Fall Fishing

As the temps are dropping every angler on the eastern North Carolina coast is getting more and more excited. There is a lot to look forward to during this time of year, from migratory populations, unique fish behavior, and my personal favorite fewer people at the boat ramps. From re-rigging, to a change in game plans we will cover the basics of fall fishing in the Topsail area.

North Carolina is home of some pretty amazing species, debatably the two most sought after species on the entire south Atlantic coastline are Speckled Trout and Redfish. Although NC has a resident population on both of these great fish, during the fall we see a migratory push and change in scenery. Once it start to cool down the Speckled Trout will start to flood into our inlets and estuaries before the find their winter homes. This makes inlet creeks and deep slews around the inlets a great place to target Trout. As far as redfish go you will see two things happen. The slot redfish ( 18in.-27in.) will start to spend their days in the shallow flats, feeding on shrimp and baitfish, preparing for winter. towards the end of fall those slot fish will school up, forming groups of 100-200+ fish in a school. This can be a great time for sight fishing and fly fishing in the shallow waters of NC. The other thing you will see Redfish do pertains to the breeders ( 30in.- 50in.) during the fall these fish are making their way back from breeding ( which is done on the northern parts of the coast) these larger fish usually travel in schools down the coast line in about 30 feet of water and can often be found right behind the breakers.

There are many tactics and options for tackle to target these fish, what i like to do is start with what ever size bait i see swimming around or coming through our inlets. From there I will change bait size and color based on fish behavior, for example if the fish are acting spooky or I’m not getting bites than I will down size my bait. However if I am getting bit but not catching the quality fish I’m after then I will up size my bait to eliminate the smaller bites. When it comes to color of baits and flies, every angler and every fishery is different. I always start with my main color combinations: purple/black, pearl white, pink, olive and tan. Through out a day of fishing i will cycle these color patterns until one works, in the instance that none of these patterns work then we get creative and tie a new color on frequently until we find what they want.

I hope this helps put more fish over the rails of your boat, I appreciate everyone tuning in, and if there is any topic you like to see discussed or talked about feel free to shoot me an email marker23inshoreadventures@gmail.com

Roanoke Recap

As Spring is coming to a close, I wanted to take some time to recap the Roanoke River this year. For those who don’t know the Roanoke is river system here in NC that is home to the rock fish (Striped Bass) capitol of the world. My self along with some other guides travel to this river to run trips chasing these rockfish up and down the more narrow parts of the river. These fish are moving up this river in order to spawn, when have such a large bio mass of fish moving through a narrow part of the river, it can make for some epics fishing. That is exactly how this season started, the water was a little warm ( 68 degrees) but the fish didn’t seem to mind. For the first 4 days or so the fish were all down river from Weldon NC, which is where we usually put in, this made for short boat rides to the fishing grounds. Fishing stayed consistent from 6am until a little bit after lunch most days early season, and would pick right back up around 4pm until dark. We were able to catch these fish on everything from top water, large jigs, and flies. After enjoying a consistent early season we had some fronts move through the area causing the temperature and fish behavior to change some. The morning bite began to die off and we would usually catch fish some time around late morning evening. The fish were also less concentrated than weeks prior so there for we did more running around and using electronics to find small groups of fish, of which we would catch a couple before they dispersed. This was the case for most of the middle part of the season, on my last few trips on the Roanoke things got a bit tougher, with rising water temps and an increase in boat traffic, these fish began to swim back down river after they spawned. The targeted groups of fish became smaller and harder to feed and thus brought the rock fish season to a close. All in all it was a great season with some very special moments, it was hot while it was hot and tapered off until it was cold. I am already looking forward to next season and hope to see you out there

