I heard the Clean Boating Act bill below was going to pass, and just got word President Bush signed the bill into law yesterday. Definitely saves a lot of problems in the way of people having to get permits and such, but I am not sure the act should be called the “clean” boating act. Maybe it should be called the “still allow some dirty water act”.  I think we all need to be aware that anything we dump overboard effects water quality which in turn effects fisheries. Think about that before you throw anything overboard or what types of cleaning agents you use to clean your boat.

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PRESIDENT SIGNS CLEAN BOATING ACT LEGISLATION
Aboard Air Force One late yesterday, President Bush signed S. 2766, “The Clean Boating Act of 2008,” which permanently restores a long-standing exemption for recreational boats from permitting requirements under the Clean Water Act. This signing of the bill is the capstone moment of a two-year campaign to eliminate an onerous permit program for recreational boaters that would have dictated maintenance and operation procedures, potentially subjected boaters to citizen lawsuits, and put recreational boats under a penalty system designed for industrial polluters.

With the President at the signing are (left) Representatives Steven C. LaTourette (R-OH), a champion of this common sense legislation and (center) Patrick Tiberi (R-OH).

BoatU.S. has worked with the National Marine Manufacturers Association and a coalition of stakeholders as well as a bi-partisan group of House and Senate legislators. “However, the real success of this campaign rests squarely on the shoulders of this country’s millions of recreational boaters and anglers,” said BoatU.S. Vice President of Government Affairs Margaret Podlich. “Without their loud collective voice, we would not have reached this momentous event.”

FOR BETTER OR WORSE – BREAKING NEWS ON SUMMER FLOUNDER
Just this week a summary report of the most recent Summer Flounder Stock Assessment Workshop was released.  It’s a difficult read for a civilian but it looks as if the only real change is an increase in the natural mortality estimate (the number of fish that die from natural causes).   It follows to reason that this drives a significant drop in the long term number of fish that could be achieved under a management plan.  Still with me?  Yeah, it’s boring and sometimes confusing stuff, but important nonetheless.

Also reporting from that region this week is Captain Mike Duclos from Tiderunner Charter and Guide Service:
“Despite the fog, hot days and the constant afternoon threat of thunderboomers, July has been a very good month to fish.
The striper fishing has remained consistant with the main component to catching fish being the time to locate where they are feeding today. The Race has been on and off with the outside of Fishers Island being the better choice most days, the rips of Watch Hill and around the corner to the East have showed us some great tides with lots of 24″ to 30″ fish to keep everyone happy.
The flies of choice have been small squid, silverside and bunker imitations with the always go to deceivers in white with silver or pearlescent flash,being key.
The light tackle fishing has also been very good with sluggo’s to 9″ fished in the slow water, while jigs from 1/4oz to 1/2oz with pink or natural soft baits anywhere the linesiders are busting bait on top.
Our average has been a nice 15 Sripers to every 1 Bluefish caught , lots of bass around, and soon the bonito will be showing up adding to the number of possibilities.”

Rhode Island Saltwater Fishing Reports

Captain Greg Snow from Snow Fly Light Tackle Charters checked in with this report:
The fishing continues to be better than good out here on  Block Island .  With the Spear fishing state record at 68pds and the rod and reel state record at 75.6pds both being set within a week of each other in our waters so I guess it would be redundant to say that there are some ridiculously  large creatures  locally  right now.   My fly fishing clients have boated and released 19 bass over 30 pounds in the last week with one client landing a 26,32, and 39 pound fish on a biblical morning trip.   This particular client was the only 60+ foot caster of the bunch which tells you the opportunities  we have seen recently.  The water temps are about 66 so I expect that our large striped friends are going to be on the move to cooler waters any day now.  Acres of voracious blue fish have invaded BI which will keep lines tight for weeks to come.  BFT reports are pouring in so I will be out looking hard this weekend so  look forward to what I hope is a great fast fish report next week.        Tight Lines…Capt Greg Snow

Massachusetts Saltwater Fishing Reports
From the Boston are Capt. John Mendelson from Boston Fishstix Guides checks in with this report:
“The fishing has improved a bit this week in Boston as we suspected it would the week after full moon tides.  We still have tons and tons of bait–mackerel, juvy herring, adult pogies, and even a few squid!  The bluefish have started to trickle in so expect the mackerel to begin to thin out.  We have been fishing structure and grass flats.  The juvy herring seem to be concentrated more over grass than on the sand/mud flats and the bass are following. Though we have been off the water the past two days for some boat maintenance and a weather related cancellation, we will be fishing every day for the next five days starting tomorrow. It should be a good weekend and next week’s tides are good also.”

