Fishing Reports

July 27

We are coming into the dog days of summer and the fishing has been just as hot as the weather. The redfish have been fired up the past several weeks. Reds are feeding on shrimp and mullet hard. They are striking just about anything that you through in front of them. Top water baits have been producing some insane action with big reds. We have had fish up 37'' blowing up on Top Dogs! This weekend was the second tournament of the Cape Lookout Redfish Challenge. My dad and I managed a 5th place finish with 12.99 pounds. There were some really nice fish caught in the event. Lee Willis has done a awesome job putting this tournament on. If you would like any info on the tournament go to the web site at redfishaction.com. Speckled Trout, Bluefish, and Sheephead have been producing some great action. The bluefish in the 2 to 4 pound range have been schooled up in the mornings and providing us with great action. Speckled trout have slowed down but we are still catching a few nice fish. I have days opens so get in on some of this great summer time fishing.

My beautiful wife with her biggest redfish ever

July 2

June was a great month of fishing. We have spent a lot of time on the water this month, between the trips and tournaments as you can tell by the lack of reports. Sight fishing for redfish has been totally awesome for the past month. The reds are feeding like crazy on shrimp back in the bays and creeks. We have been fishing reds in water that is so swallow that the fish can hardly swim in it. Fly fishermen would love to get in on some of this action. Top water baits have been producing reds in the 30'' range. Speckled trout fishing has continued to be good this summer. We have had trout up to four pounds on top water baits early in the morning and late evenings. Sheephead fishing has been very good this month. Some big fish are starting show around the bridges and they can provide some great action. I just heard a report of some tarpon being spotted on the lower Neuse River and the big drum are starting to move in also. The summer time action is really heating up and we do have plenty of days open, so don't miss out!

IFA Redfish Tournament Surf City 11th place

Redfish in 4'' of water

May 27

Redfish action was hot this past weekend! The top water bite has really heated up and we had some awesome action using Top Dogs in the marsh. Sunday we found a big school of mid to upper slot reds feeding on a big flat. The fish were exploding on the top water baits as we had multiple double hook ups with reds up to 29''. Bluefish up to four pounds were mixed in with the reds and added to the great action. Monday was more of the great fishing. We found redfish feeding on shrimp in the back of a creek in 6 to 10 inches of water. It is awesome to see redfish feeding in water this swallow. The redfish were in water that was so swallow that their backs were out, talk about some awesome sight fishing. We used Bass Assassin on light jigs and top water baits as we caught reds up to 30 and a nice trout. The Spanish Mackerel have shown up in good numbers and a few Cobia are being caught just off the beach. Fishing is really heating up so don't miss out on the great action!

May 17

Redfish and speckled trout action has been steady so far this month. We have been catching some really nice trout, fish up to six pounds. The redfish are really starting to turn on to top water baits. We caught redfish in the upper slot this weekend using Top Dogs and jigs over top of grass flats. The cold fronts and wind have made the fishing tough at times. Hopefully as we get farther into May the weather should start to stabilize and give us a break from the windy conditions.

May 1

The past month has to have been the windiest April that I can remember in a long time. Weather conditions made for some very tough fishing conditions. However when we did get out on the water the fishing has been good. Speckled trout action has be great this winter and spring in the Neuse River. We have caught a lot of nice fish in the creeks using jerk baits, jigs, and top waters. The redfish have been a little harder to stay on. They have been on the move, here today and gone the next. I think the cold fronts that keep coming through have caused the fish to move around more. Hopefully once we get into May and the weather starts to stabilize the reds will be easier to pattern. We have caught some nice reds using spinner baits and jigs, can't wait for the top water bite to really turn on. The bluefish have started to show up in big numbers all around the artificial reefs and inlets. Spanish and King mackerel should be hear anytime now, just looking for that 68 degree mark. May looks good for fishing and we have dates open so don't miss out.

March 18

The windy weather the past few weeks has made it hard on fishing. However when we have gotten out the fishing has been very good. We have been fishing the creeks off the Neuse River and have been catching fish few very good. The speckled trout have been stack in the head of the creeks and on the warmer days they are feeding well. Suspending jerk baits and jigs have been producing a mixed bag of fish. We have been catching redfish, trout, flounder, stripers, and even bass in the creeks talk about a slam. I love fishing the creeks off the Neuse because you never know what you may catch in them. A few weeks ago we where in the head of a creek and we encounter something that I have never seen in the wild before. I would not have believed it if I had not saw it myself. A small seal was feeding on speckled trout in the creek. I have heard of them being seen out on the beach this time of year, but we were along ways from the ocean. We watched the little guy and got a few pictures just for proof. This is the great thing about being out on the water you never know what you might see. 

Seal in the back of a creek off the Neuse River

March   1 thru 2

I had Tony from Maine and his two sons from Pro Flo Sport Fishing onboard this weekend to test out some new proto type lures. We were faced with some tough weather conditions with a passing front and strong winds to deal with. However we did manage to find some fish and had two fairly good days of fishing. The redfish and speckled are still schooled up in the creeks and striking jigs very well. The guys have some very good products and their lures will diffidently catch North Carolina redfish and speckled trout. These baits performed exceptionally well, even catching has many fish as some of the scented baits on the market. Check them out at www.proflosportfishing.com

Feb. 18

We had some more great fishing this past weekend. The creeks off the Neuse River having been producing some great action. Speckled trout, stripers, redfish, and flounder have been hitting very well with the mild winter days. Sunday we had several slams of trout, stripers, and flounder. The stripers were schooling on the surface around the boat at one time, awesome action! February has been a awesome month and the great action should continue with the warm weather forecast in the future. We still have plenty of days open so don't miss out on this great winter time fishing. Check out the pictures of these prehistoric trout or otherwise known as bowfin, these fish are awesome fighters.

Feb. 12

The 2008 has started off very good. We have been catching very good numbers of fish the past month. The weather plays a major rule in the fishing day, but on the days when we are able to get out we have been killing them. Redfish are schooled up in big numbers right now due to the cold water temps. The water is gin clear from the lack of rain and sight fishing has been awesome. On the cold days the reds will find deeper water to hold up in. This is when we have been catching the big numbers. Speckled trout action has been good as well. We have been catching nice fish in the 2 to 5 pound range. 2008 has just got started and we are having some great trips.

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Contact me to book a trip:

Captain Rick Patterson

(252)342-1513

e-mail:  inshorefishing1@yahoo.com