Captain Jot Owens Fishing Report

Great Weather and the Fishing is Picking up!

Gillwetter Press — Thu, 15 Apr 2010 19:00:56 +0000

Man, we have had some great weather here lately! I hope this is the trend for the rest of the summer! Light winds, sunny days; with a little rain here and there. The water temps have really started to go up fast inshore, the ocean is going up but it’s taking its time getting up. Both inshore and near shore fishing will continue to get better with warmer air and water temps. To the fishing report>>>

The near shore bottom fishing has been good lately; with catches of Black bass, Grunts, Ring tails and a few small groupers. We also are starting to see some Bluefish and Gray trout closer to the beach. The best luck for the bottom fishing for us has been; cut squid on two hook bottom rigs. We are using 1/0, 2/0 and 3/0 EC bait holder hooks. Bank sinkers in weights one and two ounces are working well for holding the rigs to the bottom. Finding these fish is not hard, look for them on ledges, hard/live bottoms and wrecks from three to fifth teen miles offshore.

False Albacore fishing lately has been very good the days we are trying for them. We are finding the Albacore from five to twenty miles offshore. There has been a few Bonita mixed in with them form time to time as well. It should not be long before we are catching good numbers of Bonita around the area waters. The #0 and #1 pink flash Clark spoon has caught most of our fish lately. Trolling these spoons on #1 planner and up top with bird rigs; we use thirty to forty feet of forty pound Berkley big game mono as leader on the planners. On the bird rig, we rig it with five to six feet of leader to the spoon. Don’t forget to put a ball bearing swivel on the bird and planner; this will keep tangles from happing (well most of the time!)

When the Bonita and Albacore are on top feeding; cast Maria and Sea striker jig-spoons. The colors that seem to work the best are pink, green and blue. We use a forty pound Fluorocarbon leader; about fifth teen to eight teen inches long. I really like Stren’s tinted (gunsmoke) floro leader material for clear water conditions; “this stuff really works”! A light weight 7’ rod loaded with ten to fifth teen pound braid is important for casting to these fast fish. The reason for this is the further you can cast equals more chance’s you will hook up. When there are a lot of boats chasing the Bonita, they get wearer of boats. If you can cast far; you will catch more of these fish!

Something that I love to do this time of year (late March to early June) is go up to lock & dam #1 and fish for Shad. These fish are so much fun to catch; they run, jump and run some more. Light tackle and fly fishing is the name of the game here! I see so many people fishing for shad that use to heavy of tackle. Lighter tackle equals more bites and more fun! All you need is a light rod and reel; I use a Pflueger Echelon combo PECHSP50-2UL loaded with six pound Berkley Fireline crystal braid. A two shad dart rig with twenty pound mono or floro leader; darts in colors pink and green. On our last trip we caught well over fifty shad. If you have not ever tried it; you need too!

Fresh water large mouth Bass fishing is still going strong, we’ve had some great day’s bass fishing in the last two weeks. We are fishing local lakes, pond and the NE Cape Fear River. The best lures have been; sinko worms rigged with no weight in colors green pumpkin, watermelon and black/red fleck. I prefer Berkley’s 5” & 7” heavy weight fat sinkworm series, I rig the worms on 7/0 wide gag worm hooks. We have also had some luck with the 17MR MirrOlure in colors 18, 49, 50 and BKGCH. I really surprised at how many saltwater lures work so well for fresh water fishing, but also how many people don’t try’em! We are catching eight to over fifth teen bass a day; sizes of a pound to over four pounds.

The Redfish and Black drum bite in the ICW and creeks just off the ICW is still good. We are starting to see a few smaller Reds 14” to 21” in some of the creeks on warmer days. Most reds and black drum are hitting mud minnows and “fresh as you can get shrimp”. We use two hook bottom rigs with 2, 1 & 1/0 bait holder hooks, with the fresh shrimp. If you would like to go the artificial root, I would recommend using scented grubs. The best bet I’ve used has been Berkley Gulp and Berkley Powerbait shrimp in colors Pearl & New Penny. Jigs heads for the grubs in ¼ to 3/8 oz, colors red and black seem to be the trick. Work’em slow around docks and drop-offs on grass lines and oyster rocks. The best tides have been falling or raising but fishing closer to the lower parts of the tides.

Fishing Gear we use:

Reels Penn Conquer and Sargus spinning in sizes 2000 and 4000. Spiderwire Ultra-cast braid in 10 and 15#. Rods: Ugly stick lites 6’6” and 7’ Med & Med-Heavy and the All Star ASR spinning rod ASR844S and ASR845S. Fresh water gear: Pflueger Spinning reel Supreme XT 9035XT.

In Other Fishing News:

April 23-25, 2010 Tex’s Tackle Spring Tackle Sale and Show. I’ll be there with PENN Reels and Pure fishing. We will have some of the new Tackle from Penn and Pure Fishing, if you have any questions about any products from Penn or Pure fishing we’ll be happy to answer them for you.

