The Angler Magazine - November / Charlotte/Piedmont

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CHARLOTTE/PIEDMONT, NC EDITION

Travel

Destinations

VOLUME 23 • ISSUE 285

F R A N C H I S E

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THEANGLERMAG.COM O P P O R T U N I T I E S

A V A I L A B L E

NOVEMBER 2018

W O R L D W I D E

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Target AnalyzerTM function, facilitated by Doppler technology, immediately alerts you to targets (displayed in red) that pose a threat to your vessel. Simultaneously track up to 100 moving targets, displaying their speed & course vectors.

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One trophy deserves another.

No fishing competition offers the cash – or cache – of a tournament in The Florida Keys & Key West. Win a trophy here and you’re one step closer to angling fame and fortune. And with offshore and backcountry tournaments every month of the year, and tournamentproven captains to put you on the action, the chances of topping the leaderboard are better than you might think. fla-keys.com/calendar/fishing 1.800.fla.keys 4

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Veteran’s Program Announcing Our New

for

Franchise Ownership!

EDITOR IN CHIEF : Ben Martin • camads@coastalanglermagazine.com COO : Tracy Patterson • tracy@coastalanglermagazine.com ART DIRECTOR : Rebecca Snowden • graphics@coastalanglermagazine.com EDITORIAL COORDINATOR : Nick Carter • editorial@coastalanglermagazine.com WEBMASTER : Nick Barna • webmaster@coastalanglermagazine.comw ADVERTISING INQUIRIES: Corporate Headquarters info@coastalanglermagazine.com • 888-800-9794

FRANCHISE DIRECTORY FLORIDA BIG BEND : Mike McNamara • (850) 510-7919 • captmike@coastalanglermagazine.com BREVARD : Chris Milner • (321) 631-1001 • cmilner@coastalanglermagazine.com DAYTONA/NEW SMYRNA/DELAND : Amy Chibbaro • (386) 478-3812 • achibbaro@coastalanglermagazine.com

Chris Chibbaro • (386) 478-9234 • cchibbaro@coastalanglermagazine.com

FLORIDA KEYS : Cliff Lumpkin • (305) 849-9093 • cliff@coastalanglermagazine.com FORT LAUDERDALE : Gene Dyer • (954) 680-3900 • gene@coastalanglermagazine.com FORT MYERS : Nadeen Welch • (239) 595-8265 • nwelch@coastalanglermagazine.com GREATER ORLANDO : Phillip & Giselle Wolf • (407) 790-9515 • phillip@coastalanglermagazine.com GREATER MIAMI : Gene Dyer • (954) 680-3900 • gene@coastalanglermagazine.com

If you’re a veteran, love the outdoors and have been looking for a way to own your own business, we believe we have the perfect fit for your next professional endeavor. We have franchise locations available thoughout the continental U.S. and Hawaii.

LAKELAND & SUMTER : Mary Brasher • (352) 598-4219 • maryf@coastalanglermagazine.com NAPLES : Nadeen Welch • (239) 595-8265 • nwelch@coastalanglermagazine.com NC FLORIDA/NATURE COAST : Cary & Lynn Crutchfield • (352) 372-4237 • crutch@coastalanglermagazine.com NE FLORIDA : Danny Patrick • (904) 742-4696 • danny@coastalanglermagazine.com PANAMA CITY/DESTIN/FORGOTTEN COAST : Randy Cnota • (229) 834-7880 • randyc@coastalanglermagazine.com PALM BEACH COUNTY : Barbara Ryan • (561) 373-8040 • barbara@coastalanglermagazine.com SARASOTA : Phil Prevoir • (239) 257-4684 • pprevoir@coastalanglermagazine.com TAMPA BAY : Chuck Atkins • (239) 464-5153 • chuck@coastalanglermagazine.com TREASURE COAST : Misti & Gary Guertin • (772) 285-6850 • treasurecoast@coastalanglermagazine.com

Our success with helping veterans to learn to publish their own localized fishing/outdoor magazine leads us to believe that our franchise opportunities are a perfect fit for a wide variety of veteran talents and training.

flahama@coastalanglermagazine.com

SOUTHEAST ATLANTA : Bob & Brenda Rice • (706) 614-8231 • bobr@theanglermagazine.com CHARLESTON : Sam Buckareff • (843) 607-8629 • sam@coastalanglermagazine.com CHARLOTTE/PIEDMONT : Doug Simmons • (704) 361-6189 • simmons@theanglermagazine.com

Juli Simmons • (980) 333-7273 • simmons@theanglermagazine.com

COLUMBIA/MIDLANDS : John Lux • (803) 807-6885 • jlux@theanglermagazine.com MYRTLE BEACH : Mike Masiero • (732) 674-3019 • mmasiero@coastalanglermagazine.com TIDEWATER/OUTER BANKS : Brenda Riggs • (757) 409-7518 • brenda@coastalanglermagazine.com

Now, with our special Veteran’s Program, owning a Coastal Angler or The Angler Magazine franchise has never been easier.

Mike Riggs • (757) 681-5001 • mriggs@coastalanglermagazine.com

WESTERN NC : Debra & Joe Woody • (828) 775-9663 • woody@theanglermagazine.com

NORTHEAST BOSTON : George Regan • (617) 488-2842 • boston@coastalanglermagazine.com LONG ISLAND : Lisa & Michael Danforth • (203) 321-7635 • lisad@coastalanglermagazine.com CONNECTICUT/RHODE ISLAND : Lisa & Michael Danforth • (203) 321-7635

If you love the outdoors and have ever considered owning your own business, you owe it to yourself to check out our Franchise opportunities and our new Veteran’s Program.

lisad@coastalanglermagazine.com

GULF COAST MISSISSIPPI GULF COAST : Adam Nelson • (228) 627-5903 • anelson@coastalanglermagazine.com

Toby Nelson • (228) 623-1761 • tnelson@coastalanglermagazine.com

ALABAMA/PENSACOLA : Paul Caruso • (239) 980-7738 • paul@coastalanglermagazine.com

GREAT LAKES WEST MICHIGAN : Phil Belsito • (616) 957-1714 • phil@theanglermagazine.com

INTERNATIONAL

For more information on our franchise opportunities call

(321)777-2773 or email info@coastalanglermagazine.com

VIRGIN ISLANDS/PUERTO RICO : Ace Bassue • (407) 285-9453 • ace@coastalanglermagazine.com COSTA RICA : Mike Erickson • (561) 262-2242 • mike@coastalanglermagazine.com © 2018. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced without the written consent of the publisher. Disclaimer: Coastal Angler Magazine / The Angler Magazine will not be held liable for injuries incurred while partaking in activities described herein, or for claims made against products or services provided by advertisers.

Cover photos courtesy of (clockwise from top left) Dan Bailey, Mikey Erickson, Phil Wolf, Rosemary White, Nick Carter and Victoria Watts.

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AUTUMN SALES EVENT JUST IN TIME FOR THE FALL BOAT SHOW SEASON Your Suzuki Marine Dealer has exceptional deals in store for you when you purchase a new Suzuki outboard from 25 to 350 horsepower this fall. Get Suzuki’s 3-Year Limited Warranty plus 3 years of Extended Protection at no extra charge.There are Instant Savings on select models, and Low-Rate Financing is also available.

SIX YEARS OF PROTECTION 3 Years Limited Warranty + 3 Years Extended Protection

Six Years of Protection at no extra charge on all new outboards 25 to 350 HP.

INSTANT SAVINGS Instant Savings of up to $800 on select models. See your dealer for details.

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If you’re in the market to buy, we have the deals! See your participating Suzuki Marine dealer today for all the details or visit www.suzukimarine.com.

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Gimme Six Extended Protection promo is applicable to new Suzuki Outboard Motors from 25 to 350 HP in inventory which are sold and delivered to buyer between 10/01/18 and 12/31/18 in accordance with the promotion by a Participating Authorized Suzuki Marine dealer in the continental US and Alaska to a purchasing customer who resides in the continental US or Alaska. Customer should expect to receive an acknowledgement letter and full copy of contract including terms, conditions and wallet card from Suzuki Extended Protection within 90 days of purchase. If an acknowledgement letter is not received in time period stated, contact Suzuki Motor of America, Inc. – Marine Marketing via email: marinepromo@suz.com. The Gimme Six Promotion is available for pleasure use only, and is not redeemable for cash. Instant Savings apply to qualifying purchases of select Suzuki Outboard Motors made between 10/01/18 and 12/31/18. For list of designated models, see participating Dealer or visit www.suzukimarine.com. Instant Savings must be applied against the agreed-upon selling price of the outboard motor and reflected in the bill of sale. (Suzuki will, in turn, credit Dealer’s parts account.)

There are no model substitutions, benefit substitutions, rain checks, or extensions. Suzuki reserves the right to change or cancel these promotions at any time without notice or obligation. * Financing offers available through Synchrony Retail Finance. As low as 5.99% APR financing for 60 months on new and unregistered Suzuki Outboard Motors. Subject to credit approval. Not all buyers will qualify.

Approval, and any rates and terms provided, are based on credit worthiness. $19.99/month per $1,000 financed for 60 months is based on 5.99% APR. Hypothetical figures used in calculation; your actual monthly payment may differ based on financing terms, credit tier qualification, accessories or other factors such as down payment and fees. Offer effective on new, unregistered Suzuki Outboard Motors purchased from a participating authorized Suzuki dealer between 10/01/18 and 12/31/18. “Gimme Six”, the Suzuki “S” and model names are Suzuki trademarks or ®. Don’t drink and drive. Always wear a USCG-approved life jacket and read your owner’s manual. © 2018 Suzuki Motor of America, Inc.

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Travel Destinations Mexico

Mexico Ecuador Trout

Photo by Justin Uga

DESTINATION: El Salto, Mexico FISH: Largemouth Bass PEAK SEASON: September-July THE FISHING: There might be a few lakes out there that produce larger largemouths on occasion, but none are as consistent as Lake El Salto at producing huge catches of quality sized bass with the ever-present potential to catch a true giant.

For more than 30 years, El Salto has been one of the world’s best bass fisheries, and it remains right at the top of the bucket list for travelling bass anglers. It is a place where 100-fish days are normal, the average fish weighs 4 to 5 pounds, and 7- to 10-pound fish are a regular occurrence. The best day on El Salto? Well, the lake record bass weighed 18 pounds, 6 ounces. The record for most bass caught in a day stands at 607 fish.

El Salto is a 25,000-acre impoundment of the Elota River. It sits in the foothills of the Sierra Madre Mountains in the Mexican state of Sinaloa. A yearround growing season and the introduction of Florida strain largemouth bass in the 1980s helped build this big-bass factory. Abundant tilapia as a forage species as well as varied habitat and lots of sunken timber maintain it.

If all this doesn’t pique your interest, it’s worth mentioning that many of the biggest fish caught each year from El Salto are victims of topwater tactics.

INFORMATION: www.anglersinn.com

Mongolia

DESTINATION: Khentii Aimag and Khovsgol Aimag, Mongolia FISH: Siberian Taimen PEAK SEASON: June 15-October THE FISHING: Imagine fly fishing a river for trout that can weigh 20 pounds

or more. Now imagine these giant trout surface feed on ducks and rodents instead of insects. Sounds like a fairytale, right?

Well it’s not. Fish like this actually exist, but the behaviors of Mongolia’s Siberian taimen are more aptly described as the stuff of nightmares than fairytales. The taimen is the largest, most ferocious salmonid in the world. Tactics for catching them include chugging giant topwater poppers on 9-weight fly rods, and the violence exhibited on a taimen’s take can only be matched by the ensuing fight.

Anglers can expect to tangle with good numbers of taimen in the 6- to 15-pound range on a week-long camp-and-float through gorgeous Mongolian canyons. A trophy longer than 40 inches and weighing 25 pounds or more is a definite possibility.

But the fishing is only part of what makes a Mongolia so special. The warmth of Mongolian hospitality, the skill of its guides and the beauty of its scenery make for an unforgettable expedition. Taimen fisheries in Mongolia are catch-and-release, fly fishing only with a single barbless hook.

DESTINATION: San Cristobal, Galapagos Islands, Ecuador FISH: Striped Marlin, Blue Marlin, Black Marlin, Wahoo, Yellowfin Tuna PEAK SEASON: January-April THE FISHING: Everyone has heard of the tortoises, diving iguanas and other strange wildlife that made the Galapagos Islands famous. The incredible bluewater fishing is not as well publicized.

Deep sea currents carry warm waters and plentiful baitfish past this underwater mountain range about 600 miles off the coast of Ecuador. Blue, black and striped marlin congregate to feed around banks that rise to 300 and 600 feet from more than 2,000 feet of water. It’s some of the best fishing in the Pacific, and it’s only about an hour’s run from the docks at San Cristobal.

The striped marlin bite might be the best in the world, with fast action for fish that average 200 pounds and get up into the 350-pound range. Blacks and blues are less frequently encountered than striped marlin, but they are plentiful and big. Fish from 500 to 800 pounds are the norm.

Topwater popper fishing for yellowfin tuna is off the chain for fish up to 150 pounds. Big dorado, African pompano and Almaco jacks are bonus fish.

And the wahoo fishing is good, as well.

