**Coastal Carolina Charters will have a "Blanket Saltwater License" for the boat. Which means our clients do not have to worry about purchasing a NC Saltwater License. "We've got you covered!"**

Late December East side Cape Lookout shoals:

I had a good friend give me a call about what was happening over on the 'east side', which is across the Cape Lookout Shoals for the folks down here on the coast. I told him the King Mackerel bite was on fire with a bunch of 40 pounders getting hauled in. I also said there were a few Wahoo's being taken as well. The day was ideal you could not have asked for a better day for fishing, heck any day out there fishing is a great day. Well my buddy Barrington Page set out to show me a thing or two, and let me tell ya, he hooked into these two monsters tipping the scales well above 80 and 90 pounds each. The water temp over there stays real nice for big Kings and Hoo's this time of year and can make for some spectacular days on the water.

So if you are feeling like you are ready to give a big Hoo a try give us a call at Coastal Carolina Charters 910-787-2500 to get on this hot action.

Take care,

Captain Jamey Copeland

December Outer Banks Style:

The Outer Banks has always been a special place and this time of the year you cannot go wrong booking a charter for Stripers. The bite was a little slow to start but he sure picked up pretty quick. The fish have be spread out I have heard of some fish being caught down near Hatteras but the main concentration has been up toward Corolla. This is some exciting action for any angler and these big cows aim to please. The run out of Oregon Inlet up to the VA line is not too bad but can be chilly on some mornings. I get everyone onboard looking for the birds diving and we head towards them. You have to be really careful to ensure you stay inside the 3 nautical mile zone so you really have to pay attention. There were lot's of times the birds would be working out farther than three miles and the times we went out it was the big o'l Bluefish, which are fun to catch as well. We mainly used Stretch's this year and tried some top water baits as well, pretty successful year to say the least. There still plenty of fish out there being caught and you can book a trip out of Oregon Inlet and give me a call and I can hook you up with one of the captains I know.

Give us a call at Coastal Carolina Charters to book your next adventure!

Take care,

Captain Jamey Copeland

November 2007

What a spectacular day we had today. The conditions were ideal for some Red Drum action in the surf. I had some regular clients on board today and they were ready to fish. The booked me on their boat today, so we head out the inlet on their 24' Scout and proceeded down the beach. It was not long before we found the REDS. The surf was really nice a small 1-2 foot glassy swell and very clear water, super conditions. I had rigged up a 1/4 ounce Gamakatsu jig with the superstar bait of choice 4" Berkley Gulp white shrimp, and it was on. We were getting hooked up on every cast, one or two bumps and wham!!! Got'em On!!! Grayson and Blake did an awesome job today, they were really working pretty hard. Most of the fish were in the slot around 24 inches. I tell you, there is nothing like seeing a kid reeling in a Red that is peeling line off all over the place. I really enjoyed it today, you guys did great.

Give us a call at Coastal Carolina Charters, there are still lots of REDS in the surf.

Take care,

Captain Jamey Copeland

October 2007

I had an awesome afternoon trip, the wind layed down and it turned beautiful just off the beach. I took Andy, Monte and Ben out for some King Mackerel action. Started out at the "A" buoy and picked one up pretty quick. Then for some reason they did not want the live pogies anymore, so switched over to the Bumble Bee Cigar minnows on a Green Pirate plug and a Pink Pirate plug and that was the ticket. Those Pirate plugs are like magic candy, because it seems everytime you put them in the water they just explode out of the water for them. I pulled them all on top and each time the Kings would sky out of the water and then take off. It was some kind of fun.

Still plenty of King Mackerel out there, so do not wait too long to book your trip. Give us a call at: 910-787-2500

Take care,

Captain Jamey Copeland

October 20

This morning there was a little weather offshore, the inlet was at least 6 to 8 feet and stacked up. No problem for the Angler Panga, she cut right through the swell with no problem. I had Jack, Josh and Toby on board this morning for some King action. It was a little slow this morning, but we had a few knock downs and this nice 24 pounder, then we got 'sharked' up and came inside to look for some Spots. The Spots were pretty scarce, but some flounders and small groupers on the inside.

Lots of Kings on the beach and flounders, give us a call to book your next trip at Coastal Carolina Charters 910-787-2500

Take care,

Captain Jamey Copeland

Saturday, October 6

The weather started out pretty bad this morning, lots of rain and a little wind. I had a charter first thing and it ended up being a little too much, so we re-scheduled. I ended up going back out to do a little prospecting for Kings. I did not have to go far when this 31 pounder hit the line. I was fishing live 'pogies' and he came out of the water like a rocket ship taking off. This baby ran all over the place and put up a good fight, but ended up in the box. This was someones tale for sure, I was gutting the fish and noticed a nice 7/0 hook in his stomach, John Willard from Dudleys was beside me a said, that was a fish story for sure. So if you lost one out there recently, he is in the box now. Filled out the citation paper work for this one. That's two seperate citations this week. Lots of good fishing in Onslow Bay.

Give me a call to book your next trip at 910-787-2500.

Take care,

Captain Jamey Copeland

Sunday, September 30

I had to go redeem myself today, I did not book a charter thinking I may be in the finals at the FLW KMT. So I headed out for some fun fishing for Kings. The wind was blowing pretty hard, but I needed to tangle with some of these Kings that my buddies had been catching out of Bogue inlet all weekend. I got out there and a couple of friends Mike Taylor and Fritz got out there and we started wearing the Kings out. We were rigging up live pogies (menhaden) on what I call a Taylor rig. This is a naked rig, 6o lb (7 strand) with 3 gold #2 trebles. I use this set up for the nice size pogies. You could barel get the bait in the water, the kings were destroying the baits as soon as they hit the water. I loaded two coolers throughout the day. I know Mike got his limit in about an hour and was nice enough to run in a get Fritz and I some more bait. There were some big Spanish out there in the school. I landed this 8 pounder and let me tell you it was a nice fight. All of the kings that I had were in the 10-15 pound range. I was fighting a nice one for about 20 minutes and everytime I went to grab the gaff, the fish would run. On the last grab the fish ran under the boat and got tangled on the prop and cut the line. It was a nice fish, it would have gone around 25. It was an awesome day of fishing out of Bogue inlet, even with high winds and a little sea.

The King Mackerel are here, give me a call to book your next trip. 910-787-2500.

Take Care,

Captain Jamey Copeland

Friday & Saturday, September 28-29

Well I jumped on board with a friend of mine to fish the FLW-Wal Mart King Mackerel tournament out of Atlantic Beach this weekend. I tell you it was an experience for sure. I saw some really awesome fisherman, top pro's were here and ready to fish. The first day we headed over the shoals to the 1700 Rock. We got hooked up early but got caught up with another boat who was hooked up as well. It was a very exciting time, but we lost the fish. We did hook into a huge Lemon shark, somewhere in the 150 pound range. No fish the first day. The second day we hit the Dead Tree Hole and caught some fish, unfortuneately only in the 10-12 pound range, not enough to do any damage in the tournament. All in all a great time, lots of laughs.