June 5-6, 2010 “In the Water Fishing School” I, Capt. Rick Bennett and four other of the best local guides are putting on this school on. This school will be real-time hands on fishing experience! There will be one day of hands on classroom instruction and the next day on the water, real-time fishing experience. The school is limited to the first 24 participants! If you want to learn from the best local guides and see how we do it, take the time to check it out; http://www.rodmancharters.com/inthewater-fishing school.htm I’m really looking forward to being part of this school!

Thanks for reading this report, if you would like to go fishing drop me a line. Book now for this coming summer fishing season and don’t forget to take a kid fishing!

Good Luck,

Captain Jot Owens
Ranger Boats Pro Staff
PENN Reels Elite Staff
www.captainjot.com
910-233-4139

Great Weather and Fishing around Wrightsville Beach, NC-Fishing Report

Gillwetter Press — Wed, 31 Mar 2010 18:59:54 +0000

I hope everyone is enjoying this very nice weather we’ve had lately. We have had a few cooler days and the wind has been blowing but for the most part; it’s a lot better than the stuff we had this winter!!! The water temps are coming up with good speed and it looks like we are getting on track for normal water temps for this time of year.

There has been a good bite of Redfish and Black drum in the ICW and creeks just off the ICW. We are starting to see a few smaller Reds 14” to 21” in some of the creeks on warmer days. Most reds and black drum are hitting mud minnows and “fresh as you can get shrimp”. We use two hook bottom rigs with 2, 1 & 1/0 bait holder hooks, with the fresh shrimp. If you would like to go the artificial root, I would recommend using scented grubs. The best bet I’ve used has been Berkley Gulp and Berkley Powerbait shrimp in colors Pearl & New Penny. Jigs heads for the grubs in ¼ to 3/8 oz, colors red and black seem to be the trick. Work’em slow around docks and drop-offs on grass lines and oyster rocks. The best tides have been falling or raising but fishing closer to the lower parts of the tides.

We are seeing a few small Speckled trout around Wrightsville, south of Wrightsville the bigger one’s should really start to bite any day. Grubs have been the best bet for the trout; we’re using Saltwater Assassin sea shad and shrimp patterns. Colors that have worked lately; Elec. Chicken and Chart Diamond and Chicken on a chain. Don’t forget those never fell; Mirrolure’s, in colors silver mullet and white on white. Mirrolure I like are the 17MR and 27MR in the spring. The water is still cool so don’t forget to work the lures a little slower. Look for the Specks around marsh grass lines that have oysters on the edges of them.

Fresh water large mouth Bass fishing has really picked up lately, we’ve had some great day’s bass fishing in the last two weeks. We are fishing local lakes, pond and the NE Cape Fear River. The best lures have been; sinko worms rigged with no weight in colors green pumpkin, watermelon and black/red fleck. I prefer Berkley’s 5” & 7” heavy weight fat sinkworm series, I rig the worms on 7/0 wide gag worm hooks. We have also had some luck with the 17MR MirrOlure in colors 18, 49, 50 and BKGCH. I really surprised at how many saltwater lures work so well for fresh water fishing, but also how many people don’t try’em! We are catching eight to over fifth teen bass a day; sizes of a pound to over four pounds.

Near shore bottom fishing is good now with catches of sea bass, ringtails and tautogs. The dog sharks are thick just off the beach too, we had over 25 sharks on the last near shore bottom fishing trip. Squid has been the bait of choice, I like squid because it stays on the hook and it’s easier to catch the bigger fish with it. I like to make my own bottom rigs for bottom fishing. I use sixty pound mono with three way swivels and 3/0 off set J hooks. A two to four once bank sinker tied to twenty pound mono, that way if it gets hung-up you can get your rig back. This kind of fishing is great for kids and beginners because it’s instant gratification; drop down and get a bite!

Fishing Gear we use:

In Other Fishing News:

June 5-6, 2010 “In the Water Fishing School” Myself, Capt. Rick Bennett and four other of the best local guides are putting on this school on. This school will be real-time hands on fishing experience! There will be one day of hands on classroom instruction and the next day on the water, real-time fishing experience. The school is limited to the first 24 participants! If you want to learn from the best local guides and see how we do it, take the time to check it out; http://www.rodmancharters.com/inthewater-fishing-school.htm I’m really looking forward to being part of this school!

Thanks for reading this report, if you would like to go fishing drop me a line. Book now for this coming summer fishing season and don’t forget to take a kid fishing!

