|
Mark Russell out of Raleigh, NC has a real deal on a 22ft McKee Craft. The boat is
fully equipped with a 250 Yamaha 4 stroke and other extras. It sits on an aluminum mag-tilt trailer. The boat has 15
hours on it! He has $57,000 invested but will sell for $38,000. He also has rods, reels and tackle to sell. Contact him at
919 600-1068 for more information.
Check out the
new trips and lower prices for 2010 on the "FISHING TRIP RATES" page. We should have a trip to
please just about everyone this year!!!!
NEW Screensaver!!!
FRYING PAN SHOALS BUOY
REEF CAST
How to prepare Blue Crabs
How to tie a king mackerel live-bait rig.
How to tie a dead cigar minnow king mackerel rig
BBB ACCREDITED BUSINESS
Check out the new trips
and lower prices for 2010 on the "FISHING TRIP RATES" page. We should have a trip to please just
about everyone this year!!!!
Scroll to the bottom of these fishing reports and
you can watch videos of some of our catches!!!
February 20th I will be doing seminars and "how to's" at the Christian Fishing School in Wilmington,NC.
I think this school is "sold out". Will post here if any seats come available!!!
1-27-10
I brought this report back to the top to remind you what you can do this time
of year when you get a calm day!!!! We will see you in DC on the 24th!!!
I can truly say that we started the charter season off today in grand style!!
We were on a bottom fishing trip today with Danny Gillis, Joshua Waller, Alice Davis, Will
Davis from Salisbury,NC and with them was Donnie Mabe from China Grove,NC.
Our first stop proved to be the right place to be today!! We got the "Yeah Right II" anchored
up on the down current side of a rock ledge and the Black Bass were there just waiting for our baits.
The action was so hot that I had to come down from the fly bridge and give Capt. Chris a hand.
He can usually keep up with a six man crew but today the fish were biting so good that both of us had trouble keeping up...
If you are a Black Bass fisherman, this is your time of year. Even though the commercial segment
of the Black Bass fishery is closed to commercial fishing, the recreational/charter headboat segment is still open, and there
are some Big Bass biting now!!!
Oh yeah, the Spiney Dog Sharks are here as well!! These are one of the best eating sharks
that swim. It's the same fish that made "Fish N' Chips" famous!!!
It may be cold and you have to pick your days, but when you get a good day, the fish are there!!
The water was dirty all the way to the Horse Shoe area, and there was very few Gannetts in
the area. Bluefin signs didn't look good in the area.
As far as the temperature of the water, I can't say, my unit went haywire in the temp dept,
either that, or the water temp was 90.3*
Thanks guys for helping us start the season off in grand style. It was another one of those
days that memories are made from!!!
Till next time, God Bless!!!!
Fish On!!!!
Capt's Butch & Chris Foster
PROVERBS 27:10 Never abandon a friend--either yours or your father's. Then you won't need to
go to a distant relative for help in your time of need.
1-31-10
I was trying to figure a way to explain the impact this mess could
have on us, and Capt. Brant at the OIFC just sent me an e-mail that literally "took the words from my mouth that I was
trying to get out"
Thanks Capt Brant!!! Here's a copy of the E-Mail, send it to everyone you
know!!!!!PLEASE!!!!
|
*** Forward this email to anyone
you know who enjoys the freedom to fish. Post to web forums, web sites.... All fishermen need to know what is at stake
***
Here is the deal in a short version --- environmentalist are in control of fisheries and the current administration
that is in place is listening to them. I am all for conservation in fisheries, and there is no doubt many species need new
rules. BUT, the problem is the pendelum is swinging too far in one direction.
For years there has not
been enough legislation and now they are going absolutely crazy. You will likely here the word "Magnuson Stevens Act" get
thrown around. In short laimens, it says that all fisheries must be brought to "maximum sustainability" within the next year
or two. Thus, since this is law was passed by Congress, fisheries panels as they put it "have no choice" but to shut down
entire fisheries completely in order to bring them to "maximum sustainability" immediately. And therin lies the problem.
There's no middle ground.
Instead of acknowledging that our Red Snapper population off of NC is depleted and shutting it down for 3, 6 or even 9 months,
they shut it down completely because "they are forced" by the Magnuson Stevens Act. So, where we are right now is that the
fisheries councils have already agreed to shut down ALL bottomfishing from middle Florida to the Frying Pan Shoals-- the rough
area covers depths from 80 feet o 150 feet. That is everything! No more Grouper, Snapper... AT ALL.
It is complete closures
of fisheries that will snowball into further regulation on other species. Even if you are not a bottom fisherman, if this
goes forward, your King Mackerel, Dolphin, Wahoo, Cobia will be next.
So, the RFA (Recreational Fishing
Alliance) has got the ball rolling on the Flexibility in Rebuilding American Fisheries Act of 2009, sponsored by Sen. Charles
Schumer.
The concept is that instead
of shutting fisheries down to meet deadlines of the Magnuson Stevens, there is some flexibility built in that will still aim
at achieving the goals of maximum sustainability, but the goals are to be achieved over several years, allowing fisheries
to remain opened- not completely closed.
Thus, RFA has initiated
and is organizing a Rally on DC on February 24th whereby all who have a care to save our fishing rights are asked to show
up on the steps of the Capitol to show their support for the Flexibility in Rebuilding American Fisheries Act of 2009.
The OIFC is sponsoring a bus to
carry you to DC to show support. The bus leaves the OIFC at 4am on 2/24 and will get back late that same night. The only expense
you have is for your meals, as I'm sure we'll make stops along the way. There are 50 seats on the bus, and the first 50 that
commit, will have a seat. I currently have 30 seats left open. If you want a seat EMAIL ME ASAP-captbrant@oifc.com with your name and phone number and how many seats you will need.
To open these files below, Right click, then Left click on "open in a new window"
If you prefer to travel
by your own means, visit http://www.joinrfa.org/ for information.
For complete details on what is
going on with this issue, and not my abridged version visit http://www.joinrfa.org/ .
If you cannot make the DC Rally, you
should join the RFA at http://www.joinrfa.org/ .
For NC Reps- http://www.ncgov.com/1223,1223,Government_Officials,Government_Officials.html
For SC Reps- http://www.scstatehouse.gov/cgi-bin/zipcodesearch.exe
NOW, THIS IS VERY
IMPORTANT: left click on this FlexibilityLetterRFA.pdf open in a new window, print it off, fill it out and fax, mail, e-mail, one way or another, get it to the
represenatives above, ASAP!!!! |
1-26-10
Thanks to all that came by to see us this year at the shows!!!! When the dust finally settled,
I do believe we had the best show year yet!!
Weather permitting, we are going bottom fishing tomorrow. Check back and I will have a "hands
on" report of at least what the bottom fish are doing now, if we get to go!!
Hasn't been any fishing going on lately down here, the winds and rain have been on a rampage
lately, but the rains are gone and the winds are getting lighter daily.
As for the Bluefin Tuna, that's a question everyone is pondering. We aren't sure if they are
gone or haven't gotten here yet, but we don't think they are here now.
Gulfstream has had a good Wahoo bite going on, hopefully the winds and seas will settle back
down so we can get back out to them again soon.
Give us a call and you too can "Fish The Charter Boat That Fishermen Prefer And Locals
Recommend" but better call soon, we are booking daily now for 2010!!!
Till next time, God Bless You All!!!
Fish On!!!!
Capt Butch Foster
PROVERBS 24:13,14 My Son, honey whets the appetite, and so
does wisdom! When you enjoy becoming wise, there is hope for you! A bright future lies ahead!
12/27/2009
The Yeah Right II made way from South Harbour Marina this morning with Adam Lone from Laurinburg,
NC and Ashley Rorie of Concord, NC on a 1/2 day journey to catch some fish for the dinner table.
