Coastal Angler Magazine | May 2023 | Boston Edition

Spring is in the Air... as we experience longer amounts of daylight along with the annual rituals in Maine. The return of the Turkey Vultures, Woodcock, Canada Geese and Spawning Smelt gives us outdoor folks the itch to get outside and camp on a fishing trip! Fishing and camping go together like pea- nut butter and jelly so why not learn how to camp “safely with comfort” and get the most out of your fishing adventure. Camping can mean many different things to many different people. So for all practical purposes we will talk about being prepared in a simple fashion. Some of best fishing spots are just not found in an RV park!!! This time of year is a great time to think about your gear and equipment list!

Comtinued on page 5

George K. Regan, Jr. Publisher Boston Edition

Julie Kahn Executive Vice President/ Strategy, Sports & Media

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RED SPRING USHERS IN

pring is one of my favorite seasons for shing. Fish are warming up and feeding aggressively, especially red sh. Red sh eagerly consume an array of baits this time of year, but there is one arti cial that sets itself apart from the others. Have you guessed it?

If you said, “gold spoon,” you were correct. When you look at the spoon it seems unimpressive, to be honest. However, that is the beauty of it all; we, as anglers, overcomplicate shing. Sometimes all you need is an awkward piece of gold metal to shake the skunk.

WHAT

It combines pro le, color and vibration, which play on the three signi cant senses most game sh use when feeding. e shape might resemble a crab, a small sh or a wounded shrimp, and the unique wobble lets sh know it’s an easy target. Gold spoons are great for beginners and avid anglers alike, they can be rigged weedless, and they are easy to cast. One of my go-to spoons for red sh is the FishLab Bio-Spoon.

RIGGING A SPOON

Rigging is simple; attach a 20- to 30-pound uorocarbon or mono lament leader directly to the spoon. I attach a snap swivel directly to the spoon to prevent line twists. A 1/4-ounce spoon is usually an excellent choice, especially when the bait is smaller. Remember to match the hatch in

terms of size. Pair the spoon with a 7 or 7 1/2-foot medium fast spinning rod and 15-pound braid. My preferred setup is the Okuma ITX 4000 paired with an Okuma SRT spinning rod.

Spoons can produce sh in various conditions, but there are situations when it shines. Along weed lines, mangroves or similar structures should be your rst targets, as this is where red sh congregate. Remember, reds travel in groups, so work an area thoroughly for consistent action. Repeated casts to the exact location or the same retrieval path will o en produce multiple sh.

Gold spoons are best suited for stained or dark water. In cleaner water, the same techniques can be used with a silver spoon. e shape of the spoon and hook guard combine to allow the lure to bounce o obstructions like weeds, mangroves, oyster beds or rocks where other lures might be lost.

Erratic action is the key to the spoon’s success. Many anglers cast and pause, allowing the spoon to utter. If you do not get a hit right o the bat, you have two options for the retrieve. A steady retrieve, varying speed based on conditions, will o en draw sh out and even right to the boat. Others prefer to add a twitch to their retrieve, feeling it increases the motion. Try each or mix it up based on what the sh respond to. Be bold, and try new techniques. Be sure to pick up a Salty Scales Performance shing shirt, stay protected, and remain comfortable on the water.

Capt. Joshua Taylor is a Tampa guide and founder of Salty Scales Performance Fishing Gear. Check them out at www.saltyscales.com.

MAKES THE GOLD SPOON UNIQUE?

HOW TO FISH A SPOON

By Capt. Joshua Taylor

FINALLY, BACK TO GROUPER FISHING

There was a time in my life that we took certain things for granted. For example, No limits and/or seasons on speckled trout, drum, ounder and especially GROUPER! I never thought I would say the two words “grouper” and “season” in the same sentence. Never mind, I’m just venting because I prefer bottom shing and light lining above all other styles of o shore shing.

I went through this last year about this time, but I’ll do it again for those folks who might have missed it. is is the way I start every location we anchor on, or post up with the Rhodan.