Good Luck,

Captain Jot Owens
Ranger Boats Pro Staff
PENN Reels Elite Staff
www.captainjot.com
910-233-4139

Spring Weather and Good Fishing around Wrightsville Beach, NC

Gillwetter Press — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 18:56:34 +0000

(Finally) is this week’s word; finally the weather is warming up. Finally we are starting to see more fish inshore; FINALLY!!! We have been waiting all winter for weather like this; let’s hope it stays this way and spring is really springing! With the warmer weather we are starting to see and catch more fish around the area waters. Let’s talk about that in this week fishing report.

I know I have talked about them all winter but the surf Redfish are still there and going pretty strong most days we can get to them. On Tuesday 3-9, we had a good day; we went 16 for about 25 bites. Six of the Redfish were over the slot, with the biggest coming in at 33”; not a bad (winter) Redfish! The Reds were hitting Saltwater Assassin grubs in colors 10w40 with lime tail and Copperhead. They also were hitting Berkley Powerbait 5” jerkshad in the color Golden Sardine. We were using 3/8oz red jig heads, with 20 pound Stren gunsmoke tinted fluorocarbon leader material. The water was pretty clear that day and the fish had seen a lot of lures.

The local fresh water fishing has picked up lately with catches of large mouth bass and catfish. On winder days we have gotten out on the river and some of the local lakes. The best luck we have had for the bass has been worm fishing; Carolina and Taxes rigging. I’ve been using a new worm lately by Berkley; it’s the Powerbait Heavy weight series in 5” and 7” Fat. The colors that are working well have been; Grn Pumpkin/Wmln, June bug and Watermelon. We have also caught a few Bass on MirrOlure 17MR series in colors red back and silver.

Catfishing has been up and down, some nights fifth teen or more catfish but some nights just a few cats. Most catfish are hitting chicken levers and Berkley Gulp blood/shad dough. We are using 2/0 EC bait holder hooks with forty pound mono leader about eight to twelve inches long and a ¾ to one ounce river sinker (Carolina rig). Fishing at night has produced the best numbers and biggest catfish. Now that the weather is warmer, night fishing is not too bad.

Speckled trout fishing should really start to fire off very soon with the warmer weather and water temps. In the spring I like to throw quite large list of lures. The reason for this is; I’ve found that trout are eating different kinds of baits in different places IE creeks, channels and inlets. With bait being a little short in the spring, they will hit about anything. Presenting the bait can be the harder part; the reason for all the different baits! Here is a list of what works for me in the spring.
MirrOlures; 17MR and 27MR in colors: 18, 50, BCH, BKGCH, BNSBO. Catch 2000 20MR & Catch 2000jr 22MR in Colors 18, 808, BNS, CH. I use these styles in depths of one to five feet of water. Classic 52M & 52MR in Colors 18, 19, 23, 808, CH. MirrOlure Series III S52MR in Colors 18, 808, BCH, BNGBO, GR. I use these styles in depths of four to ten feet of water. These color codes are right from MirrOlure’s web site. www.mirrolure.com

Soft plastics: Saltwater Assassin Sea Shads, (4) four inch size. These colors are for clear blue/green waters; S&P SLV.PH/CHART.TL, CHART. DIAMOND, PINK DIAMOND, GREENBANK SHINER, CRYSTAL SHAD. Dirty, Stained or River water Colors: CHICKEN ON A CHAIN, PUMP SEED/CHART. TL, TEXAS ROACH and MORNING GLORY. In shrimp pattern soft lures I prefer Berkley Powerbait shrimp in colors pearl white and natural. I rig all these soft baits with 1/8oz to 1/4oz jig heads in colors red, gray and black.

There has started to be a Black drum and small redfish (rats) bite the last two weeks, most days we are catching six to over ten on a half day. This type of fishing will get better very soon. Most of the drum are biting around docks and creek mouths in the ICW. The best bait has been fresh cut shrimp in small pieces. We are using small two hook drop rig, with a number 2 bait holder hook and one or two oz bank sinkers.

Fishing Gear we use:

In Other Fishing News:

June 5-6, 2010 “In the Water Fishing School” Myself, Capt. Rick Bennett
and four other of the best local guides are putting on this school on. This school will be real-time hands on fishing experience! There will be one day of hands on classroom instruction and the next day on the water, real-time fishing experience. The school is limited to the first 24 participants! If you want to learn from the best local guides and see how we do it, take the time to check it out; http://www.rodmancharters.com/inthewater-fishing-school.htm I’m really looking forward to being part of this school!

Thanks for reading this report, if you would like to go fishing drop me a line. Don’t forget that special winter rates end on March 31st, so if you have cabin fever and want to get out on the water; give me a call. Book now for this coming summer fishing season and don’t forget to take a kid fishing!

Good Luck,

Captain Jot Owens
Ranger Boats Pro Staff
PENN Reels Elite Staff
www.captainjot.com
910-233-4139

Come on Spring Fishing Report-Wrightsville Beach, NC

Gillwetter Press — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 19:02:01 +0000

I love Southeast North Carolina for the seasons, but I’m really starting to get over this winter FAST! Man; up and down but mostly down as far as water and air temps go! The good news is we are in to March and hopefully it will start warming up soon. Just like the weather the fishing has been up and down lately; we have good days and slower days, for the most part we are catching a few fish. Let’s take a look at that in this weeks fishing report.

