Posts tagged ‘chesapeake bay’
Can You Pass the Test?
May is a great month to launch your boat and enjoy the water.
The first thing you should plan for is a “Vessel Safety Check”. This check is done by the local USGC Auxiliary and involves a courtesy examination of your boat (Vessel). It is designed to verify the presence and condition of certain safety equipment required by State and the Federal regulations.
The Vessel Examiner is a trained specialist and is a member of the United States Power Squadrons or the US Coast Guard Auxiliary. They will also make certain recommendations and discuss certain safety issues that will make you a safer boater.
This is not a boarding or a law enforcement issue. No citations will be given as a result of this encounter. Most times they will perform the inspection while your boat is still on the trailer.
The USCG Auxiliary inspector will also supply you with a copy of the evaluation so that you may follow some of the suggestions given. Great news: Vessels that pass will be able to display our distinctive VSC decal.
Please note: This does not exempt you from law enforcement boarding, but you can be prepared to make this a positive encounter.
So don’t forget: Safe Boating Week is May 22-28, 2012. Do your part by being a safe boater.
Tip of the Week: Before you set out on your first trip, take the time to get your boat inspected. This safety check will give you a head start for a safe boating season.
Until next time, Tightlines
Fishing Flea Market and Swap Meet – One Week to Go
There is only one week to go until the Great Bridge Fisherman’s Association 3rd Annual “Fishing Flea Market and Swap Meet”.
The Fishing Flea Market and Swap meet will be held at the Hickory Ruritan Club on South Battlefield Blvd, Chesapeake, Virginia on 10 March from 0800 to 1500 hrs. It is just a short drive from the Outer Banks or anywhere in southeastern Virginia. Rain or shine. Parking is free but there is a $3 entrance fee.
This flea market and swap meet is both entertaining and educational. Local anglers set up booths to sell, trade, swap and give away many current and antique fishing and boating gear. Free Raffles, 50/50’ are held throughout the day. It seems there is something for everyone.
Last year I found several old rods and reel combos that I used when I was very young. It brought back many memories from my childhood.
So if you want a great time to wander through booths and tables of gear – most are antique, talk to experts and amateurs about their own “fish stories” and pick up that item that will bring back memories, then this is the place.
There will be food and beverages and plenty of parking. Get there early for the best deals.
Until next time, Tightlines
Winter Fishing is Slow on Outer Banks
Fishing has been extremely slow on the Outer Banks over the past two months. The only news has been to discuss how beautiful and mild the weather has been. The big Rockfish have yet to make it south. They seem to have found a home off Virginia Beach. Want Stripers, head north just off the beach. Don’t want to travel, skates and Spiny Dogfish are plentiful on Jennette’s pier.
Water temps remain in the uppers 40’s so it anyone guess if we will get those monster stripers this year.
Spring is around the corner so it’s time to ready the gear. You need to go through you tackle box and throw away those old rusty hooks, lures and rigs. You should also change your line on each reel. The worst thing to happen is to hook up on that first fish of the year, only to lose it to defective gear.
I always clean and oil the reels and tighten any lose parts. Check the guides on your rods and if you are inexperienced, let your local tackle shop replace them.
This is a great time of year to step back and take a complete inventory of your gear and ready it for another fantastic fishing year. The spring season will be here before you know it.
I know the question you are asking, ‘Did you catch that monster tarpon in the picture?” And the answer is no it’s an artificial model hanging on the dock at a marina in the Florida Keys for pictures. But you can hook up with one of these beauties. Book a trip to Bud and Mary’s in Islamorda, Florida and you could be in a picture like this.
Until next time, Tightlines
Happy New Year – What an Amazing Year It Has Been
It’s been quite a year!
I have had the opportunity to do things that most anglers only dream of.
It started in southwest Florida where I fished the Charlotte Harbor for redfish, trout and snook. We added a side trip to the 10000 Islands in the Everglades. Besides the outstanding angling, the scenery was amazing. Pictures can never begin to share the experience.
I had an opportunity to travel to Alaska for business and took a side trip to a fish for Artic Grayling on the Chena River just outside of Fairbanks.
