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Veteran’s Program Announcing Our New
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
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Franchise Ownership!
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
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.
GREATER MIAMI : Gene Dyer • (954) 680-3900 • gene@coastalanglermagazine.com 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.
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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
Now, with our special Veteran’s Program, owning a Coastal Angler or The Angler Magazine franchise has never been easier.
TIDEWATER/OUTER BANKS : Brenda Riggs • (757) 409-7518 • brenda@coastalanglermagazine.com
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
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.
CONNECTICUT/RHODE ISLAND : Lisa & Michael Danforth • (203) 321-7635 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
For more information on our franchise opportunities call
(321)777-2773 or email info@coastalanglermagazine.com
WEST MICHIGAN : Phil Belsito • (616) 957-1714 • phil@theanglermagazine.com
INTERNATIONAL 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.
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GIFT IDEAS FOR ANGLERS
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heck out these great gift ideas for the outdoor enthusiast on your holiday gift list. These local merchants are available to ensure your holiday gift giving satisfaction. We always try to encourage our readers to shop locally. It’s our community and we all benefit from supporting our local businesses. They’re here for us all year long and our personal convenience depends on their sustainability. Tell them Coastal Angler/The Angler Magazine sent you. By the way, if you see something here that you wish could be under the tree with your name on it, just take out a marker and circle it. Then leave this page open for your friends and family to see. Yes, crude but effective. Happy Holidays from all of us at Coastal Angler/The Angler Magazine.
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SOUTHEAST
Friends Andy Ball and Brent Milgrom pose with two large red drum they caught at the Winyah jetties. By Erin Weeks, SCDNR hen Charlotte resident Andy Ball headed to the South Carolina coast for a summer escape he caught a red drum that was tagged 21 years ago. Since the 1970s, SCDNR biologists have operated a volunteer tagging program whereby recreational anglers can turn their fishing trips into valuable scientific information by tagging the fish they catch and release. Using a specialized tagging device, researchers
W
and anglers insert the tag into the muscle of a fish by the dorsal fin. Harmless to the fish, the tags can remain anchored there for decades as the fish grows. Andy Ball contacted SCDNR’s tagging coordinator, Morgan Hart, to report the tag number and details of the red drum he’d recaptured. Every time a tagged fish is reported, Hart sends detailed updates about the fish’s history to both the original taggers and the recapturers. It’s a neat way to see where a particular fish has traveled since you last saw it. When Hart ran the fish’s history, she was amazed. It had been tagged over 21 years prior. “I could tell right away that the tag report was special,” Hart said. “The tag number was different than anything I had seen recaptured before. Once I realized how long ago it was tagged, I think my mouth literally fell open. “I reached out to the original tagger, Kevin Mischke, and he was delighted to hear that one of his fish was still contributing to the population.” Mischke was an active volunteer tagger from 1990 to 2006. In 1997, he’d caught a large red drum at Wappoo Cut, near his home on James Island. Mischke tagged the fish with a yellow, nylon tag labeled ‘A033559.’ When Mischke caught it, the red drum was already a mature fish at 35 inches—meaning it is now likely to be well older than 21 years of age. SCDNR research has shown red drum are impressively long-lived fish, with biologists documenting fish up to 40 years old. A decade later, redfish ‘A033559’ showed up once again in the records, when angler Warren Wood caught and measured the fish in 2008. By this time, the red drum had grown five inches and migrated to Georgetown, where Wood reported catching it off the Winyah Bay jetties. And that’s exactly where Andy Ball caught the fish this summer – no larger this time, but another decade older.
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permit for construction of a new artificial reef off Oregon Inlet could be approved within months, and Outer Banks anglers are happy to hear it. According to a report from the Coastal Review online, the project has been almost three years in the making since the nonprofit Oregon Inlet Artificial Reef Committee formed to apply for funding from the Division of Marine Fisheries. With an $887,000 grant, the stage is set for a proposed two-year project to construct a reef south of the Oregon Inlet Sea Buoy. The project is being funded primarily through the state’s Coastal Recreational Fishing License Grants Program. The plan calls for a 100- to 140-foot vessel as well as 8,000 tons of concrete pipes to be sunk within state waters less than 10 miles south of Oregon Inlet. Recreational anglers and charter captains will reap the benefits of enhanced habitat for decades to come.
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BLUE RIDGE
By Grant Bobo
W
hen the weather turns cold, many pond owners consider the fishing season over and start looking forward to spring. Traditional pond fish such as largemouth bass, bluegill and channel catfish become less active and difficult to catch. A solution to keeping your pond productive from an angling standpoint is to stock trout. We commonly stock three species of trout. Brown and brook trout are typically stocked at sizes greater than 12 inches. Brown and brook trout are more predatory than rainbows, so we recommend fishing for them with small spinners or other minnow-imitating lures. Our favorite species to stock is rainbow trout. Rainbows can be used for many purposes since different sizes are readily available. We stock smaller sizes from 6 to 10 inches as bass forage. It is critical to supply bass with high calorie forage as they prepare for the upcoming spawn. Trout are better forage than bluegill because trout have
Lake Construction
soft fins that will not choke the fish. If you have ever seen a dead bass on the surface with a large bluegill stuck in its throat, then you know what we are talking about. Additionally, we stock larger rainbows to provide action for anglers. If clients have family coming over for Christmas, we encourage them