Sailfish Action off Topsail Island

Sometimes it pays to reach out at the last minute, which is what my little group did yesterday. On a spur-of-the-moment trip to the beach, they decided to try a private charter instead of their usual head boat trips. Fortunately, I had an opening for an afternoon kids' trip, so we were on! We waited out a line of thunderstorms and made it out onto the water at around 3pm. The wind had died out and the seas were beautiful and calm in the trail of the squalls, which made for perfect conditions to troll the beach for Spanish. On the downside, the storm had scattered the fish and driven them down, so we couldn't really count on feeding birds or surface feeding to find them... we just had to hunt. The hunting wasn't too difficult though, and we had our first bluefish before I even got my second line set out. It was no monster, but 14 year-old McKinley brought it to the boat like a seasoned pro. Throughout the afternoon, we hit the scattered blues and Spanish, releasing the blues in favor of the tastier mackerel. The little family just wanted enough for a nice dinner, so that's what we got. At the end of the trip, we'd released a small pile of bluefish and some undersized Spanish to send Amanda, Brandon, and McKinley home with eight, perfect-sized fish. The last I heard, the plan was fish tacos. I'm betting it went great! This is a great time of year to get out there and get some fish tacos for yourself! Come on down!

Had a 3hr Kids' trip last weekend, and sorry to say we didn't get on the fish. It's a bit early to be fishing nearshore, but I had high hopes for an early bonito or maybe a bluefish... but it wasn't to be. With that in mind, the season is just starting. With a regular half-day trip, we can get a little further offshore and by all accounts, it's hot and getting hotter with Atlantic bonito and even some early Spanish mackerel. Longer trips can get us out to the early kings. Nothing is ever guaranteed, but 2026 is officially underway and we're ready to get out there and get 'em! Come join us!

We've had another unusually warm start to the spring season, with March temperatures into the 80s! What does that mean? It means the ocean temperatures are starting to warm up too, and the early arrivals will be swimming into our local waters! This is the time to start thinking about Atlantic bonito, a great fighter, and maybe the best-tasting nearshore fish we get in this area (think sushi/sashimi quality). The thing is, these guys only hang around for a short while before moving off to the north. You have to get them while the getting is good. Right behind the bonito will be the Spanish mackerel (and some kings). We don't usually see them until later in April, but this warm weather can bring them along earlier. These tasty treats are our nearshore fishing bread and butter... plentiful, easy to find, and eager to bite (usually). With generous limits, you can often load up enough fish to feed the family and have a neighborhood fish fry when you get home. All of these fish are accessible on our half-day trips, and even on our Kids' Fun Trips. We're going to open up for bookings earlier than usual this year, so we hope to hear from you and we'll be tickled to have you aboard!