Throughout our fishing careers we have prided ourselves on inovating new fishing techniques, tactics and even concepts.  Fishing trips have been re-labled as fishing adventures and our last trip was just that- a fishing adventure.  For years many of us have plowed the Gulf Stream waters trolling for tuna, dolphin, wahoo and the occasional billfish.  However before the Gulf Stream fishing really began in the mid 1990's off Ocean Isle the common consensus was you would fall off the edge of the earth if the 30 mile mark was passed.  Eventually we all got over that fear and began fishing the virgin Gulf Stream waters off of Ocean Isle.  The untapped Gulf Stream fishery opened up an entire new genre of fishing for Ocean Isle fishermen and the results were and continue to be impressive catches of glamour species.  Running 60 miles offshore to go fishing once seemed an impossibility, but now it is commonplace.  Just as the bar was raised in the mid 1990's, several years ago we began to question what was the next step?  What is out there past the typical Gulf Stream run?  I suppose it is the mysteriousness that drives the ambition or maybe it is just a case of the grass always being greener on the other side.  Whatever the explanation we started the research process of what might be found out in the deep deep water.  After the Florida swordfishing fired off dramatically in the past 5 years and knowing of the fishery for the swordfish off the New England coast we came to the belief that those fish have to be off of our coast.  This assumption and off-season boredom as a result of the delayed bluefiin tuna season led us to a fishing adventure/research mission to find out if in fact the legendary swordfish does in fact swim off our coast.  Armed with but a few tips from friends in Florida who have captured swordfish off their coast, we developed a game plan to head for at least 1,000 feet of water and begin looking for a temperature break to fish.  The catch was this fishing takes place at night adding an extreme element of difficulty to the whole situation.  With a mission of this magnitude Brant and I called in the number one A team and also the SKA's angler of the year Dean Spatholt and son Russel to join us.  A bit skeptical at first about the idea, Dean and Russel finally succombed to possibility of being the first ever to bring back a swordfish to Ocean Isle.  After analyzing the weather and sea surface temperature charts we decided to pack up the boat and head out Saturday evening in the direction of the 100/400 area and just keep going until we found the temperature break and deep water.  Being on the ocean at night is totally different animal than during the day light.  It was extremely easy to get turned around and the ocean conditions were difficult to determine because we couldn't really see the water with no light source, not even a moon.  We cleared the Shallotte inlet at 5:30 pm and after taking it easy and making a few stops we finally arrived to a 73 to 78 degree temperature change about 85-90 miles offshore in around 1200-1400 feet of water.  Unfortunately we found the weather man had missed the light and variable forecast as we encountered 15-20kt winds and 3ft seas all night, but we were not about to turn around.  At 10:30pm we deployed three squids at different depths complete with the whole light stick deal and hydro glow lighting system.  We began a drift, which was at a speed of about 3 kts, and sat back and waited.  Less than an hour into the drift a squid set at 100 feet was hit.  The fish made a couple swipes at the bait,b but did not hook up.  There is no telling what it might have been, but after what we caught later we believe it was a swordfish billing the bait.  No more action was encountered for the next couple hours and we began looking at each other like what the heck are we doing out here.  This feeling was soothed by Russel and his magic hibachi grill as he cooked up marinated steaks for each of us around 1am.  There was something weird about eating a steak on the open ocean underneath a star lit sky.  We continued drifting hoping for a bite as most of us had passed out now due to a full belly and it being the middle of the night.  Around 1:45am we opted to make a move inshore to a more concentrated area of the temperature break where it went from 74-76 degrees and try a drift.  We set back up and everyone went back to sleep as I stood watch with one eye open.  I remember leaning back on the cooler with a sleeping bag covering me half asleep when I had to re-focus my eyes as the rod closest to me with a squid at 100 feet bounced a couple times just as the first time we got a bite, but this time it was followed by the rod doubling and line peeling off the reel.  We all jumped up and I quickly got into position behind the rod.  There wasn't too much fight to the fish as I angled it closer on the heavy tackle.  After about 5-7 minutes the fish surfaced on the outside of the light surrounding the boat and we all looked at it puzzled to what it could be.  It looked as if it was hooked right in the side and was long like an eel or shark.  I brought it closer and to our amazement we had just caught the first swordfish that we know of out of Ocean Isle Beach.  The fish was prehistoric looking with its enormous bill.  It looked as if the fish was hooked in the side because the bill was just about as long as the fish's body which put the mouth halfway down on the whole fish.  Granted this was not Zane Grey's grander swordfish, but it was proof that these animals do swim off our coast.  The fish measured 42 inches from lower jaw to the fork in the tail.  We took several pictures for proof and sent her back on her way as we still were all in shock that the plan had actually worked.  We fished for the remainder of the night without another bite, but the trip was still a success as perhaps the ground work for a new genre of fishing off the Ocean Isle coast had been established.  Certainly there is limitless knowledge that can be attained in this type of fishing but we had to start somewhere.  Right now we don't know where, what time of year, what kind of presentation or even what type of bait works best but I'm sure the learning curve will be sharp.  At one time we were all a bit clueless on how to fish the Gulf Stream but we've come a long way.  The same may hold true for sword fishing, only time will tell.  If anyone wants to talk sword fishing or can share some experiences we'd love to hear them. 

Until the next great adventure keep winding.
 

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"trout time" | Stori Teller | 12/05/04

Went on a half day on friday with fairly good results.We did'nt get away from the dock until around 8:30.WE had intended to head offshore a couple of miles to try for some of the gray trout that have been around.Upon getting to the jetties at Little River a 20 knot north wind persuaded  us to float some live shrimp along the rocks.We did this for about a half hour with only getting one bite.Next we headed into a nearby creek where the specks had been biting pretty well for the lasst couple of weeks.They must have different plans because they sure wouldn't bite for us.Our next stop proved to be a little more lively when the first cork in the water disappeared under the water.Even these fish weren't too agressive.They would pull the cork down fairly slow and just kind of swim off with it and not really commit to eating the bait.We went through about 75 baits and boated 8 or 10 trout.

- Capt. Stan Gurganus

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"recap" | Stori Teller | 11/30/04

Sorry for the delayed report on the tournament but here it goes.Friday night the participants enjoyed a great barbeque dinner,with all of the trimmings, prior to the captains meeting.Saturday morning the fisherman were greeted by Jack Frost as he made his presence known with temperatures in the 30's.As the morning went on, the temps heated up as did the fishing.By 10 o'clock I had received reports of a good trout bite happening around some of the bridges and by 2 o'clock the first boat was in to weigh in.Captain Mark Stacy drew first blood with a 3.25 pound trout and a 1.45 pound flounder.As the day went on I continued to receive reports of the fish biting very well.This was made obvious at 3:30 when the weigh in line began to form. Well over half the field weighed fish.When it was all said and done Captain Ricky Kellum walked  away as the overall champion with an impressive 6.45 pound trout and a 2.05 flounder.Captain Grady Gordon of the Ocean Isle Fishing Center claimed the number two spot with a 4.25 trout and a 1.45 flounder and Mark Stacy's 3.25 trout and 1.45 flounder held up for third.The divisional winners were,in the flounder division first place went to Will King with a 2.40 pounder,second went to Jim Heine with a 2.00 and third went to Wyatt Pegram with a 1.90.On the trout side first went to Ricky Kellum 6.45,second Grady Gordon 4.25,and third Mark Stacy 3.25.The Bradley Graham award was won by Clay Morphis for the redfish with the most spots.I personally would like to thank the Ocean Isle Fishing Center ,Ranger Boats,Shallow Water boat Sales,and Sea Tow for helping put this event together and the fisherman for making it happen.I look forward to a bigger and better tournament next year 

- Capt. Stan Gurganus

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"Thanksgiving Flounder and Trout Classic" | Stori Teller | 11/30/04

31 boat entries-- click for here for results
http://www.oifishingcenter.com/tournament_results.cfm?tourneyid=4

- Capt. Stan Gurganus

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"Giant Bluefin Season is Here" | Show Time | 11/29/04

We're headed on our way to Morehead City, NC to once again tangle with the Giant Bluefin Tuna.  We'll be running charters for the months of Dec-Jan and invite you to join us for an incredible fishing adventure.  The Bluefin average 250-300 pounds and we catch all of our fish on stand-up gear.  If you are a fisherman and want to go for the glory, you've got to try it.  A day of fishing for Giant Bluefin makes a great Christmas gift-- $1050 for up to 4 people-- Call Capt. Brant at (910) 575-3474 xt 3 to book.  Visit http://www.oifishingcenter.com/seasonal_specials.cfm for more details.

- Capt. Brant McMullan

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"King bite on schedule" | Carolina Contender | 11/27/04

King bite went off yesterday as scheduled. Our charter fleet hit them hard at the Atlantic Ledge. Should be on again today as wind is laying out following this morning.

Early reports from Flounder/Trout tourney is they're catching.