Capt. Butch's first move was to some coral structure about 12 miles offshore in search of
some bottom fish but with the dirty water having moved in from all the rain earlier in the week and the current moving at
a fast pace the marks on the colorscope looked great but the fish didn't want to bite. After a few drops Capt. decided
to move to another spot on the East side of the shoals to hopefully find cleaner water.
In the midst of cleaner water there were several schools of Grey Trout with some small Black
Sea Bass mixed in that seemed hungry. Ashley even caught a Stingray that really put up a good fight.
Several others were Bluefin and King Mackerel Fishing and there were several reports of big
Sharks and a couple of Kings and "boneheads" being landed but no Bluefin to my knowledge and the Kings were limited in numbers.
The fish are here, if we can get the weather to cooperate and the winds to lay, then the bite
should be on!
Til' next time, Fish ON!
Capts. Butch and Chris Foster
12/22/2009
Today we were joined by Bob Williams of Arlington, VA on an offshore bottom trip in search
of good eating fish and maybe a Grouper. We did manage a Gag but measuring 22" he missed the keepable length by 2" and
we had to release him. However, the "knot head" Black Sea Bass were plentiful and willing to bite. In short
time we were limited out on Black Bass and Atlantic Sharpnose Sharks and went in search of something different.
The NE wind was starting to blow a little stronger and the shoals were beginning to get a
bit sloppy and with the new regulations closing B-Liners, Capt. Butch and I feared that moving to deeper water would prove
to be dissappointing in having to throw back everything landed. With all this considered we decided to move back in-shore
a bit and see if the Grey Trout were willing to bite.
At first the action was slow, but the trick to Grey Trout is pin-pointing the school and getting
anchored right on top of it. Capt. Butch is a master at this skill and soon we were jigging up Trout 3 at a time, most
were 11-11 1/2" just shy of the 12" size limit, but in the end the crew was able to pull out several keeper sized Greys and
some Croakers for the frying pan.
I heard of several Bluefin Tuna being hooked up today, and Capt. Walley Traya put the first
one on the Southport docks this year, measuring in at 83". We are headed out tomorrow in search of a Bluefin,
so we'll have a report again tomorrow evening covering that trip as well.
FISH ON!!!
Capt's. Butch and Chris Foster
11-22-09
Yes the winds have been blowing and there's been some rain here on the coast lately, but just
because you can't run 30 miles offshore in the rough stuff, there are still fish that can be caught closer in!!!
We fished the NE winds today on the WOFES, and the Grey Trout, Blues, Crokers,
Whiting, Sharks, Sting Rays, and Red Drum bite was nothing short of fantastic!!
Capt. Chris and I fished the first half of the day with Hayes Thompson and Shera Menier from
Charlotte, NC.
I don't know how many fish we caught, way to many to even try to count, although most were
released to fight another day, we kept a few for some fish dinners, the bite was on, big time!!
Shera hooked up the only big Red Drum today and even though it nearly spooled the reel we
managed to gain most of the line back before she made a sudden turn and charged off proving to be more that the line could
handle. You know the old saying "The thrill of victory, and the agony of defeat" is a good title for the outcome on this fish!!
Now moving to the second half of the day. The seas were a lot calmer in the evening since
the tide was falling, going with the wind instead of pushing against it as it was earlier while rising.
However, the falling tide produced a very strong current, something we have had to learn how
to fish this past year if we were going to catch fish, and by the way the fish were caught this evening, I think we have learned
well!!!
This evening we were fishing with Scott Rudolph and his son Noah. Jack Brown and his son Tyler,
and Zakk Sheen. All these guys were from High Point,NC.
If you aren't familiar with Scott, you need to get to know him. He owns the Bar B Que House
on Oak Island. Myself, being from Lexington,NC know the meaning of good BBQ, and in my opinion, the BBQ House has the best around.
He even has the Lexington style sauce and red slaw in house for you to try!!!
I was hoping that the tide change had not shut the bite off. We went back to the same spot
we fished earlier and just as I had figured, the tide change had caused the fish to relocate.
A slight adjustment of our previous location to the back side of the structure, and the bite
was on again.
This evening's crew didn't want to keep any fish, so even though 99% were released, Capt Chris
and I kept a few for us for some fish dinners.
A lot of people think that Capt Chris and I get a lot of fish, but they all go to
our fishermen. What you catch on the "YEAH RIGHT II" belongs to you!!!
We had hoped for another Red Drum this evening but Noah,Tyler, and Zakk were just as happy
with great fights the Shark attacks provided.
We fished with some Great people today and hope we can share the boat with them again sometime
soon!!!
Till next time, God Bless Everyone!!!!
Fish
On!!!!
Capt's
Butch & Chris Foster
PROVERBS 20:21 A fortune can be made from cheating,
but there is a curse that goes with it.
11/08/2009
Today we were joined by Jeanetta Dixon, Micheal Anderson, Deneaka Nicks, Darnell Greenway
and Henry Greenway, all from Baltimore, MD on a bottomfishing excursion. Shortly after reaching the offshore grounds
the crew found themselves hooked up on Grey Snapper, Black Sea Bass, a few Triggerfish, and Silver Snappers.
The picture tells it all!
Jeanetta even managed a large Almaco Jack and Deneaka a Scamp Grouper. Heard reports
of King Mackerel biting pretty well and the sight of a whale on the way in foretells the Bluefin Tuna will be arriving soon.
The bottomfish seem to be showing up in good numbers again and the fall bite is on!
Let's go Fishing,
FISH ON!!
Capt's Butch and Chris Foster
11-5-09
The Northerly winds has had the beach as slick as a baby's butt this week. Offshore
at times, well that's been a different story.
However, there are plenty of fish to be had near shore this time of year. King Mackeral have
been biting from the Old Sea Buoy out to areas like Light House Rocks, 15 and 18 Mile rocks, Shark Hole,etc;.
Inshore, there have even been a few Spanish Mackeral around. Only thing I can figure is that
the near shore waters are a little warmer than usual for this time of year so some are still hanging around before they head
on offshore for winter.
The Blue Fish have been plentiful!! Grey Trout have been on the WOFES, AR420 & AR425.
The Grey's have been on the smaller size but as the water cools more, you can expect the larger ones to start showing up.
These same areas are also holding some of the fall citation sized Red Drum that invade the
beaches each year. We have hooked a few while jigging for the Grey Trout, but no one has been able to stop one yet on the
lighter tackle we use for the trout.
False Albacore were being caught close in a week or so ago, haven't heard anything about those
lately down our way. Capt. Jerry reported in the paper that they were up on the Carolina Beach, Masonboro areas.
A report of spots in the Cape Fear river was apparently heard by many. Last weekend if you
broke down in the river, you could have walked boat to boat back to land.
On the inside, Speckled Trout, Red Drum, and Flounder are the catches now.
The weather this weekend looks good at this time. It's Fall season, cooler temperatures, low
humidity, hungry fish..... What else could you possibly ask for?
Till next time,God Bless!!!!
Fish On!!!!
Capt. Butch Foster
PROVERBS 20:3 It is an honor for a man
to stay out of a fight. Only fools insist on quarreling.
11/01/2009
Had a 1/2 day trip today with Jean Church and Chris Wright of Midway, NC alongside his dad, Gene
Wright from Quinwood, WV. We left the dock in search of any fish that would bite! First stop was on the Blues
and quickly the crew landed about a dozen or so and then as soon as the tide went "slack" they quit biting.
Next up was a search for some Grey Trout. They marked up on the AR 425 and AR 420 but all that
would bite were a few small Black Bass here and there. Capt. Butch navigated the Yeah Right II to another spot known
for Greys and sure enough after a little searching and lure testing the combination was put together and the Greys started
coming aboard.
