The albie fishing has been from good to slow and the winds have plaied a very pig part i the see saw fishing.  With these hard Northeast winds and a huge timperature drop, This  should get larger pods of bait closer to the beach and hopefully the cores will start chewing.  WE have had some very good fishing in the last few weeks and we are hoping that a little consistancy is getting ready to start.

Yesterday I didn't get the chance to fish but I talked to a few other guides that fished yesterday and they said that the albacore were very thick and they were mixed in size from 5 lbs to 10 lbs.  They were still feeding on very small bait.  I would use flies under 1 1/2 inces and sparsely tied.  All whtie and pink and chartreuse seem to be working very good for the albies.  Large Spanish mackerel are still up arond the Cape Lookout shoals.  These Spanish can be as large ad 6 lbs. The are a hoot on a 6 weight and you also have something good for the dinner table.

Yesterday ther were large numbers of big Spanish mackerel and 2-3 lb bluefish around the Cape Lookout shoals. If you want to catch large Spanish mackerel on fly this is the time of year to do it. The false albacore have disapeared the last few days but should be returning when the winds go to the northeast later this week.

Yesterday , My charter started out with very windy west winds and very dirty water.  The fishing was non existant until around 10 am.  the winds shifted more out of the Northwest and died down some and the seas laid out, and the albies showed up in 40 ft of water ini huge numbers.  The albies were larger than they have been in the last few weeks. and the good thing was that they were not picky and ate just about every fly you cast to them.  The were averaging 6-7 lbs with a few 8 or 9 lbers mixed in.  Thgings are really shaping up to be a very good fall fly fishing season.  The Spanish mackerel and bluefish are still around the and the redfish are doing fairly well back in the marsh.  We just need for the water to clear up some back in the marsh and things will really get fired up.

The albies have already shown up here along the Crystal coast.  Good numbers of smaller albies in the 3 to 6 lb range are schooling up around the Beaufort Inlet and up around the Cape Lookout shoals. We have been using very small flies tied on #6 hooks to get the bite.  chartreuse and white, olive and white as well as all white have beemn my go too flies.  Along with the albies there are very good numbers of larger Spanish mackerel along with bluefish in and around the Beaufort Inlet.  clouser and decievers have worked well on the Spanish.  some of these Spanish are in the 3 lb range and a 6 or 7 weight works great on them.  Everything should only be getting better in the coming weeks.  I am looking for a great fall albie season if we don't get hammered by another hurricane.

Now that Hurricane Irene has passed and we were fortunate enough to not have any damage, it is time to get back to fishing.  Since Irene passed the bait is everywhere in the ocean and the false albacore have showed up at the Cape Lookout area.  They are feeding on very small bait even though mthere is plenty of larger bait around.  The albies are in the 5 to 8 lb range but are a blast on a 7 weight fly rod.  When the water cleans up some we will be looking for the redfish back in the marsh once again.

The Spansih mackerel fly fishing continues to be just about as good as it gets.  This morning just outside of the Beaufort Inlet the Spanish were working over the bait and small flies tied on #6 size hooks were working great.  I had 2 different fishermen come in and restock on small #6 epoxy minnows and #6 Clouser minows.  hcartreuse and white seemed to be one of the best colors for the Spanish.

Sorry that it has been so long since I have updated this blog, I will try to keep up a little better.  The fly fishing has been pretty good lately.  the Spanish mackerel bite has been pretty good both at the Beaufort Inlet and the Cape Lookout area.  Back inside the hook of the Cape the Spanish have been pretty active.  Chartreuse and pink and Chartreuse and white Clousers have been working pretty good at getting a bite out of the Spanish.  The red rum fly fishing as been pretty good this summer as well.  My old favorite black with gold flahs clouser is still my go too fly for the reds.

