[piano intro] - We got to get busy catching these things.

- Let's get after 'em.

They're all around the boat, I don't want 'em to run into your boat here.

- Oh, matter of fact... (laughter) ...catch something right now.

There he is.

That's a good one, oh baby.

- [Dean] Let that drag talk.

- Yeah, he's trying to take advantage of this two pound test but, mmm, that's a good fish, Dean.

That might be one of those we saw blowing up on top.

[light instrumental music] ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ - [Male Announcer] The "Carolina Outdoor Journal" is brought to you by: - [Female Announcer] "Wildlife in North Carolina Magazine."

- [Male Announcer]: And by EZ Bait & Tackle.

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- Hello and welcome to the Carolina Outdoor Journal.

Well today's program's about a spring run of bonitos.

_ That's right, we're gonna be fishing right out of New River Inlet in and area that's called the Diver's Rock, it's some bottom that holds, actually holds a lot of bait because it draws in in the spring, at this time of year, end of April, early May, a good run of Atlantic bonito and also on this day we actually had some Spanish mackerel mixed in with them, but the bonitos are great fish, one of our sportier fish.

Not light tackle, medium tackle, you need something with a little backbone but really sporty on tackle, medium tackle, and very tasty on the table, but a lot of fun today just off of New River Inlet.

- Joe, we should have a good gear time today.

- The guys will share with us what they use for bait, what they do is match the bait, this would be what the fish are feeding on, generally diamond jigs, small baits, they don't have to be very large and but just a lot of fun today.

- And Donna's got something special in the kitchen today.

- [Joe] Real tasty grouper recipe, kind of a pot roast set up that she's come up with, it should be real tasty.

- [John] Alright, it's gonna be a lot of fun.

Let's go fishing today on the Carolina Outdoor Journal.

- [Ricky] Dean, we done picked us a pretty morning, slick, calm nearby, the bonito are out here busting all over the place, just end of April, first time I've been out, the word's been out, I know you've heard about it, but we got to get busy catching these things.

- Let's get after 'em, they're all around the boat, I don't want them to run into your boat here.

- Matter of fact, I got one.

(laughter) I'm bout to catch something right now.

There he is.

That's a good one, oh baby.

- [Dean] Let that drag talk.

- Yeah, he's trying to take advantage of this two pound test but... Mmmm!

That's a good fish, Dean, it might be one of those we saw blowing up on top.

Mmm, easy there.

(laughs) This rod'll bend but so far!

Alright Dean, he is on a mission.

- You know that the neat thing about these fish is on a day like today you can come out here and just let the birds find the fish for you.

- Oh yeah, that's what I like about it, so when it's on it's on.

And we saw 'em coming out there, we saw the birds, you saw one boat and the birds diving.

- Yeah.

- And that's a tell tale sign that there's fish feeding.

Yeah, I didn't change this hook and sometimes those chrome hooks just can't stand the abuse.

- [Dean] No, I just changed mine.

- [Ricky] I gotta number four, let me bring him one more time and then we'll get him, right here, oh yeah, goodnight, beautiful!

- [Dean] I'll let you get ahold of him.

- That's a pretty fish, now.

- [Dean] You know what, that's a good five, six pound fish.

- [Ricky] Easy, oh yeah.

Gotta respect the teeth.

Oh son.

Mmm, mmm, mmm!

Thank you lord!

- [Dean] Beautiful fish.

- Yes, I'm thinking seriously about a top water, D. - Look, I see one.

- I don't see 'em exploding, well take that back right there.

He don't look little to me.

- He didn't like the look of this yellow boat, I can tell you that.

- I thought it was you that he didn't like the looks of.

(laughs) You alright?

- I'm in better shape than he is.

- He's not faring too well, D. Watch out.

- You know, he was cooperating fairly well till he got close to the boat.

- I'll tell you what, I'm getting ready to cast, until you get him up to where I can at least, oh, there's another five minutes.

- Okay, time to switch off.

- I'll put mine in a rod holder if I get one.

- I'm sorry fish, that I said you were little.

- Yeah, he's making you pay.

- When I said that, he got angry.

- Oh, son!

- Let me know, son.

- I ain't sure what this is, feels like a nice Spanish.

- I believe I got him.

He's bigger than I thought he was.

- One more time.

(grunting) Oh, mercy!

That's a good fish, D. - [Dean] You know when I said he was little, I meant he was short.

- Diamond jig with a gold hook?

- Beautiful, ain't he?

- He is, huh.

Bet he'd bite somebody right now.

- Oh, not me.

- Put him out, let's get another one.

I got a fish on right now, don't know what it is.

Nah, a black bass of all things.

Bass masters.

