Coastal Angler Magazine | March 2021 | Tidewater, VA/Outer Banks, NC Edition

TIDEWATER, VA/OUTER BANKS, NC EDITION

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SIGHT FISHING

TRIPLETAIL

CAPE COD BLITZES

RECORD BREAKING SWORDFISH VOLUME 26 • ISSUE 312

PHOTO CREDIT: TOMMY LADO COURTESY OF CHEYANNE SINGLETARY

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By Nick Carter

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ripletail are some of the most exciting gamefish that visit inshore waters. Their peculiar tendency to hang near the surface around floating debris makes them perfect for sight fishing, and on top of that they are absolutely delicious.

Capt. Jeremy Davidson is an angler devoted to these oddball fish. His charter service, Southern Salinity, is based out of St. George Island, where he specializes in inshore tripletail on Florida’s Forgotten Coast.

“They start to migrate to shallower water when that water temperature starts rising,” he said “It’s wind and water temperature dependent, but everything starts to move in March or April—the bait, the pelagics, everything.”

Throughout the Gulf of Mexico and up the Atlantic Coast, tripletail move shallower in waves.

Davidson said the timing is different by location, but the patterns are similar. First, scads of smaller

fish move in from offshore through the passes to find homes on floating debris. The early spring bite is characterized by plentiful opportunities at smaller fish. By May or June, larger 8- to 12-pounders settle in on trap buoys, floating vegetation and tide lines. Big fish in the 20-pound range arrive in deep summer.

They’re there to feed and procreate, said Davidson, which means they are primed to pick up a bait. However, catching tripletail consistently is more difficult than it might appear.

THE SETUP: To spot tripletail, you must train your eyes to look beneath the surface. Fish will stay with a piece of floating cover as long as it harbors the small crabs, shrimp and glass minnows tripletail feed on. Cover could be anything, and Davidson recommends checking out everything floating on the surface. You might spot the fish itself, but the first indication is usually the sub-surface flash of a turning fish.

When Davidson spots fish, he leaves the boat in gear and noses into the current to point the bow at the fish within casting range.

THE CAST: “Do not hit that fish,” Davidson warned. “Pick a spot out past it. I don’t care if it’s the treeline. Just make sure to pitch past that fish.”

Casting past the fish with an underhand pitch allows the angler to retrieve the bait slowly through the strike zone. If the tripletail doesn’t take the bait on the initial retrieve, it’s time to flip the bail and allow the tide to carry the bait back past the fish.

“It’s a slow dance,” Davidson said. “Retrieve it slow and easy.”

THE TAKE: Don’t set the hook! Tripletail feed delicately. They ease up and pluck their prey from near the surface. Then, to avoid spooking their next meal, they move away before engulfing it.

“Let that fish roll down or go the other way,” Davidson said. “Give it 5 or 10 seconds, then lift up and he’s on. Then he turns into a wild man!”

THE FIGHT: The harder you pull on a tripletail, the harder and wilder it fights back. This is important because, along with brute strength, these prehistoric fish have a sharp, line-slicing gill plate. Davidson reiterated his slow dance metaphor, saying you can sometimes lead a fish right to the boat by taking it slow and easy.

“Square up with him. Keep your rod tip up, and let him run if he wants to dig,” said Davidson “Walk him around the boat. Stay square with him, and pump him in slow and easy.”

THE RIG: Tripletail eat shrimp, pogies and artificials, but Davidson prefers to make a fresh-shrimp lure. He pops the heads off large restaurant-quality shrimp and pinches the flappers off their tails. Then he runs a 2/0 or 3/0 3X Strong VMC circle hook up the tail and out the second notch before turning the point back into the bait. This hides the hook and allows the shrimp to swim like a lure.

To make pitching the rig easier, he ties an elongated float, like Boat Monkey’s Cigar Slip Float, between braided 30-lb. main line and a 2- to 3-foot leader of 30-lb. fluorocarbon. More advanced anglers might go bobberless for better control while working the bait. To do this, tie the braid directly to the leader with a double uni knot.

Capt. Jeremy Davidson owns Southern Salinity, which runs charters on Florida’s Forgotten Coast.

See their website at www.southernsalinity.com.

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ver the last few months, I’ve shared some techniques in these pages that people seem to be trying with some success. When you think about it, incorporating squid into your offshore spreads really is a nobrainer when you can find and purchase good whole squid.

One of the best ways to rig those squid, and ballyhoo for that matter, is with a Chin Weight coupled with a “stiff-rig” stinger hook assembly.

Recently, I’ve received quite a few calls and e-mails from folks all over the country asking for a simpler way to achieve the end result of a stiff-rig stinger hook.

I had to go to the barn, have a few cocktails and dig deep, but here it is: The simple way to keep a stinger hook in a rigid “stiff ” position without snelling it or making a cat’s paw connection. If the terminology is throwing you off at this point, stay tuned, this actually is a very simple solution that anyone can achieve with a limited amount of materials and know how.

The key to this rig is inexpensive heatshrink tubing over a standard crimped-wire connection. Granted, you might only get a bite or two out of this rig before teeth shred the heatshrink tubing and it’s no longer rigid. However, it’s so easy to make this rig that you can churn

Step two: Make a second crimp at 90 degrees to the first crimp. This is a (small) diameter in the cable to fit over a 7/0 or 11/0 Tim Barefoot Chin Weight (as shown in photo).

Step Three: Slide a ¾-inch length section out dozens in different lengths of heat-shrink tubing over the crimped for different sized baits and keep them at the ready. Cut your cable to the connection of the hook and heat with a lighter correct length and make a few crimps… that’s in the vertical position. That’s it! all there is to it.

Step One: Make a standard crimped connection using the High Seas 1.0 crimp and the American Fishing Wire 175# (7x7) or 49 strand cable.

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See it once, and it will be like a light bulb going off in your head. It really is that easy.

