Late Season Report!

Initially, I would like to wish everyone a Merry Christmas and extend a thank you to everyone who came fishing with me throughout this year.  Our fishing season is winding down, but as usual we sent it out with a bang.  Late November/Early December did not disappoint yet again, and produced some exceptional fishing.

The speckled trout fishing was superb, with not only great numbers of fish on most trips, but the average size fish most days was 2-3 lbs, with a few larger ones mixed in, which is also exceptional.  We didn't find a true giant like I kept expecting to, but did have several fish around the 6lb. mark.  In addition to the trout, we also found some good by-catch of redfish, black drum, and sheepshead along the way.

While we are essentially closing out our fishing season, there are still some cooperative fish around, and they should continue to bite until the winter cold sets in.  Success during the winter usually requires picking and chosing the right fishing days, as the fish simply don't have to feed as much once the water gets cold.  

If you're going to be in town over the holidays and think you might want to do some fishing, please give me a call a few days ahead of time if at all possible so that we can take a hard look at the upcoming weather conditions and most importantly, to give me a chance to hopefully round up some live bait.

Check out some of our recent catches below!

-Capt. Kyle

October Update!

I have finally found a few free minutes to sit down behind my computer and put together a fishing report for everyone.  It has fortunately been an extremely busy October, and I've only had a couple of days off since the beginning of the month.  Our weather has been all over the place, from record heat at the beginning of the month, to a significant cool down, to another warm up, to the remnants of a tropical storm, we have seen a bit of it all.  Fishing through this constantly changing weather has certainly been a challenge, as very few days have been the same.  We have had to adapt to the conditions each day and hope the fish followed suit.  I will say up front that I feel like that the fishing has been a bit harder than it ought to be so far this fall, but despite having some slow days, we have been able to find some nice fish throughout the month.

Our bull redfish were extremely hit and miss this year, with them biting well for a day or two then barely biting at all for the next 5.  We have been able to find some nice ones though, but unfortunately I feel like that our bull run is probably over for 2019.  We have continued to find some smaller reds, from 15" pups up to some nice 30" class fish in the backwaters however.

We have stumbled upon some really nice flounder up to 5+lbs this month while looking for reds, which were a real heartbreak to have to release, but hopefully doing so will ensure that there are even more of those nice ones in the future.

Our speckled trout fishing has finally started to come around over the past week or so, and while we aren't seeing big concentrations of fish yet, they are beginning to school up, and so far most of the fish have been nice ones in the 1.5 - 3lb. range.  This is very encouraging for November, as hopefully we will have some quality trout around to play with this year and not have to wade through dozens of 12 inchers like we have to some years.

The trout fishing will be be the name of the game from now through the end of the season, and of course there should be some opportunities to find some black drum and reds along the way as well.  Everything is shaping up for what will hopefully be a good November of inshore fishing.  I still have some availability in November, so give me a call if your would like to go chase a spcekled trout sometime next month.

I have taken a lot of photos so far this month, so check them out below!

-Capt. Kyle

Post - Hurricane Update!

As I'm sure everyone is aware of, Hurricane Dorain blew through our area yesterday, but thankfully, it looks like both Ocean Isle and Sunset Beaches came through the storm in good shape, with very minimal damage.  However, our inshore waters are obviously quite stirred up from the rough ocean the past few days as well as from rainfall, so we will certainly need a few days for our water to clean up before we get back to chasing inshore critters.

Prior to the storm, we were still picking away at the redfish fairly steadily, and hopefully this action will return soon after our water cleans up.  Most of the fish we have been catching have been in the 20 - 30 inch range, with a few 30+ inch fish here and there as well.  It hopefully won't be long before a few big bull reds begin to show, as we're less than a month away from what should be the peak of their fall run.

I honestly haven't spent a ton of time trout fishing recently, but I feel like I'm going to start doing so again very soon, as we will typically see a few trout begin to school up starting in late September.  

We were also catching a few nice flounder prior to the storm as well, but as I'm sure most of you know at this point, NCDMF has voted to close the flounder fishery effective September 4th.  This means we will be unable to keep a flounder until likely mid - August of 2020, when a short season will be opened.  This is certainly going to be a frustrating change to have to endure starting this fall and into next summer, but endure it we must.

As far as fall dates go, I still have plenty open, BUT, the prime weekend dates are already starting to get full, so please don't wait until its to late to give me a call and get a fall fishing trip booked.

Check out a few of our recent catches below!

-Capt. Kyle

Late - July Report

After several weeks of near miserable heat, we have finally experienced a much needed cool down the past few days around Ocean Isle and Sunset Beaches.  It has been feeling a lot more like late September than late July, and we have been enjoying every minute of it.  The cooler air tempartures also cooled the water just a bit as well, which was also much needed, and has allowed us to keep finding some consistent action despite it being the middle of summer.

The finger mullet have finally shown up in good numbers, and their presence really has the inshore predators keying in on them. The flounder fishing has picked up a bit both inshore and on the nearshore wrecks/artificial reefs, which I feel is at least partially the result of the mullet finally getting their act together.  As is normal, we have had to weed through a good many undersize flounder for every keeper, but we have been finding a few nice ones.

We have also been finding some nice redfish taking advantage of the new push of mullet as well.  We have been catching some really nice ones to boot, with a good many mid to upper slot size fish, and even a few over slot bruisers.  

We're also still finding some action with the speckled trout, although they have been biting a little more inconsistently as of late, simply due to the time of year and the hot water.  Depsite this fact, we're still seeing some really nice ones up to 4+lbs, which already has me excited about what our fall trout fishing might bring. 

Even though we've still had a slow trip or two here and there, I am very pleased with the quality of the fishing we have had throughout July, as I have certainly seen it much tougher.  I can only hope that it continues on into August and beyond.  

I still have a few openings during the first half of August and plenty during the second half, so be sure to give me a call if you're planning a late summer vacation to Ocean Isle or Sunset Beach and want to get in on some inshore fishing action.  Check out some of our latest catches below!

-Capt. Kyle

Late June Catch - Up!

Mother Nature has been making it tough on us since my last report, as we have seen a little of just about every type of weather you could imagine around Ocean Isle and Sunset beaches.  Some unseasonably cool mornings, some rainy/stormy days, a lot of windy days, and occasionally a nice day thrown in there for good measure.  Couple this with a full moon cycle, and staying on consistent inshore fishing has been quite a chore.  However, despite having a few slow trips, all in all we have managed the scratch together some decent catches and find some quality fish along the way.  Thankfully though, it looks like our weather is finally going to stabilize this coming week, and we are going to have mostly calm (but also hot) days that will hopefully produce some good fishing.

We have still been finding a bit of action from all of our target species, often with one being more cooperative one day, and another biting better the next.  Our speckled trout fishing continues to still be our most consistent fishing however, and we are still managing to find some nice ones throughout the area.  The flounder fishing has been a bit up and down depending on how clean the water has been, but we have been picking away at them as well, and finding a few nice keepers to boot.  We have also been finding a few nice sheepshead mixed in on many of the spots where we've been trout and drum fishing, which has been a pleasant surprise.  Finally, although we haven't been a big school of either in the past couple weeks, we're still finding some black drum and redfish here and there to pull on.  So, as I mentioned earlier, depsite having a few slow, frustrating days, the fishing still hasn't been too awful bad.

Needless to say, I'm excited to see what this push of good weather is going to bring us over the next few days, so stay tuned for my next report to see if my suspicions are true.  I still have plenty of openings in July and beyond, but dates are continuing to fill, so please give me a call if you're going to be in town over the next few weeks so we can get a date booked for you.  Check out a few of our recent catches below!

-Capt. Kyle

Early Summer Report!

Well folks, Memorial Day weekend in now behind us and we're off and running into the month of June, which means that the summer vacation season is officially getting underway.  This also means that Ocean Isle and Sunset Beaches are coming to life and getting very busy, both on and off the water.  We've already experienced some unseasonably warm days, which have been tough on me, but thankfully the fish didn't seem to mind a bit.  We have a bit of a cool down coming this week so hopefully the fish will continue to bite and it will be more comfortable for us fishermen as well.

As is usually the case this time of year, we've been finding a bit of action from all of our target species lately.  The speckled trout are still making up a good portion of our catches, and while we are still having to weed through a few small ones here and there, their average size has been quite nice, with a good many 2-3 pounders, along with a few larger ones mixed in throughout the area.  The flounder fishing also seems to be improving as well, both in numbers and size.  While weeding through undersize fish is usually an everyday part of flounder fishing, there have been quite a few nice keepers being caught, and even a few 5+ pound doormats as well.  We have continued to find a few redfish and black drum in many of their normal haunts.  Most of the reds and blacks have been nice slot size fish, with a few unders and a even a few over-slot fish mixed in.  While some trips recently have certainly produced more than others, I still can't complain very much about the quality of our inshore fishing lately.  I can only hope that it keeps going for as long as possible.

