Has anyone gone fishing yet? I don't own a boat or know the area well but am registered for a 24 hr trip out of Fort Myers, FL on Mar 22. Kinda pricey for a head boat at $275 but space is limited to 18 ppl and I can bring up to 3 rods.

http://seatrekfishing.com/

I really want to target a big grouper or larger game in general and currently my 5'6 standup with a 9/0 & 50# mono is not the right equipment for that(i really just want to buy another rod) but I still want to bring it to leave a chicken rig. My plan is to fish with my "grouper rod" on the first drop(s) in the area with a basic egg-weighted live bait rig for the big fish and if nothing is hitting it, wind up and immediately switch to my 9/0 to winch up all the smaller game & sharks. If we start getting cobia/jacks/dolphin/kings around the topwater I can easily switch out the egg weight for a topwater rig and go back to the 8' rod

i know a lot of the guys on the boats fish with 7-8' rods with a 3/0-4/0 braid with a high speed reel

i've been looking at the 8' heavy action 40-80# shakespeare ugly stik here:

http://www.basspro.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/product__10151_-1_10051_354

for ~$80 shipped, I think its a steal

otherwise for $15 more I can get the 8' x heavy action 40-50# shakespeare ugly stik

http://www.basspro.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/product__10151_-1_10051_16872

I'm not sure if its worth $15 to upgrade the eyes and seats, it sounds like the same blank but the rod goes from 40-80# heavy class to 40-50# x heavy

...I then plan on "borrowing" a reel from my dad. He has a good 1000+ collection, mostly older saltwater reels but a few big game reels. I think I can fix an old lever drag 6/0 fin nor but that reel seems a bit big for that and not appropriate. I'm leaning towards a 3/0 high speed senator or equiv. I'd like to try a lever drag as I've never fished with one but it's not really necessary for this setup. It may come in handy for top water game but that may only constitute 5% of the fishing I end up doing.

Does anyone have some tips on targeted grouper fishing? I've only ever caught a few and mostly by luck on a chicken rig. From what I've read up on, you let down a live bait of big hunk of cut bait on an egg weight & swivel with 80# mono. When you feel the fish take the bait, you wind and lift him up so he can't run back into his hole, no real setting-of-the-hook needed(using a 4-6/0 circle hook)

I plan on spooling with 40# mono but am interested to hear opinions on braid/hybrids. Apparently you can feel the bites more but I know the line slacks and is a bitch to break off/tangle up. I'm also going to be using an 8' rod and don't want the rod to snap if I get a big enough fish. I like the stretch of a high quality mono

I also have a 4/0 penn special senator rod and reel setup. Caught a 300# tiger shark off the bottom with it back in '97. The backbone has somewhat gone out since that incident but my sister has been using just fine. The rollers squeak and bend makes the fish seem bigger before they reach the surface, but hey, I don't fish with it.

My old 4/0 senator w/ 6'6 conventional rod & My 9/0 senator w/ 5'6 stand up rod


tldr

[Edited on February 16, 2012 at 5:58 PM. Reason : .]

2/16/2012 5:57:27 PM

2/16/2012 8:30:48 PM

Quote :

"tldr"

2/16/2012 8:33:44 PM

Been a couple of times...caught an octopus January 2nd.

My boyfriend goes quite a bit since he's a professional fisherman...caught a few tunas, right now he's getting wahoo and dolphin...

Getting ready to start some charter trips now

2/16/2012 8:39:10 PM

going to Mitchell River for some trout sunday, will have a report

2/17/2012 8:53:25 AM

Been out Crappie fishing quite a few times. Havent gotten into them great yet, this warmer weather has kept them pretty scattered. Im just counting down till the Eno White Bass run coming up here soon. Went out and scouted the Eno last week looking for potential spots.

