We've had another unusually warm start to the spring season, with March temperatures into the 80s! What does that mean? It means the ocean temperatures are starting to warm up too, and the early arrivals will be swimming into our local waters! This is the time to start thinking about Atlantic bonito, a great fighter, and maybe the best-tasting nearshore fish we get in this area (think sushi/sashimi quality). The thing is, these guys only hang around for a short while before moving off to the north. You have to get them while the getting is good. Right behind the bonito will be the Spanish mackerel (and some kings). We don't usually see them until later in April, but this warm weather can bring them along earlier. These tasty treats are our nearshore fishing bread and butter... plentiful, easy to find, and eager to bite (usually). With generous limits, you can often load up enough fish to feed the family and have a neighborhood fish fry when you get home. All of these fish are accessible on our half-day trips, and even on our Kids' Fun Trips. We're going to open up for bookings earlier than usual this year, so we hope to hear from you and we'll be tickled to have you aboard!

As the nearshore water temperatures are dropping into the low 60s, the Spanish mackerel season is pretty much done. I made a short trip on Saturday just to get out on the water after all the foul weather, and managed to pick up a couple of strays. The bluefish, on the other hand, are going gangbusters right now, and biting anything that falls in the water. There's an opportunity for big fun on light tackle! A little further offshore, the kings are still around and some big fish are being reported. Depending on the weather patterns, I expect to still be seeing fish right up until the end of this month. It's a great time to go, with very pleasant temperatures and a beautiful feeling in the air. So we're still booking until December 1. Give us a call, and let's get some fish in the box before winter sets in!

The weather has been all over the place this fall, with nice, cool days but lots of wind. This makes it great when the weather and a booking come together, and that's what happened when Misty booked a Kids' Fun Trip for Saturday morning. We just happened to be in-between frontal systems, so while there was a bit of a breeze, it was favorable for a nearshore trip. Seas were rolling with a long period, although the chop was picking up all morning. This would be a birthday gift for Misty's son, William, so I really hoped the fishing would be good. The action started hot, right out of the inlet with a triple hookup... two big false albacore and a very lost, undersize Spanish mackerel. There was a little chaos aboard, since I really couldn't stop to coach anyone on using the reels of fighting fish. False albacore (we also call them "bonita" here) are strong fish, and of course they hit the longest lines. It takes some strength and patience to bring them to the boat. With everyone fired up, I moved us closer to shore to start the hunt for Spanish mackerel. The fish were scattered, but plentiful. Unfortunately, they were also all under the 12" minimum size. It seemed like every time we turned around, the planer tripped and someone was reeling in a 10 or 11 inch fish. I lost count of the releases. The lizard fish made a showing as well, and for a while we had a little competition between Misty and William to see who got the biggest one. William won. But it was action, and I hoped we'd find a better class of fish as we moved down the beach. As usual, patience paid off and Misty landed a really chunky Spanish. This was promising, but the fish were still pretty scattered. The Kids' Trip is a three-hour outing, and we were running out of time... but with the wind picking up and nothing else on my calendar for the day I decided to stretch it out a little bit and keep working our way to Wrightsville. This would save us from having to beat into the seas going back to Topsail, and give us a chance to find some more keeper fish. The pace never picked up, but we managed to pick up several more keeper Spanish, along with a bluefish, to send the crew home with plenty for a nice, birthday dinner. The water temperature is back to the mid-70s, and the fishing is picking up. It's a great time to get out there. Give us a call, and let's go fishing!