First, the new flats boat. To keep the report short and sweet I will sum up the new boat in one word….Awesome! Stay tuned for the next report for lots more on the Beavertail.

Now for the fishing:

Inshore: The redfish, speckled trout, flounder and black drum are doing well in the ICW and Cape Fear River. Live bait has been the bait of choice. There are small menhaden in the dredge pond and surrounding areas. Finger mullet should be here soon!

Offshore: The Spanish Mackerel are biting well just off the beach out to 5 miles along with the blues. King Mackerel are biting well around the dredge wreck and schoolhouse. I have been using cigar minnows, but yozuri’s and drone spoons will also work this time of year. The kings are biting throughout the entire water column.

A tip for the season: Soon the season will be in full swing and we will be slammed with boats. The Cape Fear area inshore is a small congested area. Please be respectful to your fellow boater. Just because you have a boat does not give you the god given right to do as you please. Learn your boat and the area you are running and fishing. Some of you that are new to the area would do well by picking up a chart and researching the areas you are fishing and running. This will not only prevent you from ticking people off by running on top of them but will also make you a better fisherman if you study the charts closely. If I can help any new comers or weekend visitors with navigating tips or fishing tips please call me. The tips are free!

Capt. Matt Wirt
Reel Adventure Charters
Next Level Custom Rods
www.reel-adventure.com
www.carolinabeachfishing.net
www.wrightsvillebeachfishing.net
www.topsailislandfishingcharters.com
910-540-0570 Wilmington, NC

Picked up the small Dolphin trolling for Spanish!

Inshore: The redfish and black drum are STACKED UP on the docks of the ICW. Fresh shrimp and Berkley Gulp have been the top producers.

Be sure to check out our article in this month’s edition of North Carolina Sportsman on the Red Drum.

Near shore: The Bonito are thin at the Liberty Ship @ Wrightsville Beach. They are biting better at Divers Rock and are a fairly large class of Bonito. The Blue fish at the Liberty Ship have been on fire. We have caught many limits jigging the wreck in just a hour or two. There is also a fine opportunity for fly fisherman to hook into the blue fish. Have one person jig and when the other bluefish come up following the hooked one flip over a mylar clouser and hold on! Lots of fun on an 8wt. I Can’t wait to get them on the 6wt. The Gray Trout are also starting to show up and are nice sized fish.

We have a new video out that we just finished. It’s called Blue Fish Fun = Big Fish Fun.
It is one of my favorite ways to target big fish (king mackerel, amberjacks, cobia, sharks etc.)  Just catching the blue fish is a lot of fun! View it by clicking here: http://video.yahoo.com/watch/2430630/7525797

The Beavertail page has been updated with a few new pic’s and the rigging should be done this week. Check it out: http://beavertailskiff.blogspot.com/

Capt. Matt Wirt
Reel Adventure Charters
Next Level Custom Rods
Wrightsville Beach, NC
910-540-0570
www.reel-adventure.com

www.wrighsvillebeachfishing.net
www.carolinabeachfishing.net

www.topsailislandfishingcharters.net

Redfish are stacked up on the docks!

Gray Trout are moving in!

Tons of Blue Fish still around!

Inshore and near shore we are doing well around the docks in the ICW with the red and black drum. Fresh shrimp is the bait of choice fished on a carolina rig. Specked trout are biting well in the river and around Topsail. Berkley Gulp jerk baits and shrimp seem to be the top producers for the trout. Virginia mullet are still biting well at the mouth of the Cape Fear River on fresh shrimp in 17-25’ of water. The blue fish are on fire at the near shore wrecks and are biting anything that moves. Bonito……we have had some. The key word is SOME. We have not had a lot yet but a handful have been landed. So far the schools have been small. We are hoping these are the fore runners and not the huge pile that we are looking for. The next few days will tell.

With the weather warming and becoming more stable look for the fishing to heat up as well. The fishing is pretty good now and will be great in no time!

A word on my new flats boat… The Beavertail build is right on schedule and I expect to take delivery sometime next week. I have built a page for the Beavertail that shows the evolution of the build with pictures. It is pretty cool. Check it out @ www.beavertailskiff.blogspot.com

Also for those that might not have seen it already check out our fly tying page packed full of pictures and how to videos. We have recently added a few new videos. It can be seen @ http://www.saltwaterflytying.blogspot.com

We are booking up fast for the year! Now is the time to book your trip. Let’s go fishing!