- Capt. Brant McMullan

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"Bluefin Tuna Time !" | Show Time | 11/27/04

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The Bluefin Tuna are beginning to make their showing and the Carolina Contender and ShowTime are headed north to Morhead City to meet them.  If you've ever dreamed of experiencing the most thrilling big-game fishing- Bluefin Tuna is it.  The Giant Bluefin range from 200-600 pounds and are taken by trolling some 10-25 miles offshore.  Sure its cold, but its not far to travel and once you hook up, you'll be tearing off layers of clothing. 
Nowhere else in the world can you go and catch the quantity and size of these fish.  The success rate is remarkable.
If you have interest in joining Capt. Brant, Capt. Barrett or Capt. Roger for one of these adventures, call (910) 575-3474 xt 3.  Charters will be run Dec 10-Feb 15 with peak time Dec 10-Jan 31. 
Check out the attached video clips and pictures for a sample of what you'll experience.
Also visit http://www.oifishingcenter.com/seasonal_specials.cfm
for further details.

- Capt. Brant McMullan

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"King Bite scheduled tomorrow" | Mac Marle'n | 11/26/04

This last weekend of "official" fishing season so don't miss out on the great king fishing. Weather getting better this afternoon and tomorow looks chamber of commerce. Wind going from north to south and when that happens usually lays out AND the kings should go crazy. They're at Atlantic ledge and 27 mile hole[Thanksgiving Hole]. Cigar minnows, live or dead will do the job. Our charter boats will be fishing this afternoon and tomorrow. Come on out and work off that Turkey by fighting fish.

If you get tired of Kings, grouper should also still be there. 

- Capt. Brant McMullan

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"reminder" | Stori Teller | 11/25/04

Don't forget about the upcominng THANKSGIVING FLOUNDER AND TROUT CLASSIC coming up this weekend.Registation is friday between 2 and 9 p.m.Fishing will be saturday from 7 to 4.The weather is shaping up to be real nice on saturday with highs in the mid 60's and light southerly winds.Their will be a great dinner at the captains meeting which will be at 7 friday night .So their are no excuses for you not to come join in the fun.

- Capt. Stan Gurganus

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"The Catch of a Lifetime" | Carolina Contender | 11/23/04

I’ve been fishing for a long time and had the privilege of catching most every sport fish that swims.  I’ve fished from Cape Hatteras to Costa Rica and all in between, but this past week I experienced the greatest catch of my life.  On Wednesday at 10:50pm my wife Capt. Amy gave birth to our first child; a baby girl name Carolina Grace McMullan.  Caroline was a citation size 7 pounds and 20 inches long.  She and Amy had a pretty tough day on Wednesday as Amy labored for 13 hours before finally introducing Caroline into her new life.  Upon birth Caroline looked like she had just come out of a 10 round fight, but in only 5 days she’s become the most beautiful thing in my life.  She’s an eating, sleeping and you know what machine that is wrapping this new daddy right around her finger.  And I’m not going to fight it either as I can surely say a new life is ahead for Caroline, Amy and myself.  I would also like to say thank you to my wife for bringing us such a beautiful baby.  The holidays are guaranteed to be full of pride and joy in the McMullan household.

And for all you fishermen out there, what can I say but that the fishing is off the hook.  The weather has been great the past several days and its provided fishermen with a chance to get offshore and fish anywhere they like.  In the Gulf Stream Capt. Roger fishing aboard the “ShowTime” had a decent catch of Wahoo and Blackfin Tuna.  It seems the fish have been much more scattered since the middle of October, however, you can still find action including some very nice Wahoo as Capt. Roger reported catching a 64 pounder on his outing.  And for you King Mackerel fishermen, it doesn’t get any hotter.  October is the month to catch big Kings, but November is by far the best month to catch the most Kings.  As I’ve reported over the past weeks, the Kings school up thick as they feed on Cigar Minnows and Sardines.  Last week they were at the 65 foot hole and Shark Hole, this week they were about 6-10 miles offshore of those spots at such places as the Horseshoe, 22 mile rock and Atlantic Ledge.  Live bait or dead bait, it doesn’t matter when the fish get schooled up like they are now.  Nearer to shore the Bluefish are thick at inshore reefs.  You can catch all you want by simply vertical jigging a Stingsilver over the structure.  Finally, the inshore fishing for Speckled Trout, Flounder and Drum has been great over the past week.  Capt. Stan Gurganus had an awesome catch of Trout over the weekend while drifting live shrimp along shell banks.  The Flounder have been holding in the backs of creeks and canals.  And although they are not as thick as earlier in the year, this is the time to catch the monsters.  And thus this leads me into reminding you that Capt. Stan will be hosting the Thanksgiving Flounder and Trout Classic this coming weekend out of the Ocean Isle Fishing Center.  Registration will be on Friday with fishing and awards on Saturday.  I know everyone will be full of turkey and dressing and the tournament offers a great chance to get away from the dinner table and enjoy a great day of fishing with an added opportunity to win prize money and bragging rights.  I for one can’t wait to compete as challenges are flying around the Fishing Center as everyone stakes their claim as the top inshore fisherman. 

I hope everyone has a great holiday weekend and for those of you at the beach, stop by the Ocean Isle Fishing Center to enter the tournament or simply check out the weigh-in on Saturday afternoon.  From Caroline, Amy and myself, happy Thanksgiving.

- Capt. Brant McMullan

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"Biolxi report" | Carolina Contender | 11/22/04

Just returning from big show in Biolxi. The North Carolina fishermen again showed their dominance in the world of King Mackerel fishing. Having already clinched the top 2 spots on the Pro Tour[Fish Meister and Direct Connect], the NC fishermen took 5 of the top 10 places in the big boat division and 2 of top 10 in 23 and under division.

Fishing this year was different than past years. Day one saw a hot bite in West Delta but day 2 West Delta completely shut down. Probably 75% of the boats went west and only a few abandoned the west and jumped to the east side where a good bite was occurring.Those that jumped were able to catch a fish to match with their Friday fish and that's how the leader board was filled out.

Congrats to everyone and especially to our NC top ten teams.
2nd-Line One
3rd-Water Fountain
6th-Reel Greedy
7th- Carolina Contender
9th- Sea Draggin

Under 23
4th- Second Catch
10th- Kings Ransom

- Capt. Barrett McMullan

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"Weekend Summary" | Show Time | 11/20/04

The beautiful weather that we have had here all week continued through the weekend and the fishing was on fire just as expected.  Limits of 12-15lb king mackeral were boated at the Atlantic Ledges and the Jungle.  I'm sure, though, that almost any area in 70-80 feet of water will produce fish.  Bait (cigar minnows and greenies) was stacked up in these places and easily caught with a sabiki rig. Today we set off to the Gulf Stream and found a steady blackfin tuna bite at the Blackjack Hole.  There were also some king mackeral and scattered sailfish and wahoo thrown in for good measure.  We'll be back at it through the week this week so stay tuned for hopefully some more great reports!

- Capt. Roger Gales

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"it is time" | Stori Teller | 11/20/04

The crews aboard the Stori Teller have been enjoying some of the best inshore fishing that I have seen in the past couple of years.I don't know if the stars are aligned right or what but the fiish have been absolutely chewing.Friday morning we left the dock with intentions of going to get n on some of the great speckled trout fishing that has been going on.While along the way we realized how slick the ocean was and decided to head out there to drop some jigs on an artificial reef in 35 feet of water.Upon arrival the first jig in the water was attacked by angry chopper bluefish.For the next three hours we caught these 1 to 4 pounders on every drop.Today was a day off of work for me so I decided to do nothing else but go fishing.We started out the day out at the same reef as friday with the same results but with a few gray trout thrown in for good measure.After an hour or so of that we headed back inshore to do a little prefishing for the Thanksgiving Trout and Flounder Classic coming up next weekend.We went in search of a school of specks that I had heard of earlier in the week  and they were still there and willing to take our live shrimp on almost every cast.I was happy to see the fish bitiing in time for the tournament.

- Capt. Stan Gurganus

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"Capt Brant and Capt Amy land prize catch" | Carolina Contender | 11/18/04

Sitting in for Capt Brant here. Yesterday Capt Brant and Capt Amy boated a 7 1/2lb baby girl, Caroline Grace.It was a tremondous effort by all involved. She is a beauty!Congrats to the new Mom and Dad[as well as the new Grandpa].

On fishing scene. Weather looks beautiful for weekend. All our charter boats fishing all weekend. Gulf Stream trip Saturday. Kings should still be at 65 and 70 foot hole. If not should have moved off to Atlantic Ledge.

Carolina Contender in Biolxi with Capt Barrett. I'm heading that way in morning. Everyone crying blues about no fish; but watch what happens at weighin tomorrow. Somebody will find the fish and then....it's on! 

- Capt. Rube McMullan

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"weekend report" | Stori Teller | 11/15/04

I have gotten the Stori Teller back in business and got to run a couple of trips over the weekend.Saturday we left the dock at 8 a.m with a stiff northeast wind bringing the windchill down to,well,cold.We decided to head up the Shallotte river to a little spot that was protected from the wind.Upon getting there I anchored the boat and tied on quarter ounce jigheads with a chartreuse grub tail in hopes of finding some redfish.And find them we did.For the next two hours we caught redfish on about every third cast.When that bite slowed down we moved back out toward the mouth of the river to catch a couple of flounder to end the trip.On sunday we started the morning with the same stiff breeze in our face as saturday.So we headed to the same protected spot and resumed our assault on the red.Just like saturday as soon as the tide began to fall the reds shut down.Instead of going flounder fishing this time we decided to go in search of trout in hopes of locating a school of fish for the upcoming THANKSGIVING FLOUNDER AND TROUT CLASSIC At the fishing center NOV 26 and 27  and we did.We stopped and began throwing Mirrolures to a shell bank and caught them fairly well on the falling tide.

