Coastal Angler Magazine | September 2022 | BostonEdition by Coastal Angler Magazine

FOUL WEATHER GEAR & APPAREL • LOCAL FISHING REPORTS & CATCH PHOTOS COASTALANGLERMAG.COM/BOSTON FREEBOSTON EDITION ELIZABETH AKELEY AND GEORGE K. REGAN, JR. MARRIED JULY 30 CATCHOFALIFETIME! PHOTO CREDIT: PAUL BLACKMORE Story, Boston Page 1-3 SEPTEMBER 2022VOLUME 11 • ISSUE 115

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The water can be a little warm this time of year, and it makes bass finicky. When the bite gets tough, a drop shot flat out gets bit. It catches fish everywhere I go, and every angler should have the technique in their arsenal.There are a few reasons a drop shot can out-perform other techniques this time of year. The first of these is because of how versatile you can be with it. I have thrown a drop shot around rock, wood, grass and even in completely open water. Smallmouth, largemouth and spotted bass will all pick up a drop-shot rig, so it’s a great option regardless of what part of the country you fish or what species you target.Another factor that makes this technique excel when other things aren’t working is it’s effective on heavily pressured and sluggish fish. Sometimes getting these fish to bite calls for light line and a smaller profile bait. The dropshot rig consists of a fluorocarbon leader leading to a hook of your choosing then, below the hook, about 12 inches of line tied to a drop shot weight on the end. This creates a rig that keeps your bait up off the bottom and drives finicky bass crazy.

Drop Shot Gear: Picking the right setup for a drop shot doesn’t have to be too difficult. I like a rod around 7 foot with a medium or a medium heavy action like the 13 Fishing Omen Black 7’1M. Pair up a 3,000 sized reel with some 10lb. Seaguar Smackdown braid and a 10-lb. fluorocarbon leader. Tyler Woolcott is a professional tournament angler and guide. Check out his website www.tylerwoolcottfishing.com.at

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TYLER WOOLCOTT DROP SHOT FOR FINICKY FISH

4 NATIONAL SEPTEMBER 2022 COASTALANGLERMAG.COM • THEANGLERMAG.COM

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There are a few different styles of baits you can use on the drop shot, depending on what your fish are feeding on. This is what I usually base my bait and color choices off of. I usually throw a small finesse worm like the 13 Fishing Joy Stick Ultra Thin or a baitfish-style bait like the 13 Fishing Vertigo minnow. Both baits are small in size and can really pick up some bites when the fishing is tough.Bait color is important, but I like to keep things fairly simple. I typically throw a green pumpkin or a black-and-blue worm style bait. For the baitfish-style lure, I stick with whites or natural baitfish colors. Remember, you are trying to be as finesse as possible to trick a bass that’s not hungry into biting, so something simple and natural will excel. This technique has worked wonders for me all across the country. From down South in Florida all the way up to New York, bass eat this rig up everywhere. Next time you’re on the lake and the bite is tough, downsize your presentation and drag a drop shot around. It will pick up a few more bites.

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By Nick Carter

“They’re not smart fish. If they’re turned on, they’re going to eat. If they’re not, it may be five hours before they do,” he said. “But there’s going to be 30 to 40 minutes on the tide when those snook are eating. There’s not a lot of thought that goes into it. If one is interested, they all are.”

Agiant snook should be on every angler’s bucket list. They’re big, they’re strong and they’re aggressive. Southern Florida boasts the most prolific snook fisheries in the world, and Capt. Patrick Smith, of Swamp to Sea Guide Service, operates in the heart of one of the best. Swamp to Sea fishes throughout Palm Beach County up to Stuart, Fla. At times, the snook fishing can be so good that the prospect is almost mundane for Capt. Smith. “If I’ve got clients who want to catch the snook of a lifetime, we’ll go out to the inlet and let them catch one or two. Then we’ll go do something else,” he said. “It’s cool to check a big snook off the list, but light tackle is moreCapt.fun.”Smith’s nonchalance about catching snook 35 to 43 inches long and up to 25 pounds is an attitude geared toward conservation of a species he loves. When big females congregate in the inlets to spawn around the full moons of summer, they are easy targets for anglers armed with big live baits like perch and croakers.

