[piano intro] (man) That's a nice fish too!

You know what's crazy about that, Mike?

That's the first fish I've cast to with that fly-- Whoo, baby!

(Mike) You better haul, yeah.

See, that's another good slot fish.

Look at him!

Come on, talk to me!

Ha, ha...ha-- that's a nice fish!

Now, he couldn'ta run any faster over there, and I twitched it one time.

You caught him in 6 inches o' water.

Yeah, he was way up in side of that grass.

Aw, yeah, that's a nice fish.

He's a pretty rascal.

Look at him pu llin'.

He's got it bowed up.

That's the reason you get up at 4 in the morning and drive from Manteo to Lake Phelps.

[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.

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 by contributions from PBS North Carolina viewers like you.

Thanks for joining us today on the Carolina Outdoor Journal .

Today's program, we call "Fishing the Edge" as we go down to Lake Phelps.

That's right, and we are fishing the edge.

We're gonna be wading for largemouth bass, right on the edge of the lake in grassy areas where these fish like to hang out.

This is in July.

We got up early and started early and caught some really pretty fish using poppin' bugs.

(John) Poppin' bugs--we're gonna get a good education on that in "Geartime."

(Joe) Go back; join the guys.

They'll talk about what they use.

One angler was using a top-water poppin' bug.

Our other angler was using a little subsurface fly that he's worked up.

Both proved very effective that day.

Then, as you'll see, there were pretty fish.

Our recipe today with tilefish.

This is an offshore fish, very tasty, and Donna's worked up a really tasty recipe using tilefish.

(John) All right, let's go to work on the Carolina Outdoor Journal .

Get rigged up here, Mike.

You're already rigged up, but run this line through.

I couldn't wait to get here this morning.

What a pretty mornin'.

Yeah, it's a gorgeous day.

The wind died out right at daybreak.

Did it really?

She's been dead slick.

It was breezy in Manteo when I left this morning, and I figured it'd be less wind once I got over here, but, um-- I know that this lake has been kind of screwy with the weather patterns we've had this year.

You know, northeast wind and south and hard northeast kinda messed the spawn up a little.

You've been seein' big fish this spring.

Think we can catch one on a poppin' bug?

I'm gonna throw a poppin' bug.

You're throwin' a really pretty bug your roommate made .

Yeah, old college roommate-- Can't hardly get one out of him, but deer hair bugs-- I'm throwin' a little heavier rod than you because pullin' this stuff through grass and tryin' to punch it deep in these pockets.

I'm lookin' forward to this.

Let me get rigged up.

Let's get ready to go.

(Bryan) Mike, I noticed you're kinda ploppin' your bug in there and lettin' it sit for a second and then twitchin' it a little.

I'm tryin' to get an idea about what I need to do.

Is that based on what the fish are eatin'?

(Mike) Yeah, this time of year, the primary top-water food source for these bass is-- are dragonflies, and if you'll watch, you know, this morning, I'm seein' a lot of the--the green and the chartreuse and the-- the light brown dragonflies, and what I'm doin' is, I'm pickin' and choosin' these holes.

I'm using the poppin' bug and layin' that bug in there and let her sit still for two or three-- 15 seconds, something like that, and twitch it to ya a little bit just to imitate those dragonflies.

(Bryan) I just heard one blow up right in that grass there.

What kind--is it gonna be an explo-- explosive bite, or do they suck it off the top?

(Mike) It's a dimple.

Sometimes you'll think you've got a bluegill there.

They're really not as aggressive right now as they are earlier in the season.

They're, uh, much more passive in their bite.

They just ease up in-- up under it and kinda suck it in.

You know, you don't see the real explosion like you'll see a little bit earlier in the season.

(Bryan) Well, we're almost to July, so I would expect it to be startin' to fall off a little bit.

(Mike) Yeah.

He slapped it too!

(Bryan) Wow!

That's pretty good fish.

Look at that old top poppin' bug.

Looky there.

(Bryan) Look at him pullin', boy!

Ha, ha, ha!

That's a good fish.

He's gonna come over there and talk to you.

(Bryan) Heck, if I need, I'll land him for you.

(Mike) Ha, ha...ha!

Yeah, he come runnin' out of that grass bed right there.

(Bryan) He settled right on it.

He came and went on it like you're supposed to.

There wasn't nothin' shy about this one.

(Bryan) Look at him pullin'!

Uh-huh, that's what I love about these light-action rods.

They just are so much fun.

