I recently wrote several articles on ethical catch and release as one method of preserving our fisheries.
And the last few weeks, I’ve written about the sea turtle protection project here in North Carolina, particularly the local group here in Emerald Isle where I live, but there are many others.
Not all of us can be volunteers to walk the beach every morning, or sitting in the dark waiting for the hatchlings to emerge, but we can all help in our own way to protect our sea turtles.
All the nesting species of sea turtles we see along the Carolina coast are protected under the Endangered Species Act (1973), and classified as endangered, so how can you help? First of all, repeat the mantra, “Do no harm.” If you see a sea turtle on the beach at the pier or in the ocean while swimming or boating, just leave it alone. Have fun watching or taking that special photo, but these turtles come with a do not disturb sign which includes hefty federal penalties, including fines and prison time for tampering with the turtles or the nests.
Aside from do no harm, here are some of the practices recommended by the Emerald Isle Sea Turtle Program: https://www.emeraldisle-nc.org/321/Sea-Turtle-Program).
Fill in all holes that your children dig (mother turtles can get stuck, and people walking at night can be seriously injured). Remove tents, toys and beach gear overnight. Keep outside lights off at night (they disturb nesting mother turtles and distract hatching baby turtles toward the light but away from the ocean which is where they need to go).
Pick up trash, especially plastic bags (turtles think they are jellyfish, which is their main food source and eat them and get sick).
Fireworks are illegal in North Carolina (the noise keeps mother turtles from coming onshore to nest and disturbs baby turtles during hatching).
Call the Emerald Isle Police Department at 252-354-2021 if you see a nesting or hatching turtle or anyone disturbing a marked turtle nest area.
Please be sure to call all strandings in to the NC Stranding hotline: 252-241-7367.
No flashlights or flash photography: If you see a nesting or hatching sea turtle, please stay quiet, sit down and enjoy the show!
For more information about sea turtles, the Sea Turtle Hospital and Sea Turtle Rescue and Rehabilitation Center on Topsail Island, go to www.seaturtlehospital.org. If you are interested in tracking the turtles and latest information log onto and the Network for Endangered Sea Turtles at With your help, this is hoping that we have another safe and successful season.
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Now for the fishing.
The big news of course was the 65th Big Rock Blue Marlin Tournament which again ended is some controversy. The winner was from the boat Sushi weighing in at 484.5 pounds with second place was Chasin’ A at 479.8 pounds and third was C- Student at 470.2 pounds.
The controversy was the disqualification of the only 500-pound fish caught, actually over 600 pounds by Sensation, whch boated a 619.4-pound blue marlin that was disqualified due to mutilation caused by a shark or other marine animal. It was deemed that the fish was mutilated before it was landed or boated and therefore it was disqualified. Sad but them’s the rules, that is Rule No. 23 in the Big Rock Official Rules ( Not exactly a Catch-22 or Michael Jordan’s Catch 23 sportfishing boat, but close! And all this happened on the last day of the tourney. Wow!
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Now for the fishing that most of us do.
Sounds like the New River is hot, especially fishing live shrimp on a cork, with plenty of speckled trout, and red and black drum working the oyster bars and docks and rocks.
Then there was the double-digit speck, Michael Weaver caught a 10.50-pound speckled trout on a live finger mullet somewhere in “Never You Mind Creek”! That speck was 30.5 inches long. Speaking of corks, the old red drum fishery is also heating up in the Neuse, not only on soaking bait but on popping corks. Just make sure you really rip the corks to create a lot of noise for a hungry red down near the bottom.
News from in-between show good catches of specks and slot reds in the marshes, and topwater baits are still hot. We are still on hold for flounder season 2023 here in North Carolina but how about this catch in my home state of Connecticut, a 15.3-pound summer flounder (aka fluke) by Bill Proulx.
Near the beach fishing is still producing Spanish mackerel and bluefish to several pounds with a few chopper blues in the mix. There are still a few Atlantic bonito around, but they should be gone soon as water temps continue to rise. I’m surprised there are still any around as we approach 80 degrees in the ocean. And, I wonder if the albies are still at AR 330? As far as cobia, this year’s action is outperforming the last couple of years with some monster 60- and 70-pounders being caught on fresh menhaden. There have been quite a few undersized fish as well, so measure twice, fillet once! Minimum size is 36-inch fork length. Check out the the N.C. Division of Mariner Fisheries proclamation FF-11-2023 for current regulations on cobia.
One other near-beach option this time of year is fishing behind shrimp trawls. There are of course sharks a-plenty but other fish follow the trawl debris too, like kings, false albacore, maybe a cobia and chopper blues to name a few. It’s a great place to hook up a shark on the fly as well!
Where there is still a mystery is the surf with some bottom fish, pompano and sea mullet in the local holes around Black Skimmer and 3rd Street, and there are sand fleas to be gathered as bait. Around Fort Macon and The Point in Emerald Isle, you can find Spanish and blues, but where are the slot reds? It’s been a couple of years since we’ve seen any decent puppy drum action.
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Now for the fishing piers. Again, it’s been somewhat of a slow week.
Oceanana Pier reports a slower week for Spanish and blues with the dirty water, on the bottom a few sea mullet, croakers and spots.
Bogue Inlet Pier, again reports slow all week, especially bottom fishing. Smallish Spanish and blues to 4 pounds have been caught with scattered bottom fare, sea mullet and spots mostly at night and small flounder. Four kings have been weighed in at the pier so far this year, topped by a 40.5-pounder caught earlier this month.
Seaview Pier reports one 19-pound king, some blues and Spanish, pompano and sea mullet.
Surf City Pier reports Spanish and blues, along with sheepshead, spadefish, croakers and spots, but no kings.
Jolly Roger Pier reports three barracudas to 27 pounds, blues and Spanish early, sheepshead, some bottom action at night for sea mullet, but no kings. They did see pods of tarpon pass by on the way north.
Oh, by the way – plenty of flounder (HaHaHaHa).
BOGUS NOTES
1) Check me out at www.Facebook.com/Dr.Bogus.
2) Log onto my website at www.ncoif.com. It’s now better than ever.
3) I’m located at 118 Conch Ct. in “Sea Dunes,” just off Coast Guard Road., Emerald Isle, NC 28594. Mailing address is P.O. Box 5225, Emerald Isle, NC 28594. Don’t forget a gift certificate for your favorite angler for fishing lessons or my totally Bogus Fishing Report subscription. Please stop by at any time and say “Hi” (252-354-4905).