At the Sea Trail Fishing Club Meeting on Thursday, Harold Golding gave a presentation on his methods for catching Flounder, Speckled Trout, Red Drum, Black Drum and Sheepshead. The meeting was attended by almost 50 members and guests. Harold came to the Sunset Beach area 12 years ago. He fishes almost every day and says that he enjoys catching fish and fishing with others in and around Southeastern Brunswick County and the Little River areas of South Carolina.

Harold reminded everyone the importance of having good equipment and the proper rigging for the target fish. This includes rods, reels, terminal tackle and bait. He also confided that it helps to know where to find the good holes.

Although the 2023 flounder season in North Carolina was restricted to only two weeks, Harold was able to catch flounder every single day from his 20-ft Carolina Skiff. Under Harold’s guidance, those fishing with him also landed their one fish per day bag limit while releasing several more. Harold reminded us that flounder like to lurk around oyster beds and structure where they can lie in wait and ambush prey. For flounder, Harold uses a 7-foot medium action rod and a 2500 reel with 20-pound braid. 

A dropper rig is attached to the braid using a 20-pound monofilament leader. The top hook is baited with a 3-inch pink curly-tail grub and the bottom with a 5-inch white curly-tail grub on a 1/4 to 3/8 ounce jig head. Although many anglers like to use live minnows on a Carolina rig, the scented Gulp grubs work better for him. Harold uses the grub in a jigging fashion close to the boat. When he feels a bite, he generally counts to at least 5 (or more depending on the depth of water) and before setting the hook. 

When Harold is targeting Speckled Trout, he uses one or two different methods. In the mornings or evenings, almost any of a variety of top-water plugs can be very successful when fished through of around grass. Good bets for lures include suspending Yo-Zuri or MirrOlip lures that dive on retrieve.  But the most productive method that Harold has found for catching speckled trout is to use live shrimp or minnows on a small treble hook under a float rig with a sliding bobber-stop to accommodate depth changes in the rising or falling tide.

He actually has the most success on the incoming or rising tide. When live bait is not available, he finds that the VuDu shrimp or the various Z-man Trout Tricks work well too.

Black drum and sheepshead will take small fiddler crabs, large black crabs, or dead shrimp. Cut shrimp work well too. Hook the bait on double dropper rig with two small circle hooks and a terminal 2-oz sinker. Black drum and sheepshead like old docks and lots of structure; look for docks with barnacles. The best approach is to drop the bait and wait.

Red drum, also called red fish, spot tail and puppy drum, are found at the jetties or schooling in the shallows within the marshes. At the jetties Harold uses a stiff, heavy action rod with 80 lb. braid tied to a 50 lb. fluorocarbon leader.  The go-to setup uses a 4 oz egg sinker on a Carolina rig with a large 3/0 to 4/0 circle hook. Large mullet minnows or live pogies are his favorite baits but if live bait is unavailable, cut mullet will do nicely. 

Harold reminds everyone to always use a life vest when fishing from a boat!  

A special thank you to Justin Griffith and Alan Trojan for taking excellent notes during the presentation!

Jim started fishing as a young boy with his dad on the lakes in North Jersey.  “Dad wasn’t a very good fisherman, but he was persistent, and instilled a love of the water on myself.” Like many of us, his first angling equipment was the classic Zebco spin-cast outfit. Jim and a childhood friend used to spend hours fishing on the lake where he grew up. His friend’s mom would fry up sunfish, bluegill, and crappie for them. As he got older, Jim fished for trout in the streams of north and central NJ.  Whether casting a fly or drowning worms, fresh trout were always a welcome treat.  His most memorable catch was a 3½ lb rainbow trout that he caught using an ultralight rod he had previously gifted his father, the year after he passed away.  The trout was mounted on Jim’s wall for many years, bringing back memories of his dad.

Other fishing excursions that Jim has enjoyed include countless numbers of trips with friends, Roger, Basil, dad, and Gary  to Ontario and Quebec in pursuit of elusive walleye and northern pike; tuna fishing off Montauk in a 22’ boat with 4 other guys (only time he ever got seasick… something about the anchored boat bucking the waves; innumerable fluke fishing trips in the Raritan Bay; bottom fishing for bass and tog off the Southern Jersey coast; and surf fishing on his annual pilgrimage to the Outer Banks (Rodanthe is his favorite).  Jim also enjoys pier fishing both locally and in the Outer Banks. Jim’s ‘Fishing Bucket List’ includes a trip to Florida’s Lake Okeechobee in search of lunker bass. Recently, Jim was featured with friends Alan Trojan and Clint Morschauser, in an article published in the Brunswick Beacon after a local, very successful, fishing trip with Captain Tripp Hooks. An avid fisherman, Jim’s favorite saying is “The tug is the drug”!

Jim has owned several boats with his current one being a 2019 Boston Whaler Montauk 170 that he keeps at the newly opened Calabash Marina. Jim is still learning the tricks of the trade in fishing the Intracoastal Waterway, but has benefited greatly on several charter trips with other members of the club. Recently, Jim was featured with friends Alan Trojan and Clint Morschauser, in an article published in The Brunswick Beacon after a local, very successful, fishing trip with Captain Tripp Hooks. The team scored big and had to throw back many trout after meeting the limit for the boat. An avid fisherman, Jim’s favorite saying is “The tug is the drug”!  