- You know Rick, we found that first fish right there where those gillets were diving.

- Yup, yup.

- I think what it is, the bigger the size on those bonito, they can see them roll on their sides when they're feeding.

- Yeah, you can see them just working out here and they're everywhere!

- Yeah, and but the Spanish seem to be on the peripheral of it but the bonito seem to be right under the birds.

- Yeah, the bait, you know we passed that pod of bait coming out and the bait's everywhere, that's why these fish are here.

- Right, well this is like a couple weeks out the year.

There's one just broke through right there.

- Yeah, you can see 'em blowing up, slick calm out here, it's just the perfect day.

One right there.

- April.

- End of April, yup.

Don't let that sink on you, oh yeah.

I hope it's that one I saw a while ago.

Oh, look right there.

- This fish is...

This fish is like a mackerel.

You do not want him to get loose 'cause he's gonna go tell everybody.

- Trying to make the tackle look bad.

(laughs) That's a nice one.

(line reeling) He is just about done.

- Okay, I think I got his head now, Rick, you can get him on this one.

- He is not coming.

(laughs) - Here you go, here you go.

- Get my handle, this thing is so long.

- Oh son!

- [Rick] Diamond jig coming through for you again, D. - [Dean] Look at the stripes on that fish.

- Yeah, they are beautiful.

Actually have some, look at that power.

- Yeah, he definitely got a muzzle on him.

- Yes he has, he is all business buddy.

- All business on both ends.

- Hold it right there a second, let me get one out there.

That's beautiful.

- Beautiful fish, he's got a big black eye on him.

- Yes, pretty work, pretty work.

- Alright, see you fish.

- Good job, D. He's not wanting.

- I think he's stuck his head around a rock.

- No, he's coming.

- He ain't liking it.

Oh yeah, good fish.

- You see him?

- Yeah, I saw him.

- Goodnight.

- He's a beaut.

(laughs) - It'll get better in a minute.

- It's hard on this light tackle.

- It is, he is a little, that hook's pulled out of his mouth.

He's foul hooked a little bit.

- He hit it so fast, I was cranking as hard as I could go.

He is foul hooked.

- Bring him on up here, D. It's a wonder they can eat, it just shows you.

Pretty, pretty, pretty.

- Another pretty one, this one.

Watch that hook.

- He was struck at it Dean, it foul hooked him right there in the side.

Didn't hurt him a bit, but it's over.

Yeah he is pretty, still wants to fight.

Okay, he said get a little bit closer to me.

- Oh he'll be fine.

- Yeah, ain't nothing wrong with that fish.

That's five or six pound fish, beautiful.

- Oh yeah.

(laughs) Go ahead, buddy.

(gentle music) Dean, this is part of it right here buddy.

Bonito, Spanish running together.

Same bait, look at it, beautiful fish, too.

Get in here!

Mmm!

- Look at it, look like they came out of the same mold, too.

- Yes they do.

Like spitting up them glass minnows.

That's what they love.

Late April Spanish, beautiful.

- That's great eating.

- Yeah, they're beautiful.

- [Dean] Fresh Spanish mackerel.

- If that's not a bonito, this'll be a nice Spanish, but I don't think, I'm thinking bonito.

Oh yeah, that's pretty right there.

Easy there, boy.

(laughter) Hand just got locked up!

That fish don't care nothing 'bout my welfare.

He's going round the boat.

I'll go with him.

(laughs) Got to go with the flow on these things.

- Actually, he's in control of you right now, just in case you were wondering.

Get this net.

- Tell you what, I'm dragging him to me.

- [Dean] Yeah, there he is, pretty fish.

- [Ricky] Pretty bonito.

Get one more time.

They've all been pretty solid fish now.

- [Dean] Yup, he's telling you.

- [Ricky] Come on now, look at it, look how he just.

- Well they lay on that, they got that big flat.

- Hardly no effort.

- They got that big flat side, they know how to use it.

You need some little stouter hooks on these fish.

- I got him, I got him.

- Yeah?

- Yeah, yeah he hurt a bit.

Pretty!

He's ready to go now.

Alright, D. Get you one, I gotta have me a drink.

- He'll probably.

- Go ahead, I got it.

- He'll probably have another bait fish before I can even get my rod in the water.

- Goodnight, that 50 pound leader is beat up now.

- Yup.

- It's gonna have to stand one more before I wanna change.

- You know, we don't get many days like this on the ocean.

- Oh, nah.

- I guess this is probably perfect conditions.

- Yeah, you can take, look out here, there's 17, 18 foot boats out here, just right outside of New River Inlet's where we're at and it's almost slick calm, you know, we got the weather forecast last night and it was light and variable when we talked.

