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SATURDAY 12-31-05: As I said wednesday, good or bad I would give you a striper report on saturday.
As it stands right now, it is "YEAH RIGHT" 0 "STRIPERS" 1. I did hear of a 14" striper caught today, 4" too short
to be legal, but I did hear about one. Did not see it, but was told it was caught up near the Wilmington waterfront. The water
is still a little dirty from all the recent heavy rains and the temp is around 46*. I guess they are following suit to everything
else this year as being late also. We are scheduled to keep trying, when we hit them you'll be the first to know, right
here on our fishing reports page!!! They can't hide forever!!! HAVE A HAPPY NEW YEAR and I'll see you on the water in
2006.Till next time, FISH ON!!! Capt. Butch Foster, Capt. Chris Foster, and "Private Bodie" the fish dog says HI!!!!!.
WEDNESDAY 12-28-05: Today, Capt. Chris and I along with our friend Jason Brown from Asheboro/Holden
Beach were on a mission to find the elusive winter King Mackeral that stay on the move off our coast this time of year. After
a study of a water temp. chart, we determined we had about three areas to shoot for to find water in the 66-68* range. This
is a relatively good temp break for winter fishing kings. Warmer, of coarse can be better, but one main factor is the presence
of bait, which is not always necessary, but better, warmer water, no bait is not as good as cooler water with bait ,and vice-versa.
No wonder I'm about 1/2 crazy, I'm not real sure myself what I just said, but this is what you have to factor in to find these
winter fish!!!
We stopped at the Frying Pan Tower, this is where they were last week. Water there was
too cold. We moved off to the east. The temp there was 66*, good enough to hold kings but the scope looked like the dead sea.
OK, like I said before, sometimes the temp break will hold the fish.
We dropped in some baits to give it a try for a little. And things happened just as
I was expecting, nothing!! Now a friend of ours left the dock this morning as we did at 5:00AM, and was going to the SW of
the Tower. We had not heard anything from him so we figured he was having the same success we were having.
We now were torn between two places, We could go to the other side and help Capt. Derek
find some fish, or head North where the temp chart had shown some 69* water. Knowing the warmer water "should" be better,
we elected to head North. We had been riding about 45 minutes when I barely heard Capt. Derek on the radio giving us
a call. I could not get back to him so I checked the GPS and from where we were to where he was going was 41 miles. I told
Capt. Chris and Jason he has probably found some fish, but we are now committed to our origional plan of attack!!
As we headed to the North, I noticed as I moved to the
North West the water was colder, so I kept moving to the NE. Here we had a "mod relief"
on the chart to the NE. As I arrived at the numbers, I pulled the throttles back on the "YEAH RIGHT" and looked it over,
not bad, I told Capt. Chris and Jason. Let's give this a try.
In went the first bait, "FISH ON" was the almost immediate responce. "YEAH BABY"
replied Capt. Chris. This is a good way to start the next years quota on the "FEDERAL KING PERMIT". The action was hot and
fast, I set the "YEAH RIGHT" in a circle mode, and it was on!!!
We caught a couple of boxes of kings and then, not to be greedy, anchored up on
some bottom fish for the table. We picked up enough Grey Snapper, B-Liners, Black Bass, Pinky's, and Amorings for tonights
dinner for our two familys and then we pulled anchor and headed back.
Now, upon arrival at the "FISH HOUSE" where we sell the King Mackeral, yeah,
they sell King Mackeral to the fish markets up north. They have it on a lot of restaurant menus up there, just as down here
we get salmon, go figure! Guess it falls back to the old saying, "you don't want something untill you can't get it"!!
But, as I was saying, we found out at the fish house that we had made a decent call, not great, but decent. That's part of
this job called fishing. Yeah, I thought it was dream job too until I got into it full time. I have a whole new respect for
the fishing industry, it's a tough way to make a living. You are at the mercy of the ocean and the weather, and neither one
has a concience or picks favorites, and can get real angry real fast!!!
In closing, the kings are still out there, the bottom fishing is good, the weather
patterns are making it tough to get a day you can get out there though. But, once in a while we get a break. Just keep check
on the offshore weather forecast, watch the local weather for stabilizing weather patterns and grab every opportunity and
GO GET'EM!!!
It is time for the striped bass to be in the river, unless they too are running late
this year as everything else has done!!! As before, "it's called fishing, not catching" We will be after them this weekend,
will let you know if we find them or not. Just keep check here, we will let you know how the fishing is, you may not want
to hear the truth, but that is what we report, no matter how bad it hurts!!! Y'all come see us!! Till next time, FISH ON!!!
Capt. Butch Foster, Capt. Chris Foster, and "Private Bodie" the fish dog says HI!!!
MONDAY, 12-26-05; GUEST BOOK QUESTION RESPONSE:
Kieth,
Thank you very much for your signing and comment/question on our guestbook. The small sharks
are Atlantic Sharpnose, we only keep one per person, fillet them out, they are great on the grill. We have a lot
of recipes on our web site for sharks. Most sharks can not be kept, and most that can have a size/slot limit regulation, however,
you need to check before each trip to be sure the rules and regulations have not changed, as they are subject to do so at
any time. Hope you had a VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS and have a HAPPY NEW YEAR!!! Till next time, FISH ON!!! Capt. Butch.
SATURDAY,12-23-05: Well, the weather decided to give us a break so Capt. Chris and I
along with an old friend I had not seen in years, Eric Ross, from Pinehurst left out this morning on a southerly course
in search of King Mackeral. We found some 66 degree water about 35 miles offshore with bait schools in the area. A lot of
the fish that were there were too small to meet the 24 inch length limit so we released more than we were able to retain.
But we were able to complete the qualification of our Federal King Mackeral Permits today, glad to have that behind us!! The
King Mackeral Capt. Chris is holding in the picture was a NC Citation at 33 lbs.
Now if you like to catch Bonitos, False Albacores, Boneheads, Fat Alberts, or
whatever you call them, there are all you want right now offshore!!! You can spoon them or bait them, they don't care, they
will accomodate you!!! The bottom fishing is doing well too. Also, be sure to check out the "BIG" shark we invited to a photo
shoot before we released him!!!
So, in closing, if you can get a good weather day, go for it!! The
fishing offshore is good!!! Just grab a few boxes of cigar minnows and some king rigs and go have some fun. They are there
waiting for you!!! It's late, I'm tired, "Private Bodie" the fish dog has already "crashed and burned" as have Capt. Chris,
and I am just before doing the same!! I will let the pictures tell the rest of the story. Till next time, FISH ON!!, Capt.
Butch Foster, Capt. Chris Foster, and "Private Bodie" the fish dog says HI!!!.
MONDAY, 12-19-05: The offshore winds are still blowing to hard to make fishing out there a
safe and desirable event. So, Capt. Chris and I, (even though we figured that the recent rains would have things too muddy,
and they were) went up the Cape Fear in search of some stripers. Yeah, I know, it is a little early, but I will bet there
are some there already!! There was not any bait present, I did see a little, but not enough to be beneficial. The water temperature
was 47* and had a brown hue to it. Over the years I have discovered this rule when it comes to winter fishing, you can catch
fish in muddy water, you can catch fish in cold water, but it is virtually impossible to catch fish in cold muddy water!!!
Well we were there, so we gave it a shot anyway!!! Give them a few more weeks for the water to clear some and for them to
get here better. We don't start doing our charter trips for stripers until the 1st week in January, and our 1st trip
is Dec. 31st. that should be right on target, but, there is a reason it is called fishing and not catching, but by then I
think we will be able to call it catching for a couple of months anyway!!!? My schedule is fixing to get real hectic for the
next week or two, so in case I get tied up and can't get back here for a few days, I, along with Capt. Chris and "Private
Bodie" the fish dog want to wish ALL OF YOU a VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS and the BEST NEW YEAR EVER!!!! MAY GOD BLESS YOU ALL!!!Till
next time, FISH ON!!!!!!!
