Well, football isn't exactly giving us a compelling case to stick around the house on Saturday's. Fortunately for those of us who fish, the best time to get on the water is here.
Unfortunately, I had a poor effort this week. On Wednesday evening, I headed down to the Outer Banks to fish in front of Tropical Storm Ophelia. The bait situation wasn't what I expected. I managed to get a mess of large finger mullet on Wednesday night, but finding corncob sized mullet was impossible. Then, instead of getting up at 4:00AM on Thursday like I had planned, I forgot to set my alarm (first time ever on a fishing trip) and didn't wake up until almost 8AM. With the late start, I headed to the pier. The wind conditions were perfect, but the water was gin clear. I caught three spot before lunch time, but the only other thing in the ocean were miserable little three inch pinfish. I caught about a dozen, but there had to be thousands down there, as my fishbites got torn to pieces almost as soon as they hit the water. Otherwise, despite perfect conditions (onshore chop and clear water) for false albacore, bluefish, and spanish, there was nothing. Zero. Zilch. No bird life, no bait, no fun. So, despite the breeze picking up from about 10NE to 15NE, I decided to conserve my bait and get dinner. Leaving the pier, I saw a friend arrive, and I told him I would eat and maybe come back.
I grabbed dinner at the Dunes since it was close by. It was underwhelming (friend shrimp, fries, and slaw.) With a little food in me, I decided to head back to the pier, and it was a sound move. The drum started to eat around 7PM, and there was a lot of action, with one angler catching one large drum and three overslot/yearling drum (between 33 and 40 inches). Ten or so were caught total. The problem? I had those finger mullet and three spot. I got runs on all three spot heads, but the runs were slack bites (the drum picking the bait up to crush it and then swimming towards the pier.) I am a circle hook guy, and I was tired... not a good combination when you have to reel fast to get tight on a fish. All three failed to get the hook stuck. I didn't get any bites on the finger mullet. With the weather ominous for Friday, and with my frustration at a boiling point between the missed hookups and dealing with the OBX Aquarium folks coming out to close the pier at 9:55PM in the middle of a hot run, I made the foolish decision to dump my bait, get some rest, and then drive home before the storm got bad.
Dumb. The next morning between sunrise and 11AM, over 80 drum were landed at Nags Head Pier, and Jennettes was equally hot (although the folks I knew were at NHP.) So, paired with the heinous display of offensive line and tight end blocking we witnessed on Saturday, I have spent the weekend madder than a dog in a hubcap factory. Hopefully I can get back soon to redeem myself.
Post your fishing reports, gear and technique questions, and other fishing stuff below.
Comments
I'm at a loss for words.
I left at 2:00AM Friday for Jennette's Pier to fish the steady NE wind. Bait was tough initially. I had to make due with some older bait from Ocean's East, and I paid for it. The guys with fresh managed a slow steady bite in the morning while I fruitless sent mushy mullet heads and a 10oz into the ocean. Around 1:30PM, I got word that Nick Walke (owner of Nick's Custom Rods) was bringing a huge load of corn cob and big finger mullet north for the shops. I packed up, got lunch, and met Nick as he arrived at TWs in Kitty Hawk. I got $60 worth of corn cob sized mullet and headed back to Jennettes. The bite again was good, but crowded on Friday evening, and I couldn't get a run. Frustration with the constant tangle due to JP not turning on their fog lights at dark and exhaustion sent me to my hotel room after high tide.
I slept from 9PM to 4AM and then got up to make breakfast. Loaded with fresh bait, I was the first person in line to go on the pier. Three fish were caught, but again I didn't get a run outside of two shark bite offs. As lunch approached, I fired a cast with my Century Surf Machine, and the shock knot knocked two of my ceramic guide inserts out, snapping off my shock line and blowing my reel up into a knot. As I worked on respooling, the grass moved in, making things unfishable, so I headed home.
I am going to have to head back soon to drop the rod off at Hatteras Jacks to get the guides repaired. Hopefully I can get off the bench next trip.
Just got home from hiking the waterfalls around the Chattooga. Was greeted at the door by my 3wt and 4wt that I left there so I'd remember to throw it in the truck. Managed to step around it every trip. Was reminded by a few people wading saw a couple guys land some decent little brook trout just to rub it in.
Took a half day Friday and fished with my brother in law. With the full moon that night we thought it was worth the trip. Fished the Mobjack to try to avoid the strong north wind. Couldn't buy a topwater bite even though it was really cloudy. No bites for the first hour or so. Then I got absolutely thumped on a big mirrolure. Fish didn't really move at first and then gave a big head shake and it was gone. Thankfully I never got to see it because I'd be more upset. It was big. BIL got a 19" trout on a mirrolure on the next cast (his first ever on a subsurface hardbait). He picked up a 16" a little later and a small gray trout. He also caught a bat. Or more the bat got tangled in his line. I had one follow on top at sunset from what looked like a red but didn't bite. I'll be back to that same spot at some point soon. I want that fish.
September has been good to me.
My old boss and good friend Jarrod from Aspen Outfitting Company visited the Cape two weeks ago for a trip we have been trying to pull off for years. We fished hard for five straight days. We landed a dozen albacore on fly between us in slicked out conditions in the Hook with no other boats in sight. I've never been in the Hook without other boats running around. He hadn't caught an albie on fly, much less seen much drag before, so it was a great experience. I can't believe we had pods of albies to ourselves, for two straight hours, right next to the lighthouse.
We also found a big school of drum on a flat that has been hiding right under my nose for years, smack dab in the middle of tons of boat traffic. Between two days, we landed eight, and had two double ups. The first day was very odd weather, slicked out conditions with grey skies and high cloud cover. Everything was a mirror. Shrimp jumped to and fro to avoid the bruising upper slot drum. We watched them come all the way out of the water to try and eat the shrimp. It was one of those special days. All of my drum came on topwater Gurglers. Jarrod finally got the drum monkey off of his back, which I was so stoked to help pull off for him.
