CBBT: It's all over

Well, I couldn't end the season without a trip down to the CBBT so I went down yesterday. I've never seen it so deserted. Usually there is someone fishing around every other piling, but yesterday I only saw maybe 10 boats all day. I was lucky enough to catch a few fat footballs, but that was it. I spoke to a couple guys that got skunked and they mentioned the fishing has been terrible the last week or so. With the water temps so low, it's all over for the year because the fish are down closer to NC. I did manage to test out my new homemade iFly holders which worked great. I guess it's time to start tying some flies for next year and maybe work on a few new patterns.

Redemption

After a very slow morning I had to make sure I didn't start a new work week on a sour note so I tried again this evening. It wasn't "on fire" like it was during last week, but I did manage some nice fish. Several were in the upper 20" to low 30" and gave a good pull on the line. After such good fishing this past week, I might just have to take a week of vacation every year during Thanksgiving break. I hope this cold weather doesn't push the bait/fish south until I get a chance to get back at them next weekend.

Rockgiving

Couldn't stay away from the water after solid fishing the last few trips, so I tried an early morning session today. It was raining a bit but was slick calm which made my run quick and easy. It was amazing the amount of bird activity I saw this morning. BIG flocks of birds working everywhere. The good news is the big birds are still around but they were spread out and only occasionally diving. I couldn't find any big fish during my quick morning outing, but had my way with low-mid 20"ers. I did have one fish that was pushing 30" but when I grabbed the leader it broke off. I guess it got nicked last night.

Twilight Hour

After getting blown out this morning, I was anxious to find those big fish from last night. The same pattern came through tonight and I was rewarded with many 30" fish. I never did find the 40" class from last night, but I'll take 30"ers anytime. It was steady action for the better part of an hour and a half. This is shaping up to be one heck of a week!!!

Personal Best..46" & Many Firsts Tonight

I was lucky to get a chance to make it out again tonight and I'm glad I did. I've never seen so many big birds around. I probably saw 50 Pelicans and Gannets on my way out. This had to be a good sign of things to come and it certainly turned out that way. It took me a while to find the bigger fish (many dinks under massive flocks), but it was worth the fuel. I had a solid 45 minutes of fantastic BIG FISH fishing. Most were in the low to mid 30" class, but I was lucky to catch 5 fish that went over 40". In the process I finally broke the 35" mark this fall including my person best..a 46"er. It was a beautiful fish that probably was easily 10-12" across her belly. Another first was almost getting spooled (two times). I actually had to start the boat to chase them down. I'm glad the fish ran off my starboard side otherwise I would have lost them. I didn't want to take much time with them out of the water so I tried a few "self timed" pics and back they went. As a side note, you know you have a great wife when you fish both the morning and evening of your wedding anniversary.

It Never Gets Old

Being out on the water early as the sun rises will never get old. Today was no different except for having big flocks of birds working good fish. This week is shaping up to be a great week of fishing and the quality of fish continues to improve. The only issue is they have been moving deeper and deeper. I haven't broken the 35" mark this fall, but today I got really close.

Just a Few More Minutes

I managed to convince my son to join me for round two this afternoon. I thought it would be a repeat of my early morning session, but I ran out of time. We found a lot of small fish, but just when it was starting to be "prime time" we had to go. He really wanted to go in and I couldn't tell him "in a few minutes" anymore. Fifteen more minutes is all it would have taken. I started to see big swirls and a few "BIG" birds starting to work. Oh well, until next time.

A Wonderful Thing

Fishing during the week is a wonderful thing. I love being the only boat around and finding a school of quality fish...it doesn't get any better than that!! I started off at first light in the same general area I've been fishing the last few days and it continues to produce fish up to 30". Most of the fish today were in the low to mid 20", but I did manage several that went between 30-32". Maybe I'll get a chance to catch a few this PM?

Football Season

What a beautiful morning. Great sunrise, flocks of birds everywhere and many, many, many "footballs". It was game on at first light and continued right up to the minute I had to leave them (around 9:00). I stayed in the same general area where I left them last night and it paid off. Several boats were chasing birds, but they were dinks last night and that was the same story today. Nothing bigger than 25-26", but I didn't go more than a few casts without having a tight line all morning.

