Yes it is still hot and yes the fish are still biting. A little harder to find and a little picky, but they are there…waiting for your rod to sing. We have had good luck inshore and near shore as well.

Now here’s my report:

Inshore: Flounder are biting in most places including the river, hitting live bait and mostly in the rising tide. Reds are just the opposite…biting on the falling tide mostly and playing a little hide and seek.

Near Shore: Spanish mackerel are still a hit and miss attraction with some days being better than others. But the tasty speedsters are fun to catch on flounder rods using the “new” Blue Water Candy Spanish Daisy. Shark fishing is very strong right now with large black tip dominating the fishing. Some nice flounder are biting at the near shore artificial reefs.

Offshore: Offshore seems to be a bit further out this year, primarily due to the warm water temps. Most action for mahi and kings is in the 18+ mile areas. AJ’s are hanging around the offshore reefs and are plenty of fun if you are up to a real battle.

Upcoming: Blessed cool weather is not tooooooo far away and the great fall fishing that goes with it. Big flounder in late September and all of October, redfish everywhere and the appearance the beloved specks will all be happening within just a few weeks. Make your plans to get on the water. And check out the cool new pics in my Photo Gallery!

Until Next Time…..LET’S GO FISHING!!
Capt. Rick Bennett
Rod-Man Charters
910-520-7661

Now here’s my report:

Inshore: Flounder are biting and good size ones two in the inlets, the cut, the river and the ICW. They are hitting live bait on a carolina rig. Reds are biting too and it doesn’t matter if the bait is dead or alive, just fresh.

Near Shore:  Spanish fishing has been hit and miss would a good mix of blues thrown in. One day they bite like crazy and the next they are hard to find. Shark fishing has been pretty reliable.

Offshore: AJ’s have been strong at the 10-18 mile AR’s. They are hitting live bait and large popping plugs. Lots of fun action. Some big spanish have been biting slow trolled live bait. The king and mahi bite is slow.

Upcoming: It won’t be too long before things cool down a bit and fall fishing starts to get into full swing. Get ready and be part of the action. Check out the hot new photos in my Photo Gallery.

Until next time….
LET’S GO FISHING!!!
Capt. Rick Bennett
Rod-Man Charters
910-520-7661

Now here’s my report:

Inshore: Water temps are in the mid to upper eighties. But, just like us, fish gotta eat. Reds are biting best on the falling tide and flounder on the incoming tide. If you can catch the right tide in the early morning so much the better. We even had a tarpon rolling and balling bait right behind the boat today in the ICW.

Near Shore: To carry on, a few tarpon sightings and catches have been reported. Spanish macks have been biting along the beaches out to 40 feet. Sharks fishing is on.

Offshore: Kings are in deeper water 18 miles out. Some mahi and maybe a few sails are around as well. Live bait, ballyhoo or cigar minnows are the baits of choice.

Upcoming: I would guess it is a safe bet the more hot weather is in store, but it looks like we have a brief “cooling spell” coming over the nest few days…only in the upper 80’s. Fish early and fish deep for best results.

Until Next Time….
LET’S GO FISHING!!!
Capt. Rick Bennett
Rod-Man Charters
910-520-7661

Now here’s my report:

Inshore: Again, the reds are biting well on the falling tide. Chunks of menhaden, live menhaden or finger mullet fished on a carolina rig seem to be the best bets. The fish are in the inlets, the waterway and the creeks. Some nice flounder are biting as well, mostly in the deeper holes in the inlets and the cut.

Near Shore: Spanish mackerel fishing is firing up very nicely. Quality fish are biting clarkspoons and of course bird rigs in 15 to 40 feet of water. Tarpon are making their appearance along the beach with several sightings almost daily. Flounder are holding on the near shore artificial reefs.

Offshore: The best bite for mahi and kings has been in the 18 mile area. Some fish are being found around ten miles. live bait trolled slow and ballyhoo trolled fast seem to be working best.

