Today was a trip to the Light house rocks and
adjacent local winter "hotspots" known in the past to produce lots of Black Bass, Grey Trout, and Red Drum.
The water temperature was 55 degrees and the
Gannett Birds were flying in a slow pattern looking as they were trying to conserve energy until the up coming colder weather
possibly increases the Bluefin Feeding which will bring food back to the surface once again in easy reach of the birds!!
Capt Chris had another day off work today from
Lowes, so he joined me today to help with the chores on the Yeah Right. We were fishing this morning with Tom Westfall and
his two sons Evan and Sam. These guys are from Columbus, Ohio.
We started at the AR-420. Here we marked a
lot of fish on the bottom but were only able to pick up just a very few small bass. But before we left for the Light House
Rocks, the guys were put to the challenge of getting an atlantic sharpnose shark into the boat, which they did quite well!!!
We left there and went to the Light House Rocks.
Here the color scope showed a lot of fish schooled up. I don't think I have ever seen as many 7 to 11 inch Grey Trout as there
were on Light house Rocks today.
We had a slow drift and we drifted for 45 minutes
the whole time marking huge schools of the undersized trout. Never put a legal 12 inch grey trout in the boat and we caught
a bunch, although we did pick up some legal bass.
I was making the comment that I couldn't
believe that with all the activity that we had not caught a Red Drum. Maybe I should have said that a lot earlier because
about that time Tom's reel drag went into high gear.
Capt Chris said, Big Shark or Big Drum!!! It
was the elusive Red Drum we were looking for today. It was big enough at 42 inches to get Tom a NC Live Release Citation.
But as luck would have it, it would be the only one for the day. You know, "fishing" is what it's called not "catching".
The winds had by this time shifted and were
coming directly out of the "east", a terrible wind for fishing here out of Southport,NC. We moved on to the WOFES where
we again marked lots of fish, but the east wind and slack tide had given everything "lockjaw" so we called it a day and
headed to the dock.
It was another enjoyable day with my son
and three great guys from the Columbus,Ohio area. I still don't know for sure as to why the fish are not here as
they should be, but they aren't.
Maybe they have all been caught, maybe
the water is too clear, maybe with the lack of rain the salinity of the water is too high, maybe it's too cold, maybe
I was never at the right place at the right time.............
Maybe I should just enjoy each day as
we have them and be thankful for what we did have instead of complaining about what we didn't have!!!!
Yeah, I like that last one the best:::::: Thank
you Jesus for a beautiful day of fishing, being with my son again, making more friends, and blessing us all with your mercy, AMEN!!!
Till next time, FISH ON!!! Capt Butch,
Capt Chris, and "Admiral Bodie" the fish dog says, I don't know about the fishing, but, Sam's sandwich sure was good!!!!
SUNDAY 12-30-07
Got two more emails today that
there were two more boxes of FREE samples shipped out Saturday for the Shows to be given out at the seminars.
If y'all don't come get this stuff,
I am going to have to get a trailer to bring it all home. I am going to divide it up among all three shows or until I run
out. Which ever happens first!!!
Now, if you live in the Raliegh,NC
area or in the area where you can pick up radio station 94.7 QDR you need to listen and play the game thay are having the
week of the Bass and Saltwater Expo is in town.
"YEAH RIGHT CHARTERS" along with
the "BASS & SALTWATER EXPO have teamed up with radio station 94.7DQR to have a contest that week. The winner will be awarded
a FREE GROUPER FISHING TRIP with us!!!
On the local fishing scene, when
you can get out the fish are biting. I am going to slip out in the morning for a few hours and see how the inshore bottom
fishing is doing in all this warm weather. Will let you know tomorrow night.
The fishing inside for Red Drum
and Speckled Trout (I was told by a reliable source) are on the bite again on the Berkley Gulp and on mud minnows.
The grey Trout and Red Drum should
be all over the inshore reefs. As for the Bluefin Tuna, this warm weather can't be helping that bite out any at all. There
are still a few being hooked up but nothing like it should be. But, I think it's supposed to start turning colder soon, thats
got to help!!
Another year has come and gone.
I talked about this last year and I hope you listened and saved all your gas reciepts for your boat. If you did, you can get
all the "Road Use Tax" back from the State of NC. Any gas NOT burned on the highway is not to be charged the road use tax,
so you can get it refunded. Let me tell you, it can be a good amount. I use mine to pay my insurance every year for the
"YEAH RIGHT".
OK, If you did keep you reciepts
then you need to call the "NC DEPT OF REVENUE, Motor Fuels Tax Division at (919)733-3409 or toll free at 1-(877)308-9092 and
ask for form "GAS-1201" and if you are a commercial fisherman also as I am, you also get the State Tax Back as well. This
can reduce your over all fuel bill for the year handsomely and anything this day helps!!!
Now, if you didn't listen to me last
year, well, fuel is getting high enough now that I hope you will listen this year. But remember to save your reciepts, you
have to have them to file for a refund!!!! Oh yeah, and once you file, you will or should automatically get a form every year
mailed to you, I got mine about three weeks ago.
If you have a good fishing trip
let me know and I will pass it on. The where and hows are not necessary, we would just like to know if the fish are biting!!!
Send me some pictures and I'll post them up and you will be seen all over the world on my website!!
Now, besides our website in
California, we are also being seen in Scotland,UK' Australia,and now an english version in Germany. We are now world wide
more than ever!!!!
The Fishing Charters, Fishing Shows,
Sponsor Committments, Fishing Schools, Magazine articles (both writing articles and being written about) my seminar schedule,and
this website now consume over 95% of my time. And I couldn't imagine doing anything else at this time, in fact I am only getting
started!!!!!!!!!!!!
Come see me at the Shows if you
can, Barbara, "Admiral Bodie" and I would Love to see and meet you!! Till next time, FISH ON!!! Capt Butch
& of course "the fish dog said "HI"!!!
Saturday night 12-29-07
Just an update
for the Shows. My sponsors are really stepping up to the plate now and the promotional give aways for our booth
and the seminars are growing daily. I have been working daily trying to orchestrate all this and it is starting to come together
very nicely!!
Some
have already committed to do it for all three shows. We are going to have some great products to be had just for stopping
by our booth and attending our seminars, and because of our GREAT sponsors, it's all FREE!!!!
SATURDAY 12-29-07
Just got off the phone with Jodie at BLUE
WATER CANDY LURES and you will want to come by our booth at the shows and see what you can possibly get just for stopping
by and registering.
Jodie, owner of BLUE WATER CANDY LURES has went above and beyond the call
of duty to provide us with some fantastic prizes to be given to some lucky fisher people at this years show's.www.bluewatercandylures.com
We are at this time working out more details
on other sponsor support for products and incentives just for you the fisherman and fisherwoman.
You do not have to be present to win the drawings
and your prize will be mailed to you and the winners will be posted on this website.
There is no cost to register for the drawings
at our booth. I am working on special drawings for the seminars plus at the seminars everyone will get tackle
samples as long as the supply's last and it's all FREE, FREE, FREE, Thanks to our GREAT sponsors!!
Mike at PABCO POWER BUOY has sent me two boxes of samples to give out
at the seminars. If you are a serious bottom fisherman, you need to attend a seminar or come by our booth and check out the
POWER BUOY and see how it works. This thing is AWESOME!!!
Plus, you can save some "BIG BUCKS" if you mention
me (Capt Butch) and order your POWER BUOY direct from the factory. I'll have all the info you will need to check one
out or to get your own POWER BUOY at the shows.
Or you can get the same deal right now by calling Mike at PABCO POWER
BUOY at(843)665-5613, mention Capt Butch, and save $50.00 off any POWER BUOY unit you purchase direct. This buoy is a "must-have"
for the serious bottom fisherman!!! www.powerbuoy.com
I have just got word from John at BONEYARD BAITS and ESTES TACKLE
CO. of donations for the special drawings at the seminars!!
ESTES TACKLE CO. has some lures that are great for "BIG" Grouper,
stripers, and Gulfstream trolling. I had a hook up last year on one of their lures while Bluefin Tuna fishing. Never
saw the fish, can't say it was a Bluefin, but it broke 130 lb. line. www.boneyardbaits.com
I have a few of the CW CRAB lures left for you to see and I have info
on how to get them plus I will show you how to rig these up for Grouper fishing. You won't believe your eyes when you see
these lures.
I don't have many CW Crab Lures left, I have them out being
tested by other Captains. But, I will tell you this. These CW CRAB imitations will catch Grouper!!! I know from
experience!!
Since it's so close after Christmas and I am in a giving mood, I sure
hate to part with my CW Crab Lures, but I just might have a few drawings for what I have left of the CW CRAB LURES at
the seminars. www.cwcrab.com
More is on the "drawing board" at this time and will be added as they
are recieved. One of our sponsors BUG-EM-BAIT CO. is going to have items at the show for me to distribute at the seminars.
www.bugembait.com
I will have the "LIFE-SAFER" device at my booth this year. Come by and
check it out.This unit has won numerous awards and has been recognized as the "GO TO" unit for a Rapid Response when seconds
count in saving someone's life. You owe it to your family and friends to carry one on your boat!!! www.life-safer.com
Richard Croom from FRESH NORTH CAROLINA SEAFOOD and also a rope dealer
has donated a "BIG" box of rope samples to be given away at the seminars!!
If you need more rope of any kind at an unbeatable price or Fresh Seafood
contact Richard Croom at (336)710-3805
It's going to be three days at three shows
for a total of nine days of give aways (or as long as supplies last) and chances for some free great fishing tackle and
supplies donated by our Sponsors.
So come on out and attend the seminars get
some free stuff and hopefully learn some new "tricks of the trade".
I'll be showing how to read a NOAA Chart to
find great fishing spots while sitting at the kitchen table and then how to set up your boat in different circumstances
once you get there, what to look for, how to rig, what you need to be sucessful consistantly at Grouper/Bottom fishing,
and how to use your equipment to put the odd's in your favor when that "BIG" Grouper attacks.
Not only that, I will be giving some good fishing
numbers that you can catch fish at even if you have a smaller boat and can't get offshore.
These numbers will be about 10 miles out and
is good fish holding structure year round!!!
It's going to be a jam packed nine days
of info. Tackle, Boats, and just fishing related everything. Check out the shows at www.ncboatshows.com where info is added as it becomes available.
I am getting excited about meeting everyone
and I can hardly wait. What was the Disney commercial a few years ago,"I'm too excited to sleep"!!!!
I look forward to seeing all you guys
and gals and sometimes I get overwhelmed but I haven't forgotten where I come from, because I know that without all of you
there would not be a "Yeah Right Charters".
I love you all, come see me if you can, Have
a Happy New Year, and may God Bless you all!!!!!!!!!! FISH ON, Capt Butch & "Admiral Bodie" the fish dog says, I'll be
there so come see me, I love you too!!!
P.S. Weather permitting, the fish are biting from inshore to the Gulfstream,
kings are at the tower, get a calm day and go get 'em!!!!!
THURSDAY 12-27-07
Can you believe this is December??? They are
talking about high 70's this weekend, and the fish are biting all the way to the Gulfstream!!
There were a few Bluefin Tuna hooked up today
with at least one I know of docked.
The King Mackeral are biteing at the Tower,
Wahoo's are still biteing in the Gulfstream.
The bottom fishing is great and the weather
today was beautiful with calm seas and warm temperatures. This is December,,,,, right???
I am starting to have second thoughts about
all these shows I am doing and all the preparation that is cutting into my fishing.
But normally, the weather would be bad and
the shows are a welcomed event. Besides, I do love to be there and meet so many new fishermen and women!!
And it looks like the weather is going to remind
us very soon just what time of year it really is and we will all be glad to be inside talking about fishing instead of being
out in the elements freezing to death!!!
The seminar schedule is up and you can plan
accordingly by going to www.ncboatshows.com
There were some typographical errors on my
seminars in the beginning and to all that called and emailed it has been fixed. I will be doing the "Grouper/Bottomfishing
& Chart Reading" as first advertised and on all three days.
So, recheck the schedule, and make your plans
for the first weekend in January and come see us at the Greensboro Coliseum in GSO,NC. Free samples from some of our sponsors
will be available at the seminars as long as they last!!!Till next time, FISH ON!!! Capt Butch & "Admiral Bodie" the fish
dog says, y'all come see me, I'll be at all the shows!!!
THURSDAY 12-20-07
Capt Chris and I loaded up the International
50 TW's with hopes of bringing a Bluefin Tuna to the dock today. Didn't happen!!!
I only heard of two Bluefin's caught today
and both were too short of the 73" limit to sell requirement. We started at the Raritan and worked our way to the Horseshoe.
From there we went to the shoals and worked the edge to the knuckle buoy. From there we went to the East side, here we found
a large school of trout, could not determine if they were grey or silver trout. If they were grey they were not legal size!!
We talked about catching a few for dinner, but not being sure which they were, we didn't!!
This should have been a great place for the
Tunas to be feeding. I mean there were a load of trout here, But I quess the Tunas didn't think the way I did.
I don't know if the one's that were here have
left or if the approaching front may have had the bite shut off. I would say the front has them turned off right now and as
soon as things stabilize a little better, the bite should resume as it was Tuesday and Wednesday.
But, then again, the bite at MHC today
was reported to have been "on fire". The "radio talk" was that there were 44 boats out up there and 44 boats were hooked up.
Now remember, that was on the radio down here, If you are a fisherman, you know where I am going with this!!!!
Well, I didn't care that we didn't get a Bluefin
Tuna today, sure I would love to have got one, it sure would help with the high fuel prices I am paying and not doing anything
commercially!! But the reason I didn't care was because I got to spend an entire day in the boat with my son Captain Chris
Foster.
Don't ever take the time you spend with your
children for granted. I remember Capt Chris and I going everywhere and doing everything together all the time and then one
day it was over. How could that happen so quickly? It's called life and sometimes it can be brutal and cruel.
Anyway, today it was Capt. Chris and I along
with "Admiral Bodie" the fish dog, and for a brief time today it was like "old times" again. Wish it could happen more often,
but I will Thank God for the times we can get together now, cherish every minute, and never take them for granted ever again!!!
Take a look at the big Red Drum we caught today.
I out fished Capt Chris on the Reds today, but his was big enough for a NC Saltwater Citation and both of mine were just like
the Tunas today, too short!!! Till next time, Capt Butch, Capt Chris, and "Admiral Bodie" the fish dog says, Chris, please
come back to see me when you can, we all miss you and love you very much!!!!
WEDNESDAY 12-19-07
Last count I got was 7 Bluefins hit the dock
today and I think some were caught west of us out of Little River,SC. That's it!!! I spent the day today working
on seminar material and fishing expo material, and got my permits renewed at the NC Dept of Marine Fisheries so that when
Jan 1st hit I will be ready for the 2008 season. But tomorrow I am Going after a Bluefin.
Capt Chris is off work tomorrow and can go
with me, so if you need to talk to me tomorrow, you'll have to do it when we get back tomorrow night!!!!!! I'll let you
know how we do right here!!!! Till next time, FISH ON!!! Capt Butch....
TUESDAY 12-18-07
I thought winter was supposed to be "down
time" for fishermen. I seem to have less time in the winter than I do in the summer, if that's possible!!
The winds have been blowing lately and fishing
has been pretty much on hold, until today. Yeah, you guessed it, what everyone has been waiting for. The Bluefin Tuna Bite
is on here in Southport,NC. Several fish were hooked up today with many lost. It's 6:00PM and just got a call that confirmed
two were on the dock at this time.
You been wanting to have the fight of
your life, well, now is the time!!!! Get your 50 to 130 lb class outfits spooled up, rig up with some Bluewater Candy
"Jag-3" lures on a 12/0 hook with a horse ballyhoo, good luck and when he bites, try to stay in the boat......
I want to welcome "FISH-NG ACCESSORY
COMPANY" to our growing list of the finest sponsors/product support people in the business world. Anthony Ng's Company
makes the "PRECISION ELECTRIC REEL MOTOR DRIVES" for many different reels. Here at "Yeah Right Charters" we have used different
brands over the years and have come to realize that the "PRECISION BRAND" means first rate quality and the best we have ever
used on our boat. In the Charter business, there is no room for a product that can't hold up. If it holds up to what we put
them through, they should last you a very long time!!!! Check them out on our sponsor page very soon!!! Till next time, FISH
ON!!! Capt Butch...
MONDAY 12-10-07
I apologize for being late with this report,
but the weather gave us a break and between getting ready for up coming fishing shows, seminars, TV segments, sponsor commitments,
etc;, I had to find time for some fishing and there are only so many hours in a day and lately there have not been enough
hours to go around!!
OK, Monday we went offshore with one of our
fishing groups that come from Washington DC to fish with us on the "Yeah Right". Today we were fishing with Sam Stewart, Sam
Cole, Reuben McNair, James Cobb, Bruce Byrum, and Rev. Daryl Bell. We all had a blast, Thanking God for such a beautiful day
and great friends, catching fish, telling jokes, and just enjoying the opportunity and the moment!! Sometimes I can put people
on fish, and sometimes some have trouble catching them, this is not the case with these guys, these guys can catch fish!!!
