I caught a decent blue catfish last Saturday. I put a gourmet hotdog on a hook, casted it out, set the rod down for a second so I could sit down on the pier, and then the rod took off. I barely caught it before it went off the pier. Turned out to be around 8 lbs or so I'd guess when I got him in. Catfish love the weiners.

3/19/2008 4:37:59 PM

^^ check craiglist, a lot of people are selling boats, might be able to find one pretty easily

^lol

3/19/2008 4:44:04 PM

anybody ever done any fishing at Belews Lake?

3/27/2008 8:49:12 AM

took the boat down the neuse, but cold front had the shad shut down this morning. was fuckin cold with the wind out there too.

3/29/2008 2:39:56 PM

i kind of wouldnt mind a lifetime fishing license but i dont know if i want to live in nc for a lifetime

3/29/2008 2:40:56 PM

i got lifetime sportsman's (hunting and fishing, $500) for christmas when i was 16. best present ever.

[Edited on March 29, 2008 at 2:50 PM. Reason : and i got grandfathered in on the recreational saltwater fishing license ]

3/29/2008 2:42:05 PM

my dad bought my Lifetime Sportsman License for me when I was 6 months old for 100 bones. Best damn investment he ever made.

3/31/2008 7:57:58 AM

caught this pompano couple weeks ago in florida.

3/31/2008 9:03:54 AM

I'm going down to Hatteras this weekend for a little blue water action if it will quit blowing. Anyone go out last weekend? I hear its blowing like a motherfucker down there right now.

4/7/2008 12:36:37 PM

I pulled a 9.9lb. largemouth out of a small lake here in Greensboro 2 weekends ago. Swim bait. Biggest bass I have ever caught.

4/7/2008 12:46:10 PM

^nice, need pics.

4/7/2008 12:48:10 PM

I have them on my personal computer at the house. I'm at work. I'll post them tonight

4/7/2008 12:54:26 PM

^My brother caught at 9lb one in our backyard in Trinity!!

I wanna go fishing more this year!!!

4/7/2008 12:57:11 PM

yeah, farm ponds usually have whales in them

4/7/2008 1:01:28 PM

I'll be at atlantic beach the next couple days, but no fishing, just visiting a "friend"

I won't be heading back out until another week or two, but gonna go snag some yellowfins soon

4/7/2008 1:27:17 PM

I hope to get into the yellowfins this weekend if it will quit blowing.

4/7/2008 2:52:42 PM

Two more weeks till Spring Trophy Season

4/7/2008 3:19:01 PM

I'm going down to Florida with pwrstrkdf250 to meet pwnt and prefish with Greg's team for their next SKA tournament at Jensen Beach at the end of the month

4/7/2008 3:21:44 PM

man, trying to go down and find the bonito (not to be confused with false albacore)...great eating and they come in just for a few weeks only in April/early May here from Cape lookout to wilmington

4/7/2008 4:05:36 PM

Still waiting on the blow to quit and the temps to warm up before we head out for our first offshore trip this year.

4/7/2008 5:33:56 PM

Anybody know how the rock fishing in the roanoke around Williamston is? Thinking of heading there this weekend if there's any action other than huge bowfins to be had.

4/7/2008 5:45:45 PM

From http://www.ncwaterman.com:

Quote :

"Ok guys and gals. As I have mentioned to a lot of you through PM's and at several presentations, way back since the begining of rock season, that you would not want to get real serious with the rock in the river in the Williamston/Jamesville area until the 2nd & 3rd week of April. Well low and behold here it is the 2nd week of April and the rock are in thick, very thick, from all sizes, there are a lot of small ones and there are some big ones getting caught also. There is no trouble with getting your limit, with alot of limits getting caught within the first 45 minutes of fishing. The boardwalk at the ramp in Williamston has been loaded with fisherman, and at times rock have been slung up on the deck like spot fishing at the coast. With fairly warm weather and a good rain last weekend the run has exploded. Also there are a lot of white perch to be caught after the limit of rock are taken. So if you want to go, now is the time, the next 2-3 weeks will be awesome!!! Please keep in mind, that there will be A LOT, I mean A LOT of people on the river. Please respect your fellow fisherman/woman when out there. Have patience, as the ramp will be crowded. Make this a fun experince for all, and everyone keep calm and enjoy your time out on the water. Use common sense and slow down when passing other boats, there are a lot of small boats out there that can't handle big wakes. Good luck to all and Catch'em up!!!!!!!"