Upcoming: The only thing the heat seems to be slowing down are the fishermen. The water is so warm you expect some of the fish you catch to come in cooked and ready to eat….but they keep biting and that is what we want. Check out the Photo Gallery  for all the latest pics.

Until next time…
LET’S GO FISHING!!!
Capt. Rick Bennett   
Rod-Man Charters
910-520-7661

Now here’s my report:

Inshore: We have caught some very nice flounder up to 6 pounds. All have been caught on menhaden fished on carolina rigs, some on the falling tide and some on the rising tide. Strong redfish have been biting well. We have had fish up to 27 inches. Best tide is falling and menhaden have been our bait of choice.

Near Shore: Some very nice spanish have moved into the area with several fish over 3 pounds. Most of these fish are in 18 to 40 feet of water and are primarily hitting clarkspoons on planers and bird rigs. A little further out, say 10 miles king macks and mahi are biting live bait, cigar minnows and ballyhoo.

Offshore: More kings and mahi and some sialfish as well. AJ’s are biting at the School House. Try bringing them up with large popping plugs on heavy spinning gear.

Upcoming: We are entering the hot and hotter time of the year. Fishing is and will be still very good, but often you need to fish some deeper (cooler water to get the results you want. Fishing early in the morning or late in the evening will also pay dividends.
Be sure to check out the new pics in the photo gallery and feel free to look around the site (www.rodmancharters.com)  where you will find lots of information.

Until next time….
LET’S GO FISHING!!!
Capt. Rick Bennett
Rod-Man Charters
910-520-7661

Now here is my report:

Inshore: The flounder bite is on! We caught several fish this week, some nearly 5 pounds. Using smaller menhaden on a carolina rig and moved slowly. When you get a strike, be sure NOT to jerk A flounder is going to scale your bait before he eats it. Give him some time. Reds are biting well also. Same bait and same rig on a falling tide. Some big bluefish are still around as well. We landed a 9 pounder while flounder fishing!

Near Shore: Near shore the cobia have made a strong showing at the inlets and near shore AR’s. Spanish macks have been on one day and off the next. When you find them the bite well and then on other days they seem to be non-existent. Blues are still around.

Offshore: Kings are moving closer fast. Mahi are as well. Look for a strong showing in the 10 mile areas in the next few days. I am a live baiter, but cigar minnow and ballyhoo will do nicely too.

Upcoming: As we approach the HEAT of summer consider fishing early or late in the day. When possible fishing deeper water can produce good results. I have added several pics to this year’s photo gallery. Check them out.

Until next time:
LET’S GO FISHING!!!
Capt. Rick Bennett
Rod-Man Charters
910-520-7661

Here we go:

Inshore: Redfish are leading the charge inshore with plenty of flounder as well. Best bait are small menhaden fished on a carolina rig. Reds have been biting best on the falling tide and flounder have been best on either tide, as long as it is moving. Some big chopper blues have moved up the creeks and are providing their share of excitement.

Near Shore: Along the beach there are several traveling pockets of menhaden schools which of course are attracting bigger fish. Fish around the bait schools and find anything from blues, 2-7 pounds, sharks, spanish, kings 6-8 pounds and cobia.

Offshore: Kings are biting in the 5 to 10 mile area and the mahi are starting to show up in close as well. Amberjack are biting at the School House.

Upcoming: With the persistent SW winds for several days, look for the mahi bite to really get going. Slow trolling live bait with light tackle is the ticket to catching these fish and having a blast doing it. The Rod-Man “In the Water” Fishing School is this coming weekend and everything is ready for a great school.
Please check the photo gallery for new pics that have been added.

Until next time….
LET’S GO FISHING!!!
Capt. Rick Bennett
Rod-Man Charters
910-520-7661

Now here’s my report:

Inshore: The flounder have shown up and we caught some nice ones although one huge one did get away. Live bait is available and that is what the flounder like. Reds are around too and the will eat live or dead bait…I do prefer live.