INFORMATION: sportfishgalapagos.com

Florida Keys

DESTINATION: Florida Keys, U.S.A. FISH: Tarpon PEAK SEASON: April-June THE FISHING: Although the Florida Keys aren’t as remote as many of the marquee fishing destinations this planet offers, the fishing is second to none. On the southern edge of the continent, where the Gulf Stream carries fecund waters from the Gulf of Mexico through the Florida Straits to the Atlantic, this chain of islands is perfectly situated to create one of the most productive marine environments in the world.

Big-game sportfishing and backcountry fly fishing arose from the outstanding and diverse fisheries of The Keys. Year-round, there is excellent fishing inshore, nearshore and offshore. One of the most iconic of these fisheries is for big flats tarpon.

There are always tarpon present in the Florida Keys, and nowhere else in the world do they run so thick through clear, shallow waters during their migrations. In ultra-clear water, sight fishing for these beasts from a flats skiff has to be the ultimate shallow-water experience. The size and raw power of tarpon are unmatched among flats species. The aerial displays of fish heavier than 100 pounds are part of what makes fishing in The Keys legendary.

INFORMATION: fla-keys.com

INFORMATION: www.fishmongolia.com; 8 NATIONAL I NOVEMBER 2018www.mongoliarivers.com I COASTALANGLERMAG.COM • THEANGLERMAG.COM

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Franklin County, Florida DESTINATION: Franklin County, Fla. FISH: Tarpon, Redfish, King Mackerel, Wahoo, Jack Crevalle, Amberjack, Gag Grouper, Pompano PEAK SEASON: June-December THE FISHING: Take a step back in time to experience Florida’s Forgotten Coast. Every cast could produce something different in one of the most diverse ecosystems in the world. Last month, Hurricane Michael lashed out on this beautiful slice of the Panhandle, but the fisheries should bounce back as strong as ever.

You’ll find offshore species like wahoo, grouper and sailfish, as well as inshore species like pompano, redfish, tarpon, jack crevalle and speckled trout.

In early spring, look for cobia and Spanish mackerel nearshore, while inshore you’ll find trout and redfish crushing topwaters. In summer, the king mackerel bite can be non-stop and tarpon are big and plentiful. Several species of snapper and grouper are always on the menu while offshore, blackfin tuna, wahoo, sailfish and more can be had. As we get into fall, big jacks will be tearing up tackle and the delicious flounder will be found as they spawn.

False albacore or bonito can warm up a cool day in the blue water, also.

From the mouth of the Apalachicola River to Carrabelle, you’ll find some of the hottest action anywhere! Redfish, trout and flounder abound, and you can cast for freshwater species like bass and stripers the same day.

INFORMATION: www.floridasforgottencoast.com

Santee Cooper, South Carolina

Russia

Pike Mongolia

DESTINATION: Kona Coast, Big Island, Hawaii FISH: Pacific Blue Marlin PEAK SEASON: April-September THE FISHING: If a giant marlin is on your bucket list, there may be no better place in the world to check it off than on the Kona Coast of Hawaii’s Big Island.

On the southeastern end of a 1,500-mile archipelago in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, massive shield volcanoes protect the leeward side of the Big Island from wind and rain, resulting in nearly perpetual calm seas off the Kona Coast. Three miles from land, the bottom drops into 6,000-foot depths while winds and topography create miles-wide cyclonic eddies that funnel nutrient-rich water up into the warm surface layers. These localized patches of biologically productive water attract big pelagics.

Within sight of land, there is the opportunity to catch six species of billfish, six species of tuna, ono (wahoo) and mahi-mahi, among others. The main drawing card is blue marlin… big ones. Kona lays claim to more than 80 blues heavier than 1,000 pounds over the years, and that doesn’t include all the granders that were released. More than half of all the granders ever recorded from the Hawaiian Islands were caught off the Kona Coast.

INFORMATION: www.gohawaii.com

Photo Courtesy of James Bradley

DESTINATION: Kamchatka, Russia FISH: Rainbow Trout PEAK SEASON: July-September THE FISHING: Some scientists believe the Kamchatka Peninsula is where rainbow trout originated in a web of cold-water rivers on Russia’s eastern coast.

With very few roads and little human population to speak of, this roughly 100,000-square-mile slice of land across the Bering Sea from Alaska is as remote as it gets. In fact, the only feasible way to access its hundreds of miles of trout water is by helicopter.

Kamchatka is a place that makes even the Alaskan tundra seem overpopulated with humans. It offers a wilderness experience unlike any other, and the fishing isn’t too shabby, either. Trout that eat dry flies, streamers and deer-hair mice skated across the surface average 20 to 22 inches. Each short season, anglers catch 30-inchers that are aggressive and as hot as they come.

And while the rainbows are the headliners, there are also several species of Pacific salmon that make annual runs into the peninsula. Huge kundzha, a close relative of Dolly Varden, weigh into the teens. And trophy grayling round out a diverse fishery that’s one of the most unspoiled on the planet.

INFORMATION: www.thebestofkamchatka.com

DESTINATION: Santee Cooper Lakes, South Carolina FISH: Striped Bass, Catfish, Largemouth Bass, Crappie, Shellcracker PEAK SEASON: Year-round THE FISHING: For a world-class freshwater fishery, the Santee Cooper lakes in South Carolina are as accessible as it gets. Interstate I-95 crosses Lake Marion and I-26 flanks the twin-lake system to the south. The lakes are connected by a 7-mile-long diversion canal, which provides another unique fishery.

Lake Marion’s 102,400 acres of water are a timber-studded, aquatic vegetation-laden fish factory, while Lake Moultrie’s 59,900 acres have an incredible diversity of underwater cover and structure. This twin-lake system provides unmatched freshwater diversity.

Marauding striped bass provide surface-schooling triple-digit catches per boat in peak season. The state record blue catfish was taken in 2017 and topped 113-pounds. Catfish in the 50- to 70-pound class are reasonable targets, and the big-fish population is on an upsurge. The system currently holds the world record channel catfish at 58-pounds.

Need more? Crappies are abundant and commonly exceed 2 pounds, with 3-pound-plus fish distinctly possible. The system holds state records for black crappie at 5-pounds, largemouth bass topping 16-pounds and the former world record shellcracker that tipped the scales to 5 pounds, 7 1/2 ounces.

Santee Cooper is the living legend of freshwater fishing.

COASTALANGLERMAG.COM • THEANGLERMAG.COM I NOVEMBER 2018 I NATIONAL 9 INFORMATION: www.santeecoopercountry.org

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By Mike Erickson

F

ifteen years ago, a friend and I flew into San Jose and took a small plane to Quepos, Costa Rica, where we fished offshore on a 42 express boat called Fishing Frenzy. It was my first fishing trip to Costa Rica, and I didn’t know it at the time, but the over-the-top offshore experience was typical for this tropical Central American paradise. It consisted of plenty of tuna, sailfish and dorado, and the never-ending chase for marlin.

The trip had such an impact that it became an annual event. Then, four years ago everything changed. I started some business dealings in Costa Rica, which allowed me to begin splitting time between Costa Rica and my native south Florida. It has been the adventure of a lifetime.

I’m not sure I can say what specifically drew me to Costa Rica. I think it’s a little bit of everything. The people, the adventure, the fishing and the beautiful scenery are all truly amazing. The people are always happy and definitely live the national slogan “Pura Vida,” which translates to “The Pure Life.”

The diversity and magnificence of the scenery is over the top. Delivering Coastal Angler Magazine throughout the country has exposed me to different and varying locations. Within a four hour drive I can be exposed to the volcanos and hot springs of Arenal, the gorgeous beaches and surfing of Guanacaste, the beautiful and exotic jungles of Golfito and the Osa Peninsula, the quiet beauty and fishing of the Nicoya Peninsula, the world class surfing and fishing of Herradura, Hermosa and Quepos, and even the cooler climates and cultural centers of the Central Valley.

The tourism of Costa Rica is truly an adventure. From ziplining through a jungle canopy to four wheeling up a mountain, from white water rafting to rappelling down a waterfall, and even seeing sloths and monkeys in their natural habitats, the adventures are endless.

Adventure definitely exists in the fishing of Costa Rica. In 2017 the Herradura Quepos fishery was named the No. 1 billfishing area in the world by the Billfish Report. Offshore fishing easily offers the complete line up of pelagic fish and often includes double-digit catches. This is one of the few countries where catching an offshore billfish grand slam can be accomplished in one day.

Last month, Coastal Angler Editor-in-Chief Ben Martin came down and we managed to squeeze in one day of fishing on my 32 Luhrs, Dream II out of Los Suenos. Where else in the world can you catch two blue marlin, two sailfish, and 15 dorado in a day of fishing?

The inshore fishing for roosterfish, cubera snapper, snook and even tarpon is also world class. The freshwater fishing offers everything from rainbow bass (guapote) to machaca, and trout to largemouth bass.

I have been to many places in the world, and Costa Rica stands out as one of my favorite bucket list destinations.

Mike Erickson is co-publisher of Coastal Angler Magazine Costa Rica.

For more on fishing in Costa Rica, go to

OFFSHOREANGLER.CO COASTALANGLERMAG.COM • THEANGLERMAG.COM

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Destination Fishing!

By Tom Schlichter

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t’s 2 p.m. on a bright, sunny day and I’m pitching pilchards in the shadow of a small bridge not 50 yards from a marina. As my bait turns and swims momentarily into the sunlight, a sudden swirl connects me to a solid slot-sized snook.

My line has been in the water for less than a minute.

“It can happen fast,” chuckled Capt. George Gozdz, who in 2019 is scheduled to host a new fishing show on The Sportsman Channel called Unfathomed. “There’s quality snook under almost any significant structure around here.”

“Around here” would be the Indian River Lagoon (IRL) and St. Lucie River system, an estuarine wonderland on Florida’s southeast coast that stretches 155 miles and dishes up everything from monster snook, gator trout and delicious pompano to king-sized tarpon, jacks and a variety of grouper. The city of Stuart sits dead-center in this expansive maze of fishing heaven, and makes the perfect launch point Capt. George Gozdz shows off a monfor learning these waters. ster St. Lucie River snook. Look for “The diversity in this area is 8- to 10-foot depths with good current something special,” explained Gonear structure to find the big ones, he zdz, “Two systems converge here, said. Photo courtesy of George Gozdz. the St. Lucie River and Indian River, and St. Lucie Inlet provides access for ocean pelagics like sailfish. Inshore, snook is the most popular target on a year-round basis. From December through March, you’ll find the best action up inside the St. Lucie River because the water is warmest there.

The stretch from Rt. A1A (aka: 10 Cent Bridge) west into the north or south fork of the St. Lucie River is the prime winter snook area. I throw Yo-Zuri Crystal Minnows and Hydro Poppers in low light conditions and pitch pilchards once the sun gets up in the sky.”

Generally speaking, tidal stage doesn’t matter much for these snook, as long as the water is moving. Look for heavy structure near 10-foot depths with good flow and you’ll eventually connect. “Keep in mind this isn’t finesse fishing,” advised Gozdz. “There’s no way to haul a big snook— they can top 40 inches in length—out of heavy structure with light lines.

I use 80-lb. test Yo-Zuri Super Braid with an 80- to 100-lb. test Top Knot fluorocarbon leader.”

If you are looking to stay overnight in Stuart, Pirate’s Cove Resort and Marina (www.piratescoveresort.com; 772-287-2500) is a great choice with affordable rooms, wet slips and free launching around the corner at the Sandsprit Park. To fish with Gozdz, email: ggozdz@bellsouth.net.

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SOUTHEAST

Photo by Nils Rinaldi/flickr

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here are new size limits in place for inland waters within North Carolina’s Central-Southern Striped Bass Management Area. During the harvest season, which runs until April 30, 2019, the minimum size limit for striped bass is 26 inches and two fish can be kept per day/per angler.

Waters covered by this new regulation include: • Tar-Pamlico River and tributaries from Rocky Mount Mill Dam downstream to Norfolk Southern Railroad Bridge at Washington • Neuse River and tributaries from Falls Lake Dam downstream to Pitchkettle Creek • Pungo River upstream of the U.S. 264 bridge at Leechville • All other unlisted inland waters of coastal rivers and tributaries in the Central-Southern Management Area, except Cape Fear River and tributaries Striped bass are stocked annually into the Tar and Neuse rivers

at a rate of 100,000 fish per river. These hatchery fish are raised to an advanced size prior to stocking, usually 6-8 inches. The objectives of these stockings are to supplement wild populations and help bolster natural production, according to Chad Thomas, coastal fisheries supervisor for NCWRC. “Unfortunately, this objective is not being met,” Thomas said.

“Formal evaluations conducted since 2010, with the assistance of genetic testing, confirmed that nearly all the striped bass adults collected from spawning grounds of the Tar and Neuse rivers were hatchery fish.”

Biologists hope the new 26-inch minimum size limit will give these hatchery fish additional protection to allow them to spawn multiple times prior to harvest. Larger, older striped bass contain significantly more and larger eggs. The idea is to increase egg production on the spawning grounds with the intention of observing recruitment of wild (non-hatchery) fish in these river systems.

“While we know this rule is frustrating to many of our anglers who like to keep fish, this is a conservation measure aimed to promote production of wild striped bass in the Tar and Neuse rivers,” Thomas said. “Currently, these river populations are considered fully supported by hatchery fish, which is counter to our management goal of having self-sustaining populations of striped bass in these rivers.”