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SATURDAY 12-17-05: Well if you fish offshore you know that getting offshore would be one step
short of suicide right now. Also, it would not be any fun until the seas decide to lay out a bit!!! It was bound to happen,
the weather Saturday was windy, cold, and just plain miserable, but, Capt. Chris and I still went speckled trout fishing!!
We should have been duck hunting, the weather was more appropriate for that. Fishing was slow at best and the tide was just
about ready to go slack, at this point it was an even draw, Capt. chris and I both had drawn a blank on the trout. But no,
I couldn't let well enough alone, Capt. Chris said, "I'm ready to surrender if you are"?. OK I replied, but first lets fish
this area of grass, it looks good to me. Well, I have the pleasure of knowing that I picked a good spot!!! The moral of this
story is, when you have the opportunity to "rib" someone that you outfished them, be sure to take advantage of it because
the "Tide will surely turn" on you too sometime! I am not going to elaborate on the matter, but let me say this, if we had
eaten what I caught today for dinner, we would have gone to bed hungry!! But we did have fresh trout for dinner tonight!!!
He says he out fished me, I say that we are now even, and we are now tied!! I like my assesment better, but I still haven't
heard the end of it yet, And I would not want it any other way!! Fish slow and you too will catch
some trout, we are doing good on the 1/4 oz. red leadheads with green curlytails and the white BERKLY GULP curlytails, and
the GULP shrimp in natural color. You can find these at Dutchman Creek Bait & Tackle(beside the airport). Get on out there
and get yourself some trout, but don't kid your buddy to bad if you outfish him, it just might come home too bite you!!!!
Till next time, FISH ON!!! Capt. Butch Foster, Capt. Chris Foster, and "Private Bodie" the fish dog says HI!!!.
FRIDAY 12-16-05: Capt. Chris and I had a few hours to kill this evening so we went Speckled
Trout fishing. Oh yeah, I waxed his butt again. The fishing was slow, it most likely was because we hit the tide about 30
minutes before it went slack. I managed to put one in the boat about 15 inches and lost a good sized fish!! You know, quick
release!! Went and picked up the "YEAH RIGHT" from the curtain shop, hoping to be able to get out tomorrow. One minute the
offshore forecast is favorable, the next time you listen to it, it doesn't sound good. I will check the Frying Pan Tower Bouy
in the morning and go from there. We are getting geared up to go check on the Stripers next week. They should be arriving
anytime now. Got a report they have began to make their run in the Chesapeake Bay area and they won't be far behind that
here!!! Bluefin Tuna at Morehead are starting to show up. The bait and birds have arrived and the Bluefins will be there
also!!! We will be getting ready next week for those also!!! They call this the "slow time of the year", I'm glad, I am waiting
for things to slow down though, the fish are still biting!!! We are going to shut the "YEAH RIGHT" down for two weeks in January,
right now we are looking at the 9th thru the 22nd. We have got to get her HONDA engines "up to par" and serviced for
the up coming new year. That will be easy now that we have found a HONDA DEALER in Supply,NC that knows what he is doing!!! Yeah,
I know, it's in the middle of the winter fishing season, but since we will be running mostly Striper Fishing Trips then,
I figured it's "now or never"!! Some things just have to be done. So come on down and get yourself some Speckled Trout, Redfish,
Stripers, or mabey even a Giant Bluefin Tuna, they are here just waiting for you to get "HOOKED UP"!!. Till next time,
FISH ON!!! Capt. Butch Foster, Capt. Chris Foster, and "Private Bodie" the fish dog says HI!!!.
SATURDAY 12-10-05: Today we were fishing with Brian and Lynn Stevens from the Raleigh, NC
area. I was not sure how things were going to materialize today, the weather station at Frying Pan was giving us a report
of 6' wave height with a 5' swell. As we were heading out to do some bottom fishing on some of the inshore rocks,
I checked the weather buoy again and now it reported only a 5' swell every 10 seconds with the winds switching 180*. I knew
the switching winds was good for the ride back, and the wave height being absent from the report meant we only had a rolling
swell. That translates into a good ride and good fishing, especially since we wanted some King Mackeral!!
Now, the weather buoy is "real time data", not a prediction, so you can base your plan
of attack with confidence on its report. Don't try to "second guess"it. If you are at the dock and it reports 20 knot winds
and a big sea and not a leaf is moving at the dock, don't waste your time and fuel trying to go out there, it IS doing what
it says!!!
OK, the conditions have changed offshore, let's go King Mackeral fishing!! I pushed
the throttles down and set the "YEAH RIGHT" at a good cruise of about 18 knotts, this gave us a good ride that made it hard
to stay awake!! In about an hour, I pulled back to a good trolling speed and checked out the first rock/ledge, put out some
baits, I told Capt. Chris, our mate again today.
He put out the first cigar minnow, reached for the second rod when the first rods clicker
started to scream, FISH ON!!! came the cry from the cockpit, and immediately our crew went into action, "Private Bodie" included!!
This scenerio went on several more times, we put half of our King Mackeral limit into the boat before we were able to get
two rods out. Finally, we were able to get three rods out and finished up our limit of Kings. Now, with our King Mackeral
limit met, we were going bottom fishing.
We were just starting to leave to go to the bottom when we noticed a fellow boater in
distress and we responded immediately to assist. He was dead in the water and could not contact "SEA TOW" so we radioed the
USCG and got them to contact "SEA TOW" and got them in route. We were going to stay with him until help arrived, but due to
the kindness of the boat and crew of "MIDNIGHT WIND" they knew we had a charter and told us they would relinquish our
position for us so we could complete our charter trip. I want to commend these guys, this is the way we are supposed to work
together out on the water, they took over and kept the USCG updated every 30 minutes until help arrived on the scene!!! "Midnight
Wind" if you EVER need any assistance on the water, the "YEAH RIGHT" is only a radio call away!!! THANKS AGAIN GUYS!!!
Now, we were able to return to our fishing for today. About 2 miles away from our present
position I knew of a ledge that usally had a good bottom fish population on it most of the time. We checked the tide
schedule and we had about 2 hours before slack tide. Which worked out good, because we spent about 30 minutes with the disabled
boat, we gave our fishermen an extra hour on their trip, I felt that was only fair!! (When the tide goes slack the
fish will stop biting).
Hoping the fish were there, that would give us enough time to limit out on those also.
Well, THE FISH WERE THERE!!! As soon as we dropped down, the action began, and before it was time to head home, we had all
the fish boxes in the boat full of triggerfish, Black Bass, B-Liners(vermillion snapper), Grey Snapper(grunts), amorings,
sharks, spottails, King Mackeral, even caught false albacore and some Grouper, but they were under the legal length limit,
the Grouper were too small, there is no limit on "boneheads".
Now, that is quite an accomplishment for just two anglers, I hope they are not too sore
today!! Brian and Lynn, we sure hope you two had half as much fun as Capt. Chris and I did, Thanks for the opportunity to
fish with with you both!!! Another good day on the water with plenty of fish to catch and two GREAT people to share it with.
Life is great!!! May GOD BLESS everyone as he has me!!! Till next time, FISH ON!!! Capt. Butch Foster, Capt. Chris Foster,
and "Private Bodie" the fish dog, says HI!!!.
WEDNESDAY 12-7-05: You know, I guess when you have the fishing
disease, there not only is no hope for you, but sometimes you behave in a manner that is indescribable. We, Capt. Chris and
I only had an hour or two that we could go fishing so we decided to see if the black bass had made their apperance yet on
the inshore ledges and rocks. There is some gray trout still around. Only one problem though, you have to GET THROUGH THE
BLACK BASS TO GET TO THEM!!!!!THE SEA BASS ARE HERE!!!! Capt. Chris tied on 5 hooks and was catching them 5 at a time!!! There
are some small ones out there also, just keep moving around, and you will get some good ones. Now we didn't catch any of the
4 to 5 pounders you usually get in the spring offshore, but for no longer than we had to fish, the catch was respectable,
and I am sure there are some BIG BOYS out there too!!!! We would and could have caught more Black Bass but we pulled off of
them trying to catch some gray trout, we did manage to get one trout out from under the Blue Fish, they are there also!!!This
Saturday is predicted to be nice weather, so come on down and catch some fish!!!! Till next time, FISH ON!!! Capt.