Best Spring Baits

My name is Ozzy and I am a full-time fishing guide on the coast of NC. As discussed in my last blog post Spring time can be a very volatile time of year chasing Redfish and Speckled Trout, however there are a few baits I keep in my box that can help locate fish and capitalize on the fish you find. First of which being a top water, I choose to throw a full sized pink skitter walk. The reason this lure is so effective is because how fast you can cover water, as the lure clicks through the water, fish cane be attracted to it from a surprisingly long distance away allowing you to cover a big area in less cast. As a rule of thumb I usually make ten cast on a hundred yard bank. The reason I choose the pink is because I can see it from a far distance away, I believe there many colors that work well, but that is what I like to use day in and day out. Another great bait I utilize heavily in the spring is a spinner bait, this bait originated in the bass fishing community and quickly caught for redfish and speckled trout. With a combination of a soft plastic as well as a small gold blade above the plastic this bait can be a great choice for a fish that may not be feeding at the moment but will get you what is called a reaction bite. and just like the top water this bait can be utilized to search areas quickly with out making unnecessary cast. As those two baits are great for searching areas and getting reaction bites, my next two baits are for the picky fish. The first thing I do when fish start to present as picky or unwilling to eat is, to change my lure presentation to something smaller, lighter, or less threating. One of which being a weightless, weedless, jerk shad (also known as a fluke). I really like zoom jerk shads and DOA jerk shads because they are dense baits. Even with out any weight on the hook those more dense soft plastics still cast well. If the fish is still being picky or you are having trouble getting a group of fish to eat, I will next throw a TRD crawl bait of some sort, preferably in 2.5-3 inch range. I like to pair these small baits with a ned rig, this allows me to put the bait in front of the fish with little to no disturbance on the water or to the fish. If all else fails and the group of fish is still being stubborn then it may be time to move locations and start from the top again. I appreciate everyone tuning and i hope this helps you put a few fish over the rail.

Fishing Report

Things are starting to change here on the coast of North Carolina, the water temps are on the rise and the fish are on the move. The northern parts of our coast, around the Roanoke river, are in full blown shad season, shad travel from the Atlantic ocean, all the way up to Weldon NC, in order to spawn. This provides excellent angling opportunities for both fly fisherman and spin fishing. Once the shad run dissipates the river will be full of striped bass, swimming up river for the same reason as the shad, another great chance for exceptional fishing. A little further south, around the Topsail Island area, the redfish are starting to break up from their winter time patterns and we are seeing more doubles and small groups, when polling the flats. These fish are cruising and hungry after a long winter, whether fly fishing or spin, this is a great time of year to go sight fishing. In a little bit deeper water, the trout fishing around Topsail Island has been on fire, especially top water. Often targeted early in the morning using top water plugs, these big trout have been a blast on light tackle! All in all spring is in full tilt, whether its jigging for striped bass or polling the shallow flats this not a fishery you want to miss out on!

5 Tips For Fly Anglers

Welcome back to another blog post presented by Marker23 Guide Service, my name is Captain Ozzy and I am a full time fishing guide on topsail island. In the years I’ve spent polling anglers around the flats, in pursuit of these NC game fish, I have come up with 5 things that I tell each angler that can really bring your angling abilities to the next level. As simple as it may seem the first tip I always start out with, is be quick. In the world of salt water fly fishing, time is of the essence. From the moment you see that fish, recognize direction and speed, decide where the fly needs to be, make a cast, and begin your presentation, only 3-5 seconds have gone by. With that being said, being a quick draw type angler can be very beneficial, how ever, as quick as you may be it is equally as important to stay quiet, which brings me to my second tip: stealth. Stealth on the flats paired with fast reaction times could quite possibly be some the biggest pieces of advice I could give, but that can be difficult because (at least for me) the faster you go typically the louder you will be. What I mean by that is, the harder I try to get line out quickly, i.e. double hauls and quick rod movement, the more likely I am to rock the boat, or pick one of my feet up set it back down not so quietly. If you can remember to stay stealthy on the flats you are sure to see an increase in your fishing. Tip number three line management, every salt water fly angler knows that your fly line will get stuck on everything and anything, and there is nothing worse than finally getting the shot you have been dreaming of and you come up five feet shy because your fly line was stuck on something or knotted up. A good habit to prevent some of this is looking down at your fly line every so often, whether your the angler or poling because two eyes are better than one, which brings me to tip number four: communication. Now if you are a solo fly angler than this may not apply to you, but I truly believe that fly fishing is a sport best enjoyed in the company of loved ones. With that being said its imperative that who ever is on the poling platform communicate clearly what he or she sees because the height advantage, it can be difficult to communicate something in only a few seconds and even more so when the situation is ever changing, but short and clear instructions to the angler will definitely result in more fish. Like wise the angler has to listen and follow those instructions, this requires a little bit of trust on the anglers side, but if you listen to what the instructions are and know that he or she has the sight advantage then things typically go much smoother. The fifth and final tip applies to all four of the other ones, and that is to practice. If you practice making quick and accurate cast, while managing your line, and not making any noise, then you will be unstoppable on the flats. A few things I like to practice are casting at moving targets like mullet or blue crabs as we are poling onto the flat, I also practice in my head what I would say if a fish popped up and did “xyz” eventually the way you call a shot will be second nature. I really hope this article helps put a few more fish over the rails for you, like always I appreciate you tuning in and we will catch you next time