Advances in genetic technologies now allow Commission biologists to calculate the percentage of hatchery fish returning to the Tar and Neuse rivers each spring. During field sampling, a small fin clip is removed from each fish prior to release, and genetic comparisons are then made with all known broodfish parents used during hatchery production.

“Genetic testing is absolute and allows us to calculate the percentage of hatchery fish each year,” Thomas said. “We will closely monitor the effectiveness of this new regulation and recommend modifications if management objectives are not being met.”

For more information about fishing North Carolina’s inland, public waters, visit ncwildlife.org/fishing.

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t’s official. Lionel Ferguson’s 5-pound, 7-ounce Tennessee black crappie is a new IGFA All Tackle World Record. Ferguson’s historic catch is the heaviest crappie ever recorded by the IGFA and replaces the previous record for black crappie that has stood since 2006.

Ferguson caught the record crappie on May 15, 2018 while fishing in Richeison’s Pond in his hometown of Philadelphia, Tenn. After hooking the fish, Ferguson played the crappie on 6-pound-test line for about five minutes after it hit the jig and grub he was casting. Once landed, Ferguson knew he had something special and immediately took steps to have crappie officially weighed-in and registered with the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency (TWRA), which awarded Ferguson the state record after a DNA test confirmed the fish as a black crappie.

“Setting an IGFA All-Tackle world record for such a popular and highly sought after game fish species like the black crappie is truly an incredible feat,” said IGFA President Nehl Horton while signing Ferguson’s world record certificate. “We congratulate Mr. Ferguson on his incredible accomplishment and are proud to have him as a member of the IGFA.” The IGFA All Tackle World Record for white crappie is 5-pounds, 3-ounces. It was caught in 1957 by Fred Bright at Enid Dam, Miss.

To learn more about the IGFA’s world record program, visit https:// igfa.org/.

COASTALANGLERMAG.COM • THEANGLERMAG.COM

10/18/18 10:11 AM

BLUE RIDGE

(An abbreviated excerpt from Flyfisher’s Guide to North Carolina & Georgia)

By Nick Carter • NC Forest Service Photo

T

he Little River, near Brevard and Hendersonville, N.C., achieves the original purpose of delayed harvest trout waters back when they started popping up all over the Southeast in the 1990s. It provides a cool-weather trout fishery where there otherwise wouldn’t be one.

It was one of the later additions to the DH program. The 2,200acre tract the Little River flows through was purchased by the state in 2000, bringing the total acreage of DuPont State Forest up to more 10,400 acres. This state-managed recreational area is heavily visited.

Several lakes and the gorgeous Little River waterfalls bring a lot of non-fishing traffic to the park. Just like most DH waters, the river also receives heavy fishing pressure. There are a lot of trout stocked by bucket brigade into a stretch of about a mile and a half between

Lake Construction

Dense Lake and Hooker Falls. For beginners and those who enjoy catching a lot of fish, it is a good option.

It’s also a good option because the Little River offers spectacular scenery. Upper Falls, Triple Falls and Hooker Falls draw scads of waterfall watchers and photographers on busy weekends. The plunge pools at their bases are also a good place to practice deep nymphing techniques. The runs just upstream of the falls are off-limits, though.

Fishing within 300 feet of the tops of the waterfalls is prohibited.

The standard assortment of DH flies should suffice. Egg patterns, flashy streamers and nymphs, and worm patterns are always popular with freshly stocked trout. The catch-and-release season runs Oct. 1 through May 31, this year. After this the river opens to harvest under regular hatchery-supported regulations.

Some of the other creeks spread over the Dupont property have water conditions conducive to wild trout year-round. These are mostly small streams with tight conditions and little fish. For the adventurous angler who enjoys exploring small flows, they are an option when the DH gets too crowded.

The North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission sampled all of the waters of the state forest in 2000 to develop a management plan for the fisheries. Almost 50 percent of the streams on the property hold populations of wild rainbows, browns, brook trout or some combination of the three. There aren’t many who know there are nearly 18 miles of trout water on the park. Pretty little wild rainbows up to 9 inches inhabit most of these creeks.

If you find yourself at DuPont and have caught enough fish on the delayed harvest, it might be worthwhile to take a look at Grassy Creek and Jim Branch. There are also several other little streams worth exploring, and some of them contain native brook trout.

For GPS coordinates to access points and detailed maps of all the region’s best trout water, check out “Flyfishers Guide to North Carolina & Georgia.” It is available on Amazon or by emailing the author at nsc8957@gmail.com.

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33-year-old state record fell on Sept.

29 when a Kansas angler reeled in a 10-pound, 2-ounce cutthroat trout from Arkansas’ North Fork of the White River (Norfork).

Mike Bowers, of Abilene, Kan., caught the 26-inch-long cutthroat with salmon eggs on a river he has fished annually since before the old record was set. The Norfork tailwater is known for good hatchery supported trout fishing. It is fed by cold water from Norfork Dam, which backs up Norfork Lake just south of the Missouri border. The Norfork Tailwater feeds the White River near Mountain Home Arkansas.

The previous record, a 9-pound, 9-ounce fish was caught on the White River in 1985.

“To be honest, it didn’t fight real hard,” Bowers said. “It was a much older fish, the biologist said, and it was docile. We drifted downstream with it naturally, had the drag out about 70-80 percent, I’d feel the drag and I’d pull it back in.”

Bowers’ fish was officially weighed and certified by Arkansas Game and Fish Commission biologists. It was also determined to be a cutthroat raised by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Norfork National Fish Hatchery and stocked in either 2008 or 2011.

At some point, state records for all four species of trout (rainbow, brown, cutthroat and brook) have come from the Norfork Tailwater. Arkansas’ current cutthroat trout minimum length limit on the Norfork Tailwater of 24 inches (one fish per day) took effect Jan. 1, and should help protect and grow larger fish.

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ith hurricane Florence unleashing massive flooding in the Carolinas and Michael pummeling the Gulf Coast, it’s easy to see the destructive forces of high winds and heavy rains on land. What’s less obvious are the effects of these massive storms underwater. They can wreak short-term havoc on some recreational fisheries.

And although nature has a way of healing itself, the widespread fish kills documented in the Carolinas are a stark reminder of what hurricanes do beneath the surface.

According North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission biologists, plummeting dissolved oxygen levels caused fish kills that went on for weeks in more than 15 rivers across the state. Fish kills were reported in many coastal rivers, but they also stretched far inland as flood waters caused significant drops in dissolved oxygen levels. Fish essentially suffocated, as they were unable to absorb enough oxygen through their gills.

Shallow mud flats and estuaries, like the excellent inshore fisheries of the Florida Panhandle, experience a massive influx of cold, fresh rainwater. This reduces salinity and temperature and kills fish. It can also impact the food web. Larger fish might be able to flee from unsuitable conditions, but crabs and other smaller, slower moving marine life are trapped.

In the surf and farther offshore, strong currents and large waves that extend well below the surface are destructive to bottom structure like reefs. They also mix the ocean’s layers, which are normally arranged top to bottom by salinity and temperature. Larger marine animals, such as sharks, are known to just swim away on the approach of a large storm.

However, with rapid salinity and dissolved oxygen changes, marine life can suffer for months following a large hurricane.

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Capt. Alex, of the Harvester, ran more than 200 charter trips during the last year, so it’d be understandable if he wanted to take some time to recuperate. But Alex is a pure fisherman, so instead of kicking back he loaded up for a trip to Puerto Calero off the coast of Morocco. There he served on the crew of the Lydia and topped the scoreboard with the first marlin release of a tournament. This was a great experience for Capt. Alex to fish on a different boat in a different ocean. It was also great to see our local hero make big waves on the big stage!

Back in Costa Rica, Capt. William, of the Wanderer, and Capt. Francisco, of the Explorer, oversaw maintenance of the boats. Keeping a fleet of sportfishing boats running in such a remote environment requires patience and ingenuity, but these legendary captains have both traits in excess.

In mid-October, the Nosara area was inundated with historic flooding. The Rio Nosara swelled to 30 feet above its usual level and left many residents stranded. The FishingNosara team sprang into action and used the 23-foot Adventurer to save multiple neighbors from the floods.

Videos of this “Tico Navy” in action quickly went viral (check the FishingNosara Facebook and Instagram feed to see for yourself). All credit is due to the crews and staff for their bravery and selflessness.

All in all, it’s been an interesting off-season.

We can’t wait to get the boats wet in November for another great season of the best sportfishing in Costa Rica!

D

uring the off-season in northern Costa Rica, the FishingNosara team spent the last two months gearing up for the new season. Their five boats were completely disassembled, sanded, repainted and reassembled.

After another 800-plus-trip season, the crews earned some much needed R&R. The problem is these guys have a love of fishing so deep in their bones that they will not be kept away from the water.

Capt. Carlos, of the Discoverer, finished his maintenance early so he could run trips in September and October, which is almost unheard of in Costa Rica. He got out to the blue water, nabbed an awesome blue marlin release and backed it up with big dorados and big numbers of yellowfin tuna.

FishingNosara ran a few dozen trips during the so-called offseason and saw the fishery has reset itself into the winter patterns, which bring more dorado and fewer yellowfins. There are a lot of sailfish and marlin feeding on the mahi-mahi.

This pattern typically lasts into late March when the big schools of yellowfin tuna move in from the north. The El Nino blew through two years ago and disrupted this pattern, but we anticipate things will return to normal this season and for the next few years.

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Rowan County Wildlife Association

November Tournament Info View our Website at www.coastalanglermag.com/ charlotte/calendar See these websites for upcoming tournaments Bass Monkey Academy

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Please send us information about Sponsored Tournaments Weekly Tournaments Charity Tournaments Tournament ou a e t Results Resu ts

Simmons@TheAnglerMagazine.com

TAM Charlotte 2018 11.indd 1

10/17/18 4:55 PM

Forecast for

Hickory & Rhodhiss BY: COLT BASS

S

Colt Bass Fishing (828) 381-3426 www.coltbassfishing.com

Brenda Farmer Broker/Realtor

4001 East Highway 24/27 Midland, NC 28107

tripers on Lake Rhodhiss and Lake Hickory will make one more push this month before it cools down for good.

We hate to see it coming but November typically means the end is near but, the stripers will try and pack on all they can this month before slowing down for the winter. Most fish are going to either be at their winter holes already, or on their way to their winter holes. For the most part I will be pulling live shad on downlines. First thing in the morning or the last hour of daylight I may put out a couple planer board lines or a free line, but most fish will be caught in the 20ft or deeper range. Most fishing will be near main lake points on the mid to lower sections of each lake.

www.CoastalAnglerMag.com/Charlotte

Keep your Boat Safe from the Storm

By Capt. Cefus McRae

T

he past few months have been crazy and even catastrophic for folks who live on both the Atlantic and Gulf coasts. Hurricanes and tropical storms have wreaked havoc from Florida to the Carolinas.

If you live far from the beach, you may think the rain and winds that appear as the storm moves inland will be diminishing along the path, and that’s usually true. However, a major storm system can dump several inches of rain in a short period of time, accompanied by winds that can reach 50 miles per hour.

If you keep your boat in the water, all that rain and wind could cause considerable damage to your boat, even 200 miles away from the coast. On our rivers and reservoirs in the Southeast, a stiff wind can cause sizeable waves.

Imagine someone throwing a 2 or 3 foot wake at your boat for 5 or 6 hours, or even longer. Although your boat might be tied securely to the dock, it’s still rocking and banging against the dock edge. Fenders do a good job, but the constant rubbing against your gelcoat can leave bad marks or even scour your hull sides. While your boat is rocking, if it gets ‘out of sync’ with the dock, it could potentially get leveraged under the dock rail as the boat goes down and the dock goes up with wave motion. That’s not good.

If your boat is on a cable lift, those strong winds could get your boat swinging in the breeze to the point it slams against a piling or support, or compromises the wire connections to the point they give way.

Here’s another issue that can have even worse consequences. Let’s say you decide to keep your boat in the water. You secure it so there’s no way it can slam against a dock or come loose from its mooring.

Wave motion doesn’t bother it too much, but then comes the 4 or 5 inches of rain in just a few hours. If your boat has a self-bailing cockpit and the scuppers are above the waterline, then you’re probably fine.

2 CHARLOTTE/PIEDMONT

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If you have a boat without scuppers or they are below the waterline, then you have the potential for water to accumulate in the bilge, fast.

Your bilge pump should be connected directly to your battery, versus requiring the ignition to be on, or the battery switch to be engaged.

Here’s the problem. That substantial amount of water will cause your bilge pump to run for hours and possibly drain your battery. If the rain continues, you’ll have a boat full of water in no time, and no way for it to be removed. The net result could be your boat swamps, or worse, sinks to the bottom. Even if the boat is still afloat, all your gear will be water-soaked, and electrical connections in the bilge area could wind up corroding.

So here is my suggestion. At the first indication of some major weather on the way, pull your boat from the water. Secure it on its trailer, or have your marina put it in dry storage for a few days. If you’re bringing it home, park it in an open area, away from trees or power lines. If you have a cover for the boat, put that on, and be sure to pull the drain plug. I’ve actually seen deflated trailer tires that resulted from the weight of a boat fi lled with rain water.

The folks on the coast have been doing this for years. They know the drill. So first, take care of your family, then your house, and when that’s done, take care of your boat. It will thank you for it.