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Click on “Heat Shrink Tubing Stiff Rig Stinger Hook.”

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INSHORE STRATEGIES FOR THE

PHOTO COURTESY OF KNOCKIN TAIL LURES.

Most fish are still in transition between the deep mud and the shallow sand or grass flats, which keeps them spread out through the bays. Add high winds, cool fronts and the small size of the forage, and you have a tougher puzzle to put together than the other three seasons. Here are a few tips to help you sort though this maze and hopefully land a few more fish this spring.

First and foremost, baitfish are extremely small this time of year, and it is not uncommon to find dozens of small glass minnows in the bellies of trout and redfish in the spring. This makes my first tip obvious, so I won’t waste a lot of space here, but downsize your lure presentation if you can. Obviously, this can impact one’s casting abilities, so rigging small lures in tandem can be

By Capt. Michael Okruhlik a plus and assist in casting distance.

Something else I like to use in the spring is a clear or transparent lure with some glitter, or maybe one with a light translucent color. I choose these because it’s more difficult for the fish to see the lure’s actual size, which gives the appearance that it’s smaller than it actually is. I’ve found this to be a productive alternative to downsizing. While choosing a typical-size trout and redfish lure for this application, I look for one with subtle movements. I like either a darting-style bait or a paddle lure with a very subtle vibration. Strong, big-vibrating tails have their time, but early spring is not one of them.

One thing I notice about schools of small baitfish is their movement.

When displaced, they seldom dart deeper, and most of their movement is side-to-side or upward. Due to this characteristic, I also like a lightweight lure with a slow sink rate. I feel this better imitates spring forage movements and increases strikes. I like a lure that twitches side to side that doesn’t sink very fast on the pause.

In early spring while the fish are in transition, they will start to congregate on sandy shores with grass. This will be the main cover for the small fry.

While employing these techniques and lure choices, concentrate efforts on broken grass flats with potholes and distinct edges. These areas are best when they are close to deeper water.

I hope you find these tactics helpful and as the weather warms and you pring is around the corner, and a lot of fishermen who hang up their gear enjoy the outdoors, don’t forget to take a kid fishing! for winter can’t wait for the temps to rise. Although the enthusiasm is high to wet a line, spring can be the most difficult season to successfully Capt. Michael Okruhlik is the inventor of Knockin Tail Lures, Controlled pattern and to consistently catch inshore fish.

Descent Lures and the owner of www.MyCoastOutdoors.com.

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TIDEWATER / OUTER BANKS

Existing State Record Swordfish Crushed!

MARCH 2021

PUBLISHER & EDITOR BRENDA RIGGS MIKE RIGGS Co-publishers & Editors

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS J. JIM MIKE AARON JOHN JAKE

VIRGINIA SALTWATER FISHING TOURNAMENT A 597-pound swordfish, caught September 25, 2020 by Nicholas Kontodiakos of Norfolk, VA, has been certified as the new Virginia State Record by the Virginia Saltwater Fishing Tournament. Kontodiakos’ catch surpasses the existing record of 466-pounds, caught on August 16, 2019, by Tony Gower Jr. of Virginia Beach, VA. The record setting catch was made off Virginia Beach while drifting along the southern edge of the Norfolk Canyon in 1,000 feet of water during a daytime deep dropping trip for swordfish. The massive swordfish hit a bait suspended at about 800-feet.

Kontodiakos, a rescue diver for the Navy, and fishing buddy Trey Wallace, with part time experience as a charter boat mate, left Rudee Inlet at 4:30 AM aboard the angler’s 2007, 29-foot SeeVee. After arriving at their designated location they made several long drifts and had a couple of bites that did not come tight. The lines were set for “one more drift” before they planned to head in for the day to arrive at Rudee Inlet shortly after dark. But at 3:30 PM those plans changed as the deep “buoy rod,” with a rigged dolphin belly on a blue and white skirt, came tight. After wrestling with the fish for nearly 5 hours it was clear it was a large swordfish, and when the fish was finally secured at the transom, they began to relax. But securing the fish to the transom was just round one. Round two would consist of couple of hours of stop and go, inching the fish onto the deck on each stop, tying it off and then running until they were recovered enough to resume their tug of war. Finally, with the fish on the deck and the tuna door closed, it was non-stop to Rudee Inlet.

Kontodiakos’ passion to land a swordfish began 10 years earlier while living on the east coast of Florida. He admits “I had no idea how to go about catching them.” After moving to Virginia Beach and realizing there were swordfish to be had off the Virginia coast some 60 miles plus, “I decided I needed a bigger boat.” Unfortunately, even with a bigger boat, his lack of success in Florida had tagged along to Virginia. It got so bad he sometimes had to settle for fishing alone.

“No one wanted to fish with me because I never came back with any fish.” Relentlessly perusing information on the internet to aid in catching a swordfish plus talking to successful anglers along the east coast for additional insight eventually began to payoff and his success improved markedly in recent years. “I think I’ve caught a swordfish in every month of the year except maybe January.”

It was nearly midnight when the pair pulled inside Rudee Inlet. A call had already been made to alert the Virginia Beach Fishing Center of the catch and the boat’s bow was pointed straight to the Fishing Center’s main dock. Representatives from the Fishing Center were at dockside to assist and a small crowd of interested onlookers had already assembled despite the late hour.

The mammoth swordfish would weigh an incredible 597-pounds--besting the former state record by 131 pounds! The fish measured 180 inches total length with a lower jaw fork length of 111 inches while sporting a hefty girth of 69 inches. Kontodiakos used a custom Joe Leffler 80-pound class rod, teamed with a Shimano Tiagra 50 reel, spooled with 80-pound PowerPro braided line and topped off with a 25-foot, 250-pound Moni mono leader with a Mustad 7691, 11/0 hook, attached to the business end.