Open dates in June are beginning to become very limited, so do not hesitate to give me a call about planning an inshore fishing trip during your upcoming vacation.  I'm also beginning to fill of some days during July as well, so please don't feel like its too early to get a trip booked in July, especially if you have a certain date already in mind. 

Be sure to check out some of our recent catches below!

-Capt. Kyle

Early May Catching Report!

Well folks, May is already here, which means summer is right around the corner.  We have been blessed with some great spring weather recently, and the abundant sunshine and warm air tempeartures have warmed up our inshore waters quite quickly.  This, in turn, has allowed us to have some good inshore fishing recently around Ocean Isle and Sunset Beaches.

Our speckled trout fishing remains consistent, and while we haven't been seeing huge numbers of fish, the average size of what we have been catching has been nice.  We have been seeing quite a few solid 1.5 - 3lb. fish, with a few larger specimens thrown in as well.  We have been fortunate to find a couple nice schools of redfish recently over the past few days, with fish from 16 - 25+" all schooled up together, which always makes things interesting.  There also continue to be a few black drum and sheepshead in many of the same areas where we have been finding the reds.  The flounder fishing is also improving as well, as there have already been some good catches of flounder in the area, numbers wise.  However, as to be expected, many are on the smaller side, but there have been a few nice keepers around.  All in all, we have enjoyed some pretty good fishing recently, and it should only continue as the month goes on.

I still have plenty of openings starting next week and beyond, so give me a call if you're going to be in town and want to get out on the water.  Also, continue to keep me in mind as you plan your summer vacations as well, as I am already filling dates in June and July.  Check out some of our recent catches below!

- Capt. Kyle

Early Spring Update!

Spring is finally here in Ocean Isle and Sunset beaches according to the calendar, but as I type this, we have a nor'easter blowing through that is producing some cold, nasty weather outside.  However, it looks like as soon as this system gets out of town, the air temperatures are going to begin to climb again and hopefully our weather will get back on track.  With all of that being said, we have been having some pretty good fishing in the inshore waters around Ocean Isle and Sunset beaches when the conditions have been right.

The speckled trout bite has continued to be very good overall, with fish still holding in many of the areas that they were all fall and winter.  Some areas still have a good many small fish, while others have been producing a decent mix of small fish and keepers, and finally there are a few spots that have produced some truly trophy sized trout over the past couple weeks.  The redfish and black drum have been making their presence known as well, as they continue to filter out of the back creeks and into the ICW and other areas where they will spend much of the year.  While it is still a bit early in my opinion to start talking about flounder, there are a few being caught here and there, and I would expect them to begin to bite a little more consistently over the coming weeks as the water temperatures continue to climb.  Overall, we're already having a good spring fishing-wise, and hopefully this trend will only continue and improve.

I've still got plenty of openings available from now throughout the spring and summer, but some the prime dates during the summer vacation season have already begun to fill up, so don't hesitate to give me a call to plan a fishing trip during your summer vacation.  Check out the nice reds and trout we found on a recent trip below!

- Capt. Kyle 

Ocean Isle Beach Fishing Report: Happy New Year!

First off, I would like to wish you a Happy New Year!  I hope everyone had a great Christmas and were able to relax and enjoy the holidays.  Even though the calender says its technically winter, we haven't had much winter weather at all, which has put a damper on my duck hunting, but has kept the fish biting quite well.

The trout have backed into many of their normal wintering areas, and have continued to bite fairly steadily. Catching a big number of them during a day of fishing has still been achievable, although most of them continue to be on the small side.  However, there are some areas that have been producing few better quality fish.  It seems like the key has been to cover ground and keep looking for those small groups of bigger fish.  The redfish have also begun to school up and move into the shallow backwaters for the winter.  As is normal, the reds aren't always easy to get to or get close to when they're schooled up in these areas, but it is certainly fun to catch them this way when they do cooperate.  Also, although I haven't spent much time looking for them recently, I'm sure there are some black drum around to be caught as well if someone was to put in a little time looking for them.

As long as the weather remains warm, we should have some cooperative fish to play with, so if you’re going to be in town and want to give it a shot, give me a call.  Also, I'm already booking dates for the summer and even fall of 2019, so keep that in mind as you plan your vacations for this year.  In the meantime, I'll either be in the boat shed grinding or laying fiberglass, or hopefully in a duck blind if we ever get some weather.  Sorry for no pictures this go-round.  I will be back on the water in a couple of days and will hopefully have a few then.

-Capt. Kyle 

Early-November Update!

Well folks, November is officailly now well underway, and with it our fall fishing continues to be very good overall.  November is usually the top producing speckled trout month of the year, and this year should be no different.  The one catch however is that we are apparently in a one of those cyclical years where we have a ton of small trout around.  It happens every few years for one reason or another, and I feel a combination of factors have come together to cause it this year.  So for the time being, the trout bite is good, just as it should be, but we are having to weed through a lot of undersize fish for every keeper we get to bring back to the dock.  Our water is still a few degrees on the warm side for this point in the year, and cooler water could improve the quality of the trout we're catching, but we will just have to see. We're also still picking away at the redfish and black drum, and are still finding a flounder here and there as well.  We've also been picking a few gray trout and sheepshead off a few areas to add to the variety.

So while we may not be having the spectacular trout fishing that we had last year at the moment, there are still plenty of critters around to catch.  I still have plenty of openings so give me a call and lets go do some catching.  I'm a little short on pictures on this go-round, but hopefully I'll have a few more next time!

-Capt. Kyle

Mid-October Report!

Once again I have fallen behind on my reporting, as fishing and life in general have been keeping me spread very thin recently.  I am pleased to report however, that even though we have had our share of challenges as far as conditions go, the fishing has been pretty good overall.  We seemed to have a lot of fresh, and likely low oxygen water around in many of the back creeks early in the month, but most of that seems to be clearing up now.  The 40+ knot onshore winds that Tropical Storm Michael brought us last week also really stirred up our water, and again presented us with a new set of challenges.  Fortunately though, that too is settling out, and coupled with the cooler air temperatures that we are finally beginning to see, our fall fishing should only be getting better and better as the month goes on and October turns into November.

The bull reds have been around consistently throughout the first half of the month, and should continue to be for a little while longer.  Unfortunately, they have been biting a little more sporadically as the month progresses, as they are receiving a ton of fishing pressure due to them being concentrated in one area for the most part due to warm water temperatures and lack of menhaden along our beaches.  Despite all of the other boats fishing for them, we have had some success with the bulls, and hope to have a little more before they depart for the year.  In the backwaters, we are continuing to see more and more life as the lingering effects of the storms slowly go away.  We have been catching some nice reds in and along the grass on the flood tides, which is one of my favorite ways to catch them.  These fish have ranged from 16 inch pups up to 30 inches.  The trout have also made quite a good showing already, as we had good catches of them on several trips just prior to Michael's arrival in our area.  Hopefully they will be right back biting again once our water settles out just a little more.  In addition, we have also continued to connect on a few nice flounder as well.  I must admit that I haven't spent much time targeting them specifically, as most of the ones we have caught have been bycatch when were fishing for reds or trout, but the bottom line is that there are some around to be caught. 

As the fall progresses, the fishing will continue to change a little as it always does, but in effect should just get better as the trout, redfish, and black drum start to bunch up in preparation for the winter months.  That being said, there is still plenty of time to get in on some hot fall fishing action.  I still have plenty of openings left between now and Thanksgiving, so be sure to give me a call and don't miss out.  Check out the photos below to see what we have been up to the past couple of weeks!

-Capt. Kyle

Post - Hurricane Report!

Well folks, tomorrow is officially the first day of fall, and I was hoping to be able to write you a report about how the fall fishing was beginning to take off and how everyone needed to plan a fall fishing trip asap.  Unfortunately however, we're currently a week and a half into the saga of hurricane Florence.  I'm currently still surrounded by flood water at the moment and haven't even made it back to Ocean Isle.  The water is finaly starting to recede and hopefully we will be back fishing by early next week.  The southern Brunswick county beaches fared pretty well during the storm and have minimal damage.  The northern end of the county, the Southport/Oak Island area, and inland areas of the county took more of a hit this time it seems.  We of course had some wind damage but it was certainly not the worst we've seen.  However, the flooding has been unprecedented and has hit very close to home, having left many friends and neighbors displaced even now, long after the storm has passed.