2/17/2012 9:03:53 AM

hey when they start running lets go together, Penny's Bend is great to wade fish but they dont get past West Point and they only get to west point if there is ALOT of rain

i think you have a boat so you should go to this spot called red mill ramp i think thats where the eno and the flat river converge

im also gonna try the WB run on the Haw around the 64 bridge

[Edited on February 17, 2012 at 9:13 AM. Reason : r]

2/17/2012 9:11:57 AM

shad are starting to show up in goldsboro. i've got a week of vacation planned just for them.

2/17/2012 10:17:10 AM

Sounds good BHS. I put in at Red Mill Rd ramp last saturday and rode around checking out the flat and eno down towards Falls Lake. I bought hip boots and have some waders i can use this year too. The boat will be nice to fish from, but I may just use it to get away from all of the bank fishermen and then wade some. Im prob going to be going out there every weekend through the WB run. It is a bit of a drive for me to get there during the week after work, so I doubt ill make too many weekdays. May take a "sick" day or two when the fishing gets really hot.

Let me know if you hear anything about them at the Haw, I have never been out there. I have also heard they get up the creeks near stagecoach rd, but im not exactly sure where.

2/17/2012 10:34:07 AM

Blew an engine last fall, so the boat is down. Think I'm going to sell and buy a new offshore rig. Sucks though being without the ability to go offshore...



Porcha, it sounds like you are on the money for grouper. My advice for catching grouper is that you have to be very patient, and try to ignore the smaller pecks of all the little fish. You want all the smaller fish to swarm your bait, and that draws the big boys. Then, if you still have some of that cut bait, minnow, etc. left you'll get pounded by him.

If using circle hooks you dont need to jerk. Don't use an offset circle, use a regular one.

I use both carolina rigs and the standard bottom rig with good success for grouper. A small live beeliner is my favorite bait for them though, and cut bait or butterflied small baitfish (pinfish, etc.) are also great.

2/17/2012 1:05:17 PM

thanks, i planned on arriving early to the trip and catching some pinfish, there is a community livewell on board as well. Thanks for the advice!

2/18/2012 8:22:33 AM

fly fishing expo is this weekend at the fair grounds in case anyone wanted to know.

2/18/2012 4:29:35 PM

Lol

2/18/2012 5:22:54 PM

BHS when do you typically see the white bass running on the Haw? My boss will probably let me take a day off with him to go down there when that happens

2/18/2012 9:51:01 PM

Lol the expo was last weekend


It was great btw

2/18/2012 10:36:52 PM

I'm going to snag my dad's fishing kayak next time I'm home and use it to drop baits 100-300yds off the beach for big shark. I'll likely fish anywhere from Topsail to Ocean Isle beaches. Does anyone know when the shark bite is best near the beach?

2/20/2012 4:54:11 PM

plenty of them around all year, but we used to catch them 10' and up all summer on king rigs off the end of the pier. i fought one of those bastards one time and after that i pulled my bait up everytime they showed themselves. fuck that shit.

2/20/2012 5:00:59 PM

Quote :

"BHS when do you typically see the white bass running on the Haw? My boss will probably let me take a day off with him to go down there when that happens"

ive only fished the haw twice and neither was during the white bass run, all I can assume is that t since the 64 bridge is so close to Jordan, probably they would be there before the larger white bass go up the eno and would probably hang around for a longer period of time.

maybe the very beginning of march start checking for cars lol

2/20/2012 5:05:03 PM

^ I've fished around that bridge a little and on that trail that runs down the east side of the river. No luck yet, but plenty of stuff to get snagged on. Topwater baits are a good idea there. I've always heard that water is very polluted, so I'd think twice about taking home any keepers. At least look into it before you do.

The trail on the West side of the river that runs from the 64 Bridge to the boat ramp is one of the best hikes I know of in this area. I've never seen another person after I get about a mile in. It's a great place to waste an afternoon.

[Edited on February 20, 2012 at 5:41 PM. Reason : s]

2/20/2012 5:40:10 PM

i don't think i'll ever eat a freshwater fish again. at least not in these regions

2/20/2012 7:20:57 PM

i will eat fresh caught fish as much as possible

people are too afraid of a little dirt

also if anyone likes fishing for pickerel they are biting well

[Edited on February 22, 2012 at 3:56 PM. Reason : e]

2/22/2012 3:55:17 PM

PCBs are far nastier than dirt.

