OIFC fishing report 2-20

[Fishing Report]

"Bluefin Trip pics" | OIFC World Cat / Carolina Cat | 02/19/11

Here are a few pics from our Bluefin adventure the other day.
-Capt. Brant McMullan




""Friday Highlights"" | Tiberias - 22' | 02/19/11

My neighbor Tim Garret has been after me for a while to show him the ropes on the inshore grounds. It seems like I have always been too busy when he has been around. However, this time worked out, still lots to do...but sometimes things just have to wait when it comes to fishing. Fresh bottom paint and a boat full of gulp we headed for the fishing grounds. I was a bit reluctant with Tim sporting the hi-vis line on his outfits. No worries...as on the first few cast Tim was hooked up! The slight rise in water temperature has put a little step back in their fight. After a minute or two Tim landed his first redfish. A nice 25" redfish. A few cast later and he had another one. We managed to get one more small fish to the boat and had one other bite. We started fast and ended slowly, but enough to keep us coming back. See ya on the water!

-Capt. Jacob Frick



"Gettn' Ready" | Get Busy | 02/19/11

The weather is here, wish you were beautiful! Somehow that didn't come out right. Anyway, you get the drift. Mother Nature is teasing us with with this spring like weather. But it is a good time to get out, check your boat and gear and be ready.

If you don't feel like that, drop by the OIFC and let Steele and Jacob make you jealous as they tell you about their trip to Hatteras with Brant and Barrett. I've been off (from work) most of the winter, so I helped hold down the fort while they took a much deserved break, and I helped cover while Anita and Amy put out new stock.

The store is a wreck, please overlook that and come see us. We can talk about what we intend to do this spring or complain about fish closures and negative effect of gill nets. Maybe even formulate a plan of action. Perhaps one of ya'll would like to take the lead?

Don't forget the spring kick off and the Year Around Fishing Rodeo. I think the trophies turned out great this year and the money wasn't bad either. Finally, a get well soon to Clay Morphis. Hurry up start fishing your new bay boat and take some more Rodeo Money!

-Capt. Rickey Beck



"Bluefin Tuna???" | OIFC World Cat / Carolina Cat | 02/18/11

Yes its true. Yesterday, Team OIFC headed out on the road on a recon mission to check on rumors of a hot Bluefin bite taking place offshore of Cape Hatteras. Capt. Brant, Capt. Barrett, Capt. Jacob and myself loaded up the Yellowfin at 3am and hit the road in search of what we have coined "The Unicorn". We arrived in Morehead City around 6am and were off on a quick 80 mile trip north to the waters off of Diamond Shoals. Along the way, we stopped at a wreck to pick up a little ammo which Brant said was going to be our "secret weapon". At that point, I should have realized that Brant and Barrett, being the infamous masters of live bait fishing were up to something. We made short work of filling the livewell with huge bluefish, and then we were off to find the fish. When we got close to our destination, the VHF was alive with the Hatteras fleet hooked up and following a huge mass of Tuna's. It took us a little while to get set up so we put a traditional spread of ballyhoo out while we got our bearings. The bite seemed to slow down as we really got going and we all had the "day late, dollar short" feeling. That was not to be the case, as it turned out, they were just having a morning siesta... Around noon, we started marking huge pods of fish and started seeing Tuna's busting on the surface, at times by the dozens. We quickly learned that all you had to do was ride till you saw them on top or marked them on the bottom sounder and pitch out live bait. While the Tuna's made quick work of the live bait, we were on the bow casting Poppers for some topwater action. Capt. Jacob was the first to draw blood with a very respectable 100+ lb fish, caught on live bait. The action continued at a fevered pitch with several fish swirling and biting at the poppers while Brant and Barrett continued hooking fish after fish on live Bluefish. Finally late in the day, we managed to hook up on topwater with an explosive strike and two other fish on live bait for a triple header to cap off what ended up being one of the most explosive, consistant Bluefin Tuna bites we have experienced in a very long time. We headed back to Morehead with "mission accomplished" stirring in all of our minds. We ended the day with 4 fish boated and another 10-12 hookups. After having a good night of rest to decompress, I have to say, the most exciting part of the day was watching two brothers, who have mastered the skill of live bait fishing for King Mackerel, adapt that same technique and apply it to tuna to turn what could have been an average day into one of the coolest fishing trips I have been on.

-Capt. Steele Parks

Ocean Isle Fishing Center- Ocean Isle Beach, NC – for more reports and upcoming fishing news visit www.OIFC.com ---
910-575-FISH