Posts Tagged ‘East Cape Canoes’
Topsail-Bald Head fishing report
April 13, 2010 | 
Author
This past weekend saw a return of cooler temperatures to the Cape Fear area. Saturday I fished the middle to southern end of Topsail Island. I departed from the NC Wildlife ramp at Surf City and fished my way south.
Water temperatures in the ICWW were in the low 60’s while back up in the creeks and mud flats, they were in the mid to upper 60’s. I saw many fish up on the mud flats, but not so many in the ICWW. The fish that I did see didn’t seem very interested in eating, a pattern I typically see after a weather front roles through. In addition to Redfish, I did see a few small Flounder dart out from under my boat as I floated across the mud flats as well as a good number of mullet minnows.
I spoke with another angler while up one of my favorite creeks who informed me that he had been catching some speckled trout in some of the deeper holes.
Sunday, I took my neighbor Steve out and we hit the flats on the southern end of the county around Bald Head Island. Water temperatures in this area again were in the mid 60’s. We had similar activity on Sunday, seeing a lot of fish that didn’t seem to interested in eating. I did get a nice 25-inch Redfish to eat a gold Johnson silver minnow spoon tipped with a white curly tail grub. Tipping the spoon with a grub will give it an entirely different action that the Redfish just seem to love. Steve also landed a smaller Redfish on a D.O.A. paddle tail in a new penny color with gold flake. He was fishing it on an 1/8oz. weighted hook. I also saw a lot of baitfish in the water in this are including mullet and small shad. With all of the bait in the water, the fishing should only get better and better.
I have a couple of trips booked for the end of the week so stayed tuned for more updates. Also, don’t forget to call or shoot me an email to book your trip. I am starting to get a lot of calls for booking for the up coming summer, so don’t wait too long to call so as not to miss your opportunity.
Till next time,
Tight lines!!!!
The Redfish bite is on!!!
The days are getting shorter, the nights are getting cooler, the water temps are falling and the mullet blow is kicking off. It can only mean one thing, fall fishing is here. The Redfish bite has been on fire in the North Topsail Beach area as of late as well as many other areas in the Cape Fear Region.
With the water full of finger mullet heading South, the top water action for big Redfish as been awesome. Early mornings while the sun is still low seems to be the best time for the topwater action, but cloudy days will produce strikes all day long. Skitter walks and Top Pups have been working well. Color doesn’t seem to matter much as the fish are feeding heavily and they just can’t resist the action of one of these plugs.
Top water is not the only baits that are working well now. Both Gulp™shrimp and jerk shads fished on weighted hooks have been producing a lot of fish. Skimmer jigs tipped with Fish Bites™ have been producing a lot of fish as well. Most of the trips taken lately have been producing double digit numbers of Reds in only a few hours of fishing.
The new ECC Vantage is performing beautifully and allows me to get into the skinny waters that tend to hold these great fighting fish. If you are looking to get into some great redfish action, give me a call and let’s get you out on the water. I still have some good dates in September available, but I will not be running any trips in October as I am getting married and will be heading to Hawaii for a couple of weeks with my new bride!!! Trips will resume in November and historically, Thanksgiving provides some really good fishing.
Give me a call and let’s go catch some fish!!
Tight lines!!!
Capt. Brent
July Fishing brings a mixed bag of fish
The heat of July is here and the fishing is hot. King Mackerel, Mahi, Little Tunny Baracuda, Redfish and more are some of the species caught aboard the Current Adventure boats over the 4th of July weekend.
Payton and Addison with Mahi
Friday I had repeat customers David, Rhonda and their daughters Payton and Addison for a day of offshore Mahi fishing. Well the day started out with the winds blowing 10 knots stronger and 180 degrees opposite of what was forecast. Needless to say, it was sloppy, but the girls didn’t seem to mind so we put lines in and trolled our way offshore. I had a location in mind to find the fish, the question was whether or not the seas would lay down as predicted and let us get there. It took about 4 hours to get to where we wanted to be, but once there, the seas were laying down and the fish were starting to bite. The girls spent the next couple of hours catching Mahi, King Mackerel, Baracuda, Little Tuny, sharks and remoras.
The following day I had Jay and Todd from Charlotte aboard for another day of Mahi fishing. This time, the weather man got it right and we made the run offshore in calm seas at 20 knots. Once we reached the ledges that i wanted to start fishing, it didn’t take long for the bites to begin. Jay and Todd stayed busy all day catching Mahi, Little Tuny’s, 40lb Baracuda and yes, another remora. Jay and Todd ended up with 9 Mahi for the day that they were planning to take back home to their families for some great eating.
