[gentle orchestral fanfare] - Oh, that's a pretty fish.

Good look nigh, look at the size of that thing.

God, that's a monster.

That's a pretty fish, Ricky.

- [Ricky] That's a fine fish right, that's what we're lookin' for.

- [Announcer] The production of Carolina Outdoor Journal is made possible in part by: - [Female Announcer] Wildlife in North Carolina Magazine.

ncwildlife.org/winc.

- [Male Announcer] And by EZ Bait and Tackle, family owned and operated.

We've been fishing since 2003.

Come see the crew in Goldsboro, North Carolina, and we can hook you up for all your fishing needs.

[light instrumental music] ♪ - Hello, welcome to the Carolina Outdoor Journal.

Well, today's program is about speckled trout and Joe, it's all about that little fella you got in your hand called the MR-17.

- That's right, John.

This new, relatively new bait came out from MirrOlure several years ago for speckled trout fishing and it has set the speckled trout fishing community on fire.

It catches fish and we're fishing today with a good friend of mine from my high school days, Dean Philipson.

A new guide that's working with us for the first time, Ricky Kellum, out of Jacksonville, North Carolina, who fishes the New River and we just had a great day on the water.

- [John] And these guys and Gear Time will tell us more about this fella.

- That's right.

How to fish it and just really talk it up 'cause they both used it over the last year and caught a lot of speckled trout.

- And of course we'll catch up with Donna.

She's in the kitchen with a recipe for scallops today.

- Really tasty recipe from her.

- All right, we got a lot going on.

Let's get to it here on that Carolina Outdoor Journal.

- MR-17 come to life, D. Let me get the net for you.

He's a decent fish for the first fish, I'll take it, yup.

- [Ricky] Got it right in the side of his head.

Get your net put together, Dean [laughs].

- [Dean] The net put together.

- [Ricky] He's right purty.

MR-17's come to life.

Blue back, green belly, it's a purty thing.

- [Dean] He is purty.

- [Ricky] He needs some dental work done there.

- [Dean] Yeah, he's snaggletoothed.

- [Ricky] Today's his lucky day.

We got fish in the freezer.

- [Dean] Try to catch his momma.

- Tell you what, that's pretty.

That's pretty.

All right.

All right, D. MRs done woke 'em up.

Little nippy compared to what we've been having.

I just saw a mullet jump right there.

- [Ricky] Bite's, bite's been good all year.

It's just gonna get better.

March, April, May, last three or four years has been, has been good fishing.

- Well, I'm just glad you had a opening.

Ooh!

- Oh, son, there's a [laughing].

- I'm just-- - That's the way I like to open things up, D. - I'm just glad you had an opening there to work me in.

- Oh, lord.

Now today might be your last trip, you start settin' the hoot like that, right to start with.

- I tell ya.

I'm not usually on the backend of this net.

That's all right.

Bring 'em on up here.

Bring 'em on up here.

Tell you what, he hit it like the man.

- You just gotta get break the ice.

- We've got tons of these small fish this year.

And I mean that's not a super small fish, but for New River, it is.

Tell you what, he hit it like he was mad at it.

- [Dean] Well, you know, that's the amazing thing about this bait.

The bite is just fabulous because normally-- - Oh yeah.

- [Dean] You just twitch it a couple times.

- Pretty little thing.

Yeah, yeah, I heard ya on the bite.

- You just twitch it a couple times and then bam!

I mean, you don't have no trouble knowin' when he hits it.

Nope, I mean, you can be in daydreaming mode.

- [Ricky] Like you just were?

- Yeah, talkin' about everything else and all of a sudden.

- [Ricky] I tell you, we have caught a, well, we caught a fish up to five, five and a half pound.

Really hadn't used it a couple months.

- Well, you know really I got in on a good bite here the week before last, the last week.

Week before last.

We caught a couple five pounders on it.

- New baits come, new baits go but I think this is gonna stay around.

