Posts tagged ‘salt water fishing’
Fishing Has Slowed But Will Pick Up Soon!!
Even though the water temperatures have risen to the low to mid 60’s, fishing has slowed a little. Anglers on the piers are still catching fish but it’s early in the morning.
Expect some bluefish, spot, croaker and black drum. The reports I have received show your best bet is the “little bridge”. Use bottom rigs with blood worms, squid and of course the favorite – fresh shrimp. Crabs are just showing up so plan for plenty of re-baiting.
Boaters are catching plenty of blues and flounder near the inlet. TW’s reported several cobia were caught last week.
Bluefish continue to be taken with “gotchas”. Red head over white seems to be the hot number.
It might just be the calm before the fishing storm. This time of year fishing usually picks up at all venues. Remember, you should always keep a variety of rods and equipment ready this time of year.
Tightlines
Cape Hatteras Off-Shore Fishing
We had an opportunity to do an off-shore trip this past Friday and had a great time. First mate and I traveled south to Cape Hatteras, stayed in Buxton and fished out of Teach’s Lair Marina. 
Weather was a patchy with sun and clouds. Temps ranged a warm 70 when the sun was out to a cool 65 under the clouds. Constant north winds kept us cool. Two to three foot swells made the day interesting. We had several brief showers but they never reduced our enthusiasm for the day.
Teach’s Lair is a small full service marina at the southern most point, near the ferry dock, with 12 vessels that travel off-shore and 5 that stay in or near shore. We fished with Capt Derek on the Carolina Girl. This vessel is a 42′ Carolina Custom sportfishing boat. Brian, his first mate, worked had all day to make our trip a memorable one.
We fished mostly east and south of Ocracoke, NC. Ran into several scattered dolphin, false albacore and huge bluefish. Teased several Wahoo but could not entice them to the bait. Overall a great day on the water.
I would definitely recommend Capt Derek and the Carolina Girl to a good day on the water.
When fishing out of Cape Hatteras, there a several nice hotels and restaurants to choose from. We stayed at the Lighthouse View Motel in Buxton. This was about 20 minutes north of the marina. All of the rooms were very accommodating with half facing the ocean. Small frig, microwaves and wireless in each room. A very good value.
We ate at to local favorites, Captains Table for dinner and the Orange Bloom Cafe for breakfast. Two places that should not be missed.
So if you are looking for an in-expensive off-shore trip, do not overlook traveling about an hour south of the Nags Head and try the Carolina Girl or other boats moored at the Teach’s Lair Marina.
The first mate and I will definitely be back.
Tightlines.
Fish Grip – Might Be The Right Choice
Ever hook up a fish, fight it to the shore, dock or boat and then look for the hand net. Only to find that it is under your gear, some distant spot or worse defective. This is the time when you realize that you should had bought that new one at the tackle shop.
I purchased several different fish holders over the years. See my mainstays in the photo. Now focus on the orange gripper.
I took a class from CA Richardson, host of the Flats Class TV show, several months ago when we visited our home in Punta Gorda. He had one on display and uses one during his taping of shows. I had to have one.
This new type of “fish grip” allows for quick hold and release without injury or damage to the fish.
Since I first discovered this new device, I looked at numerous shops and on the net, only to find it at Cabella’s online for 19.95 plus tax and shipping – NO WAY.
I was traveling to Houston this past week for my real job and happened to stop by the local Bass Pro. And yes, there they were!!. I could not believe it. Picked up one for $14.95. Not sure it would pass the airport security but I planned to take my chances. During my security clearance, the agent asked what this was and I replied a fishing device. The next unexpected comment, “can I go with you?”. TSA agents are human and enjoy fishing just like you and I.
It works great for professional anglers, but not tested by myself. I will experiment and report back. Stay tuned.
Tightlines!!
Blues and Sea Mullet
Fishing should be excellent this coming week. Water temperatures are in the lower 60’s throughout the entire northern banks. Small front with slight chance of rain is moving into the area on Tuesday. This should make fishing improve over the next couple of days.
No report from the surf, but all piers are reporting sea mullet, dogfish, and small blues on “Gotacha” lures” and blood worms.
Blues are hitting anything that moves. Color does not matter. Lighter colors work best in cloudy water. Clarity changes quickly, so bring a variety of colors.
Sea mullet and dogfish are hitting the worms using bottom rigs.
We been waiting a long time – Go get’em.
Tightlines.
Three Piers are Now Open
On Thursday 14 April marked a spring milestone on the Outer Banks. The Outer Banks Fishing pier opened for the season. The Avalon Pier began the process on 02 April, followed by the Nags Head Pier on 12 April and now Thursday’s opening of Outer Banks pier. So now there are “three commercial piers open for business”.
One mainstay – the Old Kitty Hawk Pier – Hilton Gardens Hotel stays open year round.
WOW. What a change from just several days ago. Water temps jumped from the upper 40’s to 57 degrees on 15 April.
Pier access fees have increased slightly but still a bargain. Especially for those who have travel maneuvering the surf beaches. These piers can supply you everything you need to make you day fun!
Reports of sea mullet, small croaker, dogfish and plenty of skates on the northern banks typically knock the cobwebs out of the hardened angler.