Jim is a retired (Telcom Engineer, AT&T and Lucent, and IT Audit Director, CIT Bank) and moved to Sunset Beach a year and a half year ago with his wife and 3 dogs. He affectionately calls the dogs “boat anchors” because he can’t just up and go somewhere for an overnight stay. Jim and Margaret have one daughter, Brigit, who is a teacher in NJ and is getting married this month to a NYC Paramedic.

In December three of our Sea Trail Fishing Club members went on a very successful charter trip with Captain Tripp Hooks. The adventure started out on a sunny, but chilly morning with temperatures in the mid-30’s. at the Salt Fever Guide Service docks. Fishing along the ICW at Tripp’s handpicked, favorite locations, Alan Trojan, Clint Morschauser, and Jim Baumgartner filled out their bag limit of four speckled trout each. The largest was 22 inches, but they also released several undersized trout. One weakfish or grey trout was also released. In addition to a great day of trout fishing, the group also caught a ‘slot’ red drum and four black drum. Most of the action occurred in Tubbs Inlet and Tubbs Cut areas. Spinning rigs were used with floats and treble hooks baited with live shrimp. Captain Hooks runs ‘Capt’N Hook Outdoor’ charters out of Ocean Isle Marina (https://capthookoutdoors.com).

Case in Point: Besides going fishing with our members, there are many great fishing guide professionals in our area that can put you on to a good fishing experience. Some of these guides will speak at our STFC meetings to impart their expertise on lures, rigs, and the right techniques to improve your odds.

[Photo: Compliments of Captain Hooks]

One of the great opportunities of being in the Sea Trail Fishing Club is being invited to fish with other members. Whether the invitation is to fish a pond, lake, pier or whatever, it is always more fun and satisfying to fish with a friend(s) than to fish alone. In addition, you get to share information about fishing gear, tackle, and angling techniques. And who knows, it is great to have a witness if you hook the ‘big one’ and to get to make or better know a friend!!

If the invitation comes from a member that happens to have a boat, that is a double benefit. You get to fish in places that you can’t normally access without a lot of expense and there is an added measure of safety for both. Fishing alone can be hazardous if the unexpected occurs.

Yesterday, Brian Brumbaugh put out an email invitation to our members to join him on his boat for a fishing trip. It seems that I was the only taker, even though I offered to step aside if there were others that were not anxious to take up Brian’s offer. Yes, it was a late notice and yes, it was a bit chilly. We did go and it was as much fun as expected! I caught and landed my personal best Black Drum and Sheepshead of the year.

So, get your fishing gear together and your hooks sharp. Be ready at all times for that unexpected call or email. Most of the time opportunities come around when you least expect them.

Hey, if you haven’t yet voted for the Proposed Policy & Procedures rules click the link below:

Count My Vote

As a North Carolina native. Mike started his fishing experiences on small freshwater ponds when he was about 7 years old.  Around the age of 11 he started fishing the ‘Big Salt’, mainly from piers. His first efforts on the pier were mostly bottom and bobber fishing but then he began to notice others bringing in much bigger catches. After he watched anglers on the Cherry Grove pier bringing in 32 to 35-pound King Mackerel, he knew that he had to step up his game. He says that learning the craft of fishing is a never-ending process that takes more than a lifetime because there are always new techniques and equipment. He recalls asking others for bits and pieces of advice which they were usually happy to provide. In particular, he remembers Kenny Underwood that was always willing to share his wealth of fishing lore with him and many others. Mike credits Underwood for developing the technique of using floats.  Certainly, ‘Pier Fishing’ seems to be a communal-social experience that differs uniquely from other types of angling endeavors.

Mike says that fishing for Kings’ is not for the anxious, timid, or those without a great deal of patience but that the rewards are worth the wait! Like all of the ‘honest’ fisherfolk, you sometimes go home skunked. Mike confessed that on a bad run it might be an 8 to 10-day stretch without a sizable catch. But once you do get on a nice-sized King, you are in for a 15 to 30-minute battle. A hooked King, he says, will usually take go straight away from you. A big one can take out as much as 400 yards of line before turning and charging back – challenging you to take up slack and keep a tight line. The only thing to worry about after tiring the fish and bringing it to the net, is to hope that a hungry shark hasn’t followed it to the pier! So, King fishing requires both patience and luck. Mike’s largest King was a 38-pound brute that he landed off the Sunset Beach Fishing Pier in 2017!

When asked about his gear and terminal tackle, Mike said that he uses a 5’ 6”-ft Star rod with a Penn Fathom reel, spooled with about 450 yards of 50-lb braid. That’s a nice reel with a 4.3:1 gear ratio!  A 60-lb wire leader ends with double #4 treble hooks. Live bait is a must for Kings and he harvests his own array of small bluefish, spots or pin fish while he waits for the big one!

Mike has done well recently and has filets from three mackerel in his freezer. I asked him about his culinary preferences. He likes to filet the fish after cutting out the lateral line and removing the skin. Best cooked, he says, with a selection of marinades and grilled! Hmm, sounds delicious! Mike’s “Bucket List” includes catching a 30 to 40-lb cobia. Perhaps by sight casting with surface lures on a guided trip. Maybe a good goal for late April through June, or until the King Mackerel season heats up!

Mike fishes for Kings as many as 5 days a week June through October, with some time off in August when it is too hot and humid. But you might see him on the bridges at Vereen Park in Calabash or The River Walk in Shallotte. Wherever you find him, he is always most noticeable in his well-worn, floppy wide-brimmed hat. And he is always ready to take time out for a chat or to trade advice and fish stories.