Got the word that the bite is on in Montauk again this week with stripers, albies and bluefish. Too much to resist, just finished tying some flies, packing and heading out this afternoon. Pictures to come…

Brandon

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.

September 25, 2008 Fishing Report
We have had a weather system sitting off our coast for the past week that has curtailed most fishing activities. some fishing has taken place in sheltered areas such as the sound side of Bonner Bridge ans off island by Bodie Light house. Some speckled trout, spots and bluefish have been caught. This system is due to wind down in the next couip[le of days. It is anticipated that fishing will be good as a result. This wind will have moved things along. Strip[ed Bass (rockfish) season opens in the Albemarle Sound mangement area on the first of October (next Wednesday).The limits as posted on http://www.ncfisheries.net/strbass.htm are minimum length 18 inches, three fish per person per day. The size limit in the ocean is 28 inches minimum size and 2 per person per day same source. Inshore charters and open boats are looking forward to the rock fish season.”

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.

September 25, 2008 Fishing Report
I think Trout fishing will be really good after this storm blows over.
Stay tuned.”

NORTH CAROLINA FISHING REPORTS COVERING THE ENTIRE NORTH CAROLINA COAST

Reported from North Carolina Division of Marine Fisheries

From Knotts Island to Ocracoke:
Ocean: Dolphin catches have been very good with limits being caught on most trips.  Yellowfin tuna catches are much improved, with some nice specimens of 50 to 60 lbs being caught.  Pretty good numbers of wahoo, blackfin tuna, barracuda, greater amberjack, vermilion snapper, black seabass, and asssorted billfish were also caught.  Midrange anglers continue to struggle, with only a few striped bass and red drum being caught.  Nearshore anglers are still catching some nice Spanish mackerel and bluefish when the blitz hits, but with much less frequency than last week’s high volume catches.  Croaker, kingfish, and red drum catches continue to improve.
Inlets/Sounds/Bays: Anglers caught a mixed bag of species in low-moderate amounts. Red drum catches throughout the area were greatly improved, but most were too small to be legal.  Spotted seatrout catches were good under the Washington Baum Bridge in the early morning hours.
Piers/Shore: Anglers caught some very large croakers this week, a few of them weighing in at 3lbs or greater.  Spadefish, blue runners, pinfish, spot, pigfish, kingfish, and assorted skates and rays were caught in moderate amounts.
General Overview: Unfavorable weather conditions have limited fishing efforts somewhat, but conditions are predicted to improve mid-week.  Water temps in the surf throughout the Outer Banks are in the mid-upper 70s.

From Portsmouth to Surf City:

Ocean:  Weather kept most anglers on shore. Bluefish and Spanish mackerel continue to rule the ocean from around Cape Lookout down the beaches to Topsail. There is no offshore report this week.
Inlets/Sounds/Bays: The Turning Basin at the Port was active, with anglers catching nice croakers and pigfish. We had a 10-pound flounder hooked. He came from somewhere in the Beaufort-Morehead City area. The inlets continue to have large Spanish and bluefish. Speckled trout continue to be thick in the Neuse River. Anglers are getting their limit in a couple of hours and the fish weigh from 1.5 to a little over two pounds.
Piers/Shore:  Pier fishing was really hot early Sunday morning. A school of red drum passed by and there was a flurry of activity. Bluefish and Spanish were also hooked - many weighing up to two pounds. Nice sized pompano, black drum   and croakers were seen in coolers. The bluefish blitz continued all morning. Beach bank fishing from Fort Macon, Emerald Isle and Topsail Beach was better than usual. Anglers were catching bluefish and Spanish, speckled trout and ladyfish.

From Topsail to Sunset Beach:
Ocean: Offshore, no reports from last week due to high winds. There were some wahoo, dolphin, and sailfish caught before the blow. Nearshore, the fall king mackerel bite is starting to kick off. There were some very nice fish caught last week along the Brunswick County beaches. Yaupon reef and Lockwood Folly Inlet produced some nice catches over the weekend with fish up to 40 pounds reported. Spanish mackerel fishing was also good last week as well in the same general areas where the kings were caught. There were a good many large red drum caught by king mackerel fisherman at Yaupon reef as well.
Inlets/Sounds/Bays: Fishing seemed to really slow this week. The flounder fishing has really slowed in the Cape Fear River over the last couple of weeks, and the trout fishing, which has been good, slowed last week. Windy conditions all week made fishing difficult. I did hear of some really good red drum catches in the ICW down toward Ocean Isle. Some very nice catches of sheepshead were caught last week at Snow’s cut.
Piers/Shore: Fishing has been getting better every day. Area piers report very nice catches of pompano, black drum, and tons of bluefish. There are also some Spanish mackerel being caught in good numbers when conditions are right. There were some good king mackerel catches last week on most area piers, with the pier on Oak Island doing well on them. The spots should start showing in the coming weeks. No reports from the surf last week due to the high surf, but catches should mirror the pier catches.

