Author Archives: Mike Shannon

Fish Screamer Charter

Dear Club members and guests, 

This will be our fourth season on the Fish Screamer 3, operated by Captain Danny, a third-generation captain. Each trip has been a success, with a variety of fish caught in good quantities. The level of service we receive is outstanding, and the bait (which is provided at no extra charge) is always fresh and firm.

We will be doing 12-hour offshore bottom fishing trips. I have reduced the number of trips this spring because I will be traveling more. The scheduled dates are as follows:

– Friday, June 13th

– Friday, July 11th

– Saturday, August 16th

– Saturday, September 13th

The boat will leave at 6:00 AM and return at 6-7 PM from 4458 Water Front Avenue, Little River, SC (behind Crab Catchers Restaurant on the water). The boat comfortably accommodates up to ten passengers, ensuring plenty of space for everyone. It is spacious and handles the seas very well.

Please arrive 20 minutes early so we can leave at 6:00 AM sharp. We will be going out about 45-60 miles and bottom fishing at depths usually greater than 100 feet. The cost is $225 per person, plus a tip for the mate (which includes fresh, quality bait and a very high level of service).

If you’re interested, please contact Andrew David at 410-404-0972 or  andrewid83@gmail.com. To hold your spot, please send a check to: 

Andrew David, 706 Royal Fern Ct,  Calabash, NC 28467

OFFSHORE FISHING OPPORTUNITY

Hey Sea Trail Fishing Club Members!
Want To Go Offshore Fishing on the Cyclone?

DATE: May 10, 2025
TARGETS: Black Sea Bass, Grunts, Porgies, and Potentially Trolling For Mahi and Kings! And Grouper season will be open!


This trip is only open to Sea Trail Fishing Club Members! Each Member can sign up one guest. This will be approximately a 6-hour trip about 10 miles offshore.

COST: $70 per member; $80 per guest.

The “Cyclone” is a 45-foot boat with Walk-around deck and an onboard head. The boat can hold 42 passengers but this exclusive trip will be limited to a total of 30 members and guests.

Interested? Mail a non-refundable deposit of $20 for each person,
made payable to the Sea Trail Fishing Club to:
Alan Trojan
917 Wedge Pointe Drive
Sunset Beach, NC 28468

Don’t Delay! The offer closes as soon as the boat is filled!

Speckled Trout Harvest is closed until June 15th

Waters close to commercial and recreational spotted seatrout harvest

MOREHEAD CITY – The N.C. Department of Environmental Quality’s Division of Marine Fisheries will close coastal and joint waters in North Carolina to both commercial and recreational spotted seatrout harvest effective at 5 p.m. Friday, Jan. 24 due to widespread cold stun events.

Cold stuns are natural events that occur when there is a sudden drop in water temperature or prolonged periods of cold weather that makes the fish sluggish. Many fish will die from the cold. Others fall prey to birds and other predators. Studies suggest that cold stun events can have a significant impact on spotted seatrout populations.

The division has confirmed significant spotted seatrout cold stun events or water temperatures as recorded by the division’s water temperature monitoring program have exceeded temperature triggers in seven water bodies from the Little Alligator River to the Morehead City area. The division is still receiving and verifying more cold stun reports and collecting associated environmental data. These efforts will continue regardless of the closure so the division can capture the magnitude of the cold stun event to evaluate management in order to protect the stock.

Under the N.C. Spotted Seatrout Fishery Management Plan adaptive management, if a significant cold stun event occurs, the Division of Marine Fisheries will close all spotted seatrout harvests until the spring.

The intent of the closure is to allow the surviving fish a chance to spawn before harvest reopens. Peak spawning occurs from May through June.

The spotted seatrout season will remain closed until June 15 or the date adopted in Amendment 1 to the Spotted Seatrout Fishery Management Plan at the February Marine Fisheries Commission business meeting, when it will reopen by proclamation.

Commercial seafood dealers have until 5 p.m. Friday, Jan. 31 to sell, offer for sale, transport or otherwise dispose of any unfrozen spotted seatrout that remain in their possession from prior to the closure.

For more specifics on the closure in coastal waters, see FF-11-2025.

The public should continue to report any cold stun events they see in Coastal and Joint waters. Cold stun events can be reported at any time to the N.C. Marine Patrol at 252-515-5507 or during regular business hours to the Division of Marine Fisheries spotted seatrout biologist Lucas Pensinger at 252-515-5638 or Lucas.Pensinger@deq.nc.gov. When reporting a cold stun event, please provide the specific location, date, and time the cold stun was observed, along with your contact information.

For More Information 
Contact: Patricia Smith
Phone: 252-515-5500

New NC Rules for Speckled Trout

Information on Spotted Seatrout FMP Amendment 1

Draft Spotted Seatrout FMP Amendment 1


A review of the Spotted Seatrout Fishery Management Plan is underway. Results of the 2022 benchmark stock assessment indicate the stock is not overfished but is experiencing overfishing. At their November 2024 business meeting, the N.C. Marine Fisheries Commission vote to select their preferred management options for the commercial and recreational Spotted Seatrout fisheries.


Division management recommendation for both sectors:
• Statewide harvest closure Jan. through Feb.


Division management recommendation for recreational fishery:
• 14”–20” slot limit with allowance for one fish >26”
• 3 fish bag limit


Division management recommendation for commercial fishery:
• 11:59 p.m. Friday to 12:01 a.m. Tuesday closure from Oct. 1 to Dec. 31
• No changes to Bogue Banks stop net quota, but formalize management in Amendment 1


Division supplemental and cold stun management recommendations:
• Eliminate spotted seatrout captain/crew limit on for-hire trips
• Extend harvest closure following a severe cold stun through Jun. 30
For questions, contact Lucas Pensinger, Lucas.Pensinger@deq.nc.gov or Melinda Lambert, Melinda.Lambert@deq.nc.gov.