The fly fishing opportunities around Cape Lookout is wide open right now.  Light tackle fly fishing for speckled trout and red drum is just about as hot as it gets.  Thousands of specks and red drum are just waiting for a fly to be cast at them.  The Tutti-Fruitti fly has been working the best for the trout and drum.  As I write this report the false albacore are blitzing as hard as ever up between the Cape rock jetty and the Cape point.  They are feeding on 3 inch silversides and are taking large flies right now.  Things are shaping up to be a great December for our area.  If anyone would like to give either the drum and trout or the albies a shot , give us a call and we can set you up with a charter for any of these fish. 

Capt. Joe shute

The false albacore fishing has been very good this whole week. At the first of the week we were catching the albies on the eastside of the Cape Lookout shoals. the winds were strong and out of the northwest and it was pretty rough but the fishing was good.Thursday the winds started coming to the north and Northeast which makes going across the shoals almost impossible, so we went to the western beaches and found good numbers of albies and fishing was good.  This is until today.  they seem to have moved and pretty much dissapeared.  Hopefull they will show back up tommorrow.

Yesterdays albie fishing on the eastside of the Cape Lookout shoals was some of the best early season albie fishing that I have seen in years.  Large numbers of baitballs with surface feeding albies were everywhere.  It really didn't matter much what fly you cast to the albies.  Surface poppers were really working very well. Fishing should only get better with larger albies showing up in the next month.

This has been one of the best seasons for an early albie bite that I can remember is recent years.  There have been plenty of albies both on the western beaches as well as up along the eastside of the Cape Lookout shoals.  Plenty of bait to keep the fish going just about everywhere you look.  Small bait fish and Clouser patterns in all white and tan and white have been working well.  Plenty of bluefish and still a few Spanish mackerel mixed in.  There have already been some old drum caught as well on the eastside under the light house.  Farther offshore there are plenty of amberjacks to catch on fly and the king mackerel are availabe as well.  Back in the marshes we are doing very well on tailing redfish as well as schooling redfish along the marsh edges.  Small crab patterns are working for the tailing fish and all black Clousers with gold flash are doing the number on the schooling reds along the marshes,

Today the fly fishing was very good both inside the marsh for redfish and along the beaches for Albies, Spanish and bluefish.  The sight fishing for the redfish was very good today we saw 12 to 15 tailing reds back in the grass and we also found large numbers of shcooling redfish in the main marsh.  Most of these reds were from 20 to 24 inches in length.  Dark clousers werre working well for the redfish.  Outside in the ocean the albies have showed back up in large numbers as well.  The water has started to clear up after all the rain and the bait has returned as well.  The bluefish were doing well up near the Cape Lookout shoals.  Blues up to 4 lbs were caught using a number of different fly patterns.  Spanish mackerel werre also mixed in with the Bluefish.  Things are really heating up and it really looks like the fall fly fishing season is going to be very good.

The fly fishing has really been doing good out of Beaufot Inlet and around the Cape Lookout shoals.  Good numbers of false albacore have been showing up and actually eating flies.  Smaller flies have been working well for the albacore.  1" sparsely tied white and tan flies have been catching well.  Some of the albies are eating larger flies up to 3 inches as well.  It depends on the size bait that they happen to be feeding on.  The larger Spanish mackerel are along the beaches as well.  These Spanish will take larger flies and the chartreuse and white and olive and white seem to be working for them.  Back in the marshes we are still catching redfish on all black clousers with gold flash.  WE are having to work for the reds bacause the water is pretty dirty right now, but the black Clouser will still get the bite in the dirty water.  As soon as the water clears up the bite should pick back up fo the redfish.

Capt. Joe Shute

This past week we have seen good numbers of 5 to 8 lb albacore showing up from Beaufort Inlet to the Cape Lookout shoals.  The good thing is that they are not "sippers" they are actually eating the flies that you throw at them. Small Clousers in white or chartreuse and white and olive and white are working along with small bait fish patterns of the same colors. There are plenty of Spanish mackerel to help keep you busy between the albie bites.  Our offshore fly fishing for the amberjacks is still doing well and the backwater fishing for redfish continues to be very good as well.