Redfish has been the main shot lately for my trips. On some of the warmer days, the bite has been good to even great! Here are some tips that will help you catch inshore winter Reds. Take your time when looking for winter Reds, they are less likely to get up and move when there cold. You want the lure to get to them before they know you are close by. Check every hole and oyster rock edge; we have found Reds in some of the smallest holes this year because of the cold waters. You have got to cover area to find winter inshore Redfish; it takes time and patients to find and catch winter Redfish.

Lure’s that seem to do the trick have been, Saltwater Assassin grubs in colors 10w40 & lime-tail, Chicken on a chain and copperhead. In Berkley Power baits; 5” jerkshad in colors new penny and pearl white have worked well. We rig the grubs on ¼ Red jig heads with Stren’s 20# tinted fluorocarbon in tint “tannic”. When the fish are spooky this floro is the trick! When we rig the Berkley jerkshads, we rig them Texas style, with a bass worm hook and a bullet weight.

The Redfish are schooling in the surf and we are always looking for a nice day to get out and chase them. They are pretty easy to catch; you just got to find them. That part can be a bit harder, trust me! A sunny, light wind day and good polarized sunglasses are the keys to catching these Reds. Try to keep your boat as far form the school as you can!!! If you can’t cast real far; learn to or get a better casting rod & reel, try a PENN Conquer 2000. Trust me this will help you catch these Reds. I’ve seen a lot of boats running over the schools lately because they don’t know what they are doing. Take your time don’t get in a hurry the fish are not going anywhere but they will stop biting if pressured! Grubs seem to be the easy go to bait for surf Reds. Lures we are using are SWA 10w40/ Lime-tail and Berkley Powerbait’s Ripple shad in colors New penny and Smelt. You need to use heavier jigs heads, 3/8 and ½ oz plus for casting.

Speckled trout fishing has been more miss than hit lately but, it should get better with the warmer weather we have coming. We have caught a few specks lately while we are Drum fishing. The best bet for the trout this time of year is mud minnows and working artificial baits very slow. MirrOlure’s 17MR and 52M are a good bet this time of year. I like the colors 11, 51, CFPR and EC. SWA grubs in colors chicken on a chain, chart-diamond and silver-ph & chart tail. Berkley Powershrimp in colors Pearl and Natural; using 1/8oz jig heads have caught a few two to three pound trout lately. I use twenty pound Stren tinted fluorocarbon leader; I prefer gun smoke tint for clear water applications.

On some of the windier days when it’s been hard to get out on the coast to fish we’ve been doing a little bit of fresh water fishing. The river fishing should pick up as long as we don’t get to much rain. Lake fishing has been OK to good and should get great in the next few weeks. On good trips we are catching nine to over fifth teen bass a day. The size of the Bass are running one to over five pounds, most fish are two to three pounds. Bass are hitting Bass Assassin rubber worms in colors black and red shad “red and black”. We are also catching some of the bass on Powerbait senko worms. Rigging the worms Carolina style seems to work the best. A very slow presentation, is working the best on cooler days.

Fishing Gear we use:

Reels Penn Conquer and Sargus spinning in sizes 2000 and 4000. Fire line crystal braid in 10 and 20#. Rods: Ugly stick lites 6’6” and 7’ Med & Med-Heavy and the All Star ASR spinning rod ASR844S and ASR845S.

In Other Fishing News:

Good Luck,

Captain Jot Owens
Ranger Boats Pro Staff
PENN Reels Elite Staff
www.captainjot.com
910-233-4139

Calmer Weather will=Better Fishing around Wrightsville Beach

Gillwetter Press — Tue, 16 Feb 2010 19:03:38 +0000

Hello folks, I hope all is well with you and I hope you got through the snow “storm”. It was nice to see some snow around the area; but I’m ready for spring now. Sunny days, warmer weather and of course FISHING!!! With that said, it is now time to get the tackle, rods, reels and line ready for spring fishing. Not to say that we are not catching any fish now, (we are) you just have got to work for them a little bit! To the Fishing report>>>

Redfish has still been a good bet lately, but the dirty waters from all the rain, snow and wind are making it a bit tough. It looks like we have a dryer pattern of weather coming soon; this should help the bite pick up some. I lure patterns that we are using are the same as the last report. These colors seem to do well for us most winters. I always try new colors and patterns all the time, just to see what works or work better. I always recommend you do the same on any kind of fishing trip.