Tips for Schooled up Redfish

We as fly anglers, are usually chomping at the bit for winter time fishing. The clean water, the big schools, the lack of boat traffic this time of year. There can be a lot to look forward to fishing in the winter, and rightfully so, but with all this excitement comes a handful of challenges. The first of which being the clean water, help us as it may, it can also make our job a little tougher. This is because they can see us just as good if not better as we can see them. To combat this challenge, stealth becomes a top priority on the flats, longer and lighter leaders, slow quite pushes, and soft landing flies. Another hurdle to overcome with winter time fishing is dead water. Its been said that in the winter, 80% of our fish live in 20% of our water, although we cant confirm those exact numbers, it certainly feels that way through out most of the winter. So when it comes to scouting in the winter there are a few things to keep in mind, starting with covering water its important to cover large portions of water because so much of it is dead. Also its important to check areas extensively because depending on how tight the school is all the fish in that area could be held up right around the next bend, even though the rest of the creek has been seemingly dead. Once you have found the school and approached them with stealth, its time to seal the deal! i am typically throwing smaller flies this time of year such as small kwans and small clousers , thats because I want to have a small non-threating approach and allow the fish to find my fly as if it was his idea. Lastly, one thing winter time fishing demands from us as anglers and stewards, is that we be mindful of over fishing one or two groups of fish. After finding a group of schooled up reds, you have the ability to harass that group of fish day in and day out but not only would you ruin everyone else winter fishing by doing so but eventually you will ruin your own. What will inevitably happen is you will show up to that spot and you’ll see the school of fish but the wont anything you have to throw at them, its a frustrating event that all costal fly anglers have either done or experienced. But with good etiquette and a little bit of thoughtfulness it can be avoided. My rule of thumb is 2-3 fish from a school no mater the size of the school, after the fish are safely released I’m on to the next school, if I don’t have a “next school” in mind the rest of m y day will be spent on searching for more spots and schools, ultimately this is what’s makes you a better angler or better guide, not going to where you already know there are fish. Hopefully this helps you put a few extra fish over the rail this winter, thanks for tuning in, and we will catch ya next time.

Winter Fishing Report

Winter fishing is here! Its that time of year, in eastern NC. The redfish have schooled up in the shallows and the trout have migrated into our rivers. There is a lot to look forward to this season. The redfish are in large groups, upwards of 200 fish in a school! This phenomenon can provide a great opportunity for fly anglers and spin fishing anglers. Fly fishing eastern NC in the winter time is something you don’t want to miss out. While the shallow water game is incredible, the deep creeks and river areas are really starting to heat up as well! NC has a migratory population of trout that move into deep areas for the winter. This can be a great time to catch your personal best trout. There is a lot to look forward to this winter, so don’t miss out! give Captain Ozzy at Marker23 Inshore Adventures a call.

