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I've been looking for a new pair of water shoes for wading, floating, and all-around use in wet areas. I've been looking at Crosskix but have seen some mixed reviews. I do like a shoe that is more closed to keep sand and gravel out, but still drain well. What have you guys had good luck with?
Astral Brewer. Grippiest shoe around. Highly recommend. Not sure what type of wading you do, but I've worn them in mountain streams (hiked in/out when the shoes are soaked), rivers, and sounds. They're also my boat shoe. They drain and breathe well and never had issues with too much sand in them. Never gotten blisters either. Bonus is they look enough like a casual sneaker to wear anytime.
I bought a pair of close toed Chacos probably close to a decade ago and still wear them in the river. Really great pair of shoes. Little bit lof sand gets in them after awhile but they are really grippy.
I bought these a few years ago for wading to fish and for use in the kayak and they are fantastic. The sole really grippy but the foot bed is porous so the water drains out immediately when you get out of the water. The shoe is closed off enough that I don't get much sand in them at all even though they are pretty breathable. I haven't done any long hiking in them on dry land but I have spent many hours wading in them and they are very comfortable. 10/10 would recommend.
Ascend wading shoe
I have tried on Olu Kai's a couple of times and like the comfort. But I got the sour belches every time I looked at the price tag and saw $120.
I have Columbia water shoes, but there isn't enough cushion/shock absorption on a bumpy boat day..
FYI- JandH Tackle has Shimano FL Stradics on sale for 20% off. I think they are sold out of the 5000 size, but 1000-4000 are still available.
https://www.jandh.com/products/shimano-stradic-fl-spinning-reels.html
Yep tackle direct has a similar deal. Guess they need to make room for a new version of stradic.
Went out early Saturday morning with my brother in law. Out on the flats before first light. After a few casts turned my headlamp on to check the depth and spotted a huge school of overslot drum. Caught none. Fished topwater for a few hours. I've never seen it so calm out there. Caught tons of houndfish. So so so so many houndfish blowups. We gave up and went out and cruised around the channel in my little skiff looking for cobia and spotted 5 or so from on top of my cooler. Had one bite my bucktail but I pulled it out of his mouth twice. Had a couple more follows but by the time I could spot them we were usually past them. Headed back in after the wind shifted and finished the day off with more houndfish.
Sounds like a pretty day to run out in the open in a skiff. Glad you got some action. The trash marlin can put on a show.
Perfect day to ride out. A little rough on the way back in. Minus the teeth, houndfish are (begrudgingly) pretty fun to catch. After the first one or two turns into a dozen though with no other species caught it's not nearly as fun.
Heading to Emerald Isle next week. Looking to fish the sound and the surf. Will have access to a skiff. Any insight, reports, where to launch, etc. for the area is appreciated.
Flyguy — are you guiding down that way again this summer?
It has been a long long time since I fished down there and it was all pier fishing. But, I would assume that there are trout and reds available in the back just like the rest of the coast, and I know there are sheepshead on the bridges heading west towards Jacksonville via Swansboro.
There is a super nice launch/ park on EI close to the bridge and the grass flats around it.
https://goo.gl/maps/PdZ2SEwamC4xtidS7
hey folks. I'm not a big fisher guy myself but I work with a guy who is leaving and our team is wanting to put some funds together to get him a nice gift. We know he likes fishing and he lives in Michigan and has a small boat that he does some freshwater fishing out of. His wife told someone on our team that he doesn't need rods but I wanted to ask the pros what a nice fishing-related gift might be for a guy who probably has most of what he needs.
Any ideas?
TIA
A bigger boat? Seriously though, as a life long fisherman, I have received several gifts from my family related to fishing, but very little of it was anything I needed or used. Cute signs (All things come to he who baits), dumb fridge magnets (Teach a man to fish and he'll spend all day sitting in a boat and drinking beer) and figurines, Christmas tree ornaments, stupid T shirts or hats ("Women love me, fish fear me" comes to mind) need not apply. The singing bass wall hanging with the head turning and singing "Take me to the river..." Yep, I've gotten it all.
So, assuming you are well past considering those well meaning but useless items, let me tell you what I always wanted, always needed and ALWAYS appreciated more than about anything other than a guided trip, is the simplest one...GIFT CERTIFICATE!!! Your gift will be loved, I promise. For the wheres of it all, Tackle Direct is a good choice, and the old standby Bass Pro or Cabelas are still decent choices. I have also received some pretty good printed stuff in the past, subscriptions to Va. Wildlife and In Fisherman magazine come to mind, but I know times have changed.
I will admit, I am too focused on whatever I'm after at the time to not have what I need, and maybe I'm off track, but that's my take.
Good suggestions, and I agree. I'm sure I'm like a lot of fishermen in that I favor certain gear and techniques, dislike others, and I've looked at and had a number of things in my shopping cart that I would like to have that no one but me knows about. The odds of someone guessing what those are is near zero unfortunately, and most fishing and outdoor related gifts I've received have been ones that I unfortunately haven't used unless it was something that I specifically requested. I think I would stick to gift cards unless there's some idea of a specific item he would want. The next idea would be some spf shirts or something a bit more generic he may wear, but it's a shot in the dark.
thanks to both of you! great insights
Definite on the gift certificate. I've gotten more fishing related gifts in my life and 1/3 of it is great, 2/3 sits unused. The corny t-shirts and the like are my least favorite.
Musky lures!
Headed to Canada next week. I'll post some details - but yes, I would take any and all musky lures.
Where exactly?
So, it seems my team has settled on the idea of getting him a nice cooler. You wouldn't hate that, would you?
There may be better ones on the market, but Yeti seems to be the high end and definitely the "in" thing in coolers for fishing guys. Expensive enough to be a really nice gift, but still pretty affordable, they do hold ice pretty well. Others likely have more ideas on that, some just don't like paying for the name and some that may have a choice based on experience. I'd be thrilled with a decent sized Yeti, no monogram required.
Do let us know what you decided on, though I haven't read all the replies. Been outta town.
Yeti is the popular choice on our team. Going with a wheeled version so he can lug it around.
Thanks all for the feedback. It was all shared and considered but the cooler idea won out.
Thinking more about it, maybe a high end snipper or scissors or a truly nice multi-tool would never disappoint me. I also understand the desire to give a more personal gift than a gift card. If your friend is "cerebral" about his pursuit, there are a bunch of really great angling related books out there. If you can find out what he's going to be fishing for, you could hone in on his interest.
As an angler, I keep multiple pairs of braid scissors and pliers in every pre-packed bag. Always a welcome stocking stuffer.
oooo i like the multitool idea. maybe we could get him a monogramed one - any brands that you prefer?
No clue on the tool, it's been too long since I even looked for one. I'm sure you'll get some recommendations from someone here though. You can always get one and find someone locally to monogram for you.
I will second Hokienator's mention of Boga Grips. They are a bit pricey, but they last forever and are the standard in that kind of tool, I think. Last I looked, they came in a couple of sizes, but for most freshwater fishing, the smaller one would do quite well. It is a serious tool, necessary for me when I was guiding, but another really good choice.
Smaller one is perfect for all freshwater stuff we got one last Christmas and the things are dynamite. Make sure you get a cork for it though they're pricey and you don't want to lose them overboard.
I'll second any good gift is a good set of nice pliers/snips or a legit bogo grip is also a solid thing that's more of a lifetime tool.
Name a feeling worse than finding out a favorite bait has been discontinued. My favorite two toned tubes I was buying from a local guy he quit making due to the two tone part being not worth the sales in the end so now I'll have to scour the web for someone who might do it. Making tubes is a pain and expensive chore without the full equipment set
I went out on the Elk River here in middle Tennessee to try my hand again at fly fishing. A little more success than the last time. I caught two rainbows (only landed one of them) and caught my first ever brownie, which was one of my two new year resolutions for 2023.
The Brown Trout was interesting though. Its colored spots were orange, not the red I'm used to seeing in pictures. Any thoughts on why that is?
