Archive for November, 2008
Nothing could be finer
The first mate and I began our day trying to decide – fishing for rockfish on the boat in the sound or sea trout in the surf. With the winds blowing a little stiff out of the west, we decided not to fight nature and try and enjoy the calmness of the ocean.
We loaded the truck and headed for Coquina Beach, just north of Oregon Inlet. With the waves less than one foot and a slight breeze on a low tide, I knew we were just going to catch some sun. As the day grew long and unsuccessful, we moved up the beach to Southern Shores. There we settled in to one of my favorite spots just before high tide.
Wading my way through the sloughs and ever increasing rip current, I found the edge of a large hole. These “holes” are created when incoming tides rush onto the beach, churn against the shore and find a weak spot to escape back out to sea.
In these holes, aggressive fish wait to ambush other’s struggle to their attempt to secure a safe spot from the violent surf.
I tried several different lures and casting methods and with each cast. I felt the line pull unlike that of the current. With a lot of luck and fairly good skill, we had a four pound Sea Trout for our dinner and a 26 inch puppy drum (or “Redfish for our Southern neighbors) for later.
Finally, on a perfect day in the Outer Banks, we found ourselves catching.
Place Your Bet
My travels this past week took me to Las Vegas. What a great town: crowds, lights and excitement. It was just one big party scene between the casinos, mammoth buildings, and organized chaos.
After work hours, I had an opportunity to walk on the “strip”. One common element of this town was water. There were water falls, water foundations, and numerous water displays. And to think, this town was built in the middle of the desert. All of this water made me feels a little home sick for the smell of the ocean.
I did find some similarity of Las Vegas and fishing in my home town. Both rely on luck: whether it is the lucky numbers, right cards or maybe just a lucky pull of the one-arm bandit or picking the correct fishing location, time and tides of the day or the right lure and presentation. It seems life in Las Vegas and fishing relies on luck.
This weekend I hope to use some of that Las Vegas luck during my fishing excursions. Not sure I will find those three cherry sets or triple bars again anytime soon, but I will find the serenity in my little piece of paradise. You can bet on that!!
NCsaltaire 