With a mess of Grey Trout and a few Spanish Mackerel mixed in accompanied by a nice catch of Blues
we decided to head in before the front that is forecasted to move through this evening got here. Another great day of fishing
with a great crew!
FISH ON!!!
Capt's Butch and Chris Foster
& Bodie says hi!
10/30/2009
Had a 1/2 day trip today with a great group of guys from the Fuquay Varina, NC area. Joined
by Nathaniel Wood, Garnell Heggie, John McNeill, Steven Thorpe and his brother Tim Thorpe from Apex, NC. We started
out with hopes of King Mackerel and anything else that would bite but the winds blowing NNE at 20 knots had other plans for
us and we ended up staying nearshore.
First lines in and the Blues were on hot and heavy, as a matter of fact, the crew landed a limit
of 75 in about 2 hours!!! No Spanish Mackerel were mixed in this trip however, seems the water may be on the way to
being to cold for them to be near the beach. I did hear one report of a few Spanish being caught around Yaupon.
After limiting out on Blues Capt. Butch decided to venture a little offshore to some numbers in search
of the Grey Trout like we caught the other day. They marked up on the colorscope once again, however; the Easterly
winds had given them lockjaw and all we could manage were a few "too small" Black Sea Bass.
A great trip with some really great guys, fishing! Makes anyday a great day!
Capt's Butch and Chris Foster
10-27-09
Today is the 27th of October. I was going fishing today but decided not to go.
Well, that was a BIG Mistake!!!!! I got a phone call that I really was missing the action
today. The seas were so flat that they only had one side. Now that's flat!!!!!
Flat seas usually means that the fishing is subject to be a little slow. Not today!!!!
About 18 miles SE of the Cape Fear river there was a King Mackeral bite today that like we
wait all year for, and I did not go fishing today.
I know that the Grey Trout, Blues, Atlantic Sharpnose Sharks, and Red Drum are biting
near shore. Some whiting, Flounder, and spots are being caught as well.
And now this, the kings are starting to school up as proved today with a hot King Mackeral bite.
Hey, it's Fall fishing time and the fish are starting to realize it as well!!!!!
OK, it's predicted to blow for the next couple of days, hopefully by the weekend the weather/winds will
co-operate again.
If it does, IT'S SHOWTIME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Blessings!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Fish On!!
Capt Butch
PROVERBS 19:8 He who loves wisdom loves his own best
interest and will be a success.
10/23/2009
Joined by Ron Monroe of Mt. Prospect, IL and his daughter, Tracy Monroe of Chicago, IL we
went in search of Spanish Mackerel and the other near shore species. As soon as the Clarkspoons were deployed in the
"rip" the Spanish and Blues started coming in at a pretty quick clip, only problem...there were many more Blues than Spanish
so after catching enough for bait Capt. Butch steered the Yeah Right II toward the shrimp boats in search of a big Shark!
Seemingly the water has gotten to cold for the Sharks to be hanging near the beach any longer
this year and after no strikes in short order, we decided to see if the Grey Trout and citation Red Drum had shown up yet.
Soon we were into the Grey Trout and small Black Sea Bass. They are not here extremely thick yet, but if you work at
it there is no problem at finding a few limits. There are a few Atlantic Sharpnose Sharks still around near the beach
and Ron managed to land 3 of these but we decided to release them all today.
Heard reports that there were some King Mackerel caught at the 15 mile Rock area as well today.
'til next time! FISH ON!!!
Capt's. Butch and Chris Foster
10/21/2009
Capt. Butch and myself were joined by a wonderful group of guys today! George Currin, Bob Smathers,
Donald L. Sellers, and Sutt Alexander all from Charlotte, NC alongside their friend, Bubba Howle from Darlington, SC went
in search of King Mackerel. After catching bait offshore of the lighthouse in deeper water, we made our way to Lighthouse
Rock.
After no luck at the Lighthouse Rock area we made way to the Sharkhole and began to troll some CIgar
Minnows with pogeys, once again the Kings seemed illusive then came a report of the Kings firing off around the
"old Sea Buoy" area.
Soon after the Yeah Right was in the area and began deploying various colors and rigs for
the Kingfish. A "naked" rig seemed to be the trick today, everyday is different in fishing out on the ocean!
The Kings decided to bite and Bob landed one really nice King Mackerel. A couple of
Sharks were the next bites we had!
Just as the Kings decided to bite real good, our time for a 3/4 day trip was up and with the
bite really getting into action, the decision was made to call it a day anyway.
The weather looks great for the next couple of days and the fish are here for now. They
will be retreating for deeper and warmer waters soon. Better get 'em while they are on the beach now, Let's go fishing!!!
FISH ON!!!
Capts. Butch and Chris Foster
10/17/2009
Finally a trip offshore has been managed! In search of King Mackerel we went joined
by Johnathan Williams of Ramseur, NC and Kevin Hiatt from Archdale, NC and started working our way offshore until we found
the bait stacked up on some structure around the 18 Mile Rock area. The Kings seemed reluctant at first but after landing
a nice 4 pound Spanish Mackerel and a couple of Sharks, we found a King that wanted to bite.
After trying multiple skirts and colors with Cigar Minnows finally the "secret link" was discovered.
A blue/pink Pirate Plug made by South Chatam Tackle, http://www.southchathamtackle.com/Pirate_Plugs.htm was this weapon and soon after we had at least a half a dozen Kingfish on the line.
They were seemingly short-striking because the hooks were pulled on all but two of these. Two Kings around 12-15 pounds
were boated.
Lastly we decided to try to find a citation Red Drum so we moved to some nearshore rocks and
found a few decent Gray Trout but no Red Drum wanted to bite today. With a good mess of fish for dinner we decided
to head back to the "hill" for the day.
FISH ON!
Capt's Butch and Chris Foster
10/15/2009
Once again the stiff NW winds kept the Yeah Right on the beach today. We had a full day offshore
trip in the plans; however, the 5.9 foot seas every 6 seconds report this morning deemed it to be a Spanish and King Mackerel
excursion.
Joined by Gary and Tonya Fossett of Charlotte, NC alongside Sue and Bob Fossett of Union, KY we began
by dropping planers and spoons for some Spanish Mackerel but with the cold fronts stacked against us the Spanish simply wouldn't
bite, we did end up picking out a couple nice Blues. After trying the Spanish for awhile we went in search of a King
Mackerel. Capt. Butch had reports that there was a little bit of a bite between the two piers so in search of pogeys
we went.
The pogeys were thick just east of Ocean Crest Pier and after a couple of casts the tank was loaded
and the cooler full for chum. The sun decided to come out which we thought was a great thing except for the fact that
the bite completly shut off when this happened. Finally after a couple of hours the cloud cover returned and we had
in total 3 bites. One of which took the line under the boat and the prop cut, the second was a short strike, and the
third pulled the hooks almost immediatly! With reports of the Spanish being Extremely scattered and the King bite having
shut down with the fronts moving through we decided to make for a day with better weather and more willing fish! The
fish are here, now we just need to get Mother Nature to cooperate so that they will want to bite!
FISH ON!
Capt's Butch and Chris Foster
10-13-09
With the stiff NNE winds today we just did a 1/2 day on the beach. When the crew called yesterday,
they had decided to do a full day, but we had already booked the second half of the day.
We started off netting some pogys and then went after some king Mackeral. This decision
was based on the good bite we have been having lately.
With us this morning was Mike and Chris Lowder from China Grove,NC., David Threatt from Kannapolis,NC.,
and David Shaver from Rockwell,NC.
The recent winds had the water on the beach muddier than it had been the past few days and
the cold front that went through had the King Mackeral in a slower than normal bite than what had been experienced lately.