We posted a lot about herring in our blog here; we need the herring to be abundant as a food source for a lot of other fish like striped bass, bluefin tuna, and all the other larger fish that swim in the Atlantic waters. Make your opinion known in your area.

Atlantic coastal states have scheduled their hearings to gather public comment on Draft Amendment 2 to the Interstate Fishery Management Plan for River Herring. The Virginia Marine Resources Commission will also be conducting a hearing though the details have not been finalized. Once available the hearing details will be posted to the Commission website at http://www.asmfc.org/meetings.htm.

The dates, times, and locations of the scheduled meetings follow:

Maine Department of Marine Resources
December 2, 2008, 6 PM
Wiscasset High School
272 Gardinner Road
Wiscasset, Maine
Contact: Terry Stockwell at (207) 624-6533

December 8, 2008, 6PM
Ellsworth High School
299 State Street
Ellsworth, Maine
Contact: Terry Stockwell at (207) 624-6533

December 11, 2008, 6PM
University of Maine Machias Science Center
9 O’Brien Avenue
Machias, Maine
Contact: Terry Stockwell at (207) 624-6533

New Hampshire Fish and Game
November 5, 2008, 7PM
Urban Foresty Center
45 Elwyn Center
Portsmouth, New Hampshire
Contact: Doug Grout at (603) 868-1095

Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries
December 1, 2008, 6PM
Plymouth Radisson
180 Water Street
Plymouth, Massachusetts
Contact: Melanie Griffin at (617) 626-1528
 
December 2, 2008, 6PM
Annisquam River Marine Fisheries Station
30 Emerson Avenue
Gloucester, Massachusetts
Contact: Melanie Griffin at (617) 626-1528

Rhode Island Division of Fish and Wildlife
November 6, 2008, 6PM
URI Narragansett Bay Campus
Corless Auditorium
215 South Ferry Road
Narragansett, Rhode Island
Contact: Phillip Edwards at (410) 789-0281

Connecticut Dept. of Environmental Protection
November 6, 2008, 7PM
Marine Headquarters
333 Ferry Road
Old Lyme, Connecticut
Contact: David Simpson at (860) 434-6043

New York Dept. of Environmental Conservation
December 8, 2008, 7PM
Hudson River National Estuarine Research Reserve
256 Norris Point Way
Staatsburg, New York
Contact: Andy Kahnle at (845) 256-3072

New Jersey Division of Fish and Wildlife
November 6, 2008, 7PM
Galloway Township Public Library
Galloway, New Jersey
Contact: Tom McCloy at (609) 292-7794

Maryland Dept. of Natural Resources
October 27, 2008, 6PM
Matapeake Natural Resources Police Training Academy
Conference Room
Stevensville, Maryland
Contact: Bob Sadzinski at (410) 643-6776 x 2121

North Carolina Division of Marine Fisheries
November 18, 2008, 6:30PM
College of Albemarle
1208 North Road Street
Room FC121B/C
Elizabeth City, North Carolina
Contact: Sara Winslow (252) 2643911

South Carolina Dept. of Natural Resources
October 14, 2008, 6PM
Santee-Cooper Auditorium
1 Riverwood Drive
Monks Corner, South Carolina
Contact: Bill Post at (843) 953-9821

Draft Amendment 2 seeks input on proposed requirements for river herring population and bycatch monitoring, as well as commercial and recreational management measures. It is anticipated that the majority of coastal states will be conducting public meetings on the Draft Amendment; information on those meetings will be released once they become finalized.