Must be a Vol thing lol
prettiest fish in freshwater... no two brownies look alike
Well done.
If you want to catch a bunch of browns, though small, even as a beginner, head to the Smith River in Martinsburg. Swing wet flies below riffles on a 4 weight. You'll hammer them.
They all look different! Some have no colored spots. Rainbows can also look different. I'd say in the trout world, Brookies are the ones that all look the same.
It's the blue cheeks on browns that do it for me!
https://www.instagram.com/p/CpqLcZXuXV0/
Getting to be sulphur hatch time on the Smith so you can get some better dry fly action.
South Holston tailwater in TN is a good spot too. They are getting so thick that striper guys trolling shad on planers catch a bunch of them down in Boone Lake now-a-days.
We used to fish that tailrace and I can attest to its prodigious numbers and size fish. We only went when they were generating and it ran all the flydudes off the water. We'd fish from a jet boat and got off the water when it was to drop. We did most of our fishing with countdown Raps or YoZuri suspending jerkbaits. My old buddy Cecil also came up with a "tailrace spinner" that was much like a really big and heavy Panther Martin without any feathers or string. He'd cast upstream with it and crawl it back to the boat. We caught 'bows up to maybe 5 or 6 lbs, and a decent number of good sized browns as well. Never got the monster, but had a couple of follow ups that would have pushed 8-10 lbs. Some of the guides there had their guys throwing 6" hard baits, the fish were so big. They'd float down to the lake so we never got a good look at how well they were doing, but then again, we were usually occupied with 16-20" browns ourownselves. Long ride from the NRV, and sometimes a short fishing window, but it was one of our favorite wintertime pursuits. We never bothered to go down there when it got warm, but the Orvoids fish it all year long when they're not generating.
They really are stunning fish. Is there a reason browns are considered the "kings" of the trout world? Is it an aesthetics thing, their fight, their size???
Honestly I've never heard of them referred to that way and I've been fly fishing for 29 years. I'd say steelhead and salmon are the kings.
Catching a giant brown trout is a big deal, probably because they are so smart but also because they are the most voracious of the trout. They are a lot like smallmouth at times.
Bad news for cobia guys... today is opening day and Omega set up three boats at the mouth of the Rappahannock. Not shockingly, fishing is reported to be slow depsite nice weather. No surface life (spanish mackerel chasing menhaden) either.
I can hear cursing from the pretty fly boat commencing when I read his post
My therapist says I need to be less reactionary... So I waited about six seconds before cursing and imagining some stealth bombers sinking those boats.
Just another reason I'm pretty much done with the Bay. Thanks a ton to Omega and shithead Youngkin who perpetuated it even further.
On the positive side, I swapped out one wheel bearing tonight on the trailer. The grease was black and smelled burned. Bearings definitely making noise. Glad I checked it before heading to Cape Lookout in the AM for the next three weeks.
I am so ready to catch some reds...
Question for the group. Does anyone have any recommendations for wading any of the rivers in northern Virginia for smallmouth? I fell in love with wading the New when I was at VT, and I've been fortunate to get out in the river a few times when visiting over the last several years, but I'd like to find some spots up this way. I know there are some stretches of the Shenandoah that are supposed to have decent to good smallmouth fishing, but I have no idea about suitability for wading or where to go. Any tips or advice?
Most of the access points on the South Fork of the Doah offer some good wading. You're looking at long drives out towards Luray though. Alma is my preferred put in and you can definitely wade all over there.
There are stretches on the main stem of the Doah that you can wade but the water isn't nearly as good looking as the south fork of the Doah. I'm referring to where route 50 and route 7 cross. Other problem is the riff raff that fishes and swims there and leaves shit tons of garbage. It's infuriating but I digress.
If I were you, I'd fish the Rapp in Fredericksburg. There's easy access to really good water under route 95 in town. Kayak and canoe company there has a long public gravel walk that goes straight to the river. Park in the neighborhood across the street of whatever that company is named. That stretch there below and up to 95 holds good population of smallmouth, gar, catfish, sunfish and probably shad in the spring. You can have a lot of fun there. Weekends will likely have some tubers, especially further downstream in town. Fish up river.
River road just upstream a few miles also has a lot of pull off access. FYI, the Rapp seems to have a ton of brown water snakes. They are harmless, I've seen dozens over the years but they will spook you when you look down and one is right next to your leg. Just step away from them. Again, harmless. Last summer when I was there, my girlfriend hammered smallmouth on olive Senkos.
Another option would be to explore around Harpers Ferry. That's really good looking water. I've never fished it.
A really cool river that I have yet to explore but I know fishes very well is the Cacapon in West Virginia. Couple hour drive out route 50 towards Romney and absolutely gorgeous.
Awesome - thanks for the info! I live in Haymarket, so it's not a terrible drive to Luray or any of the places you listed. I really appreciate you taking the time to write such a long and informative response!
Have fun down at Cape Lookout. I grew up in NC and we used to go to Morehead City and Emerald Isle and fished all along that stretch of the coast, mainly pier fishing (the Iron Steamer pier was a favorite). But I never got to take the ferry over to Lookout. Camping and fishing over there would be fantastic. Or staying in one of the cabins. Anyway, good luck and have a blast.
If you have a kayak, put in at Alma and paddle up stream to the rocky sections. The short section of the South Fork from Newport to Alma has the most rocks and ledges along that part of the river.
edit: The water gets low in that section during the dry summer months and its been really dry here already.
Thanks brother. Unfortunately, I don't have a kayak (yet), but it's on the short list of future purchases.
You're welcome and thank you! I have yet to ferry over myself, but I can just run my boat across and then back to my own camper bed. Yesterday I took the gf and we ran all the way up to Ocracoke for a burger and beer.
How long have you been in Haymarket? I grew up on Catharpin Road, when Gainesville and Haymarket were all farms. Parents still live there. All of the farms are gone. I can't stand it up there any longer, but I'm a cranky old man / former local.
Been here since I graduated in 1994 when I followed my now wife up here. She grew up in Ashburn when it was all farmland that her dad farmed. Then they moved out to Haymarket and farmed a lot of this area too. It's definitely changed a lot since I moved up here, but now we're entrenched. I miss NC, but I'm hoping to move further south one of these days.
Got my pops in town for a weekend of reds and trout. Have been having a hard time getting on either at the new house plenty of flounder though. Gonna make life easy and go to live/cut bait on C-rigs and popping corks after we shoot for some topwater trout early in the morning. Mix in a few rounds of golf and some beer here's to a good father's day weekend to all the dads out there.
working on a fence for my daughter's dog (that I refer to as "crazy pants"...50 lbs, leaps like a deer, swats/bats like a cat, snaps like an alligator)...so I guess the fence is kind of for me, too. looking forward to a weekend of hopefully mild injuries and of course a tasty cake, lol
Yep. Wish I still had my father. He taught me how to hunt and fish, but he's been gone since '85.
My neighbor has been catching some decent trout and stripers on Super Salty Flukes on 1/4 oz big eyed jig heads. He's really good with that bait, and I'll admit I am getting to like it too, since we haven't had much redfish action and the Flukes get better action than the bottom fishing I do with Gulp swimming mullet. I'll admit that I don't target trout usually, preferring the big pull of the red, but until/unless they show up here in the Mobjack, I'll be trout fishing.
Headed to Marathon Florida in late July to hit the patch reefs. Anybody got any tips?
Sprigger Banks. Use chum.
Thanks. That's almost a straight shot from the house we rented.
Check the maps closely. There are some shallow areas on the way, you may have to do a few jogs. We went there from Conch Key, so your route will be different. The currents are constant out there so the chum will cover some area. We caught snapper, really nice trout, some grouper (most were too small to keep, but good fight) and you will get some sharks and barracuda come check you out. Water depth is about 5-7 ft.
Near constant action once it gets started.
