Twister Charters - Fishing Reports

On Saturday I took a fun trip with Susanna Ward, Harriet Ward, and Capt. Allen Williams.  The weather was so beautiful it was hard to spend my Saturday on shore, so we went after some grouper.  Bait was fairly easy to catch, as it only took one throw of the 10′ cast net to load with boat with more than enough Pogies for a full day of bottom fishing.  Once we had cleaned up from sliming the boat, I headed the Twister 40 Miles to the south toward some good bottom that I felt should be holding good fish this time of year.  The bite was never really on fire, but we did manage to catch several fish at each spot.  We kept moving all day and ended up with a nice variety of Bottom fish and Mahi Mahi.  This was Susanna and Harriet’s first time fishing on the Twister, but they learned quick and added some nice fish to the cooler.  A full day trip would be sufficient to get out to the areas that are holding fish like this, if you would to join in on the fun give me a shout. Tight Lines!!

Capt. Patrick Bryant

I had several half day charters this week.  On most of the trips I have been targeting  Spanish Mackeral and Big Sharks.  Earlier in the week the Spanish bite was slow, but over the past few days the water has cleared and the Spanish are on fire.  Most of the fish have been good size, averaging around 2-3 pounds.  Once we have caught enough fish for a good meal, we’ve been targeting big Black Tip Sharks off of Bald Head Island.  These fish have been ranging from 40-200 pounds, with more fish being over 150 pounds.  If you would like to come down and go on a 1/2 day summer special feel free to give me a call or send me and email.  Tight Lines!!

Capt. Patrick Bryant

Wednesday was not much better weather wise than Tuesday.  A cold front had pushed over the area causing a strong NorthEast wind which really chopped the water up.  Bait was really hard to find and I had to throw the cast net 15 or 20 times to catch enough bait to run offshore.  Once we loaded up on Pogy’s I pointed the Twister to the South East 25 miles to a local wreck.  Once there it didn’t take long to pick up a nice AJ and Cuda.  We gradually worked our way offshore hitting spots picking up a few fish at each spot.  These guys were interested in catching some grouper so I went to a good rock about 38 miles offshore of Holden Beach.  Once there it didn’t take long to get the grouper fired up.  We would catch one or two then move about 100 feet and repeat the process.  On anchor I left out a light line and managed to pick up a nice Mahi when a line of sargasm grass washed by our boat with the current.  Within two hours we had our limit of Gag Grouper and Jacks and it was time to prepare for the rough ride home.  At the dock we counted 6 nice grouper ranging from 10-15 pounds, three Jacks ranging from 20-40 pounds, one Mahi, one Barracuda, and several nice Sea Bass.  Overall this was a great day with a great crew.  I wish Al lived alittle closer to H.B. because he could definately become a regular on the Twister.  If you would like to get into some of this great action feel free to give me a call. 

I fished a 1/2 day Monday morning out at the Shark Hole.  The seas were perfect and the weather was beautiful.  Over the course of the morning we caught 6 King Mackeral, averging around 15 pounds and one giant Spanish mackeral.  I thought the fish would be enough for a citiation with the state of North Carolina, which is 6 pounds, but it fell only ounces short.  This was the biggest Spanish that has been caught on the Twister this year. 

On Tuesday I had a full day trip and we ended up fishing around 30 miles straight off of Holden Beach.  Today was a little different, we were greated with a strong northeast winds from the start.  This allowed for a easy ride out, but I knew the return trip was not going to be any fun.  Even though the winds were out of the North East, which typically shuts down the fish, they decided to bite anyway.  We ended the day with 4 nice AJ’s, and one huge Barracuda.  The Barracuda fell for a 5 pound King Mackeral that we caught and put back out into the spread.  You know its a good fish when something eats a 5 pound bait.  We lost several big mysterious fish that were never seen.  I’m not sure what these fish were possibly grouper, big AJ’s, or Cobia. Overall the day was pretty successful and the guys had a great time. 