Butch Foster, Capt. Chris Foster, and "Private Bodie" the fish dog, says HI!!!.
MONDAY 12-5-05; Today we were fishing with our good
friend John Smith from Tennessee and his two sons John and Matthew. We were expecting to get some king mackeral before we
went bottom fishing, but, the water had cooled 4* from saturday and everything was gone that was there then. The weather was
not the best and with rougher conditions predicted for later that day I elected not to go any farther offshore. So, we decided
to go to the bottom and light line for kings. The bottom fish were biting fair, we caught some of the biggest joltheads (knobbedhead
porgys) I have ever seen. Nice triggerfish too! Several grouper and 3 limits of grey snapper. Now this sounds like a normal
fishing trip, nothing could be farther from that!!!!! We were heading back to the dock and was about 18 miles out when we
saw the USCG SEARCH & RESCUE HELICOPTER!!!! Capt. Chris and I said to each other, someone must be in trouble, I had the
radio turned down earlier due to a bunch of noise and had forgotten to turn it back up, I noticed they were turning towards
us so I turned it up, thinking they were searching for someone that looked like us and I could let them know that I had not
seen anyone. Turns out they were looking for us!!!! I know now that those EPIRB units do work, mabey too good!!! This
is what I and the service dept. at ACR has determined happened: On your bracket there is a magnet that holds the activation
sensor in an open position, well my bracket had cracked, allowing the magnet to pull away about 1/8 inch. We came off a wave
pretty hard and that triggered the unit, the unit itself was not activated, this caused it to malfunction. You may want to
check you bracket on yours and make sure the magnet is AGAINST your unit with no gaps. If that magnet pulls away and your
unit gets wet, it will malfunction and send a signal, and according to the service tech. at ACR, it may even go off in a high
humidity situation, just be sure the magnet is still contacting your unit!!!Other than that, we had a normal good day of fishing
with some GREAT GUYS!!! Ronda, you were right, they kept Capt. Chris and I laughing all day!!! By the way Ronda, your dad
said he wanted us to "wear them down" catching fish, just ask them if we succeded!!! Till next time, FISH ON!!! Capt. Butch
Foster, Capt. Chris Foster, and "Private Bodie" the fish dog says HI!!!.
SATURDAY 12-3-05: Todays charter cancelled because
the winds had blown all week, I assured him that the fish would still be offshore, but he couldn't be convinced. So Capt.
Chris and his mom Barbara, and I went fishing. Yeah, I got a I went fishing, fishing report!!!! We headed the "YEAH
RIGHT" south east this morning, Capt. Chris's mom and I were stretched out on a couple of bean bags in the back
of the boat. Today, I was going fishing, and I thought I was going to take it easy, WRONG!!! After a quick look at a satellite
imagery of the water temps. Capt. Chris was at the helm and wasn't going to back off the throttles until he hit 69* water.
After about a 50 minute ride, I heard the engines start to wind down to a fast idle. 72 degrees I heard from the helm, I got
up and took over the helm while Capt. Chris got the reels ready, seeing anything, he asked, yeah, it looks pretty good, I
replied. We were not planning on what was to come, usually when we go on a commercial trip, we leave at daybreak. It was nearly
noon, we were planning on bottom fish. I told Capt. Chris this looks like King Mackeral. Let's give it a try, said Capt. Chris.
Well as the old saying goes," the rest is history"!!! Leave out of Southport,NC from where the Cape Fear River empties
into the ocean, head SSE till you find 70* water, approximately 30 miles offshore, find some bait somewhere in the water column,
drop in some frozen cigar minnows, and just try and see if you can get more than one rod apiece in the water. They are taking
the baits as you are letting them out. The tide dropped out on us and the winds shifted to the SE, that slowed the bite late
in the evening, good thing though, if they had kept on biting the way they were, we would still be there!!! As I have said
before, when that "window" opens a bit, be ready to go, the opportunity gets smaller in the winter, but when you can get there,
the fish are hungry!!!! Till next time, FISH ON!!! Capt. Butch Foster, Capt. Chris Foster, and "Private Bodie" the fish
dog, says HI!!!
FRIDAY12-2-05: Can you believe it? It's the 2nd of December, 2005 is all but gone!!! The wind
has blown most of the week, there were a couple of days it wasn't too bad but the "YEAH RIGHT" is in the shop this week getting
fitted with new curtains for the up coming year. We are exploring new grounds, I have studied the wind effects and watched
the side spray and Capt. Chris and I have designed a set of curtains that we believe will stop 99% of this spray and quite
possibly 100 %. So, this means we have not been out this week, and have not talked to anyone who has. I did get a report of
a fisherman catching 10 speckled trout yesterday. The National Weather Service has a report of decent weather for Saturday,
their report at this time is for: SAT; NE winds 5 to 10 knots switching to SE later seas 2 to 4 feet near shore:::::
Offshore winds variable 10 knots or less seas 3 to 4 feet::: Sunday looks bad at this point with winds predicted in the 25
to 35 knot range. The gray trout should still be around on the inshore spots as are the specks and redfish inside. I
expect the black bass to be making their yearly inshore showing on the rocks and ledges in the 10 mile range. Yeah, it's winter
time, but there is fish to be caught year round, just bundle up and get out there and get them. You don't stop eating in the
winter, and they don't stop either!!! Till next time, FISH ON!!! Capt. Butch Foster, Capt. Chris Foster, and "Private Bodie"
the fish dog, says HI and FISH ON!!!
MONDAY 11-28-05: Capt. Chris and I had an offshore trip scheduled for today but mother
nature would not allow that to happen, so we had to cancel . So what do you do when you can't go offshore, you hook up to
the small boat and go trout fishing. And that is what we did, you see Capt. Chris was in store for some fishing
lessons from the "old man". Now it wasn't that I blistered him, but we were able to have fresh fish for dinner last night
and all I can say is if we were going to have dinner on what my partner caught, we would have gone to bed hungry unless we
kept the one under sized redfish he finally did put in the boat. Although he did have on another good fish that broke the
line, you got to put 'em in the boat to count. The trout and redfish I caught were on the BERKLY GULP 3" NATURAL SHRIMP, I
purchased mine at DUTCHMAN CREEK BAIT AND TACKLE, the tackle shop beside BRUNSWICK COUNTY AIRPORT, you may find them
elsewhere, but this is the only place I have seen them at. Go to the normal trout fishing spots, oyster bars in the Elizabeth
River, Dutchman Creek, Wildlife Creek, I used a 1/4 oz. jig head and fished the lure slow, just bumping the bottom, that was
the trick to picking up a few trout and redfish. No, I don't have any pictures, Capt. Chris cleaned them before I could get
any physical proof that I came real close to "skunking him" and I would have if he had not found a small redfish
that wanted to commit suicide, but in a way I did skunk him, since he had to put it back. Maybe next time I will let
him have a GULP SHRIMP to use instead of that "trout lure". Capt. Chris, we needed a day like this, It was fun, you
have grown up to be a fine outstanding man that your mom and dad are very proud of, and we love you very very much!!!!
Be careful at NC STATE and may GOD BLESS YOU!! Till next time, FISH ON!!!! Capt. Butch and "Private Bodie" the fish dog says,Capt.
Chris, paybacks are H---!!!!!
