[Capt Stephen]

SAT 7-30.....WENT OUT WITH A COUPLE OF FRIENDS TO DO SOME GROUPER FISHING. I CAUGHT A FEW, BUT THEY WERE TEARING THEM UP. THEY SET THE LONG LINE FOR KINGS IN MY ROD HOLDER AND THAT THING WENT OFF EVERY FIVE MINUTES. HAD A BALL UNTIL THE THUNDERSTORM GOT US. I COULDN'T HAVE GOT ANY WETTER EVEN IF I HAD JUMPED IN THE OCEAN!

SUNDAY....TOOK MY SON AND 2 OF HIS FRIENDS OUT. LANDED 2 KINGS OUT OF THREE, 6 SHARKS, AND LOST A 30+LB COBIA AFTER A FORTY MINUTE FIGHT .
HAD SOME BROKEN HEARTED YOUNGUNS ON MY BOAT SUNDAY.

HOW DID YOU FINISH UP DUDD? IT WAS GOOD TO HEAR FROM YA. I'LL BE DOWN AGAIN THIS WEEKEND. GIVE ME A SHOUT.

CAMERA JUST CAME OUT OF A/C. NOT SURE IF YOU WILL BE ABLE TO SEE THE BOYS WITH THEIR KINGS.

 

[fojoloy]

Way to go Gator Man. In past, seems I always caught more and bigger fish when I got beat up by weather or rough seas. Can't remember all the times I have had to cut kings loose to dodge a mean squall. Something about them that stirs up the fish. LOL They have just set a new weather buoy (real time) 5 miles off New River. May want to add to your favorites http://www.cormp.org/ You've got me wanting to slip my 18 footer offshore.

Regards, Forrest

 

[sinker man]

Just checked out that link and coupled with wave cast and lunar phase I'd say today should be pretty good too. Early mornings this week out just off the beach should be good tarpon hunting but better check that out if you decide to go. They may be in a definite pattern right now, such as around a certain inlet at night and then cruising up the beach to a certain feeding station during the day. That kind of info is worth finding out upfront with the price of gas being so high. AL

 

[Capt Stephen]

I SAVED THAT SITE TO MY FAVORITES A LITTLE WHILE AGO....GONNA COME IN VERY HANDY. THEY ARE ALSO PUTING A DATA BOUY AT 25 MILES OUT NR INLET SOON. THESE WILL BE A BIG HELP.

I PAY SERIOUS ATTENTION TO THE PHASE PERIODS FOR BEST BITE TIMES....YOU WOULD NOT BELIEVE HOW MANY TIMES THIS HAS BEEN RIGHT ON THE MONEY!!!

FOJOLOY.....SAME HERE. THE TOUGHER THE CONDITIONS THE BETTER I DO. WISH IT WAS THE OTHER WAY AROUND SO I WOULDN'T BE SO SORE ON THE GOOD BITE DAYS.

YOU MIGHT WANT TO CONSIDER STAYING IN CLOSE FOR THOSE KINGS. MY BUDS BOATED A 36 AND 41 LB SET OF SMOKERS LESS THAN 2 MILES OUT LAST WEEKEND. SEEMS THE FALL FISH ARE SHOWING A LITTLE EARLY. I MIGHT STAY IN TIGHT THIS WEEKEND.

 

[sinker man]

Hey Gator Man do you have any idea how far off the shrimpers were working last weekend? If they were in close it don"t really mean anything but there is a possibility that them big smokers were looking for easy handouts. If they were well offshore from where they were fishing I am even more curious. The water temp was pretty warm inshore. Early morning I can see but if they caught them later in the day it would be very interesting to know all the circumstances. I heard there were a lot of spanish just inside new river inlet last weekend. If they caught them just outside of the inlet they may be feeding on the spanish. My view is that big kings are looking for easy meals this time of year. Big slow moving baits being the easiest. Down toward the middle of TI there were some big whiting. I have no idea what was to the north of the inlet. I have a feeling that those big boys were in there for a definite reason. It would be interesting to know what it was. It might pay off to get a little nosey.
AL

 

[Capt Stephen]

not sure about the shrimp boats. did see one on my way out but he was south of my direction. my guess is the spanish are the answer. there was a big run of nice sized keeper spanish at the end of last week according to the locals i know down at sneads ferry. i heard some guys talking on the radio saturday that hit a large school too. these big kings love big spanish.. some of my best fish come on large blues and spanish on balloon rigs...

i'll ask more questions this weekend but you know how it goes trying to get answers from the guys who are on the big bite!

