Bluefish on Top - Carolina outdoor journal - Unc - Tv - Season 33 ep. 5

[gentle orchestral fanfare] - Yeah, I saw that one. - [Capt. Brown] Saw that one, huh? - Yeah he came right up to it too. - [Capt. Brown] I had a wind not come in this one. Well, I'll retie it. - I finally made a cast kind of where I wanted to, you know. - [Capt. Brown] Oh yeah. - You can see 'em but you still need to cast to 'em. - [Capt. Brown] Yeah, you gotta be right now, since the wind got right, you gotta be pretty accurate. You ain't gotta be dead on his head. I mean you throw it up above him or a little below him. - This one feels a little bit better than the last one, too. - [Capt. Brown] Oh yeah, there's a good fish. - [Narrator] The production of Carolina Outdoor Journal is made possible in part by the 2018 GMC Sierra. Visit your GMC dealer today. We are professional grade. And by Grady-White Boats, exceptional attention to detail. And a leader in marine fisheries conservation. And by Southern Bank, thank bank of better business. And supporters of the Take a Kid Fishing Foundation. Southern Bank, our interest is you. And with additional support of these fine companies. [cheery music] And from contributions from UNC-TV viewers like you. [cheery music] - Hello, welcome to the Carolina Outdoor Journal. Well, today's program, we're gonna be traveling. Got a couple of different locations, but Joe, it's all about topwater fishing. - That's right. We're gonna be targeting a really nice class of bluefish in the eight to 12 pound category. We're gonna take you, the first part of the trip we shot several years ago at Cape Lookout, back in the flats which is a known area in May to catch 'em. And a lot of people know about it. They're in there for a couple of weeks and then they move on. This year, for the first time that I can remember we've had blue fish in that class from Oak Island all the way to Nags Head. Where I've seen 'em and haven't seem 'em before are back in the marshes. So, the second half of the show we're gonna take you back near Sneads Ferry, back in the marsh and catch a few there to show you that these fish were literally, in the Spring, everywhere. And a lot of fun to catch. - And we have something special in Gear Time today, too, right? - Well, the guys will talk to you about the baits, the topwater baits they used. One of them's a brand new one from DOA, it's called a PT-7 and we'll show it to you at the end of the show. Little topwater bait that the blue fish really like. - And Donna's got one of my favorite recipes today. It's a lemon herb flounder, good stuff. - [Joe] Good flounder recipe from her. If you like the flatfish, get ready for a good recipe. - Alright, we've got some traveling to do, so let's get with it here on the Carolina Outdoor Journal. - [Capt. Brown] Well, buddy, I brought you to Heaven today. [laughing] You're gonna come down here, we're gonna catch them ten, 15 pound big Hatteras blues on topwater today right here. - [Joe] I've never done it. - [Capt. Brown] We're gonna make history today. - [Joe] Well, I'm looking forward to that. - [Capt. Brown] Well, let's get 'er done. We got a big shoal here behind us. We got Cape Lookout right here. - [Joe] Yeah. - And the lighthouse, and the water we're gonna be catching these fish in is gonna be two, three foot of water. - And it's the last week in May. - Last week in May. It happens every year. - Did they just get here? - You're here on their migration. They're heading back to Nantucket for summer vacation. - I got ya. Well, I'm looking forward to it. - Let's do it! Let's do it now. - Alright, let's get on 'em. - Mr. Dorman. - Yes, sir? - Throw that top dog that way. - Right on the shoal? - Chunk her! - Alright. - Let her have it. - Get him on out there. Work that joker. Get him a hoppin'. You'll do good right out here. Don't mess with him, get him a'goin'. I want him to crash 'em. - [Joe] You gonna run him fast or stop him? - [Capt. Brown] Yeah, run it a little fast, give it a little bit of heat to follow on. Let's see if I see any