Capt. Dave Rimmer checks in with a report from GLOUCESTER TO SALISBURY, MASS:
“Reports are coming in from around this region that striper fishing is still very good. Some may have heard about the 54 pound monster that was landed on a live mackerel a couple miles off Gloucester harbor. I also witnessed a 47 inch bass caught and released at the mouth of the Merrimack River on a live pogie last Thursday. So live bait is obviously getting it done during these dog days of summer, but light tackle and fly fishermen are still producing too, especially in low light conditions. My guide friends in the Essex River are seeing more and larger fish, and Plum Island Sound has been much the same. Although the fabled Joppa Flats has slowed, there was some outrageously good fishing there last Friday, and a buddy landed a 28 pounder on a sluggo. Bluefish are also around, although they have not yet made a big inshore push. Most are being caught trolling deep in 50-100 feet of water. Now is the time I personally sharpen the hooks on my crab and shrimp flies and start dragging them across the white sandy bottoms along the many beaches in our region. This time of year often produces calm seas and bright sunny days, so sight fishing becomes really doable for us around here. And a lot of anglers are focusing on fishing after dark, not something I do much of as a guide these days, but mid-summer night fishing can be very productive. We are coming on a nice tide series with ebb flow at dawn abd dusk and a new moon, so this next week should be good fishing all around.”

From out on the Vineyard, Capt. Tom Rapone from Highly Migratory Guide Service checks in with this report:
“7.22.08: Bones and Blues
The water surrounding the Rock is smokin’ hot these days. East side water temps up to 78 degrees have forced us to change gears in the last couple weeks. Topwater bluefishing has been a blast with tons of fish up to 10-pounds on both tides. 1-2″ squid have begun flushing through various rips in Nantucket and Vineyard Sounds. If you find the right edge it’s non-stop bent rods. My client this morning put the first 2 bonito of the year on the deck of my boat – a matching pair of fat 7-pounders. It was a great start to what will hopefully be an action-packed late summer season… Still some bass on the west side of the island, but increased commercial pressure has made it a tough fly and light tackle bite.”

Wow!  On that note, I’m gonna sign off.  See ya on the water…

Capt. John McMurray

Just got the below in from Stripers Forever, time to act if we want to save some big striped bass!

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Stripers Forever members – here is an opportunity to really help the striped bass.  Delaware State Senator Robert Venables, himself a serious striped bass angler, has introduced and passed a bill in the DE state legislature that would prohibit the gillnetting of striped bass in the DE portion of the Nanticoke River from March 1 through June 30. The governor is listening to a legislator motivated by the 6 gillnetters who would be influenced by this closure, and she is threatening to veto the bill!

The new time period would simply mirror the closure that already exists on the Maryland portion of the river.  MD officials have asked for DE to add the month of March to help protect the spawning fish – DE is already closed from 4/1 to 6/30, but spawning fish are showing up in March.
While the quota is a finite 1,600 pounds, there is a known and admitted bycatch of many striped bass smaller than the 28-nch minimum.  The “legal” catch is entirely of large, breeding striped bass.
The fishery is widely known to produce illegal or black market fish that circumvent the quota.

Here is the action that SF urges you to take:

DE residents – phone, e-mail and/or and write Governor Minner’s office and tell her that striped bass need better protection, especially on their spawning grounds, and send a copy to Patrick J. Emory, Director, Delaware Division of Fish and Wildlife. Urge them to support and not veto SENATE BILL # 298.   Also, contact or copy your local state legislator and ask them to support your views and to use their office to urge Governor Minner to support this legislation.  SF has only a few hundred members in DE.  Send this e-mail to all of your fishing friends and urge them to do as you are doing.  All contact information for the Governor and Patrick J. Emory appears at the end of this e-mail along with a sample note.

Non Residents of DE – we urge all of our members to take similar action.   Striped bass belong to no particular state.  All fisheries that enjoy the Chesapeake strain of striped bass have a stake in this issue.

Dear Governor Minner:
I am a resident of (name of your state) and someone who enjoys fishing for striped bass.  I urge you to support Senate Bill #298 which will help protect spawning striped bass.  Gill netting of breeding size fish, the bycatch of smaller fish, and the inevitable resulting black market sales of striped bass are all unacceptable management policies.

