blog.tacklemonkey.com

by Bill Morris

From late summer through the fall, the Spanish mackerel is one of the most reliable game fish along most of the North Carolina coast.  From the beach, Stingsilvers and small Hopkins spoons are the lures of choice.  Pier fishermen swear by Gotcha plugs with gold hooks.  Small private boats and large charter vessels alike spend countless hours trolling gold and silver spoons.

by Capt. George Beckwith

When Capt. Owen Lupton and young Rick Cayton caught the first tarpon on a rod and reel in the deeper waters of Pamlico Sound in 1976, a new fishery was created for Pamlico County anglers.  The heavy, 20-40 pound gear reserved for offshore excursions through Ocracoke Inlet proved ideal for the newfound tarpon fishing.  In the subsequent years, a few local anglers spent thousands of hours battling mosquitoes, dodging sudden thunderstorms and learning the secrets of the giants of the lower Neuse.

As you know we just launched the TackleMonkey.com site this week and we only have a handful of vendor product lines in the store so far, but we’re laying a foundation for the future by announcing our TackleMonkey.com Affiliates Program. 

by Capt. Owen Lupton

What is the purpose of the short leader drum rig with circle hook?  That is a legitimate question some of you may have asked.  In an effort to save our big red drum, so the spawning stock can increase, the Division of Marine Fisheries closed the season on taking any red drum over 27” in length a few years ago.  Since there was an extensive fishery operating in Pamlico Sound on large fish over 27” it became apparent that status quo of using j-hooks and long leaders would result in killing far too many fish.  DMF was also very aware of the probability of this taking place, and was considering a night time closure for drum fishing.  DMF biologists reported seeing big drum floating at daylight on several occasions as a result of the use of j-hooks and long leaders.  It was then that I decided there must be a better way of catching these fish without causing so much harm.