out here. They usually pile up here for lunch. I'm gonna come over your head. I'm gonna go long out this way. I like to go long. - [Joe] There's one Charlie - [Capt. Brown] Good job, buddy, get 'em. - [Joe] That feels like a good one, too. - [Capt. Brown] Yeah, they're pretty fish. They're pretty fish, buddy. - He was way back. Right on the edge of the shoal. Yeah, look at him. - [Capt. Brown] Yeah, he'll jump, now. - [Joe] He did jump. - [Capt. Brown] He'll get some more action out of ya. Put tension on him because he'll jump and try to throw that top dog down. He'll try and throw the top dog. - I didn't see a school on this one. - Yeah, when the tide starts rolling out of here good, Joe, these fish will gang up here. Right here at the mouth of this opening. - [Joe] I see what they're after here, yeah. Just funneling all the bait right down in here. - [Capt. Brown] Yeah. It's got this slew that comes right together like a funnel. - [Joe] Yeah, I see wider here. - [Capt. Brown] Huh? - [Joe] I understand that, yeah. - [Capt. Brown] It's like fishing in the Bahamas. This is green water isn't it. - [Joe] It's pretty. Yeah it is. - [Capt. Brown] That's a pretty one. - [Joe] Yeah. Well, that's a big bluefish. - [Capt. Brown] Huh? - [Joe] That's a big bluefish. - [Capt. Brown] That's a big bluefish isn't it? - [Joe] It is a big bluefish. - [Capt. Brown] Yeah, here's a small one. Just wait til this tide gets out of here, gets a'rollin'. You'll see them gang up in here. They're like animals. - [Joe] Yeah, he's a nice fish. You wanna get him by his tail? - [Capt. Brown] Yeah, I'll tail him. Come here, come here, old boy. - [Joe] Don't let that plug get ya. - [Capt. Brown] Oh yeah, don't let that top dog get ya. - [Joe] That's what I mean. - [Capt. Brown] That top dog will get you. It's on the lip. Okay, there we go. - [Joe] Don't let that bluefish get you. - [Capt. Brown] You get him out of there while I get the top dog out. - [Joe] Watch them teeth. - [Capt. Brown] Look at him. Talk about a big fish. This is what them bluefish look like. For here. Come here. That's a pretty fish. - [Joe] That's a pretty fish. Strong fish. - Woops, there he goes. - Let's put him back. [laughing] - He's going by himself. - You just put him back. - [Capt. Brown] They are strong now, they are strong fish. - [Joe] They are a strong fish. - You know, I brought one of my good buddies in here yesterday and he told me that that's his new favorite fish over everything else he catches. [laughing] - I can understand why. - [Capt. Brown] There he is. You got him, Joe? - [Joe] Yeah. - [Capt. Brown] Good job, good job. - Yeah, I saw that one. - [Capt. Brown] We saw that one, huh. - Yeah, he came right up to it, too. - [Capt. Brown] I had a wind knot come in this one. Well, I'll retie it. - I finally made a cast kind of where I wanted to, you know. - [Capt. Brown] Oh, yeah. - You can see 'em, but you still need to cast to them. - [Capt. Brown] Yeah, you gotta be, right now, since the wind got right, you gotta be pretty accurate. You ain't gotta be dead on his head. I mean, you throw it up above him or a little below him. - This one feels a little bit better than the last one, too. - [Capt. Brown] Oh yeah, there's a good fish. He decided to blow up on it? - He did, and he went on the other side of the shoal with it, Charlie. - Yeah, that one I throwed right there, he blowed up on it twice. Let's get him in here. - They are getting turned on like you say. - Yeah, they are going to. The lower this tide gets, the more it starts coming out here, the more fish are gonna pile up here. - Well, you know, we just broke a fish off. - Yeah. - Just missed a couple strikes. And this one blew up on this one all in just two or three minutes. - Me and you could stay here until dusk. I think we could wear each other out here. - I don't think my arm can stand staying here until dusk. - [Capt. Brown] Look at it. - [Joe] There's a fish right behind that one, Charlie. - [Capt. Brown] Oh yeah. I get so every now and then, I gotta get this fish. Look at