After slow trolling live baits with no takers for nearly 2 hours and the radio talk confirming
the slow bite, I made the call to try for some Spanish Mackeral.
I figured this was going to be easy, especially since they were jumping every where you looked.
But, just as they do sometimes, they too were slow to bite.
I kept moving from one area to another with the same luck. Ok, lets go over to a shrimp boat
and catch a shark!!!
We gave that a try, no sharks and no bites. Back to the Spanish Mackeral fishing, at least
they were showing themselves, so, we knew they were in the area.
Now, we did finally get into the Spanish Mackeral and Bluefish. And you'll never believe where.
Just goes to show that you can't figure these critters out!!!!
We caught them in the dirtiest water we could find. The dirtier the water was, the better
they would bite. It never ceases to amaze me how things can be so different every day on the ocean!!!
This was going to make our evening trip a lot easier on me now that I had found the fish.
Don't ever think that all your plans will work as planned either. Got a call from our
afternoon trip guys. Before they made it to South Harbour Marina, they experienced vehicle trouble and had to go to the repair
shop instead of fishing, now that's a terrible way to begin and end a fishing trip.
Things happen in our lives that are unavoidable, and when they do, we just have to deal with
them the best we can!!!!
Capt Chris and I had a great time this morning with this crew and even though we found the
fish late in the morning, we gave our charter free extra time until we caught enough fish to make up for me having
to find them!!!
Oh yeah, we also had another first today, we caught a legal size Flounder on a Clark Spoon
while Spanish Fishing. I told you every day is different on the ocean!!!!!
Till next time, God Bless Everyone!!!!
Fish on!!!!
Capt's. Butch and Chris Foster
PROVERBS 17:4 The wicked enjoy fellowship with others who are wicked; Liars enjoy Liars.
10/10/2009
We started off with the initiative to run offshore on a full-day trip today; however, the
winds gusting 20 knots this morning out of the SW had a different plan for the Yeah Right crew. Brandon Byerly, Jeremy
Williams, Martin Almond, Ben "Big Fish" Smith, Darrel Smith, all from Concord, NC and Ron Woodruff of Wilmington, NC decided
to give a 1/2 day a go and see if the Spanish Mackerel would want to cooperate.
The day started off slow with alot of trolling and not a lot of catching, we even loaded up
on Pogys and rode in behind a shrimp boat trying to get a Shark. One nice Shark circled the baits twice and turned away
both times making the idea that the encroaching frontal boundary had created "lockjaw" amongst the ocean's beasts. The King
Mackerel action seemed just as slow as the Spanish action and Capt. Butch decided to make a last ditch effort. He made
the run to the rip where the Cape Fear River meets the Ocean and found some Spanish and Blues that wanted to bite.
Within 2 hours the crew had landed nearly 2 dozen nice Spanish and about a dozen Blues along
with a couple of Ribbonfish! #00 gold and pink Clarkspoons on #1 planers proved to be the "dynamite" today.
Til' next time,
FISH ON!!
Capts. Butch and Chris Foster
10-9-09
The fishing is in the fall pattern pretty much now. We are to have some above average warm
weather the next couple of days, then getting back to more cooler conditions. This can only make the fishing better.
Had a trip to the stream yesterday but it was too rough to go then, so they went
with Dickie today to the stream. They had a Blackfin Tuna and three Mahi Mahi from the stream then came back inside and caught
5 or 6 King Mackeral, a Bonito, and a couple of Hound Fish.
The king Mackeral bite is doing good now close to the beach. Bait was reported thick today
at the Big Hill today. The Spanish Mackeral should bite good with the expected warm temperatures the next few days.
look for the Spots to make another run next week with the cooler temps coming in. They have
already made a couple of runs last week, but I think that was just to get things warmed up for what's to come in the coming
weeks ahead.
There's lots of other fish biting this time of year, You have the Reds, Flounder, Grey Trout,
Speckled Trout, Whiting, Spots, Sharks, King Mackeral, Spanish Mackeral, Blue fish, Many species of bottom fish, Grouper,
Bonito, and the species of the Gulf stream.
I'm sure I forgot some, but that's all I could think of at a moments notice!!!
As for the weather tomorrow, here's a copy from NOAA at 9PM Friday night;
TONIGHT
S WINDS 10 TO 15 KT...BECOMING SW 15 TO 20 KT AFTER
MIDNIGHT. SEAS
AROUND 3 FT...BUILDING TO 4 FT AFTER MIDNIGHT.
SAT
SW WINDS 10 TO 15 KT. SEAS 2 TO 4 FT.
SAT NIGHT
SW WINDS AROUND 10 KT...BECOMING NW AFTER MIDNIGHT.
SEAS
2 TO 4 FT...SUBSIDING TO 2 TO 3 FT AFTER MIDNIGHT. A CHANCE OF
SHOWERS AND TSTMS.
SUN
N WINDS 10 TO 15 KT. SEAS 2 TO 3 FT...BUILDING TO 2 TO 4 FT
IN
THE AFTERNOON. A CHANCE OF RAIN.
SUN NIGHT
NE WINDS 10 TO 15 KT. SEAS 2 TO 4 FT. A CHANCE OF RAIN.
It's
Fall Fishing Time, be safe out there and go catch a fish!!!!!
God Bless You All!!!!!
Fish On!!!!!
Capt Butch Foster
PROVERBS: 12:17 A good man is known by his truthfulness, a false man by deceit and lies.
10-5-09
Today's trip with Shawn, Darnell, Henry Greenway, along with Clarence Dixon all from
Baltimore Maryland, was supposed to have been offshore.
But, the 20 to 30 knot NE winds changed all that, instead, we had to take the safer waters
provided by the blocking effect of the land and fish close to the beach.
I captured some Pogys and we went after some King Mackeral. We went to the old sea bouy area
where we found it to be real sloppy. There were a couple other boats in the area, and one boat did hook up a few Kings.
From the talk on the radio though, he was the only one that had his bait at the right place at the right time.
I came down from the fly bridge, and the seas had picked up to the point where you could
barely stand up, so with the event of safety in mind, I decided to leave and head back to calmer water on the beach.
The water on the beach was calm, so here we went fishing for Spanish Mackeral. The bite
was slow. It was one of those times that many fishermen have experienced if you have fished much for Spanish.
The fish were there, I know they were, they were jumping every where, but most of them just
would not bite our lures. They just do that sometimes!! The one's we caught were nice fish though, and a few were real nice,
several pounds!!
With a few Spanish for dinner in the box, we headed across the Jaybird shoals to do some
shark fishing. First line in was attacked in a matter of less than a minute.
It was a good fish, pulling line and screaming drag and the 130 class rod was bent like a
fish hook. Then the line went slack, the hooks just pulled out.
This scenerio was repeated several more times, just could not get a solid hookup for
some reason. We finally did get a Lemon shark to the boat around 30 lbs. for a photo shoot.
By this time the winds were getting colder and stronger and rain seemed to be getting
heavier and wetter, so we decided to call it a day.
No, we didn't 'bout sink the boat with fish today, but we had a great day of fishing
and comradre with some new made friends from the Maryland area. Hopefully, the next time the weather man will be a little
easier on us.
Thanks guy's, it was windy and wet, but I still enjoyed fishing with ya'll today!!!!
Congratulation to Larry Deal who fishes the boat "MAKO WARRIOR"
from Oak Island who caught a 40.30 pound King Mackeral to win the U S OPEN KING MACKERAL TOURNAMENT this past weekend. GREAT WORK
LARRY!!!!!
Till next time, God Bless All!!!!
Fish On!!!!
Capt's Butch & Chris Foster
PROVERBS: 16:4 The Lord has made everything for his own purposes ---- even the wicked, for
punishment.