Fall Fishing Is Here

Welcome back to another blog post presented by Marker23 Guide Service. My name is Captain Ozzy and today I'm excited to report that fall fishing is here! As far as the Topsail Island area goes, fall can be an amazing time to get on the water, for many reasons. The water temps are dropping, speckled trout are migrating into our inshore waters, and the redfish are schooling up, on my recent charters we have seen very fall-like behavior from our fish inshore. Such as starting to see redfish groups instead of singles scattered throughout the flat. Along side these redfish groups, we have been seeing a good push of speckled trout, flooding into our inlets, as they make their way to deep creeks for the winter. Fishing the Topsail area from October-December can be a special time of year and a great opportunity to catch a mixed bag and even set some personal records! Marker23 Guide Service has availability through the fall and winter months so give us a shout if you want to get in on the action.

Q&A

Welcome back to another blog post presented by Marker23 Guide Service. My name is Captain Ozzy and I’m exciting to be back with you guys after taking last month off, this week I would like to go over some common questions I get as a full time fishing guide. Jumping right into it with the number one most common question is ‘where are the fish’. Although I could list in this blog some GPS cobordances, I believe the root question with in this is how can I find more fish? The short answer is spend more time on the water, but if you use your time on the water wisely then you can really make the most of that precious water time. When looking for fish, whether sight fishing, power fishing, or almost any other style fishing their are 3 major factors that motivate fish to behave how they do. First of which is food, predatory fish will not spend much time in places where the bait isn’t present. Now the tricky part of this is bait is constantly on the move, with tide, with the seasons, or with other weather conditions. Point being, step one is almost always going to be find the bait. The second major factor in why fish do what they do is safety. This could look like many different things, such as structure, shallow water, or swimming in schools. All of these behaviors are for safety, fish might feel unsafe due to fishing pressure, other predators, or significant weather systems. All of these factors can help you make a decision on where you will fish next. The Last major factor that can effect fish behavior is, spawning. and depending on the fish you are after, will determine what type of spawning behavior you can expect to encounter. Spawning fish can be very dependable and a lot of fun, or they can be unpredictable and frustrating, it just depends on what stage of spawning they are in. None the less if you keep these three things in mind ( Food, Safety, Spawn) next time you are on the water you are well on your way to finding more fish. Be sure to check out our next blog post as we deep dive into more questions like these.

Fishing Forecast

Welcome back to another blog post presented by Marker23 Guide Service. My name is Captain Ozzy, and I am very excited to bring, to you a fishing forecast! It is currently late august and we are starting to stare down the barrel of our summer time dog days. With that being said we are seeing cooler water temps in our inshore and backwater areas, resulting in fired up fish and consistent action. Looking forward, we should except these water temps to continue to plummet until stabilizing briefly in the fall. This will cause a few things to happen in the Topsail Island fishery, one of which being our migratory population of trout should start to move in. This is a very exciting time to be on the water due to the increase in population among the speckled trout the inshore fishing can be exceptional. Another thing to look forward to is NC Flounder season, we all know how delicious these fish are and are chomping at the bit to put some flat fish over the rail. Flounder fishing has been very consistent this year and I predict it will continue to be consistent through out the flounder season. Last but not least, something to look forward to as the summer comes to an end, is old drum fishing. Old drum, also known as Bull Drum, are Red Drum that migrated to NC to spawn, these old mature redfish can reach up to 50+ inches and be as old as 35 years old! If old drum fishing is something you have yet to experienced I highly recommend giving it a shot! Well as always Thank you for tuning in and we will catch ya next time.

Fishing Report

Welcome back to another blog post presented by Marker23 Guide Service. My name is Captain Ozzy and I am a full time fishing guide/ Charter captain in the greater Topsail Island area. Today I would like to give you guys a fishing report and let you in on how the fishing has been as well as, what to look forward to in the North Carolina costal fishery.

It is currently mid august and the fishery around topsail island has been very consistent. Redfish have been fired up and willing to eat in the shallow water, both on fly and top water, our Resident speckled trout fishing has also been unusually good. In the past few weeks there has been multiple citation trout brought into the boat along with upper/ over slot drum. Out side of the 2 main fish we target there has been some underrated fish that have also been on fire here lately. Thus being Black drum, Sheepshead, and Lady fish. These three fish provide a lot fun and constant action! To say the least The Topsail Island Fishery is doing quite well this month.