I'd also like to say thank you to all of my awesome clients who called, texted, and e-mailed to check on me prior to, during, and after the storm.  I really appreciate it. 

The fishing is of course going to be affected somewhat by the storm, but should bounce back a lot quicker than most folks would think.  The fishing was starting to get good in the days before the storm, and the few guys that have made it back out on the water have had some success.  Honestly, now all we need is some cooler weather, which it looks like may be coming toward the end of next week.  The October bull redfish run is hopefully right around the corner, and in the meantime there should be plenty of reds in the backwaters to play with, as well as some trout and flounder.  

Sorry I don't have more to talk about on fishing front, but as you can imagine, fishing hasn't been the first thing on my mind the past few days.  But, the best part of the year is almost here, and I still have plenty of openings throughout October and November, so give me a call and we can get a trip planned for you.  I'm short on photos this time around, but below are a few I took just before the storm.

- Capt. Kyle

Mid-August Update!

August is always one of those months when you're never really sure what to expect as far as the fishing goes.  Some years, the hot water temperatures make the fishing a little scrappy, but other years we are pleasantly surprised with good fishing.  So far, this August has been one of the "other" years, and we have continued to have consistent fishing throughout the month.  Of course we have not been without a slow trip or two, but overall we have seen good action on most trips, with plenty of quality fish in the mix.

Our flounder fishing continues to be quite good throughout the Ocean Isle and Sunset Beach areas.  We have been finding not only good numbers of fish, but quite a few nice keepers as well.  Hopefully this type of action will continue as long as we don't have some type of weather that stirs up our water.  We have also been picking away at the redfish quite consistently, and finding a few black drum mixed in on many of the same spots as well.  Most of the reds have continued to be slot size, with a few undersize pups beginning to show up, and a few over slot specimens still around as well.  We also had one day this past week that we managed to find a nice school of trout and ended up with a really nice catch of them.  Unfortunately, we returned to the same area the next day to find that the bulk of them had moved on, but in the end it was still nice to find a good size school this time of year, and proves that you never know what you might find during a day of fishing. 

We have pretty much reached the end of the summer vacation season, with Labor Day weekend looming as the last really busy weekend on Ocean Isle and Sunset Beaches.  That being said, I still have plenty of openings available from now until the end of fall, so give me a call if you're in town, or are going to be in town, and would like to do some inshore fishing!  Be sure to check out some of last week's catches below!

-Capt. Kyle    

Early August Update!

As I type this, I can thankfully say that today was the first day in nearly three weeks that we didn't get rain around Ocean Isle and Sunset beaches at some point during the day.  It was a hot and muggy day, but the sunny skies and light winds were a welcomed sight.  Last week however, the rainy trend from the previous two weeks continued, and we dodged or weathered rain storms every day of the week.  Hopefully though, will begin to dry out and our water will be able to settle out and clean up a bit.  Unfortunately however, we will likely see our water temperatures begin to steadily climb, which will again add a different degree of difficulty to the fishing, but is nothing new for this time of year.

Despite all of the challenges we have had with the weather, I am pleased to report that we have still been able to find plenty of inshore action.  Once again, I can't say that we haven't had a few slow days, but for the most part we have been able to find some nice fish on most trips.  The mixed bag trend also continued last week, with us catching a few of each of our target species throughout the week.  The speckled trout fishing has slowed somewhat, which is to be expected in August, but we still managed to find a few during the week, including a handful of nice ones to boot.  The redfish and black drum continue to provide fairly consistent action in a number of different areas,  and although we haven't really been finding any big schools in any one area, the drum we have been catching have mostly been nice fish. The bulk of the reds have been slot size, with a few stout overslot specimens mixed in as well.  The flounder have also continued to provide some action both in the backwater creeks and on the nearshore wrecks and artificial reefs.  As is normal, the flounder have been mixed in size, from undersize to some real nice ones up to 4 pounds or so.

Hopefully we will continue to have this consistent action as August progresses.  This is always the time of year when things can get a little hit or miss due to the heat, but hopefully the fishing will be a little more hit and a little less miss this year.  Our summer vacation season is starting to wind down, and I have plenty of openings left in August, especially from next week on.  Its also not too early to begin to think about the fall season as well, as dates in October and November are already beginning to fill up.  So give me a call and lets get a date booked for you.  Check out a few of last week's catches below!

-Capt. Kyle

Third week of July Report!

Well folks, we finally paid for all of the great weather that we have had throughout the summer this past week, as the were forced to grind through a week of completely unsettled weather, dodging downpours and a couple of thunderstorms.  This weather of course made fishing a little more challenging than we had been experiencing, but thankfully we were still able to stratch out some nice fish throughout the week.  

The mixed-bag trend continued, as we found action from all of the target species this week.  Earlier in the week we continued to have some good flounder fishing, although it slowed slightly as the week progressed and water clarity deteriorated.  We actually caught quite a few speckled trout this week, with a couple of trips producing some impressive numbers, but unfortunately many were on the smaller side, and we had to weed through the undersize ones in order to find a few keepers.  The redfish also provided consistent action thoughout the week, and even though the schools we found were small, with spots usually holding 1-3 fish, the majority were nice ones, from slot size on up to a few over slot brusiers.

The fishing could have certainly been tougher considering the weather we had and the time of year, so I'm going to try and not complain too much.  It does look like we have another round unsettled weather coming over the next few days, but hopefully we will can get back to a more stable weather pattern soon.  I have a couple of openings still available toward the end of this coming week, which actually look like the best weather days of the week.  I still have plenty of days open in August and beyond, so give me a call if you're currently in town or are coming to town and want to get in on some inshore fishing action.  Check out some of our catches from this past week below!

-Capt. Kyle

June Ocean Isle Fishing Report

Its hard to believe that today is the last day of June, as yet again another month has flown by.  We started the week with some slightly cooler and much more pleasant temperatures, but the heat and humidity returned by the end of the week.  Fortunately however, the fish did not mind, and once again we saw good, consistent action all week.  We picked away at the trout and redfish all week, finding some nice trout up to 4.5 pounds, and reds up to 28 inches or so. The flounder fishing has continued to be a bit spotty, but it seems to be improving, as we have found a few this week, including a few nice keepers.  A few flounder have also begun to show up on the nearshore wrecks and artificial reefs, and hopefully that fishing will continue to improve as well.

I still have plenty of openings throughout July, but dates continue to fill up, so don't hesitate to give me a call if you're going to be in town next month and want to do some inshore fishing around Ocean Isle and Sunset beaches.  Check out some of our catches from the past week below!

Mid-June Report!

Well folks, the summer season is upon us and things are certainly getting busy around Ocean Isle and Sunset beaches, both on and off the water.  Overall, our inshore fishing has continued to be very good.  We have continued to pick away at all of our target species, which is to be expected this time of year.  Speckled trout season opened a couple of days ago on the 15th, so we have finally been able to bring a few home for dinner.  The trout bite has been very consistent, with good numbers of fish, and a few nice ones to boot.   The flounder fishing has been a little up and down, but we have been picking away at them as well.  Finally, the redfish and black drum have continued to be prevalent as well.  Hopefully this consistent fishing will continue for us over the coming weeks.

Also as to be expected this time of year, available dates are filling up very fast, so please don't hesitate to give me a call to get a date booked for you!  

-Capt. Kyle 

Its Go - Time!

Well folks, yet another summer fishing season is upon us.  There is no doubt that the older one gets, the faster it seems time moves.  Our weather has continued to be a bit up and down, with us seeing the effects of our first tropical system of the year this past weekend here around Ocean Isle and Sunset beaches. Thankfully though, things didn't get too stirred up and should settle out in a couple more days.  Our redfish and black drum action has continued to be consistent, and we have been spending the bulk of our time on the water recently chasing those two species.  The flounder fishing has also been fairly consistent and should only improve from here.  We haven't spent much time chasing the trout with them being out of season, but there are a few around, and that fishing should improve in the coming weeks as well.  

With that being said, now is the time to start thinking about your summertime fishing trips, as dates are beginning to fill up quickly.  So don't hesitate to call if you're looking to do some inshore fishing this summer!  Check out some of our recent catches below!

-Capt. Kyle

End of The Year Fishing Report

Happy New Year to all of my great clients and to everyone who reads my reports!  I know I am a few days late, but this is the first opportunity I’ve had in a while to sit down, collect my thoughts, and write a fishing report.  I must also say thank you to everyone who fished with me in 2017.  We had some great days, and some slow days as well, but I enjoyed fishing with all of you.

