As I mentioned in my last report, one of my favorite times of the year is finally here. For the next few weeks the speckled trout will be in pre-spawn feeding mode, which is one of the best, if not the best, time of the year to catch a truly big trout. One thing to keep mind is that all big trout are females, which are full of roe this time year. Practicing catch and release on these big girls is important to ensure that there are plenty of babies to grow into big trout in the years to come. With that being said, my plan is to shift my focus to trout in the near future, so if you are a big trout fanatic like me, now is the time to come. In addition, we almost always have plenty of "by-catch" of redfish when targeting trout this time of year, which we certainly don't mind either. I spent some time back on the flounder grounds at Sunset Beach late last week as well, and again found a consistent bite of smaller fish, but not many keeper size fish. But, that is certain to change and the flounder will be feeding in full bore in the next couple weeks as the water continues to warm, and the average size will increase as well. May is when the fishing truly begins to get good in the Ocean Isle Beach area, so give me a call and I'll get you in the action!
-Capt. Kyle