Headhunter Outdoors Report

Topsail & Surf City Outdoors-Fishing Report 8-27-08

Gillwetter Press — Tue, 26 Aug 2008 20:01:42 +0000

Hi folks, Capt. David here with the scoop on whats biting! The sound is full of Redfish and they are all along the waterway in 1-3 feet of water. Here is a tip for finding a school of Reds. Watch the baitfish schools as they move down the edge and look for swirls or bait jumping in the air. I have also found fish by looking at where the baitfish are swinging out away from the bank as if they are circling around something. A fat 4 inch Pogey or Finger mullet on a Carolina rig or float rig will do the trick. Lots of the time I find Flounder and Speckled trout this way too. Think about it folks they all eat the same thing and like the same kinds of areas to feed. Points, docks, creek mouths, and oyster bars along the waterway are prime spots to look. Be easy and quiet when you move into a spot to keep from spooking any fish present. If they are there you should know in less than 30 minutes. No fish = Move to another spot. The spots should start to run before too much longer and it will be time to fill the freezer with fish.
The surf is giving up a little bit of everything now and the bite is only going to get hotter as fall comes. The piers are catching a mixed bag as well. After dark seem to be the best time in the surf and on the piers. Offshore, Kings and Spanish are from the beach on out. Black sea bass are on the close in ledges and reefs. Flounder are a possible catch as well! Mahi are still around and some are still in the area. Folks right now it doesn’t matter what your favorite fish is, grab the wife and kids and go catchin’.
Folks, in this high stress,fast paced, high tech era we live in now, take time to unwind and enjoy the simple things. Quality time in the outdoors with family and friends is time well spent. Whether you hunt and fish or not, the outdoors is a grand and wonderous thing meant to be enjoyed by everyone so get off your duff and take a kid fishing. Capt. David

Capt. David
Headhunter Outdoors
(910) 329-0818

Casey Shaw of Hampstead with a 301/2 inch Redfish caught with Capt. David

Topsail & Surf City Outdoors-Fishing Report 8-18-08

Gillwetter Press — Tue, 19 Aug 2008 00:27:42 +0000

Hi folks, Capt. David here with this weeks outdoors report. Well the fishing is hot and so is the weather. Let’s hope this tropical storm won’t mess it up to bad. Redfish are all along the waterway and biting just about anything. Now I’ve seen a lot of boats anchored up along the waterway and folks fishing. The only problem that I see is the people are still fishing too deep. Folks this time of the year you ain’t going to catch much in the waterway channel. The Flounder, Trout, and Redfish are in 1 FOOT of water. I don’t catch Redfish out of water more than 3 feet deep. The reason for this is the bait! Where is the bait you may ask, up next to the grass. Folks it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out that the fish are feeding on the baitfish this time of the year so look for the bait. If you don’t know what to look for,look for the funny ripples next to the bank and if you see the bait jumping out of the water,something is after them. Fish where the bait is. A wise man told me once that a fat man don’t get far from the buffet! Big fish don’t either. Predator fish are looking for an easy meal and will use every opportunity to work less and eat more. That’s how they get big!
Offshore the fish are biting in all the usual places and probably on your secret spot too. Remember to guard those gps and loran numbers , don’t get caught sitting on your sweet spot either. Heck I know guys who won’t even let their wives have that info! Spanish are thick, the Kings are 1-2 miles and on out, Mahi are 10 or so miles with Sailfish mixed in. The deep ledges and wrecks are holding some fat Grouper now and the bite will get hot once the water starts to cool a couple of degree’s.
On the hunting side, Dove season comes in on the 1st of Sept. and is in till Oct 4th. The daily limit is 15 birds and season don’t open till noon on the 1st. After that it’s an all day season. If you ain’t ever tried Dove hunting, you might ought to. Try hitting a missile going 50 MPH with the sun in your eyes! Folks it ain’t easy! Resident Canada goose season comes in on the 1st as well till the 30th with a daily limit of 8 and Teal season comes in Sept. 20-30 east of Hwy 17. The daily limit is 4 birds. Sept. 13 also is the opening day of Deer bow season. Well folks thats it for this week so remember to take a kid with you and be safe!