My annual off shore out of Ocean City, Md. produced not only bull dolphin and yellow fin tuna but a beautiful catch and release sailfish.
The first mate and I also took a fishing charter just south of St Petersburg, Florida on the Tampa Bay for giant redfish. We hooked up twelve giants and landed six. The first mate’s catch exceeded 32 inches and sixteen pounds. It was such a catch that Mirrolure is using her catch for advertising.
Between all of this, I spent countless hours on my home surf and sounds, catching trout, spot, croaker, blues, drum and of course flounder.
I met several famous television fishing show hosts during my various outings and had the opportunity for casting and fishing lessons from a professional fishing guide.
I want to thank everyone for visiting and supporting my blog over the past year. My goal has always been to provide you with the best angling and safe boating techniques. And have a lot of fun doing it. I especially enjoy sharing with you my many fishing experiences from my trips around the various waterways. My hope is that my blog will exceed your expectations and help make you a better angler and boater.
As we close 2011 and ease into 2012, my wish for you is to have a safe and healthy new year.
Until next time, Tightlines
Waiting for the Fish to Arrive
Fishing has been extremely slow over the past two weeks. I am just now hearing that some nice Rockfish are being caught both in the ocean and sounds. But anglers need to work hard due the stubborn water temperatures. Water has become too cold to fast in the sound but staying too warm in the ocean.
It also seems that the regular migration of big Rockfish and Blues has changed. On a typical fall/winter season, we see the decreasing water temps in the upper Atlantic and Chesapeake Bay drive the fish right to the near waters of Outer Banks for several weeks. Then after feeding heavily, they head off shore to winter in deeper water. Recently, the warm water temps have dropped up north but stayed too warm here. So once the fish arrive, they head straight out to deeper water and away from us.
The slow period has given me time to re-line several of my reels and purge my tackle boxes of used equipment that has seen better days.
One focus should definitely on winterizing your water crafts. Stabilizing fuel, fogging engines, emptying water tanks and hoses, removing all equipment and storing batteries in a protected environment.
A good cleaning of the hull, decks, and other surfaces plus applying a good coat of wax should be standard procedures. Plus installing your winter cover will save you many hours of agony in the spring.
Hopefully there will be better news in the coming days and weeks.
Until next time, Tightlines
Meet “Henry The Fish”
I spent the last week in San Diego on a work conference and with the rough weather on the Outer Banks, I did not miss much. Water temps, now in the 50’s, have dropped significantly. With plenty of wind and grass, catching has been a challenge. But there still are plenty of opportunities to fish, so you might as well get off the couch before actual winter sets in.
While I was in San Diego I did the tourist thing in afternoon. One of the stops was a sea port museum. There I found “Henry the Fish”.
Henry is a collection of plastics, aluminum cans, dish soap bottles, lids, bottles, toys and many other trashy things found on a beach. These items may seem harmless but fish and birds are impacted from eating them or getting wrapped up.
Also, many of these plastics contain harmful chemicals and once eaten by fish, birds or other sealife, the cycle begins to enter the food chain. And unfortunately, this food chain leads up to us.
A group of concerned citizens assembled Henry to send a message. I think I got it.
When fishing on the surf, pier, bridge or other locations do your part by disposing your bait and gear wrappers, assorted debris and food trash in a proper receptacle.
Not only will it increase the health and mortality of our fish and wildlife, help to prevent a fouling of our waterways and recreation areas but it just looks good and makes sense.
So for a more pleasant experience, do your part. Pick it up.
Until next time, Tightlines
Isn’t It Time for Circle Hooks
Several years ago, here on the Outer Banks, I would watch dozens of fish get wasted – just left on the beach to die. At the time, many of the anglers would try to catch as many fish as possible. They never considered the impact of over fishing. And even less about returning this resource back into the water to be caught again. This resource was unlimited so they thought.
Although, many times anglers did try to practice conservation and consider releasing them only to find that the gear they were using caused deep gut hooking. This gut hooking caused significant damage to internal organs and would cause them to bleed out quickly. With a reduced survivability, these fish were just left on the beach to either be eaten by the birds or rot in the sun.