(Residents of northern states might add) Striped bass fishing has declined seriously in northern states.  The number of large fish is down significantly and there are very few small fish available.  I feel it is incumbent upon Delaware to do everything reasonable to protect spawning striped bass.  Not only the recreation, but the livelihoods of many guides and businesses are dependant on striped bass and therefore your good stewardship of this resource.
Sincerely:

My name

CC Patrick J. Emory Director Delaware Div. Fish and Wildlife

Governor Ruth Ann Minner
Tatnall Building,
William Penn Street, 2nd Floor
Dover, DE 19901
Phone: (302) 744-4101
Fax (302) 739-2775
e-mail: governor.minner@state.de.us

Patrick J. Emory, Director
Delaware Division of Fish and Wildlife
89 Kings Highway
Dover, DE ~19901
Phone: (302) 739-5297 or (302) 739-9910
Fax: (302) 739-6151
e-mail: patrick.emory@state.de.us

Senator Venables has personally witnessed the effects of this gillnetting.  He knows that the interests of a very few (6) individuals are affecting many people up and down the Atlantic Coast.  We applaud his actions.  Support him and let’s get this bill passed!

Cory Ruthless Routh has been telling me about the redfish fishery that exists in Lynnhaven in Virginia Beach for about three years. Every year we talk about me coming down and giving it a shot with him, but either weather fouls us up or something else comes up this, that or the other and it just never happened. Cory called last week and said the fishing had been strong, I asked what he was doing on Friday and Saturday and he said come on down. Dalton and I packed up our stuff Friday morning and headed down the Eastern Shore and across the CBBT.

Cory had a morning kayak charter trip and we planned on meeting him around 1pm when he wrapped up his morning session. Dalton and I landed at Lynnhaven boat ramp a little early, so we grabbed a sub at Crab Creek Sub Shop and by the time we were done Cory and his crew were back at the ramp wrapping things up. Cory said the action was slow in the early morning, but picked up towards the end of the morning with a few nice fish landed.

We loaded up the kayaks with our light tackle and fly gear and paddled about thirty minutes to forty five minutes against the current to our spot. Second cast Cory hooked up on a nice Red. First cast Dalton hooks up on a good one. I thought, jimmy christmas this is going to be like shooting fish in a barrel. I shot some pictures of Cory landing, tagging and releasing his fish. I turned around to take some pictures of Dalton’s fish, but he already landed and released it. We all starting casting again with high hopes of some fast and furious action….not so fast there cowboy, we keep casting and castling and nada. We fished this area for another 45 minutes or so and had nothing. We paddled to another spot and on my third cast I hooked a nice one that towed me around on the kayak for a few minutes. Landed him, got a few shots and started casting again. About ten casts later I hooked another nice one, got a good tow, snapped some shots, and released him. That was about it for the action the rest of the day because the tide just kept going out which did not make for good shallow water fishing.

We paddled back to the ramp and called it a day. Dalton and I headed back, showed and hit Chicks for a good seafood dinner and then called it a night. We decided that we would try to get out on the water Saturday morning early to try and catch the last part of incoming and then outgoing tide. Mark L from the TKKA kayak club, and who runs some charters for Cory, joined us Saturday morning as well. All four of us headed out around 6:15am hoping to find a load of redfish. We hit the spot where we had action the day before, nada, hit the other spot we had some action….Mark hooked up on a ray which pulled him around for a while. No reds to be found though. We paddled a ways to another flat and all spread out to cover the area and see if we could locate them, nada. We paddled a ways to another flat…nada. After a few hours of fishing we decided to call it given it seems they were just not going to bite and the tide was not going to turn again for another few hours.

We got back to the ramp around noon, packed up and headed home. Dalton and I hit Stingrays on the way home for lunch and loaded up on some more seafood. We stopped in to see Mason at Salisbury Fly Shop where Dalton got a heck of a deal on a spare spool for his J Ryall fly reel. We also ran in to a friend of mine who was visiting from the west coast, the fly fishing world is a small one that is for sure. After shooting some stuff for a while we jumped in the car and was home by 5:30pm-ish.

All and all it was a great trip. I used to do a lot more kayak fishing then I have lately, but it reminded me how much fun it is. Cory really knows the kayak gig well and worked hard to put us on the fish. Having a light tackle/fly fishing fishery for redfish as close as Virginia Beach is really cool and we will be back down to do it again soon!