The bite on Sunday was not what I hoped it
to be in the area that I normally fish to the SW, so today I made the decision to run to the SE to some areas where I
had plotted out on my NOAA navigational chart Sunday night some 45 miles out. The contour lines and readings on the chart
looked like some good new territory to explore. Well, I have now found another fantastic bottom fishing area to add to my
log book as you can tell by the pictures.
Don't get in a "rut" like I had done!!
I teach at my seminars not to "beat" an area to death, and that was exactly what I was doing with the SW area. If you would
like to learn how to read a chart like this and find new fishing areas, I will be teaching how to do this and then how to
fish the areas at all three fishing shows this January in Greensboro,NC, Raleigh, NC, and Richmond,VA. Come on out and see
how to do it and get some free samples that are being donated by some of my sponsors, nearly all are donating, and the samples
will be "while supplies last"!!!
The "hot" King Mackeral bite at the Tower has
"cooled" some. You can still catch Kings but the bite is not as good as it was.
The Bluefin Tuna bite has not really "fired
off" here yet. There have been some hookups and one has been brought to the dock and another fish that was to short was caught.
Another fish that is caught sometimes while fishing for the Bluefin's is "Monster" sized Red Fish. How big you ask? Well
one was hooked yesterday that pulled drag from a Penn International 130 reel that was set up for a Bluefin. Now, that would
be a NC State Citation to be proud of, and I bet you would get the Plaque with one like that instead of the certificate!!
The weather looks like it is getting ready
to deteriorate on us. Hey, It is winter, even though it has not been feeling like it lately. But it looks like we are getting
ready to be shocked back into reality. But the good news is it should help the Bluefin Tuna fishing get better!!
Just try to be ready to go if you can when
you get the chance, winter usually will give some short breaks from time to time but they don't usually last long but if you
can make it out when it does, there is some great fishing to be had out there somewhere!!! Till next time, FISH ON!!! Capt
Butch & "Admiral Bodie" the fish dog says HI!!!
SUNDAY 12-9-07
Here's a couple of reports recieved from some
fellow fishermen. Thanks guys for letting us know what's happening where!!!
Capt. Butch, I wanted to pass along a fishing
report. A friend and I left Carolina Beach early saturday morning and ran down a little north of the tower and caught a good
number of bottom fish including grunts, pink snapper, vermillion snapper and grouper. We had to do a good bit of moving
around but ended up with several nice fish including a citation grouper. My dad drove down saturday night to fish with me
and we got to the ramp and discovered we had a starter gone bad on the port side engine so it was a long ride home today,
but a nice one day catch anyway. Look forward to seeing you in Greensboro in a few weeks Good luck fishing! Randall Shreve
I just got in and the king bite was on! We had our limit by noon and started to bottom fish. No grouper, plenty
of snapper and a few black sea bass. It was a great day for a 20’ boat!
“Stick Slinger”
Jim Bowen
As you can see
from the reports the fishing is about as good as it gets this time of year. Another Bluefin was hooked up today on the shoals
but was too short.
I was coming in
from bottom fishing and was about two miles past the old position buoy and right off my starboard side it looked like someone
dropped a refrigerator in the water. I didn't see the fish, but it takes a big fish to make a whirlpool like this one was,
It had to be a Bluefin Tuna!!!
Today I was fishing
with William Roman from Texas,and Walter and Jeremy Wright from Shallotte, NC. William is going to email me some pictures,
I forgot the camera again!!!
We had a good
variety of bottom fish today and one real pretty fish that I have never seen one like before, we got a good picture of it
before we released it. It should be on here soon!!
But, I think today
we caught, hooked, fought, released, broke off, ripped off, the most and some of the biggest sharks that has been around my
boat in a long time. We stopped on one Grouper Rock and it was "Shark Mania" and I mean huge sharks!!!
Just a short rundown
of what's happening, will be back out tomorrow after more bottom fish. Check back to see if we can put the puzzle together
again tomorrow!! Thanks again Randall and Jim for the reports, other fishermen sharing their results is what it's all about!!!
Randall, hope
you get that starter fixed before the weather gets bad again!!! Till next time, FISH ON!! Capt Butch & "Admiral Bodie"
the fish dog says HI!!!.
SATURDAY 12-8-07
It's late and I just now got to the computer
so I am going to make this one simple!!
John Dosher, Captain of the "Lil John" made
it official today that the Bluefin Tuna's are here. He put an 80 inch Bluefin in the boat off of Southport today!!!
The King Mackeral bite is hot in the area around
the Frying Pan Tower!!
As for the Grouper/Bottom fish, the only report
I got today was from the area SW of the Tower and it was slow there. I will be heading for the deep water tomorrow South of
the Cape Fear River in search of bottom fish!! Will let you know what I find out!!! Till next time FISH ON!!! Capt Butch &
"Admiral Bodie" the fish dog says HI!!!!.
FRIDAY 12-7-07
The weather man's calm
report for today didn't exactly pan out. It was a little rough offshore today, at least in the vicinity of the tower buoy.
The hardy souls that did make it out today
gave us two confirmed hook up's on Bluefin Tunas. So, there are some here, we have just got to get one in the boat!!!!
The King Mackeral bite today was also reported
to be very slow. With the water warm here one day and cold the next and then warm somewhere else tomorrow, the king bite will
be hard to nail down. But rest assured someone will soon find them and if we all work together on this thing we can get our
permits qualified.
Weather looks good for the next few days, hope
you can get out and catch a fish or two!!
The Speckled Trout bite continues good and
the Grey Trout should be biteing good on the near shore reefs. The areas like Light House Rocks, AR-440,etc; should be holding
some Black Bass at this time of year, but with this crazy weather, you will only know for sure if you go give it a try!!
If you have a good day fishing we would
really appreciate it if you would let us know!!
As always, I will let you know what I know
right here, if you would like to email me a report at captainbutchf@earthlink.net then that would help also!! Till next time, FISH ON!!!! Capt Butch & "Admiral Bodie" the fish dog says HI!!!
WEDNESDAY 12-4-07
The weather man is still saying it's
going to be nice starting Friday. The Bluefin Tuna bite has exploded at Morehead. I would say if they are there you can find
some here as well. Last report was the kings were at the horseshoe's. Pull for the Bluefins till around 9 or 10 and if no
action head for the kings, you will be in the area anyway!!! We are finally possibly getting a break in the weather,
hope you can make it!!! Till next time, FISH ON!!!! Capt Butch & "Admiral Bodie" the fish dog says HI!!!.
TUESDAY 12-4-07
Keep
your fingers crossed. At this time the weather/wind forecast looks good for Friday and Saturday!!!!
SUNDAY 12-2-07
We were supposed
to have been after Bluefin Tuna today, but you guessed it, the winds just won't let the seas calm!!
But, all is not lost!!! The speckled Trout
bite is real good here in Southport,NC. My wife Barbara, "Admiral Bodie" and I went Speck fishing again this afternoon.
Now, we are not real serious when it comes
to this kind of fishing, this is some "down time" for us both so enough for a dinner or two and we are fine. Well, we
had two Speckled Trout, and we were happy!!
Well, just as we were about to call it a day,
we ran into Scott and Sarah Blevins from here in Southport. Now Scott never mentioned where he caught these Trout and out
of "Fisherman's Courtesy" I did not ask!!
I told him that we had two and that we were
using Grubs and the C W Crab Lure. Well, when he opened his livewell, he showed me that live mud minnows were the bait
to fish with today.
Scott was kind enough to give us a few
and we then caught three more trout and then called it quits, five trout was plenty for us!!
I got a picture of Scott and Sarah with their
catch before they went back to the hill. Now, this is the kind of fishing that makes big memories!!!
The wife and I will have to settle for a smaller
memory today, but, still memories were made today with us and the "fish dog" and this is a part of the sport we fisher
people all love and call fishing, it's not always about the catching!!!
On another note; If you want to try catching
a Bluefin Tuna better call quick, I only have a few days left open this year and the Tunas are here!!!
I have now done three TV segments in two attempts!!
How did I do that you ask?
Well, I was on a roll and talking about
the trout fishing we are having down here and when I tried to think what a mud minnow was called, I just as well had been
trying to read Japanese, so, we had to stop taping and start all over again!!!
But, I got it all right the next time,
three times now in two segments, practice makes perfect they say, and I'm getting in some extra practice!!
FRIDAY 11-30-07
Looks like everything is here to bring
in the Bluefins. I know there are some here, I got a look at one on Monday two weeks ago while heading offshore and another
Captain told me this evening that he had seen one jump clean out of the water chasing bait. All we got to do now is try and
get the weather to cooperate so we can go hook one up!!
In one of my earlier reports I gave the days
I was going to book this year for the Bluefins. Well, I forgot about the Fishing Expos this year. So, the days I am going
to book this year for the Bluefins are as follows.
Dec 2nd thru 22nd, Dec 27th thru
30th, Jan 1st and 2nd, Jan. 8th and 9th, and Jan 15th.
The rest of the days are taken with shows and
seminars so there are not many fishing days, you had better call soon or there won't be any left open!!! And check the "CHARTER
PAGE" on how you might get your trip FREE!
Again don't forget the shows this year. I just
got two boxes of free samples from PABCO POWERBUOY to give out at my seminars this year, we will give them out as long as
they last, Hopefully at all three shows!! But I have a bunch to give out!!!
So come on out bring your questions and get
some free fishing stuff to help out your fishing, compliments of Mike at PABCO POWERBUOY and YEAH RIGHT CHARTERS!!!
Going Pheasant shooting tomorrow, looks like
winds are still going to be blowing anyway!! Maybe I can get out Sunday evening sometime and see if the Speckled Trout
are still biting, I bet they are!!! Will let you know!!! Till next time, FISH ON!!!Capt Butch
Wednesday 11-28-07
I am beginning to wonder myself if the winds
are ever going to let up any!!! They will....
I am going speckled trout fishing again sometime
before too much longer. Looks now like I may be able to have time some time next week, If I go I'll let you know how we do.
A lot of you are familiar with the "PABCO POWER
BUOY" that I use to bottom fish with. I have tried all kinds and types but this buoy is the best I have ever used. A lot of
thought and only the best materials available are used to manufacture this buoy. The retrieval of the anchor line is a "one
man" operation that is fast and effortless!! You
won't ever mind dropping your buoy in deep water again!!!
The reason I am reminding you of this buoy
is because if you are serious about bottom fishing, you need one!! And Mike at "PABCO POWER BUOY" has authorized me to let
you know that if you will call him to order direct at (843)665-5613 and tell him that "Capt Butch sent you" you will get $50.00
off each unit you purchase.
This is a "Yeah Right Charters" and "Pabco
Power Buoy" exclusive. I do not get paid one dime to use and promote this buoy, I do it because I have tried them all, and
this is a "tool of the trade" that works and makes serious bottom fishing a lot easier.
If you haven't ever seen how one works, I will
have them at all the Saltwater shows this year and at all my seminars, come check one out, you will be just as amazed as I
was!!!! Till we can go fishing again, FISH ON!!! Capt Butch & "Admiral Bodie" the fish dog says, be sure to stop by the
booth and tell me HI, I'll be there too!!!
MONDAY 11-26-07
Well the grips of winter are still trying to
take over and the fall warmer weather doesn't want to leave so the winds and fronts have to blow and push harder, and that
translates into rough seas, so we can't get out to fish!!
The Bluefin Tunas are here and as soon
as we can we will be out there trying to get hooked up to one of these massive "Freight Trains" we call a Bluefin!!
Just as when I started doing seminars
I was a little nevous at the beginning but soon over came that, well, this past weekend I had my first shot at the TV side
of fishing, and as with the seminars, I was a little nervous, but now I know what to expect and I think I will do much better
next time!!
Here is what information I have on the broadcast
at this time, I will try and get more info. very soon!! This is a different approach to a TV fishing show, this show covers
a lot of coast line and will help you plan your fishing trips!!!
Topic: Fishing Report TV Channels Posted:
21 June 2007 at 6:11am
COASTAL CAROLINA FISHING REPORT
Every Thursday Night
at 7:00PM
Not your typical Saturday morning fishing show, but the GO TO show before heading to saltwater fish in North Carolina. Don't miss us Thursday nights at
7:00PM, saltwater fishing
will never be the same!!!
Time Warner Cable Channels----Charlotte/Meck Area channel 09, Morehead City/Jacksonville
Area channel 25, Raleigh Area (from Ral./Cary down to Smithfield, up to Wilson and part of Rocky Mt., over to Wake Forest
and all the smaller towns in that area, Clayton, Selma, Zebulon, Rolesville, etc. channel 24, Winston Salem Area channel 75
except for Thomasville channel 70, Greensboro Area channel 69 except for Asheboro & Burlington channel 67. Greenville, Pitt/Martin/Beaufort County areas on Cable 7 Television
Watch the Television Program Here! This was the best I could do to simplify it for you. Click
on the November 22 show and it will take you to the place to watch the shows!!! If you can't get them on your TV, you might
want to "Bookmark" this so you can watch it right here every week
Weather/winds made us have to cancel todays
offshore trip. But another report of a Bluefin Tuna hooked up at light House rocks, this one got away as well!!
With the North winds of winter, Light House
Rocks can be very fishable this time of year. I have gotten all my tackle "tuned up" with fresh line and a box of new colors
of JAG-3's from Blue Water Candy Lures and the old best producers as well. The 12/0 hooks are sharpened and a fresh supply
of Horse Ballyhoo's in the freezor already brined, we are ready to go, are you?
We will start running charters for the strongest
fighting fish that comes to our coast on December 2nd. and run through January 15th. We will not run Christmas eve or Christmas
day, so, that only leaves 28 days we are going to book, so, If you have ever wanted to try this, don't wait to call, bookings
are taking place now!!!!
Check the deal we have this year on the "CHARTER
FISHING PRICES" page here on this site, you may very well get to fight one of these brutes and get a FREE trip!!!! Till
next time, FISH ON and God Bless!!!! Capt Butch & "Admiral Bodie" the fish dog says HI!!!.
Thanksgiving Day
11-22-07
My wife and I hardly ever have time we can
spend together anymore to do anything together. But today she was not in the Pharmacy at CVS and the wind had cancelled today's
offshore trip, so, we went Speckled Trout Fishing.
It was a very windy day making boat control
real tough, but to make a long story short. Grab some lead heads and a hand full of your favorite grubs and go fishing when
you get the chance!!!!! You might even still find a flounder hanging around like this one was!!
I will let the pictures of Barbara and "Admiral
Bodie" the fish dog say the rest!! It was a very nice "laid back" day. The only way it could have been any better would be
if our son, Capt Chris could have been with us today!!
The Bluefin Tuna are starting to show up with some hookup's already reported
and a few fish have already hit the docks at MHC. I just got a call and was told that as of now, (8) eight fish have hit the
docks at MHC!!
The King Mackeral bite should still be good after this windy weather gets
out of here so we can get back out offshore. The last day the weather was decent, last Tuesday I think, they were still biting
good.The colder weather we have coming in may have the kings pushed a little farther out than they were when we
last went for them. But, it's that time of year for them to venture some 30 to 40+ miles offshore!!
Be sure to watch the "COASTAL CAROLINA FISHING REPORTS" show on North
Carolina Waterman TV. If you can't get it on you regular TV, you can see it at the NCW web site. www.ncwaterman.com click on the icon "participation" at the top, then click on "Message Board" scroll down to the third one "COASTAL CAROLINA
FISHING REPORT" and enjoy the show!!! If all goes as planned, I will have a complete fishing report on the next show.
Send me your pic's of your trip and I
will post 'em up for you along with credits, Till next time, Thanks, Fish On, and GOD BLESS!!!! Capt Butch, Barbara, and "Admiral
Bodie" the fish dog says fresh speckled trout for Saturday's dinner with our friends Capt Ron Farnsworth and the "Admiral"
of Capt Ron's family, you know, Ron's wife, "Admiral Helen"....
WEDNESDAY 11-21-07
OK, it's Bluefin Tuna time!! I was honored
to present a Bluefin Tuna seminar last night at the "University Club" at NC State University in Raleigh. I hope I was able
to help out and possibily answer some questions that some may have had about Bluefin's. Thanks Guys for having me as your
guest!!!
Here is a web site that will or should help
you commercial tuna fishermen with the prep of your tunas. Hope it will help you out. This kind of information is hard to
find and it took me quite a while to dig through all the "cyberspace lingo" to come up with it, and I am going to share it
with all!!! www.spc.int/coastfish/Fishing/Sashimi_E/Sashimi.pdf Be sure to notice the capital letters and
the underscore in the web address if you are copying it and be patient, it may take a little while to download, it's a lot
of info.
Capt Chris Morris on the "JUSTIN TIME" sent
me a note that he went out Saturday and seen a Bluefin Tuna roll, I saw one Monday in some bait with Gannetts feeding, two
more were seen later in the week and a reported hook up at Light House Rocks already!! Now, if we can get the weather to cooperate
it should be "Game On". I am posting the recent near shore forecast in this report, it hopefully will get better as the week
progresses!!