Drum are showing up on Hatteras and other southern beaches.
Remember – no speckled trout fishing. The NCDMF closed this fishery due the major cold snap earlier this year. Watch for more news here but it appears 15 June is still the re-start of this fishery.
Tightlines.
First OBX Fishing Pier is now Opened
Well, its been a long winter and finally we can look the light at the end of the tunnel. Avalon Fishing Pier is open. The pier offically opened on Saturday, 2 April to beautiful day.
Several bottom fish were caught including some small croaker and dogfish. The water temperature is still fluctuating between 48 and 50 degrees.
Once we have a consistent warming trend, the fish will not be too far behind.
I’m ready!!
Gas Treatment – Is it Worth it
Longer day’s means more day light at the end of my work day. The later sunsets gives me the time to ready the boats for the season. Just like doing a complete exterior and interior cleaning, your focus should now be on fuel system and engines.
I attended a fishing equipment flea market several weeks ago and spoke with a dealer of a gas treatment product called Gas Shok. I am a loyal customer for Sta-Bil marine gas treatment but I am open to anything to help with the ever increasing problem with ethanol. If you remember, last year not one but both boats had fuel problems during the season. This was very expensive and definitely it was not on the First Mate’s budget.
I did a little research on both products and found that they might just work together nicely. So I bought a 32 ounce bottle; enough to treat 320 gallons.
For many years, I have used Sta-Bil to keep condensation at bay and found this to be a great winter fuel conditioner. Gas Shok on the other hand also works well in winter but also removes any moisture from the fuel left over from the previous year. It is also supposed to increase the octane levels. And the label indicates you should get better performance. Again, another positive I hope to appreciate this year.
Well, this year I am taking no chances. I used Sta-Bil in a full tank of gas this past fall and just recently added the recommended amount of Gas-Shok to the tanks.
When I de-winterized the boats last weekend, the engines started up quickly and believe it or not, they ran exceptionally well.
I am not recommending using two products when one has worked in the past, but school is not out yet. Proof will come when I take my first cruise and everything works great.
I will let you know how it works out. Are you ready for fishing season – I know I am!!
“Birds Rule” at Cape Hatteras
It has begun a little early this year. The National Park Service has closed a major section of Cape Point in the Cape Hatteras National Seashore. This is one of the most popular fishing spots – with anglers and beach visitors enjoying this stretch of sand.
The closing is court-mandated but usually is not until later in the year. The reason they closed it early is an effort to protect rare shorebirds that “might try to nest in the area.” Strange wording to promote their objectives of complete closure some day. Hopefully this is not the case and common sense rules.
Funny thing – These little birds typically do not even show up until summer. For many years, both anglers and wildlife have co-existed on this beach together.
I am not trying to judge the value of this annual closing but the impact on the entire community is devastating. We need to protect all threatened species but at what cost.
All is not lost, we still have the northern beaches, piers and bridges. Hopefully, we can continue to use these without restriction.
Surf water temperatures have risen into the 50’s over the past week. And the fish can’t be far behind. Time to load the rods!!
The Redfish of Matlacha Florida
With our kayaks in tow, 
we traveled to an area just south of Punta Gorda and Northwest of Cape Coral and Ft Myers to find another fishing spot and the beautiful Redfish. Our destination was Matlacha, Florida.
Matlacha is one of five communities on Pine Island, although technically, it is located on a smaller island in Matlacha Pass, east of Pine Island. It is an “Old Florida” fishing village home to many brightly-colored art galleries, island boutiques, seafood restaurants, and traditional Florida cottages.
We put the kayaks on one of the town’s many beach launch access. Our 13′ hobie sit upons were just perfect to navigate the calm waters of the Pine Island Sound.
This protected area is surrounded by mangroves and grass flats. We found water depth at a mixed three plus feet with many pot holes and bars. Perfect ambush spots for waiting reds.
I always had success with a Rapala X-RAP floating jigs. I choose a light green with red spots. This matched the hatch for the day. The bait in the area met this size and colors.
It wasn’t long before we hooked up with a beautiful 16″ Red. We had a great day on the secluded water way. And look forward to our next trip.
NC Sea Trout & Flounder Regulations
Proclamations – FF-29-2011 & FF-30-2011
FLOUNDER
Effective at 12:01 A.M., Monday, February 21, 2011, minimum size limit for all flounder species has changed from 14.5 inches to 15 inches. This applies to all recreational anglers who fish in the internal coastal, joint fishing waters or the Atlantic Ocean. A total creel limit is six (6) fish per day as long as the does not exceed one calendar day.
SPOTTED SEATROUT
Effective 12:01 A.M. Thursday, February 17, 2011, it will be unlawful to possess spotted sea trout in all coastal and joint fishing waters for all recreational anglers.
This action is being taken in response to recent cold stun events affecting mainly spotted sea trout. The intent of this action is to prevent harvest of vulnerable cold stunned fish which may recover with warming water temperatures. We anticipate the fishery to re-open on 15 June 2011.
Please take extreme caution when landing and releasing these fish. A conscientious angler today will preserve this fishery later.
For more information, check with the NC Division of Marine Fisheries.
NCsaltaire 