Kayaks:
Native Manta Ray 14 ft
Native Ultimate 12ft
Native Ultimate 14ft
Heritage Redfish 14ft

Fishing Rod/Reel Combos:
Me: Shimano Calais Baitcaster on a GLoomis GLX 6’6″ rod with 20lb fireline
Dalton: Shimano Stadic 2500 on a Bass Pro Extreme 6’8″ with 10lb stren super braid
*Fly great really was not used since we did not find them schooled up.

Lures:
Redfish Magic rigged with a chartreuse 3/8oz Tidal Fish lure (caught both of my reds on this rig)
Redfish Magic rigged with a rootbeer Riptide plastic (Dalton caught his red on this rig)

Cory has a new book out on kayak fishing, I reviewed it before it was released and have to say I am pretty impressed with it. It covers about everything you need to know about kayak fishing, what you need, about different types of kayaks, and summary of destinations. Check it out or buy it below

Click here to read more and/or buy the book

TRY SOMETHING DIFFERENT
Hey…  We all have out spots right?  Some secret, some not so secret, but generally we stick to them.  Unfortunately, most of us are very pressed for time.  If you’re not, then you are either obscenely rich or unemployed and on some kind of fixed income.  Let’s face it, fishing, particularly from a boat, is an expensive past-time and you need to work a lot to support it.  You could say that I know that better than anyone else as I’m burning the candle at both ends for 8-months a year holding three different income producing jobs just so I can be out on the water as much as humanly possible.  I’m not complaining…  It’s just part of the deal.  It supports a habit that I was never able to shake nor did I ever want to.

The point is that we all embrace that time we get on the water.  And, hey, we want to catch fish during that time right?  So, we’re prone to go to those same spots we know produce time after time.  It’s even worse for the guides as they have a client or two on board who pay a lot of money for the chance to catch fish.  Yeah, some may say, it’s just nice to be out on the water, but don’t let them fool you.  They, like any other red-blooded angler, want to catch fish.  So, these guides want to go to those spots that they know produce as there’s a tremendous amount of pressure on the guide to do so.  But back to the point, it’s hard to stray from what we know and try new spots.  The end result of this is angry crowed conditions at those hot-spots like Breezy Point, Sandy Hook, Montauk etc.  And, it’s a real bummer because every year the crowds seem to get worse and worse, and subsequently, the etiquette get’s worse.

The thing is, there are a lot of fish in a lot of different places, and we all just need to take the time and put in the effort to find them.  These fish may not be busting and under birds as they tend to do at some of the well known hot-spots, but they can be found back in the marsh areas and they can be found in super skinny creeks.  They can be found in white sand flats that rarely get fished.  Sure, these fish are going to be spooky and more difficult, but to me, that makes it all the more fun.  Don’t expect to get the size and numbers that you would on a good day in Montauk or Breezy or wherever the crowds tend to follow the birds, but do expect to enjoy yourselves more.

So, try and use your imagination.  Find those areas that look fishy, even though you never see anyone fishing there.  Trust your gut…  Even if you don’t catch fish there on the first shot, look listen and try to feel the place out.  Notice what the tides are doing, try and see what the bait is.  Think about what conditions would make that place better.  Then, form a plan of attack and go back to those spots when you think they may fish better and work them hard.  You may come up empty handed, but on the other hand you just might score.  And, when you do, you can claim that spot as your own, and it is because you earned it.  Brag to your friends about it, but keep it a secret.

Sick of chasing bluefish with the rest of the yahoos out at Breezy Point, I found just such a spot in the back of the bay a couple of days ago.  It wasn’t easy, but we were rewarded with some giant acrobatic bluefish that were fining in just a few feet of murky water.  Man was that fun!  There were even a few bass in there!  Sure I strike out all the time trying those subtle “it-looks-fishy” places, but I always try and re-try them, because under certain conditions they are bound to work.

Like I said… Trust your gut…  Stray from the crowds and try something different this weekend.  It just may pay off!