NOTE: We take two boxes of quid on every trip, and we typically have live pin sh from the marina also.

I typically have three or four folks with me every trip. We start by ring down whole squid on the jig. Meanwhile, I’m on the sabiki jigging up whatever is on the bottom below us. I don’t care what is coming up on the whole squid, as this is not the main focus. e real objective is to set a nice ‘chum slick” on the bottom to attract the sh you’re really shing for. A er 4 or 5 rounds of the whole frozen squid, we will re down live pin sh or whatever I’ve jigged up on the sabiki. e other advantage of shing a live pin sh, grass grunt, sailors’ choice or whatever you can jig up, is it eliminates the trash bites. In addition to eliminating the trash bites from small snapper, seabass and other “undesirables,” it’s like physcological warfare, as the gags, scamps and reds cannot digest all that is going on here. To them it appears like the pin sh, grass grunts etc, think the live baits were running around picking up squid pieces, and the squid or crab jigs have caught them and the live bait is struggling to get away. BAM!!! e bite happens. is, my friends, is the di erence between “bottom shing” and GROUPER shing.

Another bait that’s a dead ringer for a grouper bite is a butter ied

bait. e butter ied bait on the bottom basically does the same thing as the squid. e small snapper and other smaller sh will hammer the lets until the grouper have had enough of it. You will feel the small sh biting it constantly, but then all of a sudden the small “pecking” bites will stop. Get ready, and don’t move it… the grouper has moved in and everyone else has to leave, because it’s time for the real bite!

Enough about the bottom. I will occasionally troll for a LITTLE WHILE, but this would be to accomplish two things at once. Catch a sh or two, but also to locate the best part of any given ledge with lots of bait and sh on the bottom. As soon as we locate the bait, reel in the troll baits and get to work! Everything you catch trolling, you can catch on the light line while you’re grouper shing. Tuna, dolphin and wahoo are idiots for a big fat (live) greenie, sardine, cigar minnow or goggle eye out back behind the boat in the current.

All the best shing,

Check out more from Tim Barefoot at barefootcatsandtackle.com

Tim Barefoot

Are Saying

It was a perfect late autumn day in the northern Rockies. Not a cloud in the sky, and just enough cool in the air to stir up nostalgic memories of my trip into the backwoods. is year, though, was di erent. I was going it solo. My two buddies, pleading work responsibilities, backed out at the last minute. So, armed with my trusty knife, I set out for adventure.

Well, what I found was a whole lot of trouble. As in 8 feet and 800-pounds of trouble in the form of a grizzly bear. Seems this grumpy fella was out looking for some adventure too. Mr. Grizzly saw me, stood up to his entire 8 feet of ferocity and let out a roar that made my blood turn to ice and my hair stand up. Unsnapping my leather sheath, I felt for my hefty, trusty knife and felt emboldened. I then showed the massive grizzly over 6 inches of 420 surgical grade stainless steel, raised my hands and yelled, “Whoa bear! Whoa bear!” I must have made my point, as he gave me an almost admiring grunt before turning tail and heading back into the woods.

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By TAM Sta

Where Southern Stripers run

WhereSouthern Stripers run WhereSouthern Stripers run WhereSouthern Stripers run

species that crosses their path.

It is a good time to be a river angler. Here are three excellent destinations for river-run striped bass in the South.

• Saluda River: Columbia, South Carolina

In spring and summer, scads of striped bass make the 60-mile run up the Congaree River from the Santee-Cooper Lakes southeast of Columbia, S.C. By late summer, most of those sh pile into the Saluda River, which is a short, 10-mile-long tributary that’s fed with cold water from the dam at Lake Murray. August is the heart of the Saluda season, when 100- sh days of 2- to 5-pound stripers are possible. Fish heavier than 20 pounds are a possibility, but this shery sees a lot of pressure and the water is normally very clear. e big ones spook easily and become nicky late in the season.