For more information, contact Lewis S. Gillingham, Director, Virginia Saltwater Fishing Tournament, 380 Fenwick Road, Fort Monroe, VA 23651, (757) 247-2013 or vswft@mrc. virginia.gov COASTALANGLERMAG.COM • THEANGLERMAG.COM

ANDRE BAUGH BUSS KELLY TIGER WORTHINGTON

GRAPHIC DESIGN JENNY DIAZ

CONTACT INFORMATION For editorial comments, articles, photography, artwork and all other inquiries please contact:

BRENDA RIGGS brenda@coastalanglermagazine.com

757.409.7518 MIKE RIGGS mriggs@coastalanglermagazine.com

757.681.5001

MAR 2021

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CARP TECHNIQUES

By Mike Buss

L

ast month we talked about carp, where to find them and what to use to catch them. We mentioned they can be found tailing, rooting for food, sipping the surface or just cruising around. In other words, they can be found doing almost anything and can be eating almost anything as well. You must not only find them, but once found you must observe what they are doing to be successful. This month we will look at some of my favorite techniques to use to catch them.

You must also take note of where they are found. I like to sightfish and this usually means looking for them in shallow water. They do most of their feeding in shallow water and when they are active they give themselves away.

If you can find them tailing in shallow water, you have an excellent chance at hooking one. Tailing carp are feeding along the bottom in a head down position with their tails exposed as they feed. They are often selective in what they are feeding on, but they will be moving and you can use that to your advantage.

Determine their movement and pick out a target to make a cast to land slightly in front of the fish. Allow your fly to sink and watch to see if it noses down to take the fly. If it is refused, make another cast and this time make a couple of strips to get the carp’s attention.

If you are fishing a soft bottom, I like to use flies like a San Juan Worm or a nymph. If you find them over gravel or rocky bottom, then a crawdad pattern may work better.

You may also find them rooting along the bottom. This is similar to tailing with them cruising along and then dipping down to root something off the bottom. Again, determine the direction of travel and use the same tactics used for tailers. Because rooting carp are feeding on almost anything they come across, just about any fly could work.

They also may be found traveling in groups over soft bottoms creating mud blooms as they dig up the bottom and these mud blooms give them away. Take a moment to figure out where they are headed and make a cast in that direction to land in front of them. Sometimes just letting the fly sink to the bottom without movement works. But if they consistently refuse, give your fly some movement or switch to a fly with natural movement in the water.

Carp may also be found on the surface sipping their food. They could be feeding on floating seeds or insects, but I’ve usually found them doing this when there is a lot of food on the surface. This could happen during an insect hatch or after seeds have been blown in the water. They are extremely wary and casts must be accurate and soft.

An errant cast will put them all down.

Carp will also be found cruising shallow water looking for food.

Most of the time these fish will be moving quickly and a quick cast in front of them may provoke a strike. But these are the least predictable of carp actions. They might just be moving from one area to another and completely ignore your offering. But that is what makes carp fishing fun.

They are very unpredictable at first glance, but the more you fish for them and the more you observe their behavior, the more predictable they become. With enough practice and time on the water you will find you can shallow water sight fish in your neighborhood pond and pretend you are bone fishing and don’t need to travel to an exotic area.

Good luck and tight lines.

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THE FLYING FISHERMAN

By J. Andre

A Stroll Down Memory Lane

The Navy brought me to Southeastern Virginia back in the 1970s. During that period, one of my stations was at the end of Dam Neck Road, the Fleet Combat Training CenterAtlantic in Dam Neck, Virginia Beach. The road started at M&M Grocery and ended at the beach where the base was located just north of Back Bay. There wasn’t much else there being well south of the resort strip. In the 70s and early 80s Back Bay was known nationwide for big healthy Largemouth Bass and plenty of them.

Already, established as a waterfowl hunting hotspot, an infrastructure of boathouses, boat ramps, and concessions stood ready to service the fishermen and hunters at this year-round sportsmen’s paradise.

I was a transplant from New England who lived to hunt and fish in my spare time. Back Bay became my after-work salvation. The Center’s Welfare and Recreation Department inexpensively rented Johnson 6 HP outboard motors to sailors wanting to go fishing. Yes, they also rented boats and trailers, but Mom and Pop businesses up and down the west shore of Back Bay rented 14-foot wooden skiffs for $5 a day. No trailer hitch, no problem! Lovitt Landing, Davis Marina, and Bay Haven Farm were but a few of the outlets offering boat rentals, and sales of bait, lures, fishing licenses and snacks.

Sadly, in the mid-80s, within a span of about 5 years this paradise became paradise lost. What caused this? Development runoff, farming runoff, saltwater intrusion from barrier island breaches during large coastal storms, saltwater pumping stations, etc. The debate will go on forever.

The Hydrilla and Milfoil plants died off. The bass disappeared. Then the marinas eventually disappeared.

Being resourceful and equipped with some local intel, my fishing buddy Mike heard of some Virginia Beach public land called Munden Point that was being turned into a city park. Rumor had it that Channel Catfish could by caught there by the bucket loads. It was true! That Spring we arrived with the sun and caught all we wanted to clean and eat. We had the place to ourselves since the park was still in the building stages. We fished every Saturday morning. However soon the fences and gates went up and we were told we could not enter until 7:30 AM. What, miss the best part of the morning!

Mike solved the problem. He acquired a well-used 14-foot aluminum boat and outboard. Davis’ Marina was still hanging on servicing those of us who refused to give up. We used their boat ramp and facilities to launch our new catfishing expeditions. The bass may have gone but the Channel Cats had taken over Back Bay. We were welcome at 5:00 AM and they had bait for sale.

We soon learned we didn’t need live bait. We caught a crab by accident and baited him up. Within seconds an 8-pound Channel Cat devoured it.

From then on, we bought a dozen crabs at the Farmers Market every Friday afternoon on the way home from work. One day our crab supplier declared, “Boys I don’t have but one live crab. The rest are dead, and I can’t sell them.”