Capt. Cefus McRae Nuts & Bolts of Fishing www.NutsAndBoltsFishing.com

Do you like to talk to people or know someone who does? We are looking for sales people for We cover 20 counties (16 NC & 4 SC) 9 Lakes, 1 Dam, 2 Rivers Contact Doug or Juli at: 980-333-7273 or Simmons@TheAnglerMagazine.com

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10/17/18 4:55 PM

Dock Talk

By Michelle Armstrong

Q: Is there a right and wrong way to fish a boat dock?

T

A: Yes, no, and it depends.

iatnuomanilorac.ww

he variables are pretty simple. Depending on the season, you’ll want to go to the docks that are conducive to the seasonal bass pattern, but what do you do when you get there. I say over and over, the bass will tell you.

It’s November, Bass are typically relating to main lake areas. Points, deeper coves, etc... You find yourself near a main lake point with a long row of docks ahead, what do you do? Start at the beginning of course.

When you approach a dock, do so quietly please. First off as to not disturb the fish secondly as to not disturb the dock owner. Typically you’ll approach the front of the dock, taking all of the key parallel shots. Down the side you’ve approached then line yourself up and parallel the front side of the dock. If you’re using a cast and retrieve technique you’ll want to use a spinnerbait, crankbait, swimjig, something moving, but you can also use a worm or jig.

Next, it’s time to “pick” apart the key spots where bass will hide. Pitch a worm or jig by the first piling behind the dock. This area is the first protection to a Bass and it offers shade, depending in the time of day. Next you’ll move to the walkway that connects the floating and stationary part ofnsports.com dock together. This always offers shade so even though it’s fairly easy to get your bait under, the bass have a sense of security. You can flip, pitch, or skip any number of baits underneath. This is usually more shallow and I prefer a slower falling bait at this point. You can use this same technique to fish each pilling all the way til you run out of water.

Sometimes in colder months, some bass will be sunning themselves under the dock in just inches of water closest to the bank.

Try to get your bait into or under any crevice. Often this is what will set you apart from other anglers. The ability to get your bait where the fish are hiding is imperative.

Finally, go to the other side and repeat. It sounds tedious but you should achieve all of these steps in less than a few minutes per dock. Pay w to where you get your bites. For example, if you get a strike on attention two docks under the walkway, don’t waste your time on the next dock, picking it apart...go straight for the “goods” and only fish the walkway on the next docks. If your strikes only come on the front making parallel casts with a moving bait, the same applies; Only spend time fishing the fronts. Once you move further down the cove and the bite dies, you can pick apart the next few docks to see if the bass are responding differently as you go in or if the bite dies altogether. If the bite dies, relocate and look for the next area that matches the previous one and you will likely match the same pattern. The trick is to realize when the bite goes away, then so should you. Many anglers get caught up in “the fish are on the docks” and don’t realize that it’s “where” the dock is that’s the pattern, not the dock itself.

For some lucky ones, there are docks that will produce year after year, no matter the season. They are just good finds and the fish have literally taken up residency here. In the fishing world, this is called a “milk run” and they come in handy during Hours: tournaments. Basically to find these phenomenons you must visit the same docks Tues-Fri: 11am-7pm you’ve caught fish on for a few seasons until Sat: 9am-2pm your convinced they live there. It’s all about time on the water.

Now go catch fish.

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Forecast for

LAKE NORMAN BY: CAPT. GUS GUSTAFSON

The First Thanksgiving

By Capt. Gus A look at history tells us that seafood was plentiful, and that striped bass, eels, clams and lobster shared the table with turkey at the Pilgrim’s first Thanksgiving. So, the story goes…the Wampanoag Indians not only taught the Pilgrims how to catch fish for food, but also how to use it as fertilizer for their corn and vegetable crops. The sweet tasting meat of striped bass became so popular with the new world settlers, that some wonder why turkey has the featured position on today’s Thanksgiving platter.

So, if you, like many, are tired of turkey, consider trying one of the fish “recipies” listed below.

NOTE: These recipes work well for hybrid, striped bass, spotted/ largemouth bass or any other mild tasting fish filet.

Buttermilk Bread Crumb Crust Fillets This crust makes the outside of the fish crunchy and the inside is moist and flaky. It serves four guests, and you’ll be out of the kitchen in a half hour.

4 8-ounce striped bass fillets 2 cups buttermilk 3 cups seasoned bread crumbs 2 tablespoons vegetable oil 1 lemon cut in wedges Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Pour buttermilk into a bowl and place fish in the buttermilk. Next, dredge the fillets in bread crumbs; coat the fish very well by patting on extra crumbs. Place prepared fillets on an oiled baking tray. Bake for 18 to 20 minutes until bread crumbs are golden brown and fish is flaky, but firm. Serve with a fresh slice of lemon.

Michelle Armstrong’s Pretzel Fish Buttermilk 2 egg whites 2 cups of pretzels (crushed) 1 tsp thyme Pepper to taste Soak filets in buttermilk for ten minutes. Mix pretzels, thyme and pepper. Dip fish in egg, then in pretzel mix. Coat both sides. Pan fry until light brown and crispy.

Spanish Style Striper 1/8 cup olive oil 1 diced (or sliced) white onion fresh garlic to taste 1 chopped red bell pepper 1 tsp. cayenne pepper or paprika Salt to taste 1 cup white wine Heat olive oil to medium high. Add onion, fresh minced garlic and red bell pepper. Sauté until tender. Place fish filets directly on top of the simmering mixture. Allow fish to cook approximately 7 minutes. Turn filet over. Add 1 cup of white wine and allow it to evaporate. Add salt and cayenne to taste, and add more bell pepper if desired. Cover for 10 minutes with heat on very low.

4 CHARLOTTE/PIEDMONT

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Fishing With Captain Gus (704) 617-6812 www.fishingwithgus.com

hite perch, hybrids and spotted bass will be “chewing” in November. Reports from last year indicate that spotted bass were so plentiful, that they were being caught two and three at a time on Alabama or Sabiki rigs. Look for schooling bass over submerged brush piles, underwater islands and in the middle of back coves. White perch will be hitting Sabiki rigs fished vertically and crappie minnows positioned near the bottom. Anglers fishing deep brush piles and bridge pilings should expect to catch lots of jumbo crappie (some over fifteen inches in length).

Crappie will move to shallower water as temperatures dip closer to fift y degrees toward the end of the month. Some say they aren’t as plentiful as they were a few years back, but they are bigger. On days when your favorite brush pile lets you down, try fishing the pilings of the twenty, or so, bridges that crisscross Lake Norman. Those who fish live minnows are likely to hook bass, hybrids, perch and even a few catfish while crappie fishing. Popular bridges to fish are the railroad bridge in Mountain Creek, the three Highway 150 Bridges and the Buffalo Road Bridge that spans the main channel just above Marker 25.

A pleasant surprise this fall has been the number of hybrid striped bass caught compared to last year’s dismal results. The hard fighting hybrid striped bass seems to be making a comeback, thanks to an increase in the stocking rate over the past two years. Lots of one and two-year-old fish are hitting lures originally intended for bass and crappie. Knowing this, experienced anglers are keeping a watchful eye on surface feeding hybrids, while others are trolling Alabama Rigs and deep diving lures along channel edges.

Happy Holidays!

The Angler Magazine Charlotte NC

COASTALANGLERMAG.COM • THE ANGLERMAG.COM

10/17/18 4:55 PM

Topwater Tune-Up

S

Forecast for

LAKE WYLIE BY: JERRY NEELEY

By Capt. Craig Price

ummer has been slow leave us this year, but surface feeding activity by hybrids, stripers, bass, and perch began in mid-September on local impoundments. With the best action still to come in NovDec, now’s a good time to brush up on fishing topwater lures.

The design options for topwater lures are many. Personally, I like to fish walking lures like spooks or topdogs, but on any given day you might try poppers, buzzbaits, shallow running stickbaits; even spinnerbaits, bucktails, and swimbaits can be fished on or just below the surface.

The first rule of thumb for fishing close to the surface is low light conditions are optimal. Most predatory fish look and feed upwards.

They don’t have eyelids or sunglasses so bright light is tough on their big eyes. On cloudy days, gamefish may “bust bait” on the surface all morning or throughout the entire day. This is especially true once the surface water temperature has fallen below 700F, and the predators can move more freely throughout the entire water column. The lower light periods at dawn and dusk are the best times to look for surface activity on sunny days.

Of course, there are exceptions to the above. Spotted bass like chasing bait near the surface on sunny days. Schools of newly hatched, small baits get “lit up” by the bright sun, and like neon signs, they become more visible and enticing to the bass. From late fall into winter, warming surface water on bright days actually works in the bass’s favor because schools of bait are drawn to the warmer surface zone.

Striped bass and hybrids also have proclivities for surface feeding.

Though they usually prefer the lower light periods at sunrise and sunset, they often feed near the surface throughout low light, cloudy days.

They are also nocturnal feeders, taking advantage of surface feeding opportunities at night.

Gamefish busting bait near the surface are easiest to detect when conditions are still. Wind doesn’t stop topwater action, it’s just much harder to see when the water is choppy. Windward banks and flats are good places to look for surface activity when the wind blows.

Ideally one looks for multiple fish breaking the surface, indicating a competing pod or school of fish, but casting to individual swirls can be productive if the cast is made quickly and accurately.

When selecting a topwater design, “matching the hatch” is a good place to start. I suggest balancing your lure selection against the size of the primary forage and the size of the predators. Bigger is not always better, but I’ve been surprised many times by how small a fish will eat a really big bait (and vice versa). And keep in mind, the fish may want baits on top of the water one day, or just beneath the surface the next.

When fishing lures on top, or anytime for that matter, think in terms of “quiet baits vs. loud baits”. Still conditions make it much easier for gamefish to see or sense their prey. Try smaller presentations that make little or no noise and have less aggressive actions. Slower retrieves and pauses can be very effective in this situation.

In windy conditions, try larger profiles, more vibration or sound, and more aggressive retrieves. Shallow running lures that don’t break the surface may be most effective in a substantial chop. And don’t forget the old adage – bright baits for bright days and dark baits for dark days.

Dark colors also provide the best profile contrast against the night sky.

Topwater action occurs throughout the year, but fall and winter present some of the best opportunities to fish these lures around schools of active gamefish. Having a few topwaters ready at all times is advisable as the surface blitzes may be brief. When you find them busting bait, get your breathing and adrenaline rush under control, observe what’s happening, and try different lures and retrieves as needed. Being prepared and proficient always produces more Fish On! Captain Craig Price is the owner of Fish On, Fishing Guide Service with Captain Craig Price the Catawba Lakes. Contact Capt Craig at 704-996-0946 or www.FOLKN.com

Carolina’s Fishing Guide Service (704) 678-1043 www.carolinasfishing.com

T

he water is cooler and the fish are feeding up for winter.

Crank bait for bass in creeks and shallow points. Topwater baits will get you a few bass. The crappie bite continues to be good shallow around big docks and brush piles using a red/ white jig. Some crappie are being caught trolling. The catfish bite is good trolling in creeks. White perch bite is good in 20-30 feet of water using a two hook minnow rig. November is always a good fishing month! Don’t forget to check your boat trailer this fall. Take a kid fishing.

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Open Daily @ 430pm Salad Bar Weekly Specials Oyster Bar

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TAM Charlotte 2018 11.indd 5

NOVEMBER 2018

CHARLOTTE/PIEDMONT 5

10/17/18 4:55 PM

Meet James McDougal

by Michelle Armstrong

T

he first time I spoke with him he told me he was online, shopping for topwater lures to use in an upcoming tournament…

James McDougal’s father was a Korean and Vietnam war veteran for the United States Army. At the age of 20 James followed in those footsteps.

With boot camp and training complete, he quickly found himself in the infantry division at Fort Stewart, GA. For the next three years James would serve with the Rapid Deployment Force (RDF). This group was trained in survival and to “watch their back” as well as your fellow soldiers back. Because of the unrest under the reign of Libyan Leader Muammar Gaddafi the men with RDF were always at the ready for deployment. Often times they would find themselves in full gear for endless hours on a tarmac waiting for orders to go to war only to never leave the ground. Moments earlier they may have been with families, on a boat, in traffic, at the grocery store, etc, only to get geared up and braced for the worst in a matter of seconds. They were not able to explain to their families where they were going or for how long because often they did not know for themselves. One could not be “trained” for the mental toll this would take. The emotional stress was sometimes equal to if not worse than the physical stress that was inflicted upon the soldiers in this unit. Like a lot of young soldiers, James incurred many injuries during the strenuous survival training. And like most young soldiers, he ignored the pain. He was once actually considered AWOL only to be found later in his car unable to report to formation because he couldn’t move his legs or lift his arms.

In 1983 James became a Sergeant. He and his wife whom was also military, left for Germany. There, he was in the Headquarter 7 Corp Unit where he was a logistics small arms weapons instructor. His expertise in weaponry allowed him to travel all over Europe training others.

He returned to the States when his wife, was sent home. In 1995, his wife, still in the military, returned to Germany. He reacquired the same job but this time as a civilian. He quips that the only difference was that his desk name plate read “Mr” instead of “Sgt”.

Once again, she received papers to return stateside and he returned with her. He become a correctional officer in Tennessee and later moved on to be an immigrations officer.