Before the Transition

Throughout the summer, snook are catch-and-release-only to protect spawning fish. On the Atlantic side, snook harvest opens Sept. 1, with a 28- to 32-inch slot limit. Capt. Smith said the spawning pattern lasts well into September most years, but the big females are over the slot and must be released, anyway. He is more concerned with the beatings these fish take all summer long. His solution is to limit the number of fish he targets and to gear up heavy. Smith fishes 10,000 size reels on 50- to 100-lb. rods. He runs 80-lb. braid to a 60-lb. fluorocarbon leader and locks down the drag. The weakest link is an 8/0 thin wire circle hook, which is easier on the fish but must be changed out Heavyfrequently.gear combats a big snook’s propensity for bulldogging into structure. It also shortens the length of the fight to lessen the likelihood of fish succumbing to exhaustion or sharks. Smith said these large spawners can be 25 years and older. He urged anglers to handle them carefully for release and never to hold them vertically by their mouths.Ifyou’re looking for a snook to eat, there’s plenty of opportunity for that also. Between the moons some of the snook spread out to the bridges, docks and deep holes. The smaller, slot-sized males become more interested in feeding. Also, the mullet run will kick in toward the end of September. When mullet schools show up, everything from the fish to the anglers switch over to chasing bait. Contact Capt. Patrick Smith through his website www.swamptosea.com.

Work with what Mother Nature gives you. Here on the upper Texas coast, we’ve had about seven years of excessive rainfall which, in general terms, made some of our bays unfishable for most of that time. Due to excessive fresh water, those of us who like to fish where the tributaries enter into the bays had to seek new areas where the salinity levels were suitable for speckled trout. This year, things are back to normal, and we need to relearn old patterns and work with what Mother Nature is giving us.

CONDITIONSCHANGINGTACTICSCHANGINGFOR

Although the temps are still high, you can have a successful day on the water if you modify your techniques. Remember to apply sunblock before you leave the dock, wear appropriate protective clothing and drink plenty of water. Stay safe and have fun!

8 NATIONAL SEPTEMBER 2022 COASTALANGLERMAG.COM • THEANGLERMAG.COM

The Texas heat and drought are one for the record books and can make a day on the water unpleasant if you plan to stay much past noon, but there are some methods to help you be productive until things start to cool off. Many of the estuaries that were impacted by the floods are some of our deeper bay systems, and that is a good thing this time of year. Heading out early will greatly increase your odds and give you more time on the water while it is cool, relatively speaking. I have found these bays have been forgotten by some, and they’ve never been fished by those new to our sport, which makes for less crowds on the water. I target the deeper reefs in the upper stretches of the bay near the rivers. Locating new washouts can also pay off, and those are not on the maps or public knowledge, so doing a little recon before you head out on each trip can make for a more productive day.

Although I prefer lures over bait, success rates lean toward live shrimp or finfish this time of year. Depending on conditions, these can be free-lined, Carolina rigged, or fished under a loud popping cork. A free-lined shrimp tossed near a granite jetty is a good bet on any day. Stepping away from the live version, cut mullet or shad can be winners for a big pull from a red, black drum or shark. A circle hook Carolina rigged on the bottom can entice those large predators to strike. This is a great method if you have kids aboard.

LURESTAILKNOCKINOFCOURTESYPHOTO

By Capt. Michael Okruhlik

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

As always, the jetties are a favorite. The high current and cooler Gulf water attract every fish species that swims in our bays and nearshore waters. It’s not uncommon to catch some offshore fish there as well; it happens every year.