Our hearts sank. We indicated that we didn’t care if they were dead because the catfish liked them dead or alive. Misery became good fortune once it was understood that we were using his fine crabs for bait. We got our live crabs for 50 cents apiece and the dead ones for free! Life was good!

Still, all good things come to an end. The last of the Back Bay marinas finally shut down. More fences ended our Back Bay catfish trips. I brought #2, a 12-ft aluminum boat, down from New England with its 5 HP Gamefisher outboard and started fishing the Suffolk Lakes for Striped Bass.

Soon after getting hooked by the Striped Bass bug, I made my Virginia entry into saltwater fishing. It would be another 30 years or so before I returned to pursue the whiskered beast. Now, I live to be SLIMED! COASTALANGLERMAG.COM • THEANGLERMAG.COM

MAR 2021

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OBX

By Aaron Kelly

INSHORE

Well hopefully March will outperform February’s weather. Wind, rain repeat. Folks that can get to the blue water could see gargantuan bluefin tuna. So far, this winter season there have been tuna pushing 900 lbs. What in the world!? That is a fish over 111 inches long! If the quota has not been met, then the season is open and March will produce! Pushing westward we will be targeting tautog and sharks on the inshore wrecks. Decent weather conditions are needed to have an enjoyable fishing trip. Not too much fun trying to hold on out there in 15-20 knot winds. If you see a pretty day call us up or get your boat out there. In the inlet, we are pretty much in a holding pattern around here. Not much to see unless you want a chance encounter with seal sunning on the shoreline. In calmer backwaters you can find trout and striped bass. The stripers will be pushing up the rivers feeding up for the spring spawn. A lot of places will be catch and release and that’s ok. Catching fish in less crowds is a plus! Light jigs, rattle traps, and stickbaits are fun to cast around the bends of the rivers. Also, a note if you want your reels serviced for late April and May’s fishing, send them off to Daiwa, Penn, or Shimano to get serviced. They are backed up pretty good this season.

Or give Pops Reel a call!

Local kind and reasonable.

You can find him on Facebook at https://www. facebook.com/Pops-ReelRepair-1541016616165525/ Good luck out there!

Captain Aaron Kelly rocksolidfishing.com 252-441-6575

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TIDEWATER & OUTERBANKS FIGHTFIGHTING

By John Tiger

Fire Extinguishers for Your Boat and Trailer Don’t have a proper fire extinguisher aboard your boat? You’re playing with…well, you know. The US Coast Guard website (United States Coast Guard (uscg.mil)) says that on-board fires have been the second leading cause of commercial fishing vessel losses from 1994 onward! If you need any further reason why you should have one, know that professional boat racers are required to have two; one aboard and one on the trailer in case of fire on dry land. Fire on board is serious stuff; if you have a fire at sea, there’s nowhere to go but overboard, and that’s a whole ‘nuther problem.

USCG What does the Coast Guard say? They’re the gold standard for safety recommendations and regulations, so it pays to check out the regulations for extinguishers (http://wow.uscgaux.info/Uploads_wowII/054-20-02/ CG_Updates_Fire_Extinguishers.pdf). They’re too long to reprint, so here are the high spots: TYPES OF FIRES & WHAT PUTS THEM OUT? CLASS “A” FIRE: Includes ordinary combustibles such as wood, paper, cloth, trash, etc... The best extinguishing agents for an “A” fire are water or chemical foam.

CLASS “B” FIRE: Involves flammable or combustible liquids. The best extinguishing agents for a “B” fire are carbon dioxide, dry chemical, or aqueous film forming foam (AFFF).

CLASS “C” FIRE: Involves electrical equipment. The preferred extinguishing agent is carbon dioxide. Dry chemical can be used.

CLASS “D” FIRE: Involves combustible metals like magnesium. The best extinguishing agent is a dry powder suitable for the metal involved. This class of fire is not likely on a fishing vessel.

are USCG approved for use on boats, and come with 6-year warranties.

Most marine stores, websites and even many home stores carry these units. They’re inexpensive enough (typical Mariner 5 price is around $30, and the 110 goes for about $33) to keep a couple on board and even one mounted to the trailer.

MAINTENANCE Mounting-wise, be sure to put the extinguisher in a place that’s not just readily accessible, but also easy to view the gauge and check the unit’s condition.

Check it often to ensure that the gauge needle is in the “green” range, that the unit isn’t damaged, dented, rusty or leaking, and that the bracket remains mounted securely. Make sure the operating lever and nozzle are unobstructed, and that the information tag and operating instructions are in clear sight.

Hopefully, you’ll never have to use it.

John Tiger, a recognized expert in high performance boat setup, rigging and driving, outboard repair and trailer towing, John’s boating and racing experience has helped him write popular columns such as Outboard Tech and Seat Time as well as many hundreds of feature stories.

WHAT DO YOU GET? Fire extinguishers are classified by a letter and number symbol. The letter indicates the type of fire (A, B, C, or D) it is designed to extinguish and the number (I - V) indicates the size of the extinguisher. The higher the number, the larger the extin¬guisher. Sizes I and II are hand-portable, and sizes III, IV, and V are semi-portable.

Regardless, all extinguishers used on boats must be CG Approved and rated for marine use. Boats less than 26’ long must have at least one B-1 extinguisher in place; for boats 26-40 feet, two of these. Boats larger than 40’ but less than 65’ must have three.

Kidde (www.kidde.com) is perhaps the most well-known supplier of marine extinguishers, and they provide units in many sizes and applications.

Their Mariner 5 extinguisher is a popular Class B/C unit that comes with charge indicator gauge and mounting strap/bracket. The Mariner 110 unit is rated for Class A/B/C fires and also comes with gauge and bracket. Both

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CATCHIN’& COOKIN’ JIM’S SHRIMP CEVICHE TACOS WITH AVOCADO SALSA BAUGH’S

JIM RECIPE OF THE MONTH

Hard to believe something so simple can be so good. The main trick here is to make everything fresh. First take your peeled and deveined shrimp and place them in a bowl with a cup of fresh lime and a cup of fresh lemon juice. Add a little sea salt and fresh cracked pepper. You can put this in the fridge overnight of just for several hours.