Its safe to eat out of Falls, Jordan, and Harris. Anything inside the beltline is a no-go.

Even out of those three safe ones though I feel best eating (catfish especially) out of Harris, since there is not a lot of development around it. Falls/Jordan are sure to get more suburban runoff.

2/22/2012 3:59:07 PM

Going out on the first 24hr trip out of Calabash on April 27. $220 for the trip and if you'd like to carpool with my sis & I all I ask is split the price on a tank of gas.

Caught over 140lbs of fish before we filleted last time I was on this boat

http://www.supervoyagerdeepseafishing.com/

2/23/2012 3:46:43 PM

^^well that guys assumption was that any freshwater was dirty, he wasnt concerned with PCB advisories.

as far as i know crabtree creek is the only no no, our rivers are clean.

i dont really eat much fish i catch, once in awhile ill keep a couple

[Edited on February 23, 2012 at 3:57 PM. Reason : .]

2/23/2012 3:55:47 PM

got my new 8' ugly stick and a 3/0 reel!



[Edited on February 26, 2012 at 3:57 PM. Reason : .]

2/26/2012 3:56:40 PM

RE: White Bass Run

Quote :

"There starting a little now, Should be getting pretty good by the weekend. I went with my dad and we only caught three last thursday.... I am sure they run out of jordan the same way but never fished there. They should be starting up the eno river around red mill road this week, and moving up to old oxford highway by next week. "

2/28/2012 8:09:21 AM

fishing isn't really a sport.

there, I said it.

2/28/2012 8:10:47 AM

^^damn troll, no way

!!!!!!


i got my girlfriend a fly rod, one of my friends is gonna give her a casting lesson at a good price and im gonna stick her out there and fish those WB

one thing i know for sure if that doesnt hook her then theres no need to try anymore

[Edited on February 28, 2012 at 8:26 AM. Reason : f]

2/28/2012 8:25:04 AM

If any of y'all seriously fish, check out JB Custom Bass Rods at http://custombassrods.com. I've got 5 of his rods and love 'em to pieces... I also got my brother, The Dude one for Christmas.

The owner, John, is a good guy and if you want something that isn't listed (I wanted a Trap-n-Rap spinning with a little heavier of a blank) just let him know and he'll build it for you. At first the blank was a little light, so I let him know and he made me a new one. I only fish FW, but am working on expanding my lineup of JB rods because I fish 2-4 times a week.

2/28/2012 8:58:02 AM

^^no trolling in this thread, got that PM from someone on another forum

opens up with a grammatical error so I know he's from NC

2/28/2012 9:11:14 AM

this is good news


but it exacerbates things, i figured i had a couple weeks to tie some flies

[Edited on February 28, 2012 at 9:31 AM. Reason : d]

2/28/2012 9:30:23 AM

@porcha... me?

2/28/2012 9:34:00 AM

Quote :

"I went to Penny's Bend today and yesterday. The white bass are there but their just babies right now!! Lol I caught about ten today and all where about 6in. "

my bad porcha, i am not worthy

2/28/2012 12:12:59 PM

http://womenfishinginbikinis.com/

2/28/2012 1:28:15 PM

Fishing is way different this year than last year. Same with basketball

I'm Krallum and I approved this message

2/28/2012 1:28:49 PM

Quote :