In the days ahead, James’s mental and physical health started to suffer though he did not recognize what was happening. His marriage ended, he had a hard time with work due to the time off he required from back and knee surgeries, (that only gave him back 50% mobility) and eventually he found himself homeless in Pennsylvania. An outreach group found him and helped him get to a VA hospital. During an exam, a Dr touched James on the back and from there James can’t explain past a blackout. Although according to the staff, James “exploded” and that was the defining moment that alerted everyone to his mental instability. The next day, James found a note that the Dr had slid under his door stating that he needed psychiatric help immediately. Up until this point, James explains he was never aware of what he was feeling.

“I simply just “dealt” with life the best I could and didn’t understand I had problems”. For the next few months he would undergo extensive psychotherapy and psychiatric care. He was placed on 10 different medications.

When his dad fell ill James traveled by train each week to Fort Bragg NC to visit. After his father died it was apparent that his step mother needed his help. Against the advice of the hospital, he went home.

When he wasn’t helping his stepmother, he found refuge in the darkness of his home, alone. “You could always find me, because I rarely left my 6 CHARLOTTE/PIEDMONT

TAM Charlotte 2018 11.indd 6

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house”.

James explains the day he heard about Operation North State with an audible smile. “The sun shined upon me,” he shares. He agreed to take a fishing trip to Virginia with a friend who had heard about Operation North State. He was apprehensive and quite frankly, scared.

He liked the solace of his home and felt uncomfortable around people in general. Upon arrival they met Terry Snyder, the man who put it all together. They were housed for the night in motor homes. The next day, he was in awe at what he experienced. He was amazed at all the beautiful boats lined up to take them fishing. From the day on the water with his host boater, to the camaraderie with other Veterans afterward.

“It was overwhelming yet comforting to be around people who think and feel like you do.” “for the first time, I felt...safe” He has tried to participate in every Operation North State event since. If he can’t travel with buddies he goes alone. Something that was unheard of a few months prior. James went on to fish the Lake Norman tournament where he landed the trophy for the biggest fish overall!

Though he did not catch one fish during his maiden tournament, it was all life changing for James. For the first time in so many years, he did not want the day to end. James set out on an adventure to make sure it didn’t end.

Having three seasons under his belt with Operation North State, he has gained much confidence and knowledge. So much so, that he now owns his own bass boat, has joined a fishing club, and participates in tournaments in addition to Operation North State. Though he is only in his second season with Bragg Bass Buster’s club, from Fayetteville, NC, he has cashed a few checks, and he is in 5th place overall this season!

Outside of tournaments, James finds a since of peace “fun fishing” with his canine pal Ziggy.

Most importantly since this new found passion, James only has to “touch base” with his psychiatrist and is now taking zero medication. He has one more spinal surgery ahead that he hopes will not keep him off the water very long.

James encourages other Veterans to participate with Operation North State. He now lives by the mantra, Don’t shut yourself out; go out in nature and love. He credits 100% of his progress to this organization.

He admits that once he approached Terry Snyder at the end of an event to express his appreciation and tell his story. Behind nerves and tears he choked up and was only able to pat Terry on the back and say, “ Thanks, good job man”. What he couldn’t convey that day, he managed during this story...

Through Operation North State, “I lit the flame that once was only a flicker”.

Thank you James McDougal for you sacrifice(s) and service.

Ziggy

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10/17/18 4:55 PM

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www.OperationNorthState.com . . . James McDougal

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NOVEMBER 2018

CHARLOTTE/PIEDMONT 7

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Bears, Bees and Pink Cupcakes

M

By Joe Woody

y next-door neighbor, Dylan had a bear encounter the other morning. Not a terrifying encounter but a bear encounter nonetheless… most are at least a little pucker inducing.

He walked out of his front door smack dead into a three or four hundred pound bear casually munching on his daughters pink cupcakes. Apparently, there had been a birthday party during the week and the leftovers were placed in the trash for pickup…it was a Tuesday. The bear was not startled and continued his breakfast. He continued to pilfer through a few other garbage cans that morning. I managed to pick up most of the trash before the trucks came.

I’m telling this story to highlight the preponderance of bear interactions we are having around the mountains lately. There are bears downtown.

There are bears at the mall. There are bears at the hospital…bears everywhere. I would imagine if a bear could write an article for a fishing magazine, he would be wondering, “Why are all these people in my backyard?” He might even write a story about leaving his den one morning and running smack dead into a three or four hundred pound man eating all his blueberries.

With all these bears venturing into civilization, just imagine how many bears there are out in the wilderness. Personally, I’m running into them everywhere, I’m sure other adventure anglers are doing the same The bear sitting at the end of Dylan’s driveway eating pink cupcakes is a little surreal and a perfect segway into a recent “near” encounter I had. I say “near” because I actually didn’t see the bear but I’m quite sure he played a trick on me.

My buddy, Barry, and I recently completed a “Hazel Creek Walk”. If you are not familiar with the term, a “Hazel Creek Walk” consists of a trip of three to four days walking and fishing the Hazel Creek Watershed in the Great Smoky Mountain National Park. This trip is usually completed one of two ways. You can start at Proctor on the North Side of Fontana Lake and fish upstream, or your can start at the top, like Barry and I did.

Starting at the top eliminates the strenuous uphill climb coming out of the watershed. Either way, be prepared to walk twenty-five miles or more depending on your side fishing excursions up Walker or Proctor Creeks.

We started our trip from the Clingman’s Dome Parking Area. We walked up the steep Tower Trail for obligatory selfies at the top of the tower then struck out west on the AT toward Double Springs Gap and the trails intersection with Welch Ridge Trail. A mile into our walk, we started finding numerous, large piles of bear poop. When we turned south down Welch Ridge, the piles became larger and closer together. We passed large swaths of earth, recently rooted up by large bands of wild hogs found at high altitude during the summer. We passed a large grassy area recently pressed down by a large “Sounder” of hogs. We never saw the animals, but just out of sight we often heard large animals busting through the underbrush to avoid us. It was kind of unnerving.

This continued all the way down the valley…bear poop and boar root. Our fourth day before our last push out to Fontana, we decided to explore a seldom-fished area across Hazel Creek from the Sugar Fork Campground. Barry went ahead of me…I had some reel maintenance I had to take care of which put me about fifteen minutes behind him. I crossed the creek and immediately came across fresh bear tracks. What do you do when you come across fresh bear tracks…in the middle of the wilderness…by yourself…obviously you follow them. The bear was in a playful mode. He crisscrossed the little island five or six times. He walked through a little swampy area. He rubbed himself on a tree and scratched it up. I then followed him back to the creek where he jumped into the water about seventy-five yards from where Barry was fishing on a rock.

He left almost perfect tracks in a little sandy area next to the bank. I studied the tracks for a few minutes, almost mesmerized by them. I love tracks, they tell a story if you have the patience. I squatted down to get a closer look. I then noticed more tracks in the shallow water almost washed away. The bear was almost jumping up and down. I was trying to put the pieces of the puzzle together. Then off to my right, I noticed a grey cloth like substance. Before I fully recognized what it was, the hornets started swarming me. This bear had knocked a Bald Faced Hornet’s nest out of a tree almost as if he knew I was following him. He led me into a trap and I never saw it coming. Never saw the bear either.

I’m not saying this bear hatched a plan to get me stung by hornets. I’m saying that bears are curious and mischievous by nature and can, and will, create trouble wherever they wander. Whether it be eating pink cupcakes out of your garbage can or ripping down a hornet’s nest to set you up for a few stings.

All in all, I was lucky. I was only stung once but my whole left hand was swollen. Barry, oblivious to all I was doing because he was absolutely slaying fish, only saw me running toward him in a panic swatting at unseen bees. When I finally made it to safety, he simply asked…”You Ok”? I said yes and we both kept fishing like nothing had happened. We only spoke of it lightly on the way out when we high five’d toward the end of our trip. My swollen hand reminding me of what just happened. I guess stories about bears, boars and bees become more interesting over time.

Joe Woody is Co-Publisher of The Angler Magazine WNC with his wife Debra. He is an Army Veteran and a self proclaimed “Adventure Angler”. You can usually find him wandering around Western North Carolina telling fishing lies.

Bass Monkey Academy is a hands on experience for young Anglers from 7 to 17 They meet at Gandor Outdoors in Monroe, Greensboro & Mooresville Visit the website or facebook for more information

www.bassmonkeyacademy.weebly.com on FaceBook: Monkey Academy Youth Anglers Program (Carolina Crankers) 8 CHARLOTTE/PIEDMONT

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10/17/18 4:55 PM

Another Important Rule for Wilderness Fishing

By Jake Bussolini

I

have been traveling north to Canada for more than 25 years to take advantage of the availability of big fish that the Canadian lakes offer. Wilderness fishing, as I define it here, is being flown by plane to some remote lake, dropped off at a small cabin only to be picked up six days later. Until the recent process of taking along a satellite telephone came into play, those six days put the angler entirely on his or her own with no communications with the outside world.

If you forgot something you simply did without it. The trip always requires a fair amount of planning to avoid leaving a critical item behind. I recall one trip when we forgot to take our portable sonar unit out of the car. Since I depend heavily on sonar to show me the bottom structure and availability of fish, having no sonar was like losing my right arm. But with wilderness fishing, you simply learn to do without it.

Wilderness fishing also teaches you some important rules like making sure you have toilet paper in the boat in case of the need for an emergency stop. First aid kits should always be at hand. Drinking water often requires boiling lake water and planning a shore lunch of freshly caught Walleye really requires that you catch some Walleye of you might be eating perch or Northern Pike.

On a recent wilderness trip, we were wrapping up the week and had a few leftover food parcels from the preceding days. Things like bread, beans, vegetables and even a small amount of cooked meat. Before we hit the water for our last day of fishing, one of our younger anglers put those parcel on some boulders outside the cabin. I asked him why he was doing that and he indicated that he was leaving the food to feed the seagulls that had been hanging around the cabin all week.

When we returned to the cabin that evening, we learned a new rule for wilderness fishing. DON’T FEED THE BIRDS. The huge female black bear and her two cubs were having a great time with that leftover food. The cubs seemed to be bothered by our sudden appearance but the big female just kept on eating.

Jake Bussolini is a freelance writer who has written several books about freshwater fishing. His books can be viewed and purchased at www,booksbyjake.com.

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TAM Charlotte 2018 11.indd 9

NOVEMBER 2018

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Forecast for

HIGH ROCK/BADIN/ TUCKERTOWN DAM BY: DARIN BROWN

N

Hwy. 49 Sporting Goods (704) 463-7053 www.49sports.com

ovember weather the past couple of years has been very mild compared to previous years. This has turned November into a great month for catching fish on the Yadkin River Lakes.

Spinnerbaits fished around docks and piers are a great way to catch lunker sized largemouth bass this month. Slow rolling a large lure (½ or ¾ oz.) works very well. I prefer a single large Colorado blade spinnerbait. Skirt and blade color depend on water color.

In stained water a chartreuse skirt with a gold or copper blade seems to work well. In clear or slightly stained water try a white skirt with a chrome blade. Some largemouth will be schooled up chasing shad or other bait fish. A medium size crankbait that dives 2-8 feet is a good bait to catch these active fish. I like to use either a Rapala DT-6, DT-4 or a Strike King KVD 1.5 or 2.5 for catching schooling fish.

Crappie will be moving into shallow water as the temperature drops. Fishing downed trees or brush piles will often produce nice fish but they don’t always hold as tight on the structure as they do in the spring. Try fishing out from and to the side or in front of the structure. Trolling close to the bank near structure is another technique that will often work well this time of year.

Striped Bass are being caught on Badin Lake chasing shad.

These schooling fish are often caught along with largemouth bass in the backs of coves where they are ambushing the schools of shad. These schooling fish have been in the 4-6 lb. size with the occasional 7-12 lb. fish. A top water lure or shallow running crankbait approximately the size of the shad they are feasting on will catch them. Look for surface activity as the shad try to flee.

HWY. 49 36488 SPORTING GOODS NC 49 Hwy, New London, NC 28127 704-463-7053 Tuckertown Lake 49sports.com

For Home Defense – The Shotgun Shows Up

By Karen Fisher

Y

ou’ve probably heard someone say, “just the sound a pump action shotgun is enough to make the bad guy turn and run”, right? Well, it should. But let’s talk about the real reason why the shotgun could actually be a great choice for home defense.

The biggest advantage to relying on a shotgun for home defense is that it produces multiple projectiles. Unless you’ve had a good degree of tactical training, it may be hard to hit your target, especially a moving target, using a handgun or rifle. You’re going to want to terminate the threat with the largest firepower you can deliver. If you go with high power, it’s a bad day for anyone who ends up at the wrong end of a barrel that is delivering a 12-gauge 00 buckshot. Think about that. That’s 8 hits by .33 caliber pellets at one time. Of course, we can’t ignore our safety rule – know your target and what is beyond. If you have loved ones on the other side of a common wall, you may want to consider a lighter birdshot load instead. At short range, birdshot will be devastating. A 20 gauge would also be a good choice, especially for women, because it has less recoil.

The shotgun is widely possessed by the majority of gun owners. It comes in a range of actions, so it should be easy to find a good fit for your level of knowledge or experience. A defensive shotgun can be as simple as a standard pump-action to a tactical model. Beyond your choice of shotgun and ammo, it’s important to remember that most home intrusions happen without notice.