We also made a 90 mile round trip run in my boat to Ocracoke for Greenhead burgers at SMX and a beer at 1718. Besides that, we drank all of the Model Zero Special Beers every day. He also got a proper seafood buffet of crabs, shrimp and oysters. Something in there made me sick and I had the runs for a week. Oof. The only thing we didn't do was docklight fish, we were generally just too tired.
Last week my Dad and his good friend came down for our annual fall fishing trip together. Thursday was windy but in usual pre hurricane conditions, fishing was on fire. I finally landed an Albie from the sand. The fish were going down whenever a boat came near, but there were plenty busting right around the spit, so we beached it on the sand. Sure enough, 5 minutes later, they were erupting at my feet. I flipped the fly out there, hooked up and landed a big one, probably 8 pounds. My phone was hundreds of yards away so no picture, but its burned into my memory. Caught another just after that. Friday we watched Tropical Storm Ophelia roll in. We drove to Cedar Island in the howling wind, just to check things out. I found a 20 pound Crevalle Jack on the side of the road in the howling wind and rain. Weird find. The Fox Weather Channel news team was there covering the storm from hard hitting angles. We drove by and waved as they were about to start shooting. The high tide water was maybe an inch deep on the road. We got home and turned on the channel and that same reporter was claiming that water was so deep in the road it was flooding into car doors. The anchor asked where they were located and the reporter said "17 miles inland from the coast." He was a mere 100 yards from Core Sound and 3.5 miles from the Atlantic Ocean as the crow flies. Another typical weatherman fuck stick.
The neighbor of the house we rented left his new custom 23 CC on the lift. We watched it sway for hours as we had a crab and flounder feast for dinner. At 2 am I woke up to check the storm surge around my truck (there wasn't one) and the boat was still on the lift. At 6 am, it was upside down on the bottom, having torn the lift from the dock with it. Turns out, it was a 2021 custom worth $85,000. I heard he has insurance. Boat was completely ruined. We went to Rhum bar for Painkillers and Tuna Tacos and then just watched the storm all day Saturday. Sunday was great weather and we rode around checking things out, mostly drinking and bullshitting per the usual. Water was a mix of chocolate saltwater and chocolate freshwater. Not good. I didn't even make a cast.
Last week my buddy and I discovered a new tailing flat. This one again, right under our noses and it is probably the best looking one we have seen. It's getting late in the year for tailers but we saw a few and one obliged my fly. All it takes is one...
I'll be back and forth down between RVA and the Cape for October with a break to go to Ann Arbor and see UM play and visit my sister. Might be my only college football game of the year since I bailed this past weekend. Hopefully the drum bite continues to be good, the netters don't wreck shit, and the albies show up and stick around!
Albies with Jarrod
Red Doubles
The Jack
The Tailer
The wife and I went down to Avon for 4 days for our anniversary last weekend and she loves the beach so much she likes to let me fish. Got to town Saturday in time to watch the second half of the Marshall game before checking into our Airbnb. Wind was still miserable from the storm but I did find some fresh bait at Frank & Frans Saturday evening so I'd be ready to go for Sunday.
The Point at Buxton had started heating up Saturday afternoon so we headed there for a little bit of a late start Sunday morning around 8:30am. Started of almost immediately with a 20" bluefish followed by a 31" drum on the next cast. Thus began a steady stream of 28-32" Drum with a few slot fish mixed in off and on all Sunday and Monday. Monday evening I saw probably 100 fish caught catching one slot and a few over 30" myself. The group of 3 guys beside me probably landed 25 between them. Despite me mimicking their distance, weight, and bait, they were catching more fish than everyone on the beach by 2x-3x. It was pretty impressive.
Tuesday morning I landed another 30" fish about 15 min before sunrise but didn't see another red landed the rest of the morning. The bluefish moved in right after sunrise and pretty much every angler on the beach was pulling in 16-24" bluefish at will. That bite turned off around 8am and I headed to the house to pack up for the journey home. Overall it was a great 3 days of fishing with the only blemish being it was too windy to take the kayak out in the sound mid morning like I had planned.
I'm headed back down the first week of November with a few buddies to try and put some big drum on the beach or pier. Hopefully the beaches are open to vehicles and not a victim of the pending government shutdown...
A heads up, North Carolina passed an injunction that won't allow possession of mullet in NC after I believe November 7th. Bait is going to be tough to come by.
https://wobx.com/2023/05/27/state-to-shut-down-harvest-of-striped-mullet...
Keep these netting restrictions coming. The fishery for everything else will improve.
I'm headed to Hatteras October 15-21. Never fished for drum in the fall. I don't have the funds to get any new equipment, but wondering if my current surf rods are good enough/safe to use without risking damage. I have a Penn Fierce II 9-0 medium heavy action combo and a Star Rods medium action 9-0 paired with a Shimano Sedona (3500 I think). Both are rated less than 4-5 oz at best, possibly significantly less.
I don't really care about whether or not this is optimal to chase big drum, I know it isn't. But will I have any chance of any drum, holding bottom, etc if I'm limited to much less than 8+bait?
There are pups around, and that gear would work (small mullet chunks/finger mullet or shrimp.) The issue, best days are usually pretty nautical. Hopefully 4-5 will hold.
Yes, you'll be fine. I grew up catching drum in the surf on 1-3 ounce sinkers and chunks of finger mullet. Use 3/0 circle hooks. Fish at low tides so you can understand where the holes are and then make note for if you come back at high. North wind is best for a drum bite.
Thanks guys, appreciate it!
Snuck out this morning before the wind really started blowing. Figured they'd be chewing before the cold front. Had to be back in Richmond around 10 so we left at 4:15 and fished until 8:30 or so. My brother caught a couple dink stripers on dock lights on the way out. I got my personal best trout on topwater once we got out. Didn't get to measure it (flopped out of the net as I was trying to unhook him) but at least 24". Not sure I've ever taken a worse fish picture that the one I got while he was in the net. Then a bonus was finding a school of overslot reds. My brother got a 31" red and I got one that had to be close to 40". It was quite the fight. He caught a couple dink trout too on topwater. We both missed 1-2 nice trout on topwater that didn't hook on. 3 hours of driving for less than that fishing but well worth the trip.
