In case you missed it, last Saturday was the Annual Club Pier Fishing Event organized by Alan Trojan and the STFC Board of Directors. I arrived early for my very first try at pier fishing and landed a pompano in about two minutes. Bob Weiss, fishing near me caught a whiting soon after – he landed at least three before 9 AM..

Steve Pendergrass was greeting members at the Club Sign-up table near the dock entrance and Michael Griffin, John Crespin and Brian Brumbaugh handed out live shrimp and/or provided photo ops. President, Steve Heins, Harold Golding and big Bill ‘Buck’ Trull worked the crowd and helped out where-ever needed as 38 of our STFC members took advantage of the great weather.

I didn’t realize it but North Carolina’s ocean piers are renowned for their excellent fishing. Key species caught in spring, summer and fall include spot, whiting, croaker, pompano, flounder, bluefish, black and red drum, speckled and grey trout, cobia, tarpon, sheepshead, Spanish and King mackerel and various species of shark. On Thursday, before the pier event, Michael Griffin caught a 19.5 inch king and on Saturday, at about 2:15 PM another angler caught a king that was just shy of 30 lbs.

So if you haven’t tried pier fishing and happened to have missed Saturday’s event, you just might want to consider trying a bit of pier fishing. Piers provide excellent ocean fishing access for anglers that have physical limitations, who don’t own a boat, or who are very young or old.  Or even for folks like me who get a tad sea-sick when the waves get rough. Local piers include Holden Beach, Ocean Isle Beach and our own Sunset Beach. A special “Thank You” goes out to the Sunset Beach Pier owners, and STFC members, Gary and Teresa Massey, and to their staff for hosting this event!

The ‘general’ consensus is that live shrimp is the best and most universal inshore bait because shrimp are abundant in the inshore habitat and are universal prey for trout, redfish and flounder. It is also generally agreed that live shrimp are a more effective bait than artificial. Why?

As a kayak angler, my livewell options are limited. So if shrimp are the best bait, which artificial shrimp is best? Recently I have explored this question and herein are my conclusions. I started with the premise that, ‘If it looks like a duck, walks like a duck, and quacks like a duck, then it must be a duck. Or in this case: ‘If it looks like a shrimp, swims like a shrimp, sounds and smells like a shrimp, then most predators will decide that it must be a shrimp’.

Does it Look like a shrimp? According to Wikipedia, shrimp are widespread and there are thousands of species that vary in size, shape and color. Popular shrimp baits are rather distinctive in shape but several vary in size and some have a wide range of colors.  I think that the pre-rigged versions have the most realistic shape – but I am not a fish, so what do I know. The picture below includes a few of the most popular shrimp baits that you will find in local stores, so you can decide which ‘Looks’ the most realistic based on the local shrimp in this area!

Does it Swim like a shrimp? In a SaltStrong article, (Best Shrimp Lures To Fish Under A Popping Cork [Brand Comparison] (saltstrong.com) ), Tony Acevedo looked at the action of shrimp baits under a popping cork by filming them in a swimming pool. He rated them based on their ‘action’ on the pop and how they settled in the water. A synopsis of his results in the chart below.

Does it Smell and Sound like a shrimp? As for smell, Berkley Gulp Shrimp and Z-Man Scented ShrimpZ are rated as having the best scent but anglers can add scents such as Pro-Cure and Dr. Juice when they think appropriate. I have found that Fishbites E-Z Shrimp strips are very effective with some lures, however, these may interfere with the action of the pre-rigged lures. Berkley and Vu-Du make shrimp baits with built-in rattles that may that attract fish. In addition, D.O.A. sells rattles that can be inserted into shrimp baits but I would suppose at the risk of affecting action. Also. there are rattles that can be attached ‘in-line’ to the leaders.

All -in-all, there are countless variations among the many shrimp lures. I am not endorsing any of these  to work in any particular situation. As Abraham Lincoln once said, “With one lure, you cannot please all of the fish, all of the time”. You be the judge.

First of all, let me thank those that went to the Club meeting last Thursday.  It was very well attended.  I hope those that went enjoyed the excellent presentation by Captain Tim Disano from Tideline Charters.  Those that didn’t go missed something.  Missing a meeting is missing an opportunity for learning from those that have knowledge that perhaps you don’t.  It is an excellent way to become more skilled and to potentially catch more fish.  Please take the time to attend a meeting.  I promise you it’s worth it.

Secondly, let me thank those that came early and helped set up, and stayed after the meeting and helped break down.  Hopefully we will be back in the Pink Palace next month and all the extra effort won’t be required.  But, we’ll keep you informed as we are appraised of the situation.

The Club is now up to 107 members on the roster.  Seven new members joined this month.  A special welcome to all the new members. Poke around on this website and get familiar with what we offer and get yourself enrolled in the Fishing Tournament.  Also consider going on to Facebook and sign up for the Sea Trail Fishing Club group.  Just go to Facebook, search for the Sea Trail Fishing group, and follow the prompts.  Email and Facebook is a primary means by which the Board of Directors communicates with the Club.  Getting signed up means that you may, for example, see posts from time to time of people that are looking to go out on charters and need people to join them.

The guest speaker for next month will be Amber White.  She is the owner of the Mad Kingz Tackle Shop.  A new location just opened in Ocean Isle Beach.  

The guest speaker for July is already locked in.  I won’t tell you who it is at this point.  But I will tell you that it is something different, and that it will be good.  You won’t want to miss it.

As of today, the Island Seafood Company is offering a 5% discount on purchases to members in good standing of the Sea Trail Fishing Club.  If you are a member in good standing, you will have a membership card that expires on 12/31/23.  If you are not a member in good standing, either see me directly or send me a check to cover your dues.  Thank you to the owner, Richard Craft, for his generous support.  If you are unfamiliar with the business, make it a point to stop by.  The owner works hard to ensure a very good selection of fresh and local fish, plus a good selection of shrimp and a whole lot more.  

And finally, Gary Massey, the owner of the Sunset Beach Pier with his wife Teresa (both of whom are Club members, by the way) posted on Facebook today that several people caught their limit of speckled trout on the Pier today.  That is really good news for the upcoming Pier event on June 10.  Get your float rigs ready!  If you are a member in good standing, you could be in for a real treat on that day!

Let’s go fishing!

Alan