Thanks! I bought the TopSpot map for the area and have been looking at the charts online. I'm glad to hear there's constant current. The lack of wind/current was my main worry about going in late July. I plan to hit up the patch reefs too. Did you happen to do any lobstering? We're going during mini-season. I dread the crowd, but excited about possibly getting a few lobster.
We did not do lobstering, wasnt the right time of year.
There are a LOT of old (not active) florida aquifier flow reefs/openings around this area (I'm not sure what else to call them). They are not large but have some depth and the lobsters hang in them. They can be productive, but u need to know where they are. Im no help there, but i know they exist.
You can find them by cruising around out in the florida bay at slower speed and finding them urself (this will be time consuming). Some will be productive, others will not. Structure within each open "hole" will tell the tale.
Plenty of Floridians and Keys locals know these and hit them and avoid the massive lobster season crowds.
Its a coin toss. Good luck.
On the flip side, ull learn a ton, be able to log some cool spots for the future and see where other boats are as hints.
Above all, be safe. The lobster season rush is amateur hour, and lots of shit happens. Another reason i avoided it when i lived down there.
We went to Marathon for a week last November as a make up for a hurricaned out September trip, with several friends. Group divided based on interest/certification/comfort with boats. We had to boat fish north side instead of reef side because of the wind. Mostly small snapper. Those that fished from shore did best at 7 mile bridge out of several areas they tried, but not as many as from the boat. The two that were scuba certified caught maximum lobster (2 each if I recall) both trips out on snorkel charters. Want me to ask who they used?
Big tubes for giant cuda
Okay got another rod that the ceramic insert on the tip cracked again. What brands are decent for rod tip replacements? Need to replace two now one on a GLF Shimano and one on a st croix and not sure what brands are any good anymore?
That braid will really get after ya!
Yeah I looked for metal ringed tips but they're not around in high quality. Seems the days of repair kits are not around now greentop had one small assortment kit that was for wrong sized stuff luckily basspro had some 2mm ones. Going to give it a go I have three rods that need new tips so we will see if I can get it right.
The Amazon kits are pretty good
I'll be headed out to northwest Ontario on a fly in trip later this week. Plan is to spend 3 days at a predominantly walleye lake and then get picked up and flown to another lake where we'll be targeting musky.
For the 'eyes we plan to throw leaches, minnows and worms until we run out and then go from there with artificials. We've been to the lake before and it hasn't been hard to get a good mess of walleye, so not too worried about them. We've learned to start where fishing is easy and get the jitters and hangovers out of the way so you can focus, as the musky are a whole different story. In our previous trips, they were all fairly shallow and situated in heavy cover - either grass and pads or laydowns. Given that you're limited on your tackle, it's been a struggle to get a bait presented to them that you can fish in the heavy stuff. I've got some swim jigs with big paddle tails that I'm going to give a try, as well as some 9" soft plastic jerk baits. In the past we did ok with weedless spoons and a trailer, but the hookup ratio is pretty poor. Hopefully the fish have moved out a bit and are situated more to the outside of the cover or on points and humps where we can get some better baits to them. Can't wait to be figure 8'ing a 50" gator at the boat. Hopefully I'll have some good photos to share when we get back.
This sounds fun as hell. Good luck!
Jelly here! Join Club 50!
Envious. Though you have 'em pegged, Gulp has some products that work to tip a jig, especially in a place with a ton of eyes hugging the bottom. I've also done pretty well and gotten some decent fish on walleye cranks like Wally Diver or crawfish deep divers, suited to the depths they're at. Best trolled, but pretty deadly if you can hone in on the location. Like you say, though, you aren't worried about them. As for the musky fishing, when they're shallow, but not in clogged water, I really like the big Buchertail spinners fished bulging the water. They and even the smaller Mepps Musky Killer are a good choice for shallow, but with trebles, you gonna be hard put to get a clear retrieve around a lot of weeds. One good thing though is that muskies aren't as opposed to whacking their meal with a little salad as most fish are.
First fish on a fly this past weekend! Smallmouth on a woolly bugger in the Big South Fork here in Tennessee!
I'm thrilled, and hooked 🤣
Popping bugs for spawning bream will also thrill you. It's not the size of the fish in the fight...
Welcome to the addiction. May your life be ruined
Interestingly, seems like a lot of king mackerel (relative to normal years) have been caught this past week by folks live baiting off the OBX and Emerald Isle/Topsail Piers. They are relatively normal down at Topsail, but it has been a long time since multiple kings were caught daily at Avon, Rodanthe, and the northern piers in June. I am guessing the offshore low is pushing in warm water.
Big cobia have been the norm in the southern bay. Really large class of fish (87 pounder won the East Coast Cobia Classic and I have friends who have boated 70-80 pounders) after years of rats. Sadly, weather has not been great for chasing them, and I have been homebound with my new job responsibilities. Sadly, things sound slow further north, although it looks like a few fish are being caught at Windmill and Stingray.
Yeah, I've seen a few of the Kings at both Surf City Pier and Wrightsville Beach... Kind of crazy 8 weeks. the spanish made their way in early this year, but then disappeared (apparently because of the cold spring weather??) then popped back in with a vengeance.
And then some really large Kings have shown up to boot.
Not sure how far up the coast this extends right now but the menhaden are thicker in coastal SC than I have ever seen them. I could legitimately catch them by hand the past weekend. My 8ft net was far too heavy to get into the boat, had enough that I pull into the boat outside the net I was able to just open and release all the ones in the net.
For all of our, and their, sakes, keep 'em down there. If they get into the Chesapeake Bay, Omega will be scooping them up. Disgraceful what money can buy and filthy lucre applies to this travesty.
Originally I had typed out a joke about killing more menhaden than Omega with my boat prop ripping through the creeks but went against it.
I would've laughed. Funny is funny...usually.
If anyone wants to know why it's all the sudden it's monsoon season you can thank me, was actually going to go fish the new for a day or two tomorrow and Friday but after weeks of no rain of course my two free days in forever it deluges. Canned the new river trip as it surged a bit and more rain on the way tomorrow so I'll be wandering the state trying to find the one river not flooded enough to float.
Fixed my rods really easily with the Fuji tips from bass pro, I had no idea stock tips were heat glued on and am kicking myself for not fixing them sooner.
Yep, those guides from BP are what I usually get. I have a heat glue stick my father got from Herter's back in the late 50s that I'm still using, and I try to have an emergency tip stash, with glue stick, anytime I'm gearing up for more than a casual trip. The biggest thing I am likely to forget is the heat. I also always save the busted pieces when I kill a rod, giving me not only a tip, but also guides to replace those I have trashed along the way. Many of my rods were made before braid was such a thing and the tip guides weren't made to handle the stuff. I've worn grooves a couple of times that caused line fray, and also had the knot to the leader come through once too often and pop out the ceramic. The Alberto knot (thanks Musky) has helped that out some, but I'm still coming to terms with length of leader vs castability.
First week at Cape Lookout in the books. It has been rough weather and slow fishing. I think the inconsistent weather has led to the slow fishing. A local told me its been "cold." I wouldn't call 82 degrees cold but the flats seem pretty empty. It should be on fire right now.
HokieGigs was kind enough to book me for a guide trip with his wonderful wife. We battled a tough east wind and overcast skies to boat some blues that were kept for dinner. He's a good fly caster and would have def had some shots at reds on the flats had the opportunity been there. In my 13 years of guiding and all of my years of fishing, I've never heard of anyone catching a sea turtle, but both he and Chandler caught and landed baby loggerheads, on fly and spin. Very impressive! Thanks again for exploring the Cape with me Nick, it was a pleasure having you and Chandler on the boat!
Today I had some older clients from Richmond and we hit the Neuse to hide from the wind. We blind cast a small 15" red and croaker, then got crushed by a thunderstorm. Split the trip up and hit the Cape when evening fell and caught a few small spanish on fly and one seabass off of a bank. We worked hard for those four fish. The next four days look bleak with it continuing to blow. Need a change and some hotter weather!