Capt. David
Headhunter Outdoors
(910) 329-0818

Topsail & Surf City Outdoors-Fishing Report 8-12-08

Gillwetter Press — Tue, 12 Aug 2008 15:09:38 +0000

Hi folks, Capt. David here with this weeks outdoors report. Folks the fishing is hot! Lots of Redfish all along the waterway and they are hitting just about anything. The Speckled Trout are biting too. The swing bridge seems to be the hotspot now especially at night and early morning. Some of the Trout are real big but the majority are in the 2 lb class. Heck I’ve been catching them on a float rig while fishing for Reds. The way things are looking we are going to be in for a wild fall fishing season. That suits me just fine too. The flounder are around and are rather plentiful but most of them are on the small side. Look at it this way, that 13 inch fish will be back next year and be bigger! This time of the year folks most of the big fish are prowling around looking for something to eat and there ain’t no better place to look than at a creek mouth on the falling tide. If you find fish, remember what the tide is doing and be there when the tide is the same the next day. I’ve actually caught Flounder, Trout, and Reds from the same spot at the same time. Those fish are using spots like this as feeding stations and will lay there and pick off the bait as the tide sweeps it by. The two rigs I use regularly is the Carolina rig and a float rig. If you are wondering what a float rig is, it’s the same thing you use for panfish in freshwater. Just hang a minnow on it and let the current do the work. Now a lot of you folks are still using j-hooks and they work great,but you ought to give circle hooks a try. You don’t have to set the hook and they are hooked right in the corner of the jaw. It takes a little getting used to but once you get the hang of it you will catch more fish when they bite.
Offshore things remain the same with all the fish where they should be. From the beach on out something is biting. It’s just a hard decision what to target! Spanish, Kings, Tarpon, Sails, Mahi, Marlin, Grouper, Black bass and the list goes on! The most important piece of advice I can give you is to go fishing.
Hunting season ain’t far off now boys and girls and I hope that the feeders are full and your gear is ready because it is less than a month off. YEEHAA! I love living here because of all we have to enjoy in this area. Some of the best hunting and fishing in the eastern US is right here folks and if you ain’t taking advantage of it,sorry about your luck! Well thats it for this week so be safe and take a kid with you!

Capt. David
Headhunter Outdoors
(910) 329-0818

Topsail & Surf City Outdoors-Fishing Report 8-4-08

Gillwetter Press — Mon, 04 Aug 2008 23:56:10 +0000

Hi folks, Capt. David here with this weeks outdoors report. Last weeks column was missing because one of those afternoon thunderstorms hit a tree beside the house and Deep-fried my computer. Anyway, the fish are biting and if you ain’t fishing,you are wrong!
Inshore the Redfish are everywhere and the Flounder are plentiful. Now most of the flounder are small,but you can find a keeper. The Reds I’ve been catching are upper and over slot limit fish and are hanging around the creek mouth’s on the falling tide. A fat Finger mullet or Pogey on a Carolina rig will work for all the BIG three. Redfish, Flounder, and Trout. Folks I ain’t going to sit here and tell you that you can’t catch fish on artificial bait, cause you can! Anything that will work on a Largemouth Bass will catch a big Red! Topwaters, Jigs, Jerkbaits will all catch a fish this time of the year. Just remember that saltwater will rust rubber,so clean your stuff good.
Offshore the fish are biting as well. Kings are from the beach on out,with the 45-60 foot depths being the hotspots. Spanish Mackeral are just behind the breakers in the morning and will tear a Clark spoon up. The Silver King is here as well, yes folks you heard me right, Tarpon are running the beach’s now. If you plan on fishing for them the best thing to do is be outside the inlet, running the beach at daylight. Oh, bring your A game when you do! They ain’t the Silver King for nothing.
The ledges and reefs are giving a lot of Black Bass and Snappers and farther out the Grouper bite has been good! Ain’t caught none, Guess you ain’t on the right ledge. Folks I can’t tell you enough,If you ain’t catching fish,Move! 90% of the fish are in 10% of the water. Don’t waste you time sitting somewhere all day and come home with nothing. It’s hard to explain to the better half why you need a boat when you ain’t catching fish!
On the other side, Bow season starts the 13th of Sept. and Dove season comes in Labor day weekend, so let the games begin. Hot diggity dog! I’m as excited as a Beagle in a brier patch and my stuff is ready. Well thats about it for this week so remember, Take a kid with you and be safe!