 

[fojoloy]

Gator Man--- We have bad inlet, but we have never have to go over two miles to get into kings up here. AR 275 is two miles offshore, in addition to some other unmarked wrecks, plus falling tides around shallow inlets provide good tide lines less than 1/4 mile off to live bait. My problem with AR 275, it exposed a glory hole, there was an existing reef already there. For over 12 years, a very few of us had this spot named King City on our Lorans. One of those places, when you started dropping a live pogy on downrigger, you would get fish on before you could get it set. My wife and I were anchored on it one Sunday afternoon catching sea bass and trigger fish when a tug pushing a barge loaded with concrete culverts appeared on scene. The captain got on his bull horn and told us to move as he had to unload where we were anchored. Month later, a big AR 275 marker and about 100 boats I'd never seen before. The rest is history. A number of area tournament winners have been caught on this location. Most of boats come from south around MHC area. Fuel costs has reduced fishing pressure and I bet those big kings are probably eating the small ones out there about now.

 

[sinker man]

It seems most likely that spanish mackeral were what attracted those big kings. They do have a fondness for their smaller cousins, that much is for sure. Down on the southern gulf coast of Florida they have fished the mullet to death and now in the fall instead of fishing the mullet run they have to wait for the spanish and blue runners to make their way south on the heels of glass minnows and baby thread herring. There are no big schools of mullet there any more. To them, a big school would be a dozen or more. I would hate to see the East coast get that way. The menhaden got pretty depleated for a few years but are doing a little better now I think. During the 70's there plenty of menhaden and the kings were thick. It seemed to me that in the late 70's that fishery really grew and I wondered if there would be any menhaden left. I think that the fishermen put themselves nearly out of buisness and only a few remained . Now the menhaden seem to be making a comeback but the demand for menhaden products has risen in the meantime. I sure hope the people running the reduction facilities have learned to take care of the resource rather than trying to eat the goose that lays the golden eggs. It is my understanding that the Chesapeake population of menhaden has grown critically low and the stripers up there are really suffering. That dramatically effects them, but in the winter it also affects the outer banks stripers and blues. Fojoloy can probably document this better than I can but what I'm trying to point out is that we need to stay aware of what is happening to not only the kings, but their food sources from larvae kings to big ol' smokers.
AL

 

[fojoloy]

The states last menhaden operation in Beaufort has closed. I understand that only one of the plants in Reedville,Va is still operating. Without doubt this has been a mismanaged business of harvesting natural resources. Since the sixties I have on occasions done business with these industries from Reedville to Southport. Closing of factories solve problem? Don't think so. Just probably bring in foreign factory boats. What the sad part is, the average person doesn't realize is that you use menhaden involved products daily, unless you belong to some far out naturalist cult. Another factor, I have been involved with industrail water treatment my entire life and can relate to some horror stories about dumping by some of our states finest corporations, of course at the time it happened it was not illegal. Unfortunally, we are still paying the toll. First lesson is pollution depletes oxygen. Some people need to get real concerning the menhaden kills on the Neuse River.

Regards, Forrest

 

[sinker man]

Menhaden are one of the more important fish in the states waters. When environmental problems start killing them we ought to all make sure the problems are corrected and measures taken to prevent reoccurance. As filter feeders menhaden help keep the water quality up and turn nutrients into a useable commodity plus they provide nourishment for the vast majority of the fish found in the states waters. I agree that the loss of the reduction plant in Beaufort was a loss to the state and nation that should have been avoided and could have been avoided. The time has come for all people to realize that our oceans are vulnerable to over fishing and that depletion of one stock affects other stocks in a number of ways. Our fisheries managers at the federal level seem to be politicians with a phd in BS. Until we get some people in those positions who will protect the stocks thru sensible regulation and long term approaches the recreational and commercial fishermen are stuck with a rollercoaster that is going to see many ups and downs. Unfortunatelly things at the state level are controlled by politicians who are even more subject to manage according to personal gain. Having put in my two cents worth I relinquish the soap box.
AL