- Capt. Stan Gurganus

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"SKA National Championship" | Carolina Contender | 11/14/04

All eyes are focused on Biolxi and the SKA NAtional Championship which begins Friday. Looks like the weather gods are smiling on the area as it looks like it's going to be too rough for fishermen to pound on the fish prefishing before the event. May be able to get after them starting Wednesday but earlier than that looks bad. Last year the same thing happened and the result was the most unbelieveable king fishing that's ever occurred. Hopefully the early windy conditions will produce the same result.

The way the weather looks to me is the extreme pressure gradient will begin to fade by Wednesday and by Friday conditions should be perfect for the tourney Friday/Saturday. So for all the teams stuck at the dock in Biolxi, it may be working best not to be able to pound on the fish so hard prefishing which hopefully makes for better fishing on tourney days.

To all our Carolina teams participating...good luck, wear em out, and have a great time.

- Capt. Brant McMullan

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"Grouper Madness" | Carolina Contender | 11/08/04

What can I say-- its awesome.  Capt. Barrett, local fishing hero and 2004 SKA Angler of the Year- Dean Spatholt and myself went on Sunday and had a blast.  The seas were running around 3' and we caught fish at every stop from 65-90 feet of water.  No doubt the biggest concentration of Gag Grouper is in the 60-80 foot depth range.  When we got deeper we ran into the Genuine Reds and Red Grouper.  We caught all our Grouper on live Pinfish and live Cigar Minnows.  I wouldn't recommend tangling with these fish with less than 80# tackle. 
If you're interested in getting into it, we have the exact same rod/reel setup I use and ready to go at the Fishing Center-- the combo is less than $180. 

When not harrasing the Grouper, we've been tearing up the Kings.  They are schooled up thick at the 65' hole and have nearly been jumping in the boat.  On Saturday I had a fish skyrocket a bait and actually hit the engine on its way down. 

Fishing is great right now and will continue.  As for me, I think Sunday was likely my last trip-- at least last trip that I won't be a dad.  Amy's due date is very close and she looks ready to go at any time.  Wish us luck and I'll post a report and pictures of our next big catch. 

Hey also don't forget Capt. Stan's Thanksgiving Flounder and Trout Classic-- registration is Friday, Nov 26th with fishing the 27th.  Fishing will be great and I assure you great food and fun are a guarantee.

- Capt. Brant McMullan

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"Bottom fishing bonanza" | Carolina Contender | 11/07/04

Absolutely awesome day on the water.  My hands and back are so sore from pulling on monster bottom fish all day I can hardly type.  Brant will post a more detailed report tomorrow with a couple of pictures.  In short, lots of grouper including citation size 20+ lbers and 3 great big genuine red snapper all citation size.  They were chomping today and I believe there were a whole bunch of boats that got in on the action.  The time is now to get after all these fish. 

- Capt. Barrett McMullan

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"Grouper bite is on!" | Carolina Contender | 11/07/04

Just spoke to Brant on Carolina Contender. They're crushing the grouper at the Atlantic ledge. Live cigars and pinfish.Kings also biting at 65 foot hole.

Weather going bad for next couple of days but after front comes through should get good by Thursday. Don't miss out on the incredible bite that's going on right now. Should last couple more weeks.

- Capt. Rube McMullan

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"King bite" | Carolina Contender | 11/06/04

King bite still on today. Lot of boats fishing today and they're still chewing. Sunday looks good. Should start out flat in morning and by afternoon southwest wind will pick up to about 15 in front of next front to come Monday.

Come on down and join the fun.

- Capt. Brant McMullan

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"Captain's Club Sale" | Carolina Contender | 11/05/04

Our Captain's Club Sale begins November 15 through December 31. Come join in the super savings. If you're not yet a member call 910575FISH and sign up and we'll throw in a $50 credit to your Captain Club account.

- Capt. Rube McMullan

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"Today's Report" | Carolina Contender | 11/04/04

We've been wearing out the Kings at the 65' hole- limits guaranteed.  Live bait, dead bait- it doesn't matter.  The simplest approach has been to slow troll dead Cigar Minnows on skirted King rigs at 2-3mph.  The bite is hot and will continue for the next couple of weeks.  Don't miss the fun. 

- Capt. Brant McMullan

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"Bite still on" | Carolina Contender | 11/04/04

Just back from trip. They're still chewing; live bait, dead bait, shoe leather [even caught one on Woody's pork rind]. winds now picking up; will be out of action tomorrow but Saturday looks fishable getting better later in day; Sunday post card conditions. Come on down; I need some help. Now is when we get even with all the abuse the fish have hit us with all season. THE BITE IS ON!

- Capt. Brant McMullan

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"update" | Stori Teller | 11/03/04

The Stori Teller has a few bruises being tended to at Power Marine up in Sneeds Ferry but I do have an update for all  of the inshore fisherman.While the flounder bite has been kind of slow lately what has been missing in numbers has been made up for in size.Their has been several citation size fish caught in the past week.The fish seem to be scattered from way back in the creeks to the artificial reefs in 30 to 40 feet of water.Something we all look forward to this time of year is the speckled trout bite to begin and it has begun.Captains Brandon Sauls and Mark Stacy came home Sunday with an impressive catch of 2 to 4 pounders.Along with all this action the Redfish are also making a stong showing  All fish are biting mud minnows or finger mullet on carolina rigs.Now is the time to get out and catch that Carolna inshore slam.

- Capt. Stan Gurganus

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"King attack" | Carolina Contender | 11/03/04

Carolina Contender and MacMarlen just returning from trips today and reporting the Kings are biting just as fast as you put a bait in the water. The 65 foot hole is full of bait; cigars, boston mackerel, sardines. You can jig them or the kings are eating dead cigars or ballyhoo. This is the time we look forward to every year where the Kings school up on the massive bait pods and go into a feeding freenzy. Come on down and join in the fun.

A cold front is coming through Thursday and it will be a little blowey Friday but Saturday gets better and should be fishable and Sunday looks perfect.

- Capt. Brant McMullan

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"Today's Report" | Carolina Contender | 11/02/04

We've been busy fishing to our heart's content.  Kings and Grouper are doing great.  It's unfortunate that we spend all Summer fishing 7 days a week, 14 hours a day- then when the fishing is best, hardly anyone takes advantage.  Well, we're here and the charter fleet is ready to go, so give us a call- (910) 575-3474

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again.  There’s no better place to be in the Fall than the Carolina coast.  October was a great month as the Kings, Wahoo and Grouper made a great showing, and November looks to be headed in the same direction as the fishing continues excellent.  The inshore fishing for Trout and Redfish has also been very good this past month, and although there aren’t as many numbers of Flounder being caught, this is the time to catch the big ones.  And that brings me to announce the annual Ocean Isle Fishing Center Thanksgiving Flounder & Trout Classic will be held November 26-27 out of the Ocean Isle Fishing Center.  Capt. Stan Gurganus will he directing and heading up this year’s event, and he has made plans to provide fishermen and their guests with a great tournament atmosphere.  In addition to a well run event, November is a peak month for inshore fishing, so fishermen should expect a great day of fishing with the added potential to win prize money for their catch.  I invite and encourage all you inshore fishermen to join the event and cap off a great holiday weekend.  Registration will be on Friday, Nov. 26^th from 3pm-9pm at the Ocean Isle Fishing Center and fishing will be all day on Saturday.  For additional information please visit www.oifishingcenter.com.

As I mentioned, the King Mackerel fishing continues red hot from our area and will only get better through Thanksgiving.  The Kings are schooling in the 55-65 foot depth ranges and are eating holes in the boat.  Catching a limit of 10-15 pound Kings is as simple as slow trolling a spread of dead Cigar Minnows as action is as close to a guarantee as you can get.  The Wahoo fishing in the Gulf Stream is still good, however the fish do not seem as concentrated as they were in September and early October.  And then there’s the Grouper fishing.  The Fall is always a great time, and they are biting great right now.  Aboard the “Carolina Contender” we’ve been having good luck fishing 60-80 feet of water and using a variety of live baits including Pinfish, Cigar Minnows and Herring.  The trick is in marking your sport and anchoring and having the right tackle to beat the fish.  All in all, there’s no better time to go fishing than right now.  Come on down to the coast and let us hook you up.  Good luck and good fishing.

 

 

- Capt. Brant McMullan

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"Today's Report" | Mac Marle'n | 10/30/04

Well, we finally got a pretty weekend to fish and the fish coorporated better than expected.  King mackeral bit well from the 65 Foot Hole to the Jungle to the Atlantic Ledges and everywhere in between.  There was also a very good grouper bite at the Atlantic Ledges as we ended up with several over 15 pounds.  Cigar minnows are stacked on almost every ledge, live bottom, and wreck out past 10 miles.  (We jigged some very nice ones at the Barges this morning.)  Hopefully today is just a preview of the week to come!