Also, be sure to check the Bluefin Tuna Deal
we have this year on the "CHARTER FISHING PRICES" page. A ten hour trip for one of the most powerful fish that swims
at a full day rate, and quite possibly your trip could be FREE!!!!
If the weather blows as predicted tomorrow,
I may go Speckled Trout fishing. I have some new "C W CRAB" lures that I need to try for BTC Lures,Inc. Check these
lures out www.cwcrab.com or come by my booth at the Fishing Expos this year
and I will have some on display for you to look at!!
Well, as I said, here's the nearshore forecast,
let's hope it gets better as the week progresses, Till next time FISH ON and GOD BLESS!!!! Capt Butch
COASTAL WATERS FORECAST NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WILMINGTON NC 911 PM EST WED NOV 21 2007 SURF CITY NC TO
SOUTH SANTEE RIVER SC OUT 20 NM
AMZ252-221015- /O.CON.KILM.SC.Y.0059.071122T1100Z-071123T0600Z/ CAPE FEAR NC
TO LITTLE RIVER INLET SC OUT 20 NM- 911 PM EST WED NOV 21 2007
SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM 6 AM EST THURSDAY THROUGH LATE THURSDAY NIGHT
OVERNIGHT SW
WINDS 10 TO 15 KT. SEAS AROUND 5 FT. SEAS AROUND 2 FT NEAR SHORE. A SLIGHT CHANCE OF SHOWERS AFTER MIDNIGHT.
THU SW
WINDS 15 TO 20 KT WITH GUSTS UP TO 25 KT. SEAS 4 TO 7 FT... BUILDING TO 5 TO 8 FT IN THE AFTERNOON. NEAR SHORE...SEAS 2
TO 4 FT...BUILDING TO 3 TO 5 FT IN THE AFTERNOON. A CHANCE OF RAIN WITH ISOLATED TSTMS.
THU NIGHT W
WINDS 20 TO 25 KT...BECOMING N AFTER MIDNIGHT. SEAS 5 TO 8 FT...SUBSIDING TO 4 TO 6 FT AFTER MIDNIGHT. NEAR SHORE...SEAS 3
TO 5 FT...SUBSIDING TO 2 TO 4 FT AFTER MIDNIGHT. A CHANCE OF RAIN.
FRI N WINDS 15 TO 20 KT WITH GUSTS UP
TO 25 KT. SEAS 3 TO 5 FT.
FRI NIGHT NE WINDS 15 TO 20 KT WITH GUSTS UP TO 25 KT. SEAS 4 TO 6 FT. NEAR
SHORE...SEAS 2 TO 3 FT...BUILDING TO 2 TO 4 FT AFTER MIDNIGHT.
SAT NE WINDS 15 TO 20 KT WITH GUSTS UP
TO 25 KT. SEAS 3 TO 5 FT... BUILDING TO 4 TO 6 FT IN THE AFTERNOON.
SAT NIGHT NE WINDS 10 TO 15 KT...INCREASING
TO 15 TO 20 KT AFTER MIDNIGHT. SEAS 4 TO 6 FT...SUBSIDING TO 3 TO 5 FT AFTER MIDNIGHT. A CHANCE OF SHOWERS.
SUN NE
WINDS 15 TO 20 KT...BECOMING E. SEAS 3 TO 5 FT. SHOWERS LIKELY...THEN A CHANCE OF SHOWERS.
MON S WINDS
10 TO 15 KT...BECOMING SW 15 TO 20 KT. SEAS 4 TO 6 FT...BUILDING TO 4 TO 7 FT. A CHANCE OF SHOWERS. MARINERS
ARE REMINDED THAT WINDS AND SEAS CAN BE HIGHER IN AND NEAR THUNDERSTORMS.
TUESDAY 11-13-07
Today I spent the biggest part of the
day preparing for jury duty this week. But, I dodged the bullet this time and was released today for another time. So, we
are ready to go back fishing!!!
It looks like from the NOAA weather reports
that it's going to start blowing up again tomorrow, but, the week end at this time looks great!!! Click on the "OFFSHORE FORECAST"
on this page above the fishing reports to keep up with what kind of weather they are calling for.
If you have ever wanted to catch King Mackeral
until you can not crank another one in, NOW IS THE TIME!!!!!!!!! The bite is as good as it has been in a long while and should
last until the weather turns for the worse and drives them farther offshore.
I have had a cancellation for this coming Saturday,
if you want to book a trip, it's first call gets the boat Saturday. Rarely do we have a Saturday open this time of year, but
this one is open due to some uncontrollable circumstances.
As I said, the bite is AWESOME!!! You don't
have to waste time catching live bait, they are fighting over cigar minnows. If it holds like it is now, you will most likely
be able to only get one rod out and have a fish on before you get the next one out. Yes, the October bite is here in November!!!
If you haven't been fishing all year and you have wanted to go, well, now's the time. Take a day for yourself and GO FISHIN'!!!!!!
Till next time FISH ON!!!! Capt Butch & "Admiral Bodie" the fish dog says, man when it gets like this I don't know where
to hide, Kings are flying everywhere!!!!
MONDAY 11-12-07
Today we headed offshore to the bottom fishing
grounds around the LORAN lines in the 360's.
I was fishing today with some long time regulars
and a couple new members to offshore fishing with us. The group today was Tony Cameron, James Williams, Tom Bates, Herb Campbell,
and Benn McDonald all from Fayetteville,NC.
Our first stop was immediate action. The fish
were there and were hungry. We caught some of the prettiest fish I have seen in a while.
We had a couple unique catches today. Benn
McDonald proved that the African Pompano just may stay around these parts for the winter as well. The thoughts have been that
these fish come through around July and are gone by late August, this may not be the case!!!
But, the prize today has to go to Tom Bates!!!
This guy hooked up with this big shark that we brought into the boat for a photo shoot. For safety reasons I am holding him
for Tom while he gets his picture taken. Always be careful of these creatures, they can do real personal injury to you out
of the water as well as in the water!!!
Tom didn't stop there either, next he hooked
up with a big Amberjack. But the real trophy has to be the big lobster he brought to the boat!! I have been fishing offshore
for many years, this is the first lobster for my boat as well!!
We ended the day with a great catch for everyone,
we had Grey Snappers, B-Liners, Triggerfish, African Pompano, Black Bass, Golden Tilefish, Joltheads, Amberjack, and several
species of Grouper, and a Lobster!!!
Yes, another great day of fishing and catching
with some of the great folks we fish with from the Fayetteville,NC area!!
The King Mackeral are biting well in the Horseshoe
and Tower area, I should be out there now getting my permits qualified for the year, but, instead, I am going to get ready
to report for jury duty this morning. So, if you can, go get 'em, they are biting and the weather is good for now!!!!
Also, don't forget about all the fishin' stuff
that is just around the corner!! The first one is the "Fishing Expo" at Greensboro,NC on January 4-6, the second one
is at Raliegh on January 11-13, and the third Expo is in Richmond,VA January 25-27.
I will be doing "Grouper,Offshore bottom fishing
& Chart reading" seminars at all these shows, I would be very happy for you to attend my seminars and bring
your questions!! You can get more information as it comes available at www.ncboatshows.com
Also, don't forget the "Fisherman's Post
Fishing School" on February 16th at the Coast Line Convention Center in Wilmington, NC.
I will be teaching at this school along with
many other great Captains and fisherman. Click on the FISHING SCHOOL link on the navagation bar on this
web site to get info and tickets for this very popular and information packed school.
Hope to see you at all the Expos and
schools this year!! Till next time, FISH ON!! Capt Butch & "Admiral Bodie" the fish dog says HI!!!!.
FRIDAY 10-19-07
We were scheduled to do an offshore trip today
but the weather had different ideas. And you know who wins that discussion, everytime!!!
This was the third time that William Dixon,
Bill Dixon, Joyce Dixon and Paula Whitfield from Oxford,NC had tried to go fishing and had to deal with adverse conditions.
Offshore was not an option today, but the King
Mackeral had been biting a few miles off the beach so they wanted to give that a try.
The winds were supposed to pick up that evening
so we took off to try and get the morning fishing in.
It didn't take long for the first bait to get
bit!! Each one got their king in the boat and they all had several more attempts but as in fishing things don't always go
the way planned.
For various reasons we lost more fish than
we put in the boat, but, just to hear that reel scream for mercy the way that only a king mackeral can make it do, well, hearing
that is nearly as good as boating the fish itself!!!! And
as predicted, around noon the winds picked up and the bite shut down so with the seas building and the slow bite, we called
it a day and went home with plenty of fish and even more memories and some new friends!!!
Now isn't that what it's all about anyway?
Till next time, FISH ON!!! Capt Butch & "Admiral Bodie" the fish dog says HI!!!
THURSDAY10-18-07
Again, fishing today brings to mind the
old saying "What a difference a day can make"
The winds had shifted back to the SE and this could
only mean good things for the king mackeral bite.
I had called to cancel our offshore trip today because
it was rough offshore, but, Mark Jones, Mark Hagopian, David Lasley, and Ron Hendricks from Raleigh,NC wanted to try
to catch something.
I told them that the inshore bite with King
Mackeral and Spanish Mackeral should be good today with the wind change so they wanted to give it a try.
Now bait was extremely hard to get this morning
and it was not until around noon when Capt John loaded his net and gave us some of those, for that we all were very
thankful!! We and several others had looked for
bait all morning and we finally fell into a shark fishing spell for a little while. Everyone caught a shark or two and then we decided to head out to try to catch some kings.
As the day progressed, the bite got better
and better. We caught King Mackeral, and at one time they were biting when we would let the baits out, hand feeding them you
could say.
We fished until we ran out of bait, but, it
was time to head in anyway. Every one caught a couple kings each and some were big kings. No, today they were all big kings,
some were just bigger!!!
As I was heading to South Harbour Marina, I
heard several boats reporting they had doubles and triples on!!
Looks like tomorrows offshore trip is going
to be blown out again, so, if it's not too rough inside again, we will be fishing for King Mackeral again tomorrow!
Check back and see what happens tomorrow right
here on this web page!!!!! Till next time, FISH ON!!!! Capt Butch & "Admiral Bodie" the fish dog says HI!!!!.
WEDNESDAY10-17-07
Today's fishing was the
kind that gives a Charter Boat Captain Night Mares!!!!
Now, the people I fished with today were very understanding
and realized that the fish don't always bite!! The morning trip was with Jim and Jessica Hooper from Fayetteville,NC
The SSE winds that had the King Mackeral and
Spanish mackeral in a feeding frenzy was replaced with stiff ENE winds. This translates into a shut off bite!!!!!
The talk on the radio was that the Kings that had
been feeding the day before were not there today, so, we decided to fish for Spanish Mackeral when we heard that the
bite was on.
I thought we were going to wear the Spanish
out!!! The bite started off real good, then just like the Kings, it shut off and that was it.
We continued to search for the Spanish because
the reports from the King fishermen was even worse than the Spanish.
But it never picked up again and we decided
to call it a morning.
Mother nature can sometimes make a total mess of the
best made plans, and today's catching was just that, but the fishing trip and the company was first class!!
The second half of the day is below!!!!
This brings us to the second half of
the day!!! I was fishing with Jeff Collins, Joel Collins, and Jeremiah Foster from Denver,NC.
Even though the King Mackeral bite was extremely
slow, this was what we were trying for this afternoon.
We kept thinking we was going to get a bite
at any time!! The three or four times the reel screamed it turned out to be a shark instead of a King Mackeral, except for
once, and that time it was a Bluefish.
No kings were in the mix for us today. The
ENE winds had virtually shut them off. Guess days like these are why it's called fishing and not catching!!! Till next time
FISH ON!!! Capt Butch
P.S. Talked to another Captain that went to the Gulfstream
and said he never got a bite today as well!!!
TUESDAY 10-16-07
Well, the weather man was not exactly on top
of his game today. The offshore bottom fishing grounds were a little rough. Not unfishable, but not comfortable either!!
I was fishing again with Mike Daughtry from
Princeton,NC., Eugene Forde from Goldsboro,NC, Martice Williams from Smithfield,NC and Joey Pierce from Princeton,NC.
They wanted bottom fish for their fish fry,
and they got bottom fish for their fish fry.
I got a good laugh out of Eugene when he was
catching fish as fast as he could drop the baits, He was give out to the point that his comment was "This has got to end sometime"!!!
We had a great day of fishing and fun!!! Eugene
got the big Red Grouper and another one along with a rare yellow tail snapper. Martice got his grouper and he caught a rare
Golden Tilefish, Mike also got a Grouper. Now Joey, he started out helping us this morning but decided to take a nap down
in the cabin, but before he did he caught several of the Grey Snappers and Joltheads we had today.
Between the exotic fish and the groupers, there
were also Grey Snappers, Joltheads, Silver Snapper, Triggerfish, and some monster sharks hooked up but were too powerful to
turn. There were also some big grouper that won the battle as well.
Better buy stock in Tylenol and Aspercreme
tomorrow, I got a feeling these guys are going to be a little sore from cranking in all those fish!!!!!!!!
Inshore, the King Mackeral are biting good
in the 8 to 10 mile range off the beach. Bait was reported hard to get today with some boats reporting not being able to get
bait until 1:00PM this evening. The bait seems to still be off of Holden Beach.
The Spanish Mackeral are on a feeding frenzy.
They are breaking the surface and jumping while feeding in large schools.
The spots have been,well, spotty!! But these
should make a strong run soon!! Till next time, FISH ON!!! Capt Butch and "Admiral Bodie" the fish dog says HI!!!!.
SUNDAY 10-14-07
Today we were fishing another 1/2 day trip
with Mike Gregson and his son Patrick, Bob Gregson from Southport,NC, Matt Gregson from Boiling Spring Lakes,NC, and Mike
and Devin Keck from Mt. Pleasant,SC.
We were after King Mackeral again this morning and
being the third day past those cold fronts I had a better feeling about this morning than the past few days.
After a long run to Holden Beach to net Pogys, and
BTW/ Mike Keck has joined the "cast net hall of fame" on the Yeah Right. You see, I have a net that we had custom built for us and besides Capt Chris, my last mate Landon, and
now Mike are the only ones that I have seen that can throw this thing. I have too much arthritis in my shoulders to throw this net, or at least that's the best excuse I can
come up with. But, if you can throw it, usually
one time is all it takes to get bait, it weighs 60 lbs. dry!!
Back to the fishing, we had trolled for about an hour
and there had been a few fish hooked up here and there but we had not had a hit except for a bait cut in half. I figured something was wrong or not to the fishes liking. We
reeled the baits in and I changed up the rigs to something different.
First line back in the water got slammed by a real
nice King Mackeral. 5 year old Patrick worked this fish to the boat perfectly!! He let his dad Mike help him
so he could show him how it was done.
No sooner got this one in the boat and another
fish put the clicker in high speed scream, this time Mike Keck brought this one to the gaff.
The next few hits were big fish and Devin was the
rod man on these fish. As you know if you King Mackeral fish, on big fish things have got to go perfectly. The first one "tailed" the leader and broke off. The next one had the hooks deep and those sharp teeth
cut the wire. The next one, the hooks just pulled out.
Sometimes fate is just not on your side no matter
how hard you try!!!
The next reel went off and Matt was on the rod and things went great and the
fish was soon in the fish box!!
The bite was starting to heat up as it has been for
the last several days with the bite being better in the afternoon, but fishing time was running out!!!
Also, the Spanish Mackeral are schooling up good in
the 5 to 10 mile range out feeding heavy on the small baits. It's been hard to fish for Kings with all the Spanish jumping every where!!!!
But as fate would have it, we were fishing a 1/2 day
trip and it was time to head back. We still had a good morning of fishing, the weather was absolutely beautiful, met
some more great guys and even put a few fish in the boat, what more could you ask for!!!???
There was a "Big fish pot" on the boat today for the biggest fish and 5 year
old Patrick Gregson took all the guys money, I even gave him a "bonus award" for a great job of fishing!!!!!
Oh yeah, the "little thing" I did different were take
the skirts off the baits, today was one of those days they wanted the pogies to look as natural as possible with
no added flash, at least for us anyway!! Till next time, FISH ON!!! Capt Butch and "Admiral Bodie" the fish dog says, I wanted
to go today, but two days in a row are harder now!!!
SUNDAY 11-11-07
Sorry the reports are running
a little late, got a lot of things going on at this time!!
Sunday we went out on the inshore reefs for
a few hours with Steven Taylor and Nikki to see if the grey trout and Red Drum were here yet. We caught a lot of blue fish
along with some grey trout but never hooked up with a drum.
Still, we had a lot of fun catching these fish
and it was a beautiful day fishing with a great couple. I only hope you two the best the future has to offer and hope to see
ya'll again soon!! Till Next time, FISH ON!!! Capt Butch.
FRIDAY 11-9-07
We thought just maybe we were going
offshore tomorrow but mother nature said not just yet!! Here's tomorrow's forecast, that's a little too much, no, that's a
lot too much!!
SAT NW WINDS INCREASING TO 20 TO 25 KT.
SEAS 4 TO 6 FT...EXCEPT E OF 1000 FM BUILDING TO 6 TO 10 FT...HIGHEST E.
Monday looks like it might work for offshore
at this time, if it does we will be going!!