• Etowah River: Cartersville, Georgia

On Georgia’s Etowah River, the sh are spread out over about 50 miles of river, so covering water is the name of the game. Anglers should expect to do a lot of casting to each shoal and piece of wood cover where stripers might lie in ambush.

Starting in April, they run some 75 miles upriver from Alabama’s Lake Weiss to a lowhead dam downstream of Georgia’s Lake Allatoona. e sh are constantly on the move and the idea is to intercept them. Anglers might hook up with sh from 4 pounds on up to 20 pounds and larger.

• Hiwassee River: Reliance, Tennessee

e Hiwassee is more of a quality than quantity shery. Anglers are called on to sh hard for just a few bites, but those bites come from sh that o en weigh 20, 30, even 40 pounds or more.

In the South, the striped bass runs of spring and summer bring some of the most exciting shing of the year for those who prefer to sh rivers. Landlocked striped bass are as large and powerful as any sh in freshwater, and for most of the year they are only available to big-lake anglers who troll or downline live baits.

at all changes in spring. e rst groups of striper migrate into the rivers on spawning runs. In many locations, this spring run is followed by a larger summertime push, when pods of striped bass move up into cooler, more oxygenated waters. Sometimes they pile up below dams, and sometimes they patrol surprisingly skinny waters in wolf packs, gobbling up any prey

Most years, the wide, shoal-broken river around Reliance loads up with striped bass from July into September. ese are big-river sh that run some 50-miles upstream from the Tennessee River at Lake Chickamauga. ey revel in cold, oxygenated water that ows down the mountains from Apalachia Lake on the North Carolina/Tennessee border.

ey hold in the same holes and shoals every year to feed heavily on skipjack herring, gizzard shad and the stocked trout Tennessee puts in the river for anglers.

For more information, go to coastalanglermagazine.com.

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George K. Regan,

The Hunt of the EIusive

By Grant Thompson

they were 35+ pound fish.

A few years before my grandfather passed, my grandparents decided to take me to an old inn restaurant in York Village.

about a rowboat? No. How crazy would a kayak be?

I grew up on the North Shore of Massachusetts and was lucky enough to spend the majority of my summers as a child in York Maine where my grandparents lived.

After the seemingly obligatory father son freshwater fishing trip as a kid which included catching sunfish with night crawlers, I was hooked, and my imagination about the type and size of fish that I could catch grew as I grew.

Unlike many of the stories go, my grandfather who resided in York Maine never held a fishing rod in his hand until I brought one to his house. He was a city boy who was a firefighter lieutenant in Charlestown his entire life. We decided to take a try at saltwater fishing. He was happy just spending time with me, and I was happy chasing fish bigger than a bluegill. Many of our late night talks consisted of the few schoolie stripers we had caught from the shoreline throughout the summer months, talking them up as if

During the meal I had to take a leak, so I got up and searched for the bathroom. While on my way to find the bathroom, I walked into a hall. The hall consisted of old black and white pictures, all of which were taken in York during the early 1900’s. I began to examine a few of the photographs, and then I came across one that would change everything for me. It was a picture of two men standing behind a behemoth of a shark. It wasn’t a great white, and it wasn’t a mako. I had never seen anything like it. The picture labeled it as a “poor beagle shark”. That picture stayed engraved in my mind for years, until the about 3 ago years when I decided I wanted to hunt that mystifying beast right in York.

As a freshman student athlete in college, I was broke. The idea of buying a small skiff was quickly met with reality. So I had to begin to think outside the box. How could I chase an offshore shark without a boat? What

A month later I found myself in New Hampshire buying an old beat up Hobie Kayak from a man I met through craigslist. Perfect I thought. Now all I had to do was save up for one of those beautiful shiny gold conventional reels I saw on TV. I mowed some lawns and catered during the summer months.

That fall I drove up to the Kittery Trading Post and got one of those shiny TV reels, and a Penn Tuna Stick to match. This is it I thought, how cool would this be?