10/04/2009
Today we went in search of bottom fish with Peggy and Gib Lyttle from Raleigh, NC, David and
Adele Haney from Whiteville, NC, alongside Greg and Suzanne Schumaker of Clinton, NC. Capt. Butch set the course
and we were off to the Southwest. First couple of stops proved that the fish were further offshore and we continued
on the southerly course until we finally found a good accumulation of fish on some rocks about 40 miles out. The Black
Sea Bass were big but scattered and seemed somewhat reluctant to bite, but the crew were able to pick out a couple dozen along
with a nice Triggerfish and a couple of Grey Snappers; then the Sharks moved in and the bottom bite shut down.
With a limit of Atlantic Sharpnose sharks onboard, we pulled anchor and headed to the southeast.
The next few rocks once again proved tough to fish and although the fish were there, they simply acted as if they were "full
to the gills" and were very reluctant to bite. We continued to move and got into some shallower water where we found
some Grey Snappers willing to bite and a nice Silver Snapper. A Gag Grouper was lurking and took the wrong baitfish
as well! Capt. Butch even put out a 3lb Grey Snapper on a 6/0 and had something hit it that stripped off 100# test line until
it finally pulled the hook!
We saw some nice schools of Spanish Mackerel jumping about 6 miles off of Bald Head
on the way in and heard several reports that the King Mackerel were "chewing good" at Lighthouse Rocks. Pogeys once
again showed up this morning all over the beach.
With this front passing through it is sure to put the feel of Fall in the air and we all know
what that means, even the fish do... It's time to eat!
FISH ON!!
Capt. Butch and Chris Foster
10/03/2009
This morning the winds were blowing 15 and gusting 20 knots offshore so it was a great event
that we had a 1/2 day trip and were met by such a great crew! Phil Bouchard and his wife, Alma, from Southport, NC,
were accompanied by Phil's brother, Lee Bouchard and Lee's wife, Ellen from Trinity, NC.
At first things seemed like a 180 degree flip from yesterday morning and the water had gotten
dirty again and the wind had switched directions; however, soon there were Spanish Mackerel in the 2-4 pound class on the
line! The crew knocked out about 2 dozen Spanish and then we decided to hook something big! Luckily the shrimp boats
were still dredging just offshore and soon we were deploying Shark baits in their wash. Almost immediately there
was a bait crashed and 30 minutes later an 80 pound Blacktip was hanging boatside!
I redeployed our baits and within 20 minutes Ellen found herself tied into a 40 pound Lemon
Shark that was pictured and then released--everyone needs to be a celebrity for one day! We went back to Spanish fishing
but they didn't want to be very cooperative with the day heating up and we were only able to pull out a few more. All
in all a wonderful morning spent with some really great people catching fish!
I haven't heard any reports from the US Open today, it sounded on the radio this morning like
the Kings weren't biting too much. Here is the link to the official site, I'm sure they will post the results asap!
http://www.usopenkmt.com/
FISH ON!
Capt's. Butch and Chris Foster
10/02/2009
This morning we were greeted by Richard Collmar, Brandon McGee, Don McAndrew, Jack Barnes,
and Craig Caudle; all from Charlotte, NC in hopes of an offshore trip, however with the weather forecast being altered this
morning calling for a "squall" to form this afternoon, Capt. Butch decided to go for the sure bet and try for some fish nearer
shore. October is one of the prime fishing months in Southport, NC for many reasons, one such being the fact that a
large variety of species and some very good sized fish move within sight of land to feed on all the bait fish before the water
cools and they have to migrate.
We started the morning by hitting the Spanish Mackerel, approx. two limits (30) on #00 gold
and pink Clarkspoons on #1 and #2 planers. Sure enough the storm clouds began to move in around 10am and with a good
number of Spanish fillets in the box and the prospect of a bigger fish led us to move off and drop some baits in search
of a big Shark. First two baits in the water yielded about a minute wait and the balloon line took off; however, the
fish pulled the hook! Then within minute number two, the flat line went off and just as the rod was picked up the
line went slack again, however this time the 14/0 Stainless Steel hook came back straightened!!!
With such large Sharks in the area I got a couple of our VMC Extra Heavy Duty welded eye 12/0
Tuna hooks and Capt. Butch made up a couple heavy duty rigs and soon after deployed the crew found themselves hooked up on
a 100+ pound Blacktip Shark! After nearly an hour and a half fight and everyone on board getting at least 2 turns to
fight, the Shark surfaced and I was able to leader him to where Capt. Butch could get the gaff in 'em and I was able to get
a tail harness on and the fish was enroute to the dinner table!
We attempted King Mackerel fishing next but couldn't find any willing to bite for us.
There were reports of several Kings being caught today. The US Open KMT is in full swing down here and I heard a report of
a 42 pounder leading, but I haven't confirmed this information yet and there is still one more day of fishing tomorrow so
the big one may be yet to come! We soon switched back up and caught a few more nice sized Spanish Mackerel and then
decided to call it a day.
A great day of fishing with an absolutely outstanding group of guys! The fish are biting!
FISH ON!
Capt. Chris and Capt. Butch Foster
SHARK!!
10-1-09
Today we were on a 1/2 day trip with Fran Daily from Oak Island,NC, Mike Sullivan from
Southport,NC, Michael Bayles from Quincy,IL and Terry Howell from Smith Mountain Lake, VA.
The water is cleaning up nicely, the bait is reappearing on the beaches, and there were reports
of more Kings being caught today.
We got a King and a couple of Sharp Nose Sharks today about 16 miles out. I personally
think the other cold front that went through last night didn't help the cause any, but I do believe that it is just going
to be a very short lived nuisance!!
The weather man is starting to change his mind about Saturday, or at least that's what I heard
the last time I checked. At that time Saturday was looking good, we'll see what they say tomorrow!!!
The fall fishing is finally starting to take form, and you can look for the bite to explode
any day now. The cooler temps can only mean that it's time to go fishing!!!!
Will be offshore tomorrow, check back tomorrow night (if I can get Capt Chris stirred up enough
to make a report) and see what we do!!!!
Till next time, God Bless!!!!!
Fish On!!!!
Capt's Butch & Chris Foster
PROVERBS 13:16 A wise man thinks ahead; a fool doesn't, and even brags about it.
9-30-09
I have been as busy today as a blind dog in a meat house. I was going to go to the stream
today, but decided to give the seas another day to settle before heading out.
I was able to round up a little info on the King mackeral today. Althhough
it wasn't great news, it was better than yesterdays.
There was a few Kings caught today, now from what I collected, they were very few.
The bait, I was told was still on the West end in about 30 feet of water and holding near
the bottom. The Big Hill was where it was yesterday.
Friday right now looks like it might be OK, but every indication at this point doesn't look
favorable for Saturday. But, as you know, down here, nothing is written in stone.
I will be out tomorrow, so I will have a "hands on" report for you tomorrow night on how the
fishing and water is improving.
Talked to one captain who was trying to catch some blues for bait and he was complaining that
they only caught about a dozen. Well, that's great news from Tuesday, when you couldn't hardly get a bite from anything.
I think the water will be ok for the U S Open, one thing about it, the conditions will be
the same for everyone, so it's anybody's tournament to win.
Right now it looks like Friday will be the day to get that big king to the scales so you can
coast saturday if it blows like they are predicting!!!
Dutchman Creek Bait and tackle (at the airport) had some real pretty and fresh ribbon fish
for sale. Stop by and see John or Angie and get some for the tournament. You can call them at (910)457-1221 and see if they
still have some. Tell them Butch sent ya', Thanks!!!
Good luck to everyone and be safe!!!!
Fish On!!!!
Butch
9-28-09
What I am about to report isn't what you want to hear, but, remember, it is what
it is!!! But, Hey, it's just Tuesday and the weekend is four days away and a lot can change until then, and it will as it
always does!!!