Booking Fall King Mackerel charters, so give me a call at 910-787-2500

Take care,

Captain Jamey Copeland

Saturday, September 2007

We had some windy conditions here along the coast, so I had to switch some days around. I had some regular clients on board today (Dale and Josh). We headed out to the "D" buoy to catch some bait and there was some nice bait. We put the lines out hoping to tangle with a big boy. The bite was really slow today, I saw one king caught while we were catching bait. Then the door was shut. So we headed in shore to some live bottoms to fish for some flatties. We got to a good spot that I have been pulling flounders off and began. I rigged up some Bucktails with Berkley 4" shrimp and some carolina rigs with live finger mullets. It was not long and the the flounders were munching. We were hauling them in pretty steady, there were a few small ones in there, but for the most part catching 18-21 inch flounders. I tell you the jigging Bucktails with Berkley Gulps is the ticket. You have to make sure the line stays up and down on the bottom and give it a jerk every few seconds and stand by, the flounders really love those Berkley Gulps...

Give me a call the fall flounder, trout and drum season is going to heat up here really soon. Keep an eye out and give me a call for the fall Kings as well. (910) 787-2500.

Take care,

Captain Jamey Copeland

Saturday, August 25

Today was by far the most entertaining day of the year...I had Tim, Anthony, and Bennie on from a make up trip due to weather. These guys have been friends for a long time and let me tell you the jokes were non-stop from the time we got on the boat until we left. The guys wanted to go flounder fishing and learn how to do it. They said the have fished all of there lives and just cannot figure it out on these flounders. I told them I would do my best to show them some tricks. Of course with most friends and fishing the joking and fish tales started right off. Anthony and Bennie gave poor Tim a hard time pretty much all day, but I think Tim had the last laugh, for he was catching most of the flounders all day and he was 'loving' it...We were using two different set ups today; the first was the 2 oz Bucktails with the 4" Berkley Gulp white shrimp. You want to find the ledges and work them by jigging the bucktail off the bottom and making sure your line is tight at all times. The second was a standard "Carolina Rig" I was using 2 oz egg sinkers today with live finger mullets. I tell the flounders really love it. Do not be suprised if you catch other species as well, we caught a few sharks, one about 4 ft long on the bucktail/Berkley...Anthony and Bennie had the tug's of the day, I believe they had a nice grouper on from the way it was pulling, but using lite tackle makes it pretty hard to get these grouper out of there holes. I sure had a great time today with you guys, very comical all day. I will see you guys in the fall for King Mackerel blitz.

Give us a call at Coastal Carolina Charters (910)787-2500 to book your next trip.

Take care,

Captain Jamey Copeland

Wednesday, August 22

Kids + Fishing=Priceless...I had a really awesome group on today, I teamed up with another captain to accomodate a large party to ensure that they had a great time. Well Captain Rob and myself hooked them up. Of course like always when we split up groups there is some competition involved. Today was no exception. Captain Rob's boat won first fish caught and my boat won largest fish...So we were all pretty pleased. My group was made up of some "salty" sailors, they knew an aweful lot about the water for being so young, great job Bob and Emily. My pirate sailors were made up of: Ashley, Sawyer, Charlie and little Captain Jack. These guys were some good fishermen and helped out hauling in the Spanish Mackerel. We were pulling clark spoons on #1 planers right off the beach here at Bogue inlet/Emerald Isle North Carolina. The weather was awesome and the kids were a blast, I really had a great time and hope you guys did too...

Give me a call at Coastal Carolina Charters (910) 787-2500 to book your next trip.

Take care,

Captain Jamey Copeland

Wednesday, August 15

I had a great group of "Buckeyes" onboard today for some off-shore fun. We headed out and started trolling spoons for spanish a picked off a few nice ones. The bait and spanish were really stacked up and busting. I heard from some other captains that there was a little bite off-shore, so we headed out. Stopped at the "D" buoy and jigged up some really nice "greenies" and dropped some lines out and caught a couple of kings quick, one was a little too small so released him at the boat. I got us away from the bait on another favorite spot and the bite was pretty good. We ended up catching 3-4 more nice kings and a big spanish. A couple of highlights was the boys getting really excited about fishing and reeling in these little fighters. We were at the end of the trip and they asked if we could do one more troll over this spot and I said sure, so I baited up a nice greenie on a Cape Lookout "Shock Therapy" and the line was peeling off. By the time I got all of the downriggers up and the other rods in the line was about gone. I looked out and saw a beautiful Sailfish doing the tail dance, and got excited, it was a nice fish. My clients saw it and did not know what to think, but they were fired up. So we started to go after this fish. I got them set up on the bow and proceeded do battle. It was not long and the fish had won, he broke off the Sevenstrand wire hooks and all, but he was nice enough to leave me my "Shock Therapy' lure...

Still lot's of fishing out there, give us a call to book your next trip at Coastal Carolina Charters 910-787-2500.

Take care,
Captain Jamey Copeland

Monday, August 6

Only the tough made it today! I had some real troopers on this morning, Rob and his son Brian from Ohio. There were a few thunderstorms that ran up the beach this morning and really kicked the wind up and made it a little nasty. Rob and Brian said back home on Lake Erie this is a typical day. I said, "great" let's go! We headed out with the rest of the local charter captains to catch fish. The inlet was a little rough and we had to take it slow. We started out trolling for some spanish and picked up a few as we headed towards 'Keypost'. We got out to the Keypost and fished alongside a good friend. We had it all to ourselves, most of the other captains went out a little further. You didnt need to go far today, the kings and spanish were hungry and Keypost was the restaurant. We were slow trolling with 'pogies' and kind of maintain station in the current, and the kings were chomping. We started out with a few undersize ones so we released them without harm. Of course we had to catch a few sharks, but Brian was stoked to catch them, he said he liked catching them. Until all of a sudden, WHAM!!! The line started screaming and it was a nice king, Brian gave it his best for a while and then handed it over to his dad to finish it off. You guys did awesome today, and let me tell you some of the boats had some sick people and had to end their trip early, but my crew, they were good to go all day. I really enjoy meeting new people, it is really neat to share stories and have a good time out on the water. Great job today guys.

Give me a call at: 910-787-2500 to book your next fishing adventure.
Take care,

Captain Jamey Copeland

Sunday, August 5

What a beautiful day, not hardly any wind and slick calm. I had a solo charter today, Shane from Colorado was in town visiting some family and called for a trip. We headed out along the beach and trolled for some Spanish, we caught few nice ones and then headed out the East Rock, I wanted to get after some kings that I knew were out there. Tons and I mean tons of bait and fish just tearing up the water out there. There were some pretty awesome sights of rays exploding out of the water after bait. Well we got the lines out and it was not long and we had some hook ups, only problem these were baby kings, about 22 inches long, so I was careful and released them at the boat to get bigger. Headed back out to the Hutton and got the lines out. This time got them down really deep with live 'pogies' on a Cape Lookout "Shock Therapy" lure and WHAM!!! We had a nice pull, I was praying it was not more of the cuda's from the day before. Shane was working the rod really well and after about 20 minutes here he comes, and nice fish. I stuck him with the gaff pretty quick, because I knew the assassins were down there ready to chomp on our prize. Got this fish in the boat and it weigh in just at 22 pound. Great job Shane!
Give us a call at Coastal Carolina Charters 910-787-2500, we still have some big kings out there ready to be caught.