You know, if I can get the landing, then it was my day.

If he gets away, it was his day.

(Bryan) He's gonna--oh!

And he go t away.

Hah--I talked him into a quick release!

(Bryan) Wow, wow, wow!

He said, "If that's the case--" (Mike) "I'm going home."

(Bryan) "I'll go away from here."

Wow!

(Mike) Oh, well.

(Bryan) When they get in this grass and rub that bug, they'll shake their head in that grass, tryin' to get that thing outta their mouth.

It's small hooks, a number 4-- (Mike) A number 4.

(Bryan) They can get in just right and pull it out sometimes.

That was a nice fish.

(Mike) Yeah, that one was typical of those slot fish that we were talking about.

He was probably a 17-, 18-inch fish.

When he came out, that's what he looked like.

(Bryan) He was a little football right there.

I probably shoulda... grabbed him for you.

(Mike) Well, he's all right.

That's why I fish with these light-action rods.

(Bryan) Oh, there!

Oh, my God!

(Mike) But, uh, I enjoy it.

It's a-- he gave me a-- now, he's already made my mornin'.

Ha, ha!

I'da loved to put my hands on him, but I don't gotta.

(Bryan) I tell you, I'm ready for one to make mine.

(Mike) Heh, heh...heh!

(Bryan) Did you move it, even twitch it?

(Mike) No, as soon as it hit water, he nailed it.

He come out of that point.

(Bryan) He was lookin' for a dragonfly.

That's exactly what it was.

He was tired of chasin' little brim.

He was lookin' for somethin' a little easier.

(Mike) Nothing like lookin' at him and doin' somethin'.

That's a nice fish too!

You know what's crazy about that, Mike?

That's the first fish I've cast to with that fly-- Whoo, baby!

(Mike) You better haul, yeah.

See, that's another good slot fish.

Look at him!

Come on, talk to me!

Ha, ha...ha-- that's a nice fish!

Now, he couldn'ta run any faster over there, and I twitched it one time.

(Mike) And you caught him in six inches o' water.

(Bryan) Ye ah, he was way up in side of that grass.

Aw, yeah, that's a nice fish.

He's a pretty rascal.

Look at him pu llin'.

He's got it bowed up.

That's the reason you get up at 4 in the morning and drive from Manteo to Lake Phelps.

He eat it up too, didn't he?

Yes sir, and I'm sure he's not done yet.

(Mike) That's a really good fish, Bryan.

That's---now, see, that's a typical fish for this slot.

That's probably a 17-, 18-inch fish.

uh-huh Uh, the slot on this lake is a 16 to 20, and you look at-- look at how healthy... Oh, it's beautiful.

And pretty that fish is.

Great old big head, big mouth, thick tail.

Yep.

That's a nice fish, but typical-- What is he, 3 pounds, 3 1/2 pounds?

Yeah, but that's a typical slot fish on this lake.

You know, you'll catch 16- to 20- inch fish pretty-- pretty steady in here.

He couldn't stand that old-- Couldn't stand that feathered worm, huh?

Is that it?

It looks just like a great worm, and as soon as it hit the bottom, he come runnin' over there and sailed right on it.

I mean, as pretty as you could ask for.

That's a nice, healthy fish.

I'd never thought I'd caught him in 6 inches o' water 'cause he ran, literally.

I threw it up inside of him.

I didn't want to throw it on his head.

He ran right to it, and I twitched it one time.

Good fish-- ha, ha...ha!

You could watch him.

There ain't nothin' like it.

It'll ruin you, man--ha, ha...ha!

Watch him come out of the water.

Ahh!

Come on, baby.

That's one thing this-- another thing, this hot water, they quit quick.

(Bryan) Th ey give you one or two little bursts and then chill out fo r a while.

(Mike) This one's decided-- (Bryan) Th at fish is not as big as I thought.

(Mike) No, but I tell you, it was the most aggressive bite we had of the day.

(Bryan) Yep, look at how deep he ate that.

That wasn't any slurpin', that one.

(Mike) Nah--ha, ha, ha!

(Bryan) That one had all intentions of digestin' that bug.

(Mike) He did; he's got it halfway down already.

Come here, buddy.

That a nice little fish, I'm gonna tell you what, boy.

Now, this one hit it like he was supposed to.

He run out and nailed it.

Yeah, we watched two or three fish swim up and down that edge.

He finally got tired.

Now, see, that fish is a lot more solid.

Yep.