Hit the Greentop expo right after. Snagged a fenwick elite inshore 7'-6" ML Fast on clearance for $99. Not sure what I'll use it for but it was too good to pass up. Or at least that's what I'm telling myself.
that's a steal on that rod
Sounds like an awesome trip! I was looking at that rod for throwing light 1/8 oz soft plastics and weightless on the flats.
Finally had time to fish this morning. Overslept and the tide monster got me. Neighborhood boat ramp is good except for +/- 45 minutes of low tide and I was too lazy to drive anywhere else. Maybe tomorrow.
Speaking of Green Top, they are selling Shimano Stradic XGs in 1000-4000 sizes for $145, until they run out. They had a good stock. I got a 4000 today.
They are also selling Penn SSVIs for anywhere from 100-130.
I don't know how long this is going, but they have those prices today.
I for one am completely done with Penn. Several new reels have stopped working after less than 10 fishing trips. They lock up, or the anti-reverse decides it doesn't want to work.
It has been a long and unproductive (for fishing) several months. Shortly after 3rd Gen and I were stranded last spring, I had to spend several months liquidating a house that my 95 year old mother owns. It sold in early July but I worked on it most days thru mid-June.
Then I turned my attention to a used gheenoe I bought a few years back. It usually lives with my daughter and her SO. But they had moved in June so I brought it back to our house to work on while they got settled in to a new place...and new jobs. Trailer lights, new TM mount (left handed), and most importantly, a new Tohatsu 9.8 that will comfortably plane the boat. New outboards require break-in and I got all that completed about a week ago. The gheenoe will be a great boat for Guana Lake where they like to go, and the remote creeks (Pellicer, Moses, etc.) on my side of St Aug
Finally, I got the Scout (the boat that left 3rd Gen and I stranded last spring) back out on the water today. It still cut out on me but I think I finally isolated the problem and was able to quickly get it going...I didn't get stranded. Also, just in case, I did the test in an embayment off the St Johns R with little current and upwind of the ramp...if I had to TM back in.
After our fateful spring trip, I had initially replaced the safe mode switch, checked the LP fuel pump, replaced the fuel filter, and completely cleaned out the gas tank. But on the subsequent test run (last spring) it stranded me again. Then I changed out the ancient fuel hoses and put a non-EPA compliant gas cap on the tank...not good for the environment; very good for air flow. Today was the long-time-coming test run for that update.
So I ran 20+ minutes at 2/3 throttle (comfortable planing speed) with zero issues. Then I gradually upped the ante and after nearly 30 minutes total, it cut out again. When I checked the primer bulb, it was dry. So I pumped it and the motor restarted immediately and ran great. Tried the same drill again...15 minutes at 2/3, then went to full throttle; this time periodically giving the primer bulb a squeeze. It ran fine until I stopped checking the bulb (just to see how long it would go). Again, it powered down after about 5 minutes. But I was able to shift into neutral and re-prime the bulb without the motor quitting. I then went to the ramp at 2/3 throttle, left the motor idling for several minutes while I fetched the car and backed the trailer in. No issues, it ran the whole time.
So, it is definitely a fuel delivery issue. Next move is to replace the fuel tank...in theory, a dry bulb should indicate the problem is upstream and the hoses are new. My thinking is the pickup inside the tank is partially clogged or is split and letting air in, or perhaps a faulty anti-siphon valve...regardless, it simply can't deliver enough fuel at high rpm. Also, $100 for a plastic tank may seem ridiculous but in boat repair world, that is pretty close to free. If that fails I'll then aim at the high pressure fuel pump.
If anyone has other ideas/solutions, I'm all ears. But after today's trial, I'm not nearly as fearful of getting stranded.
FYI regarding Menhaden in the Bay:
VIRGINIA MARINE FISHERIES COMMISSION FOUND GUILTY !!!
First, the Southern Maryland Recreational Fishing Organization (www.smrfo.org) filed a lawsuit against the Virginia Marine Fisheries Commission on May 10th for mismanaging the Atlantic menhaden reduction fishery - CLA Files Suit Challenging Menhaden Regulation - Chesapeake Legal Alliance
On October 6th, Judge Richard Campbell of the District Court of Richmond, Virginia, found in favor of SMRFO.
Specifically, Judge Campbell ruled that VMRC violated Virginia Code 28.2-203. "Commission to prepare fishery management plans standards." https://law.lis.virginia.gov/vacode/title28.2/chapter2/section28.2-203/
When changing fishing regulations, the law requires the VMRC to address the following criteria:
• Standards shall provide the greatest overall benefit to the Commonwealth, with particular reference to commercial fishing for food production and to recreational fishing;
• Standards shall be based upon the best scientific, economic, biological and sociological information available;
• Interrelated stocks of fish shall be managed as a unit or in close coordination;
• Allocation shall be (i) fair and equitable to all fishermen; (ii) reasonably calculated to promote conservation; and (iii) carried out in such manner that no person acquires an excessive share of such privileges;
• No such measure shall have economic allocation as its sole purpose . . .
The VMRC ignored every one of these requirements when they established fishing regulations for 2023. Sound familiar?
Second, I want to thank Maryland recreational fishing organizations, the Virginia Saltwater Sportfishing Association, and other coalition members for their support throughout this legal process. You represent thousands of recreational fishermen who fish the Chesapeake Bay and its tributaries.
Third, we just got started. I will be posting updates on current efforts on the coalition Facebook page "Menhaden - Little Fish, Big Deal!" https://www.facebook.com/groups/765772041406313
Take care and be safe,
Phil Zalesak
President
Southern Maryland Recreational Fishing Organization
www.smrfo.org
https://www.facebook.com/groups/598428253621775
nice work!