that fish. That's a big fish. - [Joe] That's a big fish. - [Capt. Brown] I tell you they're big bluefish? - [Joe] That's a big blue fish right there. - [Capt. Brown] Huh. - [Joe] And that current, when they get sideways you just can't move them. - [Capt. Brown] I could handle two people doing this. - [Joe] I tell you what, it'll work you pretty steady. - [Capt. Brown] Look at 'em. That's three or four right there. - [Joe] Right there, yeah. - [Capt. Brown] Look there's three or four following. There's more coming. - [Joe] I see 'em. Yeah, they're ganging up in here like you say. - [Capt. Brown] You see 'em coming right there? Look at 'em, they're ganging up right here with this one. They're wantin' to know what he's got. - [Joe] Yeah, he's got some food. - [Capt. Brown] Now this one's got some groceries. - [Joe] Yeah, he's bigger than the other one. - [Capt. Brown] Oh yeah, he's. Ooh, come here, buddy, come here, now. Come here, come here now. - [Joe] His teeth and trouble hooks down there. - [Capt. Brown] He's kind of ticklish on the sternum. - [Joe] I see he is. - [Capt. Brown] He's kind of ticklish. Hold his head down. What he's bringing here, he might've over here bit me. Let me get my pliers in my pocket. - [Joe] Well that's a nice fish there, Charlie. - [Capt. Brown] Well that's a pretty fish, look at that fish. - Now that one's what, 12, 13, 14 pounds? - [Capt. Brown] He's every bit of 12 pounds. - Yeah, I think it is. - 12, 15 pounds, he's right there in it. Now, he'd bite the toes off of ya. - He would bite your toes off. I don't wanna go swimmin' in here today. [upbeat music] - [Grey] Joe, what are we going after today? - Well, Grey we came up here this weekend basically red fishing and we stumbled on a bunch of these big bluefish. The big Hatteras choppers almost. It was just, they don't do this very often, but when they're here they're a lot of fun. And we might catch redfish, we might catch the blues. We might even catch a trout. If we catch a trout up here, it's gonna be a nice trout. But we're basically fishing the last week of April here. It warmed up a little faster this year than normal so we may be a week or two earlier than an average year, but these fish don't come in here normally, so this is kind of a unique experience here. - How's this overcast gonna work? - Overcast is gonna be great because we're gonna be fishing with this new DOA bait topwater. - Yeah. - And that'll work, that'll give us extra time. Typically that early bite is an hour, but we may have three or four hours this morning if this stays overcast. - That's a good looking bait. I don't know, I've never seen anything like it before. - Oh, it'll work, it'll work. - Alright, good deal, I'm ready for one, too. - Guarantee it. - Let's go get 'em. - Alright, sounds good. - Alright, sir. - [Grey] Joe, how do we wanna work this bait now? - [Joe] Well Grey this is really a new bait. It's just been out this spring. But you can walk it, if you work it real slow, it'll walk. And you can actually chug it a little bit. It'll do both. - [Grey] And let it pause a little bit? - [Joe] Let it pause, yeah, yeah. And the water's so high right now I think we're gonna have to be pretty much dead on the bank and the tide is still coming in. We're behind a pretty big rain and obviously a full moon or something here because the water is unfishable. - [Grey] The fish ought to be moving in now with this tide coming in. - [Joe] Exactly right. We're gonna have to fish it in really tight to the bank, I think. - [Grey] Well, I tell you what, it's a good lookin' bait. And that soft feel, I believe they'll hold onto it. - [Joe] They will, and there's a good hook in it and that's important with these fish. They're pretty tight on the bank. Alright, that's a nice fish there. - [Grey] Well, I haven't seen him yet. - [Joe] Staying with him. He's tryna get under the trolling motor. - [Grey] He's got in the trolling motor. He's just doing whatever it is he wants to do right now. - [Joe] Boy he jumped on it, didn't he? - [Grey] He did. That's