For the Salsa, simply cut 5 avocados place in a bowl and add 1 cup chopped fresh tomato and a cup of fresh parsley, chopped garlic and fresh lime. Mix and cover, then put in Fridge.

Now I highly recommend making your own tortillas using corn flour.

If you are not going to make them homemade then at the very least go to a Mexican grocer and buy there’s, which is usually pretty good.

Once the tortillas are heated, simply plate and serve.

One other tip, if you can find some fresh large sea scallops, use them as well in the ceviche.

MARCH ON !

by Jim Baugh reporting from Oyster Farm at Kings Creek, Cape Charles VA One positive thing about March 2021 is that I doubt we can have more rain than we did in February. Talk about a month not even fit for a duck. Plus with the Covid, the boat show season has been, well, less than spectacular. Usually, we hit the boat shows pretty hard this time of year but instead waiting out the weather in hopes of a good day offshore.

March being sort of a transitional period here in the Mid Atlantic I do have some recommendations on what to wet your line for. This is a good time of year to go out and hire a captain and target some new wrecks that you have never fished. It is hard to beat a good Tog or Golden Tile trip but for the average angler it can be a bear locating wrecks, especially ones that hold fish.

There are lots of places that post GPS numbers including JBOTV. Numbers are always good to have however it really is best to go with an established Captain that is constantly on the fish. There are also so many darn artificial reefs around the tower it is just incredible. But not every wreck holds fish.

There certainly is a lot of knowledge and talent involved in catching and pulling a huge Tog out of a wreck. Personally, I suck at it. Even going with the most experienced Captains, they always wax my arse every time.

I just don’t have the “Feel” for Tog. That said, if you are like me don’t be disappointed, simply take the time to talk with your Charter and tell them you want to learn how to catch these fish. Which is much more important that getting luck and reeling in a couple.

There are a lot of great captains in the Mid Atlantic who target these species, one you may want to start with is Captain Billy Pappas Jr out of Virginia Beach. JBOTV has done a couple of shows with this outfit and this Carter consistently catches fish. Give them a call.

March is also a good time to start planning for the spring and summer.

Call the Oyster Farm to reserve your slips and the Oyster Farm has some of the best accommodations on the Eastern Shore. While there, don’t forget the Seafood Eatery, fantastic food. The marina number is 757 331 8640 and the web site is www.theoysterfarmatkingscreek.com Jim Baugh, Jimbaugh.net, Jim Baugh Outdoors TV For more updates on our fishing trips and latest shows log on to: https://jimbaughoutdoors.blogspot.com/ for updates on everything, digital prints gallery, etc.

Jim Baugh Outdoors TV Amazon Prime Video https://www. amazon.com/gp/video/detail/B07Z9S825F/ref=atv_dp_share_cu_r JBOTV Online Hubb: https://jimbaugh.blogspot.com/

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MAR 2021

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Jake’s Outdoor Adventures

I

By Jake Worthington

t is already March, and the fishing should be starting to pick up here on the OBX. I just want to let all the readers know that I will be the first mate on the Seaducer for Captain Jason Daniels out of the Oregon Inlet Fishing Center. Captain Daniels is an experienced Captain who has fished many years out of Oregon Inlet. We fish offshore for Dolphin, Tuna, Wahoo and Billfish so if you want to take a trip offshore, call the Oregon Inlet Fishing Center and book an offshore charter with us this year. I also want to take this time to thank all the Oregon Inlet Captains and First Mates who helped to keep me busy this past summer and fall by letting me fill in for them. I was very blessed to have them let me work on their boats and give me even more experience. A special thank you to Captain Tony Tillett for working with me, sharing his wisdom and experience, and making me a better mate.

The Great Bridge Fisherman’s Association’s annual Fishing Flea Market usually held in March at the Chesapeake Convention Center has been pushed forward to June 12, 2021. The event was cancelled last year totally and because of Covid so there should be more inventory at this show than usual. I have really found some great bargains over the years at these flea markets. If you have a garage or shed full of old fishing equipment or tackle, contact the Great Bridge Fisherman’s Association and reserve a table and you might make some extra money.

Now is also the time of the year to inspect your fishing equipment.

Make sure you check your rod eyes for cracks that could cause line burrs or breaks. Have your reels serviced if they have not been serviced in a few years. If you own a boat, now is a great time to have your trailer serviced and check those bearings and brakes.

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Now is also a good time to review your boat insurance policy with your insurance agent. I found out how important your coverage was this spring when I had an occasion to have to use my boat policy. We were headed from OBX Marina to Teach’s Lair for a week of Cobia fishing out of Hatteras. At some point, we hit something-- although we never felt an impact. When we arrived at Hatteras, we found we had lost a blade on the propeller and upon closer inspection had a cracked lower unit.

Anyone who owns an outboard can tell you that is an expensive repair.

Because I had a good policy, all I had to pay was a deductible. Losing a week of fishing was bad enough, but because I had a great marine policy, the pain was a little less.

Jake Worthington is a graduate of NC State University with a BS Degree in Parks, Recreation and Tourism and is the First Mate on the Seaducer based out of the Oregon Inlet Fishing Center.

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SPRING TROUT IN THE SMOKIES

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By TAM Staff

uide Ian Rutter is fired up about spring in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Ample rains and a mild winter bode well for the wild trout that inhabit more than 800 miles of trout streams in the park.

This time of year, fish are perking up to feed on an abundance of aquatic insects. But there’s another reason the Smokies are inviting to anglers in spring. The summertime crowds, with their campers and inner tubes, haven’t yet invaded the larger rivers.