That ensuing summer I made my first venture out of the Cape Neddick River and into Maine’s gulf. After a couple hours of paddling out and an estimated 3 miles of total travel, I quickly realized I was not alone. A seal followed me away’s, and by the time I decided I had met my limit as to how far out I’d go, I was met with a pack of porpoises. What always seemed like an empty but beautiful blue shimmering ocean from shore, turned out to be another world full of life.

I took 3 more trips out into the abyss, dropping whole mackerel over the side of my

kayak with cheap commercial shark rigs I had bought at the local stores. No weights, no chum, no real plan, I was just happy “pursuing” this legend and lore type of adventure.

Every time I made my way back to shore after hours of paddling, I found myself smiling every time. I was excited about it, and wanted to tell people, you know, fishermen. My excitement about this was immediately met with criticism. “You’re crazy” one tackle shop owner told me. “It’s a pelagic shark which could not and should not try to be reached by a kayak” another one said. “You’re asking to be killed.” Holding on to any sign of hope, I attended a “Shark Seminar” up in Maine the summer going into my senior year. After it was over I waited till I was the last person in the room while the “registered Maine fishing guide” was packing up his equipment. He’s passionate about this I thought, maybe he’ll be more open to my idea and have some valuable information for me. I told him my plan, and he belched out laughing.

That was the day I decided I was actually going to catch the porbeagle.

Jr. Publisher Boston Edition

Julie Kahn President, Regan Marketing & Media

Searching for table fare along the Gulf

Coast

There’s a road trip and then there’s a ROAD trip.

With the work I do I get to spend a lot of time traveling. I hit spots around New England and the country, learning from pros and experts everywhere I go. But the journey I went on recently with my cameraman

Chris Goodney made the ones that came before it seem like small potatoes.

Our mission: travel the Gulf Coast between Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Florida in search of the best tablefare species of fish; then catch, fillet, and dine on those species.

And who did I have to thank for this opportunity? Dexter

3,500 Miles of Fishing and Fun

By Dan Kenney

Knives, the oldest knife manufacturer in the country. Dexter wanted to produce a series of fillet videos demonstrating their knives’ prowess while providing expert advice from professionals in the field. I had the good fortune of being the guy who would make it happen—with a lot of help from a lot of friends.

Poor me, right?

After departing in the truck from Massachusetts down to Louisiana, our journey took us through all the southern states en-route to the shorelines of Louisiana, Alabama, Mississippi and Florida

Along the way we hooked up with knowledgeable guides like Captain Trey Pique of Voodoo Charters in Venice, Louisiana, Captain Ronnie Daniels

of Fisher-Man Guide Service in Pass Christian, Mississippi, and Captain Joe Weaver in Pensacola, Florida. Together we dined on golden tilefish, triggerfish, vermillion snapper, crabs, crawfish and shrimp—and those were just what we caught. In Mississippi, Chris and I stayed at the Silver Slipper Casino for two days, enjoying their famous allyou-can-eat buffet. The cuisine on the Gulf Coast is out of this world!

As much as we hoped to get off to a great start in Louisiana, Mother Nature had other ideas. A wicked storm that would become a nasty Nor’easter in New England hit us hard, ruining our chances of catching any large pelagic like tuna, mahi or wahoo. However, we did get some redfish, sheepshead, triggerfish, golden

tilefish, black drum and vermillion snapper.

After the weather passed, the fishing got much better in Mississippi and Florida. This being an epic road trip, there was plenty of eating and sleeping in the truck, There was the lodge owned by Voodoo Charters; our rooms at the aforementioned Silver Slipper, which sits right on the shore; and Captain Weaver’s Wave Cutter, a Custom 48 Bacle Boat outfitted with two Lazy Boy couches, two beds, satellite TV, two bathrooms, and a coffee maker.