Saltwater Assassin grubs in colors 10w40 & lime-tail, Chicken on a chain and copperhead are still working well. Also Berkley Power baits; 5” jerkshad in colors new penny and pearl white have worked well. We rig the grubs on ¼ Red jig heads with Stren’s 20# tinted fluorocarbon in tint “tannic”. When the fish are spooky this floro is the trick! When we rig the Berkley jerkshads, we rig them Texas style, with a bass worm hook and a bullet weight.

With all the rain, wind and snow the water has been cloudy to down right dirty lately in the ocean. The good news is that we are starting a dryer tend for the next few days; this should start the process of the water clearing up. With this said the schooling surf Redfish should be a target soon again. A sunny, light wind day and good polarized sunglasses are the keys to catching these Reds. Grubs seem to be the easy go to bait for surf Reds. Lures we are using are SWA 10w40/ Lime-tail and Berkley Powerbait’s Ripple shad in colors New penny and Smelt. You need to use heavier jigs heads, 3/8 and ½ oz plus for casting. Pick a very nice day when looking for these Reds and always be careful in the surf.

There are still a few Cape Fear River stripers biting. The water has really been up and down with water temps; because of all the rain and wind. When the water is warmer due to warmer and sunny days the fishing seems to be better. Most of the fish are in the four to twelve pound range, with a few bigger ones mixed in as well. We are catching the stripers on hard and soft baits. In the hard bait range; X-raps and mid-water crank baits are working well. As far as soft baits; Berkley Powerbait jerkshads in Pearl color and Saltwater Assassin (Blurp) jerk shads in colors pearl and electric chicken. We are rigging the jerkshads Texas style, with a large bass worm hook.

On some of the windier days when it’s been hard to get out on the coast to fish we’ve been doing a little bit of fresh water fishing. The large mouth Bass have been biting well. Most trips we are catching nine to over fifth teen bass a day. The size of the Bass are running one to over five pounds, most fish are two to three pounds. Bass are hitting Bass Assassin rubber worms in colors black and red shad “red and black”. We are also catching some of the bass on senko worms. Rigging the worms Carolina style seems to work the best. A very slow presentation, is working the best on cooler days. On one of our last trips a Carp around fifth teen pounds got in the way of a crank bait; and the fight was on!

Fishing Gear we use:

In Other Fishing News:

February 20, 2010-Cape Fear Christian Sportsman Fish Fest.
http://www.capefearsportsmen.org/Events/FishFest10Registration/tabid/719/Default.aspx I will be speaking on Shallow water Redfishing and working MirrOlure’s. For all the info on this day of seminars, take a look at this link.

March 20-12, 2010 Cape Fear Wildlife Expo, at the Coastline Convention Center. http://www.capefearwildlifeexpo.com Outdoor enthusiasts will enjoy two days of hunting and fishing exhibitors, wildlife art, decoys, boats and accessories, truck and ATV displays, Hunter Safety Certification Class, fly fishing demos, camping, guides, outfitters, sportfishing simulator, contests, archery demos and fun for the entire family. I’ll be there with Cape Fear River Watch and will be doing seminars on local inshore fishing.
Thanks for reading this report, if you would like to go fishing drop me a line. Don’t forget to take a kid fishing!

Good Luck,

Captain Jot Owens
Ranger Boats Pro Staff
PENN Reels Elite Staff
www.captainjot.com
910-233-4139

Good Fishing, when you find the right day around Wrightsville Beach, NC

Gillwetter Press — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 19:04:51 +0000

Well folks, the days are getting longer and winter is more than half way over. I’m really looking forward to this coming spring! With the weather we’ve had lately; so up and down! I think that groundhog needs to get a new job! Hey that’s weather in North Carolina! Don’t forget, this is a great time to check over all your fishing gear. Clean up your rods and reels, oil the reels and put a touch of wax on your rods. It also a good time to put new fishing line on your reels and check those hooks on your artificial lures. A little work now; will make spring fishing a little easier on you! To the fishing report >>>!

Redfish has been the main shot lately for my trips. On some of the warmer days, the bite has been good to even great! The main tips I can give you is get out there and look, lately we’ve hit four to six spots and have not got a bite. The next spot we check, boom cast after cast; Redfish. You have got to cover area to find winter inshore Redfish.

There are still a few Cape Fear River stripers biting. The water has really cooled down. Most of the fish are in the four to twelve pound range, with a few bigger ones mixed in as well. We are catching the stripers on hard and soft baits. In the hard bait range; X-raps and mid-water crank baits are working well. As far as soft baits; Berkley Powerbait jerkshads in Pearl color and Saltwater Assassin (Blurp) jerk shads in colors pearl and electric chicken. We are rigging the jerkshads Texas style, with a large bass worm hook.

Speckled trout fishing has been more miss than hit lately but, it should get better with the warmer weather we have coming. The best bet for the trout this time of year is mud minnows and working artificial baits very slow. MirrOlure’s 17MR and 52M are a good bet this time of year. I like the colors 11, 51, CFPR and EC. SWA grubs in colors chicken on a chain, chart-diamond and silver-ph & chart tail. I use twenty pound Stren tinted fluorocarbon leader; I prefer gun smoke tint for clear water applications.