COASTALANGLERMAG.COM • THEANGLERMAG.COM | SEPTEMBER 2022 | BOSTON 1 CATCH OF A LIFE TIME, ELIZABETH AKELEY MARRIES GEORGE K. REGAN, JR. Photo Credit: Paul BlackmoreVenue: Nauticus Marina, Osterville

Left to right: Lt. Governor Karyn Polito, George Regan, Steve Rodolakis

Left to right: Patriots owner Robert Kraft, George Regan

EDITORIAL

Left to right: Elizabeth Akeley, Governor Charlie Baker, George Regan

Photo Credit: Bill Brett

2 BOSTON | SEPTEMBER 2022 | COASTALANGLERMAG.COM • THEANGLERMAG.COM

Left to right: Former Boston Police Commissioner William Gross, Bill Bratton, Governor Charlie Baker, George Regan, Developer David Southworth, Newsmax’s Ken Chandler

Left to right: Frank Bellotti, Sal Paterna

Left to right: Developer David Southworth, Joey Beardsley, Violet Beardsley, Shauni Medeiros, Queen Levi Jean, Elizabeth Akeley, George Regan, Lucy Akeley , Leah Akeley, Bill Bratton

Left to right: Marine Corps Honor Guard Gunnery Sergeant Dennis DeForest, US Senator Ed Markey, Mashpee Fire Chief Scott Carline, Former Boston Police Commissioner William Gross, Former Boston, LA and NYC Police Commissioner Bill Bratton, Governor Charlie Baker, Elizabeth Akeley , George Regan, Developer David Southworth, Newsmax’s Ken Chandler, UMASS President Marty Meehan, Boston Police Superintendent Chuck Wilson, Mashpee Town Manager Rodney Collins, Marine Corps Honor Guard Captain John Horton

Left to right: George Regan, Elizabeth Akeley, Leah Akeley

(Continued from Page 2) EDITORIAL

Congratulations to George and Elizabeth Regan

Other guests included Lt. Governor Karyn Polito, US Senator Ed Markey, Everett Mayor Carlo DeMaria, Celtics legend M.L. Carr, Celtics Great General Manager Jan Volk, former Patriots quarterback and sportscaster Scott Zolack, former Patriots star Joe Andruzzi, legal eagle Drew Meyer, Presidential Historian Doris Kearns Goodwin, sports anchor Steve Burton, sports anchor Chris Collins, New Balance owner Jim Davis, UMASS president Marty Meehan, Congresswoman Lori Trahan, Nauticus Marina in Osterville, owned by billionaire businessman Bill Koch, provided a picture perfect setting as Elizabeth and her Maids of Honor arrived by sea, aboard the SS Lollipop, a classic tugboat provided by George’s friend, Suff olk Chairman & CEO John Fish. Th e Regan wedding extrav-aganza was a three-day aff air, featuring performances by legendary blues musician James Montgomery, Saturday Night Live “Beehive Queen” Chris-tine Ohlman, Comedian Steve Sweeney, Trombonist Jiggs Whigham, and the Celebration Singers Gospel Choir. Montilio’s Baker provided an exquisite four-tiered wedding cake, with lovely floral arrangements from Cape Cod’s Salty Florist. Th e gorgeous Elizabeth was absolutely stunning in her dress, designed by Made with Love Bridal.

COASTALANGLERMAG.COM • THEANGLERMAG.COM | SEPTEMBER 2022 | BOSTON 3

The most important government official in Massachusetts, Governor Charlie Baker, performed the honors as wedding ceremony officiant while the region’s most notable businessman, Patriots Owner Robert Kraft, delivered a reading. Former Boston, LA and NYC Police Commissioner Bill Bratton and Developer David Southworth shared best man duties. The beautiful bride, originally of Bath, Maine, was attended by her sisters Shauni Medeiros, Leah Akeley and Joey Beardsley, all serving as Maid of Honor.

Left to right: Shauni Medeiros, Leah Akeley, Lucy Akeley, Elizabeth Akeley, Violet Beardsley, Joey Beardsley Queen Levi Jean Elizabeth Akeley & George K. Regan, Jr.

It was only fitting that brilliant sunshine and comfortable Cape Cod breezes cascaded over the most spectacular event of the season and helped celebrate a match truly made in heaven – the wedding of George Regan and Elizabeth Akeley. The couple celebrated their everlasting love under bright blue skies on a picture perfect Saturday afternoon, getting married before more than 400 family and friends, including many of the most prominent power players in Boston and beyond.

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Neddick River and into the gulf. Two hours later I found myself in more than 200 feet of water, and I was chumming heavily. It was a beautiful fall day, but the wind was picking up with every hour. After more than 7 hours of noth ing, I began to consider making the trip back into shore, my chum was almost completely dispersed, and I knew the ride back home would prove to be challenging.

