| Jake Jordan's Fishing Adventures |
| 2007 North Carolina Fishing Reports |
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| Albie Blitz at Cape Lookout NC |
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| Shackelford Bank Spanish Mackerel |
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| Bryan Goodwin releasing Middle Marsh Puppu Drum |
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North Carolina Fishing Report
September 30, & October 3, 2007
Greetings from The Crystal Coast of North Carolina:
September 30, 2007:
This morning I headed out of Beaufort inlet in search of the Albies and bait balls. The wind was blowing from the north at 10 to 20 knots however the water was calm in close to Shackelford Banks, and there was lots of bait balls and birds diving on the bait. I Stopped in the inlet to look for fish however the birds there were diving on small bait being chased by small bluefish. About 2 miles down the bank and 1/4 mile off the beach I found a pretty active bait ball with lots of fish busting.
My first cast proved to be a Spanish mackerel about 17 inches long, then after 3 or 4 Spanish I got a strike that seemed like a bigger fish, which turned out to be a juvenile Kingfish about 22 inches long. I fished this bait ball for several hours and caught several more Kings and several more Spanish, then I ran on down the beach toward Cape Lookout looking for Albies. I did find several more bait balls however they mostly had Spanish and small bluefish feeding on them. I did see quite a few Albies smashing small schools of bait however by the time I got to them and tried to cast they went down, only to pop up 200 yards away in a minute or two. I wound up with a few small bluefish, 9 Spanish mackerel, and 3 kingfish by the time I quit at 3 PM to head to the dock. Hopefully the Albies will be more plentiful tomorrow.
October 3, 2007:
Today I fished 4 hours in the middle marsh in my skiff with my friend Captain Bryan Goodwin. We were looking for Redfish or what ever we could catch in the protected waters (Back Country) while trying to stay out of the strong east winds.
Brian took me to some real fishy spots where we saw lots of bait and some waking fish.
While I poled the boat Bryan prospected for school Redfish along the marsh banks in 2 to 3 foot of water. Bryan got several bites and landed one Redfish (Puppy Drum), and a 16 inch Flounder. The area had a lot of boats running around doing research for the up coming Redfish tournament this weekend. Tomorrow the wind will drop down and I will go looking for the Albies. More reports to follow.
I just receive a call from one of my good clients who had to cancel his trip to Guatemala to my Sailfish School. This opens up one spot to join me and 2 other clients to fish out of Casa Vieja Lodge on December 14, 15, 16, 2007. I am sure that this prime spot will sell quickly so if you have an interest in catching lots of sailfish on fly you should contact me right away!
I still have room for two fly anglers to fish with me in Port Stevens Australia for Marlin on fly. The fishing dates will be March 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, of 2008, the package includes ground transportation in Australia, lodging, instruction and tackle, and 6 days of fly fishing for Blue, Black, and Striped Marlin. This is a once in a lifetime trip, don't miss out, contact me for more information.
The Albies will be here for the next 2 months, along with Kings, Redfish, Spanish, and many other species. I have a few dates still available for Albie season! Again contact me for more information.
Regards:
Jake |
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| My first Albie of 2007 |
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North Carolina Fishing Report
Sept 26, 2007
Launched in More Head City at dawn then headed to Beaufort inlet, where I found lots of birds on small Spanish and Bluefish. Cast a 6 weight with floating line and blue/silver #2 Clouser, caught Spanish up to 15 inches and small Bluefish on every cast for several hours.
At 9:30 the croud was there and the fish went down,I headed out along Shack Bank looking for fish or birds. about a mile and a half from the inlet and 1/2 mile off the beach I ran up on a bait ball. Blues and Mackerel until 11 AM then I saw a bunch of birds out towards the entrance to the hook, I ran to the birds and guess what, the busting fish turned out to be Albies.