Fishing Gear we use:

In Other Fishing News:

The second annual Cape Fear River Watch Striped Bass Tournament was held Saturday Jan 16th. This Tournament is an effort to raise awareness of the declining number of striped bass and other fish native to the Cape Fear River and to tag CFR Stripers for fishier studies on rebuilding the stocks of native fish.

Winners of this year’s tournament were: Capt. Jamie Rushing, along with fishermen Robert Bungard, and Kevin Bloom caught 10 Stripers winning most tag fish award. The largest fish of the day was a 27.5-inch striped bass caught by Capt. Jot Owens and fisherman Duane Auman, followed closely by a 26-inch striped bass wrangled in by Capt. Owens and fisherman Todd Byrd. First aggregate honors (meaning total length of collected fish) went to Capt. Owens, Auman and Byrd with a collected length of 53.5 inches. Second aggregate went to Capt. Stu Caulder and fishermen Phil Metz and Bruce McGunahan, with a collected length of 50 inches.

Don’t forget; there are some great boat and fishing expos coming to North Carolina. If you like fishing and boats you don’t want to miss these shows and fishing seminars! Here are the one’s that myself as well as other Ranger boats pro staff members will be at this winter.
February 12-14, 2010 – Raleigh Convention Center Boat Show – Raleigh, NC. www.raleighconvention.com/boatshow/ This is a great show with lots of the “top of the line” boats form around the world. I’ll be there with other Ranger Pro’s to show you all the great benefits to the Ranger Saltwater line of boats.

Good Luck,

Captain Jot Owens
Ranger Boats and
Pure Fishing Pro Staff
www.captainjot.com
910-233-4139

Warmer weather=Hotter Fishing around Wrightsville Beach, NC

Gillwetter Press — Mon, 18 Jan 2010 19:06:02 +0000

Hello form “finally starting to warm up” Southeast North Carolina! It has been cold; to cold, we did have some local fish kill. It was a little worse north of us, but it s not good for anybody! We are very happy to see warmer temps for the next five plus days. The good part of all this is we have been doing pretty good fishing lately. Let’s go over that in this weeks fishing report>>>

When the weather or more important the wind has been right, we have done very well on the winter Redfish. These large schools of Redfish hang in the ocean around bars, inlets and shoals. We have seen schools as small as ten fish to over 1000 fish; and some times more! It’s a really cool thing to see, but you need to be careful; these fish can be hard and dangerous to get too. A good par of polarized sun glasses and a reel that you can cast a country mile will help to catch these winter Reds.

We are catching the Reds in the surf on Saltwater Assassin sea shad grubs; in colors 10w40 with chart tail and chicken on a chain. We rig the grubs on ¼oz and 3/8oz; red or new penny color jig heads. We have caught them on MirrOlure’s as well; 17MR and 27 MR, in colors 26, 808 and BNSBO are working for us.

The Cape Fear River Stripers are biting from time to time; it got a little cold for them as well. The Stripers are hitting Berkley gulp jerk shad in colors pearl, new penny and electric chicken. We rig the jerk shad Texas style, with a large bass hook. Rapala X-raps work too, in colors glass ghost and green back.

Fishing Gear we use:
Reels Penn Conquer and Sargus spinning in sizes 2000 and 4000. Fire line crystal braid in 10 and 20#. Rods: Ugly stick lites 6’6” and 7’ Med & Med-Heavy and the All Star ASR spinning rod ASR844S “Best Trout rod I ever have fished”

In Other Fishing News: Don’t forget; there are some great boat and fishing expos coming to North Carolina. If you like fishing and boats you don’t want to miss these shows and fishing seminars! Here are the one’s that myself as well as other Ranger boats pro staff members will be at this winter.

February 12-14, 2010 – Raleigh Convention Center Boat Show – Raleigh, NC. www.raleighconvention.com/boatshow/ This is a great show with lots of the “top of the line” boats form around the world. I’ll be there with other Ranger Pro’s to show you all the great benefits to the Ranger Saltwater line of boats.

Good Luck,

Captain Jot Owens
Ranger Boats and
Pure Fishing Pro Staff
www.captainjot.com
910-233-4139

Cold Weather, but the Fishing is still Good!

Gillwetter Press — Thu, 31 Dec 2009 19:07:03 +0000

Well Folks, the rain has slowed down a little but; now here comes the COLD weather!!! Welcome to southeast North Carolina fishing and weather, everyday is different and the fishing will be different as well! You can catch fish during colder weather and/or winters; you just have to change your style a little. I think this is going to be a little colder winter than the last one. So here is the fishing report>>>

The speckled trout have been hit and miss lately, some days we catch them good some days not as many. When we do get them; live shrimp has worked, as well as grubs have. Just lately I’ve had a few friends catch some bigger trout around the Masonboro jetties. When I’m looking for bigger trout, I turn too the live shrimp, not to say that big trout will not hit lures; they will! But for ease of fishing with charters; live shrimp do the trick time and time again!