Looking Up

Tonight was one of those nights that you could go in almost any direction and you found fish. Most of the fish were dinks, but after searching around a bit I finally found some really nice fish. Mid to upper 20"ers and a few that were pushing 30". I plan on starting out early tomorrow just were I left the nicer fish in hopes that they will still be there. It's been awhile since I had some decent pullage, so it was a welcome change to finally find some quality ones tonight. It comes just in time for an upcoming vacation that includes fishing just about everyday next week.

Fishing the Rip

Tried my luck at a local "rip" without anything to show for it tonight. I only had a few minutes but nothing was biting. I did talk to another guy who recently caught some nice fish (one close to 40") in the same general area which is good to know. It's tough getting out during the week with not much daylight after work, but I'll take a few minutes anytime I get it.

Slow Day

Tried the afternoon bite and didn't have much luck. There were a few pods of fish breaking but they didn't stay around for long. I'm sure the "blue bird" day with it's high pressure contributed to my slow day. I got impatient and decided to call it quits after only landing a few dinks, but It was nice seeing a couple of friends on the water who sounded like they had similar luck.

Nice to be Back

This was my first trip on the bay in a few weeks and finally the wind was calm. The reports haven't been great lately so I didn't expect to find much, but I was surprised to see flocks of birds working fish/bait in almost every direction. Unfortunately, the fish were on the smaller side. Many small to mid-teen size fish with the largest maybe going 20". It's nice getting back on the bay especially with no wind. Any day the bigger fish should start consistently showing up in the mid bay.

Back from Harkers Island

I had high hopes, plenty of gear and a great network of intel for this years trip, but the Albies were hiding. As I expected, we encountered 15-20 knots everyday which made getting around a little tricky. In three and a half days we burned 93 gallons of gas without even seeing a fish (did see a few splashes) and the closest we got to landing a fish was being next to a boat who was hooked up. Not all was lost, as we met some new friends and found a great place to stay for future trips. It's still one of my favorite places to fish with or without actually catching anything. Oh well, I guess I'll have to wait another year to try my luck at catching some albies.

Another Calm Day...Not

Must be nice having a job as a weatherman when its OK to be wrong 90% of the time. 10-15 turned into 20-25 with 3-5 footers rolling across the bay. My friend from the "burg" (CD) came down to try his luck today, but we couldn't find any decent fish. The spots that have been holding mid-upper 20ers didn't produce anything. Even after some serious searching we never found anything over 15" or so. The good news was there were plenty of 15' fish (30"ers in a few years) working pod after pod of small bait. As everyone says, smaller birds equals smaller fish and that held true today.

Harkers Test Run

Well, I'm almost certain I will be fishing in 25+ knots next week at Harkers Island so I figured I would give it a test run today. It was blowing in a big way, but the fish were biting equally as hard. I searched around to find some nicer fish because at first I found acres of 15-18" fish but nothing bigger. After a few stops I consistently found mid 20"ers. Nothing bigger than 25-26" but two hours worth of non-stop catching.

Bait, Birds and Current but Few Fish

The conditions looked perfect...overcast skies, a little wind, plenty of bait and birds working. The only thing missing were the fish. We did catch a few nice fish and several more got away, but I thought we would have caught a lot more. I guess the birds were just working the bait tonight. When the tide started to roll we found some great current pushing bait but still couldn't find much of a bite. Oh well, sometimes it just doesn't come together as planned. It was still a fun night to be on the water with some friends (thanks for the invite). I'm sure the full moon has had some effect on the recent bite, so maybe next week will be another great week?

Fun Night...thanks for the invite

Got an invite from a friend and his son tonight. It was blowing a steady 20 knots from the NW and it didn't look pretty, but we decided to give it a go anyway. I guess when your fishing on a 29' Pursuit (which is a sweet boat) it's not a big deal like it would have been in my little Parker. We only had about an hour or so, but it didn't take us long to find some very nice fish including several that were pushing 30" (which his son caught). It turned out to be a nice night as the wind died off and the full moon came into view over the horizon. My friends (thanks again for the invites) came through this week since my boat is still in the shop.

Fast Little Buggers

Had an opportunity to get out with R&R (thanks again for the invite) for a quick session tonight. We found the fish but they were moving so quickly that it was tough to get a cast away before they were gone. We did manage one nice fish, mid 20", but that was it. Right around dusk we found what looked to be some decent fish working schools of bunker, but we didn't catch any before it got dark. The same pattern has been holding true the last two weeks. Big birds flying high on bigger fish that are on the move quick. Hopefully my boat will be done any day now and I can get back out chasing them around this weekend. This evening had a beautiful sunset as a consolation prize.