Take Care,

Captain Jamey Copeland

Saturday, August 4

I had an 'amped' crowd, ready to fish this today. We entered the Island Harbor KMT and set out to catch a winner. We followed a friend out to the East Rock to get things started. It was a little slow there, I did not see or hear of anyone catching any kings. So, we headed out to the Hutton. The wreck was loaded up with bait and several boats. We put the lines in and it was not long the port downrigger was screaming. I could tell this was a big fish. Everyone on board was really excited, Matt was on the rod and reeling when he could. He would get some line back and it would peel more off. I was getting a little nervous about the amount of time we were fighting the fish, because we have some mean o'le king eaters out there (Barracuda's) and I did not want to lose one. Well the fish came up to where I could get a good look and we did not have to worry about a cuda getting it, because it was a cuda, about a 21 pounder. Well, we got the fish off and got'em back out, a friend of mine was fishing close to me and had the same thing, big cuda. We got our lines back out and here it goes, another screamer, line peeling off. This was another big fish, we were all very excited, because this was a big fish. After about 5 minutes fighting the fish, it came out of the water and I could tell it was another cuda...It looked like the brother of the first one. Well we kept them both and the crew got two NC Citations for their efforts. We kept trolling and it seemed the kings were out-thinking us today. My buddy that we followed out and fished near ended up catching a 30 pounder after his two cudas, that won the tourney.
All in all a pretty awesome day, a little upset we did not get a king to weigh in, but that's tournament fishing! Give us a call at Coastal Carolina Charters to book your next trip. Lots of fun out there for all to enjoy.

Take care,

Captain Jamey Copeland
910-787-2500

Sunday, July 29

Mucho-Spanish, I had a great crowd on today. John, Logan, Terry, Jake, and Mick from all over the U.S. (Yuma, Lumberton, Jacksonville, and Swansboro). We headed out for some Spanish fishing and we got even with them. We started out right outside of the inlet and the fish were everywhere. We were hooking up pretty regularly, using clark spoons on #1 planers. These guys were wearing me out, so the boys jumped in and started hand-lining themselves, man I sure was glad. We were looking to put 90 in the box. We did not quite do it, but came close, I think we ended up with around 45. We switched up for some kings, but I think we missed the bite, got on some shark and the crew really enjoyed it. Great time today, the weather was nice and these guys really did a great job on the Spanish.
The summer has been really busy and hot, give us a call the fish are still smoking the reels.

Take care,
Captain Jamey Copeland 910-787-2500

Monday, July 23

What a beautiful morning!!! The wind was calm and the seas were like a lake out there today. I had a great bunch from Clifton Forge, Va. I had heard there was a pretty good bite at the "D" buoy, so we headed out. I saw a couple of good buddies out there and we started it up. I had caught some 'pogies' early in the morning and thought that I would give them a go. We dropped our baits down and it was not long and we were hooked up with a nice king. Tyler was up first and he was ready to go. He had battled some nice bass back in Virginia, but I had him on a Carolina King. He was really stoked and was reeling like a champ. It was really cool to see him giving it his all. His family was pretty excited as well. I asked how many people were staying with them and they said, 10, so I knew we needed to catch some fish. We had several knock downs and the fish just robbed our bait and took off. We landed another nice King and then it was "Brown Bomber" day, we caught shark after shark after shark. They are fun to reel in, but man are they aggervating on the lures.

I had a great time with you guys today and I hope you guys come back to the Crystal Coast for your next vacation.

Give me a call at 910-787-2500 to book your next fishing adventure.

Take care,

Captain Jamey Copeland

Saturday, July 14

I had a great bunch on today, Andy and his crew were awesome. We headed out to some nice bottom to get even with them. There was a King Mackerel tournament going on, so it was really crowded at all the hot spots. We went to Rock South 13 because I had heard of a good bite there a few days earlier. We put out the goods (Cape Lookout Lures) were the choice today. I had some "Smokers" and "Screamers" ready to go. If you do not have any of these, you need to get some.You can pick them up at your local tackle shop, here on Emerald Isle, You can go to Reel Outdoors to get them. If you do not have them at your tackle shop, go to the website www.capelookoutlures.com and let Bailey know where you live and to get you some, quick. Well we got a hold of this nice king and the boys were pretty excited. Preston and Adam gave it a shot and it was all that they could handle so Jack had to bring it to the boat. There were some nices hits and we had a lot of knock downs and several cut through the wire, so the big boys were out there ready for the taking.

All in all a great trip and really enjoyed meeting you guys and look forward to your next visit.

Give us a call at Coastal Carolina Charters (910) 787-2500 to book your next trip.

Take care,

Captain Jamey Copeland

Monday, July 9

What a trip today! I had a great crowd from Ohio that were ready to fish. Scott had booked this trip well in advanced and was amped to see his son Scotty reel in a big one. I told him no problem, I will put you guys on the fish. We headed out to one of my favorite spots that has been consistently holding nice fish. We got out there and not a boat in sight. I think this made Scott a little nervous about catching fish. Well it was not long before it was ON! We had our first knock down within about 10 minutes of trolling and Scotty was first up. Let me tell you he did an awesom job and great coaching by his PaPa as well. I tell you it was really cool to see this kid working the reel and the rod to get that fish in. The bite was pretty good and after we put a few in the box I let the other captains and fisherman know that SE bottoms was one, and then we had about 7 boats around us. I dont know if they were doing as well as us, but we kept it up. We got side-tracked from a storm that came up the beach, but after a minor delay got back on the fish. It was not long after getting back to the spot when this big 'smoker' got on and Scott was up, he was working that fish for all he had, got'em in the boat and it was a nice 17 pounder, boy he was stoked. The bragging really started then, it was really cool to see this tight knit family together out there having a blast together. We ended up with 9 keepers and a couple of throw backs and we had some knock downs that just bit right through the wire taking our lures with them.

It was a great day on the water and I really enjoyed it.

Give me a call at 910-787-2500 to book your next charter.