Looking forward into late summer and early fall, we have a lot of exciting things coming down the pipe. First of all we will have bull drum season kicking off in the next few weeks. This time of year is a great opportunity to catch your personal best red drum, as these fish migrate into the NC backwater to spawn it creates a target rich environment for both the avid angler and the beginner. Following Bull drum, the False albacore will show up here in NC. The False Albacore provide a fight like no other! This fish will put your tackle to the test and will also be the fish of a lifetime. After the false albacore migrate south we will be in full swing with our winter fishery. With plentiful trout and clean water in the shallows, we have a lot to look forward to. Like always I appreciate you tuning in and we will see you next time.

Bait

Welcome back to another blog post from Marker23 Guide Service, my name is Captain Ozzy and I would like to share with y’all today about bait and bait choices. As it is, fly fishing and sight fishing is my passion, as a full time guide, bait fishing is apart of what I do. Now to the avid artificial angler bait fishing may seem easy, but there is more than meets the eye.

This first hurdle you must jump is what kind of bait are you after. This is derived from the specieses you wish to catch. With that being said to catch your desiered spesices like, redfish, trout, and flounder. you should first find out what they are eating, this can be obvserved through trail and error or gathered at a good local bait and tackle store. After doing some research and figuring out which bait best suits your needs, we move to the skills part.

The most common way for one to catch the bait is he or she to throw a cast net (AKA throw net). However there are many ways to throw a net, there are a few fundamental pricipals that remain true through out the process. In order to catch bait effectivley you have to learn to be effective with your cast net. This comes from hours of practice and instruction, whether on the water or in your front yard. Regardless, this is a vital step in the process.

The next step is a very simple one: find out where the desired bait is. Through out the year our bait shifts and migrates, so staying on top of the bait can be easier said than done. Depth can be an essitial indicator when it comes to finding bait. the water temp usually points you in the right direction. with that being said, there is no substiute for time on the water, with time all these things will become easier.

Lastly, you must go throw the bait you caught in areas in which your targeted species live. now this comes in many forms and fashions. from Carolina rigs to slips floats. The best way to determine the most effective way to present your bait is to study how your targeted species feeds. Example: Shallow water redfish, the best way to present a bait to them is either a popping cork or if in high current, a Carolina rig. After finding out what bait is best, learning how to catch it and presenting it to the fish correctly, you are sure to have a good time.

Beat The Heat

Welcome back to another blog post brought to you by Marker23 Guide Service, My name is captain Ozzy and I want to share with you 3 tips on how to fish the dog days of summer. We are all familiar with the Carolina heat and the effect that it can have on the fishing. Fish are lethargic, slow, and sometimes unwilling to bite. But with these 3 tips you can increase your odds in the summer heat.

As a full time guide I fish in all kind of weather including the hottest parts of summer. Outside of hydration and safety I would like to share with you the first thing I like to do when things get hot. My go to move when the dog days of summer have begun, is to fish early and late, this means getting a very early start ( as early as 5am) and fishing till lunch then taking break until you are ready to get back after it around 4pm or 5pm until dark. The morning and evening are not only natural feeding windows for fish like Redfish, Speckled Trout, and flounder, but these times are also the coolest times of the day.

If you have to fish the hot parts of the day then I encourage you to force a reaction bite. Meaning you throw baits like, a top water plug, a spoon, or a spinner bait. these baits cause the fish to make a quick decision on whether or not they will eat, in doing so your odds of catching said fish go up.

Lastly the best thing you can do in th heat is sight fish. When sight fishing you are force feeding the fish. very rarley does a shallow water fish deny a well placed fly or lure. Most sight fishing is done on very high tides and very low tides, in both scenarios these fish are only in the spots to feed. Some times that means a floodtide fish cruisinf the grass flat in search of crabs and shrimp. Other times this means low tide fish crushing bait fish that have no where else to go.

I hope this helps you put a few more fish over the rail of your boat this summer. thanks for tuning in and we will see you next time.