sounds like they're there in full force

[Edited on April 8, 2008 at 5:27 PM. Reason : not worth putting up with the crowd to me though]

4/8/2008 5:27:08 PM

i fish down at Sunset Beach, NC

didn't catch anything but sharks (8 sandsharks between 1.5' and 2') and then I moved down to the sound and caught a good size (2') red drum.

good eatin' they are.

4/8/2008 5:37:21 PM

NC Waterman is a good website/message board. I've learned some pretty cool shit off of there.

4/9/2008 8:36:46 AM

best site if you want fishing reports and most of them will be willing to help (besides give away their secret spots)...

4/9/2008 10:17:18 AM

Fumbler and i are going fishing in either weldon or on the 258 bridge on friday afternoon. we're n00bs at rockfishing but trying our best. if anybody's around and wants to go let me know. we might go somewhere on saturday too.

my parents have a dam & pond at the back of their property. my brother and i were fishing last weekend and he caught a pickerel, maybe 11" long, with a baby bass in his throat. 2 for 1!

[Edited on April 9, 2008 at 10:43 AM. Reason : ]

4/9/2008 10:41:57 AM

it's changed since they cut yall rock guys off from using herring hasn't it?

what are yall fishing with?

looks like the blow might be slowing down a bit, the turning basin and sound was nothing but whitecaps yesterday but was a lot smoother this am

4/9/2008 6:00:56 PM

Quote :

"what are yall fishing with? "

Flukes and rubber crawfish.
We're hoping to catch a shad and use that.

We may also buy some minows.

Got any suggestions?

4/9/2008 6:26:07 PM

I don't have a lot of experience with them on the freshwater side of things, just a tiny bit more in the saltwater realm of it, but there is a big article in this months NC sportsman about it, just haven't read it yet

4/9/2008 6:27:54 PM

Fumbler,

The water up near Weldon is normally pretty damn clear, and I hear people have the most success drifting with live minnows. I haven't heard many people mention using cut bait that far up, I've heard more of it around Williamston where the water is dirty.


If the rock are there really strong I've heard you can pick up some nice ones on topwaters(walkers seem to do well). The shad should still be around enough to pick up a couple, and they may work for bait, I'm just not sure how well compared to live minnows. I've never fished the 258 bridge, I've just been around the 158/301 bridge, and a little downriver from the boat ramp.


I also havn't seen any reports for the area yet, so I have no clue how much they're around there just yet. I just know they're in Williamston pretty thick now. All I can suggest is to try to make it to the outside of a bend and see what wants to bite. I'll be in Williamston at dawn Friday, hopefully I can tie into a few.


Also, colter, a note about the herring. We are no longer able to catch herring in NC. We can, however, import them fresh from SC. This is what the Roanoke Sportsman in Williamston does. As long as you have a receipt from there you can have the herring and use them for bait. I must admit that they work well, although a couple of VERY fresh menhaden, gills from a white perch, or cut pieces of fresh shad do just about as well.

4/9/2008 7:26:38 PM

anyone fished the cape fear around buckhorn dam this spring?

if so, how were the conditions?

4/9/2008 7:32:18 PM

what is this rock fishing you guys talking about?

4/9/2008 7:32:21 PM

another name for stripers

[Edited on April 9, 2008 at 7:51 PM. Reason : ]

4/9/2008 7:51:05 PM

^^^^yeah I was thinking if you could get pogies from someone down east they might work

but thats a lot of running around to potentially have dead bait by the time you wet a line

4/9/2008 7:57:26 PM

dead and cut into chunks was the only way we ever fished herring in the first place. too big live and whole. the herring's gills with that long organ attached to them were always the best bait for us. cut shad never seemed to compare. i catch rock in the neuse near goldsboro with jumbo minnows and goldfish.

