# 2nd Avenue Report, April 23-27



## SmoothLures (Feb 13, 2008)

Stayed at the Lighthouse Motel, the free pier fishing was a big plus. 

Wednesday:

Got there Wednesday around 2 or 3 PM, checked in and took everything to the room and rested for a bit. Decided to head out to the pier. Started out with squid, finger mullet, and shrimp. Had a few small bites on the squid and shrimp, caught a croaker and cut him up for bait. Changed baits to finger mullet and the croaker and went at them. Wound up with 15 or so 1-2 pound blues, threw several small ones back. Also caught a few keeper whiting. Got tired of reeling them in after a while so me and my dad started letting the little kids out there catch them after setting the hook. Evening ended with a 3 foot shark, I'm guessing sharpnose but don't really know, it was dark and we just let him go. It had plenty of teeth so it wasn't a dogfish. Hooked into something big after that didn't like it when I set the hook. Made the drag scream and a few seconds later he was off. Don't remember if he cut the 50 lb. test bottom rig or just spit the hook. Headed back to the room, gutted the fish, dropped them in ziplocks and tossed them in the freezer.

Thursday:

Woke up bright and early Thursday morning and headed out, put out some cut mullet and a croaker I saved from the night before. Just had a few small little pecks, didn't do much with them. Saw some guys jigging and catching some Spanish Mackerel. I hadn't ever tried it before and nothing was happening on the bottom, so I brought my bottom rigs in and talked with the guys. Wound up getting a Spanish rig, tied it on and after a quick lesson I fell in line with them and started jigging. After the guys caught a few fish I hooked up on my first one and I was hooked. I wound up with 4 keepers in the cooler, from 12-14 inches. Called it a day and got out of the heat for a rest. Headed back out later around 4:30. Only took my Spanish rod and rig and didn't catch anything except a few silversides and 2 or 3 grass shad. It was weird to catch bait on the same rig as what eats them, but oh well. 

Friday:

Headed back out when they opened the pier with the Spanish rig and cooler. Stayed and jigged for a few hours but after no fish I headed back to the room. Went back out later and didn't catch any. Found out Sunday that I was leaving too early and getting back too late. 

Saturday:

Was planning to leave Saturday but we decided to go out on a boat the night before and stay another night. Got up early and headed up to Calabash, NC and went out on a party boat with the Hurricane Fleet for 4 hours. Just blew $80 plus $5 on some half rotten cut fish for bait. Got back early afternoon and rested for the rest of the day in the room. Reports I got on Sunday were that a ton of Spanish Mackerel were caught from piers Saturday with lots of people limiting out pretty fast. 

Sunday:

Had to leave Sunday. Got up around 9, got everything together and in the car, kept a Spanish rig in my pocket and my rod out. Walked out on the pier around 10 or 11 not expecting to stay long. Caught a small skate, then the fish started biting about 12, with high tide at 1:09 I believe. Caught 10 or so, all 12 inches or better except 1. Finished off my limit from people catching them who weren't keeping them. Left around 2:15 and put the fish on ice. 

Had a great time except the party boat, met a few locals and got their numbers so I don't waste a 45 minute one way drive if the fish aren't biting. Hope to head back this weekend if my sunburn is better and there's still some fish being caught. Most Spanish that were caught were 12 - 14 inches, big one I saw caught was 15.25. There weren't too many under 12 but there were a few.


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## gasmanbucs (Mar 6, 2006)

*hey*

hey whats the new found way to jig for spanish. if ya dont mind sharing

thanks
gasman


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## SmoothLures (Feb 13, 2008)

I'll take a picture of one of the rigs I have in a second and post, but from the top down its a snap swivel tied to your main line, clipped to the top loop of a Spanish Mackerel rig. Then you have 6-8 gold hooks on loops with coffee stirrer straws slipped over the hook before it's put on the loop. Then on the bottom there's a 3 oz bank sinker.

To use it, tie a snap swivel on to your main line, clip on the rig and unwrap it one hook at a time(the good ones are stored on small piece of a water noodle, the long foam things you see in pools with a hole down the middle). Once you spread it out, pull the sinker out of the middle of the water noodle then drop it down and start jigging it up and down. You should see your top hook on the top of your jigging motion.


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## Too Busy (Sep 7, 2007)

sounds like a sabiki rig with the coffee stirrer straws as little attractors.
Are the hooks pretty small? #8 or #12 extra long shank?


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## SmoothLures (Feb 13, 2008)

It's kinda like a large sabiki rig. The hooks are 2/0 or 3/0 Eagle Claw Aberdeens.


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## SmoothLures (Feb 13, 2008)

Just found my camera USB cord. Here's some pictures. 

Here's the whole rig together, with my ugly wrapping.  The ones you get at the bait shops will be neater. 











This is what a hook looks like vs a 3 oz. bank sinker, the straws are different colors. Most are red or white with red stripes (like you get at a fast food place, just smaller).


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## pierfishing88 (Feb 18, 2008)

so the coffee stirrers go over the shank of the hook, not the loop?

Thanks


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## SmoothLures (Feb 13, 2008)

Yep, cut it to size then slip it over the hook. Then thread your hook onto a leader, about 30 lb. mono I'd say, get it where you want it on the line, then tie a loop knot with the hook. I use the Surgeon's Loop.


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## Danman (Dec 13, 2007)

Seems like you had a good week smoothlures..good description of the mackerel rig.:fishing:


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## SmoothLures (Feb 13, 2008)

Yep it was great to get out and catch some fish. 
If anyone doesn't understand how to do it, just pick up a Spanish rig at a pier and ask someone how to do it. Most of the locals have done it before, even if they're not jigging at the moment.


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## Danman (Dec 13, 2007)

I just bought two jig packs at walley world..$1.66 each..will try...Its too dang windy today will try tomorrow.


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## SmoothLures (Feb 13, 2008)

Good luck. From what I was told the store bought ones don't work that great, but I haven't tried them. If you're not catching fish and other people are, walk down to the pier and get one of the rigs I was talking about, I know they work.  
Do you know how to work them in the water?


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## Big Worm (Mar 29, 2005)

in most cases they use long surf poles (12-13')and jig them vertically. Using a rail pole holder, I have been out there when they straight smokem, snap jiggn those straw (gold hook) rigs.

Or you can float live finger mullet.....at the jetty.


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## SmoothLures (Feb 13, 2008)

Those look pretty nice. Yep everyone I saw was jigging. One guy told me that they caught a very nice one on Saturday king fishing. Or at least rigged like you king fish, I don't know the size of the bait, it may have been finger mullet like you said.


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## pierfishing88 (Feb 18, 2008)

Do you usally jig right of the pier or cast it out?


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## Danman (Dec 13, 2007)

Nice fish bigworm..bigger than the ones they catch on the pier


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## Big Worm (Mar 29, 2005)

Thanks. Those are all my brothers. They are from the Jetty though not the pier, live finger mullet make spanish mad ( I mean bonkers )....

I keep my boat up there. Got some short flounder and a couple keepers as well as some short sea bass the other day. Been trying to get out more with my Dad.


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## SmoothLures (Feb 13, 2008)

pierfishing88 said:


> Do you usally jig right of the pier or cast it out?


You can't really cast them since they're 7-8 feet long. Some people toss them out and work them back to the pier, but you're vertically jigging. Lots of people use 10-15 foot rods to get it out from the pier a little bit as well.


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