When we are using grubs these are some of the patterns that are catching trout. Grub colors by Saltwater Assassin’s that have really done well are chicken on a chain and chart-diamond. Some other colors that are producing well are salt & pepper, space guppy and pearl. We rig the grubs on jig heads in colors black and red; in sizes 1/8 and ¼; with a twenty pound fluorocarbon leader. I don’t use a lot of floro, but I do for speckled trout fishing; trout have very good eye sight.

We are catching some small trout, Redfish and Striped bass in the Cape Fear River. These fish are hitting grubs, jerk shad and hard baits. The grubs and jerk shads that are working for us is. Saltwater Assassin and Berkley gulp in colors pearl, new penny and chartreuse. We use red and white jig heads in weights 1/4, 3/8 and ½ oz for the grubs. When we use jerk shads, we rig them Texas style with a 4/0 to 6/0 wide gap bass worm hook.

Redfish are schooling in the surf, we are always looking for a nice day to get out and chase them. They are pretty easy to catch; you just got to find them. That part can be a bit harder, trust me! A sunny, light wind day and good polarized sunglasses are the keys to catching these Reds. Grubs seem to be the easy go to bait for surf Reds. Saltwater Assassin “Blurps” in pearl and molting color work very well. We’ve also had good luck with Berkley gulp alive in jerk shad pattern; in colors new penny and pearl white. You need to use heavier jigs heads, ½ and 5/8 plus for casting. Color of the head is not a big deal Red, white and black all work just fine. Hold on tight, they fight great even in cold water!

There have still been good by-catches while we are trout fishing; these include some Tautogs, Sheephead, Flounder and Black & Red drum. These by-catches are hitting the grubs and live shrimp we are using for the trout. The great thing is they are all good eating! My favorites are the Tautogs and Sheephead. If your bait gets close to the bottom, you’ve got a good chance at picking up one of these guys.

Remember when the water gets cold, slow down your presentation. This will greatly help you catch more fish during the winter mouths!

In Other Fishing News: Don’t forget starting in early January; there are some great boat and fishing expos coming to North Carolina. If you like fishing and boats you don’t want to miss these shows and fishing seminars! Here are the one’s that myself as well as other Ranger boats pro staff members will be at this winter.

January 8-10, 2010 – Raleigh Bass & Saltwater Fishing Expo NC State Fairgrounds – Raleigh, NC. www.ncboatshows.com This is a GREAT show, with over 160 booths offering everything from the latest lures, plastics, jigs, custom rods, apparel, knives, product sample booths, hard-tops, saltwater fishing guides, fresh water guides, cast nets, gaffs…..by far one of the best shows of its kind in the Carolina’s and Virginia. I will be there along with other Ranger pro staff members who include; Capt. Jeff Cronk and Capt. Mike Taylor, as well as many others fresh and salt water pros! I will speak on Cobia and Tarpon fishing during Saturday’s seminars.

Thanks for reading this report, if you would like to go fishing drop me a line. Don’t forget to take a kid fishing!

Good Luck,

Captain Jot Owens
Ranger Boats and
Pure Fishing Pro Staff
www.captainjot.com
910-233-4139

Rain & Dirty Water=Good Speckled Trout fishing around Wrightsville!

Gillwetter Press — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 19:08:16 +0000

Hello form a wet Southeast North Carolina, boy we’ve have had some rain lately! The good thing is the fish are still biting well to great some days! I talked with a few other fishermen lately and a lot have asked what to do about dirty water Speckled trout fishing. That is what I’m going to go over in this weeks fishing report>>>

The Speckled trout fishing continues to be pretty steady most days but we have had to change up a few things in our presentation for dirtier waters. What grubs do I use in dirtier waters; colors (Chicken on a chain), (10w 40/lime tail), (S&P SLV.PH/Chart.TL), (Blurps Rootbeer) and (Space Guppy) all of these are Saltwater Assassin colors in sea shad pattern. If you like to use Gulp Ghost shrimp (Chart Belly), (New Penny) and (Natural with sparkle). Now I’m not real big on scents for Speckled trout fishing, but when the water is dirty it can help bring a bite or two. Of course Gulp already has the scent but if you like none scented grubs try some BANG shrimp and/or BANG Texas tea spray scents. I don’t really change the color of my jig head; I use a little more red then black when the water is dirty. One thing I always do when the water is dirty is slow down my presentation; work the grub a little slower!