It actually has been "cold". These last few days have been the first stretch of warm weather we've had down on the NC coast all year long. It's been rainy, cool and very windy. The water temps have been a couple/few weeks behind as well.
Ran into a friend at the bar last night and he said his landscaping business has been slower than normal because they have only had to cut grass three times. It's way behind.
Ironically, my buddy found a few fish this morning and they were nice. Upper slot red and a trout at least 25" on topwater. Right around the corner from where I fished with Hokie Gigs.
Strange year here at the Bay as well. Cobia are around, but inshore stuff has been really spotty. Reds just aren't showing much at all. Trout are good sized when found, with holdover stripers around the docks as well. No croakers to speak of and when I first moved here 11 years ago, you could barely keep a Gulp on for those tail biting sumbeeches, now one or two is about all you'll get, if that. No biggie, I want to catch bigger fish, but I do like to eat croakers if no reds are around. Now, it's trout or striper, neither my fave.
Back in the early 90s, we would fish in the bay in Mathews and we would catch so many croakers that we would get sick of catching them. Nothing to catch 50 croakers in an evening on a bottom rig. But the last 20 years they almost disappeared. Although we would get into the drum/trout every once in a while, usually we caught nothing and wished for a croaker. Crazy the difference.
I took my nephew (SIL's son) on his first pier trip to Buckroe. We were on the pier at 5:15AM and he caught threadfins, baby Black Sea bass, and baby toadfish within ten minutes. I also got a big run on my cobia gear that I let him tug on a bit. It ended up being a big cownose day that I popped off when we got it to the pier. We caught a mixed bag the rest of the day, with a good spot bite keeping little man engaged while the cobia no-showed. I did manage to hook a nice Spanish on my sabiki but it broke off as I tried to hand the rod to my nephew. He caught five species, and also saw a couple of flounder and nice Spanish up to 20 inches caught. Not a bad day, and we bolted when the crowd got unmanageable aT around 11
Way to spread the wealth french.
He'll remember that forever.
Just spent a week down in Emerald Isle.
Sunday morning got a 25" and an overslot red on topwater. Got to see one tailing for a bit. Also got a big flounder but season is closed. That was it. Caught a couple mullet in the surf on Sunday afternoon and Monday. Tuesday my wife and I went out with Flyguy as he mentioned above. While the redfish didn't cooperate, he did put us on the turtles (and some bluefish). Wind was howling. Got to see some wild horses too. With the rainy and windy weather my wife was on the fence about going that morning, but by the end of the trip she said "I'm glad I decided to go." That's a win in my book! Flyguy put in some extra time and ran to a bunch of different spots. He also gave us excellent recommendations on restaurants in the Beaufort area.
Went out Wednesday afternoon in my brother in law's skiff and caught a couple keeper sheepshead and some small sea bass. Drifted a flat that was empty.
Caught some more mullet throughout the week in the surf in between thunderstorms.
Had access to a public pier at the end of the street on the sound and fished that on Thursday. Hooked onto a big skate that fooled me for a red. Caught some small croaker and pinfish as well.
Capped it off with a small keeper black drum on Friday in the surf and a big mullet. Both were delicious tonight for dinner.
Considering the forecast entering the week, a lot more fishing and beach time was enjoyed than expected.
Allen Kraken fly reels are BOGO. They're $100 more than they used to be a few years ago, but still a good deal.
What site??
Krakens are still bogo on the Allen website
https://www.allenflyfishing.com/fly-fishing-reels/
Fished this morning with my neighbor. On the water at 5. Tried topwater at a ledge, and my Spook got clobbered pretty quickly. It hit again and got hooked, then took off on what could only be called a blistering run across the shallow bar, pulling drag. We saw enough to know it wasn't a ray. Turned out to be a 3' hound fish. Those dudes are high octane, I swear. Biggest one I've caught and it was caught in the shoulder that slowed it down after the first berserk showing. My buddy caught a tiny bluefish on his Spook. We moved on.
Dock out in the Mobjack, I got punked on two consecutive casts by reds under the dock. Hadda get under there to get them, but gettin' 'em out? Both broke off. Back into the river, we found a dock holding some reds and I managed to catch three and only break off one. Found one on one other dock and upped my game to 4 for 7. I can live with that. We kept one apiece and tagged the two released. A gill hooked little croaker ended the day for me. No trout, though we each think we had one on. No stripers. Those reds sure do love them some Gulp. Got the trailer hitch for my Le Sabre yesterday, trying to get it installed next week. Just cannot justify the price of used trucks these days.
Got a question for you southern redfisherfolk. My neighbor has been trying new stuff, and is messing with a weedless spoon, likely a Johnson Silver Minnow or a knockoff in weedy areas here inshore. My question is mainly about using a trailer. The only time I've fished it was back in the 60s for largemouth in weedy Currituck Sound, and we used a curly cut Uncle Josh pork rind trailer. Wondering if any of you still use that type of lure and if you use a trailer. Ours were white, as I recall. While we always used silver, I have heard gold is a preferred color for some folks. Any thoughts there? Will anything but reds hit that lure? Thanks!
I haven't used a trailer on Johnson Silver Minnow. Just cast and wind. They are pretty weedless as long as the guard stays good. I've ripped them thru some heavy grass. I need to get some new ones cause mine seem to keep catching. I got a striper on it once but other than that just pups. Basically what I start throwing once it hits 9 am and have given up on trout for the morning.
I've had several and haven't caught dick on them!
Gold is better. I use a scented zman grub when I use a trailer. They work well but aren't ever my go to bait. Straight retrieve with a bounce. Trout will hit them but the hook up ratio is horrible
Thanks. I doubt he'll use the thing for anything other than super shallow weedy areas the may hold reds, or if he sees them tailing in such areas. The usual lures we use when dock fishing won't deal with shallow and weedy, and while the reds around here aren't usually found there, at least during daylight, I think it's more an experiment than anything else. Also thank you for the bit about trout. I know he wouldn't be trout fishing with the spoon anyway, and see how hook up on such a lure could be poor for them.
Might I ask, since all seem to agree that the spoon can work but seems to be nobody's go to bait, what would you throw into 12" deep weedy water if you thought a red was working it?
Usually the smallest lightest thing in my bag that can get there. When reds are feeding in the flats at least around here they're wildly spooky. I would throw a weightless fluke style bait. or shrimp imitation on a skipgap hook or a small texas eye jig rigged weedless. Trout trick, streakz, darterz, 3" AM fishing.
If its the one day that I've found fish and the wind isn't going wild and I'm in the flats and I actually remembered to bring my flyrod its the ideal time for a fly rod but those stars never align.
^^^^^
or even a small topwater depending on time of day/conditions
Yep. Several years ago, reds showed up around here after being largely absent the first few years I lived here. We were finding them on the shoreline of weedy flats in a foot of water. Had to be within two or three feet of shore to get bit, and weedless was a must. I stumbled into Gulp Jerk Shad on a 4/0 Owner offset worm hook that I Texas rigged and then skin hooked for the weeds. Unweighted, I was able to cast it a mile and used 6 lb test mono exclusively. I caught dozens and dozens like that, and because the only obstructions around were weeds, I never broke a fish off despite the light line and pulling power of reds up to 25" or so. The bait itself was heavy and with the weight of the Owner, I was able to get there. Topwater was out of the question due to the weeds/trebles thing, but we worked the Gulp up on the top, hopped it out of the water some. My neighbor knows about the rig, but like many of us, was just looking to expand his arsenal.
And on another note, trailer hitch goes on my 2004 Le Sabre on Monday, so hopefully I'll be back in action next week. My boat has forgotten me.
The slick lure casts very well and stay very weedless with a 4/0 owner beast hook. Probably similar to your weedless gulp jerk shad. https://pureflats.com/collections/the-slick
The slick lure is my new favorite. Casts a mile. It's caught fish this year when they wouldn't seem to bite anything else. The owner beast 4/0 unweighted hooks are sold out everywhere though.