- Well, it's such a great imitation of that little peanut bucker, that small menhaden.

- And just what were you doing when that fish hit?

- [laughs] I'm trying to remember.

- [laughs] Share your secret.

- Think I had twist it and it just kind of-- - [Ricky] Oh, there he is, good Lord!

Oh he got off.

- Did he get off?

What were you doing?

- Daydreaming.

Everybody can fish it, that's the thing about it.

A lot of lures and if you don't fish 'em right.

- [Dean] Well, you know for your business, guiding and how many trips did you do last year?

- [Ricky] 170 last year.

- [Dean] 170 trips.

- [Ricky] 'Bout as many as I can stand to do.

- [Dean] A lot of those people don't really know much about fishing so having something that's easy to fish is pretty critical, isn't it?

- [Ricky] Oh yeah.

- [Dean] And trout are so finicky but they just can't stand to see this thing in their face.

- [Ricky] No, it's a good bait in this river and there's another one right there!

Oh, that's a little better fish.

It's been a good bait everywhere.

That's a little better.

- [Dean] That is a little better.

- [Ricky] I don't need no net, it's good.

It's good.

He just had a big appetite.

That's a decent fish.

I mean it's gonna catch big ones, it's gonna catch little ones.

I mean look, both hooks in.

It's hard to miss when you put both of them hooks in his jaw [laughs].

He's wishin' he'da never seen this thing.

Pardon me.

But they're hittin' this morning, hittin' it good.

You missed one?

- [Dean] Yeah, I missed one.

- Oh, listen to that.

- I'm waitin' til we get to high school.

- I'll tell you what, I'll take these little ones all day long.

- Is he a little bigger?

- You gotta use a little outfit so they feel good.

[laughs] This little thing right here.

He ain't bad, if it's a trout, he's decent.

- Might be a drone, he never has come up.

There he is.

- That's one of them there speckled fish.

That's another one on the MR-17, the Blueback.

It's been a good one.

All up under the belly.

Pretty trout, pound and a half.

Oop, I'm gonna put you back fella, come here.

[easygoing music] All right, trout.

You need to cooperate.

Got us in a new location now.

- We caught those smiley ones down there.

Back here in the wild country, tell me about it.

What's goin' on back here?

- Just took the blindfold off.

This is just an all time favorite hole.

This is where I come when we're trophy hunting.

- [Dean] I got ya.

- There's gonna be extra charge for this but we'll work that out in payments [laughs].

- [Dean] You say you had a guy miss a big one around here.

- Yup, Saturday afternoon.

Had a good fish on, MR-17, the lure we've been using all morning.

He just followed 'em a little bit too heavy.

He was just a little bit excited, especially when he saw me come up and you could see the whole fish.

He was five or six pound.

Just pulled out.

You got to play 'em, you got to be easy on 'em.

Lips, lips are a little tender.

- [Dean] It's better than what we've been doin'.

- [Ricky] I was just getting ready to pull that [mumbles].

- [Dean] Probably snagged a gull.

Nah, we're thinking big trout.

He shook his head like a trout.

- [Ricky] Yes, sir.

- [Dean] You might want to get the net.

- [Ricky] [laughs] Need no net.

That's a pretty fish.

- [Dean] I can't tell how big he is.

- [Ricky] Come on back, he's four pound.

- [Dean] Naw.

- [Ricky] He's in a trance right now.

Got that blue, yes, he is too.

That's a solid four pounder.

That's a purty one, D. - [Dean] Thank you.

Golly, he smacked that thing right out in the middle.

- [Ricky] Yes he did, why don't you look at those teeth?

Look at those teeth.

- [Dean] Goodness gracious on.

Mmm, he's got two perfect [mumbles].

That one's lookin' a little snaggly right there.

- [Ricky] Tell you what, that's a fine fish.

- [Dean] Yeah.

- That's a fine fish, D. Purty right there.