Tight lines,
Capt. Matt Wirt
Reel Adventure Charters
Next Level Custom Rods
Wilmington NC. 910.540.0570
www.reel-adventure.com
www.wrightsvillebeachfishing.net
www.carolinabeachfishing.net
www.topsailislandfishingcharters.com

Nice Black Drum….one of many!

Pretty Virginia Mullet!

TONS of Bluefish!

Boat news: My Mitzi Flats boat sold fast and the new Custom Beavertail B2 has been ordered. We are looking at a delivery date somewhere around mid April. I would love to get into the custom details but you will just have to wait and see. The redfish don’t even know what’s coming!

This season is off to a great start. This weekend it is going to be in the 80’s and it is reminding me of the Florida weather I was able to enjoy over the winter. We are doing well on the near shore wrecks with the Sharks, Tautog’s and other bottom dwelling species and we even caught a monster 4 lb ring tail!

Inshore: the redfish are biting well on Berkley Gulp on the warmer days in the shallow water, and they are also biting well in the ICW on dead shrimp fished on a carolina rig near the docks. They key this time of year is a slow presentation and patience. The blue fish bite is starting to pick up and the Spanish should not be far behind. We are excited about what this upcoming fishing season has in store for us!

We are starting to get busy with trips but still have lots of good dates open. Come enjoy the Wilmington weather and let’s catch some fish!

Don’t forget to view our fly tying page and videos @ www.saltwaterflytying.blogspot.com

Capt. Matt Wirt
Reel Adventure Charters
Next Level Custom Rods
Wilmington NC. 910.540.0570

www.reel-adventure.com
www.wrightsvillebeachfishing.net
www.carolinabeachfishing.net
http://www.topsailislandfishingcharters.com/

Lots of fun on light tackle!!

This gator lives about a 1/4 mile from my house!! Approx 10 ft long!

Putting my order in for the Beavertail B2 tomorrow. It may well be one of the most custom Beavertails they have built by the time I get it laid out the way I want. I am excited to see the end result in 8 weeks or so. They are true masters of their craft. I hope to have build pics I can share with everyone once it gets underway so you can see the insane craftsmanship they put into their boats.

It is great to be home and back in my home waters! We have been doing well when the wind lays down. Berkley Gulp! Shrimp on the flats and the creeks has been the ticket so far. Picked off a nice Inshore slam, the Flounder must have been lost! This year is shaping up to be a great year! We hope to finalize the new boat deal soon and we have added the details about the 17 Mitzi flats boat that we currently have for sale as well. It will sell FAST at this price!!

Now is the time to book your trip, the fishing is great! Also now is the time to get your rods and reels ready for the season. We can fix your existing rods or build a new one or a set for you…just give us a call. Spring is right around the corner!

INSHORE SLAM!!!

FOR SALE

The Mitzi is the 17’ tournament edition. The tournament edition adds a second livewell in front of the console that doubles as a seat. It is equipped with a Yahama 70 hp 2 stroke with approx 350 hours of run time on the motor. The model year is 2004 but the boat was a 2005 leftover. The boat and motor are in excellent shape for its age and I am currently fishing it now, you can buy with confidence. Feel free to test run it or have the compression checked on the engine, no suprises! Boat comes complete with Lenco Trim Tabs, dual batteries with one being a group 27 deep cycle battery for the trolling motor (you can run two full days on it with a 55 lb thrust trolling motor with out re charging, (both batteries purchased new last fall), onboard battery charger, built in 15 gallon fuel cell, poling platform, pole mate push pole holder mounted on plat form, removable front casting platform, outerbanks cooler that cost over $100, Icom VHF radio (full 25 watts) mounted under console with flip up 6db gain antenna on poling platform, switchable auto bildge pump, walk around gunnels with under rod storage for 6 rods, side mounted rod holders on console, removable Scotty rod holders for front deck, Aluminum trailer with new aluminum mag rims, new tires, new hubs and new LED trailer lights, and spare tire. Pull it any where and fish it anywhere, just turn the key and GO!

Reason for sale is I have a great deal worked out with another flats boat manufactuer that I cant pass up!  I love the Mitzi and will hate to see it go! Fully rigged it weighs less than 1000 pounds and floats in 7 inches loaded with gear, fuel and 2 adults. It will fish 3 also. I like the Yahama 70 2 stroke so much it I am having one installed on my new boat when I order it.