Ian and his wife, Charity, run R&R Fly Fishing out of Townsend, Tennessee. They have guided anglers in the park for a quarter century and live a stone’s throw from Little River, one of the largest and most popular streams in the Smokies.

From high-elevation brook trout rills to roadside rivers, they fish it all, but Ian said it’s wise to stick to the larger flows in lower elevations this time of year. In March, and even into April, it’s likely there will still be snow on the ground up in the hills. Trout thrive in cold water, but their metabolisms slow, and they feed less readily in icy temperatures. Also, the bugs they feed on are mostly dormant at higher altitudes, which can make things slow for fly fishing.

Meanwhile, down in the valleys, larger rivers like Little River, Deep Creek and the Oconaluftee will be waking up. In afternoons, even on cold days, fish should be looking to the surface for hatches of mayflies like Quill Gordons, blue-winged olives and blue quills. Throw in a few early brown stoneflies, and you’ll see why the Smokies are known for great dry fly fishing.

“Oftentimes you’ll have some combination of those bugs all at the same time,” Ian said. “They’re not too particular. And even the one’s that are particular aren’t as particular as some folks think they are.”

Being sneaky is more important than fly selection, Ian said. Trout in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park are wild, stream-born and extremely wary of predators. So wading very carefully and making short accurate casts are important to success.

Another thing about trout in the Smokies is they grow slowly. Fishing is less about catching big fish and more about the overall experience.

“I like to say, ‘your results may vary,’” said Ian when asked about angler expectations. “We do catch some 16-inchers, but the important thing to remember is it’s a wild trout fishery. There aren’t any stocked trout that were put in last week at 14 inches. A 16-incher might be 10 years old. It’s survived every type of predator out there, so it’s super-smart and difficult to catch.”

A proficient angler can expect to catch good numbers of brightly colored 8- to 10-inch wild trout. Any angler can expect to wade through some of the most gorgeous mountain trout water in the East.

For information on fishing the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, contact R&R Fly Fishing through their website at randrflyfishing.com.

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See the latest GILLZ collections by checking out their website: www.gillz-gear.com

COASTALANGLERMAG.COM • THEANGLERMAG.COM

MARCH 2021

NATIONAL 15

LOCAL ANGLER CRUSHES VIRGINIA SWORDFISH RECORD A daytime deep drop expedition yielded spectacular results for a Virginia angler this past September. It took four months for the Virginia Saltwater Fishing Tournament to officially announce it, but a 597-pound swordfish caught by Nicholas Kontodiakos on Sept. 25, 2020 absolutely crushed the existing state record.

Kontodiakos, of Norfolk, Va., was drifting in 1,000 feet of water off Virginia Beach when the massive swordfish hit a bait suspended at 800 feet. Caught along the southern edge of Norfolk Canyon, Kontodiako’s fish topped the existing record by more than 130 pounds. The previous record of 466 pounds was caught in August 2019

by Tony Gower Jr., of Virginia Beach.

Kontodiakos and fishing buddy Trey Wallace left Rudee Inlet at 4:30 a.m. aboard the angler’s 2007, 29-foot SeeVee. After arriving at their location, they made several long drifts and had a couple of bites that did not come tight. The lines were set for “one more drift” before they planned to head in for the day. At 3:30 p.m. the deep “buoy rod,” with a rigged dolphin belly on a blue and white skirt, came tight.

After wrestling the fish for nearly five hours, it was clear it was a large swordfish, and when the fish was finally secured at the transom, they began to relax. But securing the fish to the transom was

just round one. Round two consisted of couple hours of inching the fish onto the deck.

Kontodiakos’ passion for swordfish began a decade ago while living on the east coast of Florida. “I had no idea how to go about catching them,” he admitted. After moving to Virginia Beach and realizing there were swordfish 60-plus miles off the Virginia coast, he decided he needed a bigger boat. Unfortunately, even with a bigger boat, his lack of success in Florida tagged along to Virginia.

“No one wanted to fish with me because I never came back with any fish,” he said.

Relentlessly perusing information on the Internet and talking to successful anglers eventually began to payoff, and his success improved in recent years. He said he’s caught a swordfish in every month of the year except January.

It was nearly midnight when the pair pulled inside Rudee Inlet on Sept. 25. A call had already been made to alert the Virginia Beach Fishing Center of the catch, and the boat’s bow was pointed straight to the Fishing Center’s main dock. Representatives from the Fishing Center were dockside to assist, and a small crowd of onlookers had assembled, despite the late hour.

The fish measured 180 inches total length,

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with a lower jaw fork length of 111 inches. It sported a hefty girth of 69 inches.

Kontodiakos used a custom Joe Leffler 80-pound class rod, teamed with a Shimano Tiagra 50 reel, spooled with 80-pound PowerPro braid and topped off with a 25-foot, 250-pound Moni mono leader with a Mustad 7691, 11/0 hook, attached to the business end.

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This offer may not be combined with any other trial offers and may be modified or terminated at any time. Subscription and hardware sold separately. $100 Rebate from SiriusXM available through Dec 31, 2021 with hardware and subscription purchase, see Rebate Offer Details at siriusxm.com/fishmapping. © 2021 Sirius XM Radio Inc. SiriusXM and all related logos are trademarks of Sirius XM Radio Inc. and its respective subsidiaries. All rights reserved.

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p b sh It’s the fry can Bu catchin vetera tips to 1) crappi hold o times shallow “Th for the the spa mid-5 As Then seek o of cree back o Th targets spawn could have m Sa the 10 discard

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pringtime is crappie time. When water temps begin to climb, the crappie schools move shallow to stage on structure before the spawn.

It’s the time of year when loading coolers for a fish fry can be quick and easy.

But the thing with crappie is you’re either catching them or you’re not. With that in mind, veteran crappie angler Dan Saknini offered some tips to consistently catch slab crappie.

1) Know The Cycles: The comfort zone for crappie is 35 feet and shallower, said Saknini. They hold on deep brush during the coldest and hottest times of year, but in milder weather they move shallower in search of optimal water temperatures.