"New Members: White Bass in the Eno Saturday, March 10, 2012, 9:00 AM Selected By: Pennys Bend Nature Preserve 2897 Snow Hill Road, Durham, NC (map) 36.074448 -78.863258 Selected By: It’s finally time. Have you never fished for white bass? Are you looking for new people to start fishing with? Shake off the winter early this year and join us at Penny’s Bend on the Eno River to socialize, make new fishing friends and catch white bass. We will provide some donuts and sweets in the morning as we gather. Try to park in the lot on the east side of Old Oxford Road just over the Eno as you travel north. What to bring: You will probably want to wear waders if you have them, the Eno will barely be above 50F. A 4-6wt fly rod, bead head white wooly buggers or white and chartreuse clousers around sz 4-6. Also, bring a 1x-2x or 10-13lb bass leader, 7.5ft should be fine. Who should come? All are welcome but if you are an experienced white bass fisher I will probably put you to work helping others. That reminds me, we need some experienced volunteers. Volunteers should expect not to fish much. I will need some help going from person to person to make sure everyone catches a white bass. I'll be there at 8:30am helping anyone that needs an extra hand. Instruction will mainly consist of fly selection, how to choose where to fish and retrieval methods. Health Alert: Pennys Bend has steep banks but is easy to wade in once you reach the river. You need to be able bodied enough to maneuver up and down the steep dirt banks. You may also need to hike a 1/4 mile to full mile along an unimproved dirt trail to reach good fishing areas. "

if any of you guys would be interested let me know, im going to be helping moreso than fishing this so if you might need a spare fly rod or some flies i can hook you up

this is a great time to try out white bass and there will be plenty of space and help

3/1/2012 3:54:10 PM

do you guys discriminate against non-fly fishers? I have a fly rod, I just prefer using a light spinner.

3/1/2012 4:09:45 PM

it would be pointless to actually attend the event because the instruction would be totally different but you could certainly learn a few things about the species and use comparable bait types


basically youd want what youd use for crappie in spinning outfit, i use ultra light spinning tackle myself but you may want to go above the 2-4lb line weight once the big WB start making it in, they are actually pretty strong and have abrasive teeth


youd be more than welcome, though, or you can listen and fish on your own.

[Edited on March 1, 2012 at 4:12 PM. Reason : e]

3/1/2012 4:11:41 PM

i plan on going out this sunday morning off red mill, i don't plan on wading(as i don't have waders) but am brining my 4lb ultralight and some mepps

3/1/2012 4:21:57 PM

good luck man

canoeing?

[Edited on March 1, 2012 at 4:22 PM. Reason : b]

3/1/2012 4:22:32 PM

winging it

3/1/2012 10:34:15 PM

word up ive yet to check that place out

3/1/2012 10:40:57 PM

I doubt they have moved up there yet as the big girls were all the way down by the dam earlier this week. Between Sunday and Monday I caught 12 with none of them going less than 1.5 lb and the biggest being 3lb. All were females except two. I have heard reports of some larger males staging around the I85/ railroad area and just tiny ones being up in the creek now, but they arent that far up the creek. I may take the boat out on Sunday and run up from the main lake and see if i can find them. Ill let you guys know. I imagine the big ones should be moving up in a few weeks.

3/2/2012 8:22:01 AM

if anyone wants to meet up for some shad fishing in goldsboro this weekend or next week, let me know

3/2/2012 8:38:43 AM

^^given your catch this week, where do you recommend I put in if I take a canoe out Sunday morning? I assume the water will be muddy, which will probably make for bad conditions just about anywhere.

3/2/2012 9:51:58 AM

for a canoe i guess i would go ahead and put in at Red Mill Road and go down river and see if you can find anything. Your other option would be to put in at Hickory Hill Boat ramp off Red Wood rd and head up under I85 and towards the mouth of the eno. Troll some crankbaits behind you and you should be able to pick up and locate some fish. That area is a bit low on water and very stumpy, so be careful

3/2/2012 12:17:44 PM

^thanks for the update, if its rainy and cold come Sunday, survey says I won't go til I steal some waders from my dad

3/2/2012 3:14:02 PM

Nothing special...we were just bored today so we decide to go get a can of corn and catch some carp.

3/5/2012 2:00:54 AM

took the canoe out to the eno yesterday...skunked. I think the muddy water in combo with the front that came through shut em down for the day, nobody else was having any luck either.

3/5/2012 9:52:24 AM

the eno is so flashy

nice carp, i hope to catch my first one real soon

[Edited on March 5, 2012 at 11:06 AM. Reason : d]

3/5/2012 11:06:21 AM