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SATURDAY 11-26-05: We have been talking lately about the "window of opportunity" well today
it was opened just enough for us and one of my long time friends, Dale Foster and his wife, Ella, from Lexington,NC to
squeeze through. Headed toward the horseshoe and found the water there too cold, around 63*. Moved on to the SSE until we
reached water around 100 ft. and a temperature of 68 -70 degrees. Here we found a few king mackeral and a few bottomfish.
The fishing would have most likely been a little better farther offshore, but, the seas were built up enough that we decided
to stick it out here. We were fishing in a stiff NNE wind and a good 5 to 6 ft. sea. But you see, Dale and I go back more
years than either one of us want to admit, and from years past fishing and hunting trips, I knew he was up to the task at
hand!!! Ella, his wife, hangs in there right by his side!!!! I wouldn't have called it the best weather for fishing, but anytime
two old fishing friends get together, you don't let the little things ruin a good day of fishing!!!! Hang in there, one day
we will have a calm day to go fishing !!! Ella, I was honored to be able to put you on your first king mackeral, and it was
a good sized one to start with. Now, as for Dale, we were getting ready to call it a day, that's when it happened!! A fish
hit the "light line" we had out. We don't know what it was and we never will. You see, Dale fought this fish for nearly an
hour, a decision was made to tighten the drag and try to get it up because for nearly an hour had passed and by now
it was getting dark and soon I was not going to be able to see the line and be able to keep the boat in position to keep the
fish along side, and in the type seas we were fishing in, that was a very important part of getting this fish in. Dale had
the fish at boat side many times but could not get it up!!! So the drag was increased, and it looked as though we may become
victorious, then yes it happened, the rod flew up and we figured the line had broken but instead, the 4x strong treble hooks
were straightened out and the hooks pulled loose. We will never know what it was, but we will always know it was the biggest
thing we had on the hook in a while!!! Look at it this way, it will just be bigger the next time you have the chance to go
one on one with him again, and he's still out there, waiting for the next battle, and next time, he might not be as lucky
as this time!!!Capt. Chris and I really enjoyed seeing y'all again!! We had a good time, it brought back some old memories,
and they were good ones!!! Keep in touch and till next time, FISH ON!!! Capt. Butch Foster, Capt. Chris Foster, and "Private
Bodie" the fish dog, says HI!!!!.
FRIDAY 11-25-05: We took a ride this morning out to the beach to see how things looked
after a week of a continous blow. I was met with just what I was afraid I would be met with. The water was stirred up a lot
with a lot of sand, the temp. was 59*, and the gray trout, blues, and redfish of last week were either gone or had so much
sand in their eyes and nose, they wouldn't bite!! I marked fish on AR-425, so I believe they are still around, It was too
rough to even go to AR-420, just 3 miles off the beach!!! Back to back fronts with another front to come through tonight dropping
our temps into the 20's, I hate to admit it, but it comes around this time every year, winter is upon us. We have to
go into a more selective pattern to pick our days that we can get offshore, most of the time we have to be ready to drop everything
at a moments notice and go. In the winter, the "window of opportunity" gets real small so you don't have a lot of time to
waste!!! Things will stabilize, just as it does in the spring, and we will have some good fishing days in the near future,
just not as many, but when we can get out the fishing will be great!!! Out is the key word, the beach bite is about over.
The inside fishing for speckled trout will go through the winter months providing the water doesn't get real cold. You have
to make yourself fish real slow for these trout when the water gets cold!!! The BERKLEY GULP SHRIMP have been doing well
on these trout as have the BERKLY GULP CURLYTAILS. All we need is for the winds to lay down enough that we can get offshore,
the offshore fish are out there ready to bite your bait. The winds will give us a break, and when they do we will be ready
to go. Booking a charter trip this time of year is based on the "luck of the draw"!! Some of you will have picked the good
days, some will not!! The next time may be your good luck while the guy who had the good days last time is blown out,
that's offshore fishing in the winter time!!! The best bet is to take a STRIPER FISHING TRIP in January or February. We fish
the Cape Fear River this time of the year and don't have to contend with the waves of the ocean!! Info. for these trips are
on the CHARTER RATES PAGE. Don't forget the BASS & SALTWATER EXPO. coming to Raleigh January 13th, 14th, 15th. Come on
out and meet us and support our sponsors that will be at the show!! If you haven't already, be sure to get signed up for the
fishing school at VECTOR MARINE on February 25th. Our sponsor, LEE FISHER INTERNATIONAL, www.justcastnets.com is providing Yeah Right Charters with an 8ft. 5/8 mesh net for us to give away as a door
prize at the school, you can't win it if you are not there!!! The first edition of e-magazine, of which I contribute
articles on North Carolina fishing, will be airing shortly, will fill you in on it all when it hits the airwaves,
anytime now!!!! We are having a time getting everything and everyone to where they can all come together at the same time
for the proposed TV shoots, and the times that have been worked out in the past, all but a couple have been blown out
by the weather, we have managed to get a couple of short segments for WECT in, but the major shoots have been a nitemare.
I guess when the time is right, this too will come together!!! We have quite a few other sponsors and works "in the
fire" and as we get those worked out we will reveal them here! We are still working hard to be your # 1 charter Boat, if we SHOULD ever
forget where we came from, I invite each and every one of you to promptly remind me!!!! It takes all of us pulling together
to make this business work. You fishermen and fisherwomen are the most important part of our business or any business, NOT
the companys that manufacture the products, NOT the sponsors that back us, It is YOU, for without YOU, there would not
be any companys or sponsors, and we will always remember that. Back to the fishing, keep an eye on the weather, and
when you get a forecast of light winds and warmer temps remember, the fish are out there, hungry, and just can't restrain
themselves from "pouncing" all over your baits!!!! Read our article, "BODIES BASS" in the Dec. edition of "NORTH CAROLINA
SPORTSMAN MAGAZINE, hopefully you can pick up a few tips that will help your Black Bass Fishing!!!Here is a phone # that may
help you (910)762-3240, EXT-2 this is the Marine Forecast # of the NWS. If you have any questions or comments, be sure
to call, email, I will try to help you !!! Til next time, FISH ON!!! Capt. Butch Foster, Capt. Chris foster, and "Private
Bodie" the fish dog, says HI!!!.
WEDNESDAY 11-23-05 The weather man is not talking too encouraging for the offshore,
in fact, the forecast before Saturday is real windy and real rough. Saturday is still up for grabs right now, it may very
well turn out decent!! The inshore reefs should be fishable for the gray trout, redfish, blues, etc.
I have not been offshore fishing, the winds have been blowing too strong. Sure hope it hasn't stirred up the water too bad!!!
The reports I have been getting is that the speckled trout have been doing fair inside as are the redfish. Flounder should
be a little slow, but work the dark bottoms, they absorb the suns heat, you will most likely find a few flatfish there. So
after you've stuffed something besides the turkey, get on out , you can get a charter fishing trip, you can go fish an inside
tournament, or you can just go fish any way you desire, or if you prefer, just lay on the couch and watch football then
eat turkey leftovers, and swear you will never eat that much again, or at least not until next year!!what ever you decide
to do, just be thankful you live in free country where you can make your own decisions!!! HAPPY THANKSGIVING TO ALL AND GOD
BLESS!!!!!