Sunday, I had the opportunity to take family out for a day of inshore fishing. Kenan and I left the docks around 0600 and hit the flats for some topwater Redfish action. The new Vantage made short work of the time between the landing and the fishing grounds. Once on the flats, we threw Zara Spook top water plugs looking for a topwater bite. The first strike that Kenan had came from a 3 foot Blacktip Shark that was feeding on finger mullet in the shallow water. The fight lasted a few minutes till the sharks teeth severed the leader and the shark and our plug swam away. I tied on another plug for Kenan and it was back to fishing. Soon, Kenan was hooked up again with a nice Redfish only to have the fish cut the leader on the marsh grass and swim away with yet another plug. Finally, Kenan hooked up again on a smaller fish and this one he got to the boat. This was his first Redfish.
Kenan's first Redfish
Next it was my time for a first. It was time for me to catch my first Redfish in the new East Cape Vantage. I cast out a Black and Yellow Top Pup and had a 30-inch brute inhale the topwater plug. The fish tried several times to take me into the grass and oyster rocks, but in the end, I was victorious as Kenan netted the big fish.
Kenan and I spent the rest of the morning catching a few more Reds before calling it a day and heading in to spend the last of the Holiday weekend with family and friends.
The fishing is great. Give me a call and book your trip today!!
Tight lines!!
Vantage update
Spring is here and the fishing is starting to pick up along the NC coast. A pending new state record Amberjack has been caught offshore along with Wahoo, Blackfin Tuna, Grouper, King Mackeral and other species. Inshore, Redfish, and Speckled Trout are biting and others such as Bluefish, Spanish Mackerel and King Mackerel will not be far behind. It’s April and as the warmer weather warms the water, the fish will continue to show up and they will be hungry!!
Production on my new “Vantage”is scheduled to begin next week and should take 2-4 weeks to complete. Once I take delevery, I will begin hitting the flats hard as the Redfish bite should be strong at that time. I can’t tell you how excited I am about this boat. She is going to be fast, comfortable and float skinny!! I will be able to take you fishing in places that I only wished I could get to before with the Polar.
Here are a few pictures of the prototype that I went and tested back in January as well as a finished prototype that was displayed at the boat show in Tampa Fla, last month. It won’t be long now!!!
Enjoy!!
Exciting things happing in 2009!!!!
Greetings All!!!!
I am very excited about the upcoming 2009 fishing season. It has been a long, cold winter, but the weather is starting to warm and the fishing is about to get red hot.
New this year will be the addition of my new 2009 East Cape Canoes “Vantage“ !!!
This boat is da bomb!!! She is 19′-2″ in length with a 79″ beam and she will draft between 7.5-10-inches!! She is going to be powered by a new 2009 Honda 4-stroke and she will be fast!!! That means, more fishing time for you!! The guys at East Cape are supposed to start production of my new custom boat in about 2-weeks and if all goes well, I will have her ready for charters around the first of May. She will be fully equipped with all of the bells and whistles to make your fishing experience one to remember. With her integrated spray rails and sharp V entry, not only will she be fast, but she will be dry as well. A 40 gallon fuel cell will give her lots of range and with a cruise speed in the mid 30′s, we can make the long runs to get to the fish, if necessary.
As I mentioned, she is going to have all the bells and whistles including a new 2009 power pole, trim tabs, 36 gallon live well, custom poling platform with new stiffy push pole, 2009 minn kota trolling motor and a front deck casting platform. She is loaded with storage which will keep her decks clean and clutter free. This boat is going to be in high demand and I am very excited to have joined forces with the guys from East Cape!! I know this boat is going to be a big hit for them and it’s going to be a great addition to the Current Adventure Fleet!!
In addition to the new flats boat, I still offer offshore fishing charters aboard the Current Adventure I for King Mackerel, Mahi Mahi, Sailfish and more!! I know the the economy is in turmoil right now, but I am looking forward to a great year. My rates are very reasonable and I always strive to make sure that all of my customers have a great day on the water while fishing with me. When you fish with me, you will learn new techniques, have lots of hands on experience and come away a better angler!!
Check back soon for more updates on the new boat and I look forward to serving you this summer!!
As always,
Tight Lines!!!