Our late fall speckled trout season was one of the best in recent memory.  Both the quality and quantity of the fish was exceptional all season long, from early November to mid-December.  We also managed to catch quite a few black drum, redfish, and even a few flounder throughout the season as well.  I just wish the fishing could be this good year-round!  I didn’t take near as many photos as I would have liked during this time, as most of the time I was so busy baiting hooks, netting, and unhooking fish that I didn’t have time to do so.  However, I did manage to take a few, so check them out below.

Unfortunately, it is now bitter cold in the Ocean Isle area, and the fishing has pretty much ceased for the moment.  As is normal, we will probably get going again sometime in March and from there roll right on into the 2018 fishing season.  Now it is time to do a little hunting and a little maintenance in preparation for the year ahead.  I hope to see all of you in 2018!

-Capt. Kyle

Almost the end of summer report!

As I type this, we are two-thirds of the way through the month of August, which typically means things are about to slow down a good bit around Ocean Isle and Sunset beaches.  While the end of our busiest season of the year is a little bittersweet, it only means that we are that much closer to the best fishing of the year.  Over the last few weeks, we have had what I will once again describe as "typical dog-days of summer fishing", meaning we have had some great days, as well as some slow days, and many days in between.  Thankfully, we have continued to catch a nice mixed bag of all of our target species during this period.  We have had some decent redfish action, with most of the fish being nice slot size fish from 18-22 inches.  The trout have also stuck around throughout most of the summer, and have given us some good catches well past the time when I would normally expect the trout fising to slow down.  Finally, the flounder fishing has been a little off from what I would typically expect for this time of year, but we have managed to consistently pick away at them, finding quite a few nice ones including a couple of 5-6lb. doormats.

I would expect this type of fishing to continue for the near future, but we are literally only a month or so away from our peak fishing season taking off.  This as always should begin with our bull redfish run, which usually lasts from around the last week of September to the third week of October, depending upon the weather of course.  But the peak of the run almost always occurs during the first two weeks of October, so now is the time to start planning if you would like to get in on some of the bull red action, as dates are already beginning to fill up.  After the reds move back offshore in late October, then our trout fishing should take off, with the month of November being our best trout month of the year, so keep that in mind as well.

We have a lot to look forward to during the next three months, so don't miss out on some great fall inshore fishing action.  In the meantime, check out all of our recent photos below!

-Capt. Kyle

May Wrap-Up/Pre-Summer Report

Yet another summer fishing season is already here, and by the looks of things so far, we hopefully have a summer of great inshore fishing ahead in the Ocean Isle area. We have been fortunate to have consistent action with most all of our usual target species lately.  The trout fishing has been good, with a lot of different spots holding fish, and with a quite a few nice ones mixed in.  We have even found a couple 6+ pound, true gator tout in the past few weeks.  We have also had some decent action with the redfish as well, which is great considering how few and far between that they seemed to be this time last year.  There has also been some good flounder fishing throughout the area, although dirty water has occasionally made it a little tougher to fish for them.  All in all, the outlook for near future, and especially June and into early July, looks very good.  So don't hesitate to call and get a date booked for yourself anf your family if you're going to be in town on vacation.  I still have plenty of dates open, but they will likely begin to fill up quickly.  Check out some of our recent catches below!

- Capt. Kyle

2016 Wrap - Up!

Well folks, another year has flown by and we have only a few days left in 2016.  I would like to thank everyone who fished with me this year, and say that I certainly appreciate your business and hope to see you next year.  Our late fall speckled trout fishing was great this year from late October to early December, and thankfully we had a nice class of fish around throughout the duration of that time.  I think we managed to catch a limit of trout on the majority of our trips, and usually had a few black drum or reds thrown in for good measure as well.  It wasn't until late in the season that the small trout started to move in on many spots, requiring us to grind through a lot of undersize fish for every keeper.  All in all, 2016 was a decent year fish wise, and hopefully 2017 will be even better.  I sure hope to see you sometime next year.  For the time being, its time to do some maintenance and hopefully do a little hunting.  Thanks again to everyone for a great year!

- Capt. Kyle

Summer Wrap-Up/Pre-Fall Report!

Well folks, the summer of 2016 is all but over at this point, which is bittersweet of course.  While our busiest season is over, the best fishing of the year is still yet to come.  All in all, we saw fairly decent fishing throughout the month of August, with a consistent flounder bite going on both inside in the creeks and off the beach on nearshore structure.  We also had a little more redfish action during August than we had for much of the summer, which was certainly nice.  Finally the trout even hung around on many of their normal spots throughout the month, and gave us a little of a rare August trout bite.

Looking forward however, we still have a lot of good stuff ahead of us, and things are already beginning to shape up as I write this.  The silver mullet run is in full swing on the beaches, and the pods of menhaden are begining to show back up, and along with them a few bull reds are begining to trickle into the area.  We should be only 2 - 2.5 weeks away from seeing the bull redfish bite begin to take off, so now is the time to plan if you want to make a trip to try and fish for them.  In the meantime the flounder, trout, and puppy drum fishing on the inside should also begin to improve as the water cools.

Once the bull red bite begins to taper off in mid-October, we will roll right into trout fishing season, and they will be the primary targets for the rest of the year, with the peak of the bite usually happening in November.  However, last year we had some good trout action in late October, which is actually early during that season, so hopefully that will repeat this year.

Open dates in October and November are beginning to fill up quickly, especially the prime weekend dates, so now is the time to plan your fall fishing trip! In the meantime, check out the photos below of some of our recent catches!

- Capt. Kyle

Month of June Summary

This summer continues to fly by, as another June has come and gone.  Thankfully, the fishing lived up to typical June standards and has been quite consistent throughout the month.  Our speckled trout fishing has continued to be good overall, and although the fish have been mixed in size, we have been finding good numbers of them on many different spots.  The black drum also continue to be very prevalent as well.  They have been making up a good part of our catches this past month, and all this year for that matter.  They too have been quite mixed in size, but we have managed to find a few real nice ones up to 10lbs.  The flounder bite also continues to be consistent when we have clean water, and should actually improve as we get into July, as the finger mullet get larger and more prevalent.  Finally, the redfish continues to be the toughest of our target species to find, as it seems that we just don't have as many around as we normally would.  However, we have been finding a few, and hopefully we will see some improvement in their numbers in the near future.  My bookings for July are filling up very quickly, so if you are going to be in town next month and would like to do some inshore fishing, please call ahead so that we can get a trip booked for you.  Check out the photos of some of our recent catches below!

-Capt. Kyle

Time to get the party started!

Well folks, what little winter we had here in southeastern NC went by in a flash, and now here we are at the beginning of another fishing season.  Early spring is typically a time of year that I honestly dread, because the fish are often still bunched up in a few specific areas, usually making them hard to get on.  However, it seems that the mild winter may have done us a favor, as the fishing is already starting to take off nicely in our area and should only improve in the coming weeks.  We've been finding some decent action with some nice black drum, and have even found a few reds mixed in with them some days.  Also, it seems that many of the trout we had around late last fall have stuck with us, as we have had some good trout action on a couple of trips as well.  Granted, most of the trout are on the small side, but a few nice ones have been showing up as well, and it is certainly very encouraging to see fish around this early.  Finally, the first flounder of the year have also begun to bite, and although I personally haven't spent much time with them so far, other fishermen have been finding a few, with a few keepers to boot.  In conclusion, things are certainly looking up for the 2016 fishing season, so now is the time to start thinking about trips for later in the spring or during your summer vacation, so give me a call and lets get a date booked for you!

- Capt. Kyle

October Recap!

I always look forward to October each year, as it usually brings cool, comfortable weather and hot fishing.  Well, this October certainly did not disappoint.  We got 20+ inches of rain to start the month off, but as soon as the water had a few days to settle out, the bull redfish bite kicked off full blast.  While the peak of the run was fairly short to due to weather/water conditions, it was nothing short of world class while it was happening.  A big southwester in the middle of the month really slowed the redfish fishing and broke up a lot of the large schools, so I transitioned into trout fishing mode, and quickly found some consistent action with them as well, and it only seems to be getting better as the trout get more schooled up for the winter.  We have had a better October trout bite this year than in the last several, so that should mean great things are in store for November.  We have also been finding some smaller reds, black drum, and flounder as well, but have honestly been mostly focusing on the trout since the action has been so consistent.  November dates are filling in quickly, so don't hesitate if you would like to get in on what I hope is some great trout fishing in the next few weeks!  Check out the photos below of some of our catches for this past month!