- Capt. Roger Gales

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"Today's Report" | Carolina Contender | 10/27/04

I had my first plate of fried Spots last week, and they are just as good as I remember.  I haven’t gotten to the Oysters yet, but there’s no doubt Fall is in the air and such pleasures as fried Spots, Oyster on the half shell and great fishing a guarantee.  The fishing has continued to be great all along our coast for a variety of species.  The King Mackerel have been biting pretty consistently at the end of the Cape Fear Ship Channel, especially on days with light winds.  The big problem in fishing for the Kings is catching live Menhaden to use for bait.  Catching Menhaden has been problem all season long ever since the commercial Menhaden boats visited our area.  The problem is made much worse in the Fall when the Menhaden typically scatter out, get bigger and faster and are very hard to catch.  The fishermen that have the luck and do find a school of Menhaden to catch for bait are the ones who are having the luck catching the Kings.  For those that may not be particularly adept at cast netting live bait, I’ve actually been having great luck slow trolling dead Cigar Minnows as well as using a Sabiki rig to jig up live bait.  Spots such as the 390/390, Jungle and Shark Hole have been producing Kings with this method.  You can look for the King Mackerel action to continue good and even pick up through the next month as the fish will move offshore to the 60-75 foot depth ranges and school in large numbers as they feed on baitfish.  In other fishing, the Spots have begun to seriously make their run into our area.  Fishermen off Caswell Beach were filling up the coolers using nothing but rod and reel and a pack of bloodworms.  As I said earlier, there’s nothing tastier than a fried Spot, and by the way, don’t think that you and me are the only ones that like to eat Spots.  A King Mackerel will nail a Spot.  And then there are the Grouper.  Yes, I said Grouper.  Most folks don’t think too much about Grouper during the Fall because their attention is diverted towards all the other fishing going on.  This is actually the best time to Grouper fishing as they move inshore to the 50-70 foot depth ranges to spawn.  Normal King Mackerel and Sea Bass spots such as the 90/90, 410/510, Shark Hole, Jungle,  and Christina’s ledge are all covered in Grouper.  The trick is in catching them, and that requires the right tackle and location.  I wouldn’t recommend pursuing Grouper with anything less than 80 pound tackle for start.  The next important factor is to have a big, strong anchor with extra long chain to be sure you can anchor over an exact spot.  Then, I also prefer to use live bait so I’ll either cast net Menhaden or jig up a bunch of live Cigar Minnows and Pinfish.  I then find the spot I want to be, drop a marker buoy so I can know just where to stop and then throw the anchor.  Many times I will take a block a chum and put it on my downrigger to get fish’s attention.  The chum turns into a feeding frenzy and attracts the Grouper from a wide area.  Lastly, I’ll drop my live bait down to the bottom on a 8/0-10/0 circle hook and hang on.  When the Grouper bites, you’ll know it.  The key is in getting the first 10 feet as quickly as possible or you’ll find yourself hung in the rocks. 

That’s all for this week.  Good luck and good fishing.

- Capt. Brant McMullan

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"Hot Grouper Bite!" | Carolina Contender | 10/26/04

Attention all fishermen! Now is the time; they're biting like bulldogs, chewing the bottom out of the boat; everything is biting.

Weather report for weekend looks perfect. From gulf stream to beach there's a fish for everyone. Last trip to stream saw continued good wahoo bite. Kings will be biting at 90/90 and normal 60 foot spots like Jungle/Shark Hole. Still some fish being caught in River Channel/Yaupon and Lighthouse Rocks.

Yesterday had a major Grouper bite[14 keepers 12-30lbs]. Fish are in shallow water[I think it's a spawning thing]. Try any of the King Mackerel rocks/ledges[Jungle/90/90/Shark Hole/ect. They were eating live pinfish. The way we fish for Grouper is with Penn Senator high speed 4/0[113HLW], Diawa 50H or comprable. We use 80-lb braided line[however in shallower water you can use mono]. Chum on downrigger works well to get fish to come to you. When we locate the rock we want to fish we use a marker buoy and then set our anchor to end up at buoy location. We use a 3-way swivel, approx 8oz of weight with a 8 foot leader[typically 80lb mono leader]. For hooks we use a 8/0circle hook and best bait is live pinfish that we catch in a pinfish trap.Then we hang on for the battle to come. If you're on right sspot bite comes quickly; if not will need to move to another spot, however if using chum give it little while to work. Put out lite line on surface wwhile waiting for Kings.

Come by Fishing Center and we'll help get you rigged up.

Inshore spots are biting and flounder doing good also.
- Capt. Brant McMullan

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"Today's Report" | Carolina Contender | 10/24/04

Fishing has continued good, although the weather has not been very friendly over the past week.  What days the weather does settle down, we're having great catches of Kings in the 40-60 foot depth ranges.  The Cape Fear River Channel continues to produce as well as other spots such as the 90/90, Lighthouse rocks and Jungle.  We haven't been back out to the Stream for the Wahoo, but I'm sure they're there.  Come on down and let's go fishing.

- Capt. Brant McMullan

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"Today's Report" | Show Time | 10/23/04

Capt. Stacy and myself set out this morning on a halfday trip to find a rather sloppy ocean and a slow king mackeral bite at the 90/90.  After a couple of missed fish, we decided to come back inshore (where it was considerably calmer) and try some bottom fishing.  We found that the seabass were stacked on AR460 and provided nonstop action for a few hours.  This afternoon, we decided to run to Southeast Rock where the seabass were also stacked up and were mixed in with some bluefish, sharks, grunts, and a stray flounder.  We ended the day with a nice mess of seabass and sore arms for everybody from all the reeling.

- Capt. Roger Gales

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"trout bite" | Stori Teller | 10/20/04

I finally have some good news to report from the Stori Teller.I left the dock this morning with a full day charter with high expectations.The winds were light out of the northwest.With th is in mind I decided to point the Stori Teller out into the open ocean where we found a bit of a ground swell but it wasn't enough to alter our plan to get to the a.r. 485 where we hoped to find some gray trout.And find them we did.It took a little looking around on the fish finder but when they were spotted the bite was definitely on.We caaught as many as we wanted for a coouple of dinners and released a few others before heading back inshore to fish for some flounder.Our inshore expedition was not quite as sucessful but we did manage one keeper and a coupleof throwbacks.

- Capt. Stan Gurganus

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"Fall Brawl recap" | Carolina Contender | 10/19/04

As bad as Saturdays weather was, Sundays was absolutely perfect and app 200 of the 215 teams went to work. A hot bite went off at the River Channel both in the morning and again in the afternoon. Good bites were also reported at all the normal 60foot spots. The winning fish was caught at Topsail Inlet [where a good bite also occured as 15 Kings were caught off the Topsail pier Friday]. Almost all of the money fish came from the River Channel; I think one came from Jungle and one from 90/90.

We hope all you fishermen enjoyed the event and the excellent fishing Sunday and hats off to the brave guys who blazed a trail Saturday for the Sunday fishermen. Hope to see you at next years event and the Far Out Shoot Out[Memorial Day] and Jolly Mon.

- Capt. Brant McMullan

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"Yesterday's Report" | Show Time | 10/19/04

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Wahoo Mania-- Capt. Roger and myself guided a local group from the Fishn' Fun Club including Chuck Olsen, Joe Forno, Jim Cutty, Rich Naumann, Don Haddock and Ray Petro aboard the ShowTime for a Gulf Stream adventure.  The weather was absolutely perfect.  We started at the BlackJack hole but there were allready a half dozen boats working the hole with only a few Wahoo caught.  I decided to pick up and run toward the Steeples.  After the move we hooked up within minutes and Rich Naumann boated the fish of a lifetime with a 75.9 pound Wahoo.  We again picked up the troll and just before time to go we had a triple hookup.  One fish immediately got off and Ray Petro's fish got off after a long battle but Chuck Olsen boated his Wahoo which would later go 57.6 pounds.  Having hit a hot spot I decided to give it just another couple of minutes and we immediately hooked up to Don Haddock's 49 pound Wahoo.  Although the action was not fast and the fish were scattered, the quality of these Wahoo made the trip all worth while.
We caught our Wahoo on black/purple and blue/pink Ilander Jrs and Ilander Trackers.

- Capt. Brant McMullan

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"Fall Brawl update" | Carolina Contender | 10/17/04

19 brave teams made a shot at it yesterday hoping that "the big dog eats first" would pay off for them while the rest of the fleet hoped for better conditions Sunday. For the Saturday fishermen it was very tuff;hats off to the teams that gave it a shot. Today, finally the wind came around to the northwest, offering protection from  the land for near shore locations. The boats fishing yesterday reported alot of bait, but the fish were not co-operative. 200 teams are at it today and hopefully the fish will co-operate for them.

- Capt. Brant McMullan

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"J. Cantorie weather report" | Carolina Contender | 10/15/04

Front coming thru right now; raining like spots and mullets. Bona fide "Mulllet Blow". HOWEVER: The good news. It's moving very fast. Tonight wind goes to west and begins to lay. Will move further to NW on Saturday and thus land will protect us so fishing inlets/River Channer/90/90 should be no problem. Should still be a little choppy left over from big blow today. Once wind goes to North, will lay down ocean quickly. Sunday is light and variable. Perfect conditions! Come on down and join in the Fall Brawl King Mackerel Classic.

- Capt. Brant McMullan

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"WEATHER NOTICE- Fall Brawl King Classic" | Carolina Contender | 10/14/04

IMPORTANT!!!