The Wave Cutter was one of the coolest places I’ve ever stayed--on water or land—but the funny thing is, the coffee maker might have been the best part! It cued right up for us at 6 a.m.—essential for

any fishing trip. Wherever we traveled we were fortunate to meet great people. Folks like Captain Trey, Captain Weaver and Captain Daniels. Even though I fish fairly often and spend time at trade shows and on social media learning from pros, I am always amazed by how much I can learn from guides who virtually live on the water. Their fillet skills are incredible! They can clean even the most difficult species effortlessly and sometimes in mere seconds. Plus, everyone was great on camera and generous with their filleting advice. You'll be able to see the clips we produced on the Dexter Outdoors Facebook page during the next several

months. Like their page and follow along for some great tips.

This, my friends, was a serious road trip and as I was rolling home I had to pinch myself, not only to stay awake but to remind myself how fortunate I am to be able to travel to all these amazing places and to meet such nice folks.

As for the Gulf Coast, “Wow” is all I can say. Super nice people, beautiful scenery and great fishing with an abundance of species. I strongly encourage you to get down there yourself if you haven’t yet.

Until then, God Bless and Go Fish!

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Boston’s

Spring is in the Air… as we experience longer amounts of daylight along with the annual rituals in Maine. The return of the Turkey Vultures, Woodcock, Canada Geese and Spawning Smelt gives us outdoor folks the itch to get outside and camp on a fishing trip! Fishing and camping go together like peanut butter and jelly so why not learn how to camp “safely with comfort” and get the most out of your fishing adventure. Camping can mean many different things to many different people. So for all practical purposes we will talk about being prepared in a simple fashion. Some of best fishing spots are just not found in an RV park!!! This time of year is a great time to think about your gear and equipment list!

I like to prepare a must have list so when the opportunity comes to do a trip we can be prepared.

Here is a sample list of things to think about….

• Shelter, sleeping bag, ground pad, and rope.

• LED lights with extra batteries

• Breathable clothes worn in layers

• Shoes/Boots – Breathable, waterproof, warm with extra socks. (Polypropylene and Wool socks)

• First Aid kit with Space Blanket

• Personal Essential Effect

Maine’s Camp Fish Adventures

By Richard Yvon

• LED Head Light, toiletries, sun - glasses, deet free non-toxic bug spray, bio-degradable-soap, sunscreen etc…

• Food – dehydrated, dry foods, snickers bars, trail mix

• Water – Nalgene bottle with Purification system (filter pump/ tablets)

• Spare Prescriptions – eyeglasses, medication if applicable.

• Map of your area, GPS and compass, GPS tracking device, flagging tape and survival knife.

• Storm proof matches with tinder (Cotton balls covered in petroleum jelly)

Shelters…can be as basic as a tarp. Setting up a properly constructed tarp on an uphill side of a clearing near water will do the trick! Tents come in every shape, size, and color. So were do we start? Canvas or synthetic are two options to consider before we purchase. For most people camping on weekends and vacations, a light, waterproof, breathable synthetic tent will do just fine. The outfitter or outdoorsman who will have extended stays in the woods will sometimes choose a canvas tent. They can have all the benefits of a synthetic tent with a bit more room and a few more options such as a wood stove, or dining table. Whatever tent you choose be sure to take care of it per manufacturer instructions and never store a tent wet for long periods of time. Any shelter you would choose should be accompanied by a ground cover.

Sleeping Bags…come in all kinds of sizes, colors and material. In my 30 years of experience camping in the woods I have had most types so I would feel confident in recommending a synthetic over a natural material such as down. Down is great for warmth but heavy and hard to dry out when camping. I have found a good synthetic bag that is well built and fits your preferred style and body size to be best. They are generally relatively light, easy to dry, and warm.

Tip* - Use a natural deet free bug spray to prevent sleeping bag contamination.

Cooking…can be done by several methods being more on traditional side or state – of-the art. A campfire is great as long it’s in a permitted area with a permit and conditions are ok. Just because you can does not mean you should. A great option and is good almost anywhere are compact stoves which can fueled by liquid gas, propane, butane, or bio mass fuel. My personal favorite is a bio mass gasification stove as seen in the photo. As always depending on the application, will dictate your stove type. Cookware comes in all kinds of options as well. Aluminum, steel, and cast-iron are a few types of camping cookware. A personal favorite is a traditional cast iron pan, but is a heavy option. It’s Great for base camp, or truck camping when on a fishing adventure.