Capt. Joe Shute

The fishing around the Cape Lookout and the Beaufort Inlet area is still excellent right now.  If you are wanting to give your 6 or 7 weight outfits a good workout, the Spanish Mackerel fishing is off the hook.  Large numbers of Spanish both around Beaufort Inlet and up around the Cape Lookout shoals are being hammered on fly.  Small Clouser Minnows and epoxy minnows are working well for the Spanish.  Olive and white as well as chartrues and white and all crystal pearl flash flies are working well. Farther off the beach the amberjack bite is still doing very well.  Jacks in the 20 to 40 lb range are hovering arouond all the nearshore wrecks and natural reefs.  Large half and halfs in olive and white with little flash are getting plenty of bites.   Bring your big guns, 11 to 14 weight rods are preferred.  A 12 qweight is just right. If you try a 9 or 10 weight you might be picking up the pieces before the battle is over.  A 400 gr or 450 gr. full sinking line works the best. After you get them interesed and near the surface a large popper can also get a bite on a floating line.  Back in the sound the redfish bite is still good back in the marshes.  My favorite black with gold flash is still working very well for the reds.  Gray and white with gold flash is also working well.  There are a good number of tailing reds on the extreme high tides, but I still prefer to ambush the reds after the tide starts to fall.  You don't have to be as accurate a caster and you don't get tangled up in the grass as bad.  7 to 8 weght rods will work well on these 20 to 30 inch reds, but carry a 9 weight if the wind is blowing .

Capt. Joe Shtue

Blog here.If you like to fly fish, the spanish mackerel fishing is wide open just outside of the Beaufort Inlet.  Spanish Mackerel are out in large numbers from the Beaufort Inlet allt he way to the Cape Lookout shoals.  Small baitfish patterns and Clouser minnows are working very well for the Spanish. Chartreuse and white as well as olive and white colors and the all pearl flash flies like the crystal copperhead are good colors to cast.

The fly fishing for redfish back in the marshes continues to do well.  My old stand by fly, the black Clouser with gold flash continues to produce fish for me.  Falling tides have been the prefered time to fish for me.  The high tailing tides are going on right now. Early n the morning and late in the evening extreme high tides has been very priductive for tailing redfish.  Crab patterns and Clouser are working well for the tailing reds.  There are plenty of Spanish mackerel and bluefish around the Beaufort Inlet and the Cape Lookout shoals.  Clousers, crystal copperheads and baitfish patterns are working for the Spanish.

The strong South West winds have really been blowing for the last while and it make getting out to fly fish a little bit tough.  When the wind does settle down some the redfish bite is still doing well. I have been have good sucess with my old standby fly the black Clouser Minnow with gold flash as well as the grey and white Clouser with gold flash. Hot temperatures both in the air and hot water temperatures make fishing the high falling tides early in the morning and late in the evening a must.  The reds don't seem to really want to go after the fly in the middle of the day.  Spanish Mackerel and bluefish are still doing well around the Beaufort Inlet and the Cape Lookout shoals.  Around the nearshore and offshore reefs and wrecks the amberjack bite is still doing well.  A good stout 12 weight with a full sinking line will dredge you up some jacks.  I always carry another 12 weight rigged up with a floating line and a popper.  I am bad to chum up jacks with live menhaden and when they get fired up on the surface bite we can sometimes get them to eat a big topwater popper.  That make for a pretty awesome bite.