In an effort to be fair and practical to fishermen, the 2004 Fall Brawl is making an adjustment to its fishing day schedule.  Fishermen may fish EITHER Saturday or Sunday.  Fishermen that choose to fish Saturday must declare Saturday their fish day by 7am Saturday morning via telephone.  Fishermen should call the Ocean Isle Fishing Center at (910) 575-FISH to declare Saturday their fish day.  If you do not declare Saturday a fish day by 7am, Sunday will automatically become your designated day to fish.

 

The Capt. Meeting and registration will still take place on Friday from 2pm-8pm and weigh-in times will be the same as advertised except extend to include Sunday with the Awards and Oyster roast moved to Sunday evening at 8pm.

 

Again, you may choose to fish EITHER Saturday or Sunday but must declare Saturday via telephone by 7am on Saturday morning.  ALSO, registration will close Friday evening- you may not enter the tournament after Friday.

 

Call Capt. Brant at (910) 575-3474 with questions
-Capt. Brant McMullan

- Capt. Brant McMullan

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"Fall Brawl offsite parking" | Carolina Contender | 10/12/04

Fall Brawl Fishermen. Please make use of the offsite parking on the mainland side of the bridge. Our shuttle will begin running Friday at 4:00-10:00. There is NO PARKING available on the island so please use the shuttle. No hassel; no traffic. Thanks.

- Capt. Brant McMullan

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"Updated weather forecast for Fall Brawl" | Carolina Contender | 10/12/04

That J. Cantorie guy is driving me crazy. First the cold front is coming thru and then it's not and now today he's changed opinion again and it is coming thru. So, cold front coming thru Friday. Winds will go to SW in front of front, then to west Friday evening and night, and Saturday to the northwest. The wind will be10-15 out of the north Saturday morning[therefore calm close to beach] and laying all day Saturday. You will be able to comfortably fish the River Channel/Yaupon/90/90 in morning and if you want to move off to Shark Hole/Jungle in afternoon, the wind and seas should lay on out to flat. As you've read on other reports, bite hot at River Channel. Also heard of 40+ coming off of Myrtle Beach Rocks. The water is full of greenie's and I think that's what's got the kings chewing.

Come on down and get into the action!

- Capt. Brant McMullan

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"Today's Report" | Carolina Contender | 10/12/04

Its classic Carolina King Mackerel fishing.  The Fall fishing is HOTT and the Kings are biting like bulldogs.  We've been having a ball fishing the end of the Cape Fear River Channel.  However, the bite is strong most anywhere from 40-60 feet of water.  Don't miss the Fall Brawl this weekend.

- Capt. Brant McMullan

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"River Channel report" | Carolina Contender | 10/11/04

Just got in from full day trip at River Channel. The hot bite continues. Classic fall King fishing. Mid teens to mid twenties fish. Several caught today in 30's at channel.Bait tuff this morning but plenty available this afternoon.Had probably 20 shots, lots of action.They're chewing; come on down and get in on the fun!

- Capt. Brant McMullan

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"River Channel report" | Carolina Contender | 10/11/04

Late yesterday afternoon bite of big fish developed at River Channel. Two fish in mid 40's, others high 30's.

On Fall Brawl weather lookout; as of today it looks like the cold front we were looking for is going to stall out and not make it here. Winds will shift to SW Wednesday/Thursday going to west Friday and I still think they will lay out Friday evening and be good for Saturday. Stay tuned.

Fishing River Channel today so we have new report this evening.

- Capt. Brant McMullan

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"River Channel on fire" | Carolina Contender | 10/10/04

Just returned from 1/2 day charter. Kings smoking at River Channel. Sky rocketing/multiple hookups. Bait difficult but better toward Oak Island.

Tomorrow have boats going to gulf stream. Standby for report from blue water.

- Capt. Brant McMullan

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"Fall Brawl Weather Forecast" | Carolina Contender | 10/10/04

Hot off the press!Just concluded indepth interview with our inhouse weather guru[J.Cantorie] and here's what he sees.

This week should be fairly calm with front approaching on Wednesday. Winds will shift to southwest in front of the cold front that's coming on Thursday and blow 20kts. Front will come thru Thursday night shifting to our favorite fall northly wind and blow 20kts. Winds will blow approx 15-20 north/northwest Friday and will begin laying out Friday evening as high pressure system moves over top of our area. Saturday winds will start out north approx 10 kts and will lay out completely during day.

Fishing Intrepretation. What we need to get fish chomping is a good cold front and it will be here Thursday night. Mullets will run, spots will go crazy and Kings should turn on after front stabilizes. This suggest Saturday[2 days after front passes] should be spectatular. Kings should bite River Channel/Yaupon/Lighthouse Rocks/90/90. All these spots are protected by the norht wind so there will be calm seas to fish.

Looks like classic case of all the elements coming together for extroadinary fall King fishing. Come on down and join the fun at the Fall Brawl King Classic. 

- Capt. Brant McMullan

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"Today's Report" | Show Time | 10/05/04

Absolutely killed the Kings this afternoon while fishing the 24 mile ledge.  Its an area of rocks just offshore of the Shark Hole and 18 mile rocks-- We didn't even try to find live bait as the Kings were more than happy to take the dead Cigar Minnows we were slow trolling.  In 4 hours of fishing we caught and released some 25 Kings between 10 and 18 pounds.  The Kings should be getting very good over the next so stand by-- Fall Brawl is just around the corner.

- Capt. Roger Gales

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"Today's Report" | Show Time | 10/04/04

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The bite is on!  Let August and September be forgotten.  There are no tropical storms on the horizon, and the fish are biting.  As predicted, the great weather that our area has had over the past week has allowed the water to settle and the fish to get themselves back on schedule.  The King Mackerel fishing has been excellent since the weekend and the Wahoo fishing in the Gulf Stream is phenomenal.

Over the weekend the annual US Open King Mackerel tournament was held out of Southport, NC.  The area was just coming off all the bad weather, but the seas had begun to settle and it was almost a certainty that the Kings would be found.  Some 425 boats fished the event and scattered out from Morehead City to Georgetown.  The fishing on Friday was good and Saturday was even better as the wind shifted to the south.  Hotspots for action included the Cabbage Patch, Jungle, Shark Hole, 24 mile rocks, Frying Pan Tower, Topsail inlet, Georgetown tideline and Barton’s inlet tideline.  Dean Spatholt of Calabash fishing aboard the “Fish Meister” caught a 41.7 pound King on Saturday while fishing the Barton Inlet area and won the $40,000 first place prize.  The fact that the fish were spread over so many different areas leads me to believe the bite will get even stronger as the Kings should begin to move closer to the beach and concentrate particularly near the Cape Fear ship channel.  And then there’s the Gulf Stream.  I’ve been hearing reports of awesome Wahoo action all along the 180 foot break.  At the Ocean Isle Fishing Center we’ve weighed several citation Wahoo over the past week including a whopping 98 pounder.  On Monday, Capt. Roger and Capt. Charles took a group from Pittsburgh on a Gulf Stream adventure fishing aboard the “Show Time”.  I actually hadn’t been to the Stream in a while myself, so I decided to tag along as observer/photographer.  After running in flat calm seas, we arrived to the Blackjack hole at 9:30am.  The action started off slow as we picked up a couple of Blackfin Tuna.  We knew the Wahoo were there because we kept hooking up to monster, screamer fish that would tear off hundreds of yards of line then charge the boat and eventually throw the hook.  It was really very frustrating as we lost six big Wahoo before finally putting a 35 pounder in the boat.  The Wahoo bite was not red hot, but we would get a bite every 20 minutes or so along with several other Blackfin Tuna and a handful of small Mahi.  Throughout the day we never moved more than half a mile, fishing 180 feet of water.  It was getting toward the end of the day, and I was pretty frustrated at the number of quality fish we had lost.  We had just pulled the hooks on what I estimate to have been a 60 pound Mahi, when I called fifteen minutes to go.  No sooner did the words get out my mouth than all heck broke loose.  A fish boiled on the small pitch bait I had dangling next to the teaser then a 50+ pound Wahoo skied out of the water with my teaser in its mouth.  Then the downrigger went off, then the short flat line behind the teaser, then the long riggers and finally the shotgun.  It was pure chaos and pandemonium.  I’ve been in bites of Yellowfin Tuna like that, but never have I seen Wahoo attack a spread of baits like that.  The fish that hit the small, pitch bait immediately bit the mono leader, and the Wahoo that skied the teaser took it with him.  Otherwise, we were hooked up with six Wahoo and doing battle.  Every person on board manned a rod as my job became head director and line untangler.  What was so ironic was that despite trying so hard all day to catch fish of which they would usually get off, here we were with crossed lines and slack lines, yet none of the Wahoo were coming unhooked.  One by one we boated the Wahoo, and when all was said and done, we put five Wahoo in the boat with the smallest at 38 pounds and the biggest at 54 pounds.  It was a first for me and a heck of a fish story as we were truly attacked by a pack of hungry Wahoo.

And for all you inshore fishermen, the Spots are on the way.  I was in the Morehead City area over the weekend, and they were starting to catch them very good.  The Flounder are continuing to bite pretty decent in the backwaters and over nearshore reefs and the Grey Trout have been biting good in the ocean at common Sea Bass rocks from 30-50 feet.  All in all the fishing is excellent and the Fall season looks to be bright.

