OIB

From www.oifishingcenter.com

"Bluefin infrastructure in place" | Carolina Contender- 36' | 01/17/06

Well, after realizing that there are fish in the ocean that can absolutely kick my butt, and after destroying two 50-100 pound class rods, I've licked my wounds and I'm ready to give it another try. The Ocean Isle Fishing Center will now be open daily from 10am-6pm to serve your bluefin fishing needs. We are stocked with rods, reels, line, lures, fluorocarbon and bait. We've got it all and we're ready to help you catch a bluefin. As reported, there was a bite that occured at the Horseshoe, but by luck or fate, a boat ended with lines out between lighthouse rocks and the 15 mile rocks and hooked up and caught an 84 incher. That opens up a whole new world to the fishery. It is no longer a bigger boat, 25+ mile fishery. At 9 miles off the beach, the bluefin are accessible to almost all boats. And if they are that close inshore, why not the 390/390, Shark Hole, Jungle, 65 foot hole, Barges.....?????? The only reason the fish caught off lighthouse rocks was caught was because the guy who caught it ran out of gas and decided to throw out his lines. That is the story of our bluefin fishery in a nutshell. We sort of had an idea they were always here, but we never confirmed because we just weren't fishing for them. And now, we thought we had to 25+ miles out, only to find that they are right off the beach. This fishery needs a great deal of exploration. A large group of charter and commercial boats are coming to the area from Morehead City, and I welcome them. I don't see them as competition, but rather as helpful explorers in helping us to determine the viabilty of this fishery in our waters and just where the fish are. We need the help. So, for all of you guys coming to the area, feel free to stop by the Ocean Isle Fishing Center. We'll do our best to make you feel welcome and share our knowledge of the area's waters. This weekend's weather looks gorgeous, and I invite and encourage all our area fishermen to come down and take part in the birth of the bluefin fishery.
I will be hosting a Blufin Fishing 101 seminar on Friday evening at 7pm at the Ocean Isle Fishing Center where I promise to share all my knowledge on where to look for the fish, how to get them to bite and how to land them. Having knowledge and experience to find and catch these fish is certainly important, but also remember that you may be dealing with a very big fish and safety is also critical. Let me help you get prepared so you can make the most of this opportunity. The wind is supposed to blow tomorrow, but we plan to be fishing Thurs through the weekend. We will be monitoring VHF 11 and typically leave the dock around 5am.
BLUEFIN ACCOMODATIONS DISCOUNTS OFFERED
Ocean Isle Beach, NC
Islander Inn- 25% discount- (910) 575-7000
Ocean Isle Inn- 25% discount- (910) 579-0750

-Capt. Brant McMullan