Today is Monday 11-21-05: The winds have us at bay this week. Don't know if they will let
up for this weekend or not. The weather service is not talking favorable but they have been known to change their forecast
at a moments notice!! Let's just keep our fingers crossed. But you know, it is that time of year where the "window of opportunity"
gets smaller and you have to be able to go at a moments notice when you get a break!! Since fishing is on hold till the winds
subside, I'll try to cover most of the fishing as it should be for the next couple of months providing we don't have any real
unusual or bad weather: Our weather patterns are normally pretty good here in the Southport area, this provides us usually
with good fishing all winter long!!! You can most likely find gray trout on the near shore reefs through Dec. and possibly
longer along with those should be the Redfish. On the inside, an occasional flounder is possible, but your best target would
be speckled trout. This fishery is good all winter long if it doesn't get too cold! Be sure to fish the oyster bars and points
in the creeks and rivers. They like to lay on the downcurrent side and wait for a meal to be swept by on a moving tide. The
king mackeral will be following the bait and warm water breaks. This will usually start at the horseshoe area and migrate
farther offshore as the winter progresses. It is not uncommon to find the kings in the late winter as far off as 40
to 50 miles. Don't worry about live bait at this time, just pick up some frozen cigar minnows and go, they are not picky this
time of year! Just remember, when you have every rod in the boat screaming for relief, there is a 3 fish per person limit
unless you hold a federal king commercial permit. In other words, when you find these fish in winter, you could be limited
out in 15 minutes!!! If the weather stays warmer than normal, there may still be a few king hanging around areas such as the
shark hole, 18 mile rock, 15 mile rock. Another way to fish for kings is to pull Drone Spoons at around 5 knots on planers,
this is not as much fun as light tackle fishing, but, if you are after meat only, you may want to go this route!! I have saved
the best for last: BOTTOMFISHING is great in the winter months. Unlike in the heat of the summer where you have to go way
offshore, the black bass will work their way closer inside!! You can usually encounter good black bass fishing as close as
10 to 15 miles off the beach. Now that may sound like a long ways out to some of you, but, that is considered inshore to a
charter boat captain. As you venture farther out you will find more species such as B-liners, Gray Snapper, Grouper
(in deep water), and out there you are most likely to find the BIG black bass!! If you can catch a calm day, I wouldn't hesitate
to head for the Gulfstream. You should find some Wahoo's out there, you may even pick up some Tuna, most likely will be Black
Fin, but in my opinion, these are the best tasting tuna anyway!!! It is not impossible to pick up a Mahi-Mahi or even a chance
at a bill fish!! And don't forget our striper fishery, this usually starts in late December and will run into February. These
fish can be caught along the waterfront in Wilmington. Slow trolled lures work well, Bucktail jigs with a trailer
cast at the mouths of incoming creeks and canals will work also!!! This is a more relaxing type of fishing, that is
until a big striper crashes your bait!! These brutes have got some power!!!The biggest factor in winter is the wind. Let me
see if I can explain what happens this time of year!!! You go out in the warmer months in a 10 knot wind and it has little
effect on the water, here's why: In summer the air is warm, thus this makes it light,(warm air rises) so it just skims across
the water not having much push on the water because it is light. Now winter comes along, that 10 knot wind is now cold (cold
air sinks) this cold air lays heavy on the water, therefore it has the ability to push the water more and all of a sudden
that cold 10 knot wind has pushed up a 5 foot sea. Watch your weather in the cold months, if you are not sure, DON'T GO!!!
But catch a calm day and some warm temps and you can experience some of the best fishing to be had out on one of GODS
masterpieces that we call the Atlantic Ocean!!!! I'll see you on the water!!! Till next time, FISH ON!!!! Capt. Butch Foster.
SATURDAY 11-19-05: Today we had the honor to share the "YEAH RIGHT" with the father son team
of Hal and John Workman from Georgia. We wanted to get offshore to get some king mackeral, but as it happens so much this
time of year we were bound by mother nature to the inshore reefs due to the N NE winds. We found that the previous cold front
that had passed and the winds shifting to the East made fishing tough!!! But we kept on checking spot after spot and at the
end of the day we had two limits of grey trout, nearly two limits of bluefish, some virginia mullet, and a few
black bass. We hooked a couple of big redfish but they pulled the hooks shortly after hookup!!! We had a good day of cool
weather fishing with some great folks!! Fishing on the inside is getting tougher as the waters cool on down, but be patient
and fish methodically and slower and you should be rewarded for your efforts!!! When you get a "window of opportunity" take
off offshore and experience some of the fantastic winter fishing that is available off our coast here in Southport,NC!!!.
Till next time, FISH ON!!! Capt. Butch Foster, Capt. Chris Foster, and "private Bodie" the fish dog says HI!!!.
SATURDAY 11-12-05: Today we had the guys from Maryland and DC with us. They were Vander Covington,
Ray Johnson, Tony Fouch, and a new "victim" Victor Mayo. Well we were after bottom fish today and the area I chose to go to
was the wrong place!!! I knew if I was right, we would have a field day, if not, it would not be pretty. Well, you can't be
right all the time, it was not pretty!!!! I searched rock after rock, only to come up empty. It was one of those days where
if I did something, it was wrong. If you fish much, I think you can relate to that. I would love to get on here and report
that this doesn't ever happen to me but I am only human, not a "FISH GOD", and to tell you that would only be a lie!!! The
fish I did find would not bite, a charter captains nightmare was in full force at this time. OK, I had to do something to
save the day!!! Guys I think I know where we can get some king mackeral, would you want some of those? It's apparent I can't
get the bottom fish to bite!! That was OK with everyone. We were a long way from the kings, but sometimes you have to throw
away the book, and do what you gotta' do!!! Well, I did get this one right, the kings were there and were hungry, the action
was fast and furious, but when the sun went down they shut off, but before they did we put eleven good sized kings in the
boat and lost several more. Sorry guys about the bottom fish, I don't know what went wrong, I just could not get them to bite!!!
I did all I knew to do, they haven't heard that pay backs are h---, but they will!!! You guys are always understanding and
Capt. Chris and I truly thank you, we enjoy spending a day at sea with all of you!!! Thank You Tony, you really helped, you
know what I mean!!! Till next time, FISH ON!!! Capt. Butch Foster, Capt. Chris Foster, and "Private Bodie" the fish dog
says HI!!!.
FRIDAY 11-11-05: Sorry I couldn't get the reports on until now. I entered them, my server
put the pic's on but lost the reports. Can't figure out this computer thing!! So, let's try again!! We were on a king mackeral
mission today with Jackie Lefler, Pam Lefler, Joe Collins,and Becky Collins. Well, we had a problem, someone forgot to tell
mother nature we wanted to go offshore and get some kings!!! It was just too rough so we elected to stay inshore and see if
there were any big redfish on the inshore reefs. We were also hoping that some grey trout were still around. There may have
been but you couldn't get your bait through the blues. We were catching bluefish at a steady clip!! We did manage a few black
bass to go with 4 limits of blues, even got a nice flounder !! The blues were biting fast and furious when at that time Pam's
rod went toward the water, I don't think that's a blue said mate, Capt. Chris. After a lengthy battle, Pam put the first NC
Citation Redfish in the boat. Since it didn't fall into the required slot limit, we measured it for a "live release citation"!!!
Several more large fish were hooked up only to break off or just pulled the hooks!! Finally, Joe hooked up again and this
time everything went right, he was able to boat the second NC Citation Redfish. There were several more big fish hooked up
when finally Jackie hooked up with what would be the biggest fish of the day. He fought it like a seasoned veteran and brought
to boat side a 10 to12 foot Thresher Shark, A BIG SHARK!! We were going after the camera to get a picture when he threw his
head sideways and all those teeth were just too much for the 50 lb. test line we had and cut it like a thread. Becky, hang
in there, you'll get a big one to the boat next time, but you caught and hooked plenty, luck with the big fish just didn't
shine for you today, it will!! Now, this turned out to be a good day of fishing even having to stay inside on the reefs,
BUT, we were not finished yet!!! Capt. Chris and I had hoped as the day progressed, the winds would lay out some. Much to
everyones suprise, Capt. Chris got out the bean bag chairs, (don't laugh, this is the only way to ride in a boat, you should
try it) and got everyone comfortable, We are going to take a boat ride I said. It was around 12:30 PM and I knew of a place
around an hours ride away that would give us 21/2 hours to fish before we would have to head back, and if things were as I
thought they would be, that would be long enough. When we got there I pulled back on the throttles and Capt. Chris got everyone
awake and cleared the deck. Let's see if I figured right, Capt. Chris got the first rod ready and was deploying the bait when
the first king mackeral took the bait while letting it out. That scene went on several more times with double and triple hookups
and in short order we had 4 limits of king mackeral to go with all the other fish of the morning. The moral is, sometimes
you have to change up for a while and wait out the weather patterns, sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't, but when
it does, we go for it. Congrats to all, we had a good day of fishing with a GREAT crew. What more could you ever want!!!!!!!
