Rod-Man Report November 22, 2006

Hi Folks,
Happy holiday to all and don't eat too much. The Rod-Man is on a diet and feels like everyone else should suffer too. Due to the terrible storms, rains and winds the last 3 days and continuing in tomorrow, I don't know exactly what to say about fishing right now. It will be "pot luck" for sure.
But, I can tell you the fishing prior to the storm was fantastic and hopefully will be back to that sooner than later.

Now here's my report:



Inshore: The reds and trout have been biting the bottom of the boat out. The jetties, the docks, the creeks, the inlets, the marsh banks, all have been holding fish. We have been catching fish on GULP SW, live shrimp, dead mullet.

Nearshore: Some gray trout and miscellaneous bottom fish have been biting. I still expect a run of albacore. The water temperature is still 62-64 degrees, so a lot of fishing is in front of us.

Offshore: I have heard reports of some nice king mack catches from 23 to 42 miles out.

Gulfstream: No reports this week, but no the wahoo have been biting well and some bluefin have shown up.

Gosh, this year is winding down fast. Soon it will be boat show time and then fishing schools and before you know it, spring will be here and we start again. This year I will be at the Greensboro Bass and Saltwater Expo at the Coliseum Jan. 5-7 and the Raleigh Bass and Saltwater Expo at the Fairgrounds Jan. 12-14. My Raleigh area Rod-Man Fishing School will be February 10 and the Wilmington Rod-Man Fishing School will be March 3. Registrations for the schools are coming in and I hope to see many of you there. You can find registration information at 2007 Annual Rod-Man Fishing School

Finally, I wanted to say a big thank you to the nice folks at the Raleigh Saltwater Fishing Club for welcoming my wife and me last night. The weather was bad but inside the welcome was warm and hopefully we shared some good things about fishing.

And.....
Let's Go Fishing!!!
Capt. Rick Bennett
Rod-Man Charters
910-799-6120


Rod-Man Report November 16, 2006:

Hi Folks,
Fall fishing is great. This past week the redfish have been nothing short of amazing. One lucky customer landed and released 18 reds between 24" and 32". The speckled trout bite is on as well. In the weeks left this fall my reports will focus primarily on inshore/near shore fishing.  

Now here's my report:





Inshore: As mentioned, the reds are on fire. We are catching them on finger mullet fished with a carolina rig. We are catching them on GULP SW fished on lead heads in shallow water, just giving them a twitch. Specks are biting well. They are hitting GULP SW fished on 1/4 oz. lead heads. I like the Pumpkinseed and Watermelon 4" Swimming Minnow. Live shrimp fished from a float or on a carolina rig with a light weight is working well too. The flounder bite is slowing rapidly, but there are still some fish around.

Near shore: Gray trout are biting cut bait and jigs at the near shore reefs and holes. Blues are pretty active near the inlets on high water. Croakers, spots and whiting are biting near the reefs on bottom rigs.

Offshore: Reports of outstanding king mack catches are coming in from Frying Pan Tower. Bottom fishing for grouper and other bottom dwellers are happening in the 20-30 mile areas.

Gulfstream: When the boats have been able to get out, some yellowfin and blackfin tuna have been biting, mainly to the north. Wahoo are virtually everywhere.

Sponsor's Corner: As Thanksgiving approaches and in reality throughout the year, I am thankful for you my customers and friends. I am also thankful for my sponsors: Chatlee Boat and Marine, Berkley, Fireline, ABU (Pure Fishing), Bug-Em Bait, Minn-Kota, Okuma Fishing Reels. These folks put out some of the finest fishing products around. You can visit them from the links on my website.

Finally, the 2007 version of my Annual Rod-Man Fishing School is gaining steam with registrations coming in...sign up now to guarantee your seat. Thank you!

Let's Go Fishing!!!
Capt. Rick Bennett
Rod-Man Charters
910-799-6120