The Draft Amendment has been developed in response to widespread concern regarding the decline of river herring stocks. While many populations of blueback herring and alewife, collectively known as river herring, are in decline or remain depressed at stable levels, lack of fishery-dependent and independent data makes it difficult to ascertain the status of river herring stocks coastwide. Between 1985 and 2004, commercial landings of river herring dropped by 90 percent from 13.6 to 1.33 million pounds. In 2007, Commission member states reported river herring landings of approximately 1.1 million pounds. In response to declining stocks within their own waters, four states—Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, and North Carolina—have closed their river herring fisheries. River herring stocks are a multi-jurisdictional resource occurring in rivers and coastal waters. River herring bycatch continues to be a significant concern. Preliminary analyses indicate that, in some years, the total bycatch of river herring species by the Atlantic herring fleet alone could be equal to the total landings from the entire in-river directed fishery on the East Coast.

The Draft Amendment proposes a suite of management measures to address these concerns and ensure the survival and enhancement of depressed stocks or the maintenance of presently stable stocks. The Draft Amendment proposes mandatory data and bycatch monitoring provisions, as well as options to close fisheries by river system or establish a coastwide moratorium on the river herring fishery.  Specific commercial measures include area closures, escapement provisions, and landings reductions by river systems, as well as limited access. Recreational measures include recreational license/permit, limiting recreational harvest by the days of the week, coastwide creel limit, gear restrictions, and area or seasonal closures by river system.

Fishermen and other interested groups are encouraged to provide input on Draft Amendment 2, either through attending public hearings or providing written comments.  Copies can be obtained by contacting the Commission at (202) 289-6400 or via the Commission’s website at www.asmfc.org under Breaking News.  Public comment will be accepted until 5:00 PM on January 1, 2009 and should be forwarded to Kate Taylor, Fishery Management Plan Coordinator for Management, 1444 ‘Eye’ Street, NW, Sixth Floor, Washington, DC 20005; (202) 289-6051 (FAX) or at comments@asmfc.org (Subject line: River Herring).  For more information, please contact Kate Taylor at (202) 289-6400.                  

President Bush’s historic amendment maintains fishing in marine protected areas

On September 26, President George W. Bush signed an amendment to the 1995 Executive Order on recreational fishing. This historic amendment ensures that federal agencies must maintain recreational fishing on federal lands and waters, including marine protected areas. Once implemented, this policy will provide access to places where men, women and children can enjoy fishing now and in the future. The Executive Order revises Executive Order 12962 signed in 1995 by President Bill Clinton.

Over the past two years, the American Sportfishing Association (ASA), the Center for Coastal Conservation and its members, the Coastal Conservation Association, the Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation, the National Marine Manufacturers Association and the Shimano American Corporation worked together to secure recreational fishing and boating access. President Bush’s amendment recognizes the marine and freshwater conservation impact of recreational anglers by allowing responsible recreational fishing and boating in marine protected areas and federal lands.

“We applaud the President for taking this unprecedented step which recognizes that anglers and boaters play a significant and critical role in this country’s successful conservation model which is the envy of the world,” said ASA President and CEO Mike Nussman. “As a recreational angler and boater himself, the President clearly understands that sportsmen and women are conservationists first and foremost and that recreational fishing is an essential component of the nation’s heritage.”

“The President’s action established a legacy for recreational fishing by securing access to fishing and boating, the lifeblood of the American model of fisheries management and conservation,” said ASA Vice President Gordon Robertson. “Every time American anglers buy fishing licenses or sportfishing equipment, an investment is made in fishing’s future. This highly successful user-pay system for fishery management depends on access to the resource.”

An August 25 Executive Memo signed by President Bush set the stage for today’s Executive Order. The memo directed the Secretaries of Defense, Interior and Commerce and the Chairman of the Council on Environmental Quality to sustain access to recreational fishing as part of their study of potential marine protected areas (MPA) in the central Pacific Ocean. ASA supported the president’s directive and his decision not to include the Gulf of Mexico and marine areas of the southeast United States as part of that MPA study.

Virginia Fishing Report: Covering the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel, Inshore and Virginia Offshore Fishing
Once the weather begins cooperating, anglers can experience a great introduction to the fall fishing season. The latest blow was the hallmark of dropping water temperatures, which means the summer favorites are lining up to exit the area, while the cool water species are taking up residence.

The fall red drum procession is gaining momentum, as good catches continue to come from lower bay and coastal waters. Big channel bass are tempting surf and pier anglers at the Little Island Fishing Pier when they can fish for them. But the oceanfront piers were recently closed due to unsafe weather. If you’re planning your day around drumming off the piers, be sure to call ahead if the weather looks questionable.