But, the Trout and Red Drum are biting
inside in the creeks and the waterway, so, if you can't get offshore, some kind of fishing is better than no kind of fishing.
Don't know about the spots, didn't get the
chance to check on them today, but, they should be here, but they should have already been here too!!! When we get to go again,
I'll let you know what's happening!!
The one fairly decent day we had
this week produced some King Mackeral in the Tower area and some grouper are still biting in the 100+ feet of water.
Till next time, FISH ON!!! Capt Butch & "Admiral Bodie" the fish dog is asleep on his bean bag dreaming of fishing!!
TUESDAY 11-6-07
Oh well, we had to cancel todays trip because
it is blowing again here on the South faceing beaches.
It is that time of year though weather we like
it or not, it's a transition period in the scheme of things that will lead into our winter time of year. The warm doesn't
want to go without a fight and the cold is determined to take over. The results are windy weather and rough seas.
It happens every year about this time and every
year we fuss and gripe about it but then the winter cold settles in and we get out the warm clothing and go
back fishing for bottom fish, Bluefin Tuna, and King Mackeral only to realize that just possibly the fishing is better now
than it was when the weather was here we didn't want to leave.
So again, all is well until the spring winds
come back at the next transition time of year and the cycle starts all over.
I guess you can tell by this so called "fishing
report" that we down here at the beach are bored stiff waiting for this time of the season to pass and once again settle down
and we can get back to the business of cranking in fish.
The report from the pier today was that
the spots have not showed back up yet. There are/were some whiting, flounder, and pompano biting but the seas on the beach
were real rough today and the water was real dirty again. It will get better!!!
The grey trout and Red Drum should
be on the near shore reefs anytime now. Did hear that a few trout were caught at the WOFES on Sunday!!
As I get more info. I will pass it on to you
right here, but, right now, fishing reports are hard to come by!!! Till next time, FISH ON!!! Capt Butch & "Admiral Bodie"
the fish dog says HI!!
SUNDAY 11-4-07
The high winds and storms
have finally left the area and we can get back out fishing again. All the wave action has dirtied up the water. I was out
40+miles today and the water was still dirty that far out. But as the ocean does, it will be cleared up in a couple of days
and the fishing will be wide open again!!
I was fishing with some of the "FISHERMAN'S
POST MAGAZINE" crew today who were Gary Hurley,(Publisher/Editor), Max Gaspeny(Senior Staff Writer), and Eddie Hardgrove(Sales
Manager).
We were fishing for grouper and bottom
fish today and the bite was slower than usual mainly due to all the high waves and dirty water we were encountering.
We were hooking up with some huge fish. I lost
count how many times we were dragged into the rocks and structure by powerful fish to have the lines broken off on the sharp
bottom structure. We don't have a clue as to how big they were or what they were, we never got the first one up!!
We do know that whatever they were they were
big and strong!!! More than our 50 lb class tackle or us could handle!!
We caught some of the biggest B-Liners I've seen
in a while along with Grey snappers, Grey Trout, Silver Trout, Black Bass, Triggerfish, and sharks!!
The reports from other boats that were King
Mackeral fishing from the Shark Hole to the South Forty were all having the same results. No one was getting bit by a King
Mackeral. It was like they had just vanished from the face of the earth!!! Finally did hear of one king mackeral
being caught, and that was hooked up by a commercial boat trolling while heading offshore somewhere between the knuckle buoy
and the Tower area. With the weather patterns in a more tranquil state now, look for things to pick back up real soon!!
Water temps are heading to the favorable comfort
zone for the Bluefin Tuna's. These fish should be here before long. Man, what a beast to tangle with on stand up tackle. The
ultimate fishing challenge, these fish are awesome and the power they have is indescribable!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
The inside bite continues to be good on the
Red Drum and some flounder are still being caught. Mullet minnows and the Berkley Gulp Shrimp rigged on 1/4 or
1/8 jig heads are working well. The Speckled trout are biting on live shrimp fished a foot or two off the bottom on a
slip cork.
My prediction for all the spot fishermen
is that the bite will start sometime this week. The blow is gone, the water is the right condition and the water
temps are dropping . All things are right, the spots have now just got to figure that out, and I think they will this
week!!!
The weather looks pretty good for the week
at this point. So come on down and enjoy some of the years best fishing. Fall fishing on the Carolina Coast, as good as it
gets!! Till next time, FISH ON!!! Capt Butch & "Admiral Bodie" the fish dog says, I can't decide which I liked best, the
fish scales or the sandwiches, heck, there both good!!!!!
MONDAY 10-29-07
We are in a fall pattern
now. Hopefully now we will stay there a while. I'm afraid though that as late as it is we may go straight to winter. But,
that's not necessarily a bad thing, our fishing in winter is real good here in the South East as well!!
Now, the King Mackeral and bait are on the
beach, and for the most part with the fall Northerly winds our beach is generally flat as a pancake.
But now all my trips are for offshore
and the same North winds have the offshore fishing holes whipped up to a frenzy.
There will be a new fishing report here as
soon as I get to go. But for now, the King Mackeral are biting on the beach, weather permitting, a trip to the Gulfstream
should get you some Wahoo's now and possibly a suprise as well ie; maybe a Mahi or Tuna!!
It's time for the fall run of grey trout
and big Red Drum on the inshore reefs. Last week we caught some grey trout and got a "citation Red Drum" on AR420. And
I heard that the spots have showed up. The Spanish Mackeral may still be around, but they should be gone anytime now with
the water cooling down. Will try to get an update on that tomorrow!!
Fall fishing is some of our best fishing of
the year. If you can only make it down once in the year, now is the best time. The offshore bottom fishing only gets better
from this point with some of the offshore species like Grouper and Black Bass coming in closer to the beach.
Fall fishing, cooler temps. low humidity, it doesn't
get any better than the fall fishing!!! Till
next time, FISH ON!!! Capt Butch & "Admiral Bodie" the fish dog says "Yep, fall fishin' it don't get no better"!!!
WEDNESDAY 10-24-07
Here is a question from Rick in the "guestbook" this
may help others as well
Is there any menhaden around southport? I have never
seen a year where bait was so hard to get and I've never had any luck with cigar minnows inshore.
Hi Rick,
There are some pogys around. They can
be hard to find. One day they are on the beach at Southport/Oak Island the next day at Holden the next at Shallotte then the
next back at Oak Island, etc; I agree, it has been a tough year. With no rain to help keep the salt content lowered and to
help keep the water cool, the fish and bait had to retreat to better water. This summer when we were supposed to be catching
Spanish Mackeral on the beach, they were 35 miles offshore, and the menhaden were up the river past Wilmington.
FISH ON!!!
Capt Butch
MONDAY 10-22-07
Today we were fishing with Chad Schreiner,
Jeff Short, Steven Lane, Bryan Banks and his son Chris Banks. They all were from Fayetteville,NC.
We went to the Horseshoe where the kings had
been biting well the day before. But we were now into the second day of east winds and it had seemed to have taken its toll
on the fishing.
We caught one king and lost a couple more,
then the bite shut down. We trolled for another 1 1/2 hours without a hit!! I asked what they would like to do but never got
a definite answer so as most any charter boat captain that is worth his salt would do, I opted to try to get them some fish
in the boat and figured to try some bottom fishing.
It was the wrong call to make, the winds, currents,
moon phase, and the area in general was not the best for bottom fishing and I knew that, but I had to try something.
The current and winds were so strong that a plow anchor would not hold.
You know, some times your a hero and sometimes your
a zero, I guess I know now why once I chartered a boat and the Captains cap had a message across the back and it read "I'm
just a Guide, I'm not GOD". That's the way I felt today, I was being very intimidated today!!
You do what you think is best and sometimes
you are wrong and I hate that when it happens!!! But at least I didn't throw my hands up and say, well, they ain't biting
let's go in, I did try my best!!
I then gave them the next options, either call
it a day or go back to the king mackeral fishing and hope for an evening bite. We went back to the Horseshoe and the scope
showed no signs of life. Now I know that sometimes you can catch king mackeral where there is nothing showing, but,
in general, they don't just go out "crusing with the top down" they are looking for food!!!! I moved over to the
Raritan, this wreck nearly always has bait fish holding on it and I figured a king should be in the area.
This plan worked out and we had a short evening
bite. Chris Banks landed the biggest king mackeral today in the upper teens. He fought a hard battle and was the winner.Take
a look at the smile this fish put on his face, what more could you ask for? But just as my luck had been all day the
'cudas and huge AJ's crashed the party and if you are a king mackeral fisherman then you know it's broken lines from
this point on.
Chad looked at me after the third broken
line and said what's going on, the line is breaking above the leader. Well with a 20lb. main line and a 25 lb. leader and
a huge Amberjack with your piece of king that the 'cuda's left down his throat, well, I think you get the picture, something
is going to break, and with the 20 lb. main line being the weakest link, it's going to break.
Every king we hooked from that point was immediately
cut into and then the other half was immediately engulfed by a hugh Amber Jack and the 20 lb. test was no match for these
brutes. I seen a few of them under the boat, they were gigantic, I believe the biggest I have ever seen!!!
The King bite today was at the Shark Hole.
Who knows where it will be today or tomorrow, but someone will find it. It may be me, or you, or someone else, but that's
why it's called fishing and not catching.
It's the challenge to out wit a simple
creature that can make even a genuis scratch his head in disbelief and wonderment as to why or where or when!!! Till
next time, FISH ON!!! Capt Butch and "Admiral Bodie" the fish dog says, "I like fishes 'cause they is delicious"!!!!
SUNDAY 10-21-07
Todays trip was scheduled
for the Gulfstream but when we got to the 360's we liked about another 20 miles to go and it was already 3 to 4 with
an East wind. I advised them that the stream would be even worse, and what we had now was enough for everyone!!
Everyone decided since they were in a good
bottom fishing area that's what they would like to do. So we went to the bottom.
I was fishing today with Scottie Dean from
Kingsport,TN, Gary Dean from Churchhill,TN, Jody Barker from Gate City,VA, Drew Hayworth from Kingsport,TN, and Chris Gray
from Kingsport,TN.
All I can say is that when we got anchored
up on the right school of fish, these guys went to work. They said it was their first time out, well, for the first time,
they learn real fast. Had they not told me that, I would have not known it!!
We had limits of Grey Snapper, Triggerfish,
B-Liners, Joltheads, Sharks, Amber jacks, Grouper, Almaco Jacks, and Pinky's.
Another rough weather day but a great fishing
trip with some great guys, and we even caught fish. What more could you want, yeah, I know, a little calmer water, but it
worked out just fine!!! Till next time, FISH ON!! Capt Butch & the fish dog!!!
SATURDAY 10-20-07
Today I had some guys fly in from Illinois
to fish with me. We wanted to go offshore, but, the weather/winds still were too rough for that.
I called to cancel the trip but they said anything
would be ok. I advised them that the Spanish Mackeral and King Mackeral had been biting, but we had a wind change from SE
to NW, and that's not good!!!
I was fishing today with Rolando Gadrinab,
Roland Gadrinab, Nelcar Gadrinab,M.D., Anthony Crisceniti, Nap Abella all from IL. and Louis Gadrinab from Durham,NC.
We started off trolling for Spanish Mackeral.
They had bit real good the day before, but, just as I had expected, the NW winds had swelled the seas up to the point that
the water was now dirty and Spanish Mackeral don't like dirty water.
We trolled from the hot hole to Holden Beach
without even a peck. This ain't working, I've got to go to plan "B".
I made my way to the areas where the King Mackeral
were biting just the day before, just like the Spanish were, but just like the Spanish, the King bite was not there today
either. Everyone was struggling just to get a bite, a few fish were caught, but very few!! Most fishermen didn't get a bite
at all!!!
Now, this is a charter captain's nightmare,
what's supposed to be biting is not, and you have just reached your limit of offshore travel due to the winds and waves.
So, what I did next was the only thing I could
do!!! I buried my face into the screen of the color scope and put the boat on a course with the current and started hitting
every drop I could find.
Finally, we were putting fish in the boat and
that was all they wanted was fish of some kind, and they got 'em!!
We caught sharks, Grey Trout, a Citation Red
Drum, Black Bass, Blue Fish, Blow Fish, Pin Fish, Pig Fish, Big Croakers, Lizard Fish, Hard Tails, Greenies, and Tomtotes.
At one time they were catching fish so fast I could barely keep up with them, but somehow I managed it!!!
I will be trying for something again tomorrow.
Was scheduled for a Gulfstream trip, but, the weather had better change quick if that's going to happen.
But, what ever we do, I'll put it here so you'll
have an idea of what's happening down this way!! Till next time, FISH ON!!! Capt Butch & "Admiral Bodie" the fish dog
says HI!!!!!.
SATURDAY 10-13-07
Today we had two 1/2 day trips. The first trip
was not the kind I like to report, but it is what it is!!
I was fishing today with Lynn Whitmire from Brevard,
NC, Todd Meece from Pisgah Forest,NC Tim Meece from Penrose, NC and Danny Roess from Pisgah Forest, NC.
The bite was slow as a snail for us. There was an
occasional "hookup" but the bite was not like it had been the past couple of weeks. The Spanish Mackeral were everywhere,
but the decision was made to try for the bigger King Mackeral. We stuck it out with no results. We were about out of time so in a desperate move we tried the spot we caught
all the Bluefish at the day before, but here all we got was a nice Flounder and some pigfish.
It was one of those trips that shock you back to reality
as to why it is called fishing and not catching. Yeah, the fishing was slow, but the comradrie was great today and
as usual, the fronts didn't seem to slow "Admiral Bodies" appetite any today, he stayed close to the grocery cooler. Till
next time, FISH ON!!! Capt Butch and "Admiral Bodie the fish dog says, look at the bright side, it can only go up from here!!!
SATURDAY 10-13-07
We picked up our fisherpeople for the second
half of the day. This evening I was fishing with Ron and Jan Jenkins from West Bend, WI. and Mike Jenkins from Fayetteville,NC.
On the way back to the reef where everyone was fishing today, I saw some more Spanish Mackeral jumping.
I asked if they would like some of these, thankfully,
they said yes. Some of the Spanish were good sized ones, just ask Jan, she was catching most of the big ones!! First line in and "BAM" fish on!!! It was fast for a little while,
then the tide fell out and they slowed down to just picking one here and there.
It was getting later in the day now and the bite the
day before on the King Mackeral had been later in the day, so we were hoping that they might bite again today around
the same time, they do that a lot, so we went to try those. We put the first line in and before I could get another one in, it looked and sounded like someone threw a volkswagon
on top of the bait.
A big king with a bad attitude attacked the
bait so hard the line didn't stand a chance. We wound what was left in and the line was "frayed" 4 feet, that was a big King
Mackeral.
Lines back in and a bait was cut into right behind
the head, how do they do that and miss all the hooks???? We lost several fish this evening for several different reasons, but none were from fisherman error. The fish
that were put in the boat were fought to the boat like seasoned pros.
It's 3:00AM Sunday morning now, and I have another
1/2 day trip in a few hours, check back this evening, or is that tomorrow evening, no, I think it's this evening. It's been
three days now since the fronts have passed, the fishing should be back on track by now, we'll seen!!! Till next time, FISH
ON!!! Capt Butch and "Admiral Bodie" the fish dog says, cooler weather, fish scales on my teeth, fish slime in my hair, life
is good now!!!!
FRIDAY 10-12-07
Todays trip was to be a all day offshore but
the winds that morning kept us on the beach.
We were fishing with some guys from my hometown of
Lexington,NC. They were Lee Comer, Tommy Comer, and Steve Hartzog.
We pulled a while for Kings with no results, then
for Spanish, same results. The passing of two fronts back to back seemed to have slowed the bite way down.
We then tried to jig up some grey trout and Red Drum
but were immediately attacked by the Bluefish.
At this point it was a welcomed sight!! As we were
fishing I kept noticing that the seas and winds were dropping out.
It was late now, around 1:00PM, but as most of you
know, I don't worry about the clock all the time, and I will get you fish if at all possible.
This time was no different. Wind them in guys, we
are going offshore.
I don't think they really believed me, with it being
so late. I'm not real sure I even believed it, but we did.
I knew we wouldn't have long to fish if I was to get
back before dark thirty. But, I knew that this was what I had to do today to get some fish and now the seas would allow us
to do it, so, we did it!!!!
We didn't have a "killer catch" but for the time we
had, we did ok. We ended the day with Blue Fish,Triggerfish, limits of grouper, Grey Snappers, Black Bass, and sharks.
Thank Lee,Tommy, and Steve. It's always a pleasure
to spend a day fishing with hometown folks, be sure to eat a BBQ sandwich for me the next time you are at the BBQ Center!!
Till next time, FISH ON!!! Cot Butch and "Admiral
Bodie" the fish dog says HI!!!!
10-11-07
Got a report that the Kings and
Bait are on the beach again. Although the bite is not as hot as it was last week, it's still pretty good! Looks like the biggest
thing now is the weather. The buoy at OCP this morning had the waves three feet on the beach. That's miserable conditions
to fish in for most of us. But, the nearshore report now look good for the weekend. Offshore, I hope it changes, looks rough
at this time!! Here's the report for offshore and nearshore (at this time) for this weekend;
Offshore;
TODAY SW WINDS 15 TO 20 KT...EXCEPT W OF
74W WINDS SHIFTING TO W TO NW. SEAS 4 TO 7 FT....EXCEPT W OF 1000 FM 3 TO 5 FT ISOLATED SHOWERS AND TSTMS.