I don't know that he is or isn't, but he looks more like a male bass 'cause it's real healthy, thick.

Look at that thing; that thing's 2 inches thick.

There are special fish over here.

Ha, ha!

Thank you, bud.

That's a special little bug too.

I'm tellin' you, now.

Wow, wow.

Good deal, pretty work.

Thank you, man.

See you, bud.

[mellow acoustic guitar leads soft rock arrangement] ♪ Looky here, man.

(Bryan) Th at's a nice fish.

Watched him come all the way out of those shallows and run up there on that bug.

(Bryan) He ate it on this outside.

(Mike) Just as soon as it cleared, he came into it.

(Bryan) Wow.

(Mike) That's another one of those nice ones.

(Bryan) That's a 5-weight, 6-weight?

(Mike) Five-weight rod.

Look at him swim to me.

Get back, bud; get out of the weeds.

(Bryan) It works when you get him in the open.

(Mike) I can walk around with him and ain't got to force him.

(Bryan) You got your hands full this mornin'.

In those trees, we had a time.

Golly!

What a nice fish.

Stay on there, baby.

Look at that bug hangin' out.

The color-- this June-clear water, that color's just beautiful on those fish.

(Mike) And he'll hang in there.

He's wantin' to get back up yonder, but I'm gonna try to keep him out here.

(Bryan) I bet he does.

(Mike) Ah!

(Bryan) And it wasn't a pure explosion.

(Mike) No, I mean, it was just like those other fish we've caught.

When he got there, he went ahead-- I mean, he went ahead and took the bait.

He didn't mess around with it.

(Bryan) Yeah, wow, look at that color.

Bam.

That's a good fish.

You're taking over my net!

Take a few more of them.

Ain't he pu rdy?

Look how long that fish is.

Mm-hm, that's another-- there again.

You can tell that fish is spawned out-- flat belly.

(Mike) The fins, too, have already worn down real hard.

You wanna weigh that fish?

Oh, it's-- Get that old Boga-Grip just to give us an idea.

That's about a 2 1/2-, 3-pound fish.

You got her?

Yeah, man.

Three pounds on the money.

And that fish two months ago woulda been 4, 4 1/2.

Yeah, I bet.

Pretty fish.

Lake's full of those fish.

There again, look at the length.

That's a slot fish, big as day.

That's a good 17-, 18-inch fish.

What if somebody caught it in a tournament three years ago?

It'd had went outta here or stressed to the point where it died, but, no, like I said, that's a nice fish.

They still have tournaments on the lake, but, one, it's a whole lot more competitive 'cause you can't possess those slot fish.

(Mike) Look at that fish; boy, ain't she pretty?

(Bryan) Yeah, heck, yeah, that big old head on 'im.

(Mike) Thank you, darlin'.

(Bryan) On a poppin' bug, big daddy!

(Mike) On a poppin' bug.

(Bryan) On that chartreuse-- went back to that green-- (Mike) Yeah, I fished everything else and decided I'll go back to what I've always caught 'em on.

(Bryan) I don't blame ya.

I'm gonna-- gonna stick with this purple worm-lookin' thing.

Yeah.

Between us, we're gonna catch a fish or three.

You won't have to catch many more like that 'fore I'll switch back.

Ha, ha...ha!

(Bryan) Is he poisonous?

(Mike) No, he thinks he is.

He'll stinky all over you.

(Mike) Yo u catchin' him on th at popper lizard, huh?

Whatever that thing is.

(Mike) He h, heh...heh!

He's just a little football.

You know, it's funny.

We walked by this grass bed, and I just backhand cast ri ght back across it twice.

And he, uh-- (Mike) Oh , he's a pretty fish.

(Bryan) He stuck it--yeah, just a little football, man-- perfect little fish.

I mean, just perfect.

There, is he gonna tail-walk for us?

(Mike) Ha , ha...ha!

(Bryan) Look at that purple-- basically, it's just a-- It's weedless, for one thing-- the reason I can get away with it.

Look at that little football, how broad that tail is, the reason this fish pulled so good.

That, and in this good, shallow water, they got somethin' to force off of.

See, he would probably be in a legal slot to take outta here.

I could probably keep him.

Yeah, he's probably a 14-inch fish.

That's-- but like I said, probably 95% of the people that fish this lake release.

They catch-and-release fishing now?

Yeah, they're all catch-and-release, and that's what's helpin' the bass in this lake so much.

The--that slot has-- has held 'em in here.

Yeah.

That's a good, fat little fish too.

