Set out late on this half-day charter, due to a system of squalls passing through. Once the radar picture cleared up, we were off with Noel and Jeff to see what we could find. When they booked, they just asked for a fun fishing day with some fish that would be good to eat. There was a pretty good swell rolling as we exited the inlet, so I knew we wouldn't be able to run to the offshore areas. Decided to go to an artificial reef system about a mile offshore, and start of with a hunt for king mackerel. King fishing is frequently a slow grind and takes patience, but Noel and Jeff were up for the game, even with the big, rollers pushing us around (when you're on a small boat, the ocean puts a lot of effort into reminding you how big it is). Good thing too, because it took a while to finally get the first strike. The trick is always about putting the bait where a fish is... but first you have to find the fish. Noel fought the fish to the boat. I had the gaff ready, but set it aside because it looked like a barely legal king, and I didn't want to kill it if it was undersize. Grabbing the fish by the tail, I lifted it aboard and was amazed to see that it wasn't a king, but one of the biggest Spanish mackerel I've ever seen. We made a few more circuits of the area, and managed to add a 25" king mackerel to the cooler. Hardly a tournament winner, but a fun catch and perfect for eating. After a while longer, I decided to do a bait check. Sure enough, something had cleaned the bait off the downrigger line. I also had another rod rigged with a 2oz. Mackahoo and a cigar minnow. The bait was still there, but not looking so great, so I put a fresh one on and set the line back out. As the line dropped back, I thought I felt a tug. I've caught fish while setting out lines before, but this one felt a little different. I freespooled for a second, to give the fish the bait, and then pushed up the drag. There was definitely a fish on, but it felt strange (and not very big). I handed the rod off to Jeff to let him bring it to the boat. To my shock and amazement, we had caught a 10" black sea bass... absolutely a first for me, to catch a sea bass on a cigar minnow while trolling for kings! Sadly, this prize slipped out of my hands as we were getting the camera... but it really happened! The winds were freshening and slow trolling was getting to be more work than it was worth, especially since all signs of life sort of disappeared. I made the call to move inshore and try to get some Spanish to fill out the dinner pail. We trolled south, trying to mitigate the beating from the choppy swells, and managed to pull in 11 more Spanish (normal sized) and the obligatory handful of lizard fish before we reached Masonboro Inlet and took in the lines. Took the scenic route home, through Wrightsville Beach and along the Intracoastal Waterway. It was a long half-day...