The slick creator/owner was a really good interview on the speckled truth. Definitely worth the listen.
haven't seen this one.
can I just bite the tail off of a paddle tail?
Would they work with a larger EWG hook or even a screw worm hook? That croaker color looks awesome
With how the head is rounded, it is designed for a screwlock hook versus an EWG.
Topwater can be fun in shallow stuff but trebles and grass can be tricky. That's where zman plastic that floats can help with a swimbaits, flukes, or trout tricks in particular. Trout tricks are a zman saltwater dinger to me and can be rigger in a few ways to work weedless. That all said a simple weightless fluke is hard to beat
Z-Man Makes a Topwater specific plastic and its deadly its like a popper that walks the dog too its a fantastic bait for reds in the weeds.
Gold and Copper are the two colors I carry. Various sizes. They even make a 1/16 ounce you can throw on a fly rod. I Never use a trailer. It's the most consistent drum lure out there in my opinion. The Johnson Silver minnow is best, I've never had a hook break on one. There's another brand out of Florida called a Magic Dream spoon or something like that is is lighter and fishes very well too, but the hook can break.
As far as topwater goes, I've thrown a small Skitterwalk more than ever this year and the drum are absolutely crushing it. It is becoming my new go to lure for them, any time of the day. It seems like they have a more round version and then a V version that's longer and skinnier. I prefer the round, my buddy prefers the V version. Gotta change the hooks to heavier ones or the drum will straighten them.
I explored a new flat Friday in 4 feet of water and had a dozen blowups from overslot drum. Yesterday I did a bait and switch with a client. Tossing a hookless Skitterwalk and we throw a fly behind it when a red blows up. I caught a red on a hookless plug. He totally swallowed it. Skitterwalk is the way to go.
I have caught reds on both v version and regular version. Caught my biggest trout on the v version and one of the top trout guy uses the V version mostly. Hadn't noticed a difference really in which topwater the reds like more.
I just bought a V and caught a few reds on it. I think I still prefer the small round one. Regardless, they are the easiest walk the dog lure to fish in my opinion
Interesting. Since the overwhelming preponderance of reds we get around here come from under docks, no topwater need apply. Those fish are dead ass on the bottom or near it as they scrape tiny crabs from the pilings. Land it a foot short of the shade, don't get bit regardless of the bait. We've caught them on different lures, but have pretty much settled the hash on the best way to get bit in that situation. 1/4 oz big eye jig and a 4" Gulp Swimming Mullet. I've historically preferred chartreuse, but have also had a lot of luck on the two tone white body with chartreuse tail. Either way, that rig outfishes anything else we've tried, paddletails included, and I still wish I'd have invested in the makers of Gulp when it first came out. I'm sure the scent of Gulp is a big attractor, though a good cast under the dock with other plastics can also be hit. After a while, though, we've just given in to the inevitability that we'll catch more reds with the Gulp when the water is 4-8' and the fish are on pilings. Yeah, different strokes for different folks and all, but it they're not on top, I won't be wasting much of my time wishing they were.
Yep definitely a lot on docks from what you showed me but in past summers could get a few early morning on topwater on the flats.
True, but so far this year, topwater isn't getting the reds. If anything hits top, it's more likely to be a small blue or striper or if lucky, a decent trout. We usually start out with topwater on the flats in the low light before sunup, but it just hasn't been much of a producer for us this year, at least yet. I'd rather catch them like that instead of trying to horse them out of the dock pilings and losing too many, but like I said, not gonna waste much time if they're not there. Other side of this is if the skitterwalk would attract fish we aren't attracting with our topwater stuff. Don't know the answer, but willing give it a try next time out. I have a couple in the box.
response to Ifish
not my preferred offering but gold w/no trailer works fine in NEFL and coastal TX. always have one in the tackle box. really good for wade fishing in the Texas wind...casts like a bullet and can keep some tension in a cross wind
Thanks Dave. He's just messing with it because he's seen a few reds in weedy shallows, and there aren't many reds around this year yet. It'd been so long since I had one in the box, I was clueless.
it'll work...no trailer, imo
he could also get one of those weedless weighted twist lock rigs (e.g., https://www.tacklewarehouse.com/Owner_Weighted_Twistlock_CPS_Hook_3pk/de...) and throw a white or "natural" gulp shrimp in there. tho probably not nearly the same casting range
Good idea, I'll mention it to him. I don't think he'll be using it much anyway, but he wants a weedless lure.
Thanks.
Looking for advice here...
So my boat on its trailer was backed into a family member's parked truck (owned by the same family member who was trying to move it out of the way) on Sunday morning. Low speed accident - couldn't have moved more than a few feet before impact. The boat shot forward a foot or so on the trailer. Thankfully (kind of) the outboard trim was all the way down and so the hull didn't jump any further on the trailer and crash into the crank. The outboard hit a rubber roller on the trailer which stopped the boat and was a softer impact than the metal frame. But on the outboard, top cowl cover is damaged, one bumper on the bottom cowl got broken off, and the steering rod is bent (can't turn the steering wheel but an inch or so). Honestly, so far it seems this was the best case scenario (other than no crash at all) and I avoided any "major" damage. All engine internals weren't impacted at all, trim works fine, and I didn't notice any gel coat cracks in the transom. Really only concerned about the lower unit and the steering. I'm planning on having the whole motor, trim, and steering system checked by a professional before/if any insurance adjuster gets involved. But any other damage I should be looking for?
No advice, but plenty of commiseration. Low speed, but significant impact. Hope it's an easy fix and your insurance treats you right.
Your big "hidden" damage is usually the prop shaft but at that low of a speed I doubt it.
Have you turned it over on muffs yet?
Oof. Sorry dude.
Was driving to Cedar Island the other day and a camper came unhooked from the SUV towing it. Luckily I got past it going the other direction before it really started getting squirrely. There is no room to pull off and avoid on that stretch of the road. I watched in my rear view mirror as it swerved across both lanes and then back to the right and launched itself off the road into the canal, which was at high tide. Huge splash, bobbed in the water three times and then started sinking. It was gone when I came back 5 hours later.
Yikes! I had a boat trailer come undone at almost 65mph on 64 near Charlottesville on my way home from Lake Anna. The nut came off the ball threads and while my chains held, it happened at a bump as I entered a bridge over a creek. Luckily, I was already slowing due to some construction and the trailer rode up on a concrete barrier leaving tire marks 5' off the pavement. What it looked like in my rearview as I panicked wasn't nearly as bad as what a workman envisioned as he looked like he was ready to hop over the bridge into the little creek...at least a hundred feet down. Got 'er slowed down and stopped without harm or more than a dent in my truck tailgate and a lot of cursing and then relief. Luckily the construction boss had a big enough nut to put things back together enough to get home. Turns out the fellow I got the boat from had put the ball on my hitch and didn't tell me he didn't get a full nut because my bumper was thicker than the ball bolt was long. My bad for sure, I never thought to check it, but I'd brought it back from South Carolina with no issues and just kept blithely trusting the integrity of the hitch. To say this could have ended badly is an understatement and I do believe the fact that I was slowing down for the construction helped things out.
Not long ago, I was meeting 3rdGen at the local ramp, 2 miles from home, when I hit another of those damn bumps and had my locked hitch come undone. Again, my van's back door took a hit, but it was all at slow speed and the chains held. Turns out, I had hitched up in the dark and thought the trailer's attachment was sound, but it never got on there right and while I could close the latch, it was just sitting on the ball. It made it a mile and a half, and popped off on a tiny road to the ramp, but darn, you would think I'd have learned all that stuff by now after trailering boats and campers for decades, but there ya go.
Thanks. Not yet. The prop didn't get hit thankfully. The corner of the horizontal plate above the prop pierced the license plate on the truck.
Edit: was supposed to be a reply to heuplek.
not fishing related, unless you are smoking salmon; but I picked up a Pit Barrel Cooker (18.5") on line from MIchaels (of all places) for $308 plus tax w/ free shipping. So $328 delivered.