He stuck it too, that's a good one.

Manual post.

[laughing] I got my little boy's rod today [laughs].

Trying to catch a fish on it for him.

- [Dean] Oh, that's good fish.

- [Ricky] Yeah, let's hope it's a trout.

Yeah, it's a trout.

- [Dean] I'm gonna turn it out.

- [Ricky] It ain't runnin'.

It's just a fish draggin' this boat around.

- Oh my Lord.

- [Ricky] I'll tell ya, if it's a trout he's gonna be decent now.

- [Dean] He's a, you can call him alligator.

- There's been known to be a gator or two in here.

- [Dean] There's a trout.

- [Ricky] Ain't nothin' wrong with that.

He's solid.

- [Dean] There we go.

- [Ricky] Oh yeah.

Some pretty fish now.

Tell you what, every fish this morning's come off of that MR. - [Dean] That's a pretty fish, Ricky.

- [Ricky] Yes, it is.

- [Dean] He has such a good bite because most of the time when they hit that thing just sittin' there.

- Well, you know I'm known for catching pros.

- Oh, goodness gracious.

- [laughs] That was just for you, D. Give him a kiss.

- Oh, don't start that.

- I'd kiss him if he didn't have so many teeth.

Becky might not like that.

- You little snaggletooth rascal.

He's got another one.

- Watch out there.

That's pretty, look at how fat that trout is.

That's bait up here all winter look is why he's like that.

- Now you finally got me into junior college.

We gonna go to the big leagues in a minute.

- You better get a look at that.

Look at that yellow mouth.

- [Dean] That fish is no prettier than the one I just caught.

- Oh Lord mercy.

- [Dean] Your [mumbles] big guy [laughs].

- [Ricky] Tell you what.

- [Dean] I found that spot, get outta the way.

- Better watch yourself.

If that's a trout, he's a good one.

Oh!

Boy, he hit that thing, look at that.

Oh.

The drag's where it needs to be [laughs].

Mmm, I'm still not sure, absolutely sure it's a trout, but we're gonna play him like one, just because.

- Good looking nigh, look at the size of that thing.

God, that's a monster.

That's a pretty fish, Ricky.

- [Ricky] That's a fine fish right, that's what we're looking for.

- Get on.

I give as many chances as you need [laughs].

- [Ricky] Glad I changed colors, D. - [Dean] Golly.

- [Ricky] That's the cheek in that MR. - [Dean] I don't have one of those.

- [Ricky] That's all right, I got one.

They're 50 bucks but.

Why don't you look at this trout?

- [Dean] Wow.

Oh man, is he gorgeous?

- It doesn't get no better than that.

- He's five pound on the dot.

Let's weight him right quick before we put him back.

He's five pound on the dot.

Hold on, hold on.

- What you got right here?

- [Dean] Six pounds, no ounces.

- Mmm.

- [Dean] Six pounds, what a trout.

- That's purty.

- [Dean] That beautiful?

- That's purty, folks.

That's why we come for.

- [Dean] We came from junior college.

- Think you lower [laughs].

- [Dean] That's division one right there.

- [Ricky] Mmm, that's pretty.

- [Dean] Absolutely.

- [Ricky] That's purty.

He's gonna be purty when he comes back too.

He's in good shape.

- Joe, new question.

The MR-17 is a bait and it is getting it done.

- It really is and it's caught more fish since it's been out than most any fishing lure that I'm familiar with.

It's bigger cousins, the bigger MirrOlures, are well known.

Have been for years for catching speckled trout.

But this little one has really made a name for itself in a short amount of time.

Plus, fishing on the New River with Ricky, his family, he goes back years on that river.

He does it very well and it's noted for big trout.

And so if you get a chance, give him a call and go catch some speckled trout.

- Well, let's find out more about MR-17.

Let's go to Gear Time.

[easygoing music] - Ricky, I tell you what.

I've had a great time today.