Capt. David
Headhunter Outdoors
(910) 329-0818

Topsail & Surf City Outdoors-Fishing Report 7-21-08

Gillwetter Press — Tue, 22 Jul 2008 12:34:39 +0000

Hi folks, Capt. David here with this weeks outdoors report. Spanish Mackerel are everywhere just off the beach. Lots of Flounder are being caught in the surf and off the piers but most all of them are too small to keep. The Flounder fishing is the same way back in the sound as well. Lots of 12-13 inch fish but keepers are few and far between. Now that’s not to say that there ain’t any keepers out there, you just have to fish hard and cull a bunch of fish. The Redfish action back in the sound is hot but that little storm the other day kind of knocked them down a bit. There are a lot of small fish but folks I have been finding a lot of over-slot fish lately. It’s hard to tell a man that he has to let the biggest fish of his life go! That’s why we have those fish is because of the regulations in place. There are some Trout still biting but it’s mainly a late evening or early morning bite. The swing bridge has been fairly good and up in the river all the deep holes at the creek mouths are full of Specks.

Offshore has been hot as usual for this time of the year. The bait and the kings are still about 10 miles out but they have been catching them from the piers too. You just can’t tell what a fish is going to do! I don’t think a single one of the fish around here have seen one of those fishing shows or read a book about what, when, and where they are supposed to be doing! A wise old fisherman once told me,” Boy you find fish where they are at! If anybody out there figures that out, Give me a call and enlighten me, Please! Well folks thats about it for this week so be safe and take a kid fishing!

Capt. David
Headhunter Outdoors
(910) 329-0818

Topsail & Surf City Outdoors-Fishing Report 7-14-08

Gillwetter Press — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 00:45:00 +0000

Hi folks, Capt. David here with this weeks outdoors report. Folks no matter what you like to catch, it’s biting! The sound is full of hungry Redfish and flounder. The Speckled trout are biting early morning or late evening and Ladyfish are around just about every dock with a light on it at night. The Reds are mostly slot sized fish and most of the Flounder are on the small side but legal. Lots of Blues are still around and some of them are big! I don’t know what’s up with the chopper Blues but they are still around back in the sound. Offshore the Kings are biting from the piers on out and some nice Sailfish are being caught slow trolling for kings in the 10 mile range. The bottom fishing is good with Black bass,Snapper,and Grouper on just about every ledge and rockpile you can find! Some Mahi are around in the 10-15 mile range and if you can find some debris or a weedline,fish it hard! Cobia are still around and a few Tarpon are still in the area as well. The Gulfstream is hot as usual this time of the year too!

On the hunting side,less than 2 months till Deer season opens on the 13th of Sept. Folks you better start filling the feeders and checking your stands. Go ahead and get your gear together and start practicing now. It ain’t gonna be long till the games begin and I ain’t talking about the Olympics either ya’ll. Well thats about it for this week so remember to take a kid fishing and be safe.