Got it to replace my egg, which I have found to be too time consuming and labor intensive. The older I get, the less patience I have.
They are typically $399.
https://www.michaels.com/product/pit-barrel-cooker-247495-185-in-origina...
Guilty of going the pellet grill route, smoked Spanish is a guilty pleasure, flyguy has me needing some bluefish to smoke into a dip next time I snag a few. After using traditional smokers before I've gotten lazy and can't complain
Are we a man or are we a mouse?
Is nobody fishing? I'm a dumpster fire in search of better days, but somebody has to be catching fish.
Haven't been since the third week of June. Life and sickness...
My wife bought me a new talon for my birthday so my boat is back in full form. Been trying to get out fishing recently but we've had a lot of unfortunate family problems.
The water down here is way more conducive to a flats/fly boat (hokieflyguy) but I've gotten into reds trout and flounder pretty well here . I'm looking at going to the nearshore wrecks as soon as life and weather cooperate.
Side side note: I missed it this year but I live next to the broad river tarpon and cobia run it every year. It makes my life easy if I'm not solo so let me know.
I just typed out a nice long report only to have the internet shit the bed and it not post. Fishing has sucked here at the Cape. East wind and hot, with empty flats. Have seen some drum here and there but they are spooky.
Fished Ocracoke on family vacation last week. Saw absolutely zero drum, three sheeps on the flats over 4 days fishing. Locals told me they are netting like crazy and were bragging that their freezers are full!
Sigh.
I did manage to land a 22" Ghost Red out of the surf on a broken fly rod. That was one I'll never forget. Shitty weather this week but fine by me as I'm busy tying earrings. Hoping to go fish for Bowfin on Friday and weather finally looks better this weekend for here in the salt.
The Ghost Red
Well, what a shitty summer it's been for me in my fishing life. I still am without a tow vehicle after fits and starts and butting into a tough market for used pickup trucks. Working with CarMax, first truck had problems we thought too offputting for the amount of money they want for a well used truck. They've ordered another, but who knows? First one took weeks to get shipped and supposedly prepped. Resorted to them after friends and local folk were unable to help me find what I need, and I'm resigned to paying twice what I thought I would without resorting to Craig's list come ons. The trucks I've found locally were either too new, big and expensive, or too shabby and decrepit to consider. Having a tow hitch already on the truck would be nice, but I may have to deal with that as well. To say I'm sick of it would be an understatement.
BUT...it does seem like a good year to not be out there around here. The early season provided some nice trout and while inconsistent, some decent red fishing under those certain docks. For several weeks, though, my neighbor who fishes more than a hundred days a year, has struggled. They've had several skunks and one or two fish days, and lately, the fish they are getting tend to be undersized. He reports the water being too warm, too dirty, and while there's plenty of bait around, the usual fishes aren't there with it. While he did have 9 reds one day this week, they were 11-13". Early season, we caught nothing under 16 and most were 18-23.
He also reported he'd heard red tide is now in the York, which is just across the Mobjack from our East River haunts.
Our very own 3rdGen has been out some, and got into some nice sheepshead at the CBBT recently, and his pics sure would look good on the thread. French and I being largely out of action leaves me hoping things pick up for all of us.
Finally got out on the New today, first time all year. Caught one smallmouth which happened to be my personal best on a fly rod. About 18", probably 2-3 lbs or so. Put up a helluva fight on my 5 weight. Was a blast to fight it, played it lightly until it tired out then quickly released. First fish I think I ever hooked on a fly rod that I felt necessary to play it on the reel. What was icing on the cake was I the fly I used was one I tied myself using bucktail from a deer I harvested.
Probably try to get out once more if I can, but otherwise my mind is already focused on deer season.
I did use to love this time of year for my flyguys. I made poppers that looked awful, but caught fish. The trick was to use an evocative cicada sorta fly, fish it on a dead drift along the shoreline shade line. We caught some very big smallmouth in the middle of the day out of inches of water with this approach. Move the bug and you are out of the game for those big fish looking for an easy dead protein bomb. Few big bites, most just came up a couple of inches from the bug and opened their mouths and flared their gills and sucked it down. Even my better fly fishermen had to learn to give the fish time to shut that mouth before raising the rod. Hard to do when you see a 4 pounder shadowing that bug before the take. Fuuuunnn, man.
I've always wanted to try that technique. I guess I don't have a lot of confidence in the places I have been to fish that really skinny water tight to the bank. Doesn't seem possible to me for decent bass to hang out in water that shallow (2-6" deep in most places). But you aren't the first to mention it so maybe I'll give it a shot next time I go. Might try to find some pockets of water a little deeper than that with good overhanging tree and grass cover.
This bass rose up from near the bottom of a run about 4 feet deep and hit my leech pattern on the fall not long after it hit the water. I call it a leech but not really sure what it is. Mostly black marabou with a thin stripe of bright green dyed bucktail on each side. Just something I made up that has worked ok for me in the past. That's one thing I like best about tying flies and fly fishing. I don't really try to copy a pattern usually, I just use the materials I have and tie something "fishy". Pretty cool to fool a decent fish with something you made up.
Well, 2" won't do it, and 6 isn't quite enough either, but you'd be stunned and amazed at what's in that shade line when the cicadas are dropping. Not saying to target skinny, but if you're fishing poppers like we were, you need shallower water to get the bug where they're hiding out waiting. As usual, though for big smallmouth, there is deeper water in proximity.
Like I said, I made poppers that I thought "evoked" cicadas, but don't have the artistic talent to do imitations. To me, the best flies for bigger fish are often evocative of more than one bait. I made them from wine corks cut to approximate cicada size, then painted the bottom with a pale color, often adding reticulations, then the rest of the body in a leaf green close to the green color on the cicada's top. Added legs and used a material fork tail I got from one of the fly companies.
The popper drift has to be right, too. Usually we'd mend once after the initial few feet of drift, then absolutely dead drift until the current pulls the line tight enough to move the bug. Rinse and repeat. Confidence is absolutely key, as well as knowing you aren't going to be having 30 fish days. You just need to commit to the technique.
You've got to commit to the dead drifting the big bugs, but it certainly can be worth it.
Post a pic of the fly!
OK, my first genuine report in a while. Went with my neighbor this morning for a dark to 9:30 try up the North River out of the Mobjack. We had decent luck at one dock, caught at least a dozen undersized reds up to 15". I had at least 7 in the boat while Paul tagged and released them, but when they slowed, he got in on it as well. While we picked up a couple more from a couple more docks, croakers, pinfish and little spot ate our Gulp tails more than anything else. Hit two normally productive docks in the East on the way to the ramp, but only got one short red from Crazy Lady Dock and then quit to escape the coming heat. Saw a house on fire as we went up the North. Also the last red I got, I caught with an absurd wind knot 20' or so into my braid that I decided to keep casting since it would go just far enough to reach the dock and we were minutes from quitting. That was a first since I would normally gone to another rod (we both take three...dock fishing is hell on jig heads and leaders). Water temp was 83 degrees and we never sniffed a trout.
Catching reds of any size is always fun, even the smaller ones fight like the devil, and I hadn't fished in far too long, so I think it was a successful day and I didn't break any off like when the bigger fish go for the pilings.
Edit: My counting is suspect whenever I catch more than a couple of fish, but Paul told me we caught and tagged 14 short reds yesterday. He also confirmed that what we saw was, indeed, a house fire that destroyed a house completely. Brush fire that got a shed then jumped to the house. Nobody hurt. It was 5:20 when we saw it, and there was no fire dept. there yet. Nobody burning that time of morning, but in a county full of cigarette smokers and careless "rednecks" (sorry, but it's just the darned truth), well.....
Pretty work!
Got out to the CBBT two weekends ago with some fiddler crabs. Picked a set of pilings and luckily picked right on the first one. Caught 9 in about an hour and a half then the current got ripping too good.
Darn, some guys have all the fun.
That is impressive. How deep are they?