a red ain't she? - [Joe] Well, you never know up here, Grey. It can be, it does look like a red. - [Grey] Yeah, I think it was when it showed his side. Buddy, he killed it. - [Joe] Yes sirree. - [Grey] That's a big red. That's a nice fish. - [Joe] You just don't ever know up in here. You can catch reds. - [Grey] Boy, he jumped on it, now, bout as hard as I've ever seen. - [Joe] Chopper blues and trout, too. But if you catch a trout up here, he's gonna be a good trout. He's competin' with those blue fish. - [Grey] PT what, PT-7, Joe? - [Joe] PT-7, new bait. - [Grey] Well, I tell you what. - [Joe] Worked on that one. - [Grey] Yeah. I'll do my best not to knock him off. - [Joe] Comin' to ya. - [Grey] Alright. Got him! Good job, man. - [Joe] Thank you, sir. - [Grey] Alright, pal. Good job. - [Joe] Alright, it's gonna take both of us to hold that one, Grey. - [Grey] Yeah, yeah. Oh man, he wanted it. - [Joe] That hook is in there. Yes, sir. - [Grey] He wanted it. [laughing] Hey, I'll settle for these all day. What is that, second, third cast? - [Joe] Right at it, yeah. - [Grey] Good job, man. What a fish. You got him? - [Joe] Got him. And that one's in the slot, I'm pretty sure. - [Grey] Oh yeah, yeah. - [Joe] Gonna measure her. Gonna release her anyway. Pretty fish. Beautiful fish. - [Grey] Alright, big guy. You're one up on me. Ha! We got it now! - [Joe] That's a good fish right there. I'll get the net, you rod down. Tail walking. - [Grey] Look at her, look at her. - [Joe] Yeah. - [Grey] Alright, baby, come on. - [Joe] Let him jump. - [Grey] Yes, sir, yeah. C'mon, don't cut me off, don't cut me off. Looky there, looky there, look here, Joe. I'm gonna bring him to you. - [Joe] Alright, go around the motor, go around the motor. - [Grey] Okay. - [Joe] I don't know if he's ready for you to bring him to me. - [Grey] I don't believe he's quite ready. We got a little hook set in him that time. - [Joe] Yep. - [Grey] C'mon baby, c'mon baby. C'mon baby. That fish has been hit on the back. Somethin'*** that fish. - [Joe] I saw that, yeah. - [Grey] You got him? Alright! - [Joe] Yeah, looky there. - [Grey] I hear you boy! [cheering] Good deal! Look at that fish! - [Joe] Yeah, they'll bite each other. - [Grey] We're gonna try to stay away from them teeth. - [Joe] Be real careful with this fella. - [Grey] Alright. He can take a finger off I would imagine. - [Joe] I would think so. - [Grey] Got him? - [Joe] Hope so. - [Grey] I like that big hook in that plug there. You get that plug hook in him, you got him. Looky there! Why don't you look right here, Joe? Boy, something has eat him up. - [Joe] I guess another blue hit him. They are aggressive fish. Bit across the tail there, too. They were probably in here feeding and got in a frenzy. - [Grey] Why don't you look at this little old bait here. He has tore it all to. Look here, Joe. Look at that bait. He's eat it up! - [Joe] Oh yeah, their teeth are terrible. - [Grey] They love it! - [Joe] Yeah. Yeah, man. - [Grey] That's your blue, isn't it? - [Joe] I think so. He's mad about it, too. - [Grey] Yeah he is. Lemme know when you get up there, I'll net him for you. - [Joe] Oh, it'll be a little while. Yeah, it won't be no time soon. - [Grey] Boy, they jump on it. What you got there, buddy? - [Joe] He's a nice fish. - [Grey] Oh yeah he is. - [Joe] Like I say, they just don't come in here every year like this. This is just a bonus on top of catching redfish and stuff. - [Grey] Oh boy. That's a nice fish. Look at that, look at that! Joe, that's a big, that's a big blue. - [Joe] Grey, he cut me off, look. - [Grey] Oh my goodness gracious. Well, that blue, he was that long, Joe. - [Joe] He was probably 30 inches, yeah. - [Grey] Goodness gracious! - [Joe] It's a good class of fish, but their teeth are just razor sharp. - [Grey] Oh yeah, absolutely they are. And he probably had that bait down in his mouth. - [Joe] Yeah, that bait is just the size that they can just about inhale it. You saw when he hit, I mean, he inhaled it. - [Grey] Alright, here we go, Joe. - [Joe] That's