 

[fojoloy]

Al--- Well stated. I will add another one cents worth. While all the focus is on the menhaden, the skimmer boats with jet drives are doing well to reduce the mullet population. But, WHOA!! I'll bet I can leave my house right now and drive to Davis,NC, about ten miles on hwy 70 and find at least four trucks parked and sports fishermen throwing cast nets on fingerling mullet, filling 5 gal. buckets of which about 24 minnows will be good bait until it gets too soft to use and remainder will be dumped. It's going to to take sacrifice and cooperation from everyone before improvements can be expected, and then it's probably going to be long term.

Forrest

 

[sinker man]

I used to do the same thing before I realized what was happening to all of the fish stocks. I try to limit my self on bait to what I will use even if they are not biting. No more 'get enough to make sure just in case' type thinking. You can usually find bait where the fish are so I get enough to start fishing and more if I need it when that runs out. Over 1/2 the fishing I do is with lures anyway.
AL

 

[sinker man]

Gator Man, the boy's were not the only ones who got big kings last weekend. According to fisherman's post they were scattered up and down the beaches. It seems like the wrong time for big kings to be on the beach but I'm happy to hear that they are there. Let's just hope it isn't attributable to lack of food elsewhere. I would rather think that it's because them and the spanish are more abundant now. I would like to say thanks to GCCA, Florida Sportsman magazine and Saltwater Sportsman Magazine for their efforts to unite saltwater fisherman and educate the public as to why we needed limits and more restrictions on both commercial and recreational fishing. The sucesses in TX and FL made it clear that the fish were being badly overfished, and that with limits we would actually catch more fish in the long haul. I hope that the king thing is directly attributal to Florida's net ban and limits. Now that we have more predators we need to tighten up and make sure they have plenty to eat while they are here. Oops! I better get down off that soap box again. lol AL

 

[Capt Stephen]

I'm going to be an optomist in this case and say that i think the king population is in good shape. for the most part, i think rec. fisherman are heeding the words there reading and fishing more responsibly. i know there is always that one bonehead looking to show off more than to feed the family and brings in anything that bites. they use to out # those of us who caught our limits or less and moved on but i think the tables are turning for the better. don't get me wrong....there is still problems that need to be resolved with rec. fishing that will require policing among ourselves.
Concerning commercial fishing... i think we forget how smart we have become and it can be detremental to our recourses. the technology that has been derived for menhaden fishing can completly wipe out incredibly massive amounts of the resource in one single effort. management has been outdone by greed in my opinion. i agree that commercial fishing can be done without devistation to any of our populations of marine life ( as we all are using these resources being provided) but somehow .....control must be imparted....don't have those answers but collectivly we should be able to come up with something!

now you guys had to get me started. lol
here....take this soap box back.

headed back down to sneads ferry tommorrow. looks good for surface conditions

i will catch the amount of bait i usually catch and fish a while......if the bite is on,,,i will need to catch more as always.. catch what i need and rarely have to throw away any( alive 99% of the time) .....unless the thunderstorms get me.

AL...FOREST... YA'LL HAVE A GOOD WEEKEND
I'LL BE BACK SUNDAY NIGHT.

STEPHEN
"GATOR MAN"
VHF CHANNEL 71

 

[sinker man]

Good Luck!!!! Time for that forty plus. Maybe a big ol silver thang too! Keep us Posted
AL

 

[Dudd]

Gator Man

Had a couple of good strikes but no hook-ups. Didn't want to head out too far with the weather on edge.
My son is comming down Fri night and hope to get out this weekend.
I'll give you a shout on 71.
Good fishing
Dudd

 

[brickphil]

Anyone know any of these guys in this thread?

 

[Island Man]

No but this was a 2005 thread?

Anyone know any of these guys in this thread?

 

[trigger22]

Only name I recognize is fojoloy. RIP Good Sir. He will forever be remembered as one of the greats of NCangler's past.

 

[brickphil]

I searched grouper and this come up. I did see it was old, but saw these guys showed a great interest in grouper fishing.