Capt. David
Headhunter Outdoors
(910) 329-0818

Topsail & Surf City Outdoors-Fishing Report 7-7-08

Gillwetter Press — Mon, 07 Jul 2008 23:26:55 +0000

Hi folks,Capt. David here with this weeks outdoors report. The fish are biting folks. Now some of you might be thinking, Capt. David you are nuts! I went surf fishing the other day and didn’t catch anything. Here’s a simple explanation folks, how many people are in the water and the surf temps are in the mid 80’s! The best thing I can suggest is to fish at night. No crowds and the beach is quiet.
Well the sound is hopping with the Reds now and they are hitting everything! Topwater baits,live bait,jigs,all you have to do is find a school of fish and that ain’t hard folks! Look around creek mouths and along points. Thats also a good place to find a nice Flounder as well. Up in the river the Speckled Trout are still biting and Reds are everywhere.
Offshore it’s happening folks,from the beach on out anything is possible right now. Sails,Kings,Mahi.Tarpon and cobia are on the reefs and ledges. Bottom fishing is good with lots of Black sea bass and Snappers.Grouper are biting as well. Folks you need to go fishing! I can’t tell you how much good it will do your spirit! Get the wife and kids and go fishing while you can.
Now on to a little bit of instruction on rigs and baits. Now I ain’t going to pretend that I know everything but I will share what works for me. Two basic rigs will catch just about everything that swims in the surf or sound. Number 1 is the 2 hook bottom rig. With a 2-3 ounce sinker and 2 hooks above it at diffent depths it is a great rig for the surf or sound. According to what you are after,you can bait up with cut bait or live bait. Cut bait works best for Pompano,Spots,Grunts and Mullet. Live minnows will tempt Red drum,Flounder,Trout and Blues. All the bait and tackle shops around can help you get what you need.
Rig number 2 is my favorite. The good old Carolina rig. This rig consists of a weight sliding on the main line above a swivel, then about an 18-24 inch leader of 30 lb test mono,with a circle hook on the end. Put a fat Finger mullet or pogey on it and throw it next to the bank or dock and hang on! Fish it in a foot or two of water because thats where the fish are folks. I’m catching 30 inch Redfish in 12 inches of water,No bull! Right now the bait is on the bank and thats where the big fish are too.
Well thats it for this week so be safe and take a kid fishing.

Capt. David
Headhunter Outdoors
(910) 329-0818

30 inch Redfish caught by Casey Shaw on a recent trip. Capt. David holding his fish for the photo. (pictured above)

Topsail & Surf City Outdoors-Fishing Report 7-1-08

Gillwetter Press — Tue, 01 Jul 2008 12:37:41 +0000

Hi folks, Capt. David here with this weeks outdoors report. I really need to come up with a new opening line, don’t I? Well anyway lets talk fishing. Folks the Reds are everywhere and if you ain’t catching them you must be fishing to deep. This time of the year the schools of baitfish are up in the shallow water. If you want to know how shallow, Knee deep or less! The Flounder are right up on the bank too! Folks a Finger Mullet on a Carolina rig can’t be beat right now. Throw that sucker up next just about any grass bank and you wait for the bite. Heck I even caught a 4 lb Speckled Trout out of a school of big Redfish last week. If it swims and is in the water,it’s biting now. Bonnethead sharks are around as well as the everpresent Bluefish. Some of the Blues are huge too.
The surf and piers are giving up everything for Pompano to Kings and Tarpon. Cobia are on the reefs and are suckers for a live crab. Spanish are thick and the artificial reefs and ledges are full of Black Bass. Farther out the sailfish are showing up and some Mahi are 10-15 miles out. The weather and this dad-blamed wind is screwing up everyones fun so remember to check the weather forecast and the marine forecast before you go out the inlet. Don’t let someone else talk you into going against your better judgement. Just because the boat can take it don’t mean hanging on to it with both hands and feet is fun. Stupidity will kill you folks! Remember the Master of the vessel is responsible for everything. Don’t meet the Coast Guard the wrong way and wind up on the evening news! Well thats it for this week,so remember to be safe and come back alive. Oh before I forget, Take a kid fishing ya’ll!