Till next time, FISH ON!!! Capt. Butch Foster, Capt. Chris Foster, and "Private Bodie" the fish dog says HI!!!.
TUESDAY 11-8-05: Today we left Bald Head Island Dock with Rob Newman, Mike Tucker, David Leblanc,
and Simon Gislimberti on a four hour afternoon fishing adventure. I had a decision to make. Do we stay in on the beach
and look for trout and drum ? After talking with these guys it was evident that my best bet was to make
the one hour run offshore and do two hours of good king fishing. You see, this was a corporate charter, and we had a time
window we had to work within and that was only four hours. This was these guys first ever king fishing trip but you would
not have known it, they handled the rods perfect. We did not loose a single fish!!! We made the right choice by going offshore,
the kings were there and they were hungry!!! The pictures will be coming soon, Capt. Chris has our camera at NC State with
him this week, but these guys were kind enough they are going to email me the pictures of the trips catch ASAP. Also, my mate
(not Capt. Chris, he is at school) didn't show up for today's trip, but these guys took the reigns like seasoned pros
and helped with all the duties of the trip. THANKS, you will never know how much that helped me out!!! Here is a little tip,
when you are king fishing and if you have the hard butt rods, take the time to wash the slime off your hands before you pitch
out another bait. If you don't, make sure you have a spare outfit on board, I think you can figure this one out without
me having to spell it out!!! You should have been there, the fish are biting and the sea was as calm as you will
ever see it!!! Offshore fishing is truly a day in paradise, just ask one of these fellows if you don't believe me!!!!
Till next time, FISH ON!!! Capt. Butch Foster, Capt. Chris Foster, and "Private Bodie" the fish dog says HI!!!.
SUNDAY 11-6-05: I am not proud of the fact that we went fishing today, but we did not have
a charter today, and we hold Federal King Mackeral Permits and we are required to sell so many fish a year or they will revoke
our license. This year is nearly over and we haven't sold anything on ours yet so we have to get busy. If you have a
Federal King Mackeral Permit, you have to sell at least 25 % of your earned income or $10,000.00 worth of King Mackeral or
they will take the permit from you, and they are not cheap, and you don't get it back!!! Well, the kings are biting offshore.
The beach run this year was short due to bad conditions, but as you can see from the picture, they are doing quite well offshore.
So, if you have ever wanted to catch King Mackeral, book a full day so you will have time to go offshore, and be sure to "work
out" before you go so you won't be so sore the next morning!!!! Plus, where else will you find a sunset like this. These are
only available 35 miles offshore!!! FISH ON!!! Capt. Butch Foster, Capt. Chris Foster, and "Private Bodie"
the fish dog says HI!!!.
Today is Saturday, 11-05-04: Today we were on a 1/2 day mission to find trout and NC Citation
size drum. We were fishing with Martin Burris, Tim Watts, David Hicks, Andy Dale, and Ron Crouch. These guys are in the
picture on the left. We started off like "gangbusters" hitting the trout. It wasn't long though before the bluefish moved
in and the trout "ran for their lives". We moved and moved and moved and moved, but the trout were gone!!!! The other
trout fishermen were reporting no trout also. In our pursuit to find the trout and redfish, Martin hooked
up on a large redfish of 43" long and earned himself a live release NC Citation for that fish. That's him and his redfish
in the center picture!!! Well, we found a good school of black bass and we caught some of those before returning to our
hunt for trout and redfish. Well it was at the end of the trip and now evident that todays catch was only going to produce
one NC Citation redfish that was boated, but we still had a good catch of blues, trout, and black bass. Not bad for a 1/2
day trip catch. Martin, as always, Capt. Chris and myself really enjoyed you and your crew being aboard today, hope you had
half the fun we did!!
Now, we picked up David Wrench, Jon Wrench, Matt Wrench, and R A Wrench for an afternoon 1/2
day trip. Black bass fishing was our quest. Well, that was no problem, we had a good school marked on our GPS that we had
just left, and they will still be there, so, let's go get them. Well, we might as well had put an "X" on the side of the boat!!!! Let
me tell you something, the only sure thing in fishing is the fact that us, as humans, DO NOT have a clue as to how a fish
thinks. We like to think we do, but, WE DO NOT. We returned to that location and the ocean floor looked on our color scope
like a wet desert. I mean there was not a trace of a fish. OK, they haven't gone far, we'll find them, I said. Another
one of our "ego boosting beliefs"!!! After a few hours of searching to no avail, we were just on the verge of throwing in
the towel, I had already said this trip was going to be on me if we don't find anything soon, when I got call from Captain
Ron Farnsworth and "Admiral" Helen. They were on a set of numbers I had given Capt. Ron last year and he reported the bass
were plentiful and big. Well, we were 15 miles from where he was at and I told these guys If you want to make the run, we
will fish until you get you some fish . We do that when time and the situation permits us too. We WANT you to catch
fish on your trip, probably MORE than you do!!! These guys are in the picture on the right. Well, Capt. Ron, you
saved the day, and that's the way it's supposed to work!!!!!! Hopefully, one day I'll be able to "save the day" for him and
return the favor, but until that day, THANK YOU, you and Helen are good friends!!!! Well, it was a tough second half day.
The kind that makes you wonder why you are a charter captain, but when it was all over with, and our crew had some fish for
our efforts, you remember then why you do this. It's not for the money, sure, it takes money to operate, but the good times
and smiles are priceless!!, and we try our very best to keep all our fishermen and fisherwomen SMILING!!!! Till
next time, FISH ON!!! Capt. Butch Foster, Capt. Chris Foster, and "Private Bodie", the fish dog says HI!!!!.
MONDAY 11-07-05: WOW!!!!! What a weekend!!!!! I think today I can slow down, until tomorrow,
anyway!! We started the weekend off on Friday 11-4-05 with David Thornton and Perry Carter. we went to the East side where
we found some bait stacked up and started trolling for kings. Well it didn't take long until things started happening. In
short order, we were limited out in kings, and I know the limit on kings is 3 per person. The reason there are seven
fish in the picture is because the one in David's right hand is a big Spanish Mackeral. We played "catch & release' until
everyone was sore from catching. So , we decided to anchor up and do some bottom fishing. The current was "screaming", making
it real hard to bottom fish. We caught a few bottom dwellers, but, while we were anchored, we were still catching kings.
Most of the time they would take the bait as Capt. Chris was putting it out. We also caught several false albacore.
Everyone had a good time which is backed up by David's entry into our "guest book" section on the web site. David and Perry,
thanks guys, you two are great fishermen and we welcome you on the "YEAH RIGHT" anytime!!!!! Till next time, FISH
ON!!!! Capt. Butch Foster, Capt. Chris Foster, and Private Bodie, the fish dog, says HI.!!!!!