ZIINNGG. Line began howling out of my free spooled reel at an inconceivable rate. My heart felt as if it had pounded itself right out of my chest. This was it, I thought, this was the porbeagle, and all that hard work and research was about to pay off! I set the hook, and the 45 minute battle ensued. Run, run, run. Dive, dive, dive. The fish was acting uncontrolla bly sporadic. The unknown angry monster had no actual identity until I had tired him out and got him close enough to the boat. I took a deep breath and gathered up enough courage to take a peek below the 12 foot piece of plastic I was floating on. It was a long and slender specimen. Turns out it was a blue shark and it had dragged me all the way over into Ogunquit waters. I spent a few moments with the shark before I released it, and I must say, being on a kayak with that fish so close to the side of me, was the most humbling and beautiful collec tion of seconds I have ever expe rienced. The shark’s eyes sported no character, just darkness. A true predator from fight to finish. That long paddle back to shore was probably the happiest I’ve ever been. Although, a blue shark was not what I was looking for, to me the experience solidified to myself that what I was doing was achievable, and not that crazy of an idea at all. My friends and fam ily began to take me a little more seriously after that series of events too. I celebrated the blue shark for a night, but the next morning it was back to business trying to further gameplan for the elusive porbeagle.

COASTALANGLERMAG.COM • THEANGLERMAG.COM | SEPTEMBER 2022 | BOSTON 5 Plum Island Surfcasters Club Meeting: Tuesday, September 20, 2022, 7:00 pm Sturgeons in the Merrimack River: a story of decline and recovery by Micah Kieffer, Research Fishery Biologist at the USGS, Turners Falls, MA This will be a joint meeting of PISC and the Merrimack River Watershed Council. Salisbury, MA Senior Center (behind the fire station), 43 Lafayette Rd, Salisbury, MA 01952 Free for all members. Non-members ($5 admission) may join the club that evening for free admission. www.plumislandsurfcasters.org Now HiringNow Hiring For more details aboiardi@regancomm.comAshleycontact:Boiardi617-488-2842 Sales Representative Coastal Angler Magazine, Boston JOB TYPE: REQUIREDPART-TIMEEXPERIENCE: FISHING & SALES Coastal Angler Magazine, Boston, a company of Regan Communications Group, has an immediate opening for a Sales Representative for our Boston location. •RESPONSIBILITIES:Sellingalladvertising (both print and web) • Directing content development (for print, website and social media) • Procuring and editing copy from 5-8 writers monthly • Managing the layout and collaborating on graphic design • Creating concept and copy for print ads • Delivering and managing the distribution of 10,000 copies monthly • Maintaining all vendor/client relationships •REQUIREMENTS:Akeenknowledge of the fishing industry. • At least two years of sales experience. • Candidate must be able to work effectively in a demanding and fast-paced environment.

The Hunt of the Elusive: Chapter 2 By Grant Thompson EDITORIAL

In order to do something that has never been done before, you not only need to start thinking outside of the box, you need to start exam ining your task deeper. I had to re alize not only the creature I was up against, but the conditions and wa ter I was fishing as well. The Por beagle Shark is a very elusive fish. It is rarely seen, heard of or caught. I had to go beyond the Wikipedia articles and fishing reports on the net. My first real step into turning my visualization into a reality was contacting James Sulikowski, a renowned marine biologist at the University of New England. Suli kowski is one of the leading shark experts in the Northeast and has been on Shark Week on numer ous occasions. He was essential in teaching me about the species, beyond just the broad internet in formation I could find. I learned what these fish were eating, where they were migrating, at what wa ter depth/column they would be found depending on the time of year as well as their habits. I then began reaching out to local tuna fishermen, some of which starred in ‘Wicked Tuna’. The reason being for this is that tuna fishermen of ten catch porbeagles by accident. As a result, I began adopting some tuna fishing techniques. No longer was I tying knots, I was crimping, and no longer was I using com mercial shark rigs, I was making my own from wire cable and using squid skirts to hide hooks. I at tached chum bags to either side of my kayak as well. The day was October 1st. Some thing truly felt different about this trip. I made my 5 am departure into the chilly waters of the Cape