Near Shore: I had a couple of guys who just wanted to catch some blues and release them; just wanted to enjoy the fight on light tackle. We caught 61 blues and 4 nice spanish in just a couple of hours. That’s one fish every 2 minutes!. The spanish are biting along with the blues. Try Yozuri Deep Divers trolled at 3 knots on light spinning rods for a blast. Large schools of menhaden have been sighted and some cobia are around as well. Look for spring kings to appear any day as they are moving up from the Brunswick County beaches. A few flounder have invaded the near shore reefs and look for that to get better very soon.

Upcoming: In the next few days look for kings close in, more spanish and more cobia. The flounder bite will continue to improve with bigger fish hitting the scales.
Until next time….

Until next time…
LET’S GO FISHING!!!
Captain Rick Bennett
Rod-Man Charters
910-520-7661

Hi Folks,
Fishing has flat out turned on. We can talk about the spanish bite, or we could talk about the drum bite, but the bottom line is if you like fishing inshore or near shore, it is happening now.

Now here’s my report:

Inshore: Water temps have climbed above 70 and the fishing is great. Fresh shrimp will not get the job done anymore, because our pesky friends the pinfish have finally arrived. Shrimp is still good bait, but it is too easily “stolen” by the pinfish. So to catch drum or flounder it is now best to use either live bait such as mud minnows or small menhaden or fresh cut bait such as bluefish which are plentiful around the inlets. Catch a bunch of blues, filet them, salt them down good and put in the freezer. The salt keeps them from freezing, but also keeps them fresh. Some flounder are biting around the inlets and in the river.

Near Shore: The big action would be the spanish mackerel. Catch them casting small spoons or jigs. Catch them trolling Yozuri Deep Divers with lite spinning tackle. Or catch them trolling clarkspoons and bird rigs. Small to nice size bluefish are mixed in with them. Large schools of menhaden have shown up and some cobia have been hanging with them.

Upcoming: Inshore, river and near shore fishing is busting loose. Look for more of the same in the coming weeks plus a growing presence of flounder. And just a thought, let’s not forget about the fishing enthusiasts and those that make their living fishing on the Gulf Coast. A tragedy beyond comprehension is in the making and let’s pray that the people responsible come forward with a viable solution fast.

On another note, my old phone number will be terminated later this month and the number below is the only way other than email that you will be able to reach me, so you might want to make a note of it.

Until next time…
LET’S GO FISHING!!!
Captain Rick Bennett
Rod-Man Charters
910-520-7661

Hi Folks,
Get Fishing!!!

Inshore and near shore fishing has taken off in the last couple of days. Drum, blues, bonito, gray trout have all shown up and the first spanish macks have made an appearance too.

Now here’s my report:

Inshore: Inshore waters have warmed up nicely and the red and blacks have heated up as well. They are still biting fresh shrimp…dead and some of the blacks are really nice. The biggest we caught was 5.5 pounds!

Near Shore: Again the water has warmed up into the mid 60’s. Bluefish (we had 15 the other day on fly rods), spanish macks, some bonito and gray trout are biting. With fly rods, they like pink or chartreuse flies; otherwise use your favorite jig to site cast or jig. The near shore artificial reefs and natural reefs are holding fish.

Offshore: Kings are still a ways out but coming in closer everyday. Bottom fishing for sea bass and grouper has been excellent.

Gulfstream: On fire seems to say it all. The stream is alive with wahoo, blackfin and yellowfin tuna, some mahi and kings.

Upcoming: Look for live bait and flounder to show up very soon. If you don’t want to use live bait, try some gulp swim baits on a 1/4 oz. jig head. Work it slowly and near the bottom. Whiting are biting good in the river and trout are as well.

Until next time…
LET’S GO FISHING!!!
Capt. Rick Bennett
Rod-Man Charters
910-520-7661