Take care,

Captain Jamey Copeland

Sunday, July 8

I had the top gun crew on board today, Jessica and Tim who are Naval aviators with the USMC and a friend of theirs Troy. I had to reschedule this one for bad weather and we definitely picked the right day to go. Tim was fired up and I knew I had a challenge to put him on some fish. This trip was pretty special because Tim is deploying to Iraq this Friday and I had to put him on some fish. Well I lived up to my promise and got on the fish. Talked to a couple of hard core fisherman and decided to go to Southeast Bottoms and give it a go. We got out there and got the lines in the water and ended up catching a couple of sharks. I could tell the crew was getting a little nervous. I just said be patient lets weed out some of these sharks and get to the fish. Well it was not too long and we had some serious knock-downs. We let Jess go first and let me tell you if she flies Cobra's like she fishes, we are in good hands. She did an awesome job! I like to spread the wealth and put Tim on the next fish and boated a nice 13 pounder. Now, I was getting a little nervous with Troy, Troy has been around the block when it comes to fishing, but I tell you today, everytime he touched the rod when it was screaming off line, well something happened, line breaking, fish getting off...We were getting ready to ban him from touching the poles, when he finally redeemed himself and boated a nice one. Well all day I was telling them how we needed to get the fish to the boat quick, because we have some BIG Barracuda in these waters. Well, Tim was telling of the California cuda which are about 5 pounds or so, I told him, the NC cuda's get pretty big, oh say around 40 pounds. He did not believe, when all of sudden we had a knock down and the fish in the above picture was it. We got the fish about 10 feet from the boat when a big o'l Cuda came a calling. I said get that fish up and next thing you know, the cuda took half the fish. Well I told Tim to keep the fish in the water and the cuda came back for more, and I free gaffed it and let me tell you that was some kind of fight, it was about 35 pounds and it was upset. While trying to get it over the gunwhal the fish got off the gaff, man I was upset...oh well it sure was fun.

I had a great time with you guys and look forward to going on a dive when you guys get back. Good luck and be safe.

Take care,

Captain Jamey Copeland
Coastal Carolina Charters
910-787-2500

Saturday, July 7

We finally had a break in the weather and man I was ready to fish. I had a great group onboard today. These guys were some really experienced fisherman, that loved to fish. I grabbed some live pogies at daybreak and had the Panga ready for action. Headed out to one of my favorite spots Rock South 13 to try and tackles some kings and dolphin. It was a pretty good bite this morning and we started off with two nice dolphin hook-ups 5-7 pounders, really good eating fish. We had about 7 knock downs boating a few nice kings. We had about 4 bite rite through the seven-strand wire and take my all mighty Pirate Plugs with them. Man, I sure was hot about that. The kings really like the Pirate plugs, so I rigged up a few more and it was on. Of course, my favorite color is the "Hot Pink", I cannot keep enough of them on board. I will have to put another call in to Offshore Bob at South Chatham Tackle to replenish my stock.
All in all it was an awesome day and I really enjoyed being out there with you guys, I had the opportunity to put Manny on his first offshore fish, and that was a good feeling. Thanks guys and look forward to taking you guys out again when you come back down.

Give us a call at 910-787-2500 to book your next charter, the fish are going crazy.

Take care,

Captain Jamey Copeland

Tuesday, July 3

I had some real 'troopers' onboard today, the waves were a little bumpy but these guys were ready to go. Headed out with Jim, Joe, Liam and Miloh (not pictured) from Chapel Hill to catch some fish. We ventured out to a couple of the local reefs and we got into the "Brown Bombers" SHARKS, as the locals call them. They are pretty fun, but can be dangerous and mess up your tackle pretty quick. Liam was pretty excited about this one. We targeted some sea bass as well, but with the new regulation it makes it pretty difficult to find the big ones. We had a catch and release day anyway which is good, let those fish grow to be big fish.

I really enjoyed it out there today, give us a call to set up your next charter at Coastal Carolina Charters, 910-787-2500
Captain Jamey Copeland

Sunday, July 1

A very nice day today, I had the Robinson crew from Kentucky on board today. I picked them up a New River Marina in Sneads Ferry and headed out to one of my favorites spots out of New River. We got the lines out and here we go. We were using dead cigar minnows on pirate plugs and they seemed to be working pretty well. There was a lot of bait showing up, but the fish seem to be getting a little more particular about what they are eating. I am going to have to switch to more live bait in the next couple of days. We caught some pretty nice kings and even had a longest fish contest that ended in a tie. The girls had a great time and let me tell you they were pretty excited about the shark they caught. They even got a few momento's to take home with them.

A great day of fishing, give me a call to book your next trip!
Captain Jamey Copeland
910-787-2500

Wednesday, June 27

I had a great crew onboard today. Mr Hicks from Texas and two new friends Colton and his Dad Joe from Virginia. Picked the crew up at Dudley's and went after some bait and proceeded out to the hot spots. I got up with two other Captains out there and they hooked us up. We fished pretty close to the beach today, many of the Artificial reefs were producing some nice dolphin (Mahi-Mahi). Colton was a true champion today, we eased up on a school of dolphin destroying the bait and it was not long and it was ON!!! We ended up switching to dead bait, cigar minnows. I like to rig them with the Pirate Plug, which really attracks the fish. We gave the dolphin a break and picked up on the king bite, the fish were scattered out, but many boats were getting some nice knock downs and landing some nice fish. I saw the fishing team "Open Wide" hauling in some nice kings, I expect them to do really well this weekend at the Topsail King Mackerel Tournament.
It was truly a spectacular day, the swell was smooth, light wind and different species of fish wanting to be caught.

There are still some available days in July, but they are filling fast, shoot me an email or give me a call to book your trip.

Take care,

Captain Jamey Copeland

Sunday, June 24

What a great day on the water the weather was nice and I had a great group on board today. James Wallace and his family came aboard today for some serious fishing. His son Bailey had the first fish of the day, it was a good size black tip shark, and boy did he have fun getting him to the boat. He was working the shimano speedmasters with all his might. He got it to the boat and we let him go, they tend to get real upset when you get them on the boat. We headed inshore to a spot that was producing some nice kings. It was not long and we got on a nice one. Heather was reeling this one in and it really gave her a workout, James came to the rescue and we got it in the boat. Trolled around the pirate plugs and got a really nice knock down on a dead cigar minnow. Next up was Apa and she was having good time with this fish, it was bigger than the previous, I would say around 14 Lbs. It was all that she could handle and Bill helped out to get the fish to the boat.
It was a really great charter with some super nice people and look forward to going after some reds Texas style with you guys soon.

Take care,

Captain Jamey Copeland
910-787-2500

June 23, 2007 Onslow Bay Redfish Tournament!

1st Annual Onslow Bay Redfish tournament was a big hit! We had 22 anglers in the Amateur division and 15 anglers in the Pro division. There were some really big fish brought to the weigh-in, and the top Amateur had the heaviest fish at 7.50 pounds. First place in the Pro division was Captain Rick Patterson, Cape Crusader charters with 12.08 pounds and $1500 cash. Second place in the Pro division was by Captain Jamey Copeland, Coastal Carolina Charters with 10.96 lbs and $750 cash. In the Amateur division it was a tight race. 1st place went to Robert Oakes with 12.65 lbs and a $600 plus payday. 2nd place went to Cleve Ketchum with 11.18 lbs and a $400 plus payout. The Amateur division paid out 5 places. There was a Lady Angler that was won by Angie Kellum and Junior Angler went to Jake Gainey, John Hislop won the Calcutta for the most spots, his fish had 7 spots and a $400 payout, nice job.
I have to say thank you very much to all of the sponsor's that help make this a big success, especially to Stevenson Chevrolet for their contributions, thank you for hosting this event, the staff at Stevenson was awesome.

I cannot wait until next years event, we hope to have 3 tournaments next year, so give us your ideas to make it better and we are always looking for help.
Thank you again to everyone involved.