-Capt. Kyle

August Report / Fall fishing outlook

A friend of mine reminded me a few days ago what the best thing about August fishing usually is, and that is that once its August, it means fall is right around the corner.  August can certainly be an up and down month when it comes to consistently finding inshore fish in our area, and some years are pretty good and some years are really tough. I would rate this August as being pretty much in between, as we have managed to find some action on every trip, although more often that not we have had to work hard and cover a lot of water to do so. One good thing is that we have continued to have what has pretty much been mixed bag fishing, as we are still catching some of all of the target species. The trout fishing often dries up during the heat of August, but we have probably caught more this month than I ever have in August before, which is hopefully a sign that we will have a strong trout season this fall. We have also continued to find action from the flounder, redfish, and black drum as well.

Looking forward to the next 2-3 months, as many of you know, we should see our best fishing of the year, usually starting mid/late September with the bull redfish and lasting through late November with what will hopefully be some good trout fishing.  I still have plenty of openings for the rest of the year, BUT, many of the key weekend dates in October and November are already filling up, so don't hesitate to call and discuss a fall fishing trip, as now is the time to plan it, especially if you are looking for a trip on a weekend day.

-Capt. Kyle

June Catching Report...

Well folks, while the weather has felt a lot more like August than June the past couple of weeks, we have been fortunate to have some good fishing to help justify enduring the heat.  The speckled trout fishing continues to be good, as many of the usual summertime spots are beginning to have some nice fish on them.  Late June is usually a good time to catch a big trout, and this year hasn't disappointed, as we have had several fish in the 4-5.5lb range the past couple of weeks and there have been a few larger ones caught in the area.  The flounder fishing has remained steady as well, with a good ratio of nice keepers to throwbacks.  We've also been finding a few nice redfish and black drum to add some variety to our catches.  All in all, things have been pretty good and hopefully the good fishing will continue.  I've still got plenty of availability for the last half of July, but don't hesitate to give me a call and get yourself a date booked.  Check out some of out latest catches below.

- Capt. Kyle

Starting to look like summertime...

Memorial day marks the unofficial start to summer each year, and also the beginning of the busy season for me.  After all the bad weather that we had earlier in May, it was nice to see things finally starting to come around to where they should be the past couple weeks.  Honestly, overall the fishing has been a little slower than I would expect for this time of year, but things seem to be moving in the right direction and the fishing has been steadily picking up. We have been catching a little of everything, with the flounder bite being the most consistent fishing we've had going on for sure. As is normal this time of year, we have had to weed through a lot of undersize fish, but have been finding some nice keepers as well. The trout and redfish bite has been a little more hit and miss, but that should also continue to improve with the stable weather. Even though they have been a little more sporadic, we have been finding some small schools of trout, reds, and black drum to keep things interesting.  While I certainly would love to have a better report for you, I must report the truth, and I'm confident that we will see some vast improvement in the coming days and weeks, as we are still very early in the fishing season.  Dates throughout the month of June are starting to fill up quickly, so don't wait too late to give me a call and get a trip booked if you're going to be in the area during June!

-Capt. Kyle

Its about that time again!

Well folks, I first must apologize for my long absence from the fishing report.  After chasing ducks until the end of January, and quail till the end of February, I have been busy this month getting the boat back in top shape for the upcoming fishing season.  It has certainly been a long winter and we really haven't been doing very much fishing at all. But, that is about to change as the fish are starting to show and I have my first few trips of the year in the next couple weeks.  We have been starting to see some action from the reds, trout, and black drum, which is certainly very promising and hopefully a sign of a good year to come.  The action is sure to only get better in the coming weeks, so if you begin to develop fishing fever, give me a call and we can try to cure it.  Sorry for no photos this time, but standby, it won't be long now!

-Capt. Kyle

More October Fish Catching!

The month of October has always been and will always be "the" month for inshore/nearshore fishing in our area, and it lived up to its reputation once again this year.  But, just because October is nearly over doesn't mean the inshore fishing action is nearly over as well, because some of the best fishing of the year is just getting started.  Our bull redfish run this year was one of the longest I can remember, thanks mostly do to the warmer than normal water temperatures that we have experienced.  There are still a few big reds being caught, but the bite is starting to wind down as we are finally getting some cooler weather.  However, the smaller reds are moving into the areas we would normally find them in the backwater creeks during the late fall and winter.  They are starting to form bigger and bigger schools, which will certainly provide some good action in the coming weeks.  Also, the trout are beginning to show up on their normal fall spots as well.  They too seem to be getting more schooled up every day, meaning that the peak of trout season shouldn't be very far away. Finally, the flounder fishing has been exceptional this past week, as there have been some big catches of flounder in the past few days, both in number and in size.  While the big reds may be leaving till next year, the next few weeks usually provide the fastest action and some of the best catches of the year for all the target inshore species, so don't miss out!  As far as availability for November, my weekend dates are nearly full, but I have plenty of weekdays available if you want to get in on the action!

 -Capt. Kyle

Cooler weather, Hotter fishing!

Well, fall is officially here, and thankfully we have finally been greeted with some fall-like weather, which has cooled the water and heated up the fishing.  The biggest news is that the fall bull redfish run is now underway.  They have just shown up in good numbers in the past few days, so we will hopefully see good action with these big 40+ inch bruisers for a few more weeks.  The smaller reds have also been biting well in the backwater creeks.  The flounder action continues to be good, with quite a few fish still in the same areas where we have caught them all year.  The trout fishing has been a little slower overall, but it seems to be getting better, and will certainly improve even more as the water continues to cool.  The next 6-8 weeks is prime time, and the dates continue to fill up quickly, so give me a call if you want to get in on some hot fall fishing!  Check out some of our recent photos below.  As you will see, its definitely redfish season!

-Capt. Kyle

Late Summer Action!

I am excited to report that the fishing has gotten a little better overall since my last report, which I realize was a little doom and gloom.  We have continued to have a few slow trips since then, which is to be expected this time of year, but thankfully we've had more good trips than slow ones lately.  We've had several good catches of flounder recently, fishing a variety of different spots throughout the Ocean Isle and Sunset beach areas.  Its been a constant guessing game as to which area would produce on a given day, but by playing the tides and weather conditions to make sure we fished each spot at the best time, we have manged to produce some nice catches.  Also, we found a decent redfish bite in a few areas as well, with a couple of trips producing as many redfish bites as flounder bites.  We haven't seen much trout action recently, which is also to be expected, but there continue to be a few caught in the area.  As I am writing this, the weather forecast has us having a strong northeast wind over the next 2-3 days, which will certainly bring some cooler, more comfortable temperatures, and will hopefully pick the fishing up even more.  The busy summer season is pretty much over at this point, and I have plenty of openings in the coming weeks.  However, our great fall fishing is right around the corner, and the prime dates from late September to Thanksgiving are beginning to fill up already, so now is the time to plan a fall fishing trip!  Check out the photos of some of out recent catches below!

 -Capt. Kyle

End of July Report!

With another July nearly gone, we find ourselves in the midst of the dog days of summer, which has made for some long, hot days on the water recently.  Thankfully, we have had an occasional north wind to cool us off, but some days have truly produced some brutal heat.  Despite the hot conditions, we have still manged to find some fish to pull on.  The flounder bite has remained good throughout the Ocean Isle area, and as long as we have had clean water, we have been able to find some flounder bites.  As is normal with flounder fishing, we continue to catch some undersize fish, but there have been plenty of nice keepers mixed in as well.  We have also continued to see some decent redfish action, often times in the same areas that we have been flounder fishing, which always keeps things interesting.  The speckled trout fishing had gotten pretty spotty with the water being as hot as it is, but we have still managed to find a few that were cooperative.  With the summer season starting to wind down, its time to start thinking about all of the great fishing that the fall will produce. I personally can't wait for the the cool temperatures and the hot fishing.  In the meantime, I still have plenty of dates open throughout the month of August if you're going to be in the area and want to chase some inshore fish.  Check out some of our photos form this past week below!

 -Capt. Kyle

Mid - Summer Inshore Action!

Once again, I have been slack with my reporting, but it is thankfully due to the fact that I have been so busy as of late.  Thank you to all that have fished with me so far this year.  The inshore action continues to be consistent in and around the Ocean Isle and Sunset Beach areas.  The trout fishing remains good despite the rising water temperatures, with a lot of trout of all sizes from 12 inchers to 5+ pounders schooled up in the same areas.  Hopefully we will have at least a couple more weeks of good trout action before it begins to slow due to the heat.  The flounder fishing also remains very consistent, as we have been able to find good action with them on most of the occasions that we have fished for them, with quite a few nice keepers in the mix.   The redfish however continue to be a little hit or miss, but we have managed to find a few recently.  Hopefully we will see some more fish/bigger schools move into the area soon.  So, there you have my short, sweet inshore report for today.  I still have a couple of spots open at the end of this week, and plenty more toward the end of the month, so give me a call if you're looking to get on the water!