4 King Mackerel on at a time video
WEDNESDAY 11-2-05: I don't have a "hands on" report as I had to take a few days for routine
maintenance on the YEAH RIGHT, its tackle, and its crew. The big fish we have been hooking up with lately has demanded our
attention to details. We will be back at it no later than Friday, then we will have a personal report for you. But my fishing
report sources tell me that the kings are "chewing " on anything they see swimming in the tower area.Live bait is getting
hard to get on the beach, but don't worry, frozen cigar minnows are working just fine. So stop by DUTCHMAN CREEK BAIT &
TACKLE, grab several boxes and go fishing. Their phone # (910)457-1221. I know from personal experience a few days
ago they were biting on the East side!!! Also in the tower area, the bottom fish are saying let's GIT-R-DONE!!! To our SW
and west, the 65 foot hole, jungle, atlantic ledges and surrounding hot spots are producing kings as well. The spots have
been biting good. You might want to try a falling tide in the Coast Guard Channel area in the Cape Fear River. Be sure NOT
to anchor up between the RED and GREEN CHANNEL MARKERS, and block the Coast Guard Boats from coming and going,
this tends to cause bad results!!! Also, if they are not biting on this end, the Lockwood Folly area has been producing spots as
well. The Lighthouse Rocks chain is starting to produce some good catches of grey trout, respectible size black bass, and
we have already scored our first CITATION SIZED RED FISH of the year and have had several more hooked but they did the "quick
release" for us!!! The flounder are still biting fair and the grouper are still at your favorite king holes in the 70-80'
range, but you better get them now for they won't be there much longer before they migrate back to the 100+ depth ranges to
spend the winter. We have been catching some of the bigger Thresher Sharks in the 110-120' depths about 42 miles offshore.
The B-Liners(vermillion snapper) are "stacked up" good offshore. I haven't been or heard from the stream but I predict the
Wahoo bite should still be good. Come on down and get in on the fall fishing, you will have to do a little adjusting to a
different strategy as this year has not been nomal at all. But be flexible, and you too will catch your share of fall fish.
The weather is cooler, the hot, humid days of summer are gone, it's just down right NICE!!! I hope I didn't forget
anything, probably did!! Just give me a call(910)845-2004 or email captainbutchf@earthlink.net if I didn't help you on the type of fish you want to catch and I will do my best to find out for
you what's going on with those also!!! Till next time FISH ON!!! Capt. Butch Foster, Capt. Chris Foster, and "Private
Bodie" the fish dog, says HI.!!!
SUNDAY,10-30-05: As the old saying goes"what a difference a day can make", and that is so
often the case in this sport of offshore fishing!!! This morning we had a 15 knot NW wind with the prediction of a dying out
wind later that day. This gave us following sea to a "trough" to run in making for a fairly comfortable ride out to the tower
area. Today we were fishing with Kenneth Gilley, Richard Brood, Mike Williams, Scotty Noah, Marjo Deweese, and Brad Weeks,
all from the Thomasville,NC area. We were in pursuit of bottom fish today, but , I don't think Kenneth and Richard were expecting
what they had coming up today. That's what makes offshore fishing so exciting, you never know what you are going to hook up
with out there!!!! The picture in the center is Richard with his Thresher Shark,and the picture on the right is Kenneth with
his Thresher Shark, these fish were HUGE, estimated in the 300 to 400 pound range. There were many big and powerful fish hooked
today. We were having 50 pound test line being broken today like sewing thread. We even had one reel to get its gears stripped
out. We caught American Reds and Grouper, although they were just an inch or two short from being legal size. We limited out
on good size B-Liners (vermillion Snapper), we had black bass, amorings, grey snapper, pinkys,King Mackeral and SHARKS!!!!!!!
All I can say is you should have been there, you don't know what you are missing if you don't fish for these saltwater fish!!!
Just ask these guys!!! The Spots are finally starting to make a good showing, We went for some Friday evening with good
luck. The trout and Red fish along with some black bass are beginning to congregate on the inshore reefs now. The kings are
biting good in the offshore areas where you find the bait and water temps. are much warmer out there. We have had a BIG
temperature drop on the beach water in just two days, this, along with all the gill nets on the beach, has made the pogys
and kings real hard to catch. I wouldn't waste a lot of time looking for it, they are hitting frozen cigar minnows just
fine offshore!!! The grouper have been biting well, but it won't be much longer untill they retreat to their winter holding
grounds in 100+ water depths. In the gulfstream, and "stream fingers" you will find the wahoo willing to bite. On the inside,
I have been told the Red fish are doing well also. Come on down and get in on the great fall fishing we have here on the southeast
coast in October and November, I don't think you will be dissapointed. Be sure to dress warm though, it can be cold in the
mornings!!! Till next time, FISH ON!!! Capt. Butch Foster, Capt. Chris Foster,and "Private"Bodie, the fish dog,
says HI.!!!!
SATURDAY 10-29-05: Today we wanted to head offshore to the tower area but mother nature had
different ideas for us and wouldn't let the winds lay down. So Capt. Chris and I along with Darrin Phillips, Junior Phillips,
Lauren salmon,and Jeff Webster decided we had better settle for the 15 mile 18 mile rock and shark hole area to try and find
some kings. And that was the key word, "TRY". Us along with many other boats fishing the Wrightsville Beach King Tournament,
found the kings to be all but non existant. We started at the shark hole with several other fishermen, none of us had a king
bite. There was one small king reported at the 15 mile rock. We moved on out to the 18 mile rock area, one small king was
caught there. By this time, it was around 2:00 in the afternoon. That was seven hours of fishing with only two kings reported
caught at that time, so, we went in search of some bottom feeders. On the offshore part of Lighthouse rocks, we found some
black bass, trout,sharks, and red fish that would cooperate. Lauren would be the "TROUT MASTER" today, she
caught all the trout. But, Jeff Webster, from Bear Creek,NC, was the "MASTER ANGLER" today with a large NC citation Red Drum
in the 40 pound range. The water was rough and the fishing was tough at best, but you can't help but have a great day on the
water when you can share the boat with great fishermen and fisherwomen such as these guys are. Let's keep our fingers crossed
and mabey "OLD MOTHER NATURE" will shine on us a little better next time. Till next time, FISH ON!!! Capt. Butch Foster,
Capt. Chris Foster, and "Private " Bodie, the fish dog, says HI.!!!
10-23-05 Sunday
We fished with Rossilea & Tommy Wrenn of Lexington,NC today. They operate Lexington Fire Extinguisher Sales & Service,Inc. and even have accounts
down here in Southport, for honest service you can depend on, give them a call at (336)236-6804. After locating bait
just west of Yaupon Pier the crew of the Yeah Right headed out in search of a King Mackerel or two. Not to be let down,
as soon as the first line entered the water a King about 20lbs. "skyrocketed" on the propwash bait peeling off just enough
drag to get us excited as he dropped the bait and "cackled" his way off to another meal. We continued trolling around
AR-425 for a couple of more hours to have several other short strikes and one 18lb. Kingfish. As the forcasted 15 knot
winds seemed to lay down to about 10 knots the Yeah Right moved on offshore about 6 miles to find multiple strikes and another
King Mackerel in the 20lb range and a couple of Sharks. After releasing two Blacktip sharks about 30lbs each and boating
the Kingfish the Yeah Right ventured onward finding a good concentration of bait around Tom McGlammery Reef where Tommy masterfully
reeled up another 20+lb King Mackerel. It sounds like the Kings are finally starting to heat up on their annual fall
bite(hope the offshore hurricane doesn't mess things up again) Reports of Spots beginning to show up in the river and
nearshore. Till next time, FISH ON!!! Capt. Butch Foster, Capt. Chris Foster, and "Private Bodie" the fish
dog, says HI!!!
SATURDAY 10-22-05: The king mackeral are starting their annual fall feeding trend. They were
caught today at Yaupon Reef and the Cape Fear river channel. The cooler temperatures that
are coming next week should really get the bite wound up into high gear. We took Steve Brown and his crew out today, the seas
were pretty rough the first half of the day, but did lay out some this evening. We managed two kings in the boat, one at 20
lbs. the other 13lbs. and lost another one and had several baits cut with king's "skyrocketing" with our baits in their mouth
only to miss all those hooks!!! They are masters at what they do. Also, we fought this 45 lb. 58" Blacktip shark for nearly
an hour but we finally came out victorious. Will be back out again tomorrow, check back to see how things are progressing.
Till next time, FISH ON!!! Capt. Butch Foster, Capt. Chris Foster, and "Private Bodie" the fish dog, says HI!!!