Not all was Lost

Luckily I got a call from my buddy R&R about the possibility of a late afternoon trip which sounded great to me. With my boat in the shop I was thankful for the invite. We searched around a bit and quickly found a big flock of birds in the same general area I had them on Friday. As we approached they seemed to be acting the same way they were the other day. Flying high and moving fast from pod to pod. Unfortunately, almost as quickly as we found them they vanished into thin air. We didn't even get a shot at them before they were gone for the night. As a result of trying our best to track them down, we did manage to uncover a great new fishing spot that looked really good. We picked up a few small fish, but darkness came quick. So I guess not all was lost tonight as we uncovered another good spot that should produce some quality fish in the future.

Hide & Seek

With a consistent 25 knots today I found myself trying to hide from the wind and seeking serious shelter. I didn't think I would have much success, but boy was I wrong. I managed to find them as hungry as ever. It was game on from the minute I found them to the minute I left. I don't think I caught any fish that were smaller than 22-23" today with the largest topping out at close to 31". Most were in the upper 20" range. It was a bit tricky at times staying on them, but after about 30 minutes they were everywhere so it didn't matter which way I drifted. I'm hoping Tri-State will fix my steering problems ASAP so I can get out there a few times next week.

Solid Pullage

Even though it was blowing pretty good and raining, the radar showed signs of it tapering off a bit so I went for it. At first I couldn't find any decent fish, but that quickly changed. I had several fish give me a good show of jumps, big splashes and serious pullage. It's funny how the bite can turn on (and off) like a light switch which is exactly what it did tonight. I had at least a dozen fish in the mid to upper 20" class. It was plenty of fun and I was the only boat on the water...just the way I like it.

Big Girls Tonight

I squeaked out an hour tonight after I got home from work and it was worth every minute. My son joined me and must have brought some good luck with him tonight. With only having about an hour or so, I decided to try a different tactic in hopes of finding some bigger fish (for his sake). I had a gut feeling where they might be hiding so we tried a new spot. We didn't catch too many, but the ones we did catch were very nice. Most were in the mid 30" range and gave my son a good tug on his light weight spinning outfit. I tried to throw my fly rod, but it got too crazy helping him get lines untangled and reeling in the fish. The good news is there are some nice fish around, finally!!

Bunker Galore

Went back to the same spot I found them last night, but there wasn't much happening. I caught one nice blue fish and a few stripers, but nothing like last night. What I did find were large schools of peanut bunker. That's a good sign, bigger bait = bigger fish. I know there have been reports of even larger bunker in the bay, up to 10". Time to adjust my fly patterns in response to the bigger bait around lately.

Change of Plans Pays Off

Decided to fish late this afternoon so I changed plans and stayed a bit closer to home. I wanted to check out some shallow water spots that looked good, but the water was very dirty and it wasn't very productive. I did catch some small fish, but nothing over 15". As I was making my way home I saw a couple big splashes that caught my attention so I slowly cruised over to check it out. For the next two hours I had 18-23" fish that were hungry and pulled really good for their size. I love catching decent fish in the shallows and watching your line zip through the water as the fish takes off. It looks like the 2nd phase of the fall pattern is starting to take shape.

Slow Night

Got an invite from my buddy AC and we headed out for a few hours. We found several pods of breaking fish, but they were all small fish. Oh well, you can't find them on every trip. Looks like we should have a great weekend, so maybe I'll be lucky enough to get out again before it's time to head back to work.

Quality Fish Tonight

Even with a 15+ knot breeze, we decided to give it a try tonight. As soon as we got to the fishing grounds we found about a dozen pods of breaking fish in all directions and it became a game of tracking down the nicer grade of fish. After going through a few pods, we managed to find some 20-23"ers that were hungry and a few nice blue fish that Mike L. managed to land. After playing with the breaking fish for awhile, we made a move to try the shallow water bite. It never turned on tonight in full force, but we did catch a few nice fish. Soon after we got there the tide died and so did the bite.