“This time of year, the crappie are fattening up for the spawn,” he said. “Their comfort zone for the spawn is when water temperatures rise into the mid-50s, preferably closer to 60.”

As the spawn begins, fish stage up on structure.

Then they’ll move extremely shallow in waves to seek out spawning areas on the banks and backs of creeks. The females move in, lay eggs and move back out. The males stay shallow to guard the beds.

Through the stages of the spawn, Saknini targets brush in 15 feet or shallower. With the spawning season lasting about a month, these could be pre-spawn fish or post-spawn fish that have moved back out.

Saknini shoots jigs in and around docks in the 10- to 15-foot range. Many lake homeowners discard Christmas trees off their docks. These are

F

the docks you need to find.

2) Locate Structure: Regardless of the season, black crappie school up on some type of structure.

They change depths, and move off structure momentarily to feed, so catching them consistently means knowing the locations of brushpiles at all different depths.

Saknini said good electronics and prospecting are key to being a good crappie angler. If you fish a lake that allows it, you can build your own honey holes.

“I probably sink 50 or 60 brushpiles a year,” Saknini said. “Then I go back and fish them. There might be fish there, or there might not, but I always have another one to go to.”

3) Ditch the Minnows: Fishing a minnow under a bobber is traditional, and it can be effective. However, Saknini said fishing jigs is a far more efficient.

“Once you get used to jig fishing, it’s always more productive,” he said. “If you’re fishing a minnow, it’s either under a bobber or on a downline, and it’s stationary. With a jig, you’re moving and covering water.”

Crappie are lazy and won’t chase a bait more than a few feet, Saknini said. There could be fish all over a piece of structure, but you wouldn’t know it if your minnow is just a foot out of the strike zone. With a jig, you can cover water vertically and horizontally for a better chance of passing through that zone.

PHOTO BY NICK CARTER

Catch More Crappie

Dan Saknini is a member of Lanier Crappie Anglers Club. Check them out at www.laniercrappieanglers.net.

FREEDIVER SPEARS WORLD RECORD SNAPPER

reediver Stephanie Schuldt broke a world record in late November when she speared a 19.3-pound (8.8 kg) dog snapper in the Bahamas.

At a depth of 45 feet, Schuldt stuck the big snapper with 9-foot Headhunter Nomad roller polespear while wreck diving off Nassau. The fish qualified her for the International Underwater Spearfishing Association’s women’s world record for the species in the sling/polespear division. It also outweighed the men’s record of 19.1 pounds, which was caught by JonMichael Degidio off Grand Cay in 2016.

“At the end of my breath hold I saw the dog snapper swimming in and out of the wreckage,” wrote Schuldt in a description of the event. “I came back up to the surface and told my boyfriend, Matt, ‘There is a world record dog snapper down there.’ I took some time to get a good breathe-up, dropped back down into the wreck and got a solid holding shot on the fish. It fought for a bit on the way up, but I was able to clear it from the wreck and get it to the surface. Once at the surface, it tried to bite me and tangled up my float line, but I was able to grab it by the gills and swim it back to my boat.”

Even on a rod and reel, Schuldt’s fish would have been impressive. The IGFA all-tackle world record weighed 24 pounds. It was caught back in 1994

by Capt. Wayne Barder off Abaco.

Check Stephanie Schuldt’s adventures at www.saillaviecharters.com.

COASTALANGLERMAG.COM • THEANGLERMAG.COM

MARCH 2021

NATIONAL 19

SPRINGTIME FISHING... Fiberglass Center Consoles and Pilothouses Embrace LET’S GO! www.

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STURGEON SEASON LASTS JUST TWO HOURS

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here should be a betting pool for just how quickly the Black Lake, Michigan sturgeon season will end each year. In 2020, the season lasted just six hours. This year, the scheduled Feb. 6-10 season was shut down after two hours of fishing when the harvest limit was met.

Imagine getting all geared up to go spear fishing through a hole in the ice for these big prehistoric fish. The season opens at 8 a.m. Then, at 10 a.m., your hopes are dashed when Michigan DNR knocks on the door of your ice shanty. Apparently, that’s the way Black Lake sturgeon season goes for a vast majority of anglers. More than 500 anglers registered to jockey for a harvest quota of just six fish this year.

It’s a credit to Michigan DNR that they even hold the event at the 10,000-acre lake, which is connected to Lake Huron by the Black and Cheboygan rivers. Rehabilitation of the lake sturgeon population in the watershed is an ongoing effort, and this limited harvest creates excitement around the effort. There are reports of anglers who have fished the season for decades without getting a single sturgeon.

The six fish caught ranged from 50 to 63 inches and 25 to 61 pounds.

Three of the fish had been tagged before during studies of the spawning run up the Black River. A 61-inch-long female, estimated to be about 20 years old, was tagged during the 2006 spawning run. Male sturgeon have a lifespan of about 55 years. Females can live longer than 100 years.

For more information, go to Michigan.gov/Fishing.

20 NATIONAL

MARCH 2021

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ooking through Facebook and reminiscing on traveling for boat-show season, one conversation starter I remember most fondly is, “That’s too big for my rope locker.” In spite of American fiberglass OEMs like Sea Chaser and Sea Pro factory-installing the Rebel EZ-4 on specific series, there’s still a popular myth that drum anchor winches are built predominantly for aluminum boats.

One too many boaters have told me this when they stopped at our company’s booth during the 2020 season, and while we’re officially homebound due to the pandemic, we’re as busy as ever answering questions and informing customers about our product. We want to help them achieve the best anchoring results for them. From newbies who have recently embraced boating, to longtime hobbyists who have extra time to add new features on their boats, there is usually an anchoring solution, whether it’s a Patriot direct drive unit or a Rebel free-fall unit.

