What’s In Your Tackle Box?
Part III

by Joyce Deaton

Fishing in inland lakes and just offshore of the North Carolina beaches can be plenty challenging. But sooner or later most serious fishermen feel the call of the wild blue water and want to test their mettle against the bigger and tougher fish who live there.

For the third and final installment of our conversations with experts on fishing tackle, Pilot talked with Hunter McCray, owner of the Rod and Reel Shop in Holden Beach, and Capt. Chris Medlin, owner and manager of East Coast Sports in Surf City. We asked these veterans how they’d outfit a novice for blue water fishing. They shared both their recommendations for equipment and some time-tested tips for success in the Big Water.

From the Cape Fear area, you’ll need to travel about 60 miles offshore to hit the 30-fathom (180-foot) depth for blue water fishing. “Many places along the Eastern Seaboard are only 30 miles from the continental shelf, but because of the shape of our coastline, we’re further away,” explains McCray. “This, by the way, means we have great bottom fishing because we have a great expanse of water that’s relatively shallow between here and there.”

Bottom fishing is not for blue water, though. “Most of the target fish cruise the middle depths looking up, so trolling is the way to catch them,” he says. The water is clear, and you can see about 150 feet down. Many boats have an elevated fly bridge you can use to look for schools of dolphin, schools of bait, or birds that feed on the bait fish.”

Target fish typically include yellowfin and blackfin tuna, dolphin, wahoo, blue marlin, white marlin, swordfish and billfish. Here’s what our experts say you need to reel ’em in.

Hunter’s Tackle Box

You can catch any of the target fish using frozen ballyhoo for bait, and although some species may respond better to specialized lures, a good general-purpose lure will tempt most, says McCray. He recommends the Green Machine lure, a green lure with a skirt. Pull it by itself or add a teaser lure in front. He also likes the Yo-Zuri Bonita lure, which is fish-shaped with large hooks and a slanted head.

McCray recommends international class reels such as the Penn International and Shimano Tiagra at the 30-pound rating for tuna, dolphin and wahoo. For larger species such as billfish, use 50-pound to 80-pound international class tackle. “We sell 30-pound and 50-pound about equally, and you’ll do well with either,” he explains. For your 30-pound class reel, you’ll need 600 to 700 yards of 30-pound test line, and for your 50-pound class reel, take along the same amount of 50-pound test line.

A typical blue water expedition calls for six to eight rods and reels at about $600 to $900 per rig. You can find less expensive setups from about $180, but remember they have to stand up to some heavy fighting. “These are strong, powerful fish, and when they run, heat builds up on your reel,” says McCray. “A good aluminum frame reel will dissipate the heat a lot better.”

He recommends 5 ½- to 6-foot standup rods with roller guides and aluminum butts (about $225 to $425 each), but if your budget won’t stand for this, you can get by with less expensive rods. “A lot of hooks will be suitable, depending on your lure,” says McCray. “I like a 3412 8/0 or 3412 C 8/0 or 9/0, but there are probably 50 others that would work fine.” He doesn’t recommend stainless steel hooks because if they break off in a fish’s mouth, they don’t rust away and can eventually kill the fish.

He suggests a 40-to-150-pound gaff. His favorite is the Aftco gaff made of tapered tubular aluminum with a forged hook. “Remember you’re catching bigger, stronger fish, and a generic gaff just won’t get the job done,” says McCray. You’ll also need a large, strong net.

A typical blue water tackle box might include seven styles of pliers – from offshore to blunt-nose to offset cutters and crimping tools. If this list begins to make you uneasy, you may want to ask for help at your tackle shop. “A lot of novices don’t feel comfortable rigging their lures,” says McCray. “This is important because if you do this wrong you may build in failure. Any good tackle shop will be glad to rig them for you.”

Chris’s Tackle Box

Medlin starts his tackle box with a Penn 30 international class reel and 50- to 80-pound class line. He likes blue water Jags and Mini-Jags with ballyhoo on a 6/0 to 9/0 hook and fluorocarbon leaders because they’re more abrasion-resistant and less visible than other materials.

“Butterfly jigging has also been very popular recently,” says Medlin. The butterfly jig is a metal jig that looks like a fish with assist hooks off the top, always used with braided line such as Power Pro or Tough Line.

Sea Witch lures are another of Medlin’s favorites, often used in what’s called a Carolina lure. “These are ¼-ounce lead heads with hair that goes forward and fans back over the bait,” he explains. You can also add dredges or umbrella rigs to attract the fish. These are multiple lures – around 25 – hanging without bait from a spreader bar that’s pulled behind the boat. “The Black Bart lure is another good chugger-style lure,” he adds.

“You can catch any of the target fish with the same bait, but yellowfin and blackfin tuna tend to gravitate toward feeder plugs such as The Tree, a cedar lure that looks like a dowel rod with a hook,” Medlin explains.

He recommends a trolling setup of four to six rods and reels and No. 24 or No. 28 planers on planer rods, especially for wahoo.

To find the fish, Medlin says, “Try to find a break where two water temperatures converge. The fish will pile up on one side or the other of this spot, and you’ll catch more. Also look for weed lines – especially for dolphin. These are places where the Sargasso seaweed blows in and piles up in a line that can stretch from 50 yards to 2 miles. The seaweed creates shade and structure that attracts the fish.”

Medlin, who also runs fishing charters from his shop, shares the coordinates of these spots, plus information on what’s biting at well-known fishing spots, on the shop’s web site. (See www.eastcoastsports.com for details.) Good general spots include The Big Rock (a mountain in the water 62 miles directly east from the New River Inlet, Swansboro Hole near Topsail, Frying Pan Tower, The Same Old and The Steeple, near Wrightsville Beach, and wrecks designated WR2 and WR4, shown on fishing charts available at most tackle shops.

Safety Tips

“Always use sunscreen, take along polarized sunglasses, and watch the weather,” says Medlin. “A GPS system can be helpful in finding the fishing spots, and an EPIRB (Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacon) or Spot handheld satellite messenger is a good idea. With either of these, if you get in trouble, you can press a button and call the Coast Guard. An EPIRB will cost you $800 to $900, but you can do the same thing with a Spot for about $150.”

“The ocean can be an unfriendly place,” says McCray. “Make sure all your safety equipment is up to date and meets or exceeds Coast Guard requirements. For inexperienced boaters, this is often low on their list, but it should be number one.”

A simple first-aid kit with antiseptic, bandages, Dramamine® and aspirin is also a good idea, he adds. “Remember you’re participating in a sport where, if things go well, something is going to get maimed or killed, so there is a little bit of danger involved.

“And most importantly, be sure you have charts and a working compass. Today everybody relies on GPS, but things do happen, and knowing how to get home without your GPS is paramount. Coming home is the most important thing you do on a fishing trip.”