Here are a few cast iron basics… New Cast Iron needs to be seasoned at 350 def. with a solid based vegetable shortening like Crisco. The more times the better!

Never clean a cast iron pan with soap and water, use kosher salt to take food deposits off and

wipe entire pan in and out with vegetable oil or equivalent to maintain and build a non-stick surface.

Use steel wool to take off rust. Do not clean cast iron when it hot, the pan should be cool. When cast iron is warm or hot, the pours are open and vulnerable to moisture.

Regularly lubricate your cast iron when the cast iron is warm. Cast Iron stays clean because you are cooking, heating to 500 degrees and is killing all bacteria.

Store in a dry place when not in use.

For my remote wilderness fishing trips my all time favorite is a single stainless mountain mug with a wire handle. I can heat and eat soup, beans or even dehydrated foods with out burning your hands! This is a truly all in one light - weight option for cooking on the fishing trail.

Camping Tools... are essential for a successful wilderness outing. On top of our list are our Dexter knives! We use knives for everything from filleting fish, dressing game, and setting up our camp with tents, tarps and rope! We are covered from the S-151 Utility knife to the URCut flexible fillet knife!

Our cooking tools are as essential as the food itself! Well, not really but you get the point! The Dexter 19810 traditional fish turner does a great job cooking our fish while our Dexter Russell P3A-PCP Sani-Safe 2 3/4" Pizza Cutter cuts our fire-side baked pizza! I’m getting hungry thinking about all the past cooking on our camping adventures! We are looking forward to up and coming outdoor adventures filled with delicious food and camp fire reminiscing of a day’s afield in Maine’s wilderness.

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YOUR KID COULD CATCH A WORLD RECORD

Would your kid be proud to set a new world record?

Of course they would, and right now is a great time for kids to catch a world record thanks to the International Game Fish Association’s new length-record category for young anglers. e category is intended to promote catch-and-release by making it possible to measure a sh for world-record consideration without killing it, and right now there 169 vacant species just waiting for anglers under 16 years old to set a new world record.

e new IGFA All-Tackle Length Junior category follows the same rules and regulations as the current All-Tackle Length record categories. e All-Tackle Length Junior category will have one record available for each eligible species, with no di erentiation made for the angler’s gender, which is consistent with current All-Tackle Length and All-Tackle Length Fly record categories. Vacancies exist for all eligible species of the All-Tackle Length record category and will follow the same minimum length requirements already established.

“By introducing the All-Tackle Length Junior category, we hope to inspire the next generation of anglers to get out and sh, while promoting ethical and sustainable shing practices,” said IGFA President Jason Schratwieser. “Fishing is a fantastic way to connect with the outdoors, and we believe that by engaging young people with this sport, we can inspire the next generation of stewards of our oceans, lakes, and rivers and help ensure the long-term health and vitality of our aquatic resources.”

With children and teenagers increasingly disconnected from the outdoors, the IGFA hopes to inspire a new wave of young anglers who are passionate about the sport and its role in connecting people to nature.

For more information, go to www.igfa.org.

PHOTO COURTESY OF IGFA.

Alexandra Hall caught this 63-pound blue cat sh from Virginia’s James River to set IGFA 20-pound line class and female junior world records for the species.

FROG FISHING FOR VERY HUNGRY BASS TIPS FROM A PRO

TYLER WOOLCOTT

Across the country, bass are either in their post spawn patterns right now or they will be soon. ere is a plethora of ways to catch these bass, but my all-time favorite for getting bit and drawing in a big one is a hollow body popping frog.

A popping frog can be used as an incredible search bait, and you can duplicate many di erent bait sh depending on where you throw it and what color you tie on. ere are many di erent options out there. I try to duplicate the bait sh forage in the particular lake I’m shing. Sometimes I use a frog to imitate a bluegill, and sometimes I throw a shad color pattern. 13 Fishing makes an incredible popping frog that comes with a stout hook and a wide variety of colors for any scenario.

