Fall is really starting to show its face around Southeastern North Carolina these last few weeks. Some warm days, some cool days and a few colder days! The good part of this is no more hot days and but lots of HOT fishing and the fishing has already been great and will even get better with this cool weather!
November is a great mouth to catch Speckled trout and one of my favorite to fish for. They are good to eat and a lot of fun to catch on light tackle. It really does not matter if you like to fish artificial bait or live bait you can catch lots of Specks either way! So far in the last two weeks we have picked up some very nice Speckled trout as well as good numbers of smaller ones.
Here is how I'm catching the Speckled trout lately. On the artificial side of things; MirrOlures are working very well for me this season so far. I've got to say we are catching them on the new ones like the 17MR and 18MR but some of the bigger ones are hitting the good old 52M&MR this season. My clients this last weekend found this out when the biggest trout of the trip hit a 52M; plus six more between two and four pounds. So colors of MirrOlures you ask? 17MR and 18MR's in colors: 11, 26, 808, CFPR, CH, EC and BCH. As far as the 52M & MR in colors: 11, 26, 51, 704, 808, CFPR, CH, HP and one I call 'Hatteras Light' we'll leave it at that…
Soft baits are always a winner for trout fishing and you can catch good numbers of Speckled trout on grubs etc. Berkley Ripple Mullets are a newer bait on the market and have been real good baits for Redfish but I've caught a few very nice trout on them lately. The colors I've had the best luck with are Goby magic/chart tail, Root-beergold/chart tail and glow/chart tail. These baits are a bit big so I rig them with light 1/8oz jig heads and use the Ripple mullets in shallow/light current areas. Berkley Powerbait shrimp will catch the specks. I prefer colors, natural, pearl white and new penny, rigging with red or brown jig heads. Saltwater Assassin makes a very large selection of great trout grubs, give one of these colors in the sea shad pattern a try on your next trout outing; chicken on a chain, copperhead, S&P silver phantom/chart, chart/diamond, sweet pea, 10w40/limetail and greenback shiner.
So you like to catch trout on live bait, well give live shrimp a try. The trick to live shrimp is knowing when to stop feeding the trash fish like; pinfish, lizard fish, and small bluefish. Using live shrimp can get expensive but you can catch some good numbers and size trout with live shrimp. I rig live shrimp a two different ways; in shallow water two to six feet I use a float rig. My float rigs consist of twenty pound Stren or Berkley Vanish fluorocarbon about twelve inches long and a number six treble hook for a live shrimp. When I fish deeper waters (five foot plus) or with stronger currents I use a light carolina rig. These rigs consist of a very small swivel, fourteen to twenty inches of fluorocarbon and a number one L42 Eagle claw hook. The sinker for this rig needs to be light 1/16oz or 1/8oz split shot and 1/8oz or 1/4oz egg sinkers should do the trick.
I'm still seeing the Redfish around and a few Bull reds are still biting from time to time around the inlets. There have been a few schools of Reds in the surf but due to very high winds and seas not much action there lately. On some sunny days I've caught a good number of Reds along the ICW and oyster flats in local creeks north and south of Wrightsville Beach. Live finger mullet and fresh cut bait will catch'em but, give a Berkley Gulp 3" new penny shrimp or a root-beergold/chart tail Ripple mullet a shot and I bet you'll have no problem catching a few redfish.
In other fishing news, the weekend of October 29th and 30th was the Cape Fear Red*Trout Series. This year again Adam Meyer and Liz Pitts of Charter Lakes Insurance Group fished with me. Liz did very well again this year taking home Grand Champion Lady Angler and General Division Champion. Our team came in 3rd over all in points. This is a tournament to raise money for the Cystic Fibrosis; I look forward every year to fishing this tournament of a great cause.
Don't forget it's almost boat show and tackle show time of the year! I'll have the shows listed here on my next fishing report to let you know where I'll be speaking at this winter.
Thanks so much for reading this report! Booking now and booking up fast for trophy Speckled trout trips Mid November to Late December. Don't forget take a kid fishing and good fall fishing to ya!
Fishing gear we use:
Gear used: Speckled trout and Redfish: reels Penn Conquer 2000 and Battle 2000 spinning reels. Rods: All Star ASR 7' Trout (med-light) and/or Redfish (med) series. Line: Spiderwire Ultracast ten and fifth teen pound. Bull Redfish: Penn Battle 6000 or 7000 and Penn Conquer 7000 spinning reels. Rods: Ugly Stik Tiger Jigging 6'6" spinning. Fluorocarbon leader material, Stren Tinted Fluorocarbon in tints Gunsmoke for clearer waters and Tannic for river or stained waters in twenty pound test.
Captain Jot Owens
Ranger Boats Pro Staff
Penn Reels Elite Staff
www.captainjot.com
910-233-4139