Captain Jamey Copeland
Coastal Carolina Charters
910-787-2500

Saturday, June 23

WOW!!! I fished the Onslow Bay Redfish Tournament today and what an incredible day of fishing. I fished the Pro Division with a friend of mine Chris Condit. The morning started out a little rough for Chris, he dinged up the back of his new Tondra, yikes. We headed out around 5am and I had a nice spot picked out that had been producing some nice reds the past week. We got to the spot and shortly after a couple of other boats showed up. I got a little nervous but thought we were in a pretty good spot, for this area is not that big. The clock hit 6 am and we commenced to casting. On the third cast, Chis hooked into a monster on a spinner bait, the fish rolled up and I could tell it was a big fish. Chris was working it as hard as he could, and the fish took him to a marsh spot right over an oyster bed and pop, cut the line. Oh man, Chris was upset, and I said don't sweat it, there are more in here. Back at it we went, it wasn't long before Chris hooked into another nice fish, we put this one in the boat. It was around 22 inches. I said that's a good start. A few minutes later hooked into another nice fish, and it broke off too. Now I was getting a little concerned, because the two other boats were catching fish and it looked like they were big ones. Well the tide fell out and we went searching for more fish. We ended up coming back to the "spot" and set up and waited for the tide to come back in. Around 1230 it was on again, I told Chris he was carrying me today and to keep it up. I was using top-water baits and knew at some point these fish had to start hitting these baits. Well it wasn't long and WHAM, a monster hit my 'Top-Dog" and it was on, fought the fish all over the marsh and got him to the boat, I kept telling Chris you got to net this fish and he did, 25 inches and solid, that fish was a 'hoss'. I felt a lot better with two fish, but I was concerned about the 22" one, this would not be enough to get in the top 5. So kept working the marsh and then my good buddy Jeff Cronk came into the spot, Oh no, Jeff is a heavy hitter when it comes to Redfish. Well I just kept working it and all of a sudden, POW!!! A monster hit the 'Top Dog" and took off, boy this was a huge fish, I fought it for about 5 minutes and we got him in the box and he was bigger than the other one, he was 25 inches, but he was thick. I picked out the 22 incher and showed it to Jeff and said, "I hate to throw him back, but he is too small." Now with two nice fish in the livewell, I knew we had a shot of the top 5. We headed back to the scales and weighed them in. I was nervous because I had been getting reports of some Pro captains with some really big fish. We weighed 10.96 pounds and were in first place for most of the day until my buddy Rick Patterson came to the scales, I saw his fish and said, WOW!!!, he had some nice fish. Rick ended up weighing in 12.08 pounds. We ended up taking second place, which I was extremely stoked to have done that well.
What an awesome day, it was a great time and I cannot wait until next year to do it again. I want to thank Chris for fishing with me today, I had a great time.

Give us a call to book your next charter, 910-787-2500.

Take care,

Captain Jamey Copeland

Thursday, June 21

I went out of New River today, picked up my clients Bill and Mark Yingling from (PA) at N. Topsail and headed out to a few spots. The U.S. Navy was on my first spot so I headed out to AR355. There was a lot of bait there, really stacked up, so I knew it was going to be another good day. I started out with the Yozuri DD's and they really were not producing, it is a little late in the season for them. The fish are getting a little smarter. So I threw out the good ole cigar minnow and one of my Cape Lookout lure specials. Well it was not long before it was on. I tell Bill and Mark were great, I explained the best process and they took to it very fast. You have to be fast out there when the kings are munching. A pretty exciting moment took place as Bill was reeling in a nice fish, probably around 6 pounds, when all of sudden just as I was going to gaff the fish, a monster comes ripping up from the bottom, that's right a huge Baracuda. I tell you this fish was about 5 feet long and thick. I could not believe it, I told Bill to keep the fish in the water I was going to try and gaff it. Well I was not that lucky, he gave me a look and headed back to the bottom with half of Bill's fish. We ended up catching a few more all in all it was a great day. I really enjoyed it and look forward to you guys coming back in the fall.

Give us a call at Coastal Carolina Charters (910) 787-2500, I will customize your trip anyway I can to help you out.

Take care,

Captain Jamey Copeland

Saturday, June 16

What an awesome day! I had Sophia and her dad David on board today. It was Sophia's 18th birthday and she just graduated from White Oak High School. So congrats! Since this was such a special occaision, I had the pressue on me. I had heard of some nice 'king' being caught just off Bogue inlet pier. So we headed straight their and it was not long before the reels were screaming. We were using a mixture of live bait-'pogies' and dead cigar minnows. It was probably even on which one was producing the most. It was not long before the word got out and there were 25 boats on this spot. I was not too worried about the crowd, because we were on the fish. I tell it was pretty exciting watching these two fish, they were having a blast. Sophia was reeling them in as hard and fast as she could, she said she got a good arm workout. I know David was pretty happy to see his daughter catching fish, he said earlier that is all he hoped for. Well, I think I hooked them up, we put 9 in the boat pretty fast and had a couple of really nice one's get away, but that's fishing.
Give me a call at 910-787-2500 to book your next trip, we will customize it to meet your needs.

Take care,

Captain Jamey Copeland

Tuesday, June 12



I met up with two good buddies of mine this afternoon, Jeff Cronk and Rick Thompson. I would have to say two of the best redfisherman around. We ventured out and went searching for some Redfish. The fish were scattered out, spoke with another friend and he was catching a lot of fish just under the 'slot' limit. We covered some serious area and we happened up on a few spots that were holding some decent fish. I laid into this one with a "Top Dog" top water bait. Let me tell you, it was an awesome feeling and sight to see that red chasing after the bait and "BLAM" he hits it like a freight train. This one went about 6 pounds and some change...
I wanted to keep everyone informed about the Onslow Bay Redfish Tournament being held here in Swansboro, NC, June 23, 2007. The main sponsors of this event are Stevenson Chevrolet, Dropping Anchor Magazine, and the Cedar Point Grill, along with Caspers Marina where the weigh in is being held. There is an Amateur and Pro division. There will be lots of prizes and the payouts should be very nice. You can go to the web site at: www.onslowbayredfish.info for all of the information. It is going to be an awesome time and we should have plenty of REDS around.

Give us a call to book your next trip at Coastal Carolina Charters (910) 787-2500.

Take care,

Captain Jamey Copeland

Sunday, June 10

"Welcome back from Iraq" to Donny, I had a great group today on board for some fun fishing off the Carolina coast. We headed out about 12 miles and started hitting some of the spots that had been producing good fish this week. We got the baits out and it was not long before "Wham" we had a nice hook-up. Bill did a great job fighting this fish and got it along side the boat and missed it with the gaff, boy did I feel bad. Well I quickly redeemed myself, it was not long and a nice dolphin hit a ballyhoo on a hot pink Pirate Plug...Donny was up and was bringing him in like a champ, the fish got to the boat and I put the gaff in her and she was in the box. That got them all fired up and it was on. We got the baits back out and the reel started screaming off line, I said, "this is a monster", they all looked at me and Gregg jumped on the reel and was reeling him in. It was a long fight, the fish got along side and it was a 22 pound King, then all of a sudden, gone...I felt bad, but not these guys, they were pumped up and ready for some more. Got the lines back out and put a couple more kings and dolphin in the box.