Fishing Reports
Speaking generally, it does seem that the summer doldrums are beginning to set it.  Of course, there always seems to be someone, somewhere who’s catching fish.  Yet, the general sentiment is that we’re in that “transition period” after the spring/early summer and before the pelagic show.  All I’ve got to say is “THANK GOD FOR BLUEFISH!”  If it wasn’t for these big bruisers, I’d take the darn boat out of the water during the summer doldrums.  This week was definitely dominated by bluefish.  Not just in my neck of the woods but from Southern Jersey up to Montauk.  North of that, folks are still catching good numbers of bass, but it has become an early morning or night event.  The bluefin thing is kind of dead at this point.  Folks are still seeing them off of Mass, and Maine but I haven’t heard of any being caught in a couple of weeks.  That should change once we get into August though.  And, as some readers know, August can mean all sorts of pelagic fairly close to shore.  Keeping my fingers crossed for that.

New Jersey Fishing Reports
Nothing official from Jersey this week, but from what I hear there is still as bass bite on those bunker from central New Jersey North, but it wasn’t near what it was the prior week.  Mostly blues right now and lots of brown sharks.  Inside, it’s just too darn warm for good fishing.  There have been some fish caught at night though.  Offshore there hasn’t been much going on with the mid-shore humps.  Just about all of the bluewater action has been way out at the canyon edge, and that’s a hike.

New York Fishing Reports
I’ve had some great action offshore…  Unfortunately it aint with the tuna.  Some very, and I mean very big bluefish on some of the structure.  They are eating flies and plugs, well, jumping, tail-walking etc…, and hey, it’s better than nothing!  Even caught a few bass on the structure as well.  Earlier in the week we found some schoolie bass on poppers in Jamaica Bay and some big blues mixed in.  All-in-all, not a bad week for a “transition period.”  I’m expecting to see bonito any day now… Continue Reading »

Bill from Oregon Inlet Fishing Center reported: ” July 16, 2008 Fishing Report
Offshore boats found yellowfin tuna and dolphin. More tuna than dolphin. One of the dolphin weighed 35 pounds. Several boats had wahoos. Billfish included 2 sailfish and a blue marlin. Inshore one boat on an all day trip caught trigger fish, cobia, amberjacks and sea bass. There were spanish mackerel caught trolling. Open boats caught speckled trout Open boats also caught flounders.Miss Oregon Inlet caught flounders.

(Above picture was taken from the Hoo Dini charter boat out of Nags Head, NC)

July 15, 2008 Fishing Report
Offshore it was dolphin, wahoo and tuna. There were two 55 pounders a dolphin and a wahoo. Three sailfish were caught and released.The big wahoo came charging out of the water for the bait. It is an exciting fish. Inshore Tailor bluefish and spanish mackerel in the morning, croakers and sharks in the afternoon. Two open boats caught cobias and sharks, one caught speckled trout both morning and afternoon. Miss Oregon Inlet had good flounder fishing keeping 10. One flounder measured 17 inches. They also had good spot and croaker fishing.

July 14, 2008 Fishing Report
This was a dolphin day. Some big gaffer dolphin amongst the school size fish. One boat had a 45 pound dolphin and a 47 pounder. Another boat had a 38 pound dolphin. Several wahoo in the catches.One of the wahoo weighed 46 pounds. One white marlin and two sailfish were caught and released. Inshore boats caught tailor bluefish and spanish mackerel trolling. At the same time a 73 pound cobia was caught perhaps by sight casting. Bottom fishing inshore boats caught triggerfish and sea bass both excellent on the table. Open boats depending on the type of fishing each did caught sheepsheads and black drum. One of the sheepesheads weighed 10 pounds. Two boats caught a cobia each and sharks. Most of these sharks were black tips. Two boats caught speckled trout. For variety one boat caught flounders, bluefish and sharks.”

TW’s Bait and Tackle reported: “July 17, 2008 Fishing Report
The weather is really nice. Wind out of N at 14 kts. A clear day. Take advantage.
Surf Fishing Report: Bottom fish and Blues.
Sound Fishing Report: The Little Bridge on the Nags head/Manteo causeway  reported Trout, Black Drum, Spot and Croaker.
Pier Fishing Report: Avalon: Blues, Spanish and Flounder.
Nags Head: Blues, Flounder and Spot.
Outer Banks: Croaker, Sea Mullet Blues and Flounder.
Inshore Boats Report: Trolling boats are still having good Spanish and Blues. Open boats are catching Trout and Flounder.
Offshore Boats Report: Tuna, Dolphin, Wahoo, Sailfish and Marlin.