-Capt. Kyle

Steady Catching!

Well, the first week of the summer season is in the books, and thankfully we had some decent fishing throughout the week.  The flounder continued to produce the most consistent fishing, as they have been biting well, and the keeper to throwback (undersize) ratio has improved also.  We have caught fish up to 4lbs. in the past week, but there have been quite a few 5+ lb. doormats caught in the area recently.  The trout have also made a good showing, as we have been catching some really nice ones up to 4.5lbs or so while flounder fishing.  This is a great sign, and with trout season opening next week, I expect good fishing for them once we start targeting them directly.  The redfish also continue to bite well in and around the area, but they have seemed to be a little more hard headed than the other target species recently, biting well one day and not the next.  All in all, the summer is getting off to a good start, with plenty of good fishing to come.  I still have some openings for the rest of the month, but they continue to fill up quickly, so give me a call if you would like to get in on the action!

-Capt. Kyle

End of April Sunset Beach NC Fishing Report

After a busy week and weekend on the water, I'm pleased to report that the inshore fishing in the Ocean Isle and Sunset Beach area has continued to improve.  After some cool weather Easter weekend which dropped the water temperatures by 10 degrees, we have recovered and the water temps are averaging in the upper 60s once again.  While our success continued to be a little up and down from trip to trip, we managed to find some action each day.  We have had some great action with some nice black drum (up to 8-9 lbs) as well as a few mid to upper slot redfish mixed in. The big news however is that our flounder bite has officially kicked off in Ocean Isle area for the 2014 season.  There are of course quite a few undersize flounder around, as is normally the case in the early spring, but there have been some nice ones caught as well.  After such an up and down spring, i'm just excited that they are finally biting, and its certainly worth weeding through some throwbacks as long as we have some steady action.  Things will only continue to improve in the coming weeks, so now is the time to plan to get in on the action. 

On a side note, dates for the summer are beginning to fill up fast, so don't hesitate to give me call if you would like to do some inshore fishing while on your vacation this summer.

-Capt. Kyle

Back on the water!

 We finally had a break in the cold weather this past weekend, which gave me the opportunity to get back out on the water and hopefully find some hungry fish.  The water temps were still hovering from 47-51 degrees, which is a little cooler than normal for this time of year, and certainly a sign of all the cold weather we've had recently.  Fortunately, after a lot of riding and checking different spots, we were able to find some nice redfish in 24-27 inch range that were willing to bite and provide us with some action.  Several other friends of mine had similar success on the reds over the weekend, and there were even a few trout caught as well, so hopefully we will soon see some warmer temperatures which will certainly lead to even more active fish.  So be patient, and hopefully some great spring fishing will be here before we know it!

-Capt. Kyle

November Trout Catching!

Well, one of my favorite months of the year is finally here.  November usually produces the best trout fishing of the year, and will hopefully do so again this year.  The trout bite seems to finally be taking off, as we had some great trout fishing over the weekend.  We fished many of the usual fall trout spots and found fish on most of them.  We ended the day with 20+ trout, with 14 keepers to 3.5 pounds or so.  The trout fishing should get even better over the next couple of weeks, so now is the time to come down if trout fishing is your thing!  The redfish are also beginning to form larger and larger schools in preparation for winter, and they too have been biting well and should continue to do so.  The flounder fishing is winding down for the year, but we have still been catching a few, mostly while trout or redfish fishing, but those who have been targeting them have continued produced some nice catches.  The good fishing is far from over, so don't miss out!

-Capt. Kyle

More great fall fishing!

The past week has thankfully been a busy one, both in terms of business and fishing action.  The bull redfish action over the past week has been world class, as the big 38 - 45 inch reds have been feeding heavily before they head offshore for the winter.  With much cooler weather in the forecast, the big drum fishing may soon be nearing its end, but hopefully we will get to pull on a few more before they leave.  While the cooler weather in the forecast will slow the drum bite, it should kick the speckled trout and backwater redfish bite into high gear.  Our water temperatures have remained around 70 - 72 degrees, which is a few degrees warmer than normal for this point in the year,  which has resulted in the trout and inshore redfish fishing being a little hit or miss recently.  However, despite being a little slower than normal, the have continued to bite better and better as the month has progressed.  We managed to find a hot trout bite first thing yesterday morning, catching 12 - 15 before heading off to find a bull redfish.  The flounder fishing also continues to be good, with quite a few 5 - 8 pound doormats still being caught in the area.  The flounder fishing should continue to be strong for at least 2 - 3 more weeks, depending on how quickly the water cools.  So there you have it, great fishing that is going to lead into more great fishing.  I have very few weekend days left for the rest of the season (but plenty of weekdays), so give me a call if you want to get in on the great trout and redfish fishing that is to come!  Check out the photos below of some of our catches from the past week.

Its Finally October!!

October is finally upon us, which means that the best inshore fishing of the year is about to happen in the Ocean Isle area.  The air and water have actually warmed up a bit over the past few days, but it looks like we will be cooling back off in the coming week and hopefully staying that way.  The redfish bite has continued to be good throughout the area, both in the backwater creeks and around the Little River Inlet jetties.  The big bull reds bit quite well several times last week, however every time I had a trip, it was on one of the off days for the bull reds. This is typical for the big boys to bite one day and not the next, so you just have to keep grinding away until you land on them.  We did manage to find some bites from some "mid-size" reds in the 30 inch range to give us some action however.  The trout have continued to bite fairly well also, as we have been able to pick away at a few on most every trip.  The trout fishing should really take off in the next couple of weeks as the water cools down, which I'm certainly looking forward too!  The trout have begun to bite artificial lures consistently, and of course have been eating live shrimp when we could get them. The flounder fishing has been good recently as well, with both the backwaters and the nearshore wrecks/reefs producing some nice fish.  My dad and I spent a day this past week on a flounder mission and were rewarded with a pair of doormats weighing 5 and 7 pounds!  See the photo below, along with the photos of some of our other recent catches.  The best fishing of year is now, so its time to plan your fall fishing trip!  I have a very limited number of weekend slots left available over the next 2 months, but plenty of openings during the week.

-Capt. Kyle

Hot fall fishing is here!

 Well, the calendar finally confirms that fall is officially here, and it seems that the fishing is beginning to take off just as it should.  We found some great trout action on a trip over the weekend, catching 20+ trout, in addition to 5 or 6 redfish and a handful of flounder!  The redfish bite was really good for those who spent a more time specifically targeting them, but we hated to leave a bunch of hungry trout to go and try to find something else.  The flounder bite has been good overall as well, as there have been several 5+ pounders caught in the area in the past few days.  I am also expecting to see the fall run of bull redfish kick off any day now,  and I will be quick to report about it when it happens.  We are at the beginning of the best time of year on the inshore fishing grounds, so now is the time to plan to your fall fishing trip!  Sorry for the lack of photos with this report, as the folks on my last trip wouldn't stop fishing long enough for me to take any photos of them with their catch!

-Capt. Kyle

Inshore Update...

If you read my last report, you could probably tell I was pretty pumped about the good redfish fishing we were experiencing last week.  Thankfully, the bite continued to be good in the couple of days after my last report.  Once again we found some hungry, schooled up reds that ate pretty much everything we threw at them.  We also continued to find consistent action with the speckled trout floating live shrimp down grass and oyster shell banks on higher tides.  On the flounder front, it seems like the inshore action is improving slightly, while the offshore flounder fishing has slowed a little, but overall there are still quite a few being caught.   The fall bull redfish run is the next big event on our fishing calendar in the Ocean Isle area, and is always one of my favorite fisheries of the year.  A few big ones are already beginning to show around the inlets and there should be more and more of them showing up as the month goes on.  The last week in September through the first couple weeks of October usually mark the peak of this run, so now is the time to plan your trip if you want to chase these big reds in the 20 - 40 pound range!  Fall is almost here, and with it will come the best inshore fishing of the year, so get ready!

-Capt. Kyle

Fall is getting closer!