I didn't have anything to do with it. Just passing along a post from VSSA. They asked me to join their board (I declined because of conflicts of interest) but haven't been able to escape their list serv.
LOL, I'm still on some mailing lists...
As some folks here know, I'm an ex-fed and don't know the state rules in VA (i worked in Louisiana, Texas, FL, and did a 3 year stint at HQ). But I do know how to prevail in court on environmental issues (tho I was always the defendant...6-0-1 record...go me!...lol) and what happened here seems pretty textbook...it's how you beat the feds on NEPA and Administrative Procedures Act issues in particular. At the end of the day, people (and especially political appointees at the top of agencies) don't like to tell a story that makes them look bad or leaves them unpopular. So they will put their finger on the scale; omit damning information; even outright lie about why they made whatever decision. They want a narrative that makes them look good.
Under NEPA for example, you can legally make a decision that has catastrophic environmental consequences, you just have to say why you are doing it and admit what those consequences are (NEPA is largely about process and transparency, not the result).
You have to identify the least damaging option; but you don't have to select it. And almost NO ONE will do that. They'll paint a picture why it's actually just and right...which of course sets them up to lose and sends them back to the drawing board.
That these folks apparently failed to check some pretty obvious boxes speaks volumes about the proposed decision and the people who made it, imo.
This is awesome, but I wonder if it has any teeth.
Geez; all I have to do is threaten to go fishing...perhaps 6" of rain since midnight. Hopefully the current line of storms is the last one.
Same here in SC just a drenching rain most of the morning calling for similar tomorrow. Was planning on golf and fishing the next few days but its looking like a washout
we had 7+" at my house in about 16 hours; highest report I saw was just under 9" about 5 mi south of here.
friend over on the island (converted ground floor garage apt) got flooded; helped them clean up last night...literally had tadpoles swimming in the kitchen
Quick question related to my questions above regarding my trip to OBX Sunday. I typically use bottom rigs consisting of two dropper loops with a swivel and pyramid weight on the end, tied from fluoro, attached to my braid with a swivel. This is my go to when trying to catch anything that will fry up nicely. If specifically targeting drum, even puppy drum, should I stick with this rig or do something different? Sometimes I've tried one of those slider things with a snap for the weight, with my braid run through that, then swivel, then 24-36" fluoro then hook (fish-finder rig?). I usually try this rig when using larger baits and larger hooks.
I've never been to OBX in the fall so I have no clue what the prevailing wisdom and tactics are.
Appreciate any info or advice offered. Go Hokies tomorrow!
I'd go with a straight carolina rig
Big drum, you want a fishfinder rig with a short bite leader, 8/0-10/0 circle hook. Pups, I'd do the same thing, smaller hook, lighter and longer leader.
Gonna give the rainy high tide waters a go tomorrow. Honestly more exploring than anything need to find some more fishy water here
Day 3. Only one drum caught in our group so far all week. That was first cast on first day. It was a good slot fish and was good eating that evening.
I'm not feeling great about the rest of the week. Supposed to be great weather and west winds. Ocean is smooth almost glass this morning.
I'm still chasing my first drum (ever) and if a week in October doesn't get it done I'm hiring FlyGuy on a charter next year. Starting to think these damn fish don't exist...
What rig did you decide to fish with? Where exactly are you fishing?
They exist, but they also have tails and no homes. We had a cold snap last weekend and they vanished from the flats. Discussing with my buddies, the reds do not like cold snaps, even temp drops in the summer with make them disappear for a bit. There should be fish cruising the beaches at some spot or another, you've just got to put in the time and effort and potentially hit different areas. If it makes you feel any better, I haven't found a drum since that cold snap.
I can attest to this as well spent all morning on Saturday looking for them. Checked every inch of every flat I know about and never found a redfish.
For drum, fish at night with those conditions. It is supposed to blow a bit from the south at the end of the week.
Replying here to everyone above. Really appreciate the tips.
We're in Hatteras. Fishing south of the museum usually in the morning starting at 630. Then usually headed to ramp 43 or 45 for the afternoon. We try to fish 7 to 7 , basically sun up to sun down. I'm definitely going to try to talk everyone into some night fishing. Surf is dead calm right now. I think I've seen larger waves on the lake. And crystal clear. Good day for swimming but low confidence on the drum.
I ended up with a bottom rig with two dropper loops on one rod, and fish finder on the other. I'm targeting any drum, not just large ones. So I'm using 2/0 to 4/0 hooks with cut mullet on the fish finder. Rotating through shrimp, mullet, squid, and fishbites on the double bottom rig.
Caught two flounder and a blowfish today, so the skunk is out of the boat at least.
Appreciate y'all! Fingers crossed for better weather later this week.
If you're fishing ramp 55 go all the way to the end and fish the inlet and you should have a good shot at bluefish and Drum. I'd be on the beach well before sunrise (line in the water by 5:30) if you can roll out of bed. Also make sure you have a rod ready to go with a sting silver or spoon for right at sunrise. I'd up that hook size to at least a 6/0 for the fish finder rig. You'll fit a bigger piece of bait on there. Drum have big mouths and even the small ones will have no problem with a 6/0 hook.
Tomorrow your evening high tide at the inlet is 10:35pm. Don't leave the beach at 7pm if you want to catch fish. There should be a good bite potential on that incoming tide after dark either at Cape Point or down at Hatteras Inlet. Also forgot to mention, you'll have to park at the end of the road and walk out onto the beach a short distance to fish. They have it roped off at the last turn onto the beach so you can't drive all the way to the end any more.
With where you are, Friday is probably going to be your best bet. South winds. Avon Pier has caught a ton of drum since the beginning of September. Pat Bracher, a Keys fly guide who spends September-November in Hatteras, has landed 100 40 inch red drum this fall so far according to an Avon Pier facebook post. Knowing Pat, that probably is accurate. I know Lee Scarbourough had a 100 fish fall a few years back.