July 15, 2008 Fishing Report
In Summary: Justin Stewart caught a 19 lb Red Snapper fishing from the Miss Hatteras charter boat. Miss Hatteras Captain stated the 19 lb Snapper was the biggest his boat has ever caught. Citation size is 10 lb.
Surf Fishing Report: Maybe a few Blues.
Sound Fishing Report: Black Drum, Flounder and Spot reported by the Little Bridge on the causeway.
Pier Fishing Report: Avalon: Few Blues.
Nags Head: Few Blues and small flounder.
Outer Banks: Blues, Small flounder, Spot and Croaker.
Inshore Boats Report: Trolling boats are catching Bluefish and Spanish. Deep water anglers are decking Triggerfish and Sea bass. Open boats are catching Cobia, Sheepshead, Black Drum, Trout and Flounder. There was a 73 lb Cobia caught on Monday.
Offshore Boats Report: There was a big Dolphin bite on Monday. Also catching Wahoo and Billfish.

July 14, 2008 Fishing Report
In Summary: The wind has switched to WSW today and there is grass. David Rohde caught a nice Trout. Citation size for Trout changed this year from 4 lb to 5 lb.  Matthew from Moyock caught a nice size 3 lb Spanish.
Surf Fishing Report: A few Blues and bottom fish.
Sound Fishing Report: The Little Bridge reported slow. A few Croaker and Spot have been caught and 2 Flounder.
Pier Fishing Report: Avalon: All the grass you can catch.
Nags Head: A few Blues and bottom fish.
Outer Banks: Spot, Croaker and 2 Flounder.
Inshore Boats Report: Open boats should be catching a few Blues and bottom fish. Trolling boats will catch Spanish and Blues today.
Offshore Boats Report: Dolphin and Tuna”

NORTH CAROLINA FISHING REPORTS COVERING THE ENTIRE NORTH CAROLINA COAST

Reported from North Carolina Division of Marine Fisheries

From Knotts Island to Ocracoke:
Ocean: Offshore catches improved from last week’s slow activity.  Blackfin, yellowfin, bigeye, and even a few bluefin tuna were caught this week, along with a few dolphin and wahoo. Billfish catches were very good, with sailfish, blue and white marlin being caught on a regular basis.  Midrange anglers caught triggerfish, black seabass, amberjack, and increasing numbers of striped bass.  Cobia and king mackerel are still being caught about 8-10 miles offshore by anglers returning from gulfstream trips.  Inshore action included bluefish and Spanish mackerel in the near shore surf zone when seas were calm enough to access them.  There were some nice catches of flounder.

Inlets/Sounds/Bays: Anglers were happy with the good flounder keeper ratios of 50% or more throughout the area.  Spotted seatrout and red drum were caught by early morning anglers at the Melvin Daniels bridge  and underneath the Washington Baum bridge opposite Pirates Cove marina.  Green Island slough at Oregon Inlet produced weakfish  and spotted seatrout at dawn and dusk.

Piers/Shore: Spanish mackerel catches were very good for both pier and shore anglers. Bluefish offered some short term/high volume action for anglers.  A few kingfish, croakers, puffers, burrfish, spot, skates, and assorted sharks were caught. Red drum catches from Avon southward to Ocracoke improved considerably.  Anglers caught cobia while fishing at night from piers.

From Portsmouth to Surf City:
Ocean:  Summertime slows fishing down. The heat is here along with the wind. Gaffer dolphin and nice-sized wahoo are still being hooked and billfish are prevalent. Sunday a boat came in with a grand slam – two blue marlin, three white marlin and a sailfish. Other than that, the waterfront has been quiet. Spanish mackerel and bluefish are along the beaches and around both Bogue and Beaufort inlets. Kings were reported at the sea buoy – about 8 miles out.

Inlets/Sounds/Bays: A few redfish were reported in the Topsail Beach area and the Bogue Sound-Newport River and large numbers at Bogue Inlet.  Many undersized flounder were reported caught and released this past week from all waters. Pigfish can be caught around the Beaufort drawbridge and the turning basin of the state port. Anglers are catching many undersized black sea bass. Anglers are reporting many sharks.

Piers/Shore:  Piers have a mixed bag of croakers, spot, undersized flounder, pigfish and pinfish.   Bluefish and Spanish are keeping the fishing active.

