Night Croaker Fishing

For years the mid-bay area has been an area where you catch juvenile Croakers anytime or anywhere. We had millions of these small fish under the legal size of 9". In February of 1997 I was buying some fresh fish at the old Woodfields fish market when I noticed a large 20" fish which I did not recognize. I asked Billy Woodfield what was the name of this new species. Billy replied "it's a North Carolina Croaker". I had never ever seen a Croaker this big. We had caught them up to 13", but that was tops. Some old-timers talk about big Croaker up to 14" or 15". This was the year of the Croaker, we caught our first 18" in June while fishing for Black Drum on the Stone Rock. That's just the beginning of the remarkable mid-bay Croaker recovery.

During that summer the head boat Bounty Hunter with Capt. Glenn James starting fishing at night for these delicious eating fish. Nobody knew how long these fish would stay, 10 days or 10 weeks. It was difficult to advertise or schedule charters, but in 1998 after the success of the Bounty Hunter, everybody (including the Darlene II) got into the action. And in the summer of 1999 it got even better, despite more than 100 boats working a five mile area on some weekend nights. We added sea trout, flounder, blues and some 22" croakers to our nightly catch.

Our Croaker season runs from June thru the end of August. It should be a great year. We will offer two types of trips, a 7 hr. from 5 p.m. to midnight, which will include fishing for rockfish; or our 6 hr. trip from 6 pm to midnight. 8 person minimum rate will apply.

From our experience we catch more varieties than most other boats, but we use only fresh bait, including soft shell crabs, shrimp, blood worms, cut spot, and razor clams. Our 5 kw Westerbeke diesel generator provides the lights to attract the fish. Our new Penn reels and light action rods provide the excitement. Don't miss out on this fantastic night fishing opportunity. We limit our night parties to 20 people in your group. 12 to 15 is the perfect size group for the Darlene II. Call 410-320-4550 or see our Online Booking Section.