# Spanish mackerel blowout on Ocean Isle Pier w/Pics



## jeffreyweeks (Feb 5, 2009)

I just got back from a week-long trip to the coast where I absolutely slayed the Spanish Mackerel from the Ocean Isle Pier, as well as catching many whiting (sea mullet). I also had some good flounder fishing with a friend inshore at the Sunset Beach Bridge.

By far the highlight of the trip was the Spanish mackerel fishing. Spanish mackerel and bluefish were hitting for several days off and on at the Ocean Isle Pier. I saw many Spanish caught on Gotcha plugs, but I really did the job on them using my own customized Spanish gold hook rig. 



I’m not too shy to say I was the envy of the pluggers around me as I wore out the Spanish mackerel and also caught plenty of blues at the Ocean Isle Pier. There were two days I caught my limit of 15 Spanish on the pier.

There was a third day there however (Tuesday) where the wind blew so much it was almost impossible to throw my gold hook rig, and the Spanish were not biting anyway. On that day I settled for bottom fishing. 

I did pretty well catching some nice-size whiting (sea mullet) but the some local pier vets around me did even better, filling their cooler with nice sea mullet during the “Mullet Blow” day. The guys who really cleaned up were throwing fresh cut shrimp off of the end of the pier.



Most of the time I was pier fishing I was with my friend Randy Patterson (known locally as the Ice Man) who was using Gotcha plugs and catching his share of Spanish, including one that was bigger than any of mine for the week. 

Randy lives at Ocean Isle Beach but had never been down to the Sunset Beach Bridge fishing. When I told him about the great flounder action there he wanted to go, so one day we forsook the Spanish mackerel bite and hit the Sunset Bridge.

At first we were fishing Gulp shrimp on jig heads. I caught plenty of small flounder but no keepers. Eventually Randy took his cast net (he’s a better thrower than me) up into the Sunset Beach creeks and we caught some big corncob size finger mullet.

We fished the finger mullet for about a half hour getting nothing before deciding to back to the pier and the Spanish. I had already packed up to leave and Randy was reeling in his flounder rig when I heard him say “Um...wait a minute Jeff.”

He then paused and looked very focused while something munched on his big mullet. After about thirty seconds he set the hook on a gorgeous 21-inch flounder that I netted up the rocks for him. We took a pic, threw it in the cooler, and went back to catching Spanish mackerel on the pier.


Overall it was a great week and great fun fishing. I was on assignment interviewing some important local folks and writing a two-part story for the Brunswick Beacon about the potentially troubled future of Carolina recreational fishing that will be out in print starting next Thursday. 

But around the work there were many days of terrific fishing. If you are in lower NC or upper SC I suggest you find out if the Spanish mackerel are at your local pier and then make yourself a gold hook rig. If they are there I guarantee you’ll beat out the guys throwing Gotcha plugs.

Jeffrey Weeks
*Surf and Salt*


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## 0210bruce (Mar 18, 2010)

*wish i was there*

great pictures wish i was there good luck and good fishing bruce


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## wdbrand (May 24, 2007)

*Well,*

how about a picture/diagram of this gold hook rig.


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## FishnFool313 (Apr 6, 2010)

*no pic but,*

from what i remember we used them at topsail island several yrs ago , haven't seen many used since but, its called a diamond jig , and you have a leader about 18" long with several gold hooks attached , bounce it off the bottom and fish were killin it , many times hooked more than one fish at a time !!


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## jeffreyweeks (Feb 5, 2009)

i wrote an article on it, but they haven't published it yet...soon...

yes you can use a diamond jig at the end, with gold hooks up the leader (size 4). but i prefer a big shinny spoon to a diamond jig at the end.

they are used commonly in South Carolina, but hardly at all in NC yet.


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## SmoothLures (Feb 13, 2008)

I posted how to make them in the rig building forum a few days ago. They work great.


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## Starboard (Apr 23, 2008)

Is the rig making post on the P&S site? I don't see it. Sounds like an interesting rig. Can you cut and paste it here?


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## SmoothLures (Feb 13, 2008)

Starboard said:


> Is the rig making post on the P&S site? I don't see it. Sounds like an interesting rig. Can you cut and paste it here?


Yep 4 down, Rod/Plug/Rig Building. Here's the link. http://www.pierandsurf.com/fishing-forum/showthread.php?t=75558


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## Starboard (Apr 23, 2008)

Very nice post. Thanks!!


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## RuddeDogg (Mar 20, 2004)

Awesome work guys. Congrats.


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## greendave (Mar 13, 2006)

*OIB pier*

Sweet! Glad you got into em. I tried every morning Friday-Sunday. Friday morning only 2 came over the rail, but apparently they came in strong Friday evening (of course I couldn't make it out then). Sat. morning was a SW "mullet blow" and Sunday, although the water was clear, the blow was still on, even so much, not even mullet were coming up. Did see a short speck come up on fri. am and a short flounder on cut shrimp on a double bottom rig of all things came up Sun. am.

I did see something amazing though, bottom rig off the end of the pier had a big pull, then all of a sudden a HUGE turtle surfaced, he wasn't hooked but had caught the line. I didn't know they got this big, a buddy and I figured it wouldn't fit in his truck bed and estimated about 7' long, head the size of a 5 gal. bucket. It was amazing, anyone else seen him out there? After some research it appears the biggest on record is a leatherback that was 8.5' long.

In the end all i managed was some blues and cut offs from blues, and 3 whiting. Still nice to get some pullage. Right place right time, just didn't happen for me this go around.

-Dave


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## jeffreyweeks (Feb 5, 2009)

i've seen that turtle Dave!

here's my article on the Spanish rig:

Secret Rig Catches Loads Of Spanish Mackerel on Ocean Pier


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