TONIGHT WINDS BECOMING NW 15 TO 20 KT THROUGHOUT. SEAS 3 TO 5 FT...HIGHEST NE.
FRI THROUGH
SAT NW WINDS 15 TO 20 KT DIMINISHING TO 10 KT OR LESS FRI. SEAS BECOMING 2 TO 4 FT SAT...HIGHEST FAR E.
SUN
AND MON NE WINDS 10 KT OR LESS. SEAS 2 TO 3 FT. Nearshore;
CAPE FEAR NC TO LITTLE RIVER INLET SC OUT 20
NM- 907 AM EDT THU OCT 11 2007
TODAY NW WINDS 10 TO 15 KT. SEAS AROUND 4 FT... SUBSIDING TO 3 FT THIS
AFTERNOON. NEAR SHORE...SEAS AROUND 2 FT.
TONIGHT NW WINDS 15 TO 20 KT WITH GUSTS UP TO 25 KT. SEAS 2 TO 4
FT.
FRI N WINDS 15 TO 20 KT...BECOMING NW AROUND 10 KT IN THE AFTERNOON. SEAS 2 TO 4 FT...SUBSIDING TO
2 TO 3 FT IN THE AFTERNOON.
FRI NIGHT W WINDS AROUND 10 KT...BECOMING NW AFTER MIDNIGHT. SEAS AROUND 2
FT.
SAT N WINDS 10 TO 15 KT...BECOMING NW AROUND 10 KT IN THE AFTERNOON. SEAS AROUND 2 FT.
SAT
NIGHT W WINDS 10 KT OR LESS...BECOMING NW AFTER MIDNIGHT. SEAS AROUND 2 FT.
SUN NE WINDS AROUND
10 KT. SEAS AROUND 2 FT.
MON NE WINDS AROUND 10 KT...BECOMING SE. SEAS 2 TO 3 FT.
OCTOBER 10 - 07
I just spent one of the best days I have had
fishing in a long, long time. Captain Chris, my best friend, my buddy, my Son, spent the day with me as we fished the
back creeks for Red Drum and Speckled Trout.
I had to keep pinching myself today to
make sure I had not died and went to heaven. There is nothing in this world that makes me any happier than to spend a day
with my Son!!!
We had plenty of drinks and sandwiches
and fried chicken on board so we anchored up and put the lines out and it was like "old times" again for today. Although we
didn't have a "red bag" we had plenty to eat. Capt Chris knows what I mean!!!!
It's a shame that when they start to grow
up they think they have to grow up so fast and throw out common sense and turn their back on what will really mean
the most to them when they get older. I guess that's life and where the saying "live and learn" may have come from. Why is
life so backwards??????
Anyhow, we started off throwing artificial's
and we weren't having any luck. Now I am the first to admit that there are some people that know a lot more about this inside
fishing than me!!!
One of those people is our good friend Captain
Barry Phillips, owner of LUCKY FISHERMAN SEAFOOD RESTAURANT!! I told Chris, Barry catches a lot of these fish, I'll call him,
he'll tell us what we need to do to catch these "skinny water fish"!!
Thanks Capt. Barry, your information
helped us a lot, and that kind of fishing is a lot better than "beating the bank" with artificial lures.
We caught a decent Flounder and Capt Chris
caught another one but it was a throw back at 13 inches. Capt. Chris had a couple lines broken by some "BIG" Red Drum
but we caught two throwbacks and two keepers. The fishing was a little slow for us, but remember, our talents are offshore
and ocean fishing, there we can hold our own!!!
I had planned to bring them home
and have a fish dinner tonight with Capt. Chris and our good friends Capt. Ron Farnsworth and his wife, "Admiral" Helen and
Capt Chris's mom Barbara.
None of us had seen Capt Chris
in a while and were very excited about the dinner plans, but, as usual Capt Chris had to leave and go home suddenly. We
all hope someday soon he will figure things out. Hopefully before it's too late!!!
We had our fish dinner of fresh Flounder. Although
it was very tasty, there was a lot of dissapointment around the dinner table without Capt. Chris there, we
all miss him so much!!
But he and I had a great day today and
he even got a picture of me giving a whole new meaning to the term "shellfish".
Capt Chris, it has been way to long!! Life
is too short for you and I not to do this more often!! I don't know about you, but it brought back a lot of great memories
that I cherish and will never forget till the day I leave this earth!! I LOVE YOU SON!!!!Till next time, FISH ON!!! Capt Butch,Capt.
Chris, and"Admiral Bodie" the fish dog says, Capt Chris, I've missed you too, you are my favorite "chew toy" you do know
that, don't ya'???
P.S.
BTW/ Capt Ron fished the beach today. His report was that the Pogys
were gone from the Lockwood Folly Inlet all the way up the beach and the King Bite for them didn't happen today. They even
tried the Spanish Mackeral for a while with no results there as well!!
What's new, it's been like this all year this year, here one day,
gone the next!!!!
Comments: In the 10/03/07 you mentioned fishing from anchor.
In this section you spoke about balloon fishing. You mentioned that you should keep the balloon 1 ft from the bait.
If I am using a wire leader 4 to 5 ft long how do I do this, am I missing something here? Should I tie the
balloon above the wire leader or what exactly do I do? I have never fished from anchor but man would I love to try this.
Here's the quote from my report:
If you use balloons, keep the balloon around a foot
or two to your bait. If your balloon is 4 or 5 feet from your live bait, you will have a tangled mess.
Joseph,
In my opinion a 4 to 5 foot wire
is a bit much. Most live bait rigs are only approximately 18 to 24 inches long. Therefore, this would put your balloon
1 to 2 feet from your bait. If you prefer to use this long wire, then just wrap the balloon twice around the wire and tie
it off. Wrapping it will help keep it from sliding on the wire. Hope this helps answer your question!!
FISH ON!!
Capt Butch
FRIDAY 10-5-07
The King Mackeral bite is good on the beaches.
Reports are that the Kings are feeding so heavy at times that they are nearly running the bait out of the water up on the
beach. If you ever wanted to catch a King Mackeral, now's the time!!!
First day leader of the US OPEN with a 40 lb. fish is
a good friend and fellow Southport/Oak Island fisherman Marshall Franks on the boat "CATCH-N-UP" Hang in there Marshall, congratulations, and
good luck!!!
WEDNESDAY 10-3-07
The U S OPEN is this weekend and the bait is on the beach somewhere between the Cape Fear River and Ocean Isle.
Today, there was some off Oak Island!!
I know that's a big area, but that's the way
it has been lately!! Also, don't overlook mullet another good King Mackeral Bait. If you catch a Spanish Mackeral or a Blue
Fish, rig him up fast and get him back into your spread. Dynamite on "Big Kings"!!!!
When I got bait I would not venture far from it. The
Kings have a reason for why they are in an area, and bait/food is a major factor that regulates this reason for being at a
particular place.
They are on the beach this time of year to do one
thing. And that's too feed up for the colder months ahead, so they will stay with and near the bait, and so should you!!
It doesn't make a lot of reason to catch bait
that is schooled up in an area then run off to where there is not any bait, Think about it!!!!!!
A good big fish tactic is to anchor up and fish with
kites or use balloons. And chum heavy. I like to catch extra bait and grind pogys and add "Pogy oil" to the mix!
If you use balloons, keep the balloon
around a foot or two to your bait. If your balloon is 4 or 5 feet from your live bait, you will have a tangled mess.
Also, the short distance from the balloon will make
your bait fight the balloon and prevent it from running back to the boat!!
Another good approach is to drift with the wind if
possible. use your motor as a rudder to control the drift of the boat. Chum here as well!!
Which ever way you fish, be sure to chum, if nothing
more that just Menhaden oil or milk. This will attract the fish to your boat!
Drifting and trolling either one will provide you
the chance to run a "Ribbon Fish" on a downrigger. Run this on a "Ribbon Fish Rig" at the appropriate depth that you are fishing
in.(ie: 20 feet of water, ribbon fish at 10 feet)
Ribbon fish are a King Mackeral attractor, sharks
like them to, but treat every hit as a big King Mackeral, you never know until you see it!!!
Both anchoring and drifting present your baits in
a natural state with no engine noise or exhaust gasses being emmitted into the water, everything looks natural!!
When rigging I like to use a leader of at least 10
feet long of 20 lb.TRILENE XT line in green color. My opinion is this is better than flourocarbon from keeping a
Big King Mackeral from "Tailing" your line and cutting off. This is my opinion, and you might not agree, and that's
fine, so use what you like best!!
If you have to troll, use a "live bait" rod,
this is a rod with a lite tip and a lot of "backbone". The lite tip won't jerk your bait around with the seas and makes it
look more natural, and the "backbone" gives it the power to land a big fish.
Troll as slow as you can. If you are still
trolling too fast and pulling your baits hard, try tieing a bucket off the cleat, Run your trim tabs all the way down, if
you have twin engines, put the one you aren't trolling with in reverse, all these will help to slow you some!!
I like to pull live bait no more than 0.08 knots if
at all possible.
If the winds and waves don't allow you to go slow
enough by trolling or drifting, anchor up chum and kick back, you may get a big suprise.
Keep a poly ball rigged at the front of the
boat so you can untie and get off anchor fast if you need to chase down a "Smoker king"
Use a good quality reel with plenty of 20lb. line
capacity and a smooth drag system is a must!!!
I hope these tips help you get the big one this weekend!!
Till Next time, FISH ON!!! Capt Butch & "Admiral
Bodie" the fish dog says, Finally, cooler weather is here!!!
SUNDAY 9-30-07
I am a little late with the reports but we have been real busy lately. The winds are howling offshore, so it's catch up
day here in the office.
The weather cooperated with us on Friday and the forecasted evening blow never materialized and we got a good offshore
fishing trip in.
I was fishing today with Timothy Compton and Katelyn Miller from Advance,NC. We started off the morning on the usual bottom
fishing grounds but had to look a little harder today with the full moon current running wide open. When we found the right
school of fish the bite was hot.
Tim started off fishing with us and was bringing them up from the bottom two at a time, but then, just as fast as he started,
he decided to lie down and rest a little while. He must have been really tired, he rested all day.
Now, let me tell you about an amazing young lady. Her name is Katelyn Miller, to say this lady loves to fish is an understatement!!!
All the fish you see here in the picture(except for a few) were caught by Katelyn. She single handedly brought up the slack.
She told me several times she couldn't feel her arms and she was shaking from catching so many fish, but, she never let up!!
Included in her catch of Black Bass, Vermillion Snappers (b-liners), Trigger fish, Joltheads(white Porgy), and Grouper,
was a real nice Tile fish and Queen Triggerfish.
She wanted to catch a shark, which we usually do out there where we fish, but things didn't work out today.Oh yeah, she
got the bite, but it was a huge shark!!! It is not uncommon for our fishermen to bring up big 200 to 500+ pound sharks. But,
the one that Katelyn hooked was so big she could not stop or slow him down and he finally broke the 50 lb line like it was
nothing!!!
If you see Katelyn, give her a pat on the back, she is one tough fisherlady and I was proud to have her and Tim fishing
with me today!!
SATURDAY 9-29-07
Now I want to tell you about what we did on Saturday and the noble outcome of this event.
As I have said before, "fisherpeople are the best people in the world" and you will see what I mean here in this report!!
A group of us fishermen that are members of the Frying Pan Tower web site formed a little "wildcat king tournament" Saturday.
We all pitched in $60.00 per boat and after donating $100.00 back to Frying pan Tower we had $350.00 for the biggest King
Mackeral at the end of the day.
Our fishing group consisted of::
Capt Ricky Holden "Reely Miss Behavin'"
Capt Butch Foster (that's me) "Yeah Right"
Barbara Foster,Tom Warner, Richard Clark, Jerry Clark, Angela Clark, William Deal, Allen Young, Danny, Keith, Rebecca,
James
Cain, Brad Cain, Jonathan Edwards Steve and Marissa Smith "Beer Run", Marshall Franks "Catch-N-Up", Patrick Scott "Wild
Child", and
Chris Frank "Capt'n Crunch"
The wind was blowing and the fishing was tough but some managed some fish. Barbara and I had several runs today but only
one fish stayed hooked up, it was a 25+ pounder, a respectable fish but not big enough.
William Deal and his crew caught a few fish, but theirs, like mine had been on a diet and had lost too much weight to take
the top honors.
Richard Clark, fishing on the boat Captained by Tom Warner brought home the winning fish today that not only won the money
but also got him a NC Citation. His King Mackeral was 34.70 pounds!!!
Now, here is where I get my information from about fisherpeople are the "BEST PEOPLE IN THE WORLD" Also today, they were
holding a benefit flounder tournament for a fellow friend and fisherman Brandon Matthews. If you don't know who he is, Brandon
fell from a treestand and is now paralized from the neck down. His fight to beat this and his attitude has been an inspiration
and very humbling to us all. He has shown us not to take anything for granted, you never know what the future has in store
for you so quit complaning and enjoy what you have today, for tomorrow your whole life could be changed.
The winning team of Richard Clark, Jerry Clark,Angela Todd from Kernersville,NC and Tom Warner from Raleigh,NC are all
heros in my eyes as we went to the benefit tournament for Brandon and presented him with todays winnings to help him in his
fight to beat this!! I am humbled and proud to be associated with these guys and gals,Fisherpeople,
THE BEST AND MOST NOBLE PEOPLE IN THE WHOLE WIDE WORLD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
U S OPEN KING MACKERAL TOURNAMENT open for charter!!
Check "SPECIAL DEALS" page for more details!!!
WEDNESDAY 9-26-07
Got a call today that the King Mackeral
have invaded the beach here in Southport,NC
The bait showed back up over the weekend
and I guess the Kings planned an ambush. Soooo, while they are here and before they leave...........
GO GET 'EM
TUESDAY 9-25-07
I wish the winds would blow harder and blow
this windy stuff outta' here. It's blowing just hard enough to make it too rough to comfortably fish offshore!!
I hate to be cancelling trips, but if you can't
have fun and enjoy it, I say save your money and go when you can enjoy it. That's what this past weekends guys did. The first trip we had planned was rough, we could have gone
that day but we all would have been miserable. So,
they waited and rebooked and we had a beautiful day to fish!!!
You have to be patient sometimes when you are
trying to deal with Mother Nature!!
Hopefully, things will settle some and I can
get you another fishing report on here soon!!
While I have you here, I would like to take
a moment and introduce you to BUG-EM-BAIT,CO. They
have joined our growing companys that are a sponsor partner with Yeah Right Charters!! We welcome them aboard and be sure to stop by and see Captain Lloyd at 6006 Oleander Drive when you are
in Wilmington,NC or give him a call at (910)452-9955, If you need it he probably has it or he can get it for you
real quick!!!! Be sure to tell 'em Capt. Butch & "Admiral Bodie" the fish dog said HI!!!
The NE winds are inducive to Spanish Mackeral
fishing on the beach now. The King Mackeral bite should only get better as the fall weather approaches.The Blues should be
here as well as some spots are showing up with the cooler weather!! (of course, all my trips now are for offshore)
Till next time, or the winds lay, FISH ON!!!
Capt Butch
SATURDAY 9-22-07
(Let me start off by saying that to all you who have
called for Sept. 29th to go fishing and I was booked, well that charter trip has had to be cancelled, that date is open again,
and the 1st Visa/MC deposit will hold it for you. This date,(Sept 29th and Nov. 17th are the only two Saturdays
I have left open until Dec.)
We finally got a beautiful day just like all
the rest, but this time the wind was not blowing a gale!! It was a beautiful day to be offshore fishing today and we were lucky enough to spend the day with Rob Lashin from
Hampstead,NC (he owns STROKE OF COLOR PAINTING) and with him were Mike Huddy, and Mike Wualraf, both from here on Oak Island,NC.
The bottom fish were not as prevelant as in the past,
but there were plenty to be caught, you just had to look a little harder today than in the past! We caught several grouper today and had some big grouper hooked up but they proved to be too strong an
adversary today for our group. In other words, they
couldn't get them out of the rocks!!
Pictured below is one of the biggest and prettiest
"Queen Triggerfish" I have ever seen. We thought
it might be citation size but it was not big enough!!
There are still a few Mahi-Mahi roaming around out
there in the "big water" where we were at today.
We had a school of bailers come up today but only
managed one in the boat, the other one got off while trying to keep the school at the boat and when he left they all left!!
The current started running a little strong this evening and I deployed the "Pabco
Powerbuoy" so I could see just which direction the current was running and to keep me on the fish I had marked.
This is one of the best pieces of equipment that has ever been made for a bottom
fisherman.
Check out the picture here and you can see how it will show you the current and
where your fish are located.
When the current is running to strong to anchor, this buoy is remarkable, you
can see the current and keep an engine in reverse and stay right with your fish.