After the good bite we were having just two days ago, I would have never thought
that a one day blow, not to mention 20 inches of rain up stream, could have such an effect on the fishing, well, it did!!!
Capt Chris and I were fishing with Mike Callen from Glassboro,NJ, Paul Callen
from South Philly,PA., and Joe Boland from St. James,NC.
The water was dirty today and no one I heard on the radio was doing anything. I
decided to head offshore a little way to find some cleaner water.
I found cleaner water but no fish or bait. We did finally catch several "throw
back" Black Bass plus two keepers and an Atlantic Sharp Nose shark at the AR-445.
Capt. Dickie on the Get Reel reported only three Spanish Mackeral for the morning.
Capt Ryan on the Fugitive had three sharks before his trip was cut short due to uncontrollable circumstances, and
as we were leaving, Capt Lyndon on the Gracie Mae reported a Bluefish, Capt Kevin on the Fish Hunter reported no bites.
It was tough to say the least. Bait was at the "Big Hill" in around thirty feet
of water and as far as I know, there was not a King Mackeral caught today.
But, rejoice!!!!! Tomorrow is a new and different day on the ocean. It will get
better!!!! In a day or two, this will all be ancient history and the fish will be back to biting just like nothing ever happened.
Was going to the Gulfstream tomorrow, but decided to give the seas a little more
time to calm. That's a long run this close on the heels of all these fronts and I want to be sure things are safe before taking
off that far!!!
I'll start back fishing Thursday, weather permitting and will report my findings
here for you to read.
Thanks for taking the time from your day to read our reports and visit our
website. If not for ya'll, all this would be useless!!!
Till next time, God Bless!!!!!
Fish On!!!!
Capt's Butch & Chris Foster
PROVERBS 13:19 It is pleasant to see plans develop. That is why fools refuse to
give them up even when they are wrong.
9-26-09
Better late than never as they say. Saturday was a real rainy day but the fish didn't
seem to mind at all.
Just ask Rocky, Aaron, and Carla Barnes along with Jean Gunter from Sanford,NC. We were scheduled
to head offshore but that wasn't an option Saturday.
The NW winds however did have the beach flat as a pancake and the Spanish Mackeral were jumping
on the Cape Fear end of the beach.
Strange as they can be sometimes, when they were jumping, they were hard to catch. Find a
school of bait down in the water column around 22 to 24 feet and you would catch some.
Also, around that bait were some King Mackeral. More than once we would get a spoon slammed
only to break it off. A real tell tell sign that Kings were hitting the Clark Spoons.
Oh yeah, did I mention that it rained, well it did later in the morning and by the time the
hard rains had decided to settle in for the day we had caught around 45 fish, enough Spanish Mackeral for several
great fish dinners.
Even though we did not fish for the King Mackeral, there were some caught on the reef and
near shore Saturday. Pogys were not as plentiful on the beach as they have been in the past. But, that was last week,
things change here nearly daily!!!!
So, around lunch time we called it a day, went to South Harbour Marina, cleaned the fish and
boat, and again we made some more new friends and had a great morning of not just fishing but some catching as well.
Hope all the winds and recent rains haven't shut the Spanish or King Bite down. We will be
trying the Spanish again in the morning. Check back tomorrow evening, I'll let you know what happens with them and
if I hear of any King Mackeral and/or bait, I'll let you know that also!!!
Don't forget, the U S OPEN KING MACKERAL TOURNAMENT is this weekend!!!!
Till next time, God Bless!!!!!
Fish
On!!!!
Capt's
Butch & Chris Foster
PROVERBS 10:18 To hate is to be a liar; To slander is to be a fool.
9-25-09
You guys are going to have help me "light a fire" under Capt. Chris. I have noticed lately
that since I have mostly let him take over the fishing reports here, they aren't being kept quite as up to date as I would
like.
Guess he too thought that there was nothing to keeping all this up. "Yeah Right", it's a lot
of time and work to keep it all up, sometimes, you just have to make yourself do things!!!!
Every year when school starts back in September, the fishing trips slow for us. However,
October is a great month for fishing and to mirror that, we are booking trips now daily for Oct and Nov.
All weekends are booked (our next available Saturday at this time, is the 21st. of Nov.)
but we still have a few weekdays left open if you would like to get in on some great fall fishing on a weekday!!
The calls are starting to come in to me that the King Mackeral bite on the beach has finally
started off with the usual fall gusto that comes with the cooler water temps.
The bait (pogy's) don't seem to be as prevelant as they were before the water cooled some,
but I hear that Mullet are still here, and that makes for great bait this time of year as do Blues.
Spanish Mackeral are still thick according to reports. Talked to Capt. Chuck yesterday and
he told me that the only problem he had with the Spanish was trying to keep them off the hook while trrying to catch a King
Mackeral. I'll take that problem any day!!!!
Reports are all the Blue Fish you ever want as well and the Flounder bite has been good to
great!!!
It's time for the Grey Trout to be showing up, I have already heard of some being caught.
Big Red Drum are here already, and will be here more as will the Grey Trout as we get more into October.
The offshore fishing for Grouper, bottomfish, etc; only needs some calm seas to get out there.
They are there, they live there!!!
Want a muscle aching fight, AJ's are still biting offshore, hook up one and be reminded real
quick why they are called "Reef Donkey's"!!!!
Gulf stream action has got to be getting heated up for the fall run. Wahoo's and even some
Mahi-Mahi along with Blackfin Tuna, and even possibly the recent elusive Yellowfin Tuna just might be on the line!!!
Also, don't forget, the Monster Bluefin Tuna season will soon be here. Get your gear in first
class condition before you tie onto one of these monsters. These fish can humble even the best of the best!!!!
Was headed offshore tomorrow, but the threats of 15 to 20 knot NE winds will most likely change
that to a near shore fishing trip.
I also was told that the evening King Mackeral bite was much better than the morning bite,
and the bite has been happening right near the beach.
Let me know if I missed anything!!!! Till next time,God Bless!!!
Fish On!!!!
Capt. Butch
PROVERBS 23: 12 Don't refuse to accept criticism; get all the help you can.
9-20-09
Ok. enough is enough. The winds and seas have been rougher offshore than I like to try to
fish in so we switched gears.
I called Captain Chris last night and we talked about another plan. We decided to make a trip
to one of our crappie fishing holes here on the East Coast.
It proved to be a good plan!!! It didn't take us long until we had all we wanted and were
headed back to Southport with a great evening meal in the cooler.
And we just got up from the table, and boy were they ever good. I fried up some House -Autry
Hushpuppies with onion and breaded the Crappies in House-Autry seafood breader, dropped the into hot canola oil in my trusty
cast iron frying pan, enough said.
Anyhow, I know it's not an offshore or not even a near shore report, but the fish bit real
good, plus, sometimes it's a lot of fun to just kick back with your best friend and Son and take it a little easier sometimes.
It was a great change of pace, And I think I could get into doing this a little more often.
I'll have to work on that!!!!
Till next time,God Bless All and get outside and enjoy all the wonders that God has give us!!!!!
Fish
On!!!!!
Capt's
Butch & Chris Foster
PROVERBS 16:11 The lord demands fairness in every business deal. He established this principal.
9-18-09
Jeff Peoples who charters the "JAYBIRD" out of Carolina Beach,
you can reach him at (910)279-6072, told me today that Yesterday the Spanish Mackeral bite was on fire. His charter had
68 Spanish for the trip. That's some good fishing and even better eating.
He told me that today he went offshore into the 300's and
even though the seas were rough with a 19+ knot NE wind and 4 to 7 foot seas, and the current was "screaming" again today,
they still had a good day of fishing.