10' to 20' deep suspended on the pilings.
Had sort of guide trip Saturday with my landlord and her friend. Found lots of reds, only one eat on topwater and it came off. After two hours, the girls wanted to hunt sea shells. Easy work for me. As we left the beach, some birds were diving in the inlet. We scoped it out and found 4-8 pound blues feasting on monster shrimp being sucked out into the ocean in the heavy current. The blues were focusing only on the shrimp, and it was sporadic. I ended up sight casting three blues 4-8 pounds, one on fly on a big shrimp Gurgler. All this while driving in rolling waves with the girls hanging in as water came over the bow. It was so cool watching the blues team up chasing a big shrimp jumping feet out of the air, while sea gulls tried to pick them off from above. Interestingly, if the shrimp stopped jumping, the birds and the blues left them alone. They wanted them when they were moving. Even more interesting, was every few minutes, a monster tarpon would crush a shrimp on the surface. Well over 100 pound fish. Six of the tarpon were within 30 feet of the boat. I could have fly cast to them but they just came out of nowhere in the insane current flowing out into the ocean.
Went back Sunday and today on the same tide and there was absolutely nothing. No shrimp, no birds, no blues and no tarpon. I knew I should have gone back out after dropping the girls off, in an attempt to get a tarpon. Fishing in that inlet on the outgoing is legit dangerous though, especially in my potato chip of a boat.
The drum wouldn't eat anything yesterday and were super spooky. Today they were less spooky but just as picky. I had 30 legit shots and had 15 plus follows with refusals.
I got one 27" to eat luckily, on a small crab fly. It made my day. It only takes one Red...
The red
The blue
First thing I noticed about that picture was, "damn... due has my shorts on." haha!
Gift from my Mom, that I have worn a lot! I pretty much stick to buying Simms these days when it comes to fishing shorts! They are so damn comfortable and can be worn out too
Fished again Tuesday. North / Northeast wind which the fish love. Blowing well over 10, though the weatherman called for 5.
Again, couldn't get any drum to commit. Lots of ignores, lots of follows. I don't know what's going on but it is frustating. Thursday I fished for bowfin. Super low water, almost too low. Caught two largemouth's. The bowfin have a case of whatever the drum have. They constantly ignored my flies and soft plastics, dropped right in front of them.
I said screw it and headed back to Richmond for a week or so.
The Swamp
My hard fishing neighbor fished yesterday morning around Gwynn's Island using almost every lure you can imagine...didn't get a bite. His regular buddy was also out, didn't get a bite. Neighbor's wife was dragging shrimp and caught a handful of little croaker. Don't know what's going on here, but it ain't good.
Crabs are abundant. Reports of some trout with bellies full of tiny crabs around the oyster cages in the mouth of the North, but hit or miss, I hear. The cages are like an artificial reef, but there's only so many of them.
Good news is I do have a truck in hand and getting a tow hitch Tuesday. Then, I'll be able to take my boat out and get skunked just like everybody else!
Interesting about the crabs! We've had a great year for them in NC. I've bought some from locals and also taken them from abandoned pots and had numerous crab feasts myself.
My buddy at New Point got two dozen #1 jimmies overnight in his 4 dock pots. Didn't count the small throwbacks or females, likewise released. The crabs have been super meaty, and he had me over to crack some crabs with his buddy Tyler Childers and his family a few weeks ago, and I do believe they were the best and sweetest blue crabs I've ever eaten. Next week, wife and I are going to his place at low tide one day and walk the grass flats in front of his house and net us up some crabs. Can't wait.
The Tyler Childers?
That's awesome to hear about them being the males. The local guy I buy them from told me the males prefer freshwater while the females prefer the salt.
Yep. THAT Tyler Childers. He was visiting my buddy who is one of Tyler's best friends. He employed the young feller from the holler in Kaintuck on his farms which he sold to him when he moved here and after Tyler got his big recording contract. Tyler was visiting with his wife and little boy (cuter than you can imagine and with daddy's ginger locks) and the guitar player from his band, CJ, and his wife. We gabbed, cracked some crabs, and I listened to Tyler and CJ pick for a bit, with Tyler on fiddle and CJ on mandolin. I even got to sing some harmony on the only actual song they did with CJ singing. Tyler just played fiddle, never sang (darnit), but I sure felt like I was walkin' through tall cotton there for a couple of minutes. To be honest, I tried really hard to sorta leave Tyler alone and readily admit to being starstruck, but in the end, it was a really cool 4 hours spent with down home friendly folks and but for a few minutes talking about the rigors of touring and the wives talking about picking and choosing which parts of the tours they join and why, it was a nice friendly evening with no hint of the stardom thing. Tyler, while a quiet guy, definitely exudes a "quality" that often accompanies people of extraordinary talent, but in the company of old friends, (myself excluded) his humor and his humility shone through. His wife, Senora, was really sweet and friendly, and their boy, Lucian, smiled the whole time I was there and captured my heart a little bit, almost making me wish I'd had a kid. Almost.
Of course, the next morning, they had to boogie to Nashville, so there was that...
Also, with regards to crabs and shrimp... I prefer mine steamed. My family likes to boil shrimp now with those premade bags you dump in the water. It just isn't the same. I want them coated in Old Bay.
Another also, most crabs "from" Maryland are caught and shipped up from NC. Maryland lovers will completely refute this, but this is what the local crabbers in NC have been telling me for years. Most of their crabs get sent north.
Yep, steamed is the way to go slathered in Old Bay. Steamed in beer is the best, I think.
Plenty of females in the Mobjack, but Tommy lets 'em all go. With the lack of rain we've had here locally this summer, I doubt freshwater is anywhere near New Point.
for boiling shrimp, I use liquid crab boil as the seasoning w/ just a little salt in the water. pull them when the water is barely starting to boil and chill quickly to stop the cooking process. then sprinkle with Old Bay, Zatarain's, etc. and let the seasoning melt into the shrimp.
for crawfish or crabs that are going to spend more time boiling or even soaking in the water, then a more elaborate recipe may be useful.
bonus...a little bit (like 1/2 tsp) of liquid crab boil adds a nice touch when you are cooking down cajun red beans.
Steaming Crabs: bring equal parts water, beer, vinegar to a boil. Layer crabs right side up, covering them with seasoning (J.O #2 preferred, then Old Bay). Steam for 20-25 minutes. Done.
could be some cheap property in Steinhatchee/Big Bend area in the near future...looking grim there
That is the prettiest part of Florida. Excellent Red and Trout fishing on grass flats
And this is why https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/maps/gulf-data-atlas/atlas.htm?plate=Seagrasse...
I don't keep track of waterfowl populations anymore but in the 70's and 80's, that was a phenomenal redhead duck wintering area
the amount of coastal public land https://www.fnai.org/webmaps/ConLandsMap/index.html, florida's net ban, and relatively poor road access, should keep the big bend fishery in decent shape for those that want to make the trek. [edit: the fact that it is probably the yellow fly capital of the world also doesn't hurt]
Sorta reporta. Went to the local ramp and saw a group of 4 fishermen standing around a nice boat. Turns out, they were out with "Captain Ned" was what I heard. They'd been cobia fishing and had gone all the way to the CBBT. This was 2 o'clock so they must have boogied. Captn was cleaning a nice cobia, maybe 45". I was intruding, shamelessly I'll admit, but it turns out one of the guys caught a cobia on the fly. They said it was flat calm on the Bay this morning, seldom seen in my experience. Anyway, glad somebody's doing something. And I'd love to see the video, and likely there is one judging from the outfit the Capn had.
OK, first report in a while. Sum it up, 20 reds caught, tagged and released, most 14-15, one 16.5. All on Gulp under or close to docks with shade. One 17.5 trout, couple of dinks, a really big cow nose ray, and even had a diamond back terrapin grab my Gulp and didn't let go until it was at the boat.
Regular beautiful sunrise over the Mobjack, couple of bald eagles, plenty of herons, etc. The reds were still fun to catch, regardless of size, and easier to keep from breaking off on pilings. Only lost one that way today.
