New Month, new thread- Post your fishing reports (and pictures here.)
I am heading down to the OBX on Sunday if the wind holds up. East winds warm up the water on the northern OBX beaches, while south or southwest winds make it very cold until you get offshore. While the water a mile off Oregon Inlet has been in the 70's, the water on the beaches in Kill Devil Hills has been in the upper 50's all week due to prevailing south west winds.
I am looking for cobia. The boats have been finding tons of them. Here are some following rays around Oregon Inlet.
Catfish is a hot ticket in DC if you can stand the mosquitoes in East Potomac Park. I hear the bass fishing at Burke Lake is picking up, but I haven't dusted off any freshwater gear for non-shad.
Comments
Miserable, misty, 59 degrees, windy, nothing but small/medium croaker. Why did I go?
gewww... I keep watching the wind and water temps to see if I can go Monday instead of Sunday.
Good luck. We were warming our hands with the fresh caught croaker. In freakin' June, no less. Miserable and underdressed...you'd a thought we was amateurs!
After reading the websites of local fishing guides, I am not surprised at the tough fishing conditions here in the Middle Bay so far. One guide canceled May. Just canceled. Also warned his June clients that things might be no better soon. The other guide has lamented the almost total lack of speckled trout available in traditionally good trout waters, and has canceled/rescheduled a lot of business this spring. While I have been fortunate enough to get a few flounder and all the small croaker I could stand, it doesn't sound good for the trout and redfish that really help our light tackle inshore efforts here. Hopefully, the flounder will come around and with a couple of cobia trips coming up, maybe things will still be worth the gas and effort, but the cold weather has wrecked havoc (tm?) on our local fishing this spring. Hope others are faring better.
The crazy thing is that the puppy drum have been thick all spring down south.
Any news on Pompano fishery from the OBX? Perhaps the cool temps have that fishery going well.
On the Hatteras beaches, the bite is real good for pompano and sea mullet on sand fleas. The bite is almost exclusively sea mullet on the east facing beaches because of the SW winds causing upwelling and making the water cold.
Thanks
I'll be heading to Canada on Monday for a fly in trip. We are going to stay on two different lake for about 4 1/2 days each; one targeting musky and pike, the other walleye and bass. This will be my second trip in a few years, however this is a new outfitter and lakes. Really looking forward to it since I haven't had as much time as I usually do this spring to fish. Hopefully I'll have some good pictures when I return.
I envy you. I hope to get back up there soon myself. I did a fly in trip with my brother and 2 nephews about 5 years ago and we had a great time. We used Canada Outfitters in Kenora, Ontario. We stayed in a remote cabin on Unexpected Lake and wore our arms out reeling in northerns, walleyes, and smallmouths. Saw moose and bald eagles every day, and even had a completely brazen black bear come into camp one morning. I never ate walleye before that trip, but now it's my favorite freshwater fish. Had it for breakfast, lunch and dinner every day. Good luck and I hope you have a terrific trip!
Bucket list trip for me, hope I live long enough to accumulate the money and spousal approval necessary to make for a good trip. Hope they're biting for you and that you have a peak experience. Definitely take those pics and let us know how you do.
Seconded, although my bucket list trip is the Pacific coast of Costa Rica trying to get a blue marlin/roosterfish grand slam in the same trip.
I'd go on that one, too. Funny how so many of my bucket list items are fishing trips I'd like to take. Big searun brown trout in Chile, peacock bass in the Amazon, halibut in Alaska...it just goes on and on. And then there's one more National Championship football game I'd like to attend, this time with a different ending, and it wouldn't hurt my feelings if it was back in the Big Easy to boot.
I just saw an episode of River Monsters where he went after Alaskan halibut. They said that back in the day, the natives ingeniusly designed their hooks so halibut above a certain size couldn't take the bait. Once they get too big they can easily kill someone thrashing arround in a boat, much less a tiny little fishing kayak. Nowadays, they just shoot the big ones in the head before they even think about pulling one in. Usually they just let them go. Of course, the host actually pulled a giant one into the boat, but they put notes on the screen about the damage and injuries that happened just to get the shot.
early 80's there was an agency VIP fishing in Alaska for halibut and he got hung up on the bottom. Rather than lose the huge weight, one our divers went down to unhook it. Diver came back up and said "you aren't hung up"...the halibut approached 400 pounds.
Here, you call a big flounder a doormat. What would that thing be, a barn door?
i reckon...but i'd call it delicious
I'd be worried about who'd be eating who.
Steelhead in BC. Striper/Bluefish blitz on a beach in Montauk, Blue Marlin anywhere, tarpon/snook in Florida... all on the list.
But, nothing beats a ton of hungry amberjacks and a spinning rod!
Knew a guy who used to go after the steelhead in BC, didn't really like his description of the event. Crowded, law enforcement everywhere (not a bad thing inherently, he made them sound like nuns with a ruler just hoping to rap knuckles) making you let fish go if the hook is even close to the outside of the mouth, just didn't sound all that. Of course, it's all in where you go, I know that. Done the bluefish blitz, just not in Montauk, caught enough stripers for my lifetime, don't really care about the marlin, but I would dearly love to spend a couple of weeks or a month down in Fla on those tarpon/snook.