After another front over the weekend, I have been greeted by cool, pleasant temperatures the past couple of mornings, which remind me that fall is thankfully right around the corner.  The water temps have cooled several degrees and there are a ton of finger mullet and shrimp around, which should produce some great fishing in the near future.  We have continued to find a solid redfish and speckled trout bite the past few days,  mostly fishing the flooded grass banks of the inshore creeks with live shrimp.  The bigger reds are starting to make a showing around the Little River inlet jetty, with most of the fish averaging in the 8 - 12 pound range, but a few true bull reds of 20+ pounds have been caught recently as well.  I expect the silver mullet run to get underway on the beaches any time now, which should kick the big redfish fishing into high gear.  The flounder fishing has continued to be good as well, with the surplus of finger mullet and clean water still around.   Most of the normal backwater flounder spots have been producing fish, and the nearshore wrecks/reefs continue to yield some nice flounder as well.  We've survived August and still had good fishing throughout the month, so hopefully things will continue to cool down and the fall fishing will start to kick off in the next few weeks.  I'm already starting to book some trips for the prime months of October and November, so if you're planning on making a fall fishing trip give me a call so that you get the dates that you would like.

-Capt. Kyle

Mid-August Ocean Isle Fishing Report

Well, another week is in the books and thankfully the fishing has continued to be good despite the usual late-summer heat.  The redfish bite was very strong early in the week, as we managed to get on several nice schools over the course of several days.  The fish were really mixed size wise, from 14" puppy drum to 27+" "over-slot" fish in the same areas, which was unusual.  But, regardless of size, a redfish is the hardest fighting fish in the backwater, so no one was complaining.  We also managed to find a handful of trout and a couple of sheepshead as well, but the reds definitely dominated the scene this week.  The has still been some good flounder fishing going on in a few areas, and some really nice spanish mackerel have shown up off the beaches and around the inlets, so there are still plenty of options if one species decides not to cooperate on a given day.  Live baiting or cast lures on light tackle to those big August spanish mackerel is something I always look forward to each year, and it looks like we should have some opportunities to do just that if the water stays clean.   I've got plenty of openings for the upcoming week, so if you're looking to get some inshore fishing in, give me a call! Check out the photos below of some of our catches from this week!

-Capt. Kyle

Good fishing continues!

I realize that I'm probably beginning to sound like a broken record, but my report for today is going to sound a lot like the last couple.  We are still finding steady action with the redfish, speckled trout, and black drum in most of the areas we have been fishing for the past couple of weeks.  Floating live shrimp under a cork has also continued to be the most effective way to catch these fish.  We have also picked off a few nice sheepshead along the way, and also found a couple of spots holding some hungry flounder a few days ago.  All in all, we're having some great fishing for this time of the year, and I can only hope that it continues.  So there you have it, short and sweet.  Check of the photos below of some of our catches from the past few days!  The proof is in the pictures!

-Capt. Kyle         

Summertime Mixed Bag Catching...

First, I must apologize for my lack of reports this week.  All week long, it seemed like that every time that I was about to stop and take the time to post a fishing report, I got sidetracked doing something else.  But now that I have, I'm happy to report that we have continued to have steady fishing, especially for as hot as the weather has been.  Water temperatures in the upper 80 degree range have become the standard, but we have still been able to find some hungry fish to keep us busy.  The speckled trout bite has been surprisingly good all week, with most of the fish being solid 2-3 pounders, but we had a fish pushing 5 pounds earlier in the week, which goes to show that a gator trout might show up at any time during the year.  The redfish and black drum have also bit fairly well, with most of them showing up in the same spots we have been trout fishing.   Also, the water has cleaned up just a little, allowing us to get some flounder fishing in on a couple of trips this week, and we were rewarded with a few nice flatties.  In addition, the yearling finger mullet are finally starting to get big enough to use for bait, and most of our flounder action has been on them this week. So the moral of the story is while it maybe be sweltering hot out there, the fish are thankfully still cooperating.  I don't have many openings left for next week, so call a.s.a.p. in you're going to be in town and want to get in on some inshore action!

-Capt. Kyle

Early July Ocean Isle Beach Fishing Report

After a day back on the marlin grounds on Sunday, and taking a boat maintenance day on Monday, I was back on the water yesterday in hopes of finding some hungry fish after the inshore waters had a chance to settle a little more from last week's rain and holiday boat traffic.  Fortunately, we were able to do just that, with the redfish making the strongest showing among the target species during the course of the day.  The bite started off a little slow in the morning on the higher water, but we still managed to find a handful of reds to pull on.  We started out the afternoon catching a flounder and a trout on our first stop, and quickly added a couple of redfish on our next stop to complete an inshore slam.  We then made one more move where we managed land on a school of big reds, most of which were "over-slot" sized fish up to 33 inches.  We also added another nice trout and a sheepshead to the tally at the end of the trip to finish off a great day on the water.  I'll be back at it again tomorrow so stand by for more reports over the next few days.  Don't forget to "like" the facebook page so you will be able to stay up to date on the fishing action in between my reports on this site.

-Capt. Kyle         

Big finish to the week...

I'm sure my reports are beginning to sound a little redundant, but we have continued to be able to find good, steady action with the speckled trout the past couple of days, just as we have all week.  The fish have also continued to be mixed in size, but we have found plenty of nice ones (2-3 pounders) that have surely made for some nice dinners for my clients this week.  There have been some truly big trout mixed in over the past couple of days as well.  We caught a nice 4 pounder on Thursday that is a great fish any time of the year, and especially during the summer.  I was surprised to see the 4 pounder, so you can imagine my surprise when after a spirited fight with what I was sure was a nice redfish yesterday, up popped a true gator trout, which tipped the scales on my Boga Grip at nearly 7 pounds, the biggest of the year so far!  We got a couple of photos of her then promptly released her so she could go drop her eggs.  We have continued to pick at the redfish while we have been trout fishing, and we got into a good bite of some nice black drum yesterday behind Ocean Isle and Sunset beaches.  I've only made a couple of flounder stops in the past couple of days because the trout fishing has been so good, but we have caught a handful, and even managed to catch an inshore slam Thursday morning!  Finally, the busiest beach week of the year is upon us, and I only have a couple of spots left for the upcoming week, so don't hesitate to call if you want to spend some time on the backwater this week!

- Capt. Kyle

Trout action plus more!

The last half of this past week was just as busy as the first, as I have been on the water all day, everyday.  Overall, the fishing has remained consistent throughout the week, even though the fish cooperated better on some days than others.  We have had to deal with some extremely high tides the past couple of afternoons due to the full moon, which has made for some challenging fishing, but we have managed to find some action nonetheless. Much to my delight, the trout bite really turned on well towards the end of the week, making for some really good fishing.  The fish have been mixed size wise, which is typical this time of year, with a lot of 11-12 inch "spike trout" schooled up with bigger fish in the 2-3 pound range, so the name of the game has been to work through the small ones to get to the big ones.  While we have spent a great deal of time floating live shrimp under floats for trout during the last half on the week, we have been able to find some action with some redfish, black drum, and sheepshead in the same areas which we have been trout fishing in.  The flounder fishing has been hit or miss for me all week, but we have managed to catch some, and I received word that there was a good flounder bite around Ocean Isle and Sunset beaches today, so hopefully the flounder action will continue to improve.  Check out the photos below of some of our catches from the last few days. I still have plenty of opening for this coming week, but they are filling up fast, so don't miss your chance to get in on the action!

-Capt. Kyle

Back in the backwater!

After taking off last week to fish the Big Rock blue marlin tournament in Morehead City, I was back in my home waters around Ocean Isle Beach this morning.  Trading in the heavy trolling outfits for spinning rods, I was ready to get back into some inshore action. We started the morning looking for a redfish, and it simply didn't pan out for us, although there were some caught in the area today.  We transitioned over to Sunset Beach to look for trout and flounder, making a couple of stops targeting each species.  We managed a handful of flounder including a nice 18 incher caught by a young man who was spending the day fishing with his dad and granddad.  Our flounder search got cut short, however, as we found a school of hungry trout that kept us occupied for the remainder of the trip.  All of our trout were nice ones,  between 2 and 3.5 pounds, which is a great class of fish for the backwater creeks. Stand by for more reports over the next few days as I have a busy week ahead of me.  I've only got a couple of spots left open for the end of this week and next week is filling up fast, so now is the time to give me a call if you want to get in on the good fishing.   Finally, don't forget to "like" my facebook page so you can see the real-time fishing updates and photos that I post throughout the day!

- Capt. Kyle

Rainy day report...