Even though he was faced with tough conditions his crew brought
to the dock today a full limit of BIG Vermillion Snappers,(B-Liners) 4 Grouper,a 42 pound Barracuda, and 2 citation Amber
Jacks.
Not a bad day at all for the conditions he had to fish
in, and believe me, I know what he had to deal with out there, some tough fishing conditions today!!!
Now Jeff has a great boat for nearshore and offshore fishing, not
sure of the size, but somewhere close to the 40's. I'll have to find out for sure when I talk to him again.
He is a great captain and fisherman, and when you are in the
Carolina Beach area, he would be a good boat to charter for your fishing trip in that area!!!
Don't have any pictures, he said his charter took some, but he didn't. Maybe next time!!
Till next time, Good fishing and God Bless Everyone!!!!
Fish
On!!!!
Capt. Butch Foster
PROVERBS 18:17 Any story sounds true until someone tells
the other side and sets the record straight.
9-16-09
10 Years ago today we were all wondering if we would have anything left tomorrow. You see,
today is the 10th anniversary of hurricane Floyd's landfall. Some of the worst flooding in 100's of years was recorded with
this storm, but we are still here.
You would never know we were in a hurricane area with the weather we have been having lately.
The seas have been as flat calm as they have been all year, the currents have subsided some, and the fish are biting.
The cool mornings and warm evenings are the makings of fall weather on the horizon. With this
comes some of the best fishing of the year, and the fish are holding true to form.
Just because we haven't been fishing does not mean that the fish aren't biting. The king Mackeral
are biting very well at areas like the Shark Hole, 15 Mile Rock, 18 mile Rocks, and there are some on the beach as well.
In fact, I think before I ran offshore to those areas, I would have to try areas like
Yaupon Reef or light House Rocks first. The fish are here, the bait is thick so the fish will be with the bait.
Spanish Mackeral are at the same areas as just mentioned. I have been hitting some big schools
jumping lately while coming back from offshore trip about 6 to 8 miles out. So, that tells me they are scattering out
now with the water starting to cool, but there is still plenty around to be caught., and some have been big!!
Blue Fish are making their fall run towards the beach now, and some have been right good size
too!!
Flounder, that bite has been awesome lately, but with the cooling water, that too will slow
in the not to distant future. But, it's the Fall Season coming upon us, it's supposed to slow, but right now the
flat fish are biting!!!
Talked to Dave at Ocean Crest Pier today and the bite there is starting to reflect the cooling
water with the bite there starting to pick up.
He told me that Monday they had some small to medium King Mackeral to bite, so that
tells you that they are on the beach now. There have been some 20 to 30 pound Kings Reported being caught a little farther
off the beach, like the reef and Shark Hole, "hint;hint"
Also on OCP there have been Bluefish, Spanish Mackeral, Black Drum, Flounder, and even some
whiting and spots being caught in the evenings and at night!!
The near shore reefs and rocks will soon be host to the Grey trout that visit out beaches
every fall. There have already been some big Red drum caught on the reefs.
The other day while trolling for Spanish Mackeral about 6 miles off South Beach of BHI i was
marking so good schools of fish right on the bottom, I'll just about bet they were the schools of Grey trout and Red Drum
making their way to the near shore structures.
And while I am at it, remember the "world class" Bluefin Tuna fishing we now have off the
Beaches down here now. The first Bluefin Tuna that was caught and sold (as far as I know anyway, I hope that if
I am wrong someone will correct me)here was caught in sight of land by Capt. John Quattlebaum, Capt. Chuck Gambino, and Capt.
Alex Humphries aboard Capt. John's "Sea Witch", and ever since then, it has been a good fishery down here which
generally happens in the months of December and January.
If you are fishing the U S OPEN KING MACKERAL TOURNAMENT and want some very pretty hand caught
Ribbon Fish, and some are huge, you need to get by DUTCHMAN'S CREEK BAIT AND TACKLE (910)457-1221, and get some before they
are all gone.
He only has a limited supply, they have been brined in BIONIC BRINE and BIONIC Brined in the
"belly" area and hand wrapped, I know they have because I wrapped and brined them for John. They really are pretty and as
fresh as you can get unless you catch your own!!!!!!
Gulfstream right now should get you some Blackfin Tuna, and Mahi-Mahi, October should pick
up the Wahoo bite and hopefully there will be some Yellowfin Tuna's cruising through that time of year.
Just wanted to give you a brief up date on what's been happening down here. Yeah, the fish
are biting and the seas have been "Slick". It's supposed to start raining here tomorrow and be spotty through the weekend.
They are not talking about a "washout"!!!
But, if the winds stay calm like they have been lately, and no lightening is in with the rain,
what the heck, the fish are already wet and a little rain won't phase them a bit.
Fall fishing, It doesn't get any better than here on the SE Coast of NC!! God Bless Each And
Everyone Of You, and if you come to the beach this weekend, be safe in your travels!!!!!
P.S. I have some more great news, Mike Coffelt, who had operated "Supply Boat Co." for years has
gotten bored with retirement. He said that it wasn't for him!! Those of you that know him like I do know that he is one of
the best, if not the best mechanic I have ever known when it comes to anything marine.
Well, Mike has gone mobile now, give him a call at (910)523-2628 and he can come to
you. How can you beat that for convience!!! If you want the job done right the first time, at a fair price, by a fair and
honorable man, then Mike's your guy. He truly is the very best that I know!!!!
Fish
On!!!!
Capt. Butch Foster
PROVERBS 13:13 Despise God's word and find yourself in trouble,Obey it and succeed.
9/12/2009
Today we were priveledged to be fishing with Martin Shaw and his son, Mark from Greenville,
NC. Martin and Mark have been with us many times over the past several years and have been in dire need of a good weather
day offshore! Well today was the day that we were fortunate to have this accommodation and Capt. Butch, myself, and
the crew made our way to the Amberjack hole and once again the Pogeys seemed to do the trick.
Mark and Martin both fought and landed a couple Amberjacks and then we decided to move on
off in search of some bottomfish. At first things seemed bleak due to the fact that all of our good bottom fishing holes
were "dry" but at least the current wasn't screaming for the first time this year! Capt. Butch continued to push further
and further offshore checking locations the whole way and finally once we neared the Gulf Stream and reached 100+ feet of
water the bottom began to mark up with an abundance of bottomfish.
The first lightline deployed proved deadly for a teenager King Mackerel and then we started
dropping Pogeys and Cigar Minnows and cut bait to the bottom and the Gray, Vermillion, and Silver Snapper began to role in
alongside a few Black Sea Bass and 4 decent sized Grouper! Several times the Amberjacks reappeared under the boat and
then we had a school of 40-50 pound Barracuda's come around the boat.
Capt. Butch hooked a couple of the 'Cuda's but with their teeth they were both lost in the
battle and lived to swim another day! Capt. Butch even dropped down one pole with two live Pogeys on it and hooked a
Grouper that snapped 100 pound Ande mono. like it was nothing!
On the way back in the schools of 2-5 pound Spanish Mackerel were all over the top about 5
miles off of Bald Head the same way they were this morning and seemed to be willing to bite from the radio talk. #00
gold and pink clarkspoons behind #1 and #2 planers will usually do the trick, make sure you use a long 20-30 foot leader from
the planer to the spoon and lots of ball-bearing swivels.
Martin and Mark, as always it was great fishing with you guys and the Capt. and myself definitly
look forward to the next time.
Fall fishing is on the brink, and is really starting to kick off! Here in Southport you can even
feel it in the air!
FISH ON!!!
Capts. Butch and Chris Foster
9/11/2009
Capt. Butch and myself started the day out with skepticism due to the persitent
NE-E winds and the transitions in the weather and temperatures with the coming of fall!