Consideration will need to be made for fear, high stress, and confusion, therefore, lack of precision when in defensive-mode could fall short. The shotgun gives you the potential to end the fight quicker than with a pistol or rifle.

Karen Fisher is the owner of Carolina Self Protection and teaches clasees for kids and adults. See her ad on this page.

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Transition During the summer, musky will move around quite often in search of both food and optimal holding conditions making them hard to pattern.

You target a feeding area with no success often because they are not www.LKNSmallEngine.com feeding or not there. Then you target a holding area with no reaction or a lazy follow, and again, no results to show for it. Well, that all changes in the fall as water temperatures begin to tumble. While musky can still be scattered and not necessarily fully moved to their wintering holes, they will begin their transition to these areas while stopping along the way to feed. Whether they stop in a shallow feeding area or in a deeper holding area, these fish become available to target in a variety of areas and are hungry.

Tip: One of my favorite locations to target in the fall are shallow depressions in the middle of the river protected by a break, creating broken water over the depression. Musky love these prime ambush spots.

Pre-Front Frenzy If there was ever a time that seemed to spur a musky feeding frenzy, it is the day before a massive cold front pushes in. Often the conditions are dreary, a little rainy, windy, and it just feel like something is getting ready to happen. It reminds me of guided trip right before the remnants of a hurricane pushed through the Appalachian Mountains, pulling in a massive cold front. We hit the river around 9am and within minutes were hooked up with a musky on a topwater plug. We switched over to crankbaits the rest of the day after that fish and ended up with seven total fish in nine opportunities. We totaled five fish over 40” with largest going over 48” with a head the size of a basketball (see pic). It was an epic day, particularly for the New River in Virginia. What was most amazing was that the followers were eating before the first turn in the figure-eight, often coming straight off the bottom and hitting the plug vertically.

Tip: Time the fronts and make sure to fish the day BEFORE the front actually moves in. The day the front actually moves through can be tough fishing with often drastic drops in barometric pressure that stymie the bite.

Top Lure Choices A couple of my favorite offerings during the fall include topwaters such as the Bucher Top Raider or Suik Weagle. These are great in open water or on shallow flats with there is a change in depth. Some days they are on it, some days they are not, but when they are, the hits are explosive. I have seen them hit the Suik Weagle with such intensity that it seemed like God dropped a tree down from heaven that hit the water. If they aren’t looking at topwater lures, I usually switch to an inline like a Llungen DC-9 or a crankbait like a Pearson Minnow. These are smaller baits, but can cover a lot of water very quickly. When fish are firing on all cylinders, I like to cover as much ground as possible as quickly as possible. When the bite slows, I will typically stick with these same baits but slow my presentation down.

Tip: You don’t need three tackle boxes of lures to catch muskies. Some of the best anglers on the New River will carry three or four of the same lures each trip. It is all about having confidence in your presentation and sticking with it.

The author, Britt Stoudenmire, and his wife Leigh, have been outfitting anglers for fifteen years on the New River in Virginia. They offer both guided fishing trips (newriveroutdoorco.com) and waterfront lodging (walkercreekretreat.com). 540-921-7438.

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10/17/18 4:55 PM

Fished Out Finding Success with Pressured Fish

By Ryan Wilson

I

hate to be the one to break it to you, but the secret is out. While there was once a time when the choicest Madison River Fly Fishing is your trout spots could be held close to the vest, that time is over (mostly). The word has spread on just how great the one stop shop for all fly fishing gear. fishing is on NC Delayed Harvest trout streams. From a We proudly distribute: fish population, size and accessibility perspective, Carolina fly anglers are about as spoiled as they come. The second edge to that sword however, is that other people have found out about it and those people have fly rods too.

While there are certainly some things an angler can Don’t forget to book your do to help avoid crowds, like fishing during the week, fishing marginal water rather than obvious pools and guided fly fishing trip today! taking advantage of crappy weather, the fact is, no DH stream is that hard to find and popular spots are popular for a reason. For most of us, it is inevitable that at some 20910 Torrence Chapel Rd. Suite D5, Cornelius, NC 28031 point, we’re going to have to cast to highly pressured fish.

704-896-3676 www.carolinaflyfishing.com Fishing pressure can be both gradual and acute. Gradual www.facebook.com/Madisonriverflyfishing outfitters pressure happens over the course of the season. Those hatchery bozos become accustomed to the same prince nymph/ squirmy worm combo drifting by time after time and become more selective. Acute fishing pressure refers to what these fish have seen today. Both types of pressure will mean that you’ve got to improve your game if you want to be successful.

When entering a pool that another angler has just vacated, it might make sense to not cast for a few minutes. You can position yourself, fiddle with your gear and otherwise observe what’s going on, but allow the spot to rest for 10-15 minutes before tossing right in. DH trout don’t take too long to get over an angler intrusion, but they do require some time to get comfortable.

When approaching pressured fish, your fundamentals must be on point. Make as little disturbance as possible when moving through the water and making your casts. You’ll blend in better by wearing neutral colors and planning out your approach. Keep your rig organized and avoid making too many false casts. If you make a poor cast, allow the drift to finish rather than picking the line off the water too soon and spooking your fish.

Fluorocarbon tippet is a necessity.

Fluorocarbon doesn’t catch light like standard monofilament and is therefore much lower visibility under the surface. The extra couple of fish you’ll hook will absolutely be worth the extra couple of bucks you spend on the spool. For most applications 5X will get the job done, but I recommend 6X or even 7X for those that can tie a good knot and know how to fight fish on light line.

Although your fly selection shouldn’t change drastically, consider going up or down a size. Finicky trout will often still take much smaller nymphs, because most anglers aren’t using them regularly. Oversize flies, on the other hand might present that fish with an opportunity that’s just too good to pass up. The trick here is to not overthink your fly selection. Your favorite pattern works because it looks like what fish want to eat. Stick to that principle and just tweak the execution enough to separate yourself from the crowd.

Rather than digging through your box to find that magic fly, your time will be better spent adjusting your rig. Adding or removing weight, sliding your indicator and adjusting your drift will drastically change the way that your fly is presented to a fish. Experiment with these different presentations until you find the combination that works for you. In general, your goal should be to get your flies as close to the bottom of the water column as possible, without constantly snagging the streambed.

Although fishing pressure can absolutely have an impact on a trout’s eagerness to take flies, the bottom line is that I rarely let it dictate how I approach a stream. Even if a spot appears to have been “worn out” it’s unlikely that it really has been. It’s the rare angler that will be able to hook every fish in a given spot and it’s almost a certainty that any spot you approach will have some fresh targets. By keeping your fundamentals solid, using good sense & stream etiquette and allowing yourself to be creative with your presentation, you’ll undoubtedly have plenty of success on those not so secret honey holes.

Ryan Wilson is the Owner and Operator of Madison River Fly Fishing Outfitters in Cornelius, NC. If you’d like help making the most of your time on the water, please contact him at madisonriverflyfishing@gmail.com or call at (704) 896-3676. Check us out on Facebook: Madison River Fly Fishing Outfitters or on the Web: www.carolinaflyfishing.com

12 CHARLOTTE/PIEDMONT

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B.A.S.S. photo by Seigo Saito

B

y the time Justin Lucas made it to the stage during the weighin for the Toyota Bassmaster Angler of the Year Championship at Lake Chatuge, Georgia, the drama was all but gone.

Lucas entered the event with an eight-point lead in the AOY season standings—and after solid catches during the event, he had stretched that lead to an almost-insurmountable 47 points. His closest competition in the race, Arizona angler Josh Bertrand, decided not to fish because his wife was expected to deliver their second child.

It eliminated all the suspense, but that suited Lucas just fine.

The California native turned Alabama resident caught five bass

CANGL_FIL1-FIL4.indd 3

that weighed only 11 pounds, 14 ounces on the final day at Chatuge.

But his three-day weight of 39-0 was more than enough to give him the AOY title.

“I wanted this so badly,” Lucas said. “The build-up to this tournament affected every part of my life. I haven’t been sleeping because I would wake up in the middle of the night thinking about my game plan for this week. I’ve told my family and friends just to bear with me for a few more days, and everything would be okay—and now it’s all good.”

The gravity of the award hit Lucas and moved him to tears on stage.

“You think about the guys who’ve won this title—Gerald Swindle, Kevin VanDam—it’s unbelievable,” he said. “I’m the 23rd guy who’s ever won this in the 50-year history of B.A.S.S., and that’s humbling.”

Lucas came into the week knowing if he finished inside the Top 8 he couldn’t lose the AOY title—even if Bertrand won the tournament. His Sunday weight helped lift him into seventh place and capped a dominant finish to his 2018 season.

The seventh-place showing marked his fifth straight Top 12 appearance in a Bassmaster Elite Series event, dating back to the regular-season tournament held on the Sabine River in Orange, Texas, in June.

Lucas earned one of the most coveted trophies in professional bass fishing and a $100,000 bonus. Besides the AOY title, Lucas qualified for the 2019 Bassmaster Classic—his fourth time to qualify for bass fishing’s biggest event in five years on the Elite Series.

The Toyota Bassmaster Rookie of the Year award went to North Carolina pro Jake Whitaker, who finished 15th in the tournament and barely edged Arizona angler Roy Hawk for the title.

To hear a word from Lucas after his win, go to

ANGLERSDREAM.CO

10/18/18 9:23 AM

RIGGING & JIGGING

Tim Barefoot

I

f I had to choose one inshore bait over all others, it would definitely be a shrimp.

I can’t name a fish that doesn’t eat shrimp. It’s especially effective for trout, drum, snook and tarpon. Here is a technique for rigging a soft-plastic shrimp with a snelled weed guard that makes it easier to fish through mangroves, marsh grass, docks and all the other thick places that hold fish.

Tools: Needle nose pliers, 80lb. fluorocarbon line for the weed guard, 20- to 50-lb. fluoro for the leader, a red or brown Sharpie marker to color the antennae/weed guard, a pre-rigged soft-plastic shrimp.

Steps:

• Carefully remove the hook from the pre-rigged soft plastic shrimp.

• Cut a 7-inch piece of 80-lb. fluoro. Pinch it at the center with pliers and bend it backward against the natural curvature of the line to create the antennae.

• Push both tag ends of the 80-lb. line through the backside of the hook eye. Leave about 1 ¼ inches of the loop that’s created on the backside of the hook shank.

• Thread a strand of the 25- to 50-lb. leader material through the backside of the hook eye.

This will be your snell.

• Using the leader material on the shank side of the hook eye, make a loop about the diameter of a baseball.

• Take this loop and snell it to the shank of the hook, which secures the antennae/weed guard.

• Trim the tag end of the leader material as well as the closed loop of 80-lb. line against the

hook shank.

• Bend the antennae back along the length of the hook, and trim them just past the barb of the hook.

• Use the Sharpie marker to color the antennae.

This same weed guard can be snelled onto almost any hook for a variety of applications. Substitute heavy-duty hooks to target species like tarpon and large snook.

The 80-lb. fluoro is stiff enough to fend obstacles off the hook point and gives the shrimp a realistic appearance. Fluorocarbon is highly preferred for its stiffness, but some monofilament lines like Triplefish and Ande are stiff enough to use for this

purpose.

This might appear to be complicated, but it is a very simple way to kill two birds with one stone.

By snelling it, you secure the antennae/weed guard to the hook and create a leader at the same time. Check out the video linked below to see the techniques used in this rig.

Visit www.barefootcatsandtackle.com.

For Video on Rigging Shrimp Weedless See:

FORTHELO VEOFFISHING.COM

CANGL_FIL1-FIL4.indd 4

10/18/18 9:23 AM

TIPS FROM A PRO

O

BRANDON LESTER

ver the past five years fishing the Bassmaster Elite Series, I have visited a lot of really cool places. I have been about as far as a man can go north, south, east and west in the United States. Visiting new places is actually one of my favorite parts of fishing professionally. Don’t get me wrong, I miss my family when I have to leave and they don’t get to travel with me, but I do enjoy traveling. I’ve met a lot of great people and seen some really cool sights both on the water and off.

Although I haven’t visited anywhere that I completely disliked, I do have a few favorites that I look forward to every year. One of my favorite stops is the St. Lawrence River in Waddington, N.Y. Yes, that’s right, a Tennessee boy just said he loves New York. When most people think of New York, they immediately think of New York City and all the hustle and bustle that goes with it. Upstate New York couldn’t be further from that. Waddington, and really the whole thousand islands region, is very rural, quiet and beautiful.

Row crop fields and dairy farms are mostly what you see along the roadside.

Aside from the scenery in Wa d d i n g t o n , the fishing is absolutely phenomenal. I finished third in our Elite tournament up there this year and actually caught my biggest smallmouth ever on the final day of the tournament. She weighed 6-8. I also caught my biggest fivefish limit of smallmouth ever that week. It weighed 25-13.

This year was my third time being there with the Elite Series and the fishing has gotten better every time we’ve been.

The river flows out of Lake Ontario and in a lot of ways it sets up like the Tennessee River where I fish back home.

The current there runs a lot more than I am used to, but that just sets those fish up in likely areas a lot longer each day. The smallmouth are growing extremely large because of the presence of gobies. Smallmouth love them, and the X Zone lures Slammer mimics them perfectly. Rig it on a Mustad Titan X Wacky Neko hook and an MHX rod and you’re good to go.