Tips For Trips

Welcome back to another blog post presented by Marker23, my name is Captain Ozzy and I am a full-time fishing guide in the Topsail Island area. Today I would like to go over a few things that could help you before you hop on a charter boat. Before you book a guide I highly recommend that you shop around, check out websites and maybe even make a few phone calls. The purpose of this is to find the guide that you pair best with, so that you can make the most of your time on the water. For example if your goal is to catch a redfish on fly then I would check out websites and social media accounts to make sure the guide that I hire is a fly fishing guide. Another great thing to do before the trip is communicate with your captain, tell him or her what it is that you want out of the trip, whether that means a certain species or a certain way you like to fish ( fly, top water, trolling etc. ). Once you have hired a guide and communicated with the captain the next thing I would recommend doing is practicing, this is really relevant to fly fishing/ sight fishing charters. This is important because you want to make sure you are taking advantage of the shots that your guide provides, but if we are being honest we all miss more shots than we make. How ever practicing before the trip can lessen that ratio. The next step in the process is to finally meet up with your captain. Typically what will happen is, your guide will send you a location to meet up along with a time. It is a good idea to arrive early to the meet up spot because by the time you get on the boat and go over the safety briefing with your guide you can be underway to spot number one a little quicker. Lastly I would like to go over a few things you should bring with you, now every Captain is different but this is what I recommend bringing if you were to book a charter with me. Starting with polarized sunglasses, it can be pretty miserable if your on the water squinting all day because you don’t have any shades, outside of comfort polarized sunglasses make a world of difference when it comes to seeing through the water, trying to site fish with out them can be very challenging. Another good thing to carry with you is rain gear, here on the coast pop up storms are not uncommon especially in the summer months. With a good set of rain gear you can ride out the bad weather and get back to fishing when it clears up. Finally the last thing I recommend bringing is a sunscreen, I highly value sun protection and suggest carrying sunscreen and a hat with you on your charter. Now as far as food and drinks are concerned each captain will be different but I provide water and snacks on the boat but tell guest they are welcome to bring whatever they like if they don’t want what I provide. I hope this helps you on your next charter, thanks for tuning in and we will see you next time.

Topsails Hidden Fishery

The Topsail area is known as a destination vacation spot with great restaurants,

astonishing beaches, and of course fishing. It is well known that the inshore fishery around the

island (although it may have its battles) is flourishing, known for its giant speckled trout,

flounder and abundance of redfish. The island is buzzing with angling opportunities around

every corner. However, one thing that Topsail Island is not yet known for is the fly fishing and

sight fishing opportunities. If someone mentions fly fishing in North Carolina, typically the

mountain streams come to mind. Although the western side of the state has world class stream

fishing, our coast deserves a spot in that same conversation.

Fly fishing has gained recent popularity in the last 20 years, and rightfully so. It’s been

said that saltwater fly fishing is the closest thing to hunting you can do without the use of a gun.

Whether you are polling a flats boat or fishing from a paddle board, fly fishing is debatably the

most intense way to fish inshore. You are constantly on the move in shallow water with as much

stealth as possible, and when a fish shows itself, you take your shot landing a fly which is

nothing more than an assortment of feathers tied to a hook in a way that looks appetizing to its

predator. Once the fly is in front of the targeted fish, the experience that comes next is beyond

which words can describe.

Although fly fishing can seem intimidating and expensive, it can actually be very

affordable and attainable. The most important aspect in fly fishing is the cast. Often compared to

a golf swing, a fly cast is something you are always working on but never perfect. One does not

need to cast a perfect 80-foot shot in order to be successful. A consistent and accurate 30-foot

cast is more than enough to get the job done. As far as tackle is concerned, there are a variety of

affordable options. A typical set up consists of a 9-foot 8wt rod, a fly reel with line, a leader and

a fly. All of these items can be purchased for a reasonable price at places such as Eastern

Outfitters of Hampstead.