Granted, Pat is an f'n legend. I still haven't gotten my first of the fall and the window is only about 3 more weeks.
Also agree with Marshall... I wouldn't do a dropper loop for small drum. Fishfinder and 4/0-6/0 for pups. I use 9/0 and 10/0 Owners SSW hooks for big drum snelled (never tied on.)
Took my neighbor and his son fishing Saturday morning in poquoson. His son got a small gray trout on the way out on a dock light. It seemed pretty calm until we went around the point and entered the bay. Wind forecast was wayyyyy off. It's been pretty spot on every time I've been out this year so I guess I was due for a bust. I wasn't even remotely concerned about the forecast. But white caps out on the flats was something new for me. We headed out before sunrise, fished a little, and then I almost turned around but it calmed down just enough to make me confident we would get back safely in my tiny skiff...
I anchored up since that was really the only option. We didn't have a bite for an hour or so. Then I caught my first citation trout on a mirrolure. 24" and fought hard. Made a few big runs. I was pumped. My neighbor and his son each caught a couple small pups, some small trout and a small flounder on a popping cork with gulp. I was just happy to catch anything in those conditions. We tried hiding from the wind but couldn't done any relief so we packed it in around 10:30 and headed home before the heavy rain. We all had a blast. Finished it off with raising cain's on the way home which I can confidently say is the best fast food chicken sandwich out there.
Gorgeous fish dude!
Good going. I'm back from my vacation and have rewired my constantly screwed up lighting on my trailer, added LED lights and now have a Nissan truck with new hitch and light hookup. If I can't get out now, I'm out of excuses.
With the home chores at a stopping point and a calm morning, I gave the boat/motor a 10-12 mile test run in the Matanzas (ICW) with the new fuel tank/anti-siphon valve...ran smooth, no issues.
It should be speckled trout time and the weather is looking good for early next week : )
Boat ran great...fishing was very slow but the drought is broken
(a smidge over 18")
Got out a couple of times last week myself. Didn't get much to brag about, one landed red at 19", a handful of decent fish that got to the piling before we could get them out. Caught several short reds, but trout were not around for me.
Neighbor got a 26" trout, his biggest of the year, on a day they caught two fish total after playing with dinks in the lights before dawn.
My boat ran well, my trailer lights worked well, my truck and hitch worked well. Wonder what'll go wrong next trip? Something's bound to.
Hey guys, long time lurker here looking for some fishing intel. I live in Oregon but will be in Myrtle Beach (Cherry Grove) over thanksgiving week visiting my parents and thinking about a day of fishing with my boys (18 and 20). We did an inshore guide day a few years ago in the spring that was pretty fun but wondering what the fishing is like this time of year. We mostly fly fish out here so that might be fun but haven't had much google luck finding any guides that do fly fishing. Would appreciate any advice on if it's worthwhile fishing this time of year and any guide recs or other options we should consider.
thanks
GO HOKIES!
Its a good time of the year to fly fish in SC usually calmer winds, clear water, and hungry fish. The only guide I've heard of that way for fly fishing is Jordan Pate (im much more involved in SC fishing from Charleston south)- I'm not sure if he's still doing Myrtle though he might just be in Pawleys Island now - would be a good place to start though I'm sure he can point you in the right direction if he can't take care of you himself
Thanks for the info. I'll look up Jordan and see if we can make something work.
Gooble gobble one of us! happy to have you and welcome to the terrordome baby
Always nice to see a tkper take the plunge
If you live in Cove, how about all of us coming out there and fishing with you! My goodness; beautiful part of the world.
Come on out and let's go fishing!
I've been all over quite a bit of Oregon...back in the mid-1970's. Had a summer job working on setting up remote snow measuring and radio transmission stations for what is now NRCS (then SCS) so they could assess snowpack in various drainages (the project was called "snow-tel", iirc). There were no cell phones or gps and we didn't even mandate a buddy system. They gave me a flat bed p/u, put an X on a Forest Service map and said drop the equipment as close as you can get. Then a crew would come in later and try to find it and set it up; lol.
Only part of the state I never spent any time (and really wanted to) was the Wallowa Mountains. I always envisioned them as a bit mystical and magical. I remember an article in the Oregonian outdoors section about people backpacking in and camping and hearing the fish jump at night.
Anyway, you live in very cool part of the world and I'm sure you appreciate it for the gem that it is. Closest I got (other than driving I-84 numerous times going to and from VT) was driving 395 from Pendleton down to John Day and then Burns. So not really that close.
I lived out there for a short year just after graduation from VT. We left with a station wagon, a cat and a dog and 300 bucks. Ended up in Springfield, near Eugene. I couldn't find work, my VT creds were not honored, to say the least. Only place I ever got a game violation, fishing with a fake state license because I had to fish, but couldn't afford out of state license.
I fished for salmon with egg sacks, rainbows with worms and trout in general in the Willamette which ran by the mall where I was priveleged to work for $2.50 an hour at the pet shop. Whee, the glory dayz.
Did have some fantastic personal experiences on the coast, with sea lions in close proximity and humpbacks nearby as well, but fishing-wise, I was too callow, and poor to be frank, to learn to enjoy the plentitude of fishing there around me. Biggest regret was not getting to Bend and that area. For what it's worth, I was down to stealing teenager's beer bottles from the alley where I lived in order to buy a quart of the cheapest beer available. Thank goodness for Oregon's long standing deposit laws.
Though I do digress, it's kinda like my old pal Jimmy Buffet was sayin' in the peanut butter conspiracy song, "lookin' back on my hard luck days, I really do have to laugh."
Look up guides in Murrells Inlet, its just 20 minutes south w great access to inland and ocean theough an inlet w a giant jetty (mile long at least).
I dont.know of any but that area is pretty nice for fishing.
Theres several charters at the marsh walk.
