Fishing Blog
-
 Jere Humphrey of Norfolk, Virginia has established a new state record for snowy grouper with a 68-pound fish caught August 17, 2008. The record-setting grouper bested the existing state record, set by Chris Boyce of Hampton, Virginia on December 9, 2007, by two full pounds. Humphrey is filing an application with the International Game Fish Association (IGFA) for acceptance of his catch as the IGFA All-Tackle Record for snowy grouper. Boyce’s 66-pound snowy grouper currently holds the IGFA All-Tackle record. Humphrey caught his grouper “deep-dropping” near...
Fishing Reports
 Labor Day comes each year with mixed emotions. It marks the end of summer, summer vacations are over, summer hours at the office are over, the kids go back to school, work seems to get more serious, the traffic on rt50 through Easton lightens which I greatly welcome, the Canada geese start to tickle in their annual winter migration and as importantly it marks some cooling weather and schooling, breaking fish throughout the Chesapeake Bay and its tributaries. And in the fishing reports this week we see just that, breaking keeper stripers, nice sized bluefish and nice catches of Spanish mackerel from the upper reaches of the Chesapeake in and around the Chesapeake Bay Bridge all the way down to Point No Point. The cooler weather is almost here, and so are the cool-water fish. The fall offshore bite is on, while the inshore action is picking up. With the opening of striper season this weekend, expect anglers out in force casting for schoolies. Hoards of striped bass in the 18-24-inch range are stacked along light-lines, drop-offs, and the structure of the bay bridge tunnels. Beginning on the 4th, in Bay waters you can keep two fish per person measuring between 18 and 28-inches, with one of the two fish allowed to measure 34-inches or longer.
Puppy drum are active most everywhere within the shallow waters at the southern end of the Bay. The entire southern Bay and oceanfront surf line, as well as Rudee and Lynnhaven Inlets are on fire with pup action right now. Many pups hooked within the Lynnhaven Basin and Broad Bay areas are so large that they are actually spooling angler’s reels. A few of these juvenile reds are ranging in upwards of 34 to 38-inches. The best natural bait is cut mullet, and a good top performing lure the “Red Fish Magic.”
Speckled trout action is also on the upswing, with decent catches coming from all the Eastern Shore Bayside Creeks. Chris Wilson of Eastville received honors for a...ALBIES ACROSS THE BOARD!, BUT MORE FOOLISHNESS WITH BASS…
 Wow… What a week! Was in Montauk for the first part of it. Sick bass blitzes and false albacore pretty much everywhere. And then I got back home to Lower New York Harbor, dropped the boat back in the water, and I’m into solid albies and bass again. Awesome! A pretty darn good week despite the early rain and wind. I’m stoked! Yet, while I hate to bring it up, there are more shenanigans going on with bass.
Maryland has recently proposed extending their recreational fishing season for an additional 15 days through to December 31. Currently the regulations have a recreational season closure of December 15. If you are thinking that this is not such a big deal, you are right. The truth is that the impact will probably be relatively minor. However, when all of the minor impacts of this proposal, Delaware and Pennsylvania’s proposals etc. are added up, fishing mortality will undoubtedly go up as well.
If you read this report regularly, you know that the new stock assessment review resulted in a lower fishing mortality threshold for corrective action. That means any increase in mortality will likely... National Hunting and Fishing Day Tomorrow
Tomorrow, September 27, is National Hunting and Fishing Day. The North Carolina Wildlife Resource Commission is heavily involved in promoting the day through several statewide events. Check this list for the activities going on in our state...
North Carolina Saltwater Fishing Reports
Bill from Oregon Inlet Fishing Center reported: "
September 26, 2008 Fishing Report
The weather has improved but seas were not settled enough today for boats to venture into the ocean. Three open boats fished in the sound. They caught some nice puppy drum, speckled trout and flounders. I took a picture of some of the puppy drum that ould have been great. They were beautiful golden fish of good size. I failed to check the cameras lense protector. Reports indicate that there is some really good fishing coming up next week in the sounds and offshore."
TW's Bait and Tackle reported: "
September 26, 2008 Fishing Report
Though the wind has switched we still have high seas. We do have people fishing the piers. The Outer Banks pier reported 4 puppy Drum. One keeper."
 East Cape
The water south of Punta Arena is a little off color, but in Palmas Bay it is Caribbean blue and 85 degrees. With the better weather, sailfish and small dorado are on the bite from Pulmo to La Ribera. And another September surprise is the giant Humboldt squid are making a good showing, Chunked into cubes, they make a great chum for the yellowfin tuna schools…mostly found from above Punta Pescadero all the way down to Cabo Pulmo. Inshore and along the beach, the water has cleared up and there are plenty of schoolie-sized roosters with some larger ones mixed in.
Magdalena Bay
With the better weather, the offshore action has picked up. Good striper action on the Thetis; if you get there early enough there may be a wahoo or two. Closer to Cabo Lazzaro there are plenty ofMarlin were in short supply for most of May but the number of marlin catches has increased over the past week. Spearfish are the most common billfish being caught right now but with the summer season just starting up, we should see the numbers of blue marlin increasing and the number of spearfish decreasing. May is listed as the peak season for black marlin in Hawaii but what most people don’t realize is that black marlin are a rare catch in Hawaii. The spot on Kona’s “Big Fish List” for the biggest black marlin of the year remains vacant. With most marlin being caught and then released by the majority of captains now, it’s possible that one or more blacks have been caught this year and released without it ever being known that it was a black. It takes a
Local Weather
You do not have a ZIP code set in your preferences. Please update your preferences.