Traditionally, saltwater fly fishing is done from a flats boat which a person or guide polls

the boat in shallow water on an elevated platform above the motor. This elevated platform does

two things, allows the guide to push the boat quietly as well as provides an advantageous angle

for seeing fish. Meanwhile the angler stands on the bow, fly in hand looking and waiting. More

times than not, the person on the platform will be the first to spot the fish and begin to

communicate with the angler using a clock system for direction. Once the fly is in place, the

guide uses terms like “tick” or “bump” which mean to move the fly so that it looks like a live

bait fish. After the fish has eaten the fly, the angler sets the hook and the fight begins. That

conversation would go something like this:

Guide: “Okay John you have a fish at 11 o’clock 20 feet moving left.”

Angler: “Yeah I see it.”

Guide: “Alright take the shot when ever your ready……. Great cast, bump, bump bump,

SET THE HOOK!”

This teamwork between guide and angler is one of the many reasons fly fishing is different from

other styles of fishing.

Whether you’re visiting the area or call Topsail Island home, to miss out on these unique

angling opportunities would mean to miss out on a lifetime and possibly life changing

experience. From hiring a guide to DIY, getting outdoors and discovering Topsail’s hidden

fishery is not a decision you will regret.

Fishing report

Welcome back and thanks for tuning in to another blog presented by Marker23 Guide Service. Today we are gonna let you in on what is going on in the North Topsail Beach, Sneads Ferry, and Swansboro fishery. It seems as though spring is on it way out an summer is finally starting to show up. With an abundance of topwater blow ups, the redfish are no longer in schools and have busted up into singles and doubles. This makes for an exciting day on the water with consistent action sight fishing or throwing blind in the early morning. As far as the trout go, the Speckled Trout have finished spawning and are ready to eat. We are currently finding trout in shallow water ( anywhere from 1-3 feet of water) cruising and hunting with the hopes of refueling after the spawn. Right around the corner is Blackdrum, Sheeps heads and of course bull redfish. Although our fishing is on fire now, there is still a lot to look forward to. We appreciate everyone tuning inn and we will see you on the water.

Change of Pace

Welcome back and thanks for tuning in to another blog post presented by Marker23 Guide Service. My name is Captain Ozzy and I am a full time guide on Topsail Island NC, how ever for the next two weeks I am doing something a little different. Instead of running charters on Topsail Island for redfish, trout and flounder, I have left the sand flats and traveled north to the Roanoke river. I will be fishing out of Weldon NC, primarily targeting striped bass AKA rock fish. Weldon is known as the rockfish capitol of the world! There is a large migration of striped bass that travel up the Roanoke river to spawn. The angling Opportunities targeting these fish while in transit are endless. While there is great top water, Fly, and jig fishing to be had, this not a fishery that you want to miss out on. In this particular fishery 50-100 fish are not uncommon! This is a great opportunity for new fly and spin anglers to perfect their skills as well as an awesome chance for experienced anglers to catch the fish of a life time. The methods we use to catch these fish vary from drifting, anchoring, or using a trolling motor to assist the drift. All of these techniques are done in 15-20 foot of fast moving water, which make for a great fight! This would be a great change of pace for any angler and memory you wont forget.

Topsail Island Variety Pt.3

Welcome to the third part in a series I have Titled Topsail Island Variety. In this blog series we have discussed the unique features of late winter and early spring fishery. From schooled up Redfish to deep water Speckled Trout we then transitioned into our late Spring through Summer. With an abundance of spices to target like Sheeps Head, Black Drum, Flounder, and of course Redfish and Speckled Trout. This now brings us into what is one of my favorite times of the year to be on the water and that is the fall. I chose to give the fall season its own blog post because it is both unlike all the other seasons but at the same time has similar traits of all the other seasons. In early fall we still get flood tides but unlike the summer these flood tides are typically in the morning which opens up a vast variety of possibilities for the rest of the day. Accompanied by these high tides are negative lows which are great for belly crawling Redfish, these two opportunities are great for the fly angler or the sight fisherman. As the temps drop in the Fall our inshore water here in Topsail Island begins to get clear just like our Winter time fishery. You can target migratory Speckled Trout on the flats with great visibility as well as redfish in the same areas. Although the temps are falling there are still all the same species to be targeted such as the Sheeps Head, Black Drum and Flounder before they transition into their Winter patterns. What makes this time of year so unique to me is the abundance of bait. On Topsail Island in the Fall we have a mixed bag of summer time bait such as menhaden and finger mullet as well as a push of new bait like shrimp. This melting pot of bait causes our fish to be aggressive and willing. It seems to me that fish in this time of year rarely deny a well placed fly or artificial bait which makes for some record breaking days on the water. Well I hope you have enjoyed learning all about what makes Topsail Island so special and unboxing all of our inshore angling opportunities. If you want to see more content like this check out Eastern Current Saltwater Fishing Podcast on Spotify where my self and two other NC guides discuss everything saltwater fishing. Thanks for tuning in and we will see you next time