That's perfect; I mean, it's been-- have you seen, in the past three years, a tremendous leap in the bigger fish, which, it used to be, you could catch all the 2- and 3-pound fish you want, but 5-, 6-, 7-, 8-pound fish were hard to come by.

Well, I tell ya, I've lived on this lake for the past 17 years and have been fishin' it since 1977, and this past April-- uh-huh I probably saw more 5- to 8-pound class fish caught... Really?

...than I've ever seen.

It was like I was tellin' ya, even the fisherman are startin' to recognize that this slot-- this-- the slot that we've got on this lake is the reason we're startin' to catch bigger fish, Wow!

That's great.

People are payin' attention.

I think they only did a couple lakes in the state.

There was one over-- Shearon Harris-- Shearon Harris or Norman, somethin' like that, yeah.

I can see a big difference, but I don't fish it as much as you do.

I've seen a difference in fish that-- when they're here and you're on 'em-- course, we're fishin' a bit late in the year, but like I said, April and May, there was just phenomenal fish.

The size and numbers were good.

They were catchin' a lot.

He saw it come right to it-- Look at that-- ha, ha, ha!

(Bryan) Qu ality Lake Ph elps fish.

That's a pretty fish; boy, look at him!

You can see that bait just a-shinin'!

Looky there; they love this.

(Bryan) Se e that black back co me out there.

There he is; po p--got him.

That was pr etty.

Little chartreuse bug with a orange-- orange face on it.

Jump for us one time, baby.

Heh--he just didn't have it in him, did he?

Ohh!

There we go.

Come here.

Wow.

Nice fish.

There's another pretty little fish.

That's another one of those Lake Phelps fish.

See, it's a spawned-out fish too.

See, you know, the fins are worn and everything.

How broad that tail is.

It's thick.

It's a good healthy fish, and there again, look at the length.

They're gettin' where they're fittin' right in there.

There's a possibility of bumpin' the slot.

Bumpin' it up?

Yeah, bumpin' the slot up a bit.

I gotta hide this bug.

[laughing] Don't want you lookin' at it too good.

Heh--you don't have to worry.

Look at the color and everything.

She's a nice colored fish.

That fish swam right out to it, put the nose underneath it-- sucked it down.

I saw it layin' right on that point.

When the bug hit the water, it come out.

That's what that class of fish is doin' outside of these points.

They're crusin', lookin' for stuff like that.

You didn't throw it in the grass or right to the grass.

The fish came out 10 or 15 feet to get it.

Yeah, it came in.

It's funny 'cause when you set the hook, the thing started comin' at you.

You were backpeddlin' and tryin' to take up slack.

With this little rod, I take every advantage I got.

Joe, one thing about it, you had to ease up on those fish.

Wading is a good way to do that 'cause you can be stealthy.

You can work your way and keep an eye out because in shallow water, you can see the fish move and place your bug right where you need it, a very effective way of catchin' bass.

A lotta fun to do it, especially in summertime.

You gotta start early or fish late.

It's hot durin' the middle of the day.

The sun gets high in the sky, and they don't like a lotta bright light-- but just a very effective and fun way to catch bass.

Speaking of the bugs, let's go to school.

Let's go to "Geartime."

[mellow acoustic guitar leads soft rock arrangement] ♪ I've been lookin' forward to this for a long time.

I wanted to get over here the first of June, when everything started really gettin' good, but, I mean, new baby and you're busy and nor'easters and everything else and-- you know, we made it here at the end of June, almost the first of July, not too late to be catchin' fish on poppin' bugs, but typically, it's early and late.

You said, you like fishin' in the middle of the day when these fish cruise along these outside grass beds.

(Mike) Yeah, I do a lotta sight fishin' like we did today.

We were lookin' at bass crusin' the grass lines and tryin' to cast ahead of 'em.

The fish that we didn't spook-- we actually caught some good fish, and we actually looked at 'em comin' up and takin' the bug; yeah, it is a lotta fun.

(Bryan) I got two pairs of glasses on; both are polarized.

One's a little darker lens; one's a lighter lens.

Polarized--you wouldn'ta seen those fish comin' up under that bug with this glare without those polarized glasses.

Yeah, that makes a big difference.

Yeah, and like you said, we're fishin' here-- almost July.

We got a real early start.

Fished--worked along a little, but actually, after we got into the day where we could see fish, we caught more fish.

Yeah, it was fun.

You were, uh, throwin' mostly these, um, little cork poppers an d stuff.