what we need. - [Grey] That's it, that was a good hit there, Joe. - [Joe] He popped it, he popped it good. - [Grey] I don't know what it is. - [Joe] I think that's old blue boy, I think. - [Grey] That's the blue, Joe! - [Joe] Yep, yeah. - [Grey] Alright, Joe. - [Joe] He ain't ready. - [Grey] Do what you do best, get the net. - [Joe] [laughs] Get the net. - [Grey] Look at that, Joe. Looky there, that's a nice fish there. We got him. - [Joe] Yeah. - [Grey] Don't cut me, baby, don't cut me! - [Joe] Alright. - [Grey] Alright, Joe. [yells] Look at that. - [Joe] How in the world did they come off? - [Grey] Goodness gracious! - [Joe] Man, Grey, you had a hook in that fish good. - [Grey] Whoo! Oh boy, that's why they call it fishing. - [Joe] I guess so. - [Grey] Alright, he ain't out there by himself. - [Joe] Yeah, there some more. - Joe, that's a good class of fish. - It really was. And we haven't seen that many of that size bluefish probably since the seventies, early eighties. They've been everywhere. And I wanted to show you the different areas that basically we've seen them this year. Again on topwater, they're just, they're a very aggressive fish, and a lot of fun. - We're gonna find out more. Let's go to Gear Time. [cheery music] - Joe, we got out this morning, early. We had a good overcast and we got off to a good start. - Yeah, they bit really well long as those clouds were in between the sun and us. - We came after the big blues and about the third cast you made you hooked into that big red. It was just a variety day. - They're all predator fish, they're all in here together. - Well, tell me something, is it that common? I've never heard of big blues in this area before. - Grey, it's really not. We caught 'em up at Cape Lookout several years ago and it's pretty prominent up there. You'll catch 'em on the big flats where the tide bleeds out on the following tides. And we, same pattern, we catch 'em on topwater walking baits, swim baits, too. But the topwater's the fun part. - Well, I know these baits we were using today, I've never seen this bait before. But, I tell you, it worked well. - Yeah, that DOA, it's got a little rattle in it. What we used back over the years at Cape Lookout was this hard walking bait. And I changed to it a little bit today after the sun come out so we could cover a little bit more ground. It's more buoyant bait, and I can walk it faster, and I can keep it moving better. - I noticed it seems like in the past you hear most of the big blue activity up activity up around the Cape Lookout area. - It's really uncommon to find them in here with these redfish. Now we catch redfish almost year round on these flats here, Sneads Ferry. But the blues come in and if your timing's good you can get 'em, but they won't stay here long. They're just looking for food, moving north. - Well, I tell you, it was a lot of fun. And especially on these rods that we uh. What is that rod? - That's a seven foot, medium-heavy, TFO rod. And the medium part gives you a good tip so you can cast. You know, we're throwing these baits 50, 60 yards. And then the heavy action helps you pull the fish out. And that big hook, you gotta have some bone to put that hook in the fish. - Well, we had some good action with them. - Yeah, we really did. - Some good hooks set. I was very pleased with 'em. - Well, you'll have to come do it again and maybe next spring when you pass through we'll try 'em again. - Let'*** 'em early next year. - Alright, sounds good. - Thank you, Joe. I appreciate the invitation. - Enjoyed it. - Thanks guys for the that information. Now if you'd like to book a trip give our friend Ricky Kellum a call and I promise you'll have an enjoyable day. Now, let's catch up with Donna. She's in the kitchen with a recipe. One of my favorites, it's about flounder, it's about herbs, and it's about lemon. Let's go join Donna. [upbeat music] - Hi, today in the kitchen we're making a zesty lemon herbed baked flounder. Quick and easy, it's one of those things you can make when you come home from