6 BOSTON | SEPTEMBER 2022 | COASTALANGLERMAG.COM • THEANGLERMAG.COM Congratulations to Christopher Kostaras, great catch! Enjoy your complimentary $50 Tackle Kit. A big THANK YOU to all who submitted your catch photos! We are happy to announce this month’s winner! Catch of the Month Sponsored by: Salt Warrior • thesaltwarrior.com This Month's Prize: $50 Gift Certificate for a Personalized Tackle Box Enter to be next month's winner: Option 1: Submit a photo of your catch at thesaltwarrior.com/giveaway Option 2: Submit a photo of your catch on the Catch of the Month page (Bragboard). Contact: aboiardi@regancomm.com CATCH OF THE MONTH

Funny Fish Season By Jared Wood

the wind is blowing out of the South West. Combined with the wind, the incoming tide, and current end up pushing bait into the South West fac ing corners of the pocket. My first albies of the season I head for Nantucket. Making the trip out is something I have planned months in advance. From getting the beach bug gy over on the ferry to where to stay. When I head for the island I stay for a week sometimes 2 just to get my albie fix. There is nothing compared to driv ing on the beach and coming up on al bies crashing bait. At that point it turns into pulling over jumping out of the rig and grabbing your rod out of the holders running down the beach and hoping you tied the right lure on. Some days it can be frustrating making cast after cast with nothing to show for it. When you put the pieces together and get your retrieve speed right, color, and size of your lures it can be a memorable day with sore arms and tired legs from going up and down the beach. If you do not have the ability to make it out to the islands there are plenty of spots along the Cape these fish show up at. From Woods Hole to Hyannis you have plenty of options. Look at a map of the area that you are going to fish and try to locate jetties, outflows, rips, coves, and points that bait can become trapped and is easy picking for speed sters. Gather as much intel as you can to make a decision on where to make a thousands cast. Having friends fish ing different areas than yourself will help to narrow down where they are going to show or where you should try next. Funny fish season is a short win dow so make the best of sharing a tide with someone new, a buddy you have not fished with in a while, or a family member. Jared Wood is a surfcaster who fishes from Maine to Connecticut. Targeting Striped Bass, Bluefish, Albies, and Bonito in the surf. He can be found on Instagram as surfcaster_jared. For any questions he can be reached at jaredwood25@gmail.com

COASTALANGLERMAG.COM • THEANGLERMAG.COM | SEPTEMBER 2022 | BOSTON 7 CATCH OF THE MONTH

When the fish are in tight a well placed Albie Snax rigged on a 4/0 swim bait hook is deadly. Dead drifting it with the current with the occasional twitch looks like an injured baitfish. Timing your cast and putting your soft plastic on the edge of the bait ball can be the difference in a screaming drag or not. Small pencil poppers (RM Smith Albie Pencils) are very effective because they match the profiles of juvenile herring, peanut bunker, and silversides flee ing on the surface. Watching a False Albacore or Bonito come flying out of the water to chase down your bait is a sight to see. Sometimes a slowly twitched lure will be the ticket or a metal burned across the surface will get you tight. Try different retrieves to see what is working that day. With albies what worked yesterday doesn’t always work the next. Albies feed from sun up to sun down pretty much. These fish are constantly in motion so they are burning a lot of calories. If you miss your shot at fish feeding on the surface don’t give up. The fish are still there feeding under the surface or are moving along with the bait tending to circle back where they had just come from. When they feed they are using structure or current to push the bait ball where they have the easiest time feeding and corralling bait. The night before an Albie trip I am checking the winds and tides for the next day. By using information I have collected in years past I can put together a plan to find out exactly where I want to focus my efforts. A location where I have spent my effort targeting funny fish is a pair of rocky outcroppings that tend to hold peanut bunker and silversides in tight when Albie Fever is in full swing. The drag screaming speedsters have arrived popping up left and right. The first few reports start to trickle in mid to late August. Albies in the surf are my favorite kind. Blistering runs that go left and right or straight at you then off to the horizon. This is what fuels the addiction to funny fish. The window is short lived but make the most of it. Gearing up for Albie season in the surf requires you to scale down that surf rod and reel. Surf rods that I prefer are in the 8 and 9 foot range that can cast ½ ounce up 3 ounce. My general pur pose Albie rod is the Penn Battalion II surf rod 8 foot rated ¾-3 ounces. The rod allows me to cover all my bases from heavier metals to weightless soft Theplastics.reel that I prefer is the Penn Clash 4000HS. Rate of retrieval is very im portant to me in choosing my reels. I want to be able to cover a lot of water without having my arm feel like it is going to fall off. High speed reels have become a game changer in the Albie fishery. There are days the fish want a fast retrieve skipping along the surface. Others a steady retrieve just under the surface gets you tight. The ability to burn a jig across the surface or rip it back in to cast at breaking fish is cru Whencial. it comes to targeting the speed sters I prefer to have a variety of of ferings with me. The standard metals (Deadly Dicks, Kastmasters, Crippled Herring) allow you to make long casts and cover a lot of water in short order. If the fish want them brought in fast skipping along the surface you can do that or slow down you retrieve and have it under the surface. By packing a variety of metals in sizes and colors you can jump right into Albie fever. At the start of the season the bait tends to be very small 1-2 inches so the fish can be very finicky if you don’t have the right profile bait with you it can be frustrating. When it comes to soft plas tics the Albies just can't get enough.