I could do some AJs on light spinning gear. That wouldn't suck!
Also, the Big Rock Blue Marlin tournament is going on this week. Right now, a 680 pound blue marlin leads the overall tournament. Also they have prop bet groupings, and one boat won $360,000 for being the first boat to land a 500 pounder.
Beaverdam Reservoir opened to the public again the last day of May. Recent report shows a robust fish population. Looking to get out there saturday if I can find some time.
Did you get out there last weekend? Interesting in hearing how it went.
Thought I would brag on my Dad and his friends. My Dad caught 30 trout last week
and his buddies did about the same damage all at the same hole in Rural Retreat.
As a Loudoun resident I need to make a trip to Beaverdam. For those of you who have been there, I was wondering what the fishing situation is like. Are there plenty of places to set up on the bank? Is it best to have a boat? If it is can you rent a canoe or something? Just curious about the best way to approach fishing there.
Honestly, it has been closed for so long that I have not fished there. If I had a boat, I'd love to fish Occoquan Lake, and I have fished Burke (lots of big bass but they are hard to catch) and Lake Fairfax (stocked trout in March.) Lake Fairfax, if it holds other fish after the trout are cleaned out, would be a good spot to go and fish off the shore.
Very little in developed fishing spots from shore. Its being managed by NoVa parks so you can check their website for more info. Fishing from a canoe or kayak would probably be ideal. I doubt they have rentals set up for it yet. There are a few companies in Loudoun that rent out kayaks though with all the other waterways there.
Don't know whether this will pan out or not, but a friend of mine with a place on Claytor Lake just called and said that the state walleye record has been broken, supposedly by a guy fishing near Austinville. Supposedlies are cheap, I know, and this guy isn't always money with this type of thing, but he was pretty informative and had seen a picture. He'll send it to me soon, his phone dropped in the lake this morning, but if true, it cements the New River as a great place to catch a trophy walleye. While I have had two over 7 lbs, I fished my butt off for them from Claytor to Austinville and just couldn't find that behemoth. We'll soon find out if this is valid, but since this is a fishing thread, well, I hope ya'll will forgive me if it doesn't be legit.
Every time I was dragged walleye fishing, I always managed to snag carp in the back with my Smithwick's Suspending Rogues. However, Big and Lil Durk are the walleye masters based on their tweet pics.
One of these days I'll join this century and figure out how to post photos of some walleye I've caught on those very same Rattlin' Rogues. With fish up to almost 16lbs, the New River is probably a lot more likely spot to catch a walleye over 10lbs than most Canadian destinations, but for numbers, it doesn't hold a candle to more northern climes. While my personal biggest fish have come on jig and minnow combos in Claytor, I have had more than one spring trip from Foster Falls that produced multiple citation walleye, multiple citation smallmouth, and as many as five muskies, all taken on the aforementioned Rogue. Only seen one carp hooked in all the years I fished them, that was by former Roanoke Times outdoor writer Mark Taylor. We thought he had a monster walleye, but it was a really big carp tail hooked. Thought we'd never land that sucker. I have the picture, maybe one day I'll learn how to post it.
Any word on the walleye?
No, and no timetable for when I'd hear. My friend claimed that the fish had been weighed and is awaiting certification, but usually word leaks out from more reliable sources when someone has a record breaker. I will obviously let you know when I hear more, but it could be a while. If I get a picture, I'll email it to French and he can post it for us.
Edit: Addendum: If I don't hear something in a couple of days or so, I'll do some digging and see if I can confirm. I know a couple of game wardens, errr, "Conservation Police" fellows who may be able to give me the skinny.
Reached out to my friend John Copeland a VDGIF biologist on the New River beat about the walleye, and, true to form, my buddy was wrong. A Mr. Jimmy Delby caught a 15lb 8oz walleye near Fries recently, still 7oz shy of the state record. Oh well, still a monster, but no cigar. I have forwarded a picture John sent me of Mr. Delby and his fish to French in the hopes that maybe he could post it for me since I am still in computer kindergarten.
Typical of my buddy, he always has a kernel of fact in his hyperbole and I ignore him at my peril, but this time he's just wrong. Sorry for the hype.
Here is the walleye!
Still a monster walleye. I assume that thing is destined for a permanent spot above a fireplace somewhere.
I've reached out to John on several occasions for info on musky fishing on the New and he has been more than helpful. Seems like a real solid guy.
Right on your assumption, his son in Radford is doing the taxidermy, and John is as helpful and solid as you'd want a "civil servant" to be.
My thanks to Mr. French for helping me out with the picture.
"Mr. French"
Insert gif, which I cannot do yet, of Jody, Buffy and the portly Mr. French from TV.
Warm water finally arrived yesterday afternoon in KDH. The sheepshead, triggerfish & spadefish followed it in.
What structure were you fishing on in KDH for those? The piers? I see a kayak, so I am assuming you did a beach launch.
There are a cluster of wrecks in KDH that hold fish. The piers will also hold sheepshead & triggerfish since they do love structures. Off of the wrecks, I was seeing a decent number of blues.