Sorry folks- lots of obligations so I am late with my report.
I took a couple of days off (Thursday October 26 through Tuesday October 31st) and headed to Nags Head. Weather conditions were not shaping up to be ideal, with light SW wind and clear skies every day except for Halloween. However, I have never caught a drum after Halloween, and with the mullet ban coming to NC on November 7th, I didn't target a late season run to Avon, so I decided to go and grind.
Thursday I made the drive down and arrived mid-day (after a detour to pick up my Century from Hatteras Jacks and get bait.) I decided to try Nags Head Pier. Conditions were not ideal for drum, and they didn't have a community pier net, which would have posed problems had I found a needle in a hay stack. Wind was light and off the ocean (not following the forecast), so the bluefish were willing and ready. I took some pliers and smashed down my trebles and played with the bluefish as the sun went down. Once the sun set, the Atlantic Sharpnose (called purple biters by the locals) moved in. Shark after shark, mostly in the 5-10lb range hit the deck until I decided that it wasn't worth burning through bait anymore. I switched to bottom fishing and managed three small spot. It wasn't a glorious start.
Friday morning I went to Jennettes. My god, what a mess that pier has become. Sunrise saw a bluefish blitz that waned as the sun turned the wind to the west. I probably caught a dozen up to around 2lbs before focusing on getting bait. They were not monitoring rod totals, so I had to weave between one group of three people that put out 14 bottom rods on the side. Note, all were fishing with cut bait, leaving no room for spot fishing. The end had a handful of idiots who acted like I was trying to run them off when I asked if they could back up so I could throw without decapitating them. I caught three more sharks and then focused on trying to find some spot. Instead, I caught a couple of small sea mullet, one nice eater size one, and sand perch. Ugh... this wasn't looking good.
I decided the early start wasn't the play, and decided to sleep in a bit and rest my back. Then I went and got lunch and replenished my bait stock of corn cob mullet. In the evening, I went to Nags Head Pier again, and again there were nothing but those little sharks. I decided on that west wind, the only chance I had was to fish at night, so I went to the room to sleep in.
When I woke up, I found out that Rodanthe Pier had caught a couple of big drum in the evening. So, after a nice lunch at Miller's Waterfront Restaurant, I headed south to fish the night shift at least through high tide at 9:45PM. Things looked promising. I got there at 3:00PM. People were nice, and there was a good spot and sea mullet bite near the end. I got four nice sea mullet and around 15 spot before the bite slowed down as the sunset. But, once again it was nothing but purple biter sharks. The only change up was that I got one smaller (4-5 foot) sand tiger that we cut off next to the pier. I packed up about an hour after the tide, with plans to sleep in again and try back at Rodanthe.
Monday, I was woken up by the mate for the Pelican. He said he walked out on Nags Head Pier and, while the wind was still westerly, the entire ocean was stacked up with menhaden. I joined him (we were the only two people on the pier) and started using sabikis weighted with stingsilvers to snag fresh bunker. The problem? More sharks... this time so thick you would get splash bites. They were also free-swimming around the pier, so we quit using the drum gear and started fishing live menhaden with no weight on the surface (there were some spinner sharks mixed in.) We caught all the purple biters we wanted and had a couple of spinner shark bite offs before we decided lunch was the play. I had a jerk chicken wrap, black beans, and rice from Food Dudes. It was the best meal of the trip.
Tuesday was the one day we had drum like conditions, but the weather man threw a curveball. The temperature drop was greater than expected and the wind, instead of the 22NE forecast, upped to 30MPH N. It was still fishable, so my friend and one other fisherman braved the end of Jennettes (so we had a little shelter.) Unfortunately, it was the same story... sharks on my first dozen casts. Then, the sharks turned into butterfly rays and skates. At noon, with everyone else gone and my bait running drive, I decided one last cast. Sure enough, the bite was almost immediate. And...
I hooked a skate right in the spinchter. That is it for me I believe this year. Hoping to get back with Fish if the stripers show up, but any late season runs to Florida, Charleston, or Ocean City don't appear to be in the cards for me.
We'll go when it's right. Truck, hitch, wiring, boat all good. Wait for the call!!!
Also, to anyone looking for a heaver, I have a Red Drum Tackle-built Daiwa Ballistic 40-405 that can throw 12 oz and bait if needed. It is the bright green three piece conventional build. The only issue besides rash is that the front hand shrink wrap grip is torn and needs to be replaced.
The rods retail for $499. The blanks sell for $399 on Daiwa's site. I would let this go for $320 in the Richmond area if anyone is interested. I figured I would post it here before posting it on facebook. I am getting too old to throw it so I am looking at getting one of the new Surf Machine Max LTs. They are easier for me to throw.
Fished the legends of the fly tournament down in Virginia Beach on Saturday with my dad. Format is to catch the longest combined length of the inshore slam: redfish, speckled trout, striper. We fished in the poquoson area (you can fish anywhere in the state). Bad start when all dock lights were completely empty. Not a fish. Couldn't find a trout either except for drifting over a 20" fish late in the afternoon that didn't move. Saw hundreds of drum schooled up but they were pretty tight lipped. We were lucky if any turned around to follow the fly. Caught one blind casting and 3 others. All 22-26". My dad has never done any inshore fishing before or cast anything above a 5 wt for trout so it was a tough ask but his casting and line control improved as the day went on. I think a casting lesson from flyguy might be in his future. It was just great to be out there with him since he's the one who got me started on this fishing addiction. He was fascinated by the whole inshore fishing experience and seeing so many big fish in shallow, clear water.
That's it for me for fishing for quite a while. Wife and I are expecting our first child at the end of the month.
good luck!
son and daughter in law are expecting their first in late Jan; prospective grandparents are excited!
Just got back from a 5 day stay in Avon where we chased fish from Ramp 30 to 55. Wind conditions weren't favorable for the big drum most of the time but we did manage to catch at least a few upper slot fish every day with a mixed bag of small sharks, skates, sea mullet, and a flounder during daylight hours. So the coolers were at least getting some fillets packed in.