White catfish are rare anomalies that never fail to set social media abuzz each time an angler catches one. In most instances, biologists attribute the looks of these beautiful pinkishwhite fish to leucism, a genetic trait that results in reduced pigmentation and the pale, sometimes patchy coloration they display.

The Tennessee River’s WHITE BLUE CATS

On June 28, 15-year-old Edwards Tarumianz caught a gorgeous, almost pure white blue catfish on the Tennessee River near downtown Chattanooga, Tenn. It was the latest in a string of such fish to come from one small stretch of river. While catching a white catfish has been likened to winning the lottery, it seems the odds are much higher on the Tennessee River below Chickamauga Dam.“It’s become pretty clear to us that we’ve got a little recessive gene floating around in the river right here in the Chattanooga vicinity,” said Richard Simms, owner of Scenic City Fishing Charters. “I actually saw another one just a week or so ago. A guy, just a regular fisherman, caught a piebald. So, yeah, we’ve got a recessive gene floating around.”

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Contact Scenic City Fishing Charters via www.sceniccityfishing.com.

Scenic City has three captains who specialize in guiding anglers to catfish. They’ve encountered four of these white catfish since 2018. Simms keeps records of his catches, and he estimated Scenic City catches about 5,000 catfish a year. While one white catfish in 5,000 caught is hardly good odds, it’s a lot better than one in a million. This one stretch of river is producing more of these strange fish than anywhere else we’ve heard of.

By TAM

PHOTO BY RICHARD SIMMS

Paylor said a rule of thumb is to troll live baits at around 2 miles per hour. When you get a bite, the rod slams down and the reel starts screaming. Make sure your drag is not set too tightly or it’ll be over.You’ll get a nice long run when the fish is first hooked. The smaller fish of less than 20 pounds will run out of energy pretty soon. Bigger ones, from 30 to 50 pounds, won’t tire as readily, and the real monsters may do it a few times before they tire. Keep your drag set light and let the fish do its thing; follow it with the boat if necessary. A fish (besides sharks) that is the bane of king mackerel anglers is the amberjack. If you troll near any high spot, usually the top of a shipwreck, there may be a school of them there. Their detractors call them “reef donkeys” with disdain. When you are trolling with a carefully prepared trolling rig and putting in hours looking for trophy kings, one of these bad boys can mess you up. Tournament anglers especially dislike them. If you are out trolling for kings and a school of amberjacks show up in your trolling spread, don’t get mad. Have fun! These fish are a blast and hit topwater plugs with abandon. Cast soda-bottlestyle poppers in the 5- to 6-inch-long range such as the Rapala Magnum Xplode or the Yozuri Bull Pop, retrieve them with a big pull and a pause to make a huge splash, and be prepared for an amazing display. Often a group of them will come up together and slash at it with reckless abandon until one finally gets hooked. Be prepared with a heavy casting rod. I’ve caught them on 12-weight fly rods with the biggest popper I could make. They can show up at any time over any wreck or reef. You just have to be ready. If you’re not fishing in a tournament, why not go have fun with them instead of cursing at them. They will come in fast, hit hard and then keep you occupied for about 20 minutes while they try to pull you out of the boat. This article was reprinted from CoastalReview.org.

