experienced. It is common to catch a dozen or more Sharks on a half day trip. These Sharks weighed anywhere from 25 to 175 pounds each and there were plenty of times when we could see 25 or more Sharks swimming in plain view, right beside the boat. Pick one and present the bait. It was an automatic bite. This fishing lasted for weeks! September is a great month to fish if the Hurricanes stay away! The Drum fishing at Cedar Island should be good for a week or two into the month. The Flounder are bigger, the King Mackerel are bigger. My top Flounder in 2004 was a 10 pound 6 oz. Doormat caught on Sept. 13. King Mackerel fishing, on half day trips, is at it's best this month. Fishing can be outstanding just minutes from the dock. Sailfish and Dolphin are a good possibility when King fishing on the days we venture slightly farther offshore. The Grouper usually bite better as the days get shorter. Bluefish join Spanish Mackerel, Albacore and Blue Runners in mass on the Shoals as casting metal lures once again becomes a favorite option. Casting trips to the Shoals have been consistently excellent the past several Septembers. We have had several 100+ fish days on Spanish Mackerel and Bluefish combined. Bluefish also invade Beaufort Inlet this month and fishing can be excellent. Red Drum and Flounder fishing picks up in Taylor's Creek around the docks. Amberjack fishing is good this month with many fish now weighing well over 40 pounds. Large Barracudas inhabit the same Wrecks as the Amberjacks. These Barracuda are great fun on light tackle. Big Sharks are also common when Amberjack fishing this time of the year. I have landed a 135 pounder, a 150 pounder and a 221 pounder and released many others just as big. It is common to catch Amberjacks, Barracudas and Sharks on the same day. Finally, this month we normally see the first big catches of Spot. These tasty fish are very popular. This is one month when you never know what you might catch. Three good examples: Sept. 19, 1988 I caught a 50 pound Yellowfin Tuna at the 13 Bouy (way inshore for this species) while casting for Albacore with light spinning tackle. Sept. 12, 1999 I caught a 38" Spearfish (very rare) while King Mackerel fishing. Sept. 3, 2005 Charles Putnam caught a 68 pound Wahoo a couple of miles off the beach (way inshore for this species) while fishing a half day charter with me.
October ~ November ~ December
King Mackerel	Wahoo
Fishing is so good in October that it is difficult to decide what to fish for! Flounder fishing hits its peak and some really Big fish are caught with regularity. My personal best Flounder (10 pounds 11 oz.) was caught on Oct. 18, 2003. A good option would be to combine a Flounder trip and a casting trip to the Shoals. From 2003 until 2007, I have had many great days on the Shoals casting to Bluefish, Spanish Mackerel and Albacore. Many of the Blues and Spanish weighed up to 5 pounds. Bluefish and Albacore are commonly found in and near our Inlets this month and sometimes it is very easy to catch them. These fish can be easy targets on Fly tackle. The first ocean run Speckled Trout of the fall typically show up in the surf and at the jetties at some point in October. It's also pretty common to find big schools of 8 to 12 pound Red Drum cruising the surf in Ocober. Finding these schools guarrantees a great fishing experience! Another great full day option would be Live-bait King Mackerel fishing. The numbers and size of the Kings improve as the month advances, but my favorite aspect of this fishery are all the other fish that occur with Kings this time of the year. Wahoo, Sailfish, Amberjacks, Blackfin Tuna, Yellowfin Tuna, Dolphin, Sharks, Barracudas and Cobia are all caught with some regularity. As a matter of fact, my top 3 Wahoos (83, 85 and 96 pounders) were all caught during Oct. or Nov. on baits intended for King Mackerel. I also combine King Mackerel trips with Bottom fishing for Grouper and Snapper this month. Grouper trips can be extremely good during this time of the year. Falling water temperatures cause Groupers to feed with wreckless abandon, as well all the other bottom fish. Another option this month is Spot fishing. Everybody loves to eat them, but most people don't appreciate how tough they are on light tackle. November has the same problem as last month, too many options! Adding huge numbers of Speckled Trout to the mix makes this my favorite month to fish. The King Mackerel fishing on live-bait continues to be awesome. Thirty and forty bite days are not uncommon. This is also when we get our biggest Kings of the year. As water temperatures drop these Kings put on their finest aerial displays of the year. The first Bluefin Tuna of the season show up late this month and join all the other great fish that eat baits intended for King Mackerel. I caught my first Bluefin in Nov. of '96, a 240 pounder on 20 lb. test, while King fishing. We chased that fish for 4 hours and covered nearly 10 miles before we caught him. This month is also great for bottom fishing. I have a couple of places that are good for Kings and still produce American Red Snappers from 20" to 20 pounds. Inshore fishing is also at it's best. The Flounder fishing is very good, with lots of big fish still biting. Speckled Trout fishing is excellent. Some years we get great numbers of small fish. Other years have good fishing for big fish. Every once in a while, it's Great numbers of Big Fish! I have at least 2 or 3 days every Nov. where it's a Trout on every cast. Some times these fish average 20" or better. Another great trip is a night trip for Speckled Trout. The full moon is best. This month is the peak of the traditional Albacore season. Albacore on fly or spin remains a popular fishery, but it is marked with inconsistency. Last year ('07) was excellent. I have been chasing Albacore around, armed with a spinning rod since '85 so I've seen some outstanding seasons. I also know that sometimes you may have to run a long ways to catch fish and I'm willing to do it. Hopefully, for the "Fat Albert" afficinados this season will be a good one. Finally, the Red Drum fishing is outstanding around Beaufort Inlet and Cape Lookout this month. Big schools of Red Drum are cruising the surf from Bogue Banks to the Cape Lookout Shoals. Finding a school is a magical experience. Drum also swarm the Beaufort Waterfront. I remember Election Day of '03 (Nov. 4) I caught 40 Drum in Taylor's Creek, went and grabbed a friend, returned and caught 50 more. All out of ONE boat slip! December marks the end of the Flounder season, and hopefully the arrival of Striped Bass. Regardless of what you've heard, Striper fishing at Cape Lookout is very inconsistent. However, Decembers of '03, '05, and '06 were productive for Lookout standards and I had a great day on Dec. 29, 2003 with 16 fish from 18 to 37 pounds. The '04 and '07 Decembers were not so good for various reasons. Our area is famous for Bluefin Tuna and this month the fishing can be outstanding. Tuna fishing is very weather sensitve on a smaller center console boat, but there are quite a few days every winter when conditions allow me to target them. This is a good time and place to catch the biggest fish of your life. This is also a good month to catch Mako Sharks and Thresher Sharks. These two great Sharks are real trophy fish and are usually caught while fishing for Bluefin Tuna. King Mackerel are another bycatch in the Tuna fishery. In December of 2006 and 2007 King Mackerel fishing was excellent. Speckled Trout fishing ranges from fair to great on pretty days and pretty nights can be even better. The night of Dec. 4, 2000 produced 20 fish over 7 pounds for me and a friend, with a big fish of 10 pounds 8 oz. all on mirrorlures. Anybody who has ever experienced this kind of action will never forget it! The morning of December 18, 2007 was another memorable fishing trip. We had a 20 fish limit that weighed a total of 92 pounds. That catch had 15 NC Citation Speckled Trout. Gray Trout and Sea Mullet fishing can be outstanding this month. Some years vast schools of these fish cover the bottom from Beaufort Inlet to Cape Lookout. The Albacore fishing stays good well into the month, and we generally get our largest fish of the year. My best was a 19 pound 3 oz. Albacore caught in Dec. '02.