I said we need to go, today's the day, and just, you know, been fortunate that it's turned out as good as it has 'cause you don't ever know about out here.

- And we're, I mean, we're almost.

- About two miles out on 38 foot of water.

- 38 feet of water.

- And the fish have kinda settled down, but we're gonna catch some more.

So it's gonna be pretty, it's supposed to stay light and variable all day and it is slick calm everywhere, everyone's catching fish.

- [Dean] He's almost underneath the boat.

- Right there!

Is that where he was?

(laughs) Well there's another one right there.

Yeah, they've settled down.

- The bait's probably gone down.

- Getting ready to shout, now.

- What is it?

- It's a bonito, it's a bonito, yeah.

- Ooh, yeah.

- He's got a bonito smoke going.

(line reeling) I got sweat coming off of my brow.

- [Dean] That last one, my treble hook is no longer a treble.

- This fish here might be, he might accidentally be as pretty as yours, I don't know.

(line reeling) - I see him down there, he's like that last one, he doesn't like this boat.

(line going out) - Easy there!

I just made up all that time.

- I wonder what.

- I got a fighting belt down under there.

- You just gotta be jigging.

- Easy, don't fall out there with them things.

- That's a good fish, Rick.

- I believe it is, I see him down there.

- That bait must've gone down.

I don't see the birds working like they were.

- Yeah, he was down there.

- He was deep.

- I let it settle before I even started.

Come on now, making progress now.

- Just when you think you're making progress.

- He can't stand that right there and I can't either.

Crazy thing.

- [Dean] Yeah, nothing wrong with that fish.

- Nice, this is as close as he.

- [Dean] He's not foul hooked either, he's just, he's one of those.

(laughs) - He's got a lot of, no quit in that fish.

He acts like we gon' keep him.

- [Dean] I'll tell you what, he has really got, he doesn't like boats.

- There he is!

I'll tell you what, he's no bigger but I think his heart's bigger.

That's another pretty fish, D. Oh yeah, staying silver.

- Going down today!

- That's pretty about the same size, all of 'em been nice.

- He's about half the size of the one I just caught but I think he's prettier.

If that makes you feel any better, I think the babies have prettier stripes.

- Memory loss is kicking in on you.

No yours was bigger, I'll give you that.

- No, but yours is prettier.

- Well, yeah, he is that.

- You gonna turn him loose and let him grow up to be like mine.

- Yeah, I'm good, go ahead.

I'll let my boys catch him next year.

- Go talk to that big fish that Dean caught while you go.

- Oh me oh my, that was a workout.

- Joe, the ocean was slick that day, the water conditions were right.

- [Joe] Perfect, for a small boat you need those conditions, you gotta be able to fish and we were in a fairly small boat that day and in those conditions, you're able to move around and the fish were moving around, they're chasing bait so they're up and down.

Some bird activity, didn't have a lot of bird activity but a lot of times, birds'll show you where they are off in the distance, you can run to 'em, but just a great fish.

And again, it's a spring migration, we get it for about two weeks, it's a two week window that you keep your fingers crossed that you have the conditions that you need to be able to number one, get out in the inlet, and then get out and be able to fish this area that they like to frequent.

But it's something that happens every year and if you've never caught a bonito, give it a try.

- Alright, you mentioned tackle, let's go to gear time.

(gentle music) - Well, Ricky, that was just a fabulous day.

- Just one of them days.

- [Dean] You know, it's April the 27th and the bonito show up just a couple of weeks every year here on the coast.

- [Ricky] Caught one on the first cast.

- Yup, and we went out this morning, saw the birds diving, got right on 'em, no more than two miles off the beach.

I was using this diamond jig, it's pretty simple.

- [Ricky] Gold hook.

- [Dean] Right, just it was just, I was letting mine just fall, lift and let fall and they were hitting it and you were staying safer.

- Yeah, same ploy we use to jig up the grays, I mean just a good, it's a good lure.

Catch a lot of Spanish on 'em, especially the bonito, you can cast 'em a mile especially with these seven foot medium action rods.

- [Dean] Yup, we both are using the same rod.

- [Ricky] 2500.

- [Dean] This is a 2500 Shimano.

- [Ricky] Yup, this is a Tierra.

Real good, holds a lot of line, that's the main thing if you're using this light tackle, make sure you got a lot of line in.

I've got the two diameter ten pound braid, which holds, I bet I've got 250 yards on it.

And you know, that'll stop 'em.

- Yeah, I was using a braid too.

And you've gotta, you know, even though we lost a couple of these today and that's just part of the deal, you gotta have a good leader.

This is a 40 pound mono filament leader here and you know, you could use a 40 or 50, whatever necessary, but when they're feeding like they were today.