And now that the fishing is back on track I’d like to remind all you fishermen out there that I’ll be again hosting the annual Fall Brawl King Classic tournament out of the Ocean Isle Fishing Center on October 15-16.  Registration is on Friday, October 15^th from 2pm-8pm with dinner, Capt. meeting and “Spotscar Racing” to follow.  Fishing is on Saturday from 7am-5pm with the weigh-in beginning at 2pm.  The awards will be at 8pm along with a good old Oyster cookout for all tournament participants and guests.  If you have any questions or would like information on the event, call (910) 575-FISH or visit www.oifishingcenter.com.  Good luck fishing and I’ll hope to see you there.

 

- Capt. Brant McMullan

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"Gulf Stream Hot Bite" | Mac Marle'n | 10/03/04

They lit em up at Blackjack Hole today. Tuna and major Wahoo bite. Fish up to 100lbs! The fall gulf stream bite is on!

- Capt. Barrett McMullan

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"Kings Onfire!" | Carolina Contender | 10/03/04

Just like we expected with a better wind direction yesterday the fish went balistic. Hot bites occurred almost everywhere in the 60 foot range. 30/30; Shark Hole;Jungle.

For next weekends tourneys the same should continue however watch Lighthouse Rocks turn on and the River Channel as there is a cold front coming and temperatures are supposed to drop 10 degrees. The spots are thick up toward Morehead and as they move into our waters the River Channel/Lighthouse Rocks should turn on with big fish.

Good luck to all next week and we will update this week as our charter fleet will be fishing. 

- Capt. Barrett McMullan

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"Today's Report" | Mac Marle'n | 10/02/04

Two words...bottomfish city!  Today we found the Gary Ennis and 32 Mile Rock loaded with seabass, triggerfish, silver snapper, vermillion snapper, grunts, as well as many others.  Along with all of the bottom feeders we managed a couple of kings, a mahi, and some amberjacks.  Even saw a very nice sailfish free jumping just off the side of the boat at the 32 Mile Rock.  All and all a very beautiful day to be on the water.  We're taking a day off tomorrow but will be back at it with our first gulf stream trip of the fall season on Monday so stay tuned for a report!

- Capt. Roger Gales

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"US Open report" | Carolina Contender | 10/01/04

Fish did better today than I expected. 130 fish weighed in. Decent bites reported at Jungle and Frying Pan Tower hard bottom. 41 leading, not sure where caught. Carolina Contender in 2nd with 34; caught at Morehead.Bait was very difficult but seems to be holding in deeper water[need fast sinking net]. Also mullet running beach this morning.

Tomorrow wind supposed to go south; full moon waning; fish should turn it on. Good luck to everyone.

More info as soon as we can get it.

- Capt. Barrett McMullan

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"USOpen report" | Carolina Contender | 09/30/04

For all the USOpen fishermen: Don't get discouraged if they don't bite Friday. Here's the facts. None of the boats fishing from the Ocean Isle Fishing Center found the fish today. Boats fished all the way out to 32 mile rock. Nothing. Add to that bait was hard to get. So here's what I think[and hope]. The east winds got em. It's supposed to go to south Saturday so if we can survive Friday without committing suicide, Saturday may provide the answer. Bottom line; it's it tuff tomorrow,  don't get discouraged. Tee em up again Saturday and it may be a completely diferent story. Good luck to all!

- Capt. Brant McMullan

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""King Mackerel and the Blues are Runnin'"" | Carolina Contender | 09/30/04

"The tide rolls in, the tide rolls out. 
Summertime is just about gone. 
All that's left think about is the fishin' comin' on. 
Who's got the latest information?  Coast Guard or charter boat crews?  Could be the kid down at the filling station sayin' 'buddy have you heard the news, hey buddy have you heard the news'. 
King mackerel and the blues are runnin' all along the coast. 
Talk about fishin' you can't give the fish away.  Everybody's lucky.  October and the moon is comin' but the clouds won't give up the ghost.  Oh let the good weather hold one more day."

Good luck to all the U.S. Open fishing teams as well as anyone wetting a hook this weekend!  Tis' the season.

- Capt. Barrett McMullan

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"Now is the time!" | Carolina Contender | 09/29/04

Well everyone, here we go.  We are but two days from the most magical of all months on the Carolina coast- October.  The best news of all is the weather for the next several days is forecasted to be chamber of commerce type days.  Light winds, calm seas, sunny skies, moderate temps and October equals time to go fishing.  Whether you hunt flounder, spots, wahoo, king mackerel or billfish this time of year on our coast with the forecasted weather typically brings some of the best fishing we see all year.  It may take a day or two for the water to settle out after all the storms but that should be taking place as we speak and hopefully aligning a perfect fishing scenario for this weekend.  For the next month fishing will only get better so don't miss out on this special time of year.  If you are fortunate enough to make it down to the coast please don't hesitate to contact us either call, email or even better stop by and we'll provide to you the latest information on where the fish are being caught, how they are being caught and what you'll need to catch them.  We are eagerly anticipating the excellent Fall fishing and hope to share the experience with as many fishermen and fisherwomen as possible.  Come join the fun!

- Capt. Barrett McMullan

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"Weekend Outlook" | Carolina Contender | 09/28/04

OK- Jeanne is exiting the picture and this weekend's US Open King Mackerel tournament is coming up.  The weather is supposed to be great, so get down here and join the tournament or just go fishing- IT IS TIME!
For all you tournament fishermen, here is where things stand- week before last we crushed them at the Jungle when the wind turned to the south.  This weekend, despite the bad weather, there were good Kings caught at Yaupon Reef off Southport and also at the Dead Tree Hole out of Beaufort inlet.  The bite was not red hot, but I understand it did turn on at the tide change from high switching to falling.  There has been plenty of Pogys along all the area beaches.
My guess for this weekend is that Friday will be the feeling out day as the waters continue to settle out.  Saturday I think the Kings are going to light off as the winds should shift to the south and the water should be much more settled.  Yaupon reef and Lighthouse rocks should be the spots but don't rule out the Jungle, Shark Hole, 18 mile rocks or Cabbage Patch area-- good luck this weekend.
We've got all your tournament supplies at hand including chum, ribbonfish, premade custom rigs, Cape Lookout skirts... you name it, we've got it---
Also we're running some super specials on rod and reel combos--- Speedmaster and Star rod combo, spooles and ready to go for $159 !  If you're a Grouper fisherman, come check out my ULTIMATE Grouper getting outfit I just rigged up-- ready to go for $179 ---
We'll see you on the water this weekend-

- Capt. Brant McMullan

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"US Open report" | Carolina Contender | 09/28/04

With US Open coming this weekend and tourneys every weekend for next month; and with weather finally improving, we're going to try to provide info as to what's being caught where and what we think will happen this week with weather that will effect where the fish are this weekend. Also our charter fleet will be fishing and we'll have good first hand info.

To begin, and we'll update this report as we get a better handle on what to expect: Last weeks tourneys fished in very tuff weather however there were some fish caught. A decent bite went off at Yaupon and a decent bite occurred at Barden Inlet and Dead Tree Hole up toward Morehead. The Yaupon bite is particuliarly encouraging as it's time for the River Channel to kick off for the fall. Stand by as I get more info.

- Capt. Brant McMullan

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"" | Stori Teller | 09/24/04

A hot flounder bite went down yesterday for a charter aboard the Stori Teller in the Shallotte River.  Fishing was very slow until the tide changed from rising to falling.  We caught several very nice fish in a short period of time on live minnows and pogies.  Here a couple pics of one of the fish that went 6.50 lbs- a citation!

- Capt. Stan Gurganus

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"Awesome weekend ahead" | Carolina Contender | 09/20/04

The weather is shaping up to be great this weekend.  We've had a massive cold front bring lots of north winds, but it will calm down toward Thursday and I GUARANTEE the bite will be hot this weekend-- Flounder, King Mackerel and Wahoo.  Make plans to be here-- stop by the Fishing Center as we're overstocked-- SALES galore!!!

COMBO SPECIALS

Shimano Speedmaster w/ Star Aerial- 169.99 less 10%= $152.99

Shimano TLD 15 w/ Star Aerial- $189.99 less 10%= $170.99

Penn 545 w/ Star Aerial- $189.99 less 10%= $170.99

***All combos spooled FREE with Sufix 20lb***

REEL SPECIALS

Shimano Speedmaster- 104.99

Penn 545- 119.99

Shimano TLD 15- 129.99

Shimano Torium 20- 169.99

Shimano Torium 30- 179.99

Penn International 12T- 379.99

AVET LX- 279.99

***All reels spooled FREE with Sufix 20lb***

ROD SPECIALS

Star Plasma 15-30 live bait rod- 214.95

Star DLXKF 15-30 live bait rod- 99.95

Aerial 15-30 live bait rod- 59.95

 

***50% of total value purchased refunded back to get 50% off on all clothing and gifts***

EXAMPLE- Buy $300 worth of rod & reel combos, and get $150 to buy OIFC clothing and gifts at 50% of retail- $50 shirt now costs only $25***

 

- Capt. Brant McMullan

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"More Details on Yesterday's Gulf Stream Adventure" | Carolina Contender | 09/17/04

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- Capt. Barrett McMullan

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"Fishing is hot!" | Carolina Contender | 09/16/04

Today was a great day on the water.  Everything is lining up just perfect for great Fall fishing.  Too perfect maybe.  Just as everything is getting right we are being stared down by yet another hurricane.  We'll save that worry for another day.  For now let's talk about the awesome fishing Brant and I had with a buddy of ours Allen Ambrose up off the Same Ol hole today in the gulf stream.  I'll give you the short for now and Brant will provide a few more details and pics tomorrow. We had a banner Carolina day with 3 dolphin, 3 tuna, 5 wahoo, and a blue marlin!  Also heard the kings bit hard again down here off Ocean Isle today plenty of 15-25 lbers.  Lets all keep our fingers crossed now and hopefully we'll be spared by the next storm. 