We fished ramp 38 with the NNE wind and 2am+ high tides Sunday and Monday night and managed a few drum with one just over 30" but mostly got our asses whipped by big sharks. I was nearly completely spooled 3 times in about a 30 min stretch on Monday, including one 15min losing battle with what I can only assume was Jaws based on the way it dragged me up and down the beach. That one finally cut me off at the bite leader when I got him just outside the first break. I lost a total of 7 rig to those mean bastards Monday night alone before finally calling it quits.
Tuesday the wind shifted to SW and Cape Point was packed along the south face but from 11am to dark we didn't see a fish landed other than a handful of small black drum and some decent sea mullet. We were just down far enough we couldn't see the actual point, so I'm not sure if any of the guys in the conga line up on the point did any better. After the sun went down we took a power nap in the truck until around 10pm and then started fishing the point with the only 3 other fishermen that stuck it out that late. And it paid off for us big time. The fish started chewing around 11pm and there was a steady stream of 25-39" fish for all anglers from then until almost 2am before the bite slowed. I managed 4 decent drum with the biggest at 36". The sharks were there too, so we all spent plenty of time having to re-tie leaders pretty regularly or we may have caught even more drum.
Overall with mostly bluebird days, a less than favorable tide schedule (if you like sleep), and not much wind, it was a pretty successful trip even though I still haven't caught my first 40" drum. The weather was fantastic for time spent on the beach, even if it wasn't the best for catching drum, and we had a great 4 days of fishing. I can't wait to get back after them this spring. Until then the fishing gear is put away and its on to duck season.
Congrats on the drum. Beat the hell out of my trips. Were you getting away with fishing chunks or did you have to go with heads to get the critters away?
Frank and Frans got a load of fresh bunker right before I got down Friday evening so we started with that and then after, we fished mostly chunks because the available mullet was all pretty big. I failed to mention we hit Avon pier for a few hours on Saturday and caught some spot, pin fish, and small sea mullet to use for bait so we used the few fishable size heads we had but after that just resorted to having to re-bait chunks frequently. The crabs and little nibblers definitely collected their tax.
bite is still slow here but weather was perfect, and put daughter's S.O. on this little guy
Got out this morning. Post front conditions...again. had about 30 minutes of not awful weather at 7AM hooked up on mid 30s red in 10" of water who took me through the oysters and broke off. Next two casts resulted in a fish just over slot and one right at the lower slot. Boat ride home was miserable. Pelting rain and lots of wind. Not a bad 2 hours on the water though.
A few folks have asked me about making earrings for their significant others for Christmas. I'm more than happy to do so, and giving TKP users 25% off at checkout with code BEAMER25 off of my website, www.prettyfly-designs.com.
Yes, I do have a Hokies pair!
has anyone tried/compared/used the Garmin Navionics electronic chart. how does it compare with the Bluechart G3?
update: ordered the Navionics, so we'll see
The only charts I use are Navionics. I run them on my phone and they're top notch costs me like $30/yr or something for the app and I can plan my fishing, routes, pin spots while I'm on the couch.
thanks!
X2 on Navionics. I think they upped the price to $49 a year but it is worth every penny.
Scheel's has Daiwa Fuegos half off. $54.99
https://www.scheels.com/p/daiwa-fuego-lt-spinning-reel/43178-FGLT2500D.html
good reels; very good price.
i have 3 of the 2500 dxh (faster retrieve ratio) on my lighter rods; no issues
drag is a little sensitive in that there isn't much room between really tight and really loose...not much in between
mag seal is a very, very good thing; a steal on a $55 reel
it doesn't have a line roller bearing; i don't personally have a problem with that and it's less to maintain
i wouldn't buy it to fight big fish but for lighter tackle applications, i.e., panfish or school trout, it's great
EDIT!!! i'm WRONG-WRONG-WRONG about it not having a roller bearing (But i have had no issues with them)
I have one for puppy drum fishing with Fish around the docks. No problems so far.
Speaking of line roller bearings and for anyone else who owns a stradic...I asked a shimano rep recently if there was anything that could be done to prevent replacing them. He literally said "No, they all go bad. Even if you oil them regularly."
I own two stradics. Ci4 I replaced the bearing after roughly a year. FK is a older but needs replacing. I just don't understand how such an expensive reel comes with a guaranteed issue.
i have a half dozen shimanos (4 stradics) w/ roller bearings. i'll likely never buy another one even tho they have the best drag ever. my latest effort is trying contact cleaner on the roller bearings because, why not?
future reel acquisitions will be Diawa.
I got a Stradic because it was on a big discount, but head to head, I'd take the Ballistic every time, even though it is a slower rate of retrieve.
While we're talking about daiwa reels, anyone tried the Procyon AL? Retails for $199 but I see it on sale for $85 at dicks. It seems to have the same specs as the fuego (at least in 2500 XH) but is all aluminum so a bit heavier.
Its a solid reel. I'd really compare it to a beefed up fuego, aluminum body the drag and bail on mine feel nicer but it doesn't get near the abuse of my fuegos. Definitely not as nice as the Saltist (MQ), BG MQ, or Ballistics but its definitely worth it at $85.
Need to find rods on sale. I have way too many reels and half my rods have a broken something.
Loaded up on these last time they were near this price. All of them still in working condition my only complaint is the plastic reel seat gets a little "flexy" if I hook into a bigger drum
Yeah it was hard to order just one. Don't need it but at that price couldn't pass it up. I agree on the flex. Haven't noticed it as much with drum but when I used it for sheepshead the reel flex was very noticeable.
Albie fishing at the Cape has been tough to say the least. I'm done for the season in NC and back up in Virginia tying my fingers off for the Christmas season.
My parents are out of town for Thanksgiving, so the main squeeze and I having our own little random getaway and are heading to San Pedro, Belize. I'll be taking three fly rods and looking for bonefish and permit, DIY.