Solid Night

It was a crazy day trying to figure out the wind. Wind, no wind, wind, no wind on and on all day. I'm glad I went out in the afternoon. Not only did the wind completely die off, but the night ended with numerous 18-20" fish. It took sometime for them to come alive, but they finally did. Not as many mid-20" fish tonight, but it was another fun night on the water.

Found 'em Tonight

Started off tonight chasing birds and catching plenty of 20" fish, but I'm getting addicted to the shallow water bite so off I went. Found fish in just about every spot I checked, but they were on the smaller side. I finally found some nicer fish as the tide started to move. There is a clear pattern developing where the fish have been schooled up on structure as the bait sweeps across. Even with a stiff breeze tonight, I managed to catch some nice fish up to 25".

Too Good To Last

I had high hopes of another amazing night tonight, but it didn't happen. I did catch a lot of fish, but nothing over 21-22". Most of the fish were 15" or so. The bite really started to turn on a bit later tonight, but I kept hearing thunder in the background and cut the night short to be on the safe side. I really enjoy fishing the shallow water bite and I'm learning a few new spots every time I get on the water. If this weather holds, I'll try my luck again soon.

Evening of a Lifetime

I didn't think the fishing could get any better than the last few times I went out, but I was definitely wrong. From the time we got to the fishing spot (3:00) to the time we left (7:30), we had fish on just about every cast (probably caught close to 100 fish). The day started off with an amazing "whitewater


show" of fish in the mid-20" class. You had to pull your fly away from the dinks (20"ers) so you would save time from releasing them. The amazing part was that the water was so clear you could see 8-10' down. It was cool seeing your fish being followed by 10-20 other fish. It was just a spectacular sight. We (went with my buddy AC) thought it doesn't get any better than this, but we were wrong. As we search around, we discovered a honey hole of all honey holes. This time a 25" fish was a small one. The fish were schooled up like red fish. As soon as you made a cast, the water would start to come alive. You could see them following the fly and then watch them crash it in a big way! It was something special to see. These fish were in the upper 20" to low 30" class. It was just an amazing experience, one I won't forget for a long time. Thanks AC for an evening of a lifetime!!!

Fantastic Ending

After a long day of running around, I convinced my first mate to join me tonight. What started off having a frustrating night chasing small stripers (and untangling lines) that quickly went down, but we ended our mission with a bang. We found some very nice fish crashing bait in shallow water and tore them up. Probably 30-40 fish from 20-28". It was a perfect ending to a busy day.

Which Pod to Chase?

Had an opportunity to take advantage of a free night and hit gold. There were so many pods of breaking fish (if you look closely at the pic, you will see them...click on the pic to make it bigger) that it was tough to choose. As soon as you thought about moving fish would surround you and then another and another and another pod. Most fish were in the mid-teens, but I did find several pods of fish in the low 20". Even though there might have been 15 boats or so out, there were so many fish that everyone found there own pod of fish to work. The last month or so has been great fishing and it should only get better!!!

Escaped the Storms Tonight

It was calling for just a chance of thunderstorms so I decided to give it a try. The boat traffic was so different tonight, maybe 4-5 boats the whole evening. As soon as we (went with Dave P. tonight) got to the fishing grounds we located fish. It was non-stop action from about 4:00-7:00. Most of the fish were in the high teens, but we did catch some around 20" or so. They were on mico-bait tonight, about an inch long.

Shallow Water Delight

Headed out this afternoon in hopes of a good evening bite. First stop I found birds working but there were 1,000 boats on them. Way too many boats for me so I headed out to find my own fish. Did manage to find several pods of 15"ers and snapper blues but no quality fish. So on to another spot. After a bit of searching I did manage to get into some nice fish in shallow water. I was fishing next to my buddy AC and we both ended the night on a high note, 20+"ers for about an hour or so. Looks like the shallow water fall bite is turing on.

All I can say is UNBELIEVABLE!!!

What can I say. The first 20 casts resulted in 19 keepers and it just kept getting better. I only caught two blue fish (3 lbs to boot) and the rest were keeper rock fish. Many (and I mean many) mid 20"ers. It was a little bumpy to start, but ended just fine. As the ONLY boat fishing and having breakers for miles, it was just amazing. I caught so many big fish that when I didn't catch a

fish on two consecutive casts I knew something was wrong (like my hook was missing). I seemed to catch anything that moved including my first ever foul hooked crab. This was my best night of fishing (even better than the great night a month or so ago) EVER!!!