“They are so consistent with their yearly patterns that if you caught them in a spot in previous years, they are probably going to be there again,” he said.

CATCHINGKINGSISABUNCHOFFUN

By Capt. Gordon Churchill

To get an idea of what a day chasing kings is like, I spoke Capt. Matt Paylor, of Sound-N-Sea Charters in Morehead City, N.C. For gear, he likes a 7-foot, live-bait trolling rod with a Shimano TLD reel filled to the brim with 20-pound line. Smaller, school-sized kings eagerly hit trolled spoons and frozen cigar minnows, and you can catch a lot of them.When 10- to 20-pounders are hanging out around a structure, such as artificial reefs, wrecks or ledges, casting to them with swimming plugs and topwaters can lead to fast action. For a challenge, try a 10-weight fly rod rigged with a sinking line and a big streamer fly attached to a wireAleader.20-pound king mackerel can make a fly reel sing, Paylor said, however, if you want to get the big ones, you have to use live bait. His go-to is live menhaden, but he also uses live bluefish in the 2to 3-pound range. For trolling live bait, tie 15 feet of 30-pound fluorocarbon to the end of your main line, and to that attach a double hook live bait rig made with No. 5 single-strand wire and size 4 “quad strong” trebleCapt.hooks.Paylor said kings are very predictable.

He recommends using a sea surface temperature chart and seeing where the water is hovering in the 70-degree range and starting your day at a reef or wreck in that zone. If you see bait working—and especially if you see kings feeding—give it a serious shot. If you have seen kings feeding in open water, you’ll never forget what it looks like; they skyrocket out of the water like a submarine-launched missile.

With their aggressive nature, willingness to hit almost anything, and ability to make drag screaming runs when first hooked, king mackerel are just a bunch of fun. Because of these qualities, there is a king mackerel tournament somewhere almost every weekend. Plenty of boats head out in pursuit of them from every port, and plenty of tackle dedicated to them is sold in coastal shops.

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An angler from New Jersey caught a North Carolina state record for cubera snapper on Aug. 3. Thomas Madsen caught the 58-pound, 8-ounce fish offshore of Hatteras while fishing with Capt. Tyler Fleetwood and Sea Dream FishingMadsen’sCharters.big fish measured 49.5 inches total length and had a 41-inch girth. He caught it using a Shimano jigging rod, and a Diawa Saltist reel with 80-pound test. It replaces the previous record, which weighed 58 pounds and was caught off Beaufort Inlet in 2016.The IGFA all-tackle world record for Atlantic cubera snapper was caught off Louisiana in June of 2007 by Marion Rose. It weighed 124 pounds 12 ounces. For more information on North Carolina state records, find the State Saltwater Records webpage at deq.nc.gov.

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This is not someone’s escaped goldfish; it’s a bright orange smallmouth bass. Angler Josh Chrenko caught the rare genetic anomaly this summer from the Muskegon River in Michigan. Biologists explained that the fish’s odd coloration is due to a rare genetic condition called xanthochromism, which— like albinism or leucism—is usually caused by a recessive gene.

Xanthochromistic fish are orange because the red pigmentation in their skin is replaced by yellow pigmentation.

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“Until I caught this guy, I didn’t even know [xanthic bass] existed,” Chrenko wrote in a Facebook post. “For someone that lives and breathes fishing for smallmouth, this is one I’ll remember my entire life… I can only imagine that this little guy had to overcome crazy odds to survive the first couple of years of his life from predation. Being neon-orange would make for a tough life as a small freshwater fish.” Chrenko released his orange smallie after taking a few photos. For more weird fish, go to coastalanglermag.com.

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