I really appreciated, started out a little bit nippy this mornin'.

I guess that's typical for this time of year though.

Early spring but we caught some really nice fish.

You caught a beautiful fish.

And this new MirrOlure, that model MR-17, is just, you know, I've got friends that are fishing it up all parts of the state are just doing great with it.

We've caught 'em on three colors today.

I caught my first one on this which is the 808 color and then caught most of 'em on this shark tooth with a blue back.

- [Ricky] Yep, it's deadly.

- [Dean] And you caught that big fish on that electric-- - [Ricky] Trout's worst nightmare.

- Yeah, it's a murder weapon.

Now let me ask you, why do you think this is such a good bait in this area?

- Well, I mean we're looking on the screen while I go on a [mumbles] and just loads of bait.

Menhaden, Finger Mullet, creaks loaded down with Menhaden.

That same exact size.

- You think that looks more like a Menhaden?

- Oh yeah.

Yeah, just sittin' there flashin' like we're jerkin'.

- Well, talk about your jerkin'.

What do you recommend for people for a set-up on line and lures and everything?

- Well, what I use, start right here, the MirrOlure itself.

Fluorocarbon, two foot, 20 pound test.

A little bit large for a lot of people but it's what I've always used.

It's fluorocarbon, you can't hardly see it.

Plus up here where it's so dark.

And this particular one that I caught the big trout on, I got that Suspen Dot.

Adds a little weight to the plug.

Gives it a little faster thaw 'cause I got a bad habit about fishing too fast anyway.

And it may have made a difference on that six pounder.

- Well, I put one on too and noticed when we were in shallow water it works real well with that.

But if you're in a deeper hole and you want to fall faster that can help it get it down in a different zone if you're trying to get there.

- And up here, this is the deepest water in the river.

It's 18, 20 foot.

And a lot of places where we caught that trout it's probably 12.

- Right, I know that both of us are using braided line.

Do you think that makes a difference too?

- On the sensitivity?

Oh yeah, without a doubt.

I can't even use regular fluorocarbon no more.

This braid, what I got, is eight pound chest, one pound diameter.

I mean, you can feel an extra drop of water hit it, I believe.

I mean, it's automatic.

And that's what you need on this bite 'cause it's so fast.

You gotta be able to respond settin' the hook.

- I do hit it viciously and it seems like they always hit it right when it was paused.

- Yep, right after the jab.

- What about the rod?

- That reel is a PT-10, the smallest quantum spin reel they make.

Holds maybe 100, 150 yards of the bait.

All you'll need, I mean if you catch a trout, it takes latch, you gonna be in big trouble.

The rod's a six foot quantum, medium action.

Real light weight.

I mean you can fish it all day and not get fatigued at all.

It's just a good combination.

Especially with this MirrOlure.

- Well, listen, it's been a great day.

I really appreciate it.

Thanks again.

- Come back tomorrow, we'll do it again.

- I might do that.

- All right.

- Thanks, guys, for that information.

Now, Joe, that's the lure that everybody's talking about.

For the big trout.

- Exactly, the color combination as they talked about in Gear Time.

It's called the EC or Electric Chicken.

And you wonder why a fish would hit something with that hot pink color but they did.

This past winter and it's a big speckled trout lure and it's made a name for itself.

- It's the MR-17.

Let's catch up with Donna.

She's in the kitchen.

She's got a recipe with scallops today.

[lighthearted music] - Hi.

Today we're gonna be making some scallops in the kitchen.

And we're gonna be also making a tomato and olive compote to go on this.

And we're gonna serve it on a bed of polenta.

So let's go ahead and get started.

We're going to make some microwaved polenta.

Instead of standing and stirring in on the stove, we're just gonna make it in our microwave.

Which will be quick and easy.

And then while that's cooking in the microwave, we can go ahead and work on our scallops and we'll have dinner in a flash.