The bad news is that the water is back down to 64 degrees this morning. If the wind forecast holds, we're probably looking at Monday before it warms back up again.
Southwest wind = the kiss of death for summertime fishing. Hopefully the north wind on Sunday will have some easterly so by 5:00AM on Monday we have some cobia water around the piers.
The warm water is there somewhere. My buddy said yesterday that the water was 81 degrees at Wrightsville Beach.
Everything south of Hatteras stays pretty warm all summer. Unfortunately, the beaches north of Cape Point have upwelling on a SW wind (prevailing too) which makes the water too cold to fish. I don't even make the trip unless the water is a minimum of 68 degrees with an easterly to warm it up.
Oddly, east wind STINKS for offshore fishing. Nothing is better than 5 mph west wind on an offshore day (except for the heat!!!)
Yep. Light easterlies mean warm, clear water and perfect beach temps. Light westerlies (usually) mean clean, fun surf. Hard southwest winds mean cold water and flies on the beach.
Nice! Those wrecks must be within a mile or so of the beach. The beach launch kayak guys I know in Florida would be proud of that effort. Those guys get dragged around by Sharks and Tarpon a lot. Some of the videos they post are really cool!
The wrecks are within 200 yards of the beach, in 12' - 25' of water. I hesitate to offer more in an open internet forum, but if you want to know more, just e-mail me at carovahokie7@netscape.net and I'll fill you in.
Fair enough. I think I found them. Won't mention here. Sheephead are really tasty. I know a lot of people that like triggerfish - its just getting the skin off that is tough. What other species are out on them? Thanks!
There is no more deeply moving religious experience than seeing someone who doesn't know better stick their fingers into a triggerfish's mouth to remove a hook.
Yea, that is really not smart. Its not like you can't see that big single tooth filled beak....Ouch!!
Houshun Gaines is getting in on the fishing action!
I see what you did there, Houshun. Well played.
agreed
Noodling takes an extra set.
Professing my ignorance. Noodling = hand fishing, yes?
Seriously, yes. Noodling involves wading in water that is seldom clear and sliding your hand in amongst structure, sometimes holes, sometimes hollow logs, some of which are actually set out and tied down as attractors. Like I said, one set of balls isn't enough for most of us to try it. Snapping turtles, possible (not likely) snakes, fish with fins and spines. You slip your hand into their mouth or gills, or both and then rassle 'em out and chunk 'em into the boat. It can be interesting if you get ahold of a really big one, but the blind faith and disregard for sharp stuff and critters isn't for most folks. More power to him.
Up early to get ready for a cobia trip today. Headed for the York Spit. We got live spot and croaker, live eels, chum and a bunch of fresh menhaden. Report tonight or tomorrow. Fishing with a fellow TKP-er who can actually post pictures, so if we get lucky....oops, hope I didn't just jinx us.
Caught one cobia, under 40", on a live bluefish.
Pictures coming!
Thanks to Tom (IFishVTIAm) and his friend Dave for being kind enough to include me in a two day fishing adventure on Thursday and Friday. On Thursday Tom and I managed a mixed bag of mostly croaker with a few sea mullet and spots mixed in. We kept them in a bait cage but most died en route to the cobia grounds the next day. On Friday, Dave ran us out to the Bay and we ran a mix of eels, live bluefish, chunked bunker, and the worlds most ticked off croaker in our chum slick.
We fished most of the day in some serious heat with no breeze, but thanks to Dave and Tom's hard work, we got a strike on a live bluefish and they were kind enough to let me man the rod. The great teamwork moving lines paid off with this 40 incher.
He wasn't a toad, but he was the first keeper cobia I have caught in a couple of years. Tom and Dave hopefully are cooking this up as I write this. Their hospitality was unmatched! Thanks for letting me ride shotgun on your adventure!
The pleasure was ours, French. You not only talk the talk, but you walk the walk. Fished your butt off in tough conditions. Had some ribs on tap for tonight, cobia comes tomorrow night. Thanks for the picture.
No problem at all. That last hour was rough. I don't handle the heat the way I used to. I went back and did a count, and I drank a 30 oz Powerade Zero before the trip, and 7 17.9 ounce bottles of water, and then had two more bottles of water back at the hotel before needing to go to the bathroom. We did work!
I tell you, it got in my head. Last night I had dreams where I was trying to solve how to get the spread out away from the boat. Also, I kept suggesting that we throw out more chunks into the slick. Unfortunately, we caught more fish in reality than I did in my dream!
Maybe if we'd done the extra chunking you dreamed about, we'd have caught more. In that heat, even that simple function was difficult. Funny, I'm still hydrating to catch up and I also dreamed about chumming, crushing bunker in the bucket and such. As you said, we did work! We also learned stuff to add to our extremely limited experience doing what we did, and the success of landing the targeted species was a real validation for all the effort. Nobody out there where we were did as well as we did, so I'd say we're getting the hang of it. I believe that if the bite had been better, we were doing what we needed to do to get in on it. Hope you can come again.
It would be my pleasure!