Puppy drum are the most reliable species lately, with pups providing good action within any inlet and along all the lower bay and ocean front shorelines. Several 30-inchers were landed by surf anglers fishing the Lesner Bridge in Lynnhaven Inlet this week using cut mullet.

Flounder will still be waiting for when the water clears. A few flatfish are taking drifted baits off Kiptopeke, where a 7-pound, 5-ounce fish fell for a squid and minnow combo this week. Anglers are working hard for the flatfish in the dirty water and wind, so the protected inlets are also a good choice for flatfish right now. Some fish to 4-pounds were landed off docks within Lynnhaven this week. Offshore and inshore wrecks will also produce keeper flounder along with big seabass.

The spot brigade is marching right along with lots of decent fish available.
Anglers are finding plenty of 12 to 14-ounce spot within the protected Rudee and Lynnhaven Inlets. Spot thrive in a Northerly wind, which pushes fish against the southernmost shorelines of the bay. The folks at the Lynnhaven Fishing Pier report that pier anglers are catching good numbers of big spot on bloodworms and Fishbites, with the best bites occurring on the incoming tide. Lots of Taylor and snapper bluefish are also hitting in these same areas.

Horse croaker are still hanging on the Hampton Bar and the Monitor-Merrimack Memorial Bridge Tunnel, where shrimp is the favored bait. The lower bay inlets are also holding some nice hardheads, where fish raging to over two-pounds were hooked near the Lesner Bridge this week on shrimp. Rudee Inlet has also given up scattered big croaker lately.

Speckled trout catches are still on the rise within the Eastern Shore bayside creeks, with Hungar’s Creek and Nassawadox Creek giving up the larger fish. Tracy Outten of Machipongo used a Mirrolure to trick her 7-pound speck this week while casting in Nassawadox Creek. The action in Lynnhaven Inlet is also improving with scattered fish averaging to 22-inches biting lately.

Although cobia are cruising out of the bay, anglers have a shot at intercepting their journey as these fish pause on buoys and form small pods along the ocean front on their way south. Sight casting with jigs and live bait will do the trick. Chummers are also still finding good luck with keeper-sized cobia on the lower bay shoals lately.

King mackerel are not cooperating right now, but they will still be a possibility trolling around the Chesapeake Light tower and down to False Cape in clean water. A few nice Spanish are still lingering in the same areas, and false albacore are available closer to shore and around the tower. Big barracuda are also circling the Tower right now, along with Jack Crevelle.

The next fall species will debut next week as the bay striped bass season opens on the 4th of October. Be sure to check the new regulations carefully.

Fall offshore action can be good once boats can get out. Chances for releases of white and blue marlin will materialize after the blow. Swordfish action will be on the upswing, and will continue to improve through the winter months. Catches of decent yellowfin tuna should continue to improve through October along with wahoo. Dolphin action should continue after the blow with plenty of hopeful weed lines to promote the catches.(The above photo is of TidalFish member Healthy Grin, see his full report here.)

Until next week, good luck fishing!

Julie
Dr. Julie Ball
IGFA Representative,

Wachapreague - According to staff at the Wachapreague Marina, numerous dolphin were found at the Norfolk Canyon along with a whopping 272-pound blue marlin. The dolphin ranged from 5 to 20 pounds. Most offshore fishing has been better past 40 fathoms. Inshore, staff reports that flounder fishing is fair.

At Captain Zed’s, anglers continued to catch flounder and croaker near Paramour and Cedar islands, which were hot spots for the season. A few spot and grey trout were landed, and there were reports of small red drum sightings. Offshore action in the canyons has been productive with dolphin and wahoo, and wreck fishing was doing really well with black sea bass.

Virginia’s Middle Bay Fishing Report
by Jerry Thrash From Patriot Charters and Queens Creek Outfitters
Jerry writes: “Winds kept the fishing effort minimal except for river and creek fishing this week.  We did not register any citations. Spot are being caught in the Rappahannock up near the Norris Bridge.  Schools are started down the river and action can be hot and heavy then die out between schools.  Pan-sized grey trout have started biting in the Piankatank with some fish reaching 16″.  This week’s windy weather and dropping temps should start the fall runs.  Bluefish are everywhere and are often hitting spot as they are retrieved. Speckled trout are becoming more active as the fall run appears near.  Mobjack Bay had good action through the weekend. Light tackle fishermen fish shore structure are releasing good numbers of what will be keeper stripers when the season starts on October 4th.”