So we're gonna take two and a fourth cups of hot water and then we're going to mix in just about a three-fourths cup of plain yellow cornmeal.

So there's not a whole lot of fancy ingredients here in our polenta.

You might add a little bit of milk if you'd like to make it a little bit creamier.

If not, you can just mix this together and it'll be a little bit lumpy.

So we're just gonna stir this until the lumps are almost gone.

And then we're gonna put our lid on this.

We're going to microwave it on high for about five minutes.

And then we'll remove it from the oven.

Give it a quick stir and if it's not the consistency you want, then go ahead and microwave it for another couple minutes until it's a little firmer.

I like mine a little soft.

You can do soft or firm polenta.

I like mine a little soft, more like a porridge.

So microwave that five minutes, stir, and let it sit.

And it will firm up a little bit as it cools down.

So if you want to try that you can.

Then what we're gonna do is we're gonna dredge our scallops.

We have our pan on medium-high with our oil in it.

We're going to dredge our scallops in our lemon pepper butter, which will give it some great flavor and a nice golden brown outside.

So, we have these huge scallops which are just beautiful.

We're just gonna coat those, shake our excess and put 'em over here to the side.

Then we're gonna pan-fry these to get 'em nice and golden brown.

And scallops don't take very long at all.

Two to three minutes on each side and you're ready to go.

So they're a quick dinner item.

So we're gonna go ahead and just put those in.

And you can see they're already starting to sizzle, which is great.

We'll turn our heat up just a little bit 'cause we want to pan-fry these really quickly.

And there we go.

So we're just gonna let those cook and while they're pan-frying, we can go ahead and start our compote, which is really quick and easy too.

It's just a big can of diced tomatoes.

You pour all the juice and your tomatoes in there.

We're gonna used some diced onion, some garlic out of our jar and then some kalamata olives that you buy either off a salad bar or you can buy them in a can, which I like.

Or you can find 'em where you find other olives and that type of thing.

Just chop 'em a little bit.

And then some cider vinegar.

Or some red wine vinegar.

Then we just let that cook until it starts to bubble.

And it'll start to thicken just a little bit as you can see.

And then that goes on top.

So it's a quick and easy dinner.

You have a few dishes but it goes together quick and easily which is nice.

And most people have everything in their pantry except for perhaps the scallops.

So this is what it looks like when it's finished.

You can see the scallops on top.

They're nice and plump and juicy.

The polenta on the bottom and then your compote over the top.

It makes a wonderful presentation as well as a wonderful meal.

So I hope you enjoy the scallops with tomato and olives on polenta and I look forward to seeing you next time, here on Simple Cooking.

- Thank you, Donna.

Always a good recipe.

Joe, let's go back and talk about the MR-17 that I don't think I've seen you as excited about anything like this in a long time.

- Well, yeah, speckled trout fish is my favorite type of fishing anyway.

And I think that size, a lot of us have talked about it, that size MirrOlure matches a small menhaden, a pogy, in our waters.

And it's just, I think, you know the size of it is just a natural size and then the color options that you've got, that the guys talked about earlier, are for different color water.

Different clear water, dark stain water.

You've got a good mix in there 'cause certain colors on certain days are better and I've seen that.

But it's really, you know, it's a bait that you can fish too.

It's not real hard to fish.

You like to mix it up.

That's the way I fish it But, like I said, I been speckle trout fishing for many years and I've never seen an artificial lure come on the market to catch fish like this one has.

- With a name like Electric Chicken how can you go wrong?

- Absolutely, but it's hot.

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

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

- [Announcer] The production of Carolina Outdoor Journal is made possible in part by: - [Female Announcer] Wildlife in North Carolina Magazine.

ncwildlife.org/winc.

- [Male Announcer] And by EZ Bait and Tackle, family owned and operated.

We've been fishing since 2003.

Come see the crew in Goldsboro, North Carolina, and we can hook you up for all your fishing needs.

[light instrumental music] ♪