There were bait balls all over the place, each boat had their own bait ball, I would cast to the Albies, hook one, and the school would go down. After lading the fish I would look around and there was fish in all directions, they would come up just long enough to hook one then go back down. I quit at 3 PM after releasing 9 Albies, 21 small Spanish and 20 small blues. The weather was mostly sunny with light wind and calm seas, the water temp was between 79 and 81 degrees.
I was surprised to find the Albies this early? This was a great day of coastal North Carolina fly fishing, more reports to follow!
Regards:
Jake |
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| Don Butler's 45 inch Drum |
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North Carolina Fishing Report
August 20 to September 5, 2007
Greetings from the Crystal Coast of North Carolina:
September, 5, 2007:
Today Don Butler and I joined Captain Bryan Goodwin, Native Guide Charters, to fish for "Old Drum" (Giant Redfish) in the lower Nuese River. Don and I met up with Captain Bryan at the launch ramp where he had just launched his 22 foot Pathfinder skiff at 3:30 PM, we then headed out for the 1/2 hour boat ride to the "Honey Hole" in the lower Nuese. When we arrived Captain Bryan proceeded to make 2 casts with his cast net which filled the livebait well, then we moved to the hot spot and dropped the anchor.
We put out five baits on Owen Lupton rigs using circle hooks, on stiff 7 foot 15 to 20 pound class spinning rods. We waited about 20 minutes before the first rod bent deep and drag screamed off of the reel. Don picked up the rod and began to fight this first fish of the evening. Ten minutes later a big male Drum was subdued next to the boat, then Captain Bryan took the hook out, I took a picture of Don, Bryan, and this 35 pound Redfish, then Bryan released this wonderful fish.
Fifteen minutes later I hooked my first Red and the battle was on, my battle was quick and I had this 30-35 pounder ready for release in less than ten minutes. During the next 3 hours we caught and released four more Drum, we each caught 2 males and a female. Don's Female measured 45 inches, while my last fish (Female) was 47 1/2 inches with a 27 1/2 inch girth. We estimated these fish to be near 45 pounds. We were back at the dock and on our way home at 8:30 PM. This fishery is awesome, I feel that these plentiful "Old Drum" (Giant Redfish) make this the best, most productive fishery fro Big Reds that I have ever seen.
We had a great time fishing with Bryan, remember we were fishing on the Neuse River within 15 miles of my house, and will be back out with him soon. These big Reds are here for at least another month then we have shots at them along the coast (On Fly) while we are Albie fishing During October and November. Check out Captain Bryan Goodwin's website for contact information: http://www.nativeguide.net or give me a call for more information on this awesome fishery.
September 1, & 2, 2007:
Don Butler and I went out in my skiff both days to fish for tailing Redfish, We fished in the Beaufort area and up towards the Newport River and Core Creek. We found lots of tailing Redfish up in the grass flats during the last 3 hours of the incoming tide and one hour into the fall. Once we figured out the right fly which would not get hung up in the grass, and that the fish would eat, we slammed them. Don caught his first tailing Redfish on fly in NC, and we proceeded to find them every where that we looked. Lots of fish, great two days of fly fishing.
Aug 15 through 31:
I fished with friends for 7 days during this 15 day period and learned a lot about the flats fishery in this area. I landed more than a dozen Flounder on fly, quite a few Spotted Sea Trout, and plenty of puppy drum. My next door neighbor, Adrian, is a hard core angler (Bait) however he showed me lots of good spots for fly fishing. This exploring is lots of fun and I feel that I can find catch fish on fly when I have decent weather and fish the correct time of day. I also fished the inlet several days with mixed results, I am sure that early morning on calm days with falling tide seems to produce well for Spanish, Bluefish, and what ever else is chasing those early morning baits.
I will be at the Fly Fishing Retailer Show in Denver on the 16th and 17th of September then up to Alaska for a week of Trout Fishing and then Back Home for Albie season. Lets go fishing, call me for information.
Regards:
Jake |
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| Big North Carolina Redfish (Drum) with Captain Bryan Goodwin |
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