The only things that may need attention:

Running lights don’t work, it could be the bulbs, the switch, a fuse or wiring. I don’t run in the dark so I never bothered to fix them. Bildge pump works but seems to be on its last leg, it costs about $50 to replace it and 10 minutes to splice it in to the existing wires. I can do this if needed. Fuel gauge does not work. Never did. You can look up while running the boat and see how much fuel is in the tank which is way more accurate then some gauge. I don’t even know why the fuel gauge was installed in the first place. The prop is stainless and is about 85 % perfect. It has the normal wear and tear that a flats boat prop will generally have. It runs fine and does not need attention in my opinion. Boat has normal scratches and a nick here or there that would be considered normal for a used boat.

Price….Boat, Motor and Trailer: $10,000       *Title in hand.*

This boat new was around $18,000. without the options! Try to find a used one with a 70 hp! They are hard to find and I doubt you will! This boat is a steal at this price. First one to see it will no doubt buy it. First one to send a $500 deposit will own it. I can take a deposit by credit card if needed.

Options you can purchase that are on the boat: 

Depending on your budget I can leave some items on the boat that I would highly recommend, or else I will take them off and put them on my new boat. It is up to you.

Minn Kota riptide autopilot / co pilot remote trolling motor that was purchased new last fall. You can run this trolling motor by remote anywhere in or even outside of the boat! It has the quick release mount for easy on and off removal. (The 12v hookup, mounting puck and battery will stay so if you don’t purchase this motor you can just slap yours on, plug it in and go). Trolling motor option $ 750 upcharge. (Motor is under warranty with a lifetime shaft warranty.) **I have my old trolling motor that is the same as the one above but does not work that you can have for free. If you don’t have a motor you could probably get this one fixed for half the price of a new one at coastline service center. I think the circuit board and copilot went bad. The older models were the plug went from the co pilot to the circuit board plug were not very water tight and they fixed that issue on the new motors.**

Powerpole shallow water anchoring system.. This the 6ft model which is plenty for this boat. Just had a new high performance pump and remote control with two remotes and hydrolic actuator professionally installed less than 2 months ago that cot me $700. This is basically a new power pole other than the fiberglass shaft. The shaft comes with a lifetime warranty! Powerpole option: $1250 up charge. This would cost you around $1500 new PLUS installation. The remote option is awesome…See fish, push the button on your transmitter and stop silently! It is invaluable!

Lowrance X26 depthfinder / GPS color combo unit. It has a 20 gig hard drive with all the charts preloaded. The 20 gig hard drive has INSTANT screen redraw which is very important when navigating in a foot of water. I have ran every were from the NC coast, DEEP into the Everglades, and 15 miles out into the Gulf of Mexico off of Islamorada using just the chartplotter. To say it is a valuable piece of equipment is an understatement! Lowrance option: $900 up charge 

The push pole in the pictures is not for sale! 

Call me @ 910-540-0570 with any questions you may have. I can help with delivery to a certain extent and I will only charge you the actual fuel charge to deliver depending on location but you will have to take me fishing when I get there! J. Boat is located in Wilmington, NC

This boat will be listed on boat trader and ebay in a week or two if not sold sooner. 

This will be my last report for Florida 07-08. I will be back down next year at Thanksgiving for the winter but intend to visit Islamorada in June for a Tarpon on fly. I am looking forward to the up coming season in NC and hope to see lots of you guys soon.

Also please check out my Bonito article in this months edition of North Carolina Sportsman.

Thanks,
Capt. Matt Wirt
910-540-0570
www.wrightsvillebeachfishing.net

Nice 2.2lb florida pompano!!

The Pine Island fishing is great. The Snook, Trout and Redfish are all biting well and we look forward to a great finish before we head back. The new Okuma reels are working great! We have been pretty busy with charters but still have a few days available before we head back. We are now booking NC trips again, the dates are filling up fast! Give us a call to get the dates you want! Also, I cant wait to tangle with some NC redfish on fly!

One other quick point. We are working out a deal on a new flats boat and will be offering the 17’ Mitzi for sale once we get back. I think I may have it sold already. If you are interested please email me and I will let you know what happens with it. We will be selling it CHEAP and it is in great condition! Some one is going to get a great deal!

Enjoy the pics!

Capt. Matt Wirt

Big Tarpon!