The trout came on topwater. I got into a couple of trout on a Super Fluke with dark body and red tail that both came unhooked halfway in, but after hooking the ray in the shallows we were fishing, the trout vanished.
Glad somebody is getting somethin!
Plans are to fish tomorrow morning, similar trek, meet at 5:45 am, fish until 9:30 when the sweat starts running into our eyes. I'll admit my age is making for sun and heat avoidance, and it also seems that three hours scratches that fishing itch I've had all my life.
Saturday is going to be fun, as French will be in the boat for a morning's endeavor. We almost were going to watch the Purdue game together, something I've always wanted to do, watching a game with him, but I had a previous comittment I couldn't reschedule, so it'll have to be just fishin'.
Reports to come.
Well, different day, basically the same fish. One hound early on a fluke that cut a shine and hopped off, but we finally found the reds and caught a bunch, all undersized. We tagged 'em until my friend's tags ran out. A few short trout and that was it. I did have one good red under a dock and two pilings between us...15lb braid shredded in about two seconds.
Still fun to catch those little reds, and mostly from docks we'd not fished before, a bonus. Hopefully, French and I will be able to get into some tomorrow.
How deep are these docks? I assume you're fishing your usual haunts? Interested to see if they would eat a fly.
Have you tried my special color combo of chartreuse jig head and lavender paddle tail?
Well, yes on the usual, but also finding new docks both in East and North rivers that are holding pups. We have been finding them in 4-8' usually, depending on the type of dock and the tide. As soon as the sun is up, the pups are in the shade, and only in the shade, of the docks. The more complicated the dock, the better the chance of finding them.
As for your fly thing, I don't know why they wouldn't take a fly, but it'll have to be dead ass on the bottom to have much of a chance. For every one my buddy catches on a fluke, I'll get 8-10 on Gulp. No on the paddle tail, I'm wedded to Gulp on a big eye jig head. 4" Swimming Mullet, and I like the white body with chartreuse tail or just chartreuse. My buddy catches some on Gulp shrimp, but I do believe if I only had one bait for these particular fish, it'd be the white/chartreuse and the main reason I use the big eye jig is the hook. Otherwise, the cheapie gotcha style head in either chartreuse or red work fine. I have been using a 3/8 oz jig head for the reds, but 1/4 works almost as well. I like the heavier jig for the longer hook and the help with precision casting up under the docks. I have the paddle tails, and if I'm out of Gulp, I don't hesitate to use them, but I try not to ever be out of Gulp.
Soooo, as I sit here with my second cup, dog cuddled up and eyes bleary from my third way too early rising in the last 4 days, French is on the road to meet me in a half hour...and it is raining to beat the band, thunder and lightning all around. Ooops! This morning is either going to go completely to hell and French and I will be hitting a local diner for breakfast, or it'll clear up and maybe the fishing will improve with the cooling factor of a rain storm. We shall see.
We got out, we lost multitudes of Gulp swimming mullet tails, we caught very little. Other than a moment when we were both hooked up to small reds at Crazy Lady's dock, it was a really slow morning. Couple of small trout, a bait sized spot and a cutlass fish for French. I'd say our Gulp losses were about as expensive as our gasoline use, but the morning was mild and we got dozens of bites...or should I characterize them as "nips"?
On the plus side, my boat started easily and ran well all morning (whew) after not being run since last November. Of course, after sitting and being a bit dodgey last few times out, my trailer lights decided not to work at all, so back on Amazon for a light kit. It is ALWAYS something.
By my count, I lost around 20 gulps. If anyone decides to drift those areas with a double dropped loop and some bloodworm fishbites, I imagine they will pretty much have constant action. Almost no casts resulted in no bumps. Unfortunately, the culprits were mostly not big enough to get a 1/4 oz jighead in their mouth.
However, always a pleasure fishing with VTFish. Thank you again for a fun morning, despite my poor hook up ratio.
And, as always, a pleasure fishing with French. His hook up ratio was prodigious to the negatory, no doubt, but I was right there with him. I usually feel like when the dinks are so bold, bigger predators just aren't around, or are not feeding if they are. We both were still shaking our heads about the Hokies, and his analysis didn't make me feel any better than the game itself did. Wish we could have found more than a couple of reds like have been available the past couple of weeks, but that's fishin'.
What a difference a couple of days can make. This morning, we fished a dock near New Point Comfort I'd only fished once before. Then I got two nice low 20s reds, this morning was much more prolific. I started the day out with a 22" red on a fluke, then started to pick up reds one right after the other, but to the tune of 11-16". Paul tagged a bunch, well over a dozen, and then picked up a 25" red. He also got a 21" striper and a 22" trout, all three on topwater. While he got the size, I got the numbers. I'd say we tagged at least 17 fish, and the striper and his red and two small reds I got weren't in that count. I lost a respectable trout at the boat, we guessed a solid 19-20. Small fish weren't the problem they were with French and I, and while I didn't get piled by any of the reds, I did lose a handful halfway back to the boat.
One more try tomorrow, then hanging it up until mid-October so Mrs. Fish and I can celebrate our 50th anniversary with a Viking cruise from Amsterdam to Budapest.
C'mon you guys, get out there and catch a few and let us hear about it. The Hokies don't seem like they're enough to focus on again this year. My advice, record the game, watch it later, skip the commercials and hope for the best. The Hokies will play regardless, but those fish won't catch themselves.
Congratulations.
And,... Well Played. Have a great time!
Thank you very much. We ain't exactly cruise folk, but you only live once.
Hope you have a great time Fish! You deserve it!
Geez Louise! Don't wish what I deserve on me...but I'll not elaborate.
Thanks Jack. Hope to see you before the snow flies.
Sounds good. Would love to see ya and fish
enjoy!
Happy anniversary Fish. I am glad the reds gave you a good send off before your trip. You and the Mrs. have a great time. Send some pictures!
Thanks French. The Mrs. and I will salute you as we dig into some chicken paprikash in Buda or Pest, and thanks for that suggestion!
Hope to see you before October's over.
Big drum chewing this AM off the end of Nags Head Pier, with the ocean all churned up as result of Hurricane Lee offshore.
And of course, I am in Abingdon to support my mom's sculpture show. (Growls as I stare into the abyss.)
I got my boat fixed up a couple weeks ago only for the starter solenoid to give out. Replaced that and finally got out yesterday afternoon in Poquoson. Fished from 2:30-7:30. It was rough when I got out but quickly calmed down. Got thumped good on a fat boy right away but it didn't stay on. Found a few single slot reds feeding but didn't find any schools. Seemed like any time the water moved (besides an obvious bluefish or mullet jumping) was a red swirling. I'd cast to it and hook up before I could flip the bail over. I sight cast one. Got an 18" trout on a fat boy and the kicker was a 22" on topwater just before leaving. Pulled it through a small school of bait on the surface. I've never seen so much bait out there. Would have stayed out at least a few minutes till last light but of course my nav lights decided to not work after I just checked them a few days ago.
I went out with no expectations since I haven't been out in a while and figured that hurricane messed with things. So I was pumped to get a few fish. Once I found the first red I didn't move from there. Usually I'm more impatient and move around but I just stayed in one small area and it paid off.
Seemed like any time the water moved (besides an obvious bluefish or mullet jumping) was a red swirling.
This is awesome. Glad you got out there finally!
Heuplek:
if you find the F-35 while you're out fishing, see if our offense is in it
Still trying to figure out what in the world happened there. Sounds like it ended up in Lake Marion. If I find it I'll sell it and make a large donation to VT football/NIL
I see you found it! Now we just need to find our offense...hopefully not as puzzling.
Oh, back to fishing, I just got a 9.8 tohatsu for the gheenoe (15-4) I've had on loan to my daughter and her boyfriend. hope to start the break-in tomorrow
what do you have on your microskiff?
I sold the whole set up but it had an 8.8 mariner on it