Great day of fishing and I really enjoyed the day, and I want to thank Donny and all of our military for defending our freedom.

Give us a call at (910) 787-2500 to book your next fishing trip.

Captain Jamey Copeland

Sunday, May 20

I Ventured out this morning to try and get even with some Kings. Headed out the inlet and the weather was a little different than I thought. I caught air twice heading out and figured it was time to slow down. The weather did start to cooperate as the day went on, laying down a little. I got out to a spot that has been marking some good bait and gave it a try. I had a mix of baits to offer, two Yo-Zuri Deep Divers (floro yellow and floro green), I also put out some of my old faithful Pirate Plugs (green & chartruese and a pink) with cigar minnows. It was not long and it was on, I started picking up fish on about every other pass over a nice structure. I had four really nice strikes and unfortunately missed the fish, but didn't worry about it too long. Also, lost one of my Yo-Zuri's to a nice fish, it was really screaming off the line, I thought for sure I had a 20 pounder coming to the boat, but snapped the line. As far as which lure worked the best, I would have to say it was probably a even match up between the Pirate Plug and the Yo-Zuri and I cannot remember which one broke the tie today. I will have to keep a better count next time. I pretty much had it all to myself today, I don't think there was more than 3 boats on this spot all day. That doesn't bother me too much, especially when I am on the fish. All in all it was a great day to be out on the water doing what I love, Fishing!
Well I will be fishing the Swansboro KMT this coming Saturday, sure hope I can find some bigger fish, I need about a 25 pounder in the box and I would be pretty stoked and also a little 'richer'.
Give us a call at Coastal Carolina Charters to book your next trip. (910) 787-2500.

Take care
Captain Jamey Copeland

Saturday, May 19

I am a really glad that I participated in the Second Annual Military Appreciation Day event held at the U.S. Coast Guard Base at Fort Macon, NC. What a spectacular event Rich and his host of volunteers put on this year. Friday night was the 'captains' meeting and it was really nice, a little cold but great food, drink and prizes for all of the people that volunteered to take the service members fishing. Saturday was unreal, it started out a little bumpy and overcast, but by 11 o'clock it was clear skies and sunny. The fishing was unreal, I heard several boats that were particpating in this event talking about the numerous fish that were being caught. These were no fish tales, because back at the docks, there were some nice fish being displayed.
Today I had Chris Condit (U.S. Coast Guard) and Brian Arnoldussen (USMC) on board, I was the last boat scheduled to leave the dock, so we had a late start. We could hear the boats talking on the radio about the fish they were catching. I proceeded out to a spot that was reporting some 'kings' being caught. We got there and put the "Pirate Plugs" out and it was not long and WHAM! the bite was one. We had several knock down hits and it was funny to see the expression on Brian and Chris' faces when there was no fish...but we got it together and started landing some nice kings and a couple of Bonita's...We made it back to the docks by 4 pm and enjoyed some Smithfields BBQ, and man do I love BBQ.
I just want to reiterate how glad I was and proud I am to be an american. I would also like to thank all of the servicemembers out there for protecting our freedoms and serving in the armed forces.

Take care,

Captain Jamey Copeland

Sunday April 2007

It was a really nice sunny day, the wind was a little sketchy, but I planned a trip down to the Tower and I was going! Headed down to Wrightsville and put in, A little advice that most of the local crowd knows, you better get there early or you will miss out. Cruised out Masonboro and it was pretty nice, around 2'. Got out to the tower and man the Garmin 498-C was covered solid with bait, several boats out there doing it up from trolling to bottom fishing. Started trolling around the tower to the "red" buoy and it wasnt long and a nice strike on a "yellow" Sea Witch, it sure felt good to hear the line peel off and to grip a nice fish. Although the kings were teenagers, they were still fun. Had several strikes with misses, wasnt sure what was going on with that, perhaps the drag was too loose, but came up several times with chewed up bait. I would have to say that was a good thing, wish we could have landed a the half dozen we missed. I saw a couple of other boats out there doing pretty decent, and talk to a buddy who was bottom fishing about 3-4 miles further south of the tower and he was catching 'football' size Beeliners.
All in all a pretty good day, oh and the sites around Wrightsville were not bad....

Give us a call at: 910-787-2500 to book your next charter, dates are filling up fast and the kings are in close around Bogue inlet. I look for the spanish mackerel to show up within the next week or so, and there are still scattered bonita off the beach as well. I had a 28" Bonita Saturday, picks to follow...

Captain Jamey Copeland

April 2007

Well took off to the Richmond Virginia area to try my hand at "CATS". Son, let me tell you these were some big cats. Reminded me of a spot up towards Kinston that holds some big ones. This is a fraternity brother of mine from college who loves to tangle with these beast on his days off from selling real estate. This was a 53 pounder, one of a half dozen we got on. This was a fun day with Tom, and as you can see we were using some light tackle and cut bait. To be quite honest with you, I feared for my life in his boat, it was not the most stable when trying to wrestle with a 50 pound fish. What a day on the river with an old buddy.
Thanks for the good times, I told my buddy he better get ready to start some charters, because I know you guys out there will be all over this.

Captain Jamey Copeland (moonlighting in Richmond Virginia)

The weather could not make up its mind, but that didnt stop Brett and the crew from Buffalo New York. Well we started out up in some of the creeks beating the shore for reds. The reds were not cooperating today. We started looking for some trout and they did not want any part of us either. The crew put a waiger on the table and believe it or not, Brett caught the winning fish, this was the first fish caught which took the prize, $4. You would have thought it was a $400 purse the way these guys were going at it. I tell you guys were some really good fisherman and had some great stories of the Walleyes that you guys tangle up in NY.
I had a great time with you guys today and hope you come back next year!

Captain Jamey Copeland

Well it is good to be back on the water, took a nice mid-mornig trip along the beach today with Matt. We ventured out looking for some "reds". We were cruising the beach area and ended up in a spot that had been holding some reds. We got our set up together which was various Berkley Gulps snuggly fastened to 1/8 oz Gamakatsu heads. There were a few reds in the area, along with a lot of boats and guys in the surf. I set the Angler PANGA up nice in the surf and got us primed for the fish. When all of sudden, Matt got a nice pull and started reeling it in. I was just getting set up to cast out, kind of "non-shallontly" when I saw the fish, "it wasnt a red". I quickly grabbed the net, just about falling to get a good position. I told Matt, "dont loose this fish", well Matt did a great job getting it to the boat and I put it in the net. Well all of the comotion caught the attention of the other fisherman and soon we had been taken over by the "trout mizers". They were inquiring about the fish and what we were using? I showed them the Berkley 5" sinking minnow (pearl) and they could not believe it. I told them, "don't be suprised, it doesn't matter which Berkley you use, just USE Berkley"! We picked up and moved on. What a great day to be back on the water and fishing. I would like to thank Matt for coming out. Great job.