Capt. Joe Shute

Sorry it has been a while since I have updated this report.  The inshroe fly fishing for redfish has been very good.  I thought that with the higher water temperatures that the reds would have slowed up some, but it seems to be just the opposite!  Yesterdays trip with Garnett Whitehurst and his some David was a very productive trip for the reds.  We ran acrosss three different schools of redfish.  The first had around 20 ro 30 fish in the school.  They were feeding in less that 12 inches of water.  David was able to catch a nice 24 inch red before the school spooked out.  About 30 minutes later we ran across a large school of reds of around 200 fish.  Most of these fish were in the 24 to 30 inch range and they were very docile and milled around the boat for aout an hour.  They were also became very picky after we caught a few fish out of the school.  Garnett caught a red aound 28 inches and David caught another fish around 25 inches.  WE were using both black Clousers and gray and white Clousers with gold flash.  These fish finally moved on and we started looking once again.  The wind had picked up some by now and the tide was falling fast.  We changed locations and found one more school of reds and Garnett hooked a nice red around 30 inhces out of very shallow water less than 8 inches deep.  Unfortunately he headed straight towanrd a pieer pinling and made short work of my floating fly line on the barnacles.

Fly fishing along the beaches is doing very well now for Spanish mackerel.  There are plenty of Spanish to be caught both at Beaufort Inlet as well as up at Cape Lookout.

The fly fishing is still alive and well here at the Cape Lookout area.  Whether you like to chase Spanish Mackerel and bluefish out in the ocean or redfish back in the marsh, or attempt to catch larger species such as cobia, amberjacks or coastal sharks you can find them all right here.  We are experiencing the best cobia season that we have ever seen.  Large pods of menhaden are still moving back and forth long the beaches and are full of cobia,  coastal sharks and large bluefish.  There is no telling what you might catch when fishing around these pods of menhaden.  Come armed with fly rods from 7 wt to 12 weight, depending upon what you would like to cast for.  Amberjacks and cobia are around the near shore artificial reefs and wrecks and will require heavy 12 weight outfits.  Redfish back inside the marshes and grass have been picking up as well. 7 and 8 weights will do jusst fine for the reds.

Capt. Joe Shute

The cobia fishing is still going strong.  Large schools of menhaden are all over the beaches and crusing cobia can be seen in most of the schools.  Large baitfish patterns either all white or olive and white works well for tha cobia.  Make sure to bring a 12 weight since many of thses fish are over 50 lbs.  The Spanish mackerel and bluefish are here is large numbers as well.  Fishing up around the Cape Lookout shoals has been very good for the Spansih and blues, not to mention a few redfsih still holding around the shoals.  Redfish back in the marshes has slowed up a little due to the winds that have muddied up the waters some. Dark Clousers are still the best bet for the reds.

Capt. Joe Shute

We are starting to see more bait back in the marshes and along the beaches.  The water temperatures are also on the rise.  There are Atlantic Bonito and bluefish around the Beaufort Inlet as well as around the near shore artificail reefs.  Chartreuse and white half and half flies are woriikng for the bonito and the bluefish will eat just about anything that moves. There have been some larger bluefish around the Cape Lookout shoals and also around the offshore reefs.  A handful of spansih Mackerel have started to show up and it should not be long before the cobia start to show up.  Redfsih are still back in the marshes and fishing for the reds is picking up every day.  The black with gold flash Clousers are stil working in the marshes for the reds.

Capt. Joe Shute

I had a afternoon fly fishing trip Friday with to fine fly fishermen from the Northeast. Stephen DeWick from maine and Scott Holt from Massachusetts.  The weather was less than perfect.  We had a rising tide and overcast conditions, but the wind was not bad.  I was very pleased when my two anglers picked up my fly rods.  These guys were very good casters.  I took them to some of my better spots where we had caught reds just a few days before.  Stephen took the casting deck of my Mitzi skiff first, working the first bank that I went too, but there were no taker reds home.  At my second place, Scott was up.  We had worked about half way down the bank when Scott got what was going to the be first and only bite of the day. Unfortunately the red struck hard and roller very hard and was able to  open the hook up a little bit, just enough to pull it out.  We fished hard for the next 2 hours, even returning to the same place where we had gotten bitten earlier, but there were still no takers for this trip.  I really enjoyed fishing with Stephen and Scott and I look forward to when they return to Morehead city area to try once more, may be this fall to catch their first redfish on the fly.  Hopefully next time I will be able to put them on some more cooperative redfish that will eat their fly.