Lateral Line Ambassador Wild Bill just returned from fishing for stripers, ablies and bluefish the last few days and filed this report. Sounds like Montauk is on fire. Better pack the rods and reels and head up there soon!

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Simon and I took his 23 Reg to Montauk Sunday and fished through Wed. The wind blew from the NE each day 15 to 20 kts and occasionally a little more. The boat sliced through the sometimes big waves in the rips at the Point with ease. There were very few large charter boats out, but those that did go caught some big bass. It seemed like there were fewer light tackle and fly guides booked also. It is a shame more guys did not go because the fishing was stellar. We never had to venture more than a mile from Montauk Point and had surface action almost constantly. By the second day we let all the spin and casting rods in the room and fly exclusively.

The albies were there in force and the stripers were plentiful and of good size for this time of year. The plethora of blues kept the fly tiers busy. It was a challenge to try to stay away from those chewing machines. All of our action was topwater. Crease flies on a floating line worked great, as did small albie flies on intermediate lines. Many of the albies were in the ten pound range.

I had a most unusual catch. Hooked an albie and he quickly ran into the backing. The pull seemed really extreme on my nine wt. As the fish was worked to the boat I saw a second albie caught in my backing. The first albie was landed and released and there was a second albie on my fly. I never heard of such a thing but apparently one of the fish was swimming with his mouth open scooping up rain minnows and got snared in the Dacron backing. He apparently rolled and became more secure in the backing. Both albies were released in good shape. It reminded me a little of crabbing with a trot line when I saw the albies coming in two at a time.

Do not know what it is about a snotty NE wind but it really seems to turn on the albies. In a center console, rain gear is a must even on clear days; and it is not a bad idea to wear a life vest.

Had four days of Montauk at its best with my good friend Simon. We did not count fish but they were abundant. This will be another trip for the memory banks. Brandon and I will try to go back up in another week. It would be great if the fishing remained hot.

If you like eeling, trolling or diamond jigging, it should not be hard to find an open date on one of the many large charter boats. If your game is fly or light tackle, there are a number of capable guides who may have openings.

Picture taking was a little difficult at times, but we did manage a few.

Simon Cleaning Off His Rig

View From Our Motel Window

Common Sight this Week

Simon with a Topwater Bass

Montauk Albie on a Crease Fly

Bass on a Small Rain Bait Imitation

Wild Bill

It’s long been maintained by many, including organizations like Stripers Forever, that there is a glaring problem with the ASMFC management plan for striped bass in that attributes zero allocation to illegal fishing for stripers. Fact is that illegal fishing happens and should be accounted. Why the ASMFC has decided not to account for it is crazy and shortsighted.  Regardless, below is an example of what goes on and these are just guys that got caught.

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HARTFORD, Conn. — A Connecticut fisherman and a Rhode Island seafood dealer were arrested, accused of the illegal sale of striped bass.
The fisherman, Sean Bradshaw, 44, of Pawcatuck, was charged with the landing and sale of striped bass without a commercial license, commercial fishing without a vessel permit, possession of untagged striped bass and the commercial sale of scup without a license and during the closed season.
The seafood dealer, John Guerrieri, 50, of South Kingstown, R.I., was charged with buying seafood without a Connecticut seafood dealers license and operating a motor vehicle without a license.

The DEP’s Environmental Conservation Police unit and the Rhode Island Environmental Police investigated and both men were arrested Monday at Bradshaw’s home.
At the time of the arrest, Connecticut and Rhode Island officers seized 42 striped bass, total weight 971 pounds and 89 scup, total weight 87 pounds.
With the fair market value for commercial striped bass at around $3 per pound, the estimated value of this bass was $2,913. All of the fish was donated to the Amos House in Providence, Rhode Island.

A CBIBS buoy was deployed at the mouth of the Susquehanna River near Havre de Grace, Maryland, on September 13, 2008. This buoy–the fifth in the CBIBS sytem–is located at latitude 39 32.448 N, longitude 76 04.383 W. Like the other buoys in the system, buoy “S” buoy provides real-time meteorological, oceanographic, and water-quality data, as well as historical and seasonal information. The Susquehanna buoy will also soon feature an additional nutrient sensor. The CBIBS toll-free phone number (877-BUOY-BAY) now features all this information from the buoy (press 6 for the Susquehanna buoy).  You can also check out all this and all the other buoys in the Chesapeake Bay here