I had a full day charter on Friday.  We started around the Shark Hole and it lived up to its name.  In thirty minutes we had our limit of sharks and one nice King Mackeral.  From there we moved out to the 24 mile area where a couple of boats were already working.  Our first line out got smoked and one of the guys fought this fish for 30 minutes, eventually breaking it off under the boat.  A few minutes after we lost the first fish, we were hooked up again this fish ended up being a nice AJ.  Several other boats in the area hooked and caught sailfish around the 57 inch range.  After catching several AJs and one huge Barracuda the bite slowed and we moved off another 6 miles. 

Our first pass over the numbers showed a bottom full of fish on the Furuno Depth Sounder.  We had almost drifted over the rock when one of the Penn 6/0 bent over double.  From the start we new this was a good fish and 15 minutes later a nice 40+ pound AJ was in the boat.  I ended up anchoring on the spot and caught a nice 25+ pound King, 25 pound Cobia, and several more AJ ranging from 25-35 pounds.  By this time the seas were building and it was time to head home.  Overall we had a great day with a mixed bag of all nice fish.  If you would like to get  into some of this action give me a call or shoot me an email.  Tight Lines!!

This morning I awoke to the wind blowing around 25 knots.  I decided to fish the morning charter in the Cape Fear River Channel to hide from the wind.  We ended the morning catching around 30 small sharks, 1 big shark around 30 pounds, two bluefish, and 3 huge whiting. 

The wind started to die down around lunch time and my afternoon party wanted to test the waters around the 15 mile rock area.  We took a pounding getting there, but once we arrived the fishing was not too bad.  We ended the day with two kings and one nice mahi.  Not bad for rough seas.  Stay tuned for more reports.

We have been blessed over the first week of July with some great weather.  Along with the great weather the fish were chewing the bottom of the boat out.  I fished almost everyday and averaged around six King Mackeral each morning along with a few scattered Mahi Mahi.  Our parties fished the 15 mile rock area along with numerous other boats.  Several boats were lucky enough to hook and boat a handful of sailfish. 

On the inshore side the Spanish Mackeral are still biting.  We are averaging around 20 fish for the morning.  The large numbers that we were catching in previous weeks has dropped, but the fish that are biting now are a quite bit larger, most around 2 pounds.  I have a few openings for the week of the 6-12 so if you would like to go fishing post me an email or give a call.  Tight Lines

I had a great half day trip on Wednesday.  We fished the Shark Hole and ended the day with 6 King Mackeral and 1 Mahi Mahi.  I forgot my camera, but my party got some great pics.  I’m trying to get those pics emailed to me.  As soon as I receive them I’ll post them up. 

Later that day I had afternoon 3 hour trip.  We Spanished fished right on Oak Island in about 20 foot of water.  The fish were slow to bite at first, but once we found them, we were able to quickly catch a few nice fish. 

On Thursday I didn’t have a charter so I decided to go try to catch a few AJ’s to sale at the market.  My good friend Donnie came down from Asheville, N.C., so I wanted to allow him and Zack to be able to catch their fair share of the hard fighting jacks. We ended the day with 400 pounds of AJ’s and a few nice Cobia to throw into the bag. The weather was alittle bumpy in the morning, and steadly got worse as the day progressed.  By mid afternoon the seas were around 4-6 foot, with a few rogue waves around 8 foot.  We had a couple of interesting moments, but the seaworty ”Twister” brought us home safe.   

I still have a few days open for the week of the fourth of July, so if you would like to come down and experience some great fishing give me a call.  Tight Lines

Sorry I haven’t written a post this week, but i’ve been fishing everyday.  We started the week out with several 1/2 day Spanish charters.  The spanish have been alittle slow, but we still manage to catch around 25-30 each trip.  Luckly the kings have turned on within 15 miles of shore.  Double digit catches are not uncommon, with many fish being 20+ pounds and a few in the 30’s. 

Today I had a 3/4 day and nailed the AJ’s.  These fish fight so hard that after each of my party caught their fish, it was time to move on to something alittle easier.  We ended the day with six big jacks ranging from 30-45 pounds.  I’m going to be fishing everyday this week, so stay tuned.