- Oh yeah, it was hard to beat today.

That's how it is, you know, the beginning of the season you gotta be out there when the bite's on.

- [Dean] Well, you're known as the speckle specialist, but you're putting us on with the bonito today, man it was great, I had a great time.

- Enjoyed it, enjoyed it.

- Thank you so much.

- Alright, thank you.

- Like to thank Captain Ricky Kellum for all that valuable information there and if you want to go fishing, well there's the number on your screen, so give him a call.

Let's catch up now, Donna's in the kitchen, she's got another great recipe for us today.

(gentle music) - Hi, today in the kitchen we're making a grouper pot roast.

I know, kind of interesting, huh?

So we're gonna start out by caramelizing some onions and for me, it's really hard to take the time to caramelize your onions.

It's not that hard, but I like to turn my heat up and get 'em cooked, but you can't do that.

So we've got some olive oil going in our pan right now, I have my onions that are already sliced, I'm gonna put those in and I'm gonna give those a stir.

You can't cook 'em fast but they're well worth the patience.

So, we're gonna give those a stir then we're gonna add in a couple of sprigs of thyme to this which is gonna add some really yummy flavor and smells.

Someone said smelled like Thanksgiving in here.

Then we're gonna add in a little pat of butter, about a tablespoon of butter and give that a nice stir and then we're gonna turn our heat down to like low and let 'em cook for about 20 minutes, just kinda come by every now and again and give 'em a stir.

So we're gonna do that and this is what they look like when they're done, I'm gonna swap this out.

And we're gonna continue in our pan.

So once we have our caramelized onions, this is what they look like.

So they're nice and golden brown and they're just really beautiful, we have some salt and pepper in there and then we're going to kind of put them to the, move them out to the side a little bit.

And we're gonna make this space in the middle and this is where we're gonna sear our grouper.

So we have our grouper here and we're gonna salt and pepper our grouper and this, you can use several different pieces or you can use one big, huge piece, larger piece of grouper.

They need to be about an inch thick.

We're gonna sprinkle those with our salt and pepper.

And then we're gonna place them into our pan and we're gonna sear them, this will lock in all the juices, so we're gonna give them a nice sear and let them sit in the pan for about four minutes until you can kind of lift them up.

If they still are stuck to the pan, then you need to let them cook just a little bit longer.

And then we're gonna flip them over and then we're going to add in some cherry tomatoes that I've just cut in half, but I'm just gonna go ahead and show you how we put this together.

So I'm gonna give mine a little flip.

Then we're gonna put our cherry tomatoes in here, give this a stir, then we're gonna put some white wine in here to deglaze the pan, we're gonna get all those juices and all of the parts of the fish that have kind of stuck to the pan, get all the drippings and then we're gonna place this in the oven at 375 for about 12 minutes until your fish is cooked completely through.

Top it with some parsley and you're ready to go.

So this is what it looks like when it comes out, you can see you have all these great caramelized onions, which add so much flavor, the tomatoes have kind of caramelized a little bit and the mixture with the fish, we're gonna top it with some fresh sliced basil, which is yummy and it's a great, great, yummy dish.

So I hope you enjoy the grouper pot roast and I look forward to seeing you next time here on Simple Cooking.

- Thanks Donna for another recipe, those recipes and many more like that are available in our cookbook.

Joe, let's go back, a good day of fishing, the water was right, it was almost perfect.

- Well it was, surface conditions were perfect, I love it especially to film on 'cause you're not, you don't have all the wave action, but so and you can obviously see the fish, too.

That's one thing that we noted that day, was they were easier to see when you have slick conditions, you can see 'em off in the distance 'cause they're moving, they're very fast fish and just like the Spanish, they're moving, chasing bait and it's a lot of fun, if you can catch those conditions, catch when the fish are in there.

That Diver's Rock area at New River Inlet, holds a lot of bait fish every year.

It's almost a guarantee, if you can catch it in that two, three week window of opportunity that these fish are moving through, if you can time it right and get the conditions right, you can catch a lot of fish and like I said, they're really good on the table.

- Always good on the table.

Well for Joe Albea, I'm John Moore, thanks for joining us today on the Carolina Outdoor Journal.

- [Male Announcer]: Make sure to visit our website for more information.

The Carolina Outdoor Journal is brought to you by: - [Female Announcer]: "Wildlife in North Carolina" magazine.

- [Male Announcer]: And by EZ Bait & Tackle.

Family owned and operated.

We fish from fresh to saltwater.

We provide fishing supplies and advice to every type of angler.

For all your fishing needs, EZ Bait & Tackle.

And from contributions from PBS North Carolina viewers like you.

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