“You can click the ‘Products’ tab on the website and select the winch that interests you,” Sara Hitchins, E-Z Anchor Puller’s office and trade show manager said. “Select the unit you’d like to view and the link to the dimensional drawings are on the product page. One way to measure is to make a cardboard cutout at home to measure against your boat.”

If you’re one of the new boaters looking for a new fiberglass model or researching that windlass upgrade on your family boat, these center consoles from customers and builders prove that a drum winch looks sexy on center consoles, too!

SEA PRO: Sea Pro Boats introduced the world to their 320 Deep V Center Console at the Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show, joining Carolina Skiff to become another American fiberglass OEM to factory-install E-Z Anchor Puller’s Rebel EZ-4 free-fall unit, adapting the innovative technology one year after Georgia-based OEM Carolina Skiff began installing.

SEA CHASER: “I liked it so much I installed a Patriot on my own personal boat,” Ed Johnston, engineer at Carolina Skiff told us when we saw him at the Miami International Boat Show. The 35’ Sea Chaser also uses the free-fall Rebel EZ-4 and hides it in the rope locker.

PARKER: “I know this is an old post, but I love my EZ on my 2820,” one writer on Classicparker.com posted to a company thread, “I have 600’ of dyneema, 75 of nylon and 50’ of chain. With lots of extra room still.” Live2fish posted several pictures depicting the Rebel EZ-4 unit resting on a bow pulpit.

ARIMA: Mark Fitch was an avid poster of his installation process on ArimaOwners.com, documenting his journey with various “beer breaks” in between. Mark’s 1987 Arima Sea Pacer was sized for the Patriot EZ-1, a smaller complete 316 stainless steel unit. He still tags #ezanchorpuller in his fishing posts.

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COASTALANGLERMAG.COM • THEANGLERMAG.COM

MARCH 2021

NATIONAL 21

HUGE SWORDFISH SETS NEW FLORIDA RECORD

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n Jan. 20, four young anglers from Pompano Beach, Fla. set out early from Hillsboro Inlet to get in on the fast action being reported from the swordfish grounds, some 15 miles off the coast. They returned to the docks that evening with a 767.8-pound swordfish that set a new Florida state record.

The official record holder and the man who manned the LP electric reel was 21-yearold Timmy Maddock. The 31-foot center console they fished from belongs to 17-yearold Hunter Irvine, who put the final dart in the enormous fish. Lady angler, Jaime Johanson, 20, videoed the landing and got in with the gaff, while Jeremy Rafferty, 21, manned the helm as they subdued the new record.

It took five and a half hours to fight the fish into submission. It took almost another hour and a radio call for help to get the swordfish through the tuna door and safely in the boat.

Rob Doda, who was fishing solo nearby left his boat floating and boarded Irvine’s boat to help haul the giant fish onboard.

It was an epic catch for the group of young anglers, and the 400 pounds of meat their fish yielded was shared with friends and family, with the charity organization Filet for Friends, and at a celebratory barbecue for the whole Pompano Beach fishing community.

To read Timmy Maddock’s account of the catch, see the Florida section of this magazine or online at www.coastalanglermagazine.com.

22 NATIONAL

MARCH 2021

COASTALANGLERMAG.COM • THEANGLERMAG.COM

NEW ENGLAND AWAITS

warm water, and they’re looking for that constant bait source. That’s what the rivers provide.”

Action is fast in tidal rivers like the Weweantic on the north side of Buzzards Bay. Murphy walks the dog with topwater baits like a 7-inch Lil’ Doc to draw explosive strikes from good numbers of stripers in the rivers. They’ll also eat

By Nick Carter soft-plastic eel or herring imitations like those made by Hogy, and although these river fish aren’t the monsters Murphy pursues later in the season, there aren’t many anglers who’d turn their nose up to consistent topwater activity from fish up to 20 inches.

As the season progresses, the bite moves to the mouths of the rivers, where stripers ambush herring moving out. This is where some of the bigger fish come into play, and they also can be taken on topwater.

By mid-May, Murphy said he’ll be chasing the classic New England bass blitzes, when schoolie-sized fish ball up bait and crash the surface. At this point, fish will have spread up around Cape Cod or through the Cape Cod Canal into Massachusetts Bay. Action ou can almost feel the excitement building on the coast of can be intense for fish in the 2- to New England. Winter is ebbing, and soon warming water 10-pound range. conditions will spark the migration of striped bass up the “You can go out early in the Atlantic coast. Jack Murphy will be waiting when they arrive. morning any day and find blitzing Murphy and his partner, Jack Loveday, co-founded Lucky Jacks schoolies,” Murphy said. “You can Fishing in Marblehead, Massachusetts. For them, April begins the catch 30 or 40 fish in just a couple busy striper season off Rhode Island and Massachusetts. hours.”

As you read this, striped bass are spawning in tributaries of By the first part of June, anglers Chesapeake Bay, Delaware Bay and the Hudson River. When in search of big fish will head 5 to water temperatures rise into the 50s, these fish push north with 10 miles offshore to find big pogy huge schools of menhaden to feed ravenous post-spawn appetites.

PHOTOS BY SEAN MAIORANO PHOTOGRAPHY (menhaden) schools. This is a Murphy said the first fish collect on the south side of Cape Cod WWW.SEANMAIORANOPHOTOGRAPHY.COM short-lived first-light bite. in Buzzards Bay. Timing is dependent on weather and water temperatures, so “When you come on one of these schools that’s getting harassed, you’re in Lucky Jacks spends spring studying winds and water temps to try and intercept the first waves of migrating fish. They normally show up in the second or third for a heck of a day.” Murphy said. “We’ve had a few days when our smallest fish were 37 pounds, and 40- to 50-pound fish are very possible.” week of April.

“When river herring (alewife) push into the rivers to spawn, the first waves of stripes will be right on their tails,” Murphy said. “They’re looking for that Check out Lucky Jacks Fishing at www.luckyjacksfishing.com.

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MARCH 2021

NATIONAL 23

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