The culprit was “J Hooks”. These hooks were designed to increase the hook ups. Once you feel the bite, the angler sets the hooks and bingo, you are successful. But they decreased the survivability rate.
Recently, there has been a movement to change to less damaging gear. The circle hooks meets that goal.
I have begun to use circle hooks on almost every gear set up. And guess what? I haven’t reduced my catches at all. In fact, I am catching more fish and releasing most to be caught again. You will find that most of my catches are with circle hooks. Check out the Black Drum I caught the other day using circle hooks. See how it just grabs the corner of their mouth?
Is there a place still in fishing for “J hooks” – sure but careful selection and use is imparative. Common sense plays a major role with their use,
Isn’t it time you jumped on the conservation fix? Our fisheries are not unlimited, and if you are not harvesting one to eat, release it to be caught another day. I think that is a pretty neat concept. How about jumping on that bandwagon with me? Future anglers will thank us for our commitment to this fishery.
Until next time,
Tightlines
Learn to Fish with a Pro
I have been fishing for well over 50 years. Yes, and I can say with confidence that I think I know most when it comes to fishing. Or so I thought. In a previous blog, I shared with you pictures of one of my fishing experiences. This trip turned out to be second to none. It turned out to be one of those trips of a lifetime.
The first mate and I hooked up with Capt. CA Richardson, the host on the popular Flats Class TV and a professional fishing guide. We fished out of O’Neill’s Marina, on the north end of the Skyway Bridge near St. Petersburg, Florida.
We used 7’ Falcon medium gulf spin rods, Daiwa coastal reels, Ohero 10# braid and top water artificial lures. We fished both incoming and rising tides. This gear allowed for the longest casts and accurate presentation. We tried several types of retrieves and presentations. We changed methods as conditions changed. It seemed Capt. CA knew how to track the fish and what worked and how to use it once we located our prey. The day was a unbelievable experience.
One tip I got from the trip was the longest cast catches more fish. Keep the lure or bait the furthest you can cast from the boat provides enough stealth that fish are not spooked. Baits and artificial appear more natural. Thus more hook ups.
If you want a fantastic trip for trophy redfish, trout or snook, hook up with Capt. CA.
His TV show web site is http://www.flatsclass.com/ . You can also contact Capt. CA on his web site at http://www.captaincarichardson.com/
You won’t be disappointed.
Until next time, Tightlines
Off Shore Fishing – Ocean City, Md
Heading to Ocean City to fish out of Sunset Marina on Friday. This trip is my annual with my work buddies. Sunset Marina is a full service facility. I might be bias but this is a first class marina.
Weather calls for high chance of rain and thunderstorms. Seas are expected to be 3 to 5 feet with 15-20 knot winds. Should be excellent conditions to raise those white marlin. Only fly in the ointment is that chance of rain. Hopefully we will not melt, so off we go.
Before the “blow”, many whites were caught and released. Charters are also bringing in plenty of “meat fish”. Hope they school up a little before Friday.
Check back for updates on my trip.
Tightlines
Red Sky Warning – Irene is Knocking
Hurricane Irene has the potential to be a “monster storm” or as the weather people are saying, “A Significant Event”. Currently, Irene is a category 2 and heading for warmer water. Hunker Down is the word of the day. Evacuation preparations are already being made in Dare and Hyde Counties. A direct hit on the Carolinas is predicted for the weekend.
If possible, all vessels should be removed from the water or relocated to safe harbor.
If this is not possible, you should be making preparations soon to secure your gear. Rising tides and significant winds can wreck havoc to both water and land vessels. Double lines only work if applied properly. Making sure you allow for rising and falling water.
If your boats are brought to land, secure all vessels to a fixed object – chock the wheels. On small vessels, remove plugs and disconnect your batteries so the binge pump does not run constantly during heavy rains.
Take care to remove any curtains or secure them so wind can blow through without damaging them. Secure or remove loose gear to a safe location.
We should expect a major impact regardless of its landfall location.
Be Safe!! Tightlines
NCsaltaire 