|
Featured Article
|
|
| By Richie Gaines |
|
 Having trouble finding stripers on the Bay the past few years? Well, you’re not alone. The days of fishing the same old spots the same old ways are gone my friend. While the spring trophy season is still very productive and predictable, once the Ocean run fish depart it’s a whole new ball game. The Chesapeake Bay is changing and the rate of change has accelerated in the past few years. The Upper Bay has been most notably affected but we’re also seeing sings in the lower portions as well. Water quality really comes into play once water temps reach the low seventies and above and this is dictating where the fish hold big time. Anglers who understand that water quality is much like structure are taking advantage of the knowledge, changing their tactics, and enjoying success. As an experienced guide I’ve been able to adjust and locate fish fairly consistently. Now, you know what the definition of experience is right? It’s the name we give to our mistakes so I’m confident in my experience…
To find keeper grade and above stripers consistently once water temps rise into the 70’s, look for three attributes |
|
| Read More > |
|
|
| By Steve vonBrandt |
|
 The Upper Chesapeake Bay has been receiving a lot of notoriety over the last few years due to the improved catch rates and overall weight increases reported in the tournaments. While the “true” river rats have known of this bass fishing hotbed for some time now, the recent success is attracting clubs from all over Maryland, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and even as far away as New York. Most of this pressure has converged on the Elk River, and the Tyding’s Park area in Havre de Grace, Md., since these areas provide more than adequate launching and parking facilities that are necessary to hold the tournaments. Many of the smaller club tournaments also start from the Northeast and Elk River areas.
With this influx of angling pressure, many of the traditional “hot spots” have become increasingly crowded during the weekends, and have forced anglers to make longer and longer runs in search of untapped bass waters. Many of these anglers have now discovered that the twenty to thirty minute drive through sometimes rough and unsafe water, to the Sassafras River, has been well worth the effort. Upon arriving they realize that not only is this river not as pressured, but the fishing rivals or surpasses any that they previously encountered on any of the other Upper Bay rivers. Over the past five years, we have spent an average of four days a week on the Sassafras River, and over this course of time have learned many of the subtle intricacies of this scenic and fertile river. |
|
| Read More > |
|
|
| By Brett Gaba |
|
 Typically in saltwater fly fishing, and more specifically with fly fishing on the Chesapeake Bay, heading out into the big water and searching for breaking blues and stripers is option #1, and fishing underwater structure is option #2. Both of these options require a boat that’s capable of moving from spot to spot, or from school to school.
I personally own a small, humble boat and I am on the water often, or as often as time and work permit. On good days, my boat is capable of getting from spot to spot, but not when the winds are over 10mph. Because of my restrictions I’m not typically in the open water of the Chesapeake Bay proper, or even the middle of Tangier Sound, but mostly about as far as my 16’ johnboat will take me on a nice day—maybe to the mouth of a river, or near a rip that sets up in a tributary creek.
This restriction forced me to discover an underappreciated fishery, a nearby fishery virtually unexplored and unfished with a fly rod. From a realistic standpoint, I could wait for that perfect, windless day to come in order to get out on the big water for stripers and blues, or I could explore the fishery that I had access to, nearby areas that held good numbers of croaker and the occasional seatrout.
|
|
| Read More > |
|
|
| By Maryland Department of Natural Resources |
|
| Underwater bay grass acreage throughout much of Maryland’s portion of the Chesapeake Bay suffered a setback in 2006 as a result of high rainfalls in many parts of the Bay watershed. Total acreage in Maryland dropped to 32,586 acres in 2006, down nearly 9,734 acres from 42,320 acres in 2005. |
|
| Read More > |
|
|
| By Lenny Rudow |
|
 You want a volcano-like explosion 30’ behind your transom? Tuna fish to come flying out of the water in attack-mode? Billfish to rise with their weaponry swinging? Then I sure hope you’re pulling spreader bars, because these lures will trigger more pelagics to attack than any other single lure in the water today.
Pelagic Magic
Spreader bars consist of multiple chains of baits—usually plastic squid, but also skirts or rubber ballyhoo in some cases—rigged to a single bar, which keeps them in an organized pattern as they troll through the water. The farthest aft bait should be a slightly different size and/or color than the other baits, and is rigged with a hook. Bars range in price from $40 (for a 32” bar pulling nine 9” shells, available from www.reeldraggintackle.com) to $210 (for a titanium bar rigged with 10 12” full-body squid, available at www.squidnation.com.) Some spreaders are also made with nylon bars, like those from www.fishmagiciantackle.com ($94 for a 10-shell rig made with 7” squid.) The nylon bars bend more than titanium but they have one significant advantage: thanks to light weight and flexibility, it’s possible to run them from much lighter rods than is the norm. In fact, you can run a light nylon bar from a 30-class rig or even a 16-S, while most full-size spreaders require a 50-class rig.
Naturally, you can also make your own bars by buying the squid, bar, and leader separately. This isn’t much work and there’s certainly a sense of satisfaction that comes from catching fish on a lure you made yourself. Don’t expect to save a lot of money, however. Since the tackle manufacturers buy their materials in bulk, when all is said and done, there isn’t a huge price difference between buying spreader bars and making them yourself.
Which colors should you choose when making or buying a spreader bar? As with other lures, the hot colors will change with the seasons and the hot bite. As a rule of thumb... |
|
| Read More > |
|
|
| By Brandon White |
|
 The member profile highlights the type of fishing the member does, tells about their equipment (boat, reels, rods, etc) and a little bit about them as a person. This member profile highlights me, Brandon White, Chief Angler here at TidalFIsh.com.C Check out a little about me, what boat(s) I fish, what tackle I use etc... |
|
| Read More > |
Latest Message Board Posts
-
Posted By: WhiteStoneBridge
-
Posted By: classicrockfish
|