- Capt. Barrett McMullan

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"FISH!" | Carolina Contender | 09/15/04

I believe Capt. Brant is going to have some exciting news later today about the fishing.  Like a light switch they turned on- or so I hear.  Big king mackerel and big flounder and lots of them.  A calm day of weather yielded big catches.  Fall fishing is here?  Stay tuned

- Capt. Barrett McMullan

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"Today's Report- HOT BITE" | Mac Marle'n | 09/15/04

What are we doing???  The weather finally cleared a little today and WHAM-- the fish hit the dock!!!  Although our charter fleet did not fish (nobody's here to go fishing)  Yorke Pharr took fishing friends Mitchell and Nolan Newell and Brad Walker on the "Pharr Fishing Team" on a fun trip in search of Kings.  They caught bait easily just outside of Shallotte Inlet and went to the Jungle where they reported slow, but steady action until 2pm when it lit up and the Kings went crazy.  They ended up bringing 3, 20+ pound Kings back to the dock and reported losing plenty more.  Capt. Yorke indicated the area was alive with activity as schools of Spanish worked the surface-----
AND---
Jeff Beck and Jay Utley just pulled away from the dock after fishing the Jim Caudle reef off Little River.  They weighed a 7.4 pound Flounder and had a cooler full of 2-4 pounders.  Jeff reported too that the ocean was alive as Bluefin were everywhere. 

What can I say but that the time is here.  The fish are here.  Get us past this weather and you can count on some awesome fishing.  You just wait.  Next early week looks decent and hopefully if we can keep Jeanne away, it will be good right on through.  I'm so excited I can't stand it.  Tomorrow I'm going to try to go fishing myself, whether it be Flounder or Blue Marlin, I'm going to do something.  Just thought all you folks that are down in the dumps should know--THERE IS HOPE!!!

- Capt. Brant McMullan

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"No Rhyme or Reason to Hurricane Season" | Carolina Contender | 09/14/04

As I sit here trying to dream up an exciting fish story, all I can hear in my mind are different Jimmy Buffet song lines....."They’ve shut down the water slide"...."the coast is clear"..."the weather's here; I wish you were beautiful"....and finally the answer to this funk I think we're all in..."There’s no rhyme or reason to hurricane season". I cannot remember an August/ September like this where week after week, storm after storm, every weekend ends up rainy and windy. There's got to be an end to this, but as I sit here, we've got Ivan coming into the gulf probably curving across land to drench us and now Jeanie is forming east of the Bahamas, pointing at the east coast. Enough! I've had it and it's time we go on the offensive and change this weather pattern we seem to be stuck in. So here is a list of things we all need to do and maybe by all working together we can create our own pressure system that will cause the climatic change we need to get back on track.

[1] Email the weather channel and request [no, demand] they send Jim Cantorie on vacation to Nebraska, South Dakota or somewhere that he can't cause trouble.

[2] Build a campfire in your back yard [a BBQ grill will suffice] and dance backwards around the fire [concept is to create a counter rotation air flow that will unwind any developing low pressure systems.]

[3] Take a tray of ice cubes and throw them in the ocean.  [This will lower the water temperature, which deprives hurricanes of their power].

[4] Turn off your air conditioning. [This will reduce power demand and therefore CP&L will generate less energy and thus reduce their warm water discharge[hurricane energy source] from their power plant into the ocean off Yaupon Beach.

[5] Come up with your own ideas...try something. We need help!

 

Now that I've got that off my chest; fishing wise there are a few fishing reports that will breathe life back into your fishing spirit.  It is known that the Fall typically starts a good Wahoo and Billifsh bite in the Gulf Stream as evidenced by a recent report of a hot Wahoo bite while fishing the Winyah Scarp area last week.  In addition, the same boat hooked three Billfish including a Blue Marlin amongst the dozen or so Wahoo they caught.  Over the weekend and between Hurricanes, the Atlantic Beach King Mackerel tournament took place from the Morehead City area.  The weather was certainly not great, but some 400 boats participated and did have a fair catch of King Mackerel including a whopping 57 pound King that took first place.  In addition there were several fish over 40 pounds.  The bite was not good by any means, likely a result of the 15kt East winds,  but Kings were scattered all throughout the fishing area from 50 to 120 feet which is evidence that they are in fact out there.  I think that given stable conditions as well as southerly winds, the bite would be pretty good up and down our coast.   It's certainly time for our fall fishing to get kicked in gear and hopefully if we can fix the weather we can resume our normal lives soon.  Let’s all keep the folks in the path of Ivan in our thoughts and hopefully they will be spared the devastation that seems nearly imminent. 

 

- Capt. Brant McMullan

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"Finally Back At It" | Mac Marle'n | 09/10/04

After what seemed like an eterninty of a weather delay, we finally hit the high seas again today and found a consistant bite of amberjacks and barracudas at the Barges on mullet.  It was a struggle at times to keep them out of the wreck but we did manage to land a few up to a citation size of 52.30 lbs.  We're back at it tomorrow with a 1/4 and full day trips so stay tuned for another report!

- Capt. Roger Gales

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"Today's Report" | Carolina Contender | 09/04/04

Well, tried to take the CC out today in the hopes of doing some Flounder and Drum fishing at one of the nearshore reefs-- BUT-- 6 foot breakers across Shallotte Inlet slowed that plan down.  The tide was mid and rising and the waves were breaking heavy all the way across the inlet due to the swell and I could just imagine trying to get back in on lower water with a falling tide.  I opted for the safer side and decided to save my fishing ambitions for another day.  I hope to have more to say soon-- stay tuned.  Be sure to check out the political page as we do have more updates as work on both the Pogy boat issue as well as the Shallotte Inlet dredging project.

- Capt. Brant McMullan

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"" | Carolina Contender | 09/03/04

BIG NEWS on the Shallotte Inlet dredging program. Check out our "Political issues" page.

- Capt. Brant McMullan

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"Today's Report" | Carolina Contender | 09/01/04

Well I thought I'd have a report for you today as the forecast looked good last night but non-stop monsoon rains with the occasional lightning strike thwarted my plans at chasing Wahoo and White Marlin- of which I hear there's a pretty decent bite in the Stream.
We're crossing our fingers on Frances, however fishing conditions don't look too favorable this weekend.  I've just got this sneaky feeling that after this storm the Fall fishing will begin-- As you're driving down the road keep your eyes peeled for yellow butterflies-- a wise old salts says- "When the Yellow Butterflies fly, the fish start to moving and biting". 

- Capt. Brant McMullan

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"Today's Report" | Show Time | 08/28/04

Today Capt. Bryan and myself fished in the Frantic Atlantic King Mackeral Tournament out of Little River, SC.  We found bait off of Long Beach and headed about 48 miles offshore to hopefully find some clearer water and a winning king mackeral.  Due to a ominous looking cloud offshore, we pulled up a little bit short and fished the Horseshoe for a bit.  The amberjacks were chewing the bottom of the boat out there so we caught a few and then headed back offshore to the Navy Wreck.  There we caught sharks, amberjacks, a jack crevelle, and missed a couple of king mackeral strikes.  The highlight, though, was the 22 lb. wahoo that we caught there on a naked pogy off the downrigger which one us first place in the wahoo division for the tournament.  We won't be fishing tomorrow due to the tropical storm right off the coast, but will be back at it as soon as the ocean calms back down a bit so stay tuned.

- Capt. Grady Gordon

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"" | Carolina Contender | 08/26/04

Here is a pic of the torpedo wahoo caught aboard the Hooligan last week on live bait gear down at the Brunswick Islands pro king mackerel tournament.  The fish stalked a double pogy rig before nailing it and stripping off several hundred yards of line in seconds. 

- Capt. Barrett McMullan

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"" | Carolina Contender | 08/25/04

King mackerel fishing continues to be tough.  A combination of the poor water conditions and the traditional late August- early September slump make finding a kingfish a real challenge.  There is still plenty of action to be had from the barracudas and amberjacks which are always fun to battle.  In addition I noticed more shrimp boats out than I can remember so I bet the blacktip shark fishing might be pretty good.  We'll be checking that out this week.  The brisk northerly winds we've had for a couple days and forecasted for the next couple days is keeping is closer to the beach.  The best bet for action on kings will be to get offshore into at least 100ft of water as soon as the weather allows.  I did hear of a good stream report from Sunday.  The Same Ol hole lit up pretty good for a one boat that I know of who had 7 wahoo and one 35-40 lb mahi.  Also, up north they are having a banner year on the white marlin so expect a decent run down this way a little later in the season probably late September or October.  There are still a few scattered schools of pogies around Shallotte inlet but they are a little tough to catch if they are hanging in the deeper water 20ft+.  The weather is looking a little better this weekend with forecasted wind to be calm out of the south.  Time to go deep.