Click here for LOTS more pics:

http://www.reel-adventure.com/fishingphotos/main.php?g2_itemId=1637

Nice snook, Finally!! Caught on GULP!

Redfish on the Next Level Custom & Okuma VS40 Combo!

Cool pic in Islamorada!

My dog going nuts over the sharks!

Some of the neat things first….  I was able to meet a true icon of our sport, TV host, and a heck of a great guy… Flip Pallot. To me he is like Hemmingway. You talk with him for a few minutes and you will feel like you have known him your whole life. He is a great guy who fishies for all the right reasons. Here is a cool pic I will hang onto for a long time.

We are almost to the fishing report, but one more important item first. On my last report we announced we would have a new reel sponsor. We have finalized the deal and I am proud to announce we were accepted into the Okuma Pro Staff program. They make some awesome products. Any company that has a 5 year warranty for both recreational AND commercial use has extreme confidence in their reels. All of our spinning rods will run the Okuma flagship reels…the VS40 series. These reels have 16 bearings and are ultra smooth. Check them out at your local dealer! Here is the first set of four.

With the warm water the fish are biting anything! Fly, Berkley Gulp! jerkbaits and shrimp and topwater. I found a flat the other day they had more fish than water on it. Most of the fish had their backs out of the water it was so shallow. Here are a few recent pics.

Lots of trout of fly.

A solid 4 pounder on Gulp!

Snook on fly! Love the snook, they fight way harder than they should!

Snook love Gulp! too.

Slaying the trout on fly.

Here’s a funny pic of my fishing buddy!

Capt. Matt Wirt

910-540-0570

Hello everyone! First I would like to thank everyone that stopped by to see me at the Raleigh Bass & Saltwater Expo. This show was another success and I had a lot of fun seeing the old faces as well as meeting new ones. I was very lucky to have warm weather while in Raleigh and I got back to Florida just before it got cold again. I usually don’t get that lucky!

The Pine Island fishing has been great. A few of my charters have caught over 30 trout in a half day and over 60 trout in a ¾ day along with a few redfish. The Snook are still around and the bite is best later in the day when the water temp is at its maximum. Most of the fish are on the flats looking for warm sunny water. The trout are on the edges of creeks and channels in 3-5 feet of water and are stacked up. The ladyfish are still around and are lots of fun on light tackle or on the fly.

Now for the Everglades and Islamorada fishing. Capt. Charles made the drive from Wilmington to Pine Island for some fun fishing and warm weather. The first day was great. The trout and ladyfish kept us busy… and then mother nature realized Capt. Charles was trying to soak up the warm weather and quickly slapped us with a cold front and high winds. Ouch. We headed back in and hoped to try it again the next day but it was rain, rain, and more rain. We looked at the radar and it looked like we were going to have a fun 2 days, not fishing……drinking! I saw the front cut off right at Miami so we hook the boat up, load up the gear, and head to Islamorada with the only plan of getting below the front (and getting me out of drinking duty!). We made it and the weather was perfect! We head out of Islamorada and ran my chart plotter to man-o-war key about 15 miles out. We hooked up with Barracuda, Grouper, nice Mangrove Snapper, Bonnet Head Shark on fly, Jacks and more. It was awesome to be back in Islamorada. The last time I was there is when I decided I was going to become a charter capt! It is a truly awesome place.

The next day we made the drive north to Chokoloskee. Chololoskee is a truly magical place, the scenery alone will amaze you and it seems like time stands still when you are among the maze of islands and wildlife. The fishing in the everglades is always a sure bet. We fished hard for most of the day and ended up with Grouper, Snook, Redfish, and some nice Jacks.

The weather here is getting back to normal and is in the mid 70’s. I am crossing my fingers that it says warm with low winds until my return to Wilmington on March 2nd.

Reel Adventure is finalizing a nice deal with a new reel sponsor for 2008 and beyond. Stay tuned to the next report when I will announce the company and model of the reels.

Until then…..enjoy the pics, stay warm and tight lines!

Capt. Matt Wirt
Reel Adventure Charters
Next Level Custom Rods
www.reel-adventure.com
910-540-0570
Wilmington, NC
St. James City, FL

Fighting a Bonnet Head on 8wt.

Caught on a small deciever fly.

Nice speck on fly.

My customer with one of many redfish on Gulp!

Nice Trout..

Everglades Gators.

Jack on Gulp!

Cuda on Gulp Jerkbait.

BIGGG Shark on Flats!