Capt. David
Headhunter Outdoors
(910) 329-0818

Outdoors Report 6-23-08

Gillwetter Press — Tue, 24 Jun 2008 00:44:07 +0000

Hi folks, Capt. David here with this weeks outdoors report.
Folks the fish are biting but these quick moving fronts have had them kind of finicky lately. The most important thing to know is the fish are biting! I kind of went of on a tear last week about gill nets and I want to apologize to you folks. It still tears me up to see fish dead in the water. Something else that tears me up is folks that can’t pay attention to the weather forecasts. Last weekend a King Mackeral tournament was held down at Ocean Isle and the weather got real bad,real fast! From what I have heard 4 boats capsized and someone lost their life! People I don’t rant and rave about being careful just to sit here and type all my griping with 2 fingers for nothing. We live at the Graveyard of the Atlantic. The coast of North Carolina did not get that nickname for nothing. The Captain of the vessel that lost his life did everything right. He took care off his passengers, but he didn’t have a life jacket on. Folks you can’t tell the tale if you wind up in Davey Jones locker! SAFETY FIRST folks! This is 2 boaters that paid the price and 3 families that are having a hard time dealing with their loss. A damn fish ain’t worth your life,the entry fee ain’t worth your life and someone has to tell your family. How would you like the job of informing the family? Folks for heavens sake be careful when you are out there and don’t think it can’t get rough back in the sound either!
Folks all I can say about the fishing is, so sorry if you have to work because they are biting from the sound to the Gulfstream right now so all I can tell you is if you ain’t FISHIN”, you’re wrong! Grab a pole and head to the water with the wife and kids. Grab some Chicken and go after work,just go fishing! If you ain’t already heard it enough, BE SAFE and take a kid with you.

Capt. David
Headhunter Outdoors
(910) 329-0818

Outdoors Report 6-16-08

Gillwetter Press — Mon, 16 Jun 2008 13:57:56 +0000

Hi folks, Capt.David here with this weeks outdoors report. Fish in the sound,fish in the surf,fish offshore,it doesn’t matter what you like to catch,they are biting! The Inlet bars are holding some nice Reds and the Spanish are thick just outside the inlets. Some nice Flounder are showing up now and the blues of all sizes are everywhere. Kings are being caught from the beach on out but most are little snake kings. If you want the smokers go out a couple of miles before you start fishing. The Cobia are showing up in good numbers and will swim right up to the boat if you make some noise. I know it goes against everything about fishing to be noisy but Cobia are curious critters and will investigate anything around. Gulf coast anglers will take a paddle and beat the water to attract them! Be sure you have a good rod and reel with plenty of line on it if you hook one and be sure to wear him plumb out before you bring him into the boat. Cobia are known for going ape when they are pulled in the boat and will beat the heck out of you and your boat! Folks it really doesn’t matter where you like to fish get the kids and go fishing!
Now I’m going to rant and rave for a bit so bear with me. Last week I had a party out fishing with me and we saw something floating in the water and went to pick it up. I thought it was trash and I always pick up other folks trash from the water. Much to my surprise and dismay it was a 25 inch Redfish dead. It had net marks all over it and we found 8 more floating belly up in the current dead from gill nets! Now don’t get me wrong, commercial fishermen are working a lot harder than 90% of the people in the world and I’m not against a man making a living. The thing is the netter responsible was a weekend warrior with a recreation/commercial gear license! Folks he killed fish for what, a couple of little flounder. You can call it a Flounder net or a spot net but a gill net catches everything that swims into it. I’m not a tree hugger or anything but I practice catch and release and try to take care of the environment as best as I can. One of these days NCDMF is going to figure it out and get the gill nets and shrimp trawls out of the nursery-estuary system for the benefit of everyone. Folks I have caught little grouper,barracuda and who knows what else in the sound and we have to protect the nursery areas. This opinion will probably get me cussed out but you know what they say about opinions. Another thing that rubs me the wrong way is gigging! Folks sticking ain’t fishing,it’s hunting! If you want to send me a photo of a 5 lb Flounder, don’t send one full of holes! The best thing NCDMF did was give the giggers the same limit as rod and reel fishermen. Besides why does someone need to stick 50 flounder in a night. Hell I don’t want to clean that many fish. Commercial fishermen feed the world and if you don’t make a living full time doing it you don’t need the gear. Besides they ain’t going to screw themselves by overfishing an area either! Well thats it for this week so remember to take a kid fishing and be safe.

Capt. David
Headhunter Outdoors
(910) 329-0818