From Topsail to Sunset Beach:
Ocean: Bottom fishing remains a good option this time year. Red, gag, and scamp groupers are biting on most ledges in the 30 to 50-mile range along with a host of other reef fish. King mackerel fishing was good last week at the shark hole and the dredge wreck. Slow trolling live bait such as cigar minnows and menhaden is the most productive method. Flounder fishing on the near/shore reefs typically picks up this time of year. The reefs just off the beaches of Brunswick and New Hanover are great places to try. Live bait such as mullet or menhaden fished on a Carolina rig is the ticket. There should be spadefish on most of the near/shore reefs as well. Tarpon fishing around Bald Head and on the shoals is another option this time of year.

Inlets/Sounds/Bays: Flounder fishing has been fair. I haven’t seen any outstanding catches, but most people are catching a few up to 8 pounds. The near/shore reefs and the Cape Fear River have been producing some fish of late. Trout are still biting in the lower Cape Fear around Southport, and in the waterway around Sunset Beach. Sight fishing for drum in the creeks and bays has been good from Topsail to Bald Head when conditions are right. Sheepshead and black drum are biting well at the ADM dock and Snow’s cut.

Piers/Shore: Typical summertime fishing. Topsail Island piers reported pompano, sea mullet, and a few keeper flounder. There were a few king mackerel landed last week. New Hanover piers saw much the same, with one pier doing outstanding on the king mackerel. Brunswick County piers had a good week on trout and pompano. There were a few king mackerel landed as well.

The weather is great, its summer time, and the fish are here. So what could be better?  The debut of the much anticipated and prized Virginia king mackerel. The arrival of these toothy hunters kicks off the pier angler’s big scene. These fish are one of the most desirable species within range of the fishing piers. And a big scene it is, since once again the first reported king landing of the year is coming from the Little Island fishing pier this week. Two kings, with one smoker exceeding 50-pounds, were hooked from the pier using live bait on a pin rig, while another king was also landed from the Virginia Beach fishing pier using similar techniques.

Although king mackerel will dominate much of the interest along the beaches, nice Spanish mackerel continue to hit small spoons trolled at 6 to 8 knots along the beach in about 25 feet of water. Use small planers or 4 to 6 oz in line sinkers to place the spoons within range.

Flounder seem to be on everyone’s mind as folks find good luck with limits of nice fish, with several weighing in at over 10-pounds. Most of the larger fish are hitting live bait along lower bay structure, but drifters are also scoring with respectable fish. The hottest spots for dragging baits for flounder are the Baltimore Channel, the eastern section of the Thimble Shoal Channel, and the Cell and Buoy 36A areas. For live baiters, the Cell, the CBBT, and inshore wrecks are still providing very good results. Be mindful of the flounder closure from July 21st to the 30th.

Cobia are starting to show signs of their late summer pattern as they begin grouping in the lower bay and along coastal waters. More cobia are cruising the top waters, but most of the fish within the bay are only ranging to around 30-pounds. A few larger fish to over 70-pounds are coming from the CBBT structure and from the oceanfront buoy lines and wrecks.

Big red drum also continue to provide good top water action as they school around lower bay shoals and structure. Ben Shepherd and Rudy Levasseur, both of Chesapeake, had a good day when they released six bull reds hooked from a school they spotted while flounder fishing this week. Although not drawing much interest lately, black drum are also still hitting for casters around the 3rd and 4th islands of the CBBT on Storm lures and grubs. Continue Reading »

Message from Ken Hinman over at the Coalition of Marine Conservation

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SHARK CONSERVATION ACT MOVING THROUGH CONGRESS
Please write to your senators

On July 8th, 2008, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the Shark Conservation Act H.R. 5741to strengthen the U.S. shark finning ban and encourage other countries to implement comparable regulations or face U.S. sanctions.

Before reaching the House floor for a vote, the Subcommittee on Fisheries, Wildlife, and Oceans amended the act to require the fins to be naturally attached to any shark landed within the United States and its territories. This is a major victory for sharks because the fins-on requirement would not only help enforcement of the finning ban, it would also assist in the identification of sharks, improving our understanding of shark populations.

Now the bill has moved on to the Senate and must be approved by majority before it can be enacted. The Senate version of the Shark Conservation Act (S. 3231) was introduced by Senator John Kerry (D-MA) after the House vote, and the bill was then referred to the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation. We need your help to keep the momentum going!  Please take a moment to write to your senators today.

Visit NCMC’s web site for instructions on contacting your senators and to view a sample letter.