Archived Reports

And the story ends with 15 big gaffers in the box aswell as 6 big sea bass and, of course, Bill Hartwell and the rest of his crew lived happily ever after.

Getting to the end was a little bit more of a journey. The boys headed south for the 230 rock but when they got close enough to pick the area up on the radar Billy counted quite a few boats there that turned out to be the commercial fleet - and those boys get ther in the dark, baby. So he fished "up the break" which I have found is a Hatteras term for the 40 to 70 fathom line that runs up that way and found themselves on the 280 where Capt Kenneth of Trophy Hunter fame had a nice catch of dolphin already and thats where the boys got in the gaffers - 8 to 15 pound range...nice!

After that Maxwell ran up to the 380 in 30 fathoms where there was a nice temp break but no fish - there were porpoises too but no mark and no bites. So they went east and headed for the 580 and on the corner of the bay Billy got some fuzzy bottom marks - they dropped those butterfly jigs and caught some of those funky jacks again - Buddy Hooper says they are Abaco Jacks (perhaps named after the tuiny islands in the Bahamas where I first ever got bit by a fire ant, perhaps not) anyway - Hooper says they are good eating but the Hartwell crew practiced their catch and release ethic - I notice that they didn't feel the same compassion for the super delicious black sea bass they brought up (and took home for supper).

Phew! Thats it! The weather is going to you-know-where on Saturday and Sunday - too bad. Looks like 4 to 6 feet every 5 seconds and buiolding if you believe NOAA - Its meant to clear up by Tuesday but we might squeek by with Jared Fryer and his crew on Monday unless he's bringing his kids. We'll see - Tight Lines!

I have two reports - neither from the Tuna Fever as we did not fish today.

The great news is that two boats (and I don't know who) fished out of Oregon Inlet today and they got in the gaffers good. With only two boats we don't know how good it could have been but gaffers are gaffers!

The second report comes all the way from Charleston South Carolina and our good friend Michael Runey on the Aggressor (thats the boat we built last winter) - he got in the gaffers today too and had a nice limit of fat ones. And even better than that he says they were heading North! Wooooweee! Tight Lines!

I have another catching report - heres the kicker though...Billy went fun fishing with Uncle Haywood and his friend David Biggs a couple weeks ago and they caught - nice tunas. Billy went fun fishing today with Buddy Hooper on the Hatteras Fever and they caught - tiles, group up to 40 pounds (that one was Junior Baum of Rebait fame), a few dolphin and a white marlin!

Just figures, huh. Anyway, the boys headed out of Hatteras where Buddy runs his boat and took some reps from Elec-tra-mate to try out some new reels they have. It was bottom fishing at it's finest - deep, deep water and the groupers were huge - but the tile where few. Congratulations to Chase Parks (his dad runs the Smoker)  on his white marlin release - Chase was "shadowing" Capt Buddy as a school requirement...seriously, I never went to a school that let me go fishing for credits!!!

We're still open for Sunday May 3 and hopefully some of those Hatteras fish will push up our way! Tight Lines!

Do I have a fishing report today or what?

Seriously, it's not that Bill Cummings and his crew filled the box, because they didn't (or the Billies didn't that is) but the boys experienced the true joy of fishing today and have a fabulous time.

It all started out at the 230 rock where Haywood found those blackfin yesterday. No blackfin today but Maxwell had some bait marks so they pulled out some new rigs that we got over the winter. Some folks down south have had some luck with deep water jigs on tuna so Billy bought some and couple Shimano stand up rigs - that butterfly jigs went down and each jig brought a bite - mostly jacks of all flavors and couple that the Billies didn't recognise but great fun was had by all fishing for them. Then the boys foul hooked what Maxwell thinks was a big dusky shark and the battle ensued for an hour and half - everyone fought the thing and in the end Dickerson broke it off.

After that the Tuna Fever headed up to the 280 and pulled off two yellowfin on the way - ooohhh - one in the box though at 35 poundsish. at the 280 they got some fuzzy marks and dropped the jigs again - coming up with some other kind of jack. Stripedy ones. on the way to the 330 they didn't see much of anything so they ran to the 400 and found a small weed line with a nice color change.11.5 knots of current going down the thing and one fat gaffer in the box when it was all said and done.

All in all it was a hell of a day and a load of fun, Generally speaking. Many thanks to Bill and the boys for playing today!

We are starting to do some regular days now - Billy is booked from Thursday on through next weekend but we are open on Sunday from a cancellation. If you need a weekend you had better grab that one as thats the last available weekend day until July. Call us at home 252-473-1097 and Tight Lines!

They came. They fished and I have a new update page where I can apparently do all kinds of cool things. Let see...

Anyway, Jimmy Anderson and his crew came down from Roanoke today to head out and see what they could see. The Tuna Fever started off on the 400 line and didn't see much of anything - well, you know Jimmy says that tiles are better than dolphin and as the current was slack they headed off to the tile hole to try out the new gear that Billy got and the old gear that he fixed up this winter.

Bottom fishing was good and the boys had a limit of tiles in the 8 pound class (several over 13 pounds!) and 4 fat snowy grouper (MMMMM) from 12 to 18 pounds each.

After that the crew trolled back up to the Point were conditions looked okay but the tuna didn't make a show - 2 nice gaffers in the box was what we got.

Word on the dock had Uncle Haywood on the Rigged Up in the red meat with 25 little blackfin that he caught on the 230 rock. The Seaducer was hell and gone to the north and came up with 25 gaffers (very nice) on the other side of the change.

Bill Cummings and his gang are next up tomorrow and we'll see what kind of luck they bring with them. Tight Lines!

All that make something happen stuff - well it didn't happen this weekend.

The crew from Thayer Masonry got out on Saturday and got back in too - the Tuna Fever performed perfectly but when the water shoved into the Point the bite didn't come with it. High Return was the highliner today - she got whammed with five yellowfin fishing right beside Billy! We ended up with a few albecore - one that got eaten by a shark - and a gaffer.

Theres a nice shot of our first sunrise of the season on the gallery page. Tight Lines!

I have been waiting and waiting and waiting for someone to catch something so that I would have something (perhaps even witty) to say on this report. And the gods be praised - somebody caught something and here's the news.

Several boats were booked out of the Fishing Center over the weekend and the weather finally (FINALLY!) cooperated long enough for the boys to head south on a bite reported out of Hatteras on Friday.

Saturday's fishing was real good for some - fair to middlin' for others. Billy Dickerson was down around the Tuna Fever right when the Dream Girl got back to the dock early and unloaded a limit of yellowfin which he swears were in the 25 pound range a couple near misses on 30 pounds!

On Sunday the bite was a little slower but Capt. Tony Tillett of Carolinian fame told me (while we walked on matching treadmills at the gym on Monday) that there were several good sized bluefin boated - one even by my good buddy and frequent butt of terrible jokes Capt Sam Stokes of Fight N Lady fame. Its a good thing they were good sized as you can only keep one!

And while I speak of Dickerson I have to tell you he has been taking care of that new baby all winter and gave himself a double hernia! He is set to get it all fixed before we start fishing fast and furious and Billy is ready to do some commercial recon between trips starting next Saturday.

Phew! Thats it! More to come! Tight Lines!