- Capt. Barrett McMullan

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"" | Carolina Contender | 08/24/04

Check "political issues" for pogy update.

- Capt. Rube

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"" | Carolina Contender | 08/23/04

This past weekend I had the opportunity to fish on the Hooligan, a 34' Yellowfin, in the Golden Isles pro king mackerel tournament down in Brunswick, GA.  Although we had high hopes of escaping our slow king mack bite up here, the same slow bite was found down there.  We fished for two days mostly in 115 ft of water and caught only 4 mackerels.  We did manage a stud 50lb wahoo on king mack gear which was a ton of fun. Our best fish on day one was 25lbs which put us in 12th after day one but we just couldn't back it up with anything on day two for the aggregate formatted tournament.  However a couple of local teams and OIFC pro team members did fair well in the event.  Forest Taylor on That's My Dog had a good event with a 6th place finish.  The big winner was Dean Spatholt, Greg Spatholt, and David Haines on the Fishmeister who caught a 45lb smoker on day one to win the local big fish tournament and take second in the aggregate pro event.  There are several Brunswick County teams that are doing well in the pro division. You can check out the standings at www.fishska.com. 

- Capt. Barrett McMullan

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"Today's Report" | Mac Marle'n | 08/22/04

Today we started off looking for bait by going to the west.  This effort came up dry so it was off to the Barges to jig some cigar minnows.  From there we headed off to Atlantic Ledges where we found a very hot amberjack bite, and believe it or not a king mackeral.  This was the first king we have seen since Hurricane Charley so hopefully this is a good sign of things to come for the week.  On the 1/4 day trip this afternoon, we battled the rain to find a steady spanish mackeral bite along with plenty of barracudas.  Stay tuned as we have trips planned for everyday this week!

- Capt. Roger Gales

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"Pogy update" | Carolina Contender | 08/21/04

Click on "political issues" page for pogy update

- Capt. Rube

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"Today's Report" | Carolina Contender | 08/18/04

I had a full day today aboard the CC and got a chance to get offshore and take a look around at the state of affairs.  The water is milky green all the way out to 35 miles which I think will keep the King Mackerel fishing slow-- Case in point-- not a boat in OIFC or any other fleet I heard of had a King Mackerel today-- The Amberjack have come on with a vengeance as they are everywhere and HUNGRY.  Did a good bit of bottomfishing from 75-90 feet and the bite was not hot at all- although we did manage a super catch with a 15 pound Genuine Red Snapper-- We had a couple of Grouper and more Jacks and that was it.  Anyway, it will take a little time for the water to clear, but patience and good weather from Mother Nature are the only cure.   Recognize the guys in the picture?  think Carolina basketball--

- Capt. Brant McMullan

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"todays report" | Stori Teller | 08/17/04

Things are not looking as grim on the fishing scene as I expected .We left this morning with some concern about how the fishing was going to be after  we saw how dirty the inshore water was.With this in mind I decided to push the stori teller out into the slick calm ocean.We rode about nine miles to the a.r 485 where we found a descent bite of bluefish with one nice flounder of about four pounds thrown in for good measure.The water out there was definitly not clear but was alot better than it was inside the inlet.

- Capt. Stan Gurganus

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"Pogy Boats Strike Again!!" | Carolina Contender | 08/17/04

Here's an email that I got from a concerned area fisherman.   The problem will only get worse-- we are working to make a stand so be ready to be called to action.  This is serious--
Being concerned about the lack of bait coming down the beach. I went all the way to the mouth of the river and found the poggy boat catching poggies on the beach. I called the coast guard to have them report it DNR. The boat captain said that he was doing what he had been doing for years.In one of your reports you said that the boats were not allowed to get that close to the beach. 400 Yards I think is what you said.  let me know if that rule has changed. I would like to know if DNR ever got the measage. I waited around a couple of hours and noone showed.
I have been fishing these waters for 20 years aand I can see where this is headed if we dont start some noise about it. If they are breaking the rules it mighy help to get the word out.

- Capt. Brant McMullan

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"Post Charlie" | Carolina Contender | 08/16/04

Just getting back our internet here at the Fishing Center after the storm.  We took the brunt of Charlie but the OIFC and fleet is still standing.  Top winds were around 85mph.  It gave me a new respect for the capability of nature.  85 mph is as much as we ever want to see here.  A cat 3 or more would be complete devestation on the island.  Thankfully we got lucky and dodged another one, let's hope for some good stable weather from here on out and look forward to a great Fall fishing season.  Here are a couple of pics Brant and I took at Shallotte Point during the peak of the storm. 

- Capt. Barrett McMullan

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"Pogy update" | Carolina Contender | 08/16/04

Go to political page for progress report on pogy issue.

- Capt. Rube

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"Today's Report" | Carolina Contender | 08/14/04

This is Capt. Brant with a pre-hurricane report.  It's 9am and the winds have picked up to 30kts from the SSE.  We've battened down the hatches as best as possible taking into account our feel for the storm.  The storm will be hitting at low tide, so hopefully surge will not be a problem.  I've put an extra rope and bumper on the big boats, and taken the smaller, trailerable boats out of the water.  Hopefully the storm will speed by quickly and not hit us for too long.  Stay tuned for my next report as I'll post how things are going and what damage has been sustained.
Capt. Brant signing off-----  Don't forget the webcam will be on so long as there is power, so tune in for live footage of the storm.

- Capt. Brant McMullan

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"" | Mac Marle'n | 08/12/04

Left this morning on a five hour trip attempting to dodge the beginnings of the thunderstorms.  Roger and I went to the east out of shallotte inlet looking for pogies but did not find any between the inlet and Holden beach pier.  From there we headed off to the 7 and 10 mile reefs where we found a hot spanish mackerel bite and also plenty of hungry barracuda.  It looks as if we may be on the hill for the next few days because of the storms.  Make sure to check in once in a while to the OIFC webcam to make sure we are still floating.  There may be a pre-storm flounder tournament on the docks tomorrow evening so stay tuned. 

- Capt. Barrett McMullan

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"Today's Report" | Show Time | 08/11/04

This morning we headed back to the Atlantic Ledge area where we once again found steady action from amberjacks and barracudas.  As the bite slowed there we moved over to the York and found the jacks chewing the bottom of the boat out.  This afternoon, on a 1/4 day trip, we found a decent spanish bite at AR460 along with plenty of barracudas ready and willing to bite.  The bait this morning was once again just to the west side of Shallotte Inlet in about 10 feet of water.

- Capt. Roger Gales

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"they are back" | Stori Teller | 08/11/04

Finally after a week long period of east winds it finally switched to the south this morning.Along with this wind switch came a fairly good flounder bite along the marshes surrounding  the Sunset Beach area.We started this morning with a short bait hunt where we found several large schools of finger mullet.I had brought along some mud minnows which the flounder would not touch but they would gobble up the mullet.So it is fair to say ,at least for now,the flounder are back in the inshore waters.

- Capt. Stan Gurganus

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"Nice King Finally" | Capt. Hook | 08/10/04

There was no ferocious bite by any means but we did manage a nice King today. We were aiming for Cudas when the King in the mid twenties hit a mullet on top at the Sherman. The mullets have been hanging around the back of Shallotte Inlet and the Pogies just on the outside. The pogies are easy to get one time and skittish the next so be patient. Don't ride by those Mulletts they will get her done!! Till next ?????

- Capt. David Hooks

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"" | Carolina Contender | 08/10/04

Ok, yesterday I had a full day trip.  Found plenty of pogies just before the Little River Jetties and then headed offshore.  The wind was from the east at 15 knots and maybe a little more once you got further offshore.  Fishing was not good at all.  I found a few amberjacks and a cuda but we had to work hard for those.  The water color looked terrible and with the east wind blowing the fish just weren't around.  I fished the Jungle, the Hammer, and a few artificial structures but never found a good concentration of fish. 

Today was a different story.  The wind still had a slight east hint to it but it was drastically calmer, which I believe helped the fish to start feeding again.  Pogies were located just to the west of Shallote inlet this morning and there were also some mullet right at the inlet.  I started at the 65' hole where the water color is beginning to come around.  It still wasn't exactly right but it did look better.  We caught two king mackerel which was a sight for sore eyes.  The biggest was about 17lbs.  Next I headed offshore to check out the Atlantic ledge.  Again the water was clear but had a more blue tint to it than usual.  We caught amberjack until we were blue in the face and then amidst all that we got bit by a nice kingfish.  Unfortunately the whole fish didn't make it to the boat thanks to a hungry barracuda, but the mackerel would have weighed in the high twenties.  Supposedly we are to have some stable south wind for a day or so before it goes bad again so I expect the fish to bite good tomorrow.

- Capt. Barrett McMullan

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"Today's Report" | Show Time | 08/10/04

This morning we found bait just on the west side of Shallotte Inlet and pointed the bow towards the Atlantic Ledges.  There we found steady action from amberjacks, barracudas as well as a couple of sharks.  It looks as if the fishing is once again picking up so stay tuned because we'll be back at it in the morning.

- Capt. Roger Gales

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