Give us a call at Coastal Carolina Charters, 910-787-2500 for your next fishing adventure. We should have some nice days coming up this month and April. I would love to take a trip to the "stream" and catch some yellowfin.

Captain Jamey Copeland

Saturday, January 6

"Artificial Reefs, That was the ticket today."

Headed out to target some bottom fish near the AR's around New River. I anchored up on a nice structure this afternoon and began jigging at a favorite spot. The fish were attacking the bait the second it hit the bottom. I spent about two hours out there and landed around 15 nice Black Sea Bass and 8 flounder. I tell you it was non-stop and lots of fun. Caught several Sea Bass just under the new size limit and quickly returned. As the day went on I had a couple of big pulls, but the o'l Penn 4/0 were'nt quick enough to get them out of the hole, could have been some Grouper,not sure, will have to try again some other day. I can't wait!!!

No problem for me venturing out to different spots, that's the beauty of the the NC coast and a customized charter with Coastal Carolina Charters. I will customize the trip to meet your needs. Give me a call to book a charter, there's lots of bottom fishing left, this is a good time to fill a cooler with Sea Bass, Flounder, and possibly Grouper. I am gearing up for some Yellowfin and Wahoo at the stream. If we get some good weather will be blazing out there in the Angler Panga with no problem.

Give me a call at 910-787-2500, or email at: captainjamey@coastalcarolinacharters.com to book your next trip.

Tuesday, January 2

Well it was a beautiful day in Swansboro and had the day to myself, missed going out with my buddy Jeff Cronk but all in all a pretty decent day. I Went looking for the "Reds", and found a nice school as soon as I turned to go out Bogue inlet. They were making there way out the inlet and were hanging over by a little slew that leads to the back side of Dudley's Island. They were some kind of hungry, unfortunately all I had were "Berkley SW Gulps!!!" The 3 & 4 inch natural and white shrimp were on the menu. Really I was trying to get rid of my old bags of bait to get to the new ones. Man did the 'reds' love'em, and so do I. They were destroying these baits like it was there last meal. Luckily for them I was catch and releasing, since it was just me. I did keep one alive in the live well till I got back to Dudley's for a picture. Well got outside of the inlet and headed towards Onslow Beach looking for the reds. The water was kind of funny but managed to find a few in the surf, but it was a little 'sketchy' to say the least by myself. If you have ever ran in about 2 feet of water in th surf casting for reds, YOU KNOW WHAT I AM TALKING ABOUT. All in all though it was a great day, totally enjoyed just being on the water in touch with the finest stretch of water God put on this earth, at least in my opinion. I tell you what, "I love being a charter captain" !!!

Give me a call to book your next trip, I still have dates open in January. If we can get a snap in this weather, loved to take you out and tangle with some stripers out at the shoals. I am planning on going down to Wilmington and running some trips out to the Frying Pan Tower for some kings. We can catch all you can handle, so give me a call.

Give me a call at: 910-787-2500 or email me at: captainjamey@coastalcarolinacharters.com

Friday, December 29

Another awesome day of fishing along the Crystal Coast. Today I had two very cool guys from Deleware, Tim Brotman and Eddie Jarrell. They were down for a little break and gave me a call to go catch some "reds" and also heading out for the overnight excursion on the "Continental Shelf" with Captain Dave Tilley and the crew. Some of you 'die-hard' wrestling fans may notice the guy on the right as the "Pitbull #2" from the the ECW and WWF days. I remember him well and what a fighter he was, tag team champions back in the day. We headed out to the surf locally and started looking for the reds. We came across them near one of our inlets, got set up in the surf, and wham!!! Lots of nice slot limit reds for the taking. Another one of those thrilling days in the surf. Once again, the Berkley Gulps "Nuclear Chicken 4" Shrimp" were the ticket this morning. After a couple of hours of the reds, we headed out to one of the Artificial Reefs and a got on the Black Sea Bass, we had a couple of 3-4 pounders, lots of 10 1/2" ones. All in all a great day, I really enjoyed it guys, thanks.

Give me a call to book your next charter, I still have open dates in January for stripers, reds and hopefully the yellowfin. 910-787-2500 or email me at: captainjamey@coastalcarolinacharters.com

Captain Jamey Copeland

Thursday, December 28

I had to pinch myself to see if I was really in North Carolina today. It is almost January and today was a spectacular day to say the least. I had an awesome bunch of guys onboard today; Jack, Anthony, and Eric Deloso from Cary, NC. Well it didn't take long to figure out what these guys wanted to do. They wanted to head out to the shoals and look for STIPERS AND REDS. Well we sure gave it our best shot on the Stripers, chased every flock of birds we could up and down the east side, with no luck. I don't feel too bad, because there were two "Heavy Hitters" out there with us, Jeff Cronk and Mike Taylor each had charters working the shoals as well, with no joy. Those two guys are money. Well we started casting into the break out on the shoals and the "puppies" were barking. I have to say the "Berkley Nuclear Chicken shad and shrimp" were money. If you have the 'cojones' to get in there, you will not be disappointed. We also put some time in a the Rock Jetty, but mainly pulled a bunch of 'spike-heads' out, one keeper. The big action was on the shoals. I had a great time guys and you all were awesome, Great Job!!!

Give me a call at 910-787-2500 to book your charter, the stripers are there, just need to keep plugging away at them. www.coastalcarolinacharters.com, or email at: captainjamey@coastalcarolinacharters.com

Captain Jamey Copeland

Sunday, December 17

What a fabulous day to be a charter boat captain. I tell you, I love this job! I had all intentions to head down to Carolina Beach and go out to the 'Tower' today. I had some guys scheduled from the U.S. Coast Guard Special Missions Training Center today and they were pumped. Well at 0600, I was in Sneads Ferry when two of them called with flu symptoms and could not make it. So I had the other two with me and said let's head back to Swansboro and go to the Gulfstream. They didnt even hesitate. So headed out in the 26' Angler Panga and made it to the Swansboro Hole in about 2 hours. Went right to the weed line and let me tell ya, it was about 8 miles long. The wind died down and it was flat calm. We put the lines over (with some of South Chatham Tackles) PIRATE PLUGS, and it wasnt too long and the dolphin were chewing them up. We saw a couple of huge Man of War's and one of them happened to have a Cobia hanging with him, but he liked the pink and blue Pirate Plug better and before long, he was in the boat. The best part of the day was when the HOOOS came a calling. Oh yeah, they tend to like the "pink" Pirate Plugs the best...because we got even. It was getting late and I decided to throw on the 'hot yellow' Pirate and WHAMMMM!!! Out of the water about 4 feet was a nice tuna, looked like a Yellowfin, we fought it for about 40 minutes, spooled out 3/4 of the line on the Shimano Speedmasters and I was able to chase him down and get about 2/3 back. But in the end unfortuneately the fish won. Snapped off. I really wanted to put him in the boat. Oh well, definitely gives us something to come back for. Thanks to Chris and Matt for coming today, you guys were awesome. I really had a great time. Thanks for serving in the military and keeping our coast safe. Give me a call, I would love to take you and your party to the Gulfstream and get even with'em. Give me a call at 910-787-2500 or email at captainjamey@coastalcarolinacharters.com.