When I throw a frog as a search bait, I work it faster than most. Cover as much water as possible until you put a pattern together on what exactly the sh are focusing on. at’s the magic of a frog; you can literally throw it around everything! Docks, lay downs, grass and open water are just a few of the targets I look for. Once you locate a group of sh or put a pattern together, slow down and pick them o a little slower. I have noticed sometimes there isn’t a “too fast” while working a popping frog.

A couple things I look for this time of year are bass guarding fry and also sh roaming the banks feeding on bluegill. is is very predictable and an awesome way to catch big ones. Typically, if you know a few areas where the sh previously spawned, these patterns will occur in the same areas. I throw a bluegill pattern popping frog because bluegill chase bass fry, and that drives bass crazy.

Another pattern to watch for is a shad spawn. is occurs in the mornings and evenings and can lead to a bunch of sh in a hurry. Look

for birds feeding on banks while running down the lake. Find the birds and you nd the bait! A white popping frog or a bait sh color is typically my choice in this situation.

A popping frog can work all year long, but it really drives post spawn sh crazy. Who doesn’t like catching sh on a topwater with heavy line and a heavy rod?

Frog Fishing Gear

Heavy gear is needed for setting those big frog hooks and shing around heavy cover. I sh a 13 Fishing 7’4H Omen Black rod paired with a Concept A 8.3 reel spooled up with Seaguar 50-pound Smackdown braid. is setup allows you to get sh out of heavy cover and into the boat!

Tyler Woolcott is a professional tournament angler and guide. Check out his website at www.tylerwoolcott shing.com.

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40-POUND PIKE BREAKS IDAHO RECORD!

BLACK SEA BASS OPEN YEAR-ROUND IN SOUTH ATLANTIC

Black sea bass o en y under the radar for anglers o the coast of the Southeast. Perhaps it’s because their size and numbers are thickest in the middle of winter, when it’s not as pleasant to be on the water? Or maybe it’s because they don’t grow as a large as the other grouper species that inhabit our wrecks and reefs?

This 40.76-pound northern pike is a new Idaho state record. It beat the existing 13-year-old record by a little more than half a pound.

Avid pike sherman omas Francis landed the monster sh on March 21 from Hayden Lake in northern Idaho. e sh was more than 4 feet long, with an o cial length of 49 inches and an impressive girth of 26.5 inches.

Francis told Idaho Fish and Game he speci cally targets big pike almost every day. In late March, ice still ringed the banks at Hayden Lake, so Francis was casting his lure up to the edge of the ice.

“When my lure hit the water, I let it sink all the way to the bottom,” he said. “As soon as my lure hit the bottom, I felt her hit. I sh with 80-poundtest line, and she almost immediately started peeling drag, a lot of it.

“She pinned herself to the bottom and just kept going, peeling drag the whole time,” he continued. “I knew that wasn’t normal, and I could tell it was something special.”

e IGFA all-tackle world record northern pike was caught in Germany in 1986. It weighed 55 pounds, 1-ounce.

For more information, go to https://idfg.idaho.gov

Whatever the reason, there’s no denying that black sea bass are some of the tastiest critters in the ocean, and anchoring over a wreck or reef teeming with them can ll a cooler in short order. Just ask the folks up in New England, where the species is a highly sought a er target of anglers.

NOAA recently announced that recreational harvest of black sea bass will again be open year-round for the 2023-2024 season in federal waters of the South Atlantic, south of Cape Hatteras, North Carolina. So, sharpen the hooks on your chicken rigs and go collect some meat.

NOAA Fisheries has projected that the 2023-2024 recreational catch limit of 366,510 pounds whole weight will not be met. e season in federal waters will run from April 1, 2023, to March 31, 2024. Seasons in state waters vary, so be sure to check state regulations where you plan to sh. In federal waters of the Atlantic, south of 35 deg 15.0321’ N, there is a seven sh per person bag limit with a 13-inch minimum size limit.