work or a busy day out and about. But you wanna have something tasty at home. So, quick and easy. We're gonna take our flounder filets, and I just kind of patted them dry. And I'm going to place them in my baking sheet. I mean my baking dish. And if they, you might have to fold them over a little bit depending on the size of your dish and your flounder. That's okay. We're just gonna place those in there. Then, we're going to drizzle that with some melted butter. So, it's gonna be great. It already has some really great ingredients in there. We're gonna do a little salt and pepper. And a little salt. Then we're gonna do a little parsley, flat leave parsley that we've chopped kind of roughly. Adds some nice color as well as some flavor. Then, we're gonna take one lemon that we have sliced thinly. And just place your lemon wedges, or your lemon slices on top. That's it. Quick and easy, we're gonna put this in the oven at about 350 for about 20 minutes until your fish is opaque in color. And it'll be, you'll have this nice buttery flavor, butter will be melted on the top and around the sides. And then you're gonna pull it out and you're gonna top it with some crushed Italian seasoned croutons. And what I did instead of just putting them in my food processor, whatever, I just took the bag and used my frustration, got it out, and just banged on the bag. You get some nice crunch. You get some different sized croutons. And then you're just gonna top it with that and you can put it back in the oven if you'd like. Just to warm those up a little bit. And you're ready to go. Serve this with some, maybe some steamed green beans. Or a side salad and you are ready to go. So, this is what it looks like. I made it in this nice little fancy bowl for you. Cause you can use those, too, makes them kind of fun. So, I hope you enjoy this zesty lemon herbed baked flounder. And I look forward to seeing you next time here on Simple Cooking. - Thanks Donna for that recipe, one of my favorites. You'll find it in our cookbook and you can get it right there online. Joe, good class fish, good day of fishing. - It really was and what really caught my attention this spring was where we were seeing this bluefish. Again, back in the day, in the seventies and eighties when they were all over the beaches in the spring and fall, I never remembered them being back in the marsh and that's why we wanted to do that. And we wanted to show you where typically over the last few years you could catch them in May around the Cape Lookout area on those flats. Being back in the marsh where we caught them around Sneads Ferry this spring was different. And I wanted to show 'em to you. But catching them topwater, that's the best way to do it. And these little PT-7 DOA baits, brand new from them this year, and we wanted to try them just to see if the bluefish and the drum, too. Because you can catch drum in the same area that you saw that we did. If the bluefish would like them, and they certainly did. They didn't hesitate to hit 'em, and like you said, we caught a few fish that day. And got 'em to the boat, a couple of 'em, but they cut off. But anyway, the bluefish this year have been a lot of fun. And hopefully they'll be around every spring coming up. - Just another day in North Carolina. - Absolutely. - For Joe Albea, I'm John Moore, we thank you for joining us today on the Carolina Outdoor Journal. - [Narrator] Make sure to visit our website for more information and a link to our online store, Angler's Bay. [upbeat music] The production of Carolina Outdoor Journal is made possible in part by the 2018 GMC Sierra. Visit your GMC dealer today. We are professional grade. And by Grady-White Boats, exceptional attention to detail and a leader in marine fisheries conservation. And by Southern Bank, the bank of better business. And supporters of the Sylvan Heights Bird Park. Southern Bank, our interest is you. And with additional support of these fine companies. [cheery music] And from contributions from UNC-TV viewers like you. [cheery music]