Course, you're fishin' a 5-weight, and I was fishin' a 8-weight.

I typically like throwin' a heavier deer hair stuff, which didn't work first thing this mornin'.

Fish come look at it and tool back off, and they'd suck yours in, so I went to a subsurface fly, and made a first few casts-- ve ry first cast and caught the biggest fish I caught all day.

That worked out pretty good.

Just wait for it, floatin' lines, typical bass tackle.

Yep, and I-- I'm spoiled.

I like fishin' poppers.

I love top water, um; I like light action.

It costs me some fish sometimes 'cause you can't horse 'em out-- (Bryan) But it's all about the fun.

(Mike) That's why they call it fishin', and I enjoy it.

Let's, uh... We'll do it again.

...do this again; I appreciate it.

It's a real pleasure.

Thanks, Mike and Bryan for that information.

Now, here is Mike's number if you wanna give him a call.

He'll take you fishin' and hope you'll have a great day.

Now, speakin' of great days, Donna has a recipe today where she's using tilefish.

♪ ♪ ♪ Today in the kitchen, we're making a margarita tilefish with coconut rice.

It is a great recipe, goes together quick and easy, and one that you can go ahead and make your marinade, put your fish in, make your rice, then grill your fish, if you like, or pan fry it.

You can broil it.

It's up to you and whatever you have and your family likes.

Tilefish is a great fish; it's really beautiful, and it has a really great, sweet flavor.

It tastes similar to a grouper.

They eat a lotta crabs, so they have this great, sweet flavor.

It's a wonderful fish.

So what we're gonna do is, I've made up my marinade, and my marinade consists of orange juice from fresh-squeezed orange-- has some orange zest in it.

It has lime, lime juice, lime zest, and a little bit of some tequila in it.

You can leave that out if you don't-- I mean, if you don't want it in your marinade, that's fine.

So I have it all mixed together.

This is something-- you can make up your marinade.

It has a little olive oil 'cause you don't wanna marinate your fish too long.

It'll be--the outside of your fish will get kind of mealy.

So we're just going to toss that in and let that marinade for about an hour.

So we're just gonna-- TV time--we're just gonna give it a little mix, and then pan fry it because I don't have-- I don't happen to have access to a grill right here.

So I have some olive oil in my pan, and we're just gonna give this a good sear.

It won't take more than ten minutes to cook this fish, and we'll be good to go.

[sizzling] So while that's cooking, I'm gonna talk about the rice.

This is a great recipe; it's just a basic brown rice.

We're gonna add one can of coconut milk to it, which you can find in the international section of your grocery store, and 1 1/2 cups of water and about 2 tablespoons of sugar.

You're just gonna make it like you do normal rice.

Bring it to a boil, turn down your heat, and simmer it for about 15 minutes until all the water has evaporated.

Great recipe, really adds some great flavor to your-- you know, otherwise would be plain rice.

So once our fish is done, we're gonna serve our tilefish over our rice.

You can see here, I have my, um, coconut rice.

Then I put my tilefish on top, sprinkled it with extra parsley or cilantro, if you like, squeeze it maybe with a little lime, and maybe more zest.

The zest just gives it that great, great flavor.

So I hope you enjoy the margarita tilefish, and I look forward to seeing you next time here on Simple Cooking .

Thanks, Donna, for another great recipe.

Get that recipe and a whole lot more in our cookbook online at carolinaoutdoorjournal.com.

Joe, good day of fishing.

It really was, and Lake Phelps is one of our better lakes for largemouth bass in the state.

It's one of our trophy lakes, which means it's managed for trophy-size fish, and, according to Mike, we've got a lotta nice bass in that lake.

Of course, Mike's lived on the shores of Lake Phelps for years, but wading, uh, that method of fishing to me is just a lotta fun.

As I said earlier, you can be stealthy in your approach.

If you pay attention and see movement in the grass, those fish like to get in the grass and ambush bait fish, So it's a real effective way of-- of fishing for 'em, but, uh--uh, a lotta nice, quality fish in that lake, and you can fish it pretty much year-round.

Like I said, we were there in July.

You have to go early before the sun gets high up the sky and it gets real hot and the fishin' is not quite as good.

But plan your trip, and if you've never been to Phelps Lake, give Mike a call.

He'll give you the information you need.

Slow and easy.

For Joe Albea, I'm John Moore.

Thanks for joining us 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 by contributions from PBS North Carolina viewers like you.

[light instrumental music] ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