I've got three bones under my belt in the Keys but I'm excited to do some completely different fishing and having to learn something new.
Hopefully there will be jacks and tarpon around for you too. Safe travels.
If it was me, I'd randomly stay there for the next several months.
Happy Thanksgiving!
Kids don't get here until tomorrow evening, so...
not a great pic, but you get the idea...24"...will be on the grill for dinner
caught this one on a gulp at the redfish hole
the trout hole, while troutless, was loaded with 14"-16" reds. if anyone wanted to catch undersized reds all day long bouncing plastic on the bottom, this was your day. i caught 5 in 20 minutes and left
pretty one!
Just got an email from my neighbor, Paul. One of the 15" reds we caught and he tagged in the Mobjack was caught 85 days later in the Elizabeth River (Nov 14th). It measured 16.5". Folks in the 757 have a winter opportunity there, wish I lived a bit closer. My one fishing friend in that area is busy with life these days, and to be honest, I'd be too afraid to trailer my old rig that far, but the reds and trout seem to be increasingly stopping there instead of going all the way to NC.
Went out last Saturday had a decent day. Good conditions but couldn't find the fish on the big high tide. Started getting into them when it turned.
Had a couple great reminders on boat safety. I'm not usually one to wear my pfd but started to throw my auto inflate on when I'm solo. At dawn on the way out I'm rolling out of my creek I noticed the sail boat someone had moored in the mouth was gone and I couldn't see it silouetting against the dark sky. Heard something zoom by my head and killed the throttle and whipped it around. The boat had sunk with sky 8ft of mast and rigging sticking out of the water. Got really lucky. Called it in and uscg and dnr had it makes in a few hours. Found 2 different piling floating in sections of the ICW that I towed out to less traveled water.
Derelict sailboats are a massive problem here and it seems like it get worse evert year but I've never had one almost kill me. Wear your kill switch, wear your pads.
Imgur is sucking for me so here's a tweet with a picture of the mast. Phone died before I caught any fish so no fish pictures.
https://twitter.com/HokieHeups/status/1728061457982541835?t=kaUemSCE_GFr...
Wear you kill switch, wear your pfds
As a former member of Florida's Boating Safety Advisory Council, and as such, got to review the accident reports; and as someone with a near death experience that would have been avoided entirely by wearing a kill switch (as opposed to functionally disabling it; as I did), I second this.
Yes, it's a pain; no, I'm not nearly perfect. But it can really bail you out, whether someone hides their sailboat underwater; a snowbird decides to swamp you with their yacht; or you just happen to royally fuck up while you are out fishing by yourself.
Was out on the Surf City Pier last week and some folks were reeling in some Reds. Seemed to be a decent bit of action (i wasn't fishing that day).
slipped out yesterday, probably left too soon but it was pretty chilly (by my standards)
5 trout and 3 reds...mostly just undersized.
this 22" was the best of the bunch; it hit a small storm shad bounced slowly on loose, scattered shell. 6 of the 8 fish were caught like that
Too chilly for me right now. That lure presentation has produced before for me catching stripers on rocks.
Thanks for the pic.
I've been putting a small glass rattle in the belly of those Storm shad the last maybe 3-4 years. I don't know if it helps, but it definitely doesn't hurt
I think it's a lot like using scent on really cold weather smallmouth...it may not help, but it darned sure doesn't hurt. When we're on reds fishing side by side baits, I generally outfish my neighbor with his paddle tails and Super Fluke. We both agree that Gulp, and the way I fish it, is likely the main difference, even factoring in my "talent" for jig fishing.
i always have a rod rigged with gulp and others with a variety of plastics. most times, gulp will hold it's own. but there are some days when fish won't sniff a gulp, but will hammer something else.
i started with gulp on Wed and I caught a single trout...only bite it produced. caught my best trout on a weedless rigged Slayer, but that was the only hit I got on that bait as well. Storm shad was the third offering and it caught 6; with the same retrieve as the gulp and tossed in the same locations.
next time I'll also have a bucktail rigged up. that window should be open from now thru Feb.
Yeah, lots of baits catch fish but those Storms consistantly do so for sure. We don't have the fish numbers here that you do there, and while we fish a lot of different spots for trout, our reds here close by are primarily under the docks. It's just different, but the Storm is a great bait and I've caught some good fish on them. Got two nearly identical 10 lb gray trout on back to back casts one night at the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel. They fell to a fairly small croaker pattern Storm shad. Caught a lot of different fish on them, from walleye to stripers.
Father's Dream Come True
Nice work!
Hate to ask, but what was it that came true? For reasons I cannot explain, I am the only person in the world that Facebook refuses to let join. I'm actually OK with that, but find it humorous most of the time, mildly aggravating at others. Ever tried to talk to Facebook?
Anyway, just curious, sounds cool.
Ever tried to talk to Facebook?
Yes, it's not possible, purposely so. If you say "women are crazy" on facebook, they will throw you in internet jail without a trial.
I've never posted on Facebook, never been a member. Something about my application seemed to set them off. I don't want to use the damned thing for anything anymore, just wanted to be able to look at their marketplace when I was looking for a used pickup truck. 'Nother words, fuckem.
I tried to find the source video for you, no luck. It was posted to FB by Kyle Cortiana Fishing
It's a little girl catching a fish without father's help, and getting scale 10 excited. Really precious!
Thanks, appreciate it.
NSFW 🤣
Wet dream
For whatever reason, I didn't have to log in to see that one. Now...trying to unsee it...
Hilarious.
And a country song to go with it: Wet Dream - Austin Burke
Not unlike adding a rattle to a storm wild-eye; I also enjoy adding eyes to weedless-rigged paddle tails.
Today, it worked!
Lower Potomac is on fire right now. Rock are hitting in deep water and jigging on feeding birds has been good
Send 'em south. I need to jerk some lip.