GREAT BOTTOM FISHING

Fall is finally upon us and I couldn't be more excited because that means great fishing, but it also means lots of cold fronts which typically means lots of wind and rain. We have some of that going on right now, for the next week the weather looks brutal. However, we were lucky enough to get in one more trip before the blow and it did not disappoint. We had some of the best grouper fishing action that I have seen all year. It was mostly gag grouper which is closed right now but it was non-stop action. The morning started with us catching bait right in the surf off Holden Beach, we loaded the well with beautiful menhaden. The weather was a little rougher than I was expecting so I decided to start close and work our way deeper in hopes of the weather improving. We started out in 85 feet of water dropping live baits to the bottom. The guys were catching them as hard as we could go, if I had to guess they probably caught 20 gag grouper and 15 red snapper on the first stop alone! While they were having lots of fun tugging on big fish, they were also hoping to catch some fish for dinner so we pushed deeper. Now in about 95 feet we picked away at some nice sea bass and some triggerfish on the chicken rigs while big gags and red snapper were still coming over the side on the live baits. After that kinda fizzled out for us, one of the guys asked about amberjacks. They all brought their personal slow pitch jigging equipment and wanted to test it out, so we eased our way over to a wreck that was nearby. They made quick action of half a dozen jacks or so and they decided that was enough. We bounced our way from spot to spot and picked some more triggerfish and sea bass. We also managed to find some nice banded rudderfish and a few vermillion snapper. The keeper scamps eluded us but it is getting pretty late in the season for them. The guys caught a couple short scamps but not any that were big enough to make the ride home. None the less, they had a great time and were all worn out by the end of the day. I was super happy with our results from the day and pointed the boat towwards the house. I expect the bottom fishing to stay good for the foreseeable future and the gulfstream trolling is on fire right now too. The king mackerel fishing in the 15-20 mile range has been great as well. Now we just need some good weather! Give us a call to get out on the water and get in on some action! - Capt. Austin