We were joined today by Stephanie Woods, Stacy DeShields, and their brother,
Blake Cogdill; alongside Jeremy Teague, Seth DeShields, and T.L. Owens in search of the "Captains' Choice" as long as it was
big fish that pulled hard and something to eat.
After much searching the south beach on Bald Head for some pogeys,
the Mullet Minnows were abundant, we finally made our way almost to the shoals and in deeper water where we located the Pogeys
and after one solid cast the livewell was full and the Yeah Right II was underway to the offshore grounds in search of big
fish.
Thankfully our crew did not want any one particular type of fish and was
able to leave it up to Capt. Butch because the reports indicated that the Spanish and King Mackerel was starting off
slow this morning.
After getting to our first stop and getting set up, it didn't take
long, in fact, first line out, and the crew found themselves hooked into the "Reef Donkeys" and trying to hold on to
the rods for dear life as the line was ripped off them!
They successfully boated 9 Amberjacks in the 25-40 pound range, we
released 3 and the only bite on the lite line was a Remora.
Soon after everyone's arms were sore from the jacks hard fights, we
opted to try to catch some bottomfish. After trying for a couple hours in the hard currents, and pulling out some Black
Bass, a Pinky and a Triggerfish, Capt. Butch decided that it would be best to move back inside and try to find some Spanish
Mackerel that would bite.
On the way to the beach Capt. spotted the schools of Spanish all over the
top in the bait about 8 miles offshore of Bald Head Island, and the bite was fast and furious as long as we could stay in
the schools of Spanish!
It was a great day on the water with a group of really great new-found friends!
FISH ON!!!
Capt's. Butch and Chris Foster
PROVERBS 10:17 Anyone willing
to be corrected is on the pathway to life. Anyone refusing has lost his chance.
Stacey Deshields and Blake Cogdill
Stephanie Woods "Giant fish"
Seth Deshields and Blake Cogdill fight 2 amberjacks at the same time.
9/06/2009
Once again the wind was blowing 15-20 knots out of the NE this morning and we had to make
our excursion with Rickey Bullins and his sons: Rich, Matt, and Luke; joined by their good friend Kurt Scotton, all from
Madison, NC into a 1/2 day trip in search of Spanish and Blues that wanted to bite.
The day started off slow picking up one Spanish Mackerel here and there but we were feeling
pretty fortunate that with all the ENE winds lately, we were still catching some fish.
After much trial and error I finally figured out what they were wanting and Capt. Butch
found a school of Blues and everything came together beautifully. The Spanish and Blues we were catching were nice fish,
and as Capt. Jeff said, the Spanish were "Turbos"!!!
Doubles and triples were common, and one time Luke caught 4 blues on one "Mackerel
Tree" rig at one time on one rod! It don't take long to limit out when you catch them 4 at a time!!!!! The action was
hot and heavy and we were able to see some really good fishermen in action!
The King Mackerel are beginning to show up on the beach, one here and there, but I
haven't heard any stellar reports yet... but with all the bait that's on the beach now, it won't be long, will let you know
as soon as I hear that the bite has fired off!
FISH ON!!!
Captain Butch and Capt. Chris Foster
Catching Blues on Yaupon Reef
9/05/2009
Today we were joined by John and Michatia Phillips from Spring Lake, NC (celebrating their
10th anniversary) in search of big fish that pull hard.
Capt. Butch and I agreed Amberjacks were the target and hopefully some Kings as well...so
we set out in search of some pogeys. The South beach on Bald Head was absolutly covered with bait, only problem was
that they were 3-4" Mullet Minnows by the tons! The decision was made to head on offshore.
About 8 miles out the NE wind had the seas kicked up to about 3-5 feet and building
along with the winds picking up so we made the choice to head back in to calmer waters near the beach and see if there
were any hungry Spanish Mackerel or Blues.
With the winds blowing from the East, NE the fish were very reluctant to bite
but we did manage to find a few Spanish Mackeral and Bluefish. Then we decided to go and try to catch a Shark.
Unfortunatly, the water has began its fall transition and the Sharks don't seem to
bite quite as good when the water starts to cool. They are still around and can still be caught, just don't bite as good
as in the warmer part of the season.
While we were drifting I could see Spanish cutting through the Mullet Minnows and proceeded
to try to catch them by casting a Hopkins spoon to them, but they didn't want to bite that either!
Spanish Mackeral can be very picky eaters at times and wind, wind direction, and
dirty water conditions can have a significant influence on the fact as to wheather they will bite or not. And today the
conditions were not in our favor!!!
We still caught some fish before the weather and winds started getting worse.
And with the worsening weather, the call to make it a 1/2 day trip was made and we headed the Yeah Right II
back to her slip at South Harbor Marina.
FISH ON
Capt. Butch and Capt. Chris Foster
9-3-09
With the NE winds blowing the seas up offshore, we decided
to stay in close today and fish for some Spanish Mackeral since the NE winds will have our South facing beach calm.
Our first stop was just east of "Oak Island Pier" and with
me today was Clint and Scott Wilkins from Smyrna,SC, Justin Switzer from York,SC, and Peggy Adkins from Rock Hill,SC.
The fish were jumping everywhere but were reluctant to bite
on the incoming tide. But, we stayed with it, and when the tide turned and started to fall, the bite started up.
Also mixed with the Spanish Mackeral were some nice
Blues. This, along with the Mullet that has shown up on the beach can only mean that the fall fishing is starting to get under
way.
I am glad, it means less humidity, cooler temperatures, and
hungry fish. Fall fishing is some of the best fishing of the year!!!
Fall fishing also means that the King Mackeral bite will get
going right off the beach, grey trout and blue fish will be on the near shore structures along with some huge Red Drum.
Then shortly after that, the Black Bass and Grouper will follow
suit!! I have waited all summer for this time of year!!!!!
Check out the pictures of the 42lb.13oz. King Mackeral that
Frank Wallace emailed to me, Thanks Frank, that's a big King Mackeral!!!!! That would have been a good catch for the U S OPEN!!!
Also, Reid Goodman sent me pictures from a Red Drum fishing
excursion in the Orential area, check out those pictures as well. Thanks Reid!!! btw/ Reid, I am ready for another Brat
with peppers and onions, it don't get no better than that!!!!!!
Tomorrows offshore trip has been cancelled due to strong NE
winds which will mean rough seas. The crew is trying to decide if they want to fish close in for the Spanish and Blues. If
we do, I'll let you know right here!!!
Till next time, God Bless Everyone!!!!
Fish On!!!!
Capt Butch
PROVERBS 10:27 Reverance to God adds hours to each day, so how can the wicked expect a long, good
life?
Fish that "pull"
"Firsts"
What is it??
What is it??
Even little boys can catch sharks!!
Tim Jackson, Lexington, NC fights a large amberjack
Art Kalimore's Mahi-Mahi
Art Kalimore's amberjack
Travis Justice's first trip offshore nets him his first Mahi. Admiral Bodie watches and waits.
Nikki Vorholt's King Mackerel Experience
Jason Moyer reeling in a king using a reel manufactured by Innovative Reel Technologies
Allen Hindley, Massillion, OH caught this Mahi-Mahi while fishing off the coast of Southport.
Hailey Cheever's first Mahi-Mahi
Sammie Jo West's first Mahi-Mahi
WHY IT'S CALLED FISHING NOT CATCHING
SHARK FISHING OFF OAK ISLAND BEACH,NC
A King Mackerel fisherman is born
Amberjacks at the Frying Pan tower area
Mahi SW of Frying Pan tower
Good video of a bull shark SW of Tower
Doubling up on Kings at the Raritan
Cobia and baraccuda double
Amberjacks put up a good fight. Just ask Rick
Dustin and Michael fight amberjacks
Melinda's big Mahi-Mahi video
His first king on youtube
Nice size bull shark on youtube
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