FRIDAY 10-21-05: There has not been much fishing going on this week to my knowledge. Went
out on the pier Wednesday and things were slow. There was a 19 lb. king mackeral caught while I was there. I called Ocean
Crest Pier yesterday and the report then was that the spots were "spotty", with a bite beginning to materalize.The main bite
has been from FLOUNDER,(I wouldn't call that too bad).The barometer is down some today and that will usually stimulate a bite.
The cooler weather coming next week should get things started soon!!! Will be on the water this weekend if the weather
will cooperate. The hurricane is supposed to stay well off the beach, but the outer bands will deliver some winds, let's just
hope it doesn't blow too much. Right now the prediction is for 10-15 SW Saturday, that will make it a little "bumpy". Sunday's
forecast now is for 15 to 20, but it is predicted from the NW. The beach should be fishable. We'll have to wait and see what
happens!!! Till next time, FISH ON!!! Capt. Butch Foster, Capt. Chris Foster,and "Private" Bodie "the fish dog" says
HI.!!!!
Sunday 10-16-05: Met up with some local residents today to go fishing
for a 1/2 day. Capt. Chris and I had the honor to share the boat with Matt and Richard Provencher and Tom Wisniewski, we fished
the Horseshoe area today. We chose that area because the beach bite was not real hot Saturday so we took a gamble and
ran through the rough water in hopes that the fish had pulled back offshore some. It was a pretty good call. We caught one
king mackeral, but,we had about 10 or 12 runs that did not get hooked up and probably that many baits cut in half. While trolling
around, I marked a school of Amberjacks and we decided to drop down on those. We managed to boat two of those, had several
to break off (if you have ever hooked one, you know why, they are not called "reef donkeys" for nothing)!!! About this time
the tide went slack and the fish, as they do a lot of times, just disappeared, vanished, gone!!!! Everyone was wore out by
this time anyway, so we came back in. Called a friend who had fished the beach, only to be told that we made the right decision
because the beach bite had shut down. If the weather holds and the full moon wains, I believe the fall king bite will resume
again. Only time will tell!!! The report I got from the piers was that things have been a little slow with some "spotty" spot
action, a few trout being caught along with some bluefish. King action was reported as slow, real slow. Hang in there and
let this fresh water get flushed out of here and things should blow wide open. I am predicting that by this weekend we should
be in the heart of a full fledged fall bite, I have been wrong before, so don't hold me to this, but I think it will be here
by then if the weather stays stable. As I mentioned before, Only time will tell!!!! Till then, FISH ON!!! Capt. Butch Foster,
Capt. Chris Foster, and "Private" Bodie, "the fish dog" says HI.!!!!
SATURDAY 10-15-2005
I am glad to report that the King Mackerel bite seems to be picking up as several
more fish were reported being caught today. The Kings appear to be mostly on the beach with quite a bit of baitfish
as well. Today Hayal & Steven Lord, Albert & Michael Power and Ian MacCallum joined us in the search for Kings
and we found them but they were somewhat reluctant to bite. First the Yeah Right ran offshore a few miles and found
plenty of bait but no willing predators except for one COBIA!! So after a couple of hours of searching Capt. Butch guided
the Yeah Right back to the Shallotte Inlet area where there were a few Kingfish that wanted to bite. Finally, the pogeys
got anxious and the reel began to "SCREAM" and about twenty minutes later a King Mackerel in the 40lb range revealed itself.
Although we touched leader about 3 times we could never get the fish close enough to gaff and he finally won the battle by
the hook simply pulling out. Later on we had another Kingfish in the mid 20lb area that threw the hook near boatside
as well much to our dissapointment. It surely seems that the King Mackerel bite is picking up and with the weather appearing
to stabalize over the next few days, the bite "should" be getting better and better each day. Till next time, FISH ON!!!! Capt. Butch Foster, Capt. Chris Foster, and Bodie "the fish dog" says HI.!!!
FRIDAY 10-14-05; Caught a mess of sharks today and amoring Jacks. The king bite is still EXTREMELY
SLOW. It has got to improve before long!!!! Out of all the boats fishing today I only heard of two fish being caught and
they didn't say that they were kings. Oh well, that's what keeps us going back. Will let you know if it improves tomorrow.
Till then, FISH ON!!!! Capt. Butch Foster, Capt. Chris Foster, and Bodie "the fish dog" says HI.!!!!
Thursday 10-13-05: I said I would let you know if it had improved any, well, it hasn't. The
bait is on the beach and the kings are there. They will "sky rocket" and swirl on your baits, but they are not feeding aggresively.
I do predict they will explode into a feeding frenzy at any time now. when you have this much bait on tne beach with this
many kings present, it has to be only a matter of time. And we are ready!!!!! Will be trying it again tomorrow, mabey this
will be the day!!! Check back, I will let you know, be it good or bad!!!! Till next time, FISH ON!!!! Capt.
Butch Foster, Capt. Chris Foster, and Bodie "the fish dog" says HI.!!!
WEDNESDAY 10-12-05 Well the rains have stopped, or at least slowed down, but not the winds.
At least on a NE wind we can fish the beach down here and that is where the King mackeral are this time of year anyway!!!
Today we had Jim Johnson,Paul Johnson Jr., and Paul Johnson Sr., on board. Jim said that the King Mackeral was a fish that
has eluded him for a long time and he sure wanted to catch one and land it. Well, he now has to pick another species, for
today he landed his King!!!! The water was dirty with a temp of 77-78* but the kings are there, we saw several "sky rocket"
today and had several baits cut and mangled but without a hookup. this tells me they are there, but the conditions are not
quite right yet but should improve with each passing day. It most likely won't take too many days for things to heat up again
as they were before the "monsoon" set in!!!! Today was slow, we landed only one king and a nice Spanish Mackeral. Will be
back at it tomorrow and will let you know if it has improved any!!! Till next time, FISH ON!! Capt. Butch Foster, Capt. Chris
Foster, and Bodie "the fish dog" says HI!!!!!
FRIDAY 10-7-05; The weather has not been good
at all down here for fishing. We cancelled Thursday and Friday's trips. We thought we would be able to do Saturday's
trip, but that has not materalized either. We had to cancel that one also. Hopefully things will settle down next week and
we can get back out. If it doesn't quit raining so much we are going to have to restock the ocean with freshwater fish. When
things do settle down and get back to normal all you spot fishermen and fisherwomen need to get ready. I don't think it will
be much longer till the spots are here. There have already been a few caught off the piers, but the fall run is not happening
yet, but it is time. The king Mackeral bite should be on in full swing. As long as the water temps. stay in the 70 degree
range, the king bite should remain hot. It was getting started good then the wind shifted to the EAST, and that was the
end of that. When the NNE winds return or other winds that are not out of the EAST, and not blowing 40+ knots is all it should
take!!!! The Gulfstream bite should be good also, it is time!!! We did go out and mess around in the Cape Fear River
Wednesday,that's all we could do with 30+ sustained knot winds, all we managed was a few small croakers and pig fish
and one nice grey trout. We looked at the ocean side and it was one of the few times I have ever seen the river water cleaner
than the ocean.But it didn't matter, I wasn't going out there anyway. The swells on the beach were a good 6 to 8 feet!!!! The
winds have really got the water stirred up. Yes, I know, it is depressing, and I hate to report such negative results. But
it is getting that time of year when things start to change in a hurry which means it can also settle down and clean up just
as fast as it dirtyed up and most likely it will. I was going to say that you could fish the river and creeks but everything
down here has flooded today, so, don't look for them to be very good fishing until all this flood water gets out of here.
It sounds much worse than it really is. If these fronts get out of here, give it a couple days and the fishing will start
up again. I am predicting things to be getting back on track by the middle of next week, hope I am right. Don't forget about
the fishing school at VECTOR MARINE in Wilmington, NC on FEBRUARY 25th. If you haven't already, call Gary at(910)452-6378
or email gary@fishpost.net | | |