Tuesday, December 12

What an unbelievable couple of days of Bluefin Tuna fishing! I had the pleasure of going out a couple of days with a Captain friend of mine Bob "Radar" Townsend on the Sea Dancer II. The first day I we went was Sunday and I was really excited as was the entire crew, Donnie & Rob. We got in with the fleet and it wasnt too long and "fish on". We had a really nice fish take off and about 22 minutes later he was at the boat, but the inevitable happened, snapped at the reel on swivel and seconds later the fish was gone...The crew was pretty upset, but cowboy'd up and put the lines back out, but that was it for the day. Day 2, the crew hooked up a monster, Captain Bob said it was the hardest pull he has ever witnessed, and he has landed some 600 LBS'ers...Well it spooled about 2/3 of the line off a Penn 130, Son are you kidding me...Day 3, something has to give. Well got the lines out and around 7am, WHAM!!! Fish On...We were back in the fight once again and you could see the determination on the crews face, this fish was getting in the boat. Yep, we got it in no problem.

But I have to admit, this guy here was a lonesome warrior, all alone with a monster pulling on the 80's and he was reeling as fast and hard as he could. I couldnt believe it, we watched him as we trolled by fight the fish.

Pretty awesome trips going on and the fish are moving so give me a call if you are interested, I can surely get you on the fish. Captain Jamey Copeland at 910-787-2500, www.coastalcarolinacharters.com

Saturday, November 25

It sure was a beautiful day here on the Crystal Coast, my clients today were Stephen, Brad,and Kyle from Nothern Virginia. They were down on Emerald Isle for Thanksgiving. Well we headed out to the Rock Jetty today to hopefully catch a good bite. The report on Friday was that it was producing some nice citation sized 'specs'. Got the 26' Angler Panga situated and started fishing. We started out by landing a couple of pretty REDS, in the 17" range, no keepers though. The minor bite was for around 9am, so we patiently waited. At 0859 this nice trout was hungry, and the Berkley Gulps "Nuclear Chicken Jerk Shad" and 3" and 4" Natural Shirmp were hot. A couple of minutes later, he was in the live well. The bite didnt last long, I guess thats why they call it the 'minor' bite. We picked up and chased some Albies on the banks, that was exciting and pretty fun for all. The alblies were jumping all over the boat and the guys were casting frantically for them. A very good time by all, really enjoyed the day. Give me a call to schedule some of the dates left in December at (910) 787-2500. Captain Jamey Copeland at Coastal Carolina Charters.

Tuesday, November 21

I thought I would dig up some ole pics from back in the Coast Guard days, Check out this Dolphin bite on my patrol boat down in Puerto Rico back in the good ole days. I have to say that was the best two years a person could spend in the Coast Guard. I had a "kick butt" crew and let me tell you we loved to fish. Yeah, you could call this a recruiting segment for the CG. If your kids are thinking about it, tell them it's the best time they will have. If they are lucky to get a Captain that likes to fish (and I did) they will have a blast. But, be ready to work when it comes time to stop the migrants and interdict the drug smugglers. Which is whole other fun time in itself. Standing by for the weather to change and get out and do some fishing...

Give me a call, I still have some dates open for the Rock Jetty, Oregon Inlet and Gulf Stream if needed. Captain Jamey Copeland at Coastal Carolina Charters (910) 787-2500.

Sunday, November 19

Just a few Tunies for your viewing pleasure. This was a fun little bite, got into a load of the Blackfin's, what a time. We had some double and triple hook-ups. Man talk about some fun. Give me a call the Tuna's are coming and I am ready to go. Give me a call to book your charter. I still have some dates available in December for Tuna and Stripers. Captain Jamey Copeland at Coastal Carolina Charters (910) 787-2500.

Friday, November 10

What a beautiful day here in Swansboro. I had a charter this afternoon with some really great people. The LaRocque's from Houston, Texas. Rob Dayla and Daniel jumped onboard during a little break in their journey. The LaRocque's have been underway on their 46' sailboat since May 2005. Wow!!! And I thought my 90 day deployments in the Coast Guard were tough. Well we headed out to some local spots to try and catch some trout or red drum. The tide was changing and the bite was not quite on yet. But that quickly changed, we got into a load of Red Drum. I tell you what, I was really impressed with the way Daniel could cast, he put the bait in the exact spot I told him each time. Dayla showed great concern for the Reds, she was very careful in handling them and making sure that they got back into the water safely. Guys, I really enjoyed our charter today it was really fun, and I am glad that you guys enjoyed yourselves. I hope that you have a safe journey back to Texas. "Fair Winds and Following Seas".

I still have some open spots in November, give me a call at (910) 787-2500. Captain Jamey Copeland at Coastal Carolina Charters.

Friday, October 27

Not too nice of a day here along the Crystal Coast, the wind was starting to pick up and the rain was on its way. I got up with a good friend of mine Captain Jeff Cronk and proceeded out to some local holes. We hit the first hole and before I could get a live bait rig hooked up, Jeff threw a Berkley Gulp (pink jerk shad) out and WHAM! A speck hit it like it was his last meal. We looked at each other with big smiles and said, "this is gonna be good". Well we moved on to another nice hole and started wearing'em out. Just about every cast was producing 1-2 1/2 LBs specs. We were using green back and pink mirrorlures, and let me tell you, the trout were really chewing on them tonight. We probably caught about 30-35 specs in 2 hours, kept our 20 nice ones and called it a night. Give me a call if you are ready to catch the specs. Captain Jamey Copeland (910) 787-2500.

Sunday, October 22

A little overcast out there today, got a late start but needed to head out and commercial fish for some Kings.  You didn’t have to go far, lots of kings right on the beach at Bogue inlet.  Heard the Beaver Boat (Fritz) talking about a nice bite he had, caught 8 in about 35 minutes and then got a hold of a nice 30-pounder.  For some reason today I seem to catch every baby king in the ocean.  Lots of them 23 ½ and smaller.  At first I thought they might be Spanish, but did the check and sure enough “little kings”.  I have added the (id) reference that we used to give out at Marine Fisheries, not sure if they still do or not.  But know I wrote a lot of tickets back in the day for this.  Pull the first dorsal fin and if it is BLACK spot you got Spanish, if it is GRAY you got a King. 
We will be going to the Rock Jetty in November/December/January for Speckled Trout and Stripers, so give us a call at (910) 787-2500.

Saturday, October 14

What a beautiful day we had here in Swansboro.  The Mullet festival was in full swing with lots of visitors in town.  I ventured off-shore with my son Skylar today to fish for some kings.  There were lots of boats out and lots of chatter about the bite was on.  My son and I had a pretty fun day.  We were using live bait (cigar minnows) caught on the “B” buoy.  My son was complaining about having to reel in all the fish, but he was having a good time needless to say.  We caught plenty of kings and sounded like everyone else out that day was doing pretty well.  Lots of kings around give us a call at (910) 787-2500 to book your trip. 
We will be going to the Rock Jetty in November/December/January for Speckled Trout and Stripers, so give us a call.