Topsail Island Variety Pt.2

Welcome back to a blog series I have titled Topsail Island Variety. My name is Captain Ozzy and I am a full time fishing guide and owner of Marker23 Guide Service , I am very excited to discuss the next part in this series, and that is the late spring through summer time. April through August is one my most favorite times to fish and guide. After chasing schools all winter and early spring it can be a nice change of pace when the fish bust up from their winter time routines. As far as redfish go, they can be found in all sorts of places. Red Drum are known for being shallow water fish and hold true to that in the summer time. When targeting redfish this time of year in can be very visual, redfish will do what is known as belly crawling. this happens when a redfish in such shallow water that the fishes back will sick out of the water. These fish are typically aggressive and willing to eat, and can be a blast on spinning tackle and fly. Another redfish phenomenon that occurs in the summer is flood tide tailing fish. this occurs when the tide is unusually high (normally during the full and new moon) this causes certain grass flats to flood or hold more water than normal. Thus causing the redfish to swim onto these flats in search of crabs and other bait that isn’t assessable at lower tides. When in pursuit of these flood tide redfish they will make themselves known by tailing, they do this because as they feed on the flat they use there nose to root around the mud causing their tails to stick completely out of the water. These 2 reasons make redfish during late spring and early summer a lot of fun to target, however the Speckle trout fishing is also heating up the same time of year. In the spring time large female Speckled Trout can be found on shallow water grass flats. These trout are either in their spawning behavior or just coming out of their spawning behavior. Regardless there are plenty of Large Speckled Trout hungry for a top water plug on shallow water grass flats on the late spring and early summer. Along with Speckled Trout and Redfish, there are many species that become available this time of year as well. Such as Sheepshead, Black Drum, Flounder, Tarpon, Spanish, and Jacks. All of these fish can be targeted on fly and light tackle and make up all the reasons I love fishing in the summer months.

Topsail Island Variety

My name is Captain Ozzy and I am a full-time Fishing guide and owner of Marker23 Guide Service. Today I would like to take a moment and share with you guys part 1 of 4 in a blog series I have titled “Topsail Island Variety”. I feel very lucky to run fishing charters in such a unique area such as Topsail Island, we have an abundance of species to target year round inshore. Starting in January through March, which is one, of my favorite times to fish, we have clean water due to the lower water temps, which makes for great sight fishing. Typically when sight fishing in these winter months we are targeting schools of redfish. These schools can be as small as 20 fish and as big as 300 fish, This is a great opportunity for fly anglers and sight fisherman to put up record numbers on the flats. at the same time this is going on our area is also known for great speckled trout fishing. trout fishing is done in deep creeks and is among some of the most exciting ways to catch these beautiful fish. The winter months are a great time to search for your PB speckled trout, speckled trout in the Topsail Island area grow up to 30 inches long and can weigh as much as 10 pounds. Through out the winter these 2 fish are what make up our amazing fishery inshore, and is arguably one of the best places to fish on the east coast during the winter. But there is one under rated fish that I enjoy targeting during this time of year, and that is a black drum. This fish provides an exhilarating fight and very tasty meal. To catch this fish we target deep water structure typically found in the backs of creeks. Generally using fresh shrimp on some type of bottom rig, black drum hit very hard and there is no questions when you are hooked up. This under rated black drum is one of many reasons I love running fishing charters in the Topsail Island area.