4/9/2008 11:18:45 PM

live bait is the way to go. period.

rubber shit does not work.

even if you get shrimp that have been frozen, the fish are less likely to bite it. you want the freshest bait available, and often times you can go get fresh fish (from a local beach fish market) and cut it up and use it as bait.

4/10/2008 2:04:18 AM

i so freaking wish i know someone that had a pond i could fish at with out a license

[Edited on April 10, 2008 at 2:05 AM. Reason : in raleigh, in walking distance]

4/10/2008 2:05:29 AM

just buy a license. it's a whole year for $15 for inland fishing only. that's less than you pay for a premie membership on tww.

http://www.ncwildlife.com/fs_index_01_license.htm

4/10/2008 3:07:58 PM

^^ I actually do have a pond. Its right off tryon rd. and its stocked with catfish, carp, and bass. The catfish are huge because all the neighbors do that catch and release bullshit.

4/10/2008 3:11:13 PM

think i'm gonna take the canoe out today to see if anything's biting.

4/10/2008 3:14:24 PM

Quote :

"rubber shit does not work"

somebody doesn't know how to work soft plastics.

this shit works and is cheaper than bloodworms if you're chasing spots:


and i've seen this outfish live bait several times:


there's a situation for every bait, including live. simply saying "rubber shit does not work" is ridiculous. but what did i expect from someone who feels catch and release is "bullshit".

4/10/2008 3:20:02 PM

^ QFT

4/10/2008 3:23:11 PM

the new generation of soft baits are amazing

lots of tournaments have become "artificial only" such as the redfish tour

those new gulp baits and the "alive" stuff kicks major ass, I've caught reds, trout, and flounder on the same baits

there is some other company making an awesome bait, can't remember the name of them right now though

[Edited on April 10, 2008 at 3:38 PM. Reason : !]

4/10/2008 3:37:30 PM

I've had game wardens give me a hard time with plastic trout worms in the mtns. They've said if the fish can successfully digest the bait it can be considered live, which is illegal in alot of mtn streams (eventhough none have actually given me tickets for them).....the trout worms work great tho, so I keep taking the chance

4/10/2008 3:45:27 PM

the redfish magic bait strike king put out recently is awesome. really stretchy (that 3X or whatever it's called), which gives it more tail action and vibration than any paddletail i've ever fished. i don't use it with the spinner that much though, since i'm primarily chasing trout usually.

4/10/2008 3:45:54 PM

oh yeah btw man, I never found that reel!

just remembered that


I'll keep my eyes peeled though

Neuse is having a pretty good sale on lower end spinning reels right now, plus the place next door to them has a ton of reels for like 50-75% off

[Edited on April 10, 2008 at 3:56 PM. Reason : !]

4/10/2008 3:47:52 PM

werd? thanks for the heads up. king fishing on the pier is getting crowded and i just finished revamping my aluminum skiff, so i'll probably focus on that this summer and say to hell with the pier. ends up costing less if i take the boat anyway (30 hp with a 6 gal. tank ftw).

4/10/2008 3:51:26 PM

hell yeah


no problem, I almost picked some reels up yesterday there

sounds good man

just get a jet ski

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4c8CCMgWiXA

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[Edited on April 10, 2008 at 3:56 PM. Reason : !]

4/10/2008 3:55:52 PM

^holy shit!

i think i'll stick to my trout, drum, and flounder.

4/10/2008 4:00:45 PM

Went out of Hatteras on Friday. It actually turned into an awesome day on the water. We caught a few shingle dolphin early, then decent wahoo, then things went dead for a while. After trolling for about an hour and a half with nothing, we hooked up with 3 nice tuna. We landed 2 of them, the biggest weing 41 lbs. The one that got away was just as big, but broke the leader when we got ready to gaff it. Last fish of the day was a 21lb wahoo. All in all it was a pretty good day.

There were some awesome weedlines out there, I figured we would have wore the dolphin out. One boat in the fleet released a blue marlin. Pics to come.

4/13/2008 9:18:51 AM