Good Luck & Good Fishing,

Capt. Joe Shute

With the water temperatures warming up slightly, the Atlantic Bonito have made their first showing.  Bonito were caught around the Artificial reef just off Atlantic Beach over the last few days.  These little bullets are a hoot to catch on 7 wt. fly gear.  3oo gr. sinking lines and chartreuse and white half and halfs really work for these little speedsters.  Remember to use a shot of 40 lb. fluorocarbon as a bite tippet since the Atlantic Bonito have plenty of sharp teeth. The bluefish have showed up in good numbers as well around the same structures.  False albacore are still showing up in good numbers as well. Don't forget the redfish!  Reds are back in the marshes as well as still along the beaches and you might even get a shot at one of the big 30 lb old red drum that are still hanging around the Cape Lookout area.  Long range forecast looks good thru Wednesday of this week. Give us a call if you would like to give fly fishing a shot this week.

Capt. Joe Shute

There has been a showing of early spring albacore up around Cape Lookout area.  They are feeding on very small clear bait that looks like juvinal ribbonfish and it is hard to get a bite. Small flies tied on #6 or #8 hooks, sparsely tied will help you get a bite on the albies.  It is time for the bluefish to start showing up as well.  Hopefully I will be able to give an updated report on the bluefish by the end of the week. The redfish bite is still going on back in the marshes.  Dark clouser minnows have been working well for me.

Capt. Joe

Yesterday was just about as pretty a day on the water as you could ask for.  The winds were light and the water was clean and clear back in the shallows.  I was fishing Chad Horelica for redfish on fly. The first bank we fished on the incoming tide was very clean water and not very much wind.  About 100 yards up the bank I saw a school of about  a dozen reds right on the bank. Chad cast a all black Clouser with gold flash and about a 25 inch red sucked it up as soon as it hit the water.  The fish really gave Chad a good fight.  So good  that it pulled the hook on a long run down the bank.  The rest of the reds spooked out of the area.  We continued fishing thru high tide in a number of other places and didn't get another bite.  We spooked a few fish, but didn't see anything much to cast at.  When we were starting to head for the dock, I told Chad that we would go back to the bank where we had seen the school of reds earlier and may be they would have settled down an would still be there.  Sure enough, in the exact same spot to the foot the school was working back and forth on the bank.  Chad once again dropped the Clouser right in fron of the school and a nice red about 22 or 23 inches sucked it up.  This time instead of spooking away the whole school swam around the fish Chad had hooked, that was stayed with it until we put the red in the boat and then they moved on.  We got one more shot at them, but they didn't seem interested.  Its a very nice day on the water!  Good converstation, good weather, and we did manage to hook and catch at least on nice red on the fly.  I look forward to fishing with Chad again in the future.

Capt. Joe Shute

Well if this weather that we have coming for this Easter doesn't get things rolling I don't know what will.  Air temperatures in the mid 80's and light to variable winds.  Our water temperatures should raise by 3 to 6 degrees this weekend.  The redfish bite is already doing fairly well back in the marshes and there are a few schools of rreds on the beaches and up at cape Lookout shoals.  I have been catching some nice redfish in the 24 to 32 inch range on black Clouser minnows back in the marsh.  I have a trip tommorrow and I hope to be able to post a few new pictures of fly caught reds tommorrow. There are still schools of the larger red durm in the 30 to 40 lb class in 30 to 50 feet of water feeding on schools of bait.  Just look for the ganet birds diving on the bait and fish around the birds. The bluefish should be showing up on the near shore and offshore reefs and the cape shoals as well.

All the conditions came together this past weekend and the redfish were out in good numbers and were actually biting.  I had good luck using a black clouser with gold flash.  I tried a grey and with with gold flash but they really didn't want that color.  Darker colors have been working better in the gin clear water.  Lets hope that the winds will stay down so that we can have more good fishing days here in March for the reds.  These reds all were in the 22 to 30 inch range and there were literally thousands in this one school.  They were in 3 ft. or less of water and were stacked 3 or 4 deep.