A descending device is required on board all vessels shing for or possessing snapper and grouper species in federal waters of the South Atlantic. e descending device must be readily available for use and attached to at least 16 ounces of weight and at least 60 feet of line. For more information, go to coastalanglermag.com.

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STILL TIME FOR A TROPHY TROUT

By Capt. Michael Okruhlik

If you are big trout enthusiast like me, you know there is still some time le if you haven’t had your ll over the past ve months. December through a portion of May is when I set my eyes on catching a personnel best speckled trout. With the full moon on May 3 this year, I feel the entire month will hold promise to land one full of eggs before the rst full moon in June. May is also a little more enjoyable, too, so sit back and let me tell you why.

Most anglers in Texas think about big trout mid-December through early April, and when the waders come o they change their focus. Fortunately, not all the big girls have dropped their eggs yet and will still hold them into May. It gives us the opportunity for a heavy trout to take a big smiling photo with.

Speaking of taking the waders o , wading in May is typically warm and enjoyable even if the sh don’t cooperate. e pleasant temperatures are more appealing than dreary, cold, winter days, and they also allow me to sh the way I prefer. At times in winter, we must slow down our presentation and this can become a little monotonous; however, targeting big trout in the warmth of May allows us to work the lure more aggressively.

ere is not much more exciting than a topwater explosion, and spring is one of my favorite times to utilize this tactic for trophy trout. May is also a great time to throw other lures. Traditional slow-sinking and suspending lures also work wonders this time of year.

As most of you know, I am a paddletail fanatic! is month, I’ll give several sizes a shot at getting inhaled by a huge yellow mouth. ese large predators will take 3-, 4- and 5-inch lures this time of year. As their bodies warm with the water, they become as aggressive as they will be all year, so adding some rattling sound to your tails can really get the sh active.

I seek out areas of grass ats in knee- to waist-deep water. Finding a at with a drain from a small lake or creek will work wonders for concentrating sh over adjacent shallow grass. A depression along such a at is another area you should target. When choosing a at with these criteria, areas of potholes are a plus over a solid grass- lled at.

I hope these tips help you get your PB trout on your last chance of the year to nd one lled with eggs. Take a kid shing. ey like big trout too. And be safe. May is the uno cial start of summer, and inexperienced boaters will be on the water.

Capt. Michael Okruhlik is the inventor of Knockin Tail Lures®, and the owner of www.MyCoastOutdoors.com.

PHOTO COURTESY OF KNOCKIN TAIL LURES®

KAYAKER LANDS

102-POUND PADDLEFISH

An angler got a little more than he bargained for in early April while shing for walleye in the Upper White River in northwestern Arkansas. Fishing 12-pound-test line and a 3-inch-long crankbait, Robert Murphy accidentally snagged a 102-pound paddle sh and spent the next hour battling the sh from his kayak.

In April, the Upper White experiences spring runs of several species into the riverine sections of Beaver Lake, including white bass, walleye and paddle sh. Paddle sh, also known as spoonbill, are a large zooplankton eating species. ey won’t chase lures or live bait, so anglers typically “snag” them during Arkansas’ paddle sh snagging season. e daily limit is two sh per person.

Murphy might not have intended to snag a paddle sh, but that’s exactly what he did. According to Outdoor Life, Murphy was throwing a 3-inch Berkley Flicker Shad for walleye when he saw a big sh on his sonar. inking it was a big striped bass or a gar, he ran his 10- to 12-foot-diving plug through the area and hooked his river monster in the top of the tail.

Anyone who has ever foul-hoked a sh knows how hard they ght when you can’t turn their head. Well, Murphy spent the next hour battling the beast from his kayak as it pulled him up and down the river. A er he nally hauled it into his kayak and brought it to shore, he weighed and measured the sh. With a length of 71.5 inches, it was nearly 6 feet long, and at 102 pounds, it was shy of the 118-pound, 9-ounce state record that was caught from Beaver Lake in 2020.

For more information, see www.agfc.com.