You’ll find a lot of people up there don’t even fish for smallmouth but instead chase walleye. That’s one reason the fishing for smallmouth is so good. Give the St. Lawrence a try and I think you will see why it’s one of my favorite places.

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By Will Schmidt • Photo by Kathryn Maroun

elize City doesn’t have a big fancy airport with neon signs everywhere. In fact, the single runway is also the taxiway, and you exit the plane via stairs. This simple airport sets the stage for the rest of the trip, which is easy, laid back and unplugged.

Ambergris Caye is situated in the Caribbean Sea just off the coast of this small English-speaking nation sandwiched between Mexico and Guatemala. During a short flight to the caye and a boat ride to El Pescador Resort, you’ll be blown away by the views and the blues and greens of the water.

Upon arriving at the lodge, we were greeted by an amazing staff, which refers to itself as family and thinks of you the same way, always addressing you by your first name. After settling in we, met at the dock for a fly-casting session with the guides, which was very helpful even for veteran casters. After dinner, we talked about what

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to expect the next day. It was quickly noted that this is one of the best places for a shot at a slam. The flats hold an abundance of bonefish, tarpon and permit.

At daybreak, my father and I boarded the boat and ran south along the coast to just below the Mexican border. Our guide suddenly made a hard left turn and stopped the boat. Just ahead was a giant school of rolling tarpon, and it didn’t take long to hook up. After about 10 minutes I had the 30-pounder boat side. Unfortunately, the commotion of the fight pushed the other fish away.

We then headed into a bay where we had world-class shots at permit. There were cruising fish and 20-plus pounders waving their tails at us as they ate breakfast. Unfortunately, as permit often do, they refused our offerings, but the bay was also filled with eager-toeat bonefish and we spent the rest of day catching them.

It was the same each day of our trip, with numerous shots at multiple species and plenty of action. We had shots at juvenile to triple-digit tarpon, small to 20-pound permit and bonefish for days, although we did not see any particularly large bones.

Admittedly, I have some isolated places to fish on my bucket list. Seemingly, every time I look at what it will take to pull a trip off, I start searching for more feasible options. Belize always rises to the top. There are plenty of reasonable fight options, and it’s only a couple of hours from south Florida. You will also find many competitively priced all-inclusive lodges that are close to the fish and will pamper you after a long day on the water. When you consider the ease of the travel, price and quality of fishing, Belize is definitely bucket list worthy.

Will Schmidt is a seasoned tournament angler who has been writing about fishing for two decades.

For more on fishing in Belize, go to

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hen Bob Sundstrom, of Odin Lure Company, created his Oozzie Jig in 2011, he knew right away it was something special. It worked wonders on the New Hampshire coast for cod, haddock and stripers, and he patented his new technology that allows hard baits to disperse a steady stream of fish-attracting scent.

Odin Lure Company is the evolution of that design. With its line of topwater poppers and jerkbaits, Odin handcrafts high-quality lures that appeal to all a fish’s senses to draw strikes. From largemouth bass to tuna, anything that will hit a plug will slam Odin’s FRIGG lures. And with the added attraction of a scent trail, FRIGGs are proven on the water to out-catch other lures.

“We’ve all had fish follow a lure right to the boat,” Sundstrom said. “You caught that fish’s curiosity through sight and sound, but you haven’t convinced the fish that it’s looking at something to eat.”

That’s where the scent system comes into play. For many species, scent is the most important sense utilized in targeting prey. FRIGG

lures use sight, sound and smell to convince even the wariest fish to feed.

An empty FRIGG will draw strikes as well as any lure out there, but it’s almost unfair to the fish when injected with a scent product called Fish Smack. Fish Smack was formulated by Bioedge specifically for use with Odin lures. It is a 100 percent natural extract of the oils, enzymes and amino acids from baitfish. It has the viscosity of grease, which makes it uniquely designed for Odin’s “bait chamber.”

On retrieve, water pushes through a rubber membrane on the front of the lure and past the Fish Smack in the bait chamber. Scented water exits through laceration points designed to look like gill slits on the lure’s sides. FRIGG lures leave a scented bubble trail that adds an element of realism and triggers strikes. On top of that, the residual baitfish scent in the water acts like chum to attract fish and spur feeding activity.

A single injection of Fish Smack will keep the lure “hot” through more than an hour of casts and retrieves. And FRIGGs are remarkably versatile on the retrieve. A concave face gives the seductive wobbling and walking action of a stunned baitfish. When slowed down, the popper’s loud pops, bubbles and gurgles are like ringing the dinner bell.

Largemouth, pike, tarpon, redfish, snook, trout, mahi-mahi and tuna are just a few species Odin’s FRIGG poppers and jerkbaits have caught in testing. There are sizes and colors to match whatever fishing you do. Fish Smack also matches the hatch with several different “flavors”— from herring to squid—that appeal to your targeted game fish.

All Odin lures are made in the U.S.A. of high quality materials and extra-strong components. Sundstrom hand paints them himself in Odin’s New Hampshire facility, which means he personally oversees the quality of each lure produced.

For more information on Odin Lure Company’s revolutionary new lures, see odinlures.com.

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FRESHWATER

By Michael Okruhlik • Photo courtesy of Controlled Descent Lures

A

laska, the last frontier, is truly a remarkable destination that every angler should experience. Believe it or not, river fishing in Alaska can be done easily without a guide. I like to call it a “do-it-yourself destination.”

The famous Kenai Peninsula is a place I have traveled to for several amazing fishing trips. The beautiful scenery in this area alone is worth the trip, and the number of close encounters with wild bull moose, bears, elk, bald eagles, etc. were truly amazing. While there, I find myself not wanting to sleep, since the summer days are never ending and the fishing is usually catching!

My last trip to the fabled Kenai River was a last-minute journey

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that proved to be one of my most amazing trips to the peninsula. It was mid-July, and I had been watching the salmon counts and monitoring the run charts for a few weeks. This was going to be my first attempt at catching the larger second run of sockeye salmon. Reports told of massive schools in Cook Inlet that were moving toward the river mouth.

Predictions of a record season were starting to fill the nets of the commercial fishermen.

As they started to near the river mouth in the town of Kenai, estimates of their arrival at my anticipated ambush point in the small town of Soldotna began to filter in. It was now time to break the news to my wife of this last-minute fishing trip from Texas to Alaska. Fortunately, she understands my passion for the sport and was in full support. The facts that sockeye is her favorite fish to eat and that I had a free airline ticket didn’t hurt.

Four days later, the salmon and I hit the banks of the Kenai River in downtown Soldotna. Not only was its perfect timing for the arrival of these large acrobatic fighters, Alaska also increased the limit from three salmon per day to six. Jackpot! For some reason, the crowds were also lighter than what I had witnessed on previous trips. I was not complaining. I was fortunate to harvest my limit each day.

With easy limits of salmon in the morning, I found time to head to the Russian River for some rainbow trout on the fly. This is where I had a 15-foot encounter with a momma bear and her two cubs. Fortunately, she didn’t feel threatened as the cubs were crossing the river on a fallen tree. She glanced at me, then to her cubs, back at me, and proceeded to follow her cubs across the river. I will never forget the sheer awe of that experience.

A visit to Kenai Peninsula would not be complete without a hike to view Exit Glacier and the Harding Icefields. I have made this hike three times, and if I ever return I will definitely do it again.

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

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Campeche My first experience with Yucatan baby tarpon was the in the Campeche area. The city of Campeche is a wonderful colonial community nestled along the mangrove-lined coast six hours west of Cancun. The city has spec-

t a r p on t o grow up to 40 pounds.

Anglers make casts to large schools of rolling tarpon over shallow eel grass flats early in the morning and late in the afternoon.

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The fishing is just as spectacular!

Within a short panga ride from your hotel, you can cast flies to rolling tarpon on the open-water flats. Tarpon here are accommodating, often hitting poppers or a well-placed subsurface fly. Once hooked, baby tarpon put on a spectacular show, burning fly line off reels and making their trademark jumps.

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Baby tarpon can be spooky, so keep the fly line out of the tarpon’s field of vision, especially in calm conditions. I suggest a 10- to 12foot leader of 20-pound test with a floating line. You’ll also need a short 40-pound bite tippet.

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Limit 1 coupon per customer per day. Save 20% on any 1 item purchased. *Cannot be used with other discount, coupon or any of the following items or brands: Inside Track Club membership, Extended Service Plan, gift card, open box item, 3 day Parking Lot Sale item, compressors, floor jacks, safes, saw mills, storage cabinets, chests or carts, trailers, trencher/backhoe, welders, Admiral, Ames, Bauer, Cobra, CoverPro, Daytona, Diamondback, Earthquake, Fischer, Hercules, Icon, Jupiter, Lynxx, Poulan, Predator, Tailgator, Viking, Vulcan, Zurich. Not valid on prior purchases. Non-transferable. Original coupon must be presented. Valid through 3/1/19.

SUPER COUPON

12-7/8" W 6-11/16" H

SAVE $69 $ 3999

ITEM 64023 64012 shown

ITEM 69030/69031 shown

Cannot be used with other discounts or prior purchases. Original coupon must be presented.

Valid through 3/1/19 while supplies last. Limit 1 FREE GIFT per customer per day.

ULTRA-LIGHT, CRUSH PROOF Customer Rating WEATHER-RESISTANT LOCKABLE CASE NOW • 16-15/16" L

$2999

MODEL: 831097

20% OFF

30"

• 12 of • 58 • He str at

*69608469 * 69608469

6

MODEL: L4825HV

SUPER COUPON

MODEL 3800

99

24999

KOMELON $ 98

*69616269 * 69616269

LIMIT 4 - Coupon valid through 3/1/19*

46" MOBILE STORAGE CABINET WITH SOLID WOOD TOP Customer Rating

1" x 25 FT. TAPE MEASURE

ANY SINGLE ITEM*

PRICE $1,999 *69627672 * 69627672

$

ANY PURCHASE

• Thumb Lock • Rubber Wrapped Case

SUPER COUPON

NOW

WITH

SUPER COUPON

COMPARE TO

HUSKY

$ 229 SAVE $79 MODEL: C201H $

99

17499

ITEM 61454/69091/62803/63635/67847 shown

$3 99

COM

KT

5

$ 99

COMPARE TO

VALEO $ 02

11

ITEM

Customer Rating

MODEL: 25521

62434, 62426, 62433, 62432, SAVE 63% ITEM 62429, 64178, 64179, 62428 shown

*69628653 * 69628653

*69631381 * 69631381

*69635732 * 69635732

*69654116 * 69654116

LIMIT 3 - Coupon valid through 3/1/19*

LIMIT 4 - Coupon valid through 3/1/19*

LIMIT 5 - Coupon valid through 3/1/19*

LIMIT 9 - Coupon valid through 3/1/19*

Custo

SUPER Battle Tested COUPON 18" WORKING PLATFORM 5000 LB. ELECTRIC WINCH STEP STOOL WITH REMOTE CONTROL AND Customer Rating AUTOMATIC BRAKE Customer Rating

SUPER COUPON

200 LUMENS LED SUPER BRIGHT FLIP LIGHT

20-60 x 60MM SPOTTING SCOPE WITH TRIPOD

• Wireless, tool-free and easy installation

4

Customer Rating

$ 49

Customer Rating

NOW

NOW

SAVE 50%

$2 $

PROMIER

6

MODEL: P-SWITCH-12/48

NOW

$3999

99

COMPARE TO

• 350 lb. capacity

$

COMPARE TO

ITEM 64189 64723/63922 shown

CELESTRON

97

99

MODEL: 14593491

54

99 SAVE $ 59% ITEM 62774

COMPARE TO

GPL

$

5145 SAVE 61%

MODEL: H-21

ITEM 62515/66911 shown

2999

$

COM

28

17999 $

COMPARE TO

WARN

MODE

Voted Best Winches

32639 SAVE $186

MODEL: WAR89040

ITEM 61384/61605/68144 shown

*69674169 * 69674169

*69678045 * 69678045

LIMIT 9 - Coupon valid through 3/1/19*

LIMIT 5 - Coupon valid through 3/1/19*

LIMIT 7 - Coupon valid through 3/1/19*

LIMIT 3 - Coupon valid through 3/1/19*

SUPER COUPON

ELECTRIC INDUSTRIAL 14" EAR MUFFS CHAIN SAW Customer Rating NOW

COMPARE TO

HOBART

$

MAGNESIUM FIRE STARTER Customer Rating

99

$2

99 9 3 $ $4999 Customer Rating

SAVE $399 55%

12999 SAVE $90

MODEL: 77054

6

$ 74

COMPARE TO

Customer Rating

TR INDUSTRIAL MODEL: TR88014

ITEM 61610/63122/91214 shown

ITEM 61372/60792/43768 shown

NOW

$

9 4999 $39

SAVE $60

9

ITEM 64498/64497 shown

COMPARE TO

CRAFTSMAN $ 99

99

MODEL: 071-45247

NOW COMPARE TO

COGHLAN'S $ 59

9

MODEL: 7870

$1 49

SAVE 84%

1

$ 99

*69682413 * 69682413

*69684045 * 69684045

*69686212 * 69686212

LIMIT 5 - Coupon valid through 3/1/19*

LIMIT 9 - Coupon valid through 3/1/19*

LIMIT 4 - Coupon valid through 3/1/19*

LIMIT 9 - Coupon valid through 3/1/19*

DRIVE 1/4" 3/8" 1/2"