Next best thing if you can't anchor, if you can anchor then drop the "Powerbuoy" off
to the side of the fish or the ledge or structure and then you can get anchored up right on top of your quarry!!
And, when time to leave, the retrieval is motor driven, quick and effortless!!
I'd be lost without mine!!! If
you would like to get your own "Powerbuoy", give Mike a call at (843)665-5613 (www.powerbuoy.com), you'll be glad you did!!!
Also, don't forget the "SWIV-L-STOPS" this little device is a blessing in its
own right!!!!
We ended the day with Limits of Grey Snapper, Vermillion
Snapper, Silver Snapper, Almaco jacks, Trigger Fish, Sharks, and Grouper.
While most everyone else was asleep on the "bean bags"
on the way to the hill, I had several occasions to see bait being run out of the water and fish jumping of various types and
sizes.
This to me looks like a good start to a near future
"dinner table" for some Bluefin Tunas.
Yeah, that is just a few weeks away and it looks like
it is all coming into play as fall/winter approaches.
If you haven't gone fishing yet this year, now is
the time, and if you are too busy to go fishing, you had better "stop and smell the roses"
life here on earth is too short to let the finer things
pass you by!!! Till next time, FISH ON!!! Capt Butch and "Admiral Bodie" the fish dog says HI!!!!
FRIDAY 9-21-07
Well it looks like Saturday may finally have some
calmer winds.
If so, here is what I know to be happening right now.
I am planning an offshore trip tomorrow then I will
know if they are still biting out there.
But until then, here's the scoop::::
The rains we have had can only improve the fishing
situation. And with the influx of mullet minnows on the beach, Spanish Mackeral here as well as the Blue fish,the King Mackeral
will have to be here in full force real soon.
And it may be sooner than later!!!! Today 9-21-07,
I was on the pier and about two hours before dark, there were four King Mackeral hooked up.
Another boat caught 14 Kings at the Yaupon Reef and
several more boats had King Mackeral there as well.
So, I would say, until the Pogys get back from their
vacation up the river, get yourself some mullet and go catch some King Mackeral.
The fall fishing is starting to take shape.
There have been some spots caught in the surf and
on the piers, and some have been the "yellow bellies". Try your bloodworms here, a good bait for spots.
The pompano, the small ones (Florida Pompano) have
been biting in the surf and on the piers, shrimp is hard to beat, the fresher the better.
Blues are biting as well, they will hit just about
anything from bait to lures!!
Spanish Mackeral are hit and miss, various spoons
and jigs are the choice here.
The grey trout should be cranking up soon on
the near shore reefs and while jigging for these you can most likely expect to hook up with some big red drum, so don't rig
up too lite!!!
There are still flounder being caught, although this
is slowing down a little from a slower year than usual already.
October should bring the bite back to the Gulfstream
with the cooling waters of fall and winter inundating the area.
Wahoo's and Tuna's will most likely be in the area
of the Black Jack to the Same Ol' soon!!
The biggest trouble with fall is trying to figure
out what you would like to fish for!!!
Sometimes I sit at the mouth of the Cape Fear River
where it empties into the ocean and will have to flip a coin to decide if I'm going offshore or staying inshore to fish that
day, it's that time of year!!!!!!!!
WEDNESDAY 9-19-07
Just in case you are wondering why no fishing
reports lately, the winds are howling down here at the coast this week. Hopefully it will calm some soon!!!! FISH ON!!! Capt
Butch
SATURDAY 9-15-07
While some people went fishing today, I thought it
was too rough and to dangerous to subject my fishermen to these kind of conditions.
We gave it a shot, but with the waves a
good 4 feet and close together and wanting to go offshore, I made the call to cancel.
Found out later that everyone was glad I made the
call not to go.
As I have said before, play with the ocean and she
will kill you, besides, if you can't have fun and enjoy the fishing, why do it, save your money and do it on a better day.
If you don't go out in these bad conditions,
you have a lot better chance of having another day, throw caution to the wind, and it may be your last time out.
I'd rather make a few bad calls and sit home on some
good days than to make a call I will have to live with the rest of my life.
So, if you have me booked and I call the trip
off it's because either I am sure the weather is bad,or not sure if it's going to be good, hey, I want to take you fishing!!!
When I don't, I loose a days salary, and my work is
seasonal!!
But your money or a fish is not worth anyone's life!!!!!
As long as I am in my right mind, I will not start
making stupid decisions to take you out in bad weather just for your money.
And if we try to go out and the forecast has missed it and I have to cancel,
well, that's not my fault or your fault.
So what I do here is not charge you anything for trying.
I DO NOT do this thing of "If we leave the dock it's going to cost
you"!!!
Some help out with the fuel when this happens, and that I appreciate, but that
will always be optional and not required.
When The forecast is wrong and we try to go, that uses up around $75.00
to $100.00 in fuel, but you will never be charged for me trying to take you fishing!!
I'm "not crying on anyone's shoulder" I just want everyone to realize we are
different from most other charters, and I am proud to be different!!!
That's why we are the only NC Charter that is a member of the BETTER BUSINESS
BUREAU!!
I sure hope you can respect me for that. Just like this year when the fishing was bad on the beach and
you folks would call to do a 1/2 day.
I know a lot of you thought I didn't want to
take you fishing, I DID and I DO!!!, but the fish were not here to catch on a 1/2 day trip, except maybe for some sharks,
and some of you wanted those and we went and caught them.
But the Spanish Mackeral were not here and I knew
it so I didn't want to take you fishing without you knowing the slim chances of catching a Spanish!!
I didn't want to take you out and say,"Oh well,
I guess they aren't biting today" and just take your money for a boat ride when I knew they were not biting in the first
place, and I wanted you to know that up front!!
I try to run my business as fair and with as
much respect as I humanly can.
When people talk about "YEAH RIGHT CHARTERS" I want them to only have good things
to say about us!!!
Of course, as we strive to be the very best in the business, I realize this will
cause some to hate us and talk bad rumors about us.
But my thoughts on this is that when your competition is putting you down, then
you are being flattered and definately doing things right!!!
If ever I need to be corrected on a matter, PLEASE let me know!!!!
I am getting older and things don't work as well as they did when I was younger.
So, if I forget to call you or email you, it's not on purpose, so PLAESE remind
me and I'll try to do better!!
I sure hope ya'll like the way I try to
be honest and fair, and will come see us when the fish are biting!!!!
Say you don't know if the fish are biting?
That's no problem, just give us a call, we will tell you the truth!!
It may not be what you want to hear, but it will be the truth!!!
BTW, The 1st SPOT run should be just around the corner with this cool snap. A
few have been caught lately in the surf.
Till next time FISH ON!!! Capt Butch & "Admiral
Bodie" the fish dog says HI!!!!
FRIDAY 9-14-07
We had a great trip today with four members
of the NORTH CAROLINA WATERMAN TRIAD CHAPTER. I
was fishing with Ben McVonough from Kernersville,NC, Mike Thompson from Troy,NC, Chris Hancock from Germantown,NC, and Kyle
Angel from Winston Salem,NC.
It was a little "iffy" from the start but it was looking
to get better as the day went on so with a decent ride out and a trough for the return trip, we headed to the 350's.
These guys are all veteran fishermen and I knew they
were up to the task at hand!!
The current was runnung extremely strong as it has
been doing a lot this year. A 16 ounce weight would get the bait to the structure where the fish were holding, but I had to
anchor the boat to allow for the current. This is
fishable if you know how and where to position your boat to take advantage of the current breaks that are available
on the oceans bottom structure.
Boat placement is the key to catching fish in these
currents, and learning how to do it can mean the difference between catching a few or loading the boat. It took me probably 30 minutes or more to anchor the boat properly.
Close only counts in "horseshoes and hand gernades"
you got to be "on target" when botton fishing!!!
I was beginning to think that I bet these guys thought
I didn't have a clue as to what I am doing. I told
them to please be patient with me, sometimes getting the boat right was tough.
Someone said, I don't know, the current is mighty strong!!
I'll get it right in a bit, you got to be right or
they won't bite.
The anchor course was almost 90 degrees to the waves
with a wind barely overpowering the seas, with a 260 anchor course I headed about 270 past the fish and dopped the anchor.
As the boat settled out, I could see that I was
finally just above the down current break.
This should do it here, drop your baits!!!
Well, it was on from that point on!!!
Many times two fish at a time!!!
Some of the biggest Grey Snappers I've seen
all year!! Ben caught a big Red Grouper, all the
guys caught some grouper today!! We had around a
dozen Grouper with Reds, Strawberry scamps, and Graysbys making up the creel. We limited out on the reef complex species which were Grey Snapper, Triggerfish, Joltheads, and Almaco
Jacks.
We had some big vermillion snappers and Silver Snappers
as well.
Another great day on the water with some more great
people!!
Guys, if I don't get to see you before, be sure to
come by and see me at the BASS & SALTWATER FISHING EXPO this year in Greensboro,NC, January 4th thru 6th. Till next time,
FISH ON!!! Capt Butch.
THURSDAY 9-13-09
The thunder storms kept us at the dock again
today!!!
Maybe tomorrow!!
FISH ON!!!
Capt Butch
WEDNESDAY 9-12-07
Had an evening trip today but mother nature had different
plans. And she wins every time, she isn't a "team player".
Will be on the beach in the morning looking for Spanish
Mackeral and possibly some sharks. Will let you
know if this rain has helped the situation any. Don't
see how it could hurt!!!! FISH ON!! Capt Butch
MONDAY 9-10-07
Today I had the pleasure
of fishing with Ron and Cindi Monroe from Mt. Prospect, IL. They were fishing with their daughter Tracy Monroe from Chicago,IL.
Ron and Cindi have fished with me in the past, and
as before, they are always a pleasure to spend some time fishing with!!
They are just good people and so is Tracy!!!
I had planned on trying the Spanish Mackeral that
was on our beach this weekend, but this morning we had a 10 to 15 knot SW wind, so, Carolina Beach, here we come.
With the main land blocking the SW wind, it was pretty
nice up there.
The Spanish Mackeral were biting fair at Carolina
Beach, only problem was they were all too small to keep, just missing the 12 inch fork length limit.
We accomplished the mission by getting each one their
first keeper Spanish Mackeral ever and enough to try some for dinner.
Now that they had caught a Spanish Mackeral, they
were wondering, there has got to be something that fights harder than a Spanish Mackeral out here.
With that information, we headed out to catch a Shark.
Got the boat positioned and freelined the baits out
and we were all talking when the conversation was interrupted with the scream of a reels clicker system in dire need of some
relief!!
We already had Tracy in a "fighting belt" so she was
first on the rod.
It got off !!, she said, No, I think it's coming to
the boat, crank fast I said.
Well, she soon found out that I was right and the
fight was on!!!
She finally wore him down and we invited him in the
boat for some pictures and possibly some Shark steak dinners, but he was only 51 inches long, just 3 inches short of legal
keeper size, so he's still out there waiting to fight again another day!!!
I think Tracy will be careful what she wishes for
when fishing in the ocean from now on, we were not sure there for a little while who was going to win this battle, but with
some help from Dad, she got the job done!!!
We deployed the lines again and we got two more good
bites without a "hookup".
We were getting ready to leave when the rod doubled
over and Ron this time was hooked up with a shark but it proved to be smaller than Tracys.
Tracy was the "big fish" guru today, she caught the
biggest Spanish Mackeral and the biggest shark.
Cindi caught some Spanish today but never got a chance
at a shark. We had a 1/2 day and the SW winds were picking up and we had to leave before the tide started falling or
we would have a real rough trip back down the Cape Fear.
Another good trip with some great people, the fish
we caught was just a bonus to the trip making it another perfect fishing trip!!
Ron and Cindi, it was great to see you again and Tracy,
it was a pleasure to meet you as well!!!!
Hope to see you all again soon, Till next time, FISH
ON!! Capt Butch and "Admiral Bodie" the fish dog says, Cindi, I hope I can make it next time, I'd love to see you again!!!
SATURDAY 9-8-07
With a tropical storm brewing on the offshore
grounds our offshore trip was cancelled for today.
I was already planning what I was going to do with
the day off Saturday when Bob Mace called to do a 1/2 day Spanish Mackeral trip.
Bob and I have tried to get out before to the
Gulfstream but were blown out by bad weather every time.
This time with the winds coming from the NNE, a 1/2
day would work for us because the beach would be calm.
I met up with Bob and Lisa Mace who own MACE ELECTRICAL
SERVICE and with them were Joe Zlato, John Smith, and Garry Stamey all from Charlotte,NC.
The Spanish Mackeral started off slow and progressed
as the day went on.
I located them in about 15 feet of water just
west of Yaupon Pier and they were biting best on the gold 00 Clark Spoons on #1 planers.
An occasional fish would come on the 11/2 ounce trolling
weight.
We were having a lot of double hook ups on the planers,
with some triples thrown in as well.
After 1st Mate Barbara landed a few and the guys seen
how it was done, they took over and were putting the Spanish Mackeral in the boat.
We caught a lot of fish, and as in Spanish fishing some
of the time they were too short and had to be thrown back for another day, but they were still fun to catch!!
Around 11:00AM the sun was high and the winds shifted
to the East, and as the East winds does down here, it shut the bite off!!
We had plenty of fish to eat, had great conversation, and
we all had fun catching the Spanish Mackeral, (the added bonus to a "fishing trip")
We wound up with 37 nice keepers, that's 74 fillets
for future fish dinners.
The best part of the trip for me today again was the
fine people I met today!!
There are still some mighty fine folks left in this
world and I do believe that most of them like to fish!!
I do know that the people that fish with us are all
some of the Greatest people in the world!!!
Till next time, FISH ON, Bob!! (he knows what I mean)
Capt Butch, 1st Mate Barbara, and "Admiral Bodie" the fish dog says, Yeah, I dazzled everyone today with my charm and fish
scaling ability!!
THURSDAY 9-6-07
Monroe, NC is lucky to have Jeremy, Don,&
Adam Rushing along with Gary Mullis & David Green as citizens of their town.
I met up with these guys this morning at South Harbour
Marina for a 1/2 day Spanish Mackeral fishing.
After about 30 minutes with these guys, I felt like
I had known them for years.
The best way I can think to describe them is "just
good people"!!!
The bite had been a little slow lately but today they
seemed more aggressive than they have been lately!!
We had a lot of fun and we caught a lot of fish, and
had a lot of missed strikes and fish that just got off before we could get them to the boat!!
I think the biggest catch today was when I went to
throw a 00 Clark spoon back in and was standing on the line!!
The "hook up" was easy, getting away was the tough
part.
You wouldn't loose any fish if they were as hard to
get off the hook as I was today!!
Oh well, just a part of this business, it's going
to happen occasionally!!!!
A lot of the Spanish Mackeral were too short to keep,
but fun to catch anyway!!
We ended the morning with 29 keepers and a few were
nicer fish.
The reason I say "nicer" is that they all are good,
just some a little "gooder". (yes, I know that's not a word, but it works)
If we could have kept the "Spanish Man" on the "Hot
Seat" today, we would have had a pile of big fish.
The "Spanish Man" was none other than David "grandpa"
Green, every time he got in the right position at the rod, all he would catch was big Spanish Mackeral's while the other rods
would get the "throwbacks".
I am going to see if I can convince him to give us
some pointers on how he did that!!!
I really enjoyed the trip today, it's people like
these and so many others that fish with us here at "Yeah Right Charters" that makes me know that I have a hard time seeing
me doing anything else!!
I get to be with the best people in the world, all
the fishermen and women that fish with me.
Thanks to you all for the memories we have made so
far, and hopefully we will make many, many more!!!
Till next time, FISH ON!! Capt Butch & "Admiral
Bodie" the fish dog says HI!!!!.
MONDAY 9-3-07
Today was a new day and we were fishing with Mark
Jones and his son Ben from Raleigh,NC. With them was Jeff Warren from Cary,NC and Stan Graves from Shoal Creek, AL.
We were on a 1/2 day trip again this morning and
we were again looking for Spanish Mackeral.
We ran down the beach towards Lockwood Folly all the
while looking for signs of Spanish Mackeral.
There was not the first tern working any bait anywhere,
it looked like it has looked all summer, like there was no life on the beach.
Finally, about the "Big Hill" I seen a Spanish jump.
I slowed the boat to the usual 7 knotts trolling speed
and deployed the spoons.
There were some here, I would see one jump here
and there but they wouldn't bite.
I started switching up spoons and tried
various colors and sizes of planers.
The bite was slow at best.
Ben caught several that morning and we had some "throw
backs" that were too short.
The big one of the day hit a spoon on a planer and
darted across the spread and got tangled in the trolling weight line. This is the rod we thought it was on.
Ben was reeling it in and got to the weight and then
I tried hand lining it in.
What had happened was the spoon on the weight rod
had tangled in the planer line and before I could figure out what was wrong, I saw him run to the side and the line went into
his mouth, and those razor sharp teeth he has set him free!!
the hot spanish bite we had the first of last week
has cooled off as fast as it started.
Hopefully, it will pick up again as the water cools
a little more, time will tell.
Captain Ron Farnsworth and Admiral Helen(they
run the boat "Water Boy") came to the house Monday evening for dinner and brought the four Spanish Mackeral they
caught that morning for our meal.
