whichwaysup Posted January 16, 2017 Report Share Posted January 16, 2017 After spending a year on the Pamlico, Striper have gotten into my blood. Shortly after moving to Wilmington, I heard that the Cape Fear had a decent Striper fishery, and I was dying to find these fish. But that Cape Fear is big and can get nasty, so learning it on my own was a daunting endeavor. On a recommendation from the guys at Intracoastal Angler, I reached out to John Huff of Circle H charters and asked him if he would be willing to run a "teaching trip" on my boat. He was more than willing and came through in spades. Anyone looking for a great guide and just a great guy to spend a day on the boat with, call the guy. He knows his stuff.We ended up with 11 Striper and lost three others halfway back to the boat. My first fish was a little dink, but I was happy to feel that unmistakable striper "thump" on the end of my line again! The next spot generated a slightly larger one, but my buddy pulled in a 27.5" inch bruiser that made my two fish look like bait. With the gauntlet thrown, we headed to several other spots, and my catches grew larger, but still well short of what he had. Several 24+" fish came over the gunnels and they reminded me how bulldoggish those striper can be.Finally, near the end of the day, we pulled up to a spot and John said "Cast there and you'll have a fish on." I shot the first cast out, and sure enough, felt that unmistakeable thump. I missed him, but apparently his buddy was in the wings waiting for me, and I ended up pulling that fish in. Another cast, and WHAM, I set up and felt the big "WHUMP WHUMP" of a massive head shake. I fought her forever, since we were without a landing net. Finally she surfaced and surrendered - a 28.5 inch, fat, healthy beauty. It was a great day and it's a great fishery - can't wait to get back out there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
conocean Posted January 16, 2017 Report Share Posted January 16, 2017 Nice! As I think you know, Capt Huff is a longtime friend of mine. I've taught him everything he knows! All kidding aside, he took me on a fun striper trip a few years ago out of Wrightsville Bch; I think I posted a report on this forum about it but cannot remember. I was using a brown DOA Bait Buster all day and caught as many as he did on his Rat L Traps even though he said what I was throwing wouldn't work. He wasn't very amused and he did end up catching the biggest striper of the day.....that SOB! One of two double-headers.... Mug shot of the Captain..... The biggest striper I landed on the "bait that would never work up there".... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whichwaysup Posted January 16, 2017 Author Report Share Posted January 16, 2017 You know Huff is a good guide - I mean he's about the only one up here smart enough to own an MA. He's a good guy, I always learn a ton from our trips. How often do you get up this way? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
conocean Posted January 16, 2017 Report Share Posted January 16, 2017 No doubt, the MA owners I know are all pretty smart dudes. LoL Huff is definitely a great person, and guide. I only get up to NC every 4-5yrs so I'm due this Fall or Spring of next yr. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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