SUPER COUPON

SUPER COUPON

CLICK-TYPE TORQUE WRENCHES

130 PIECE TOOL KIT WITH CASE

ITEM 61277/63881/2696 61276/63880/807 62431/63882/239

COMPARE TO

HUSKY $ 97

MODEL: H2DTWA

SAVE $ 99 88% 19

SUPER COUPON

SUPER COUPON

40 PIECE, 3/8" DRIVE SAE AND METRIC SOCKET SET

2 HP GAS POWERED EARTH AUGER

Customer Rating

• Reversible Item 239 shown

Customer Rating

NOW

E YOUR CHOIC

$9

99

COMPARE TO

HDX

$

66

39

MODEL: H137HOS

SAVE 54%

$29 $

38

ITEM 68998/63248/64080/64263/63091 shown

NOW

99

69

COMPARE TO

KOBALT

$

1997 SAVE 80%

MODEL: 89809

$3 4

$ 99

ITEM 975/47902/61328/63015/62843 shown

*69692214 * *69695492 * *69699359 * 6 9 6 9 2I2 1 NOVEMBER 4 69695492 69699359 NATIONAL 2018 I COASTALANGLERMAG.COM • THEANGLERMAG.COM LIMIT 8 - Coupon valid through 3/1/19*

CANGL_NAT3-NAT26.indd 24 hft_coastalangler_1118_spread_M-REG152008.indd 2

LIMIT 4 - Coupon valid through 3/1/19*

LIMIT 8 - Coupon valid through 3/1/19*

99

Cust

ITEM

ITEM 69457/63733/66560 shown

*69681471 * 69681471 Customer Rating

SA 65

PER $

*69671294 * 69671294

AUTO-DARKENING WELDING HELMET WITH BLUE FLAME DESIGN NOW

24

$

$13999

*69669515 * 69669515 SUPER COUPON

84

$1 999

NOW

60" WIT

• 6" diameter x 31" long auger bit included Customer Rating

SAVE $164

COMPARE TO

EARTHQUAKE $ 98

334

MODEL: E43, EA6F

ITEM 63022

NOW

$1 69 $

99

21499

*69701648 * 69701648 LIMIT 3 - Coupon valid through 3/1/19*

10/18/18 9:49 AM

COM

GRI $

4

MODE

ON

%

F

NY NGLE EM*

SUPER COUPON

SUPER COUPON

30", 4 DRAWER TECH CART

7 FT. 4" x 9 FT. 6" RAPID PUMP® 3 TON STEEL ALL PURPOSE/WEATHER HEAVY DUTY LOW PROFILE RESISTANT TARP FLOOR JACK

• 12,600 cu. in. of storage • 580 lb. capacity • Heavy duty gas struts hold lid open at 90 degrees

NOW

Customer Rating

$

Customer Rating

NOW

99

$1 07 99

159

$

COMPARE TO

SNAP-ON

99

SAVE $691

79995

MODEL: KRBC10TBPC

9

$ 98

COMPARE TO

4

$ 99

BLUE HAWK

ITEM 64096

ITEM 69115/69121/69129/69137/69249/877 shown

MODEL: BG8X10-Y

Customer Rating

$

$4699 7450 SAVE 53%

MODEL: KTI61205

Customer Rating

• 450 in. lbs. of torque • 1.5 amp hour battery • Weighs 3.4 lbs.

$

ITEM 60658/97711 shown

3999

SAVE $34 COMPARE TO

99

MODEL: P1811

4 PIECE, 1" x 15 FT. RATCHETING TIE DOWNS • 400 lb. working load

Customer Rating

NOW

$

$64 $

10 FT. x 17 FT. PORTABLE GARAGE

Customer Rating

$699

99

RYOBI $

SUPER COUPON

SUPER COUPON

NOW

NOW

$1 6999

1199 COMPARE TO

74

99

$

COMPARE TO

ATE TOOLS

ITEM 64754/63531 shown

5488 SAVE 87%

MODEL: 33079

ITEM 63094 63056/63057 63150/61524 shown

$

SHELTER LOGIC

$19999 270 SAVE $100

MODEL: 76377

ITEM 62859/63055/62860 shown

*70454740 * 70454740

*70456551 * 70456551

LIMIT 4 - Coupon valid through 3/1/19*

LIMIT 4 - Coupon valid through 3/1/19*

LIMIT 9 - Coupon valid through 3/1/19*

LIMIT 3 - Coupon valid through 3/1/19*

SUPER COUPON

SUPER COUPON

4-1/2" ANGLE GRINDER

SUPER COUPON

18" MACHETE WITH SERRATED BLADE

.50 CAL METAL SNATCH BLOCK AMMO CAN Customer Rating

UPER UPON

• Includes sheath Customer Rating

Customer Rating

NOW

$1 999

NOW

SAVE 65%

NOW

COMPARE TO

PERFORMAX $ 99

$

28

MODEL: 2411-1

$999

14

99

ITEM 69645/95578/60625 shown

99

$12

COMPARE TO

GAME WINNER $ 99

24

MODEL: FSGWHE1030

SAVE 48%

$

$

COMPARE TO

15

99

ITEM 63750/63181 shown

WARN $ 99

NOW

$499 $599

2899

SAVE 52%

41

MODEL: WAR88898

$

COMPARE TO

SOG

ITEM 62435/61673 shown

1869 SAVE 73%

MODEL: 947981

ITEM 62682/69910/60641/62683 shown

*70457789 * 70457789

*70457886 * 70457886

*70458197 * 70458197

*70458661 * 70458661

LIMIT 9 - Coupon valid through 3/1/19*

LIMIT 7 - Coupon valid through 3/1/19*

LIMIT 7 - Coupon valid through 3/1/19*

LIMIT 9 - Coupon valid through 3/1/19*

SUPER COUPON

SUPER COUPON

ATV/LAWN MOWER LIFT

Customer Rating

• 300 lb. capacity • Weighs 72.5 lbs.

UM TER

$

ating

SUPER COUPON

80 PIECE ROTARY TOOL KIT

Customer Rating

NOW

8999 $74

99

SAVE $67 Customer Rating

SUPER COUPON

2/10/50 AMP, 12 VOLT BATTERY CHARGER/ 12" WIDE MOUTH ENGINE STARTER TOOL BAG

COMPARE TO

MAX LOAD

$

142 08

MODEL: 38028

ITEM 60395/62325/62493/61523 shown

SAVE 50% $5299 COMPARE TO

59

NOW

$2999

SCHUMACHER $ 99 MODEL: SE-1250 ELECTRIC ITEM 60581/60653 shown

SAVE 75%

Tools sold separately.

COMPARE TO $

AWP

1998 $ 99 8

MODEL: 3L-2216

ITEM 38168/62163/62349/61467 shown

NOW

99

$4

SAVE 73%

NOW

Customer Rating

COMPARE TO

$699

26

9

$ 35 PROFESSIONAL WOODWORKER MODEL: 51832

$ 99

ITEM 69451/68986/63235/63292/97626 shown

*70462654 * 70462654

*70462904 * 70462904

*70463421 * 70463421

*70463587 * 70463587

LIMIT 5 - Coupon valid through 3/1/19*

LIMIT 4 - Coupon valid through 3/1/19*

LIMIT 8 - Coupon valid through 3/1/19*

LIMIT 8 - Coupon valid through 3/1/19*

SUPER COUPON

SUPER COUPON

60" HARDWOOD WORKBENCH Customer Rating WITH 4 DRAWERS

long d ating

4

6499 SAVE 69%

MODEL: 426920

*70453466 * 70453466

Customer Rating

99

COMPARE TO $

MIBRO

$1 999

*69721420 * 69721420

shown

9

$7999

ITEM 64264/64266/64879/64883 64881/61282/62326/61253 shown

SUPER COUPON

6 TON HEAVY DUTY STEEL 20 VOLT LITHIUM CORDLESS JACK STANDS 1/2" COMPACT DRILL/DRIVER KIT

2432,

99

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LIMIT 6 - Coupon valid through 3/1/19*

SUPER COUPON

ITEM 38847/69596/62393/61197 shown

W

MODEL: T830018Z

97

NOW

99

*69720196 * 69720196

K TOOL

RED GER

14999 SAVE $70

$

LIMIT 4 - Coupon valid through 3/1/19*

COMPARE TO

OUPON

TEQ $

*69710418 * 69710418

$34

199

• Weighs 73 lbs.

COMPARE TO

LIMIT 9 - Coupon valid through 3/1/19*

99

9

• 5400 lb. capacity

20"

*69709049 * 69709049

NOW

W

3/8" x 14 FT., GRADE 43 TOWING CHAIN

LIMIT 4 - Coupon valid through 3/1/19*

UPON

es

SAVE 70%

Side tray sold separately.

Customer Rating

*69703248 * 69703248

. *Cannot ds: Inside m, 3 day cabinets, er, Cobra, , Jupiter, on prior gh 3/1/19.

ing

$2

Customer Rating

SUPER COUPON

18" x 12" 1750 PSI ELECTRIC MOVER'S DOLLY PRESSURE WASHER

Customer Rating

• 1000 lb. capacity

COMPARE TO

GRIZZLY $

425

MODEL: H7723

Tools sold separately.

SAVE $295

$

15999

ITEM 63395/93454/69054/62603 shown

• 1.3 GPM • Adjustable spray nozzle

RECIPROCATING SAW WITH ROTATING HANDLE

NOW

NOW

$12999

SUPER COUPON

SUPER COUPON

COMPARE TO

BUFFALO TOOLS $ 65

17

MODEL: HDFDOLLY

$

1099

SAVE 54%

NOW

99

$7

ITEM 63098/60497/61899 63095/63096/63097/93888 shown

Customer Rating

$7999 $

99

99 Customer Rating

COMPARE TO

44 SAVE $94 BRIGGS & $ STRATTON MODEL: 20600 ITEM 63255/63254 shown

174

COMPARE TO

PORTER-CABLE $ 98

59

MODEL: PCE360

NOW

Blade sold separately.

SAVE 66%

ITEM 65570/61884/62370 shown

$1 999 $

2799

*70464930 * 70464930

*70465235 * 70465235

*70466108 * 70466108

*70466416 * 70466416

LIMIT 5 - Coupon valid through 3/1/19*

LIMIT 9 - Coupon valid through 3/1/19*

LIMIT 5 - Coupon valid through 3/1/19*

LIMIT 7 - Coupon valid through 3/1/19*

At Harbor Freight Tools, the “Compare to” price means that the specified comparison, which is an item with the same or similar function, was 900 Stores Nationwide • HarborFreight.com COASTALANGLERMAG.COM • THEANGLERMAG.COM I national NOVEMBER 2018 I NATIONAL advertised for sale at or above the “Compare to” price by another retailer in the U.S. within the past 90 days. Prices advertised 25 by others

*Original coupon only. No use on prior purchases after 30 days from original purchase or without original receipt. Valid through 3/1/19.

CANGL_NAT3-NAT26.indd 25

may vary by location. No other meaning of “Compare to” should be implied. For more information, go to HarborFreight.com or see store associate.

10/18/18 10/2/18 9:49 1:54 AM PM

26

NATIONAL

I

CANGL_NAT3-NAT26.indd 26

NOVEMBER 2018

I

COASTALANGLERMAG.COM • THEANGLERMAG.COM

10/18/18 9:49 AM

WHO CARES ABOUT LIVE SCANNING SONAR? ANYONE WHO FISHES.

PANOPTIX™ LIVESCOPE SYSTEM LIVE, REAL-TIME

2 MODES IN

SEE AROUND YOUR BOAT

RANGE UP

SCANNING SONAR 1 TRANSDUCER SEE BELOW YOUR BOAT TO 200’

WORKS EVEN WHEN

AHRS STABILIZES

BOAT IS STATIONARY SONAR VIEW

EASY TO INSTALL

INTEGRATES SEAMLESSLY

© 2018 Garmin Ltd. or its subsidiaries.

COMMON CVRS_1118.indd 3 18-MCJT11128 Panoptix LiveScope Full-page Near Shore Ad-8.125x10.875-CoastalAngler.indd 1

10/18/18 AM 10/10/18 10:50 2:01 PM

THE PLANET’S

CLEANEST OUTBOARD *

It’s never been this much of a rush to make the right choice. The new Evinrude® E-TEC® G2® gives you power plus responsibility. Run the cleanest combustion outboard on the planet, period. Not just clean, but lean, with up to 15% better fuel efficiency**. No competitor takes you further on a tank of fuel. That’s more adventures to the gallon, more fish in the boat, more dollars in your wallet. The planet friendly E-TEC G2. No outboard engine runs cleaner.

©2018 Bombardier Recreational Products Inc. (BRP). All rights reserved. ®, TM and the BRP logo are trademarks of BRP or its affiliates. * Emissions claim based on reported certified emissions of Evinrude E-TEC G2 250 H.O., Yamaha 250 SHO® and Mercury OptiMax® 250 Pro XS™. Actual emissions dependent on engine model. ** Fuel economy claim based on BRP-conducted ICOMIA testing of Evinrude E-TEC G2 250 H.O., Yamaha 250 SHO® and Mercury OptiMax® 250 HP in a test tank to determine ICOMIA average cycle. Actual fuel economy dependent on engine model.

COMMON CVRS_1118.indd 4

10/18/18 10:50 AM