Rain, rain, go away is what I have been saying all day today and will probably be saying all day tomorrow as tropical storm Andrea passes through the area.  The fishing continued to be good for the first half of the week, with the flounder, reds, and trout all continuing to bite consistently.  Its has been nice to finally to have all three of the target species biting well, so that if one decided to be uncooperative one day, we have been able to easily transition into fishing for another species and finding some action with them.  We also finally have a ton of bait in the area as well, which usually begins to happen this time of year.  The peanut menhaden have been around for a couple of weeks now and are thick pretty much everywhere around Ocean Isle Beach, Sunset Beach, and the shrimp have started to show up in the creeks as well, which usually causes some good fishing to fire off this time of year. The last part of the week has literally been a washout, causing myself and pretty much all of the other guides in the area to have to cancel some trips.  After all, there no use in being wet and miserable while you're fishing, because its supposed to be fun!  But, we will be right back at it after the storm passes, so stand by for more reports in a couple of days.

-Capt. Kyle

Mid - Week Update!

We left Ocean Isle Beach this morning and spent some time out in the Gulf Stream on Monday. For the past two days I have been in the Sunset Beach area.  Yesterday, I had Dave and Luke from Charlotte onboard for a full day adventure.  It was a pleasant day on the water overall, with the only downside being a stiff southeast breeze of about 15 knots or so.  A southeast wind, to me a least, is one of the toughest to fish on in this area, and it certainly made us work for the bites we got yesterday.  We made a bunch of stops throughout the day, but in the end, we wound up with a good catch of fish consisting of a half dozen or so speckled trout, and a couple flounder, redfish, and black drum, giving an inshore slam plus some for the day.  Today, the wind fell out to next to nothing and came around to straight out of the south, which I was certainly glad to see. I had Dave (a different Dave from yesterday) and his wife Erin, who are from Virginia, onboard today.  We started out fishing some docks in hope of getting a few redfish bites, but they didn't want to play so we quickly switched gears over to trout fishing.  It took a couple of stops, but we finally landed a school of hungry trout which kept us busy most of the morning.  We ended up keeping a limit of male trout while releasing around 6 or 7 more nice females (up to around 3.5 pounds or so) so that they could get their spawning done.  We also had a stud pompano of about 3 pounds and some bluefish thrown in as well.  It looks like we have plenty of good weather in the near future, so the fishing should remain good.  Come get in on the action!

-Capt. Kyle

Inshore Slam plus more!

I had the pleasure of spending yesterday on the water with a family from the Raleigh area.  They had redfish on their minds but said they would be very willing to pull on anything else that would like to bite as well.  We started off flounder fishing at Sunset Beach and found some quick action, but the fish were on the small side, so we made a move and transitioned over to floating live shrimp under cork rigs.  Once again we didn't have long to wait as we caught a solid redfish on the first cast.  We had steady action throughout the trip from some nice reds (including a couple of over-slot sized specimens up to 29"), black drum, sheepshead, and trout (one of which was just shy of 5 pounds).  We also got covered up by the bluefish a couple of times, and while most were the small 8-10" nuisance blues everyone is used to, we did hook one monster "chopper" blue that but up a great fight before finally chewing through the leader a few feet from the boat.  It was without a doubt one of the bigger blues I've ever dealt with, as I estimated him to be pushing 15lbs.  All in all, we couldn't have asked for much more with all the variety, steady action, and a few big ones thrown in there for good measure. It was truly a great day on the water.  The weather looks great for the weekend at Sunset Beach and into next week, therefore the good fishing should continue...so don't miss out!

-Capt. Kyle

Starting the week off right!

When I launched the boat this morning in a stiff 20 knot north wind with the air temperatures hovering around 55 degrees, it certainly felt a lot more like November than the middle of May.  I was a little concerned that the cooler temperatures would give the fish lock - jaw, but fortunately one of the first casts of the morning yielded a nice black drum, and we continued to catch fish on Sunset Beach, Ocean Isle Beach and every stop after that.  While the bite wasn't red hot, it was consistent, and we never had to go to long without a bent rod.  I had a past client of mine, Mr. Ruben onboard, along with his daughter Anita and granddaughter Alexis, who both got a workout from some nice redfish during the course of the trip, including a 31", 11 pound bruiser which Anita whipped in short order.  We also managed to boat a couple of nice trout as well to add to our total for the day.  All in all, we had a successful trip despite being blown around by the wind all morning.  We're supposed to have another cool night tonight, but it looks like we're going to be warming right back up again after that, and hopefully we will be done with the north wind for a while, at least until we're ready to see it anyway.

- Capt. Kyle

Big Reds and Black and White Stripes!

Had another great day on the water around Ocean Isle and Sunset Beaches today with a vacationing couple from Montana.  Both wanted to catch their first Redfish, and thankfully both of them succeeded.  We managed to catch a handful of Reds today which included some nice 6-8 pounders mixed in with some smaller reds, or "puppy drum" as we often call them.  We also got onto some nice sheepshead early in the trip and caught several nice 3-5 pounders, which were a pleasant surprise.  Later in the day we landed on a school of nice black drum, and managed to catch 7 or 8 of them as well.  So we caught lots of black and white striped fish in addition to the reds today. In case you were wondering what I mean, both sheepshead and black drum have vertical black and white stripes, and often get mistaken for each other.  The good weather and good fishing continues, so come get in the action!

-Capt. Kyle

Windy and Rainy Day Report

We have certainly been plagued with some nasty weather this past week, with cooler temperatures, lots of clouds, and rain off and on all week.  Today was no different as me and my crew for the day braved the elements in 25 knot NE winds and spitting rain.  While it certainly wasn't a good day to work on your tan, the fish didn't seem to mind the adverse conditions at all.  We spent most of the trip fishing spots at Ocean Isle Beach sheltered from the wind, and managed to find a good bite of both redfish and black drum in several of those spots.  We also managed a couple of trout bites on Sunset Beach as well.  It was very encouraging to find the fish still in a feeding mood after all the bad weather.  The long-range forecast shows warmer and drier days for next week, which will improve things even more.  I haven't made it to the big trout grounds to fish for the springtime gator trout yet,  but stand by, I'm going to make it a point to spend some time there next week, and will hopefully have good things to report! Don't forget to check the Facebook page for real-time photos and reports!

-Capt. Kyle

Getting warmer...

With a week of temperatures in the 70+ degree range, and another week of the same ahead of us, the inshore fishing in the Ocean Isle Beach area continues to improve each day.  The redfish fishing has continued to be strong the past few days, with many fish still holding in their normal winter spots.  However, they will likely be on the move into a more spring/summer type pattern soon.  The Cherry Grove area continues to produce some early season flounder, and I expect the Tubbs Inlet area will begin to produce any day now as well.  As the water temperature climbs towards 70, the speckled trout will soon be going into their annual pre-spawn feeding mode, which is one of the best times of the year to catch a true "gator" trout.  I consider a trout of 5+ pounds to be of "gator" status, as they are truly a trophy catch doesn't happen every day.  I am certainly looking forward to the near future especially in Sunset Beach, as some of the best fishing of the year is upon us.  So there you have it folks, good things are happening, so give me a call and we will get on the water!

Be patient, big things are coming!

Since my last report predicting spring fishing to take off with the warm, pleasant weather being forecasted for next week, we have had weather that was anything but warm and pleasant.  The last few days have been cool and dreary, but there have been some fish biting despite the weather.  The redfish and black drum bite continues to be consistent in the Ocean Isle Beach area.  Live mud minnows and fresh dead shrimp fished on Carolina rigs have been producing most of the bites.  I am going to stand by my prediction that next week will be when the fishing improves throughout the area by leaps and bounds at Sunset Beach.  The 10 day forecast shows nothing but highs in the 70s and sunny skies ahead.  So get ready, the spring flounder bite isn't far away, the redfish bite will only get better, and those big pre-spawn gator trout should be staging up any day now!

-Capt. Kyle

Like us on Facebook!

If you're a Facebook user, be sure to like my page at www.facebook.com/speckulatorinshorefishingcharters. During the course of the year I will be using the Facebook page to provide real time fishing report updates and photos.  This will allow you to be able to know what we're catching almost as it happens, and will keep you even more in tune with what is happening on the water, in between the reports I post on this site.

-Capt. Kyle

Welcome!

        Welcome to the new home of Speckulator Inshore Fishing Charters!  After a short hiatus from guiding I’ll be back at it this year, chasing Flounder, Trout, Redfish, and more in my home waters around Ocean Isle Beach and Sunset Beach.  In the off season I moved up into a new boat, a 24’ Triton LTS bay boat that will provide the most comfortable inshore fishing experience possible.  Also, in addition to the new website and new boat, I have a new home base as well.  This year my trips will leave from the Ocean Isle Marina and Yacht Club, which puts us literally on the fishing grounds, allowing us to maximize our fishing time on each trip.  So, with all the changes for 2013, there is no doubt that it will be an exciting year.

-Capt. Kyle