I didn't try the water right on the beach, everywhere
else, but not there, this is where he caught these in about 12 to 15 feet of water.
I was marking plenty of bait and even seen them jumping,
but, sometimes you just can't make them bite, no matter how hard you beg!!!!
Fall will be here real soon. The mullet are beginning
to run and the king Mackeral shouldn't be able to stay away much longer.
They should invade the beach before much longer, but
I won't make a prediction this year because this has been one of the toughest years I can ever remember for fishing on the
beach!!
When they arrive, I'll let you know, how long they
will stay at this point is any one's guess!!
But, get a day to get offshore and if the current
isin't "screaming" too bad, the Grouper and Snappers are biting real good.
These fish don't care how hot it has been or how dry
it has been, they will bite and you can catch them if you go to the right places and have half way decent conditions!!!
I forgot my camera today, hopefully one of the guys
will email me a picture of Ben with his fish, if so, I'll put it here!!
Looks like the wind is going to blow me out all week,
and now we may have a tropical depression forming just off the coast, if this is going to happen then let's hope it will bring
us the much needed rain we all so desperately need. Till next time and better weather, FISH ON!!! Capt Butch & "Admiral
Bodie" the fish dog says HI!!!.
SUNDAY 9-2-07
Today we were originally
scheduled to head offshore, but the NE winds were not going to let that happen!!
We moved the trip back to a 1/2 day since the beach
would be calm!!
We got a real late start today so we were only able
to fish for just a little over an hour today.
We were fishing with Brad & Michelle Crabtree
and their two children Brianne and Adrian, also with them were Brad's sisters, Marlene and Candy from Monterey, TN.
The hot Spanish bite we had earlier in the week had
cooled down some by the end of the week.
As I was waiting for my fisherpeople this morning
I could hear on the radio that they were biting fair, but it was slowing down.
And as luck would have it by the time we got there
the winds had picked up pretty hard and the sun was bearing down and the bite was down to a crawl.
The other boats that were Spanish fishing that morning
had gone shark fishing and the reports that I got were that no one got a bite from a shark, it was tough after 9:00 AM that
morning.
Still, the kids caught a few fish and it was the first
time they had ever been on the ocean and caught a fish there, and they were happy, what else matters???
Had we got there earlier, I think we would have done
real well with the Spanish Mackeral, but it wasn't meant to be so I did what I could.
With the knowledge that the fishing had gotten tough,
I called my evening charter and let them know that the fishing had gotten slow after the sun was high.
Since it was a little rough to be comfortable
and the slow fishing that had occured, I suggested we try it again when times are better and all agreed.
I am glad this decision was made, If we can't go and
catch fish and have some fun, then I don't want your money.
I want to get paid for a fishing trip, not a "boat
ride"!!!!
You don't have this option when you go out on the
first trip, but you should know it after that trip, If you don't know by then, you need to be in another business!!!
Hopefully Monday will be better, till next time, FISH
ON!!!! Capt Butch & "Admiral Bodie" the fish dog says, I like them Spanish!!!
SATURDAY9-1-07
You know how it is. The weather man says it's
going to blow 10 to 15 out of the NE, not a good wind at all for us here in Southport,NC.
You look at the Tower buoy and it says 2 feet every
nine seconds and the wind is calm. Yeah, you figured he's missed it again, and you want to go fishin'!!!!
Well, he doesn't always miss it, and today he didn't!!!
The guys today wanted grouper and I tried to get them
out to where there were some.
But, the winds picked up and so did the seas, and
in a hurry, so we did a 180 degree turn and I am here at 12 noon doing fishing reports for the "Fishermans Post" and the "News
& Observer".
At least I will have these done before midnight tonight!!
The radio talk that the big (2-lb+) Spanish were plentiful
on the beach this morning, and with a NE wind, the beach is "slick"
I will have first hand reports tomorrow on the Spanish
Mackeral and just maybe a shark!!
It's too rough offshore but the inshore fishing
has finally picked up and the NE winds usually has our beach calm!! Till next time, FISH ON, Capt Butch
FRIDAY 8-31-07
Not fishing
today, but, as I told you earlier in the week, they would change the forecast before the week was out. Let's just hope they
"stick to their guns" this time and the Tower Buoy responds like wise!!!
SAT VARIABLE WINDS 5 TO 10 KT...EXCEPT OVER THE NW PORTION
BECOMING E 10 TO 15 KT. SEAS 2 TO 3 FT.
SAT NIGHT AND SUN E TO NE WINDS 10 TO 15 KT...EXCEPT S PORTION VARIABLE 10 KT OR LESS. SEAS 2 TO 4 FT.
MON AND TUE E TO SE WINDS 5 TO 10 KT. SEAS 2 TO 4 FT...HIGHEST
E.
THURSDAY 8-30-07
Today "Admiral Bodie" and I met up with Phil, Ryan,
and Josh Barry from Greensboro,NC.
I hope Josh enjoyed his freedom today, you see, he's
getting married Saturday at Bald Head island.
Congratulations Josh to you and your future wife,
I hope you two the very best in all you do!!!!!!!!!!!
I was delighted to be able to inform them that after
two months of telling every one that called to do a 1/2 day trip that the fishing inside was real tough, that the Spanish
Mackeral and Blue Fish have finally showed back up on the beach!!
There were plenty of glass minnows, the terns were
in a feeding frenzy, Spanish Mackeral and Blues were jumping and we caught a lot of fish.
I didn't say we kept a lot of fish, but we caught
a lot.
Over half had the "head and tail disease" (head
to close to the tail) or just too short!!
Still, after a summer of grass on the beach so thick
you could almost walk on it, the water extra hot, no bait, and no fish this was a welcomed sight!!!
All the charters were talking and you could sense
the excitement in everyone's voice that these fish had finally shown up making our jobs much more enjoyable
and productive when we can get our fisherpeople some fish on the 1/2 day charters.
I realize that not everyone can or wants to do a full
day trip, and I hated to be so negative when you called but there was no fish to be caught on the 1/2 day trips except for
maybe a shark, and these were not very predictable this year as well!!
It's my job to get you fish, I know I shouldn't put
so much emphasis on catching fish and I am trying to do better, but still that's my job, to get you fish, and if I didn't
care, then I wouldn't care if you caught fish or not, but I do care, I don't want your money if you don't catch fish, because,
simply put, that's my job and I care!!!!
But now, hopefully, they are here to stay for a few
weeks anyway, what ever the case, they are here now, so go get you some, we have all waited long enough!!!
If I sound excited, well, I am, It's been a slow,
tough year on the inside this year and now it finally looks a little more promising!!!!!!
Phil, Ryan, and Josh it was fun and an honor fishing
with you guys today!!!
There is a Big Spanish Mackeral still lurking out
there in the waters off Southport,NC. You have to ask Phil how big it is, we both seen it, nearly got it in the boat, but
it wasn't hooked as good as I thought it was and it came off the hook .
Yeah, I lost the fish, I'll admit it, I done it, so
I'll agree with how big Phil says it is, it was a nice one though!!!
It was a good trip to start off a perfect wedding,
and I am proud to have been a part of the occasion, Till next time, FISH ON!!! Capt Butch and "Admiral Bodie" the fish dog
says Hooray, the Spanish are back and I went fishin'!!!!!!
WEDNESDAY 8-29-07
With 3.6 feet waves every
5 seconds this morning we decided to try it again a better day.
Yeah, that's fishable, barely, but why go if you
can't enjoy the day of fishing, and trying to bottom fish in that is like trying to stand up in a washing machine.
I know, it was rough yesterday and we fished.
The difference here is it got rough while we
were there.
Got a 1/2 day tomorrow, High water salinity, Hot water
on the beach, East wind and full moon, I'll have my work cut out for me tomorrow, but I will do everything I can to get
fish!!
Check back and see if I pull it off!!!!!
I would like to take a moment and welcome Gary Hand
and SOUTHPORT CANVAS LLC to our growing number of sponsor companys. Go by and see Gary for
all your Canvas needs. Be it Bimini Tops, T-Tops, Boat Covers, Cushions, Enclosures, or anything you might have in mind run
it by Gary, he most likely can get it made up for you!!
Check out their location and details on the sponsor
page on this web site!!!
FISH ON!!! Capt Butch
TUESDAY 8-28-07
I met with Dave Hays, Kevin
Hess, Megan Hess, Bob Pabalano, Nate Hess, and Rebecca Hess from Galloway, Ohio this morning at South Harbour Marina.
There were thunder storms lurking offshore
but were moving on out and clear skies following.
At that, I still gave the option of another
day or just not going at all.
The decision was to give it a try.
I was planning to head south to the loran line 350's
area, but just as I figured, when the storms passed, the winds shifted to the NE and this would mean a dead ahead head sea
for 44 miles on the trip home, I don't think so!!
With the NE wind, I ran to the knuckle buoy, this
gave me a quartering sea and from there to the Tower Reef gave me a trough to run in, although the seas were not bad
on the ride out.
On the way, I mentioned the fact that it was a NE
wind and a full moon.
Full moon conditions usually mean extra strong currents,
and a NE wind can get nasty and today was no exceptation, at anchor, a 16 ounce weight would nearly float, so we were
forced to drift.
Also, as it so happens sometimes, the weather forecast
that was on the computer must have been meant for somewhere besides the Cape Fear Coast.
The 5 to 10 knot winds predicted were more like 15
to 25 and building and so were the seas.
It got rough on us and the fishing conditions were
extremely tough, but these guys figured it out real quick and still managed a good catch for the conditions they were in.
Dave, Kevin, Megan, and Nate were doing a good job
at catching fish today, we caught a pile of fish, unfortunately, a lot of them were under the legal size limit and had to
be released.
But still, several fresh dinners are on the agenda
for the group in the near future.
I know I only mentioned four fisherpeople, you
see Rebecca was tired and was just resting, and Bob had this thing for the bucket we had on board, we were wondering if they
had fell in love, he just wouldn't let it go.
We had a good time, the seas were not the best to
be out in, and had they predicted what we had, I would have not gone to start with.
This is why when I am asked what size boat do you
need to go out in my answer always is, "You don't get a boat to go out in, you get one to come back in"!!
Again, I apologize for the weather, this one sneaked
up on me, the Tower Buoy was saying 2 feet ever 9 seconds, that's calm, it can and does deteriorate very fast out there,
as it did today, just thank God for a very seaworthy boat as the "Yeah Right" has proven herself many times!!!
Ok, we didn't have all the fish boxes full today and
every one was commenting that we had more fish than they figured we would have considering the conditions but we still
made the best of what we had.
We did get Big Black Bass, Grey Snappers, Vermillion
Snappers, and Triggerfish. Kevin and Nate had the Grey Snapper bite down to an art on the starboard side of the boat, while
Dave and Megan were pulling in the Black Bass on the port.
We thought that Megan might have hooked a grouper
but turned out to be a Big Black Bass on each hook of a double rig instead.
With the seas picking up to around 5 to 6 feet and
nearly all starting to feel the effects, we decided to call it a day around 2:00 that evening and headed to the hill.
Hope you guys will try it again sometime, our fish
catching is a lot better in calmer conditions, besides, you've got the rough behind you now.
Paul was out there with us and he was trolling for
Kings, I asked him how he was doing he said good if you were after Bonitos and Barracudas, I think he did pick up a King Mackeral
or Two.
I also talked to QB, he was to the SW of us about
12 miles, he reported the current not too bad in the deeper water (90 to 100 feet) and they were catching some grouper with
their bottom fish out there, you can catch grouper where we were at, but not as good as in the deeper water. I chose the shallower
water for the ride back in a trough verses a head sea!!!
The weather forecast for the weekend looks, well,
just like a weekend is supposed to look, I guess!!
But hey, it's Wednesday, and I am sure it will change
before the weekend gets here, let's hope for the better!! Till next time FISH ON!!! Capt Butch and "Admiral Bodie" The Fish
dog says Hi!!
SUNDAY 8-26-07
Had a cancellation for Saturday and Sundays
trip was moved to a later date in September.
So, I took advantage of the two days off to
do some much needed matenance to the "YEAH RIGHT".
Manning Outen fished Saturday and called me
to let me know that the bottom fish offshore were still "chewing down".
A load of fish that included eight keeper grouper
and an eight foot tiger shark.
Sounds like a very exciting day out there and several fresh fish dinners are
in the future!!
At least he told me after I got all my repairs
and service finished!!
Thanks Manning for the "heads up" on the fishing,
we will be back at it this week, stay in touch for more reports, Till next time, FISH ON!!! Capt Butch
FRIDAY 8-24-07
Well, I finally quit listening
to the weather man and went to see for myself what the seas were like.
3 to 5 foot,YEAH RIGHT!!!! It was flat calm
out there!!!!
Well maybe not flat calm, but no more than 2
feet at the very most at anytime!!
I had decided that if I kept waiting for a
"good forecast" that my fishing career may very well be over for a while!!
Now I'm not saying to disregard what the forecast
says, but, 5 knot winds and 4 to 6 seas with no storms in the ocean.
I'm not saying that it isn't possible, and
it may happen, but it's not happening at this time!!!
So, I met up with Charles Bennett from Tyro,
NC and two friends Donald and Greg Kinley from Lexington, NC.
With the forecast still in the back of my mind,
we ventured to the river channel where I could see from there that the weatherman's record was just "stuck"
I made the run some 45 miles offshore in nearly
perfect sea conditions. Why wasn't it perfect conditions, I don't know, except maybe that nothing on this earth is perfect!!
Any way, when we dropped on the first school
of fish, we got "NO" Bites!!
The next school, NO Bites!!
I was getting concerned, what's up???
I looked at my tide watch, the tide was beginning
to make a switch and I figured the fish were relocating for the tide change and that was occuping their attention at that
very moment.
So here I adjusted accordingly, and the guys
couldn't keep their baits on the bottom!
It was fast and furious from that point on till
the next slack tide!!
They had a bet on the biggest fish and Charley
went ahead and got that out of the way first thing with the big Amberjack being the first fish he caught.
Now Greg was about to challenge the big fish
pot several times, but, just couldn't keep them on the hook!!
Donald held his own and put both groupers in
the boat!!
It was a real pleasure fishing with people
from my home town area again.
That's the thing I miss most about not being
there anymore, it's all the nice folks around that area of NC.
We ended the day with quite a catch for just
three people!!
We had Big Black Bass, Almaco Jacks, Amberjack,
Shark, Grey Snappers, Triggerfish, Huge B-Liners, Big Joltheads, Silver Snappers, and two Groupers, a nice Red and a nicer
Scamp!!
I bet they sleep good tonight, I know I will!!
Till next time, FISH ON!! Capt Butch and "Admiral Bodie" the fish dog says, fall is just around the corner, Yeah!!!
WEDNESDAY 8-22-07
This morning we woke up to Thunder Storms on
the beach and the Tower Buoy was saying 3+' waves every 4 seconds or so. This is too rough to enjoy fishing, and if you can't
enjoy it, why go?
So, we called it off again today since we were
headed offshore!
I have included a new updated weather forecast
for the weekend.
This 5 to 10 knot and variable wind and 3 to
5 and 4 to 6 foot seas is not making any sense to me, especially with hurricane Dean gone!!
Am I missing something here!!!???
CAPE FEAR TO 31N OUT TO 32N 73W TO 31N 74W 400 PM EDT WED
AUG 22 2007
TONIGHT VARIABLE WINDS 10 KT OR LESS. SEAS 3 TO 5 FT.
THU SE WINDS 5 TO 10 KT.
SEAS 4 TO 6 FT.
THU NIGHT AND FRI VARIABLE WINDS 10 KT OR LESS. SEAS 3 TO 5 FT.
FRI NIGHT AND
SAT S WINDS 10 KT OR LESS. SEAS 3 TO 5 FT.
SUN AND MON E TO SE WINDS 5 TO 10 KT. SEAS 3 TO 5 FT.
TUESDAY 8-21-07
Todays trip was cancelled due to the weather!!
Mike has tried to get offshore with me now four times, maybe five!! This has been a tough year for weather and offshore
fishing!! We'll try it again later!!! FISH ON!!! Capt Butch
P.S. A lot of you have called me wanting to
know about the weather this weekend, here is what the weather report is now at this time!!
CAPE FEAR TO 31N OUT TO 32N 73W TO 31N 74W 1030 PM EDT TUE AUG 21 2007
OVERNIGHT S
TO SW WINDS 10 TO 15 KT...EXCEPT E OF 1000 FM... VARIABLE 10 KT OR LESS. SEAS 4 TO 5 FT.
WED THROUGH FRI VARIABLE WINDS 10 KT OR LESS. SEAS 4 TO 6 FT.
SAT WINDS
BECOMING S TO SE 5 TO 10 KT. SEAS 3 TO 5 FT... HIGHEST E OF 1000 FM.
SUN SE
WINDS 5 TO 10 KT...EXCEPT FAR S PORTION...10 TO 15 KT. SEAS 3 TO 5 FT...HIGHEST SE.
MONDAY 8-20-07
The saga continues!!
The offshore trip scheduled for today was pushed back to an inshore trip due to the persistent winds of this el nino year
and the big swells rolling in off of hurricane Dean down in the gulf.
The saga of the slow bite inshore still
continues as well!! If we don't get some substantial rains soon to lower the water salinity and cool it down some, the inshore
bite is going to stop completely!!!
Today we were fishing with Tom Regnell and his
son Will, these guys are from Alexandria,VA.
We started off up at Carolina Beach where it
was a lot calmer due to the mainland blocking the SW winds.
We started fishing for some sharks first, this
was slow as well producing only one Lemon Shark. When a shark won't bite it is slow!!!
We finally gave this up and tried for the Spanish
Mackeral. The Spanish had been biting some as of late up here, but today, as they are famous for doing, they were playing
hard to find!!
We finally did get a few Spanish for dinner
and a couple were around two pounds, nice Spanish, and caught several that had the "head and tail" disease!!
No, they weren't diseased, they were too short, their
head was too close to their tail!!
But you know, the best part of our trip was
the conversations we had and the fact that a father and son was able to spend a day together on the water doing what they
loved to do with each other!!
I too remember those days, the real truth is
these type days just don't last long enough, so please take the time to spend some quality time with your son's and/or daughter's,
you and them both will be glad you did!!!
The shark Will caught wrapped up around
the motors and I got the line untangled and was totally suprised when the fish was still hooked up.
Today was his day to be caught, we took some
pictures and then Will released him to fight again another day.
Tom and Will, it was totally my pleasure and
an honor to be able to be a part of your day today. I only hope the best for both of you in the future as Will continues
to "sharpen" that eye for when a fish bites.
I will close today with a quotation
from Will, I am proud to say that he has taken our motto and used it very well, several times yesterday I heard him say FISH
ON!!! Capt Butch and "Admiral Bodie" the fish dog says HI and I'm just waiting for cooler weather!!
SUNDAY 8-19-07
When I came to the dock Saturday afternoon,
my next days charter was there.
They were Joe Ambroso, Chris Bust from NC,
Bob Gofonia from Pax, AZ, Max Vestnio from Long Island, NY and Charles Lesperance from, Victor,NY
We were to do a 1/2 day trip and I informed
them that the inshore fishing on the 1/2 day trips was not doing good at this time.
But the call was made to try it anyway and
they found out that I was telling them the truth.
We did hit a school of Spanish Mackeral and
loaded all the rods up with four fish, but we could never find them again!!
There was not a white tern in sight all morning,
no bait on the scope, it was like the "dead sea" out there.
We gave up the trolling to try a little inshore
bottom fishing and this too was dead for us.
Joe did hook up with a fish that was too big,
a 36" Red Drum, just as well though that it was not in the 18 to 27 inch slot, we were more than three miles out and it would
have been illegal to keep anyway.
Now don't get me wrong, even the trips where
we don't catch a lot of fish are good trips, just not a lot of catching sometimes.
I have had a lot of people tell me that I am
hurting my business by reporting these bad catching days and that I should do like others and don't report anything until
I "load the boat", or say I do and don't put up any pictures!!
My answer to that is, "If I do that then I
will be just like everybody else, and you still won't know the truth and you still won't know when the fish are biting or
not"!!
This is a strange business to be in, it's like you
are danged if you do, and danged if you don't!!!
Please, leave me a comment in my "GUESTBOOK"
and let me know what you think!!
#1- Do you like me giving
it to you straight ?
#2- Would you rather I tell
you what you want to hear?
Till next time, FISH ON!! Capt Butch
SATURDAY 8-18-07
Today we woke up to weather that was
no where near what was predicted for today, Imagine That!!!
I called my group to cancel today's trip
which was Eddie Lesueur, Thomas Peters, John Dare, and Stanley McMurry from Tenn.
Now, Eddie is the type guy who doesn't like
to take no for an answer, but with 4 foot seas every 4 seconds, no was the answer that morning!!
I kept watching the Tower Buoy and at around
10:00AM it finally dropped off to where it was "doable", then we left out!
I couldn't go where we had been fishing because
of such a late start and a "dead ahead sea", so, we went to the Tower.
Here the current was backing up into the wind
and the current was so strong that two 16 oz weights would not keep us on the bottom, a tough bottom fishing situation to
say the least.
We finally gave it up after catching a few
fish and headed to try to find less current.
We finally made it to the Raritan where Eddie
hooked up with three monster fish. One pulled off, another straightened the hooks and another one got him in the prop on the
motor.
There were a few more big fish hooked up here
but were lost also to various reasons.
Well, I was thinking AJ's and finally Eddie
hooked up and everything went right and the fish was brought to the gaff.
It was a real hard and tough day today for
me in trying to put these guys where we could catch fish with such a small amout of time to do it in, but I got them some!!
I told Eddie the next time he came down and
the weather turned bad, let's go play golf or go fishing on the pier, 'cause we weren't going offshore!! Till next time, FISH
ON!! Capt Butch
THURSDAY, AUGUST 16
Captain Butch had a really good report here, but when I added the picture for some
reason it disappeared. I did want to tell you that the fishing has been tough lately, with lots of wind and rough seas.
Fishing on the beach has been almost non-existant with few spanish and sharks being caught. The flounder and spade fish might
be there, but the jelly balls for the spade fish are not.
Sorry to disappoint so many that call for 1/2 day and we tell you the fish are not
biting to well inshore, but this business was built on truth. Sure truth doesn't help pay the bills, but it helps you sleep
better at night and you won't have to answer for your lies on the judgement day.
Capt. Butch along with Capt Chris, who had a day off from work and thrilled his dad
by being able to go, took Tom Storrs, of Washington, DC and his sons out on Thursday. They tried Carolina Beach, since
Oak Island beach was too rough, but had no luck there. They then fished on the shoals where they caught the shark below.
There were several other boats out that day but they returned to port empty handed.
Capt Butch has gone out today, Saturday, so perhaps he'll have a better report later.
Till then, Capt Butch and Capt Chris say FISH ON!!
William Storrs show off the shark he caught.
TUESDAY 8-14-08
This report should be under the one on the
bottom, but, it's late and it has been a long day!!!
The second half of our day was nearly a reflection
of the first half!!
This time we were fishing with Kip, Marybeth,
and Ben Howlett from McLean VA.
The fishing was still slow but we managed to
get Ben his first Spanish Mackeral as well!
The smiles say it all!!!
We tried some shark fishing for a while and
got a few bites and one bite was a good shark. It made three or four hard runs on 30lbs of drag but never got the hook.
Again, we were brought home, but this time
it was by "Captain Ben" doing the driving. Be sure to let him know as well how good he drives a big boat!!!
Both trips were fun watching these young fishermen
get their first fish, I just wish the fish were here like they are supposed to be this time of year so these guys could
have had a better fishing experience!! Till next time, FISH ON!!! Capt Butch
TUESDAY 8-14-07
Today we were fishing the first half
of the day with Jarrett Whitley, Adam Whitley, Chris Whitley Sr, and Chris Whitley,Jr. from Harrisburg,NC.
Even though the fish have not been biting very
well on the beach lately we achieved the most important goal today and that was to get Jarrett, or should I say "Captain Jarrett"
his first Spanish Mackeral!!
Yes, the bite was terrible, but I was fishing
with some guys that are true fishermen and understood the fact that the fish don't always do what we like them to do.
But the smile on "Captain Jarrett's" face indicates
that the fish bit good enough for him anyway, and that's really all that matters.
If you see "Captain Jarrett" let him know that
he can really drive that big boat mighty good!!!
Till next time, FISH ON!!! Capt Butch
Monday August 13th
We were fishing with Tim Jackson,(aka Hurricane
Tim) Kim Jackson, Katie Lester, and Heather Huggins.
We were on the offshore grounds after bottom
fish and grouper.
The bottom fish are biting offshore very well
at this time and the grouper bite is great, just ask the "grouper lady" that would be Kim.
She caught 3 of these big grouper, but, Heather
was waiting for quality instead of quantity.
Heather only caught one but it was the
biggest of them all!!!
It was another good day on the water
and I was with some good friends from my home town of Lexington,NC. It's always a pleasure to fish with Tim and Kim and
I think we now have a couple of new offshore fishing gals that you will see a lot more of in the future!!!
I sure hope so, these girls know how
to fish!!!!
The inshore bite for spanish and sharks is
not very good at this time, and it looks like we may be having some bad weather working it's way here in the next few weeks.
Will this help the fishing or make it worse??!!
We will see...
Oh yeah, as for "Hurricane Tim" I don't know
what the future holds for him, it was actually calm and flat seas Monday!!
Has he lost his touch and can't bring windy
weather with him anymore when he comes to the coast??
I sure hope so!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Till next time, FISH ON!!! Capt Butch and "Admiral
Bodie" the fish dog says HI!!!
SUNDAY 8-12-07
Is this August or March???? The winds are blowing
and the seas are rough!!! Ever since I got back from the seminar road trip the key word has been cancel!!! Well, it will calm
down again and at least for now the temperatures are not in the 100+ range as they were at the first of the week. As soon
as the weather/winds break we will be headed back fishing. Be patient and "hang in there"... FISH ON!!! Capt Butch
FRIDAY 8-10-07
OK, I will apologize for
"sneaking off" a few days. I am humbled by the dozens of emails from you guys and gals hoping all is well and why I haven't
posted lately.
Thank You all for your concerns, as I said,
I am very humbled and it means a lot to me, so, I owe you all an explaination!!!
Here's where I've been. I actually went to
Kernersville,NC and did a seminar for the Triad Chapter North Carolina Waterman Saltwater Fishing Club on Monday evening on
bottom fishing.
I really enjoy doing this, but, my schedule
can be hard to work these in at times, especially this time of year. I never knew that when I scheduled these that it was
going to be so HOT!! So, I actually didn't have to be out on the ocean in such miserable conditions, and at my age, that's
a blessing!! Jesus has a way of taking care of his own!!!!
On Tuesday, I spent the day meeting with a
few of my sponsors and discussing how we could better promote their products and services. This too, I really enjoy doing,
just hard to get the time this time of year!!
On Wednesday morning I finished up my sponsor
committments and headed to Charlotte,NC to speak at the Charlotte Offshore Saltwater Fishing Club.
Both of these clubs are to be commended for the great
works that they do, especially for our kids!!! When you meet one of these club members, be sure to thank them, these clubs
are much more than just fishing, they are a tremendiously great asset to the fishing world as a whole!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Everywhere I went I met old friends, put some
faces with a few names, and made a lot of new friends, I have got to have the best job in the world!!!!
Andy and I were talking Wednesday night about
the weather this weekend. You all know Andy,(BOAT DOC), now you know who I'm talking about. Well Andy, looks like you were
right, I got home and have had to cancel the trip I was scheduled to run today. But with a predicted heat index of 115*, well
it may have been a good thing, tomorrow doesn't look good either at this time!!!
You,ve heard the saying, "it's a small world"
well it surely is!! I got back to Southport yesterday evening and we stopped at Golden Corral to get a bite to eat before
heading on home.
We were having a quiet dinner when my wife
said, that guy in line looks just like Maynard. I commented that we all have a twin somewhere. She then said, no, he's looking
at me like he knows me, I commented that I also stare when I see something strange looking, (but after 35 years of marriage,
she paid me no attention, you know, the selective hearing syndrome) we both have it now!!!
Well, turns out she was right, it was Maynard
Smith from Winston Salem,NC. Maynard and I go way back to the Striper Fishing days mainly on Badin Lake,NC. Maynard is the
best carpenter I have ever known. His finish carpentry is highly sought after by many, many home builders. His finish work
is a "work of art" he's a "perfectionist" and it shows!! He also fishes the same way!!!
He told me the Stripers were biting just like
they did that one summer, that translates to me that they are doing quite well. That summer, it was extremely hot, just like
now, I was fishing with Alvin Orrell, a good friend from my hometown community, and we all were slaying the stripers that
summer.
This has brought back a lot of good memories
over the years. Enough that I could probably write a book about those times, but I doubt anyone would want to read it, so
I'll just keep remembering!!!
It has been a great week for me!! My wife said
she has never seen anyone before go to work to get a vacation from work. She just doesn't understand the way we fishermen
and women work, maybe she is the lucky one, I don't think so!!!
Any how, that's why I haven't posted lately!!
and as soon as the weather (wind) settles again, I will be posting. I am not going to take my charters out in this rough stuff
and get everyone beat up and sea sick. I want them to remember their trip as a good thing, not a nightmare.
Hang in there, keep checking back, when things
settle we are booked every day and will have reports again when mother nature decides we can. Till next time, FISH ON!!!!
Capt Butch
SATURDAY 8-4-07
With storms just offshore and the Tower Bouy
reporting 3.3ft every 3 seconds, I wouldn't subject my fishermen to such a harsh and rough ride today, plus, it was
just plain dangerous to go out in this type weather....
So, again, we opted for a better day!!!!
Will be back on the fishing
scene in a few days, keep in touch, will be reporting again very soon!!! FISH ON!!! Capt Butch
FRIDAY 8-3-07
I based my decision on a late incoming trip
by what the weather was yesterday and how it looked at the time of the decision.
According to the "Tower Bouy" I made the wrong
call, but according to the weather service, the storm front was pushing bad weather in front of it up this way.
The moral of this is::: I was not sure so I
didn't go!!! There will be better days to be sure about, a fish is not worth anybody's life, and the ocean will kill you if
you don't give her the respect she deserves!!!
Hopefully, I will know more tomorrow and will
have another report tomorrow night!!! Till next time, FISH ON!!! Capt Butch...
THURSDAY 8-2-07
Today we were fishing with Jonas Ferreiras,
Jimmy Platingos, Dave Szczepanski, Mark Jones, Steve Szczepanski, and Louie Vobato from Myrtle Beach,SC.
I checked the weather report and forecast this
morning and everything look good for a long offshore run, YEAH RIGHT!!!
About 8 miles out I stopped and just about
cancelled the trip. But everyone was in agreement to stay in a little closer even though it would mean that the fishing would
not be as good.
I kept looking and probing bottom structure.
Even with a strong ENE wind, which is absolutely terrible for fishing, and that was backed up with reports from other charter
boats that were reporting as few as three fish for the days catch.
I just kept on the move and we pulled up a
decent catch when it was all over with. We finished up with a bunch of Grey Snappers, Triggerfish, Grouper,B-Liners, Black
Bass, Silver Snapper, Almaco Jacks, and Sharks. The current was backing up into the wind today so we could not even run a
"lite line" to try for the Kings and Mahi!!
Not too bad for the rough conditions we were
faced with today. As I have said before, don't complain about the way things are, look at it as a new challenge to your fishing
ability.
Master the day and your confidence will grow
to new heights and soon you will be able to figure out a "game plan" no matter what mother nature throws at you!!!
But be careful and use good judgement, and
if you are not surebe safe and don't go, wait for a better day!!! Till next time, FISH ON!!! Capt Butch, 1st mate Landon,
and "Admiral Bodie" the fish dog says HI!!!
WEDNESDAY 8-1-07
THANK YOU to everyone that has helped in achieving
this goal!!! This is a great step foreward for our fishing future!!!!
Senator Soles Works to Protect Brunswick County Beaches
RALEIGH —Beaches and the
growing tourism industry of Brunswick County will be better protected under legislation the North Carolina Senate passed today
under the leadership of Senator R.C. Soles, Jr.
The bill makes it unlawful to take menhaden or Atlantic thread
herring with a purse seine net within 3 nautical miles of the shoreline of Brunswick County from May 1 through October 31.
"For decades, dead fish from nets have been washing up on our
beaches. This legislation stops it. I am pleased with the strong bipartisan efforts to correct this problem and protect our
precious beaches," said Senator Soles.
Again Thank You all for not letting this bill
"die" this time. You spoke up and we were heard and we had good people helping us out, so, be sure to drop them a note of
"special Thanks" at bonner@ncleg.net and rcsoles@ncleg.net I can't thank everyone enough for getting the job done, all are to be congratulated on this accomplishment!!!
MONDAY 7-30-07
Today we were fishing with
Greg Lima, Ann Lewis Lima from Fayetteville,NC and also Lee Lienemann and his son Zachary from Fort Leavenworth,Kansas.
Our target today was bottom fish. We ran out
to 100+ feet of water to start our fishing. This depth has been producing the best for us lately.
Upon arriving and dropping the anchor on a
likely spot I deployed the lite line and never got the rod in the holder before a big king mackeral jumped all over the frozen
cigar minnow.
I knew it was a big fish the way he screamed
the reel, a real smoker. Lee fought the fish to almost boat side, close enough we seen her once, a real nice fish, looked
to be in the high thirties.
And as the way most big kings get big, the
hooks just pulled loose. Oh well, that's why it's called fishing!!
I rebaited and deployed it again and bam, a
Mahi-Mahi dived on it this time. Lee fought this one to the gaff, a nice bull around 12 pounds.
I went through the same scenerio with several
Mahi and two more kings, one around 10 pounds and another in the 20s.
I was thinking if this keeps up, I will
need to put the lite line up if we are going to ever get to fish on the bottom.
As it often happens, the lite line bite slowed
and we were finally able to get to the bottom.