To the hard baits we use in dirtier waters. MirrOlures are great dirty waters bait; because you can work them so darn slow! This gives the trout longer to see and eat the MirrOlure. So which MirrOlures; 17MR, 27MR and S52MR all of these MirrOlures have rattles one more thing to draw in a bite! MirrOlure colors I like in dirtier waters; EC, 11, 26 and 808. One trick that has worked for me in the past is; steeping up in lure size when the water is dirty. Try a 27MR or a S52MR instead of a 17MR; this gives the trout a bigger target to see. Rapala’s X-rap in chartreuse is a good dirty water lure too.

Let’s not forget those good ole’ live shrimp; they work in clear or dirty waters. But I have seen lures work well when the water is dirty and sometimes better then live shrimp, I still don’t leave the dock with out them (shrimp).

There have still been lots of good by-catches while we are trout fishing; these include some Tautogs, Sheephead, Flounder and Black & Red drum. These by-catches are hitting the grubs and live shrimp we are using for the trout. The great thing is they are all good eating! My favorites are the Tautogs and Sheephead. If your bait gets close to the bottom, you’ve got a good chance at picking up one of these guys.

I hope some of these tactics help you catch more Speckled trout this season. Remember slow down your presentation, go with a little bigger lure and have some patients; you’ll get’em!

I’m going to offer a VERY GOOD but limited offer for the next few weeks or until they sell out. ½ price (50% off) 1/2 day (4 hour) charter gift certificates. That’s right; $150.00 for four hours of fishing; yes you can buy them for yourself or as a gift. This rate is for the boat and up to three people. They are good for all of 2010. E-mail captainjot@yahoo.com or call 910-233-4139 for details of to purchase. We take all major credit cards. Also my special winter rates are in affect till the first of April.

Fishing Gear we use:

Thanks for reading this report, if you would like to go fishing drop me a line. Don’t forget to take a kid fishing!

Good Luck,

Captain Jot Owens
Ranger Boats and
Pure Fishing Pro Staff
www.captainjot.com
910-233-4139

Speckled Trout fishing is Going Strong around Wrightsville Beach, NC

Gillwetter Press — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 19:09:16 +0000

Hello from southeast North Carolina! I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving, I enjoyed mine! The fishing has been quite good for the last two weeks, with lots of Speckled trout and a few other species mixed in as well to keep things fun. The big speck this week was six pounds and three ounce’s; we also caught a few over five and many more over four pounds. This is no doubt this going to be another big trout year! To the fishing report>>>

Not much has changed as far as how we are catching the Speckled trout. We are still catching quite a few nice Gary trout mixed in with the specks. The grays are hitting grubs and jigging spoons. Saltwater Assassin grubs in colors Chart-diamond glitter and Salt-pepper with chart-tail have worked well for the grays. The specks are hitting chicken on a chain, 10w-40 with chart tail and Salt & pepper with chart tail. The body shape that has worked for us is the sea shad in four inch size. In the last few trips we have got a few nice specks off Saltwater Assassin Blurp in shrimp pattern. The colors in blurp that are working are molting, good penny and rootbeer. We have also caught some trout on Berkley gulp new ghost shrimp in new penny color. This is the first gulp shrimp to have some real leg action; check’em out! We are using jig heads in colors pink and red; in weights 3/8oz and ½ oz for the grays and 1/8oz and 1/4oz for the specks.

We have started to use live shrimp as well for the specks. At this time on Tuesday 12-1 the water temp around Wrightsville Beach was 58` to 60` inshore and the inlet was around 60` to 62`. With this said it’s still warm and the trash fish are still eating up a lot of our live shrimp. This is going to change very soon with a good shot of colder air coming in this week. When we are using live shrimp, I rig them two different ways. We use float rigs and light Carolina rigs. On the float rig we use a #6 red or brown treble hook, for the Carolina rig we use a #1 L42 eagle claw hook. For both of these rigs, I prefer Stern’s tinted fluorocarbon leaders in 20# (Gunsmoke) tint. This stuff really works for our super clear water around the area!

There have been a few good by-catches while we are trout fishing; these include some Tautogs, Sheephead, Flounder and Black & Red drum. These by-catches are hitting the grubs and live shrimp we are using for the trout. The great thing is they are all good eating! My favorites are the Tautogs and Sheephead. It your bait gets close to the bottom, you’ve got a good chance at picking up one of these guys.

There still has been some False albacore fishing when the ocean is calm enough for us to get out. Marie jigs have been the best bet for the albacore. We are using a forty pound mono leader with a loop knot tied to the Marie jig. Colors and size’s; color green and pink in sizes 7gram and 14 gram. These albacore are a lot of fun on light tackle and fly; they are real drag screamers! Keep your eyes peeled for breaking fish and birds!

Thanks for reading this report, if you would like to go fishing drop me a line. Don’t forget to take a kid fishing!

Good Luck,

Captain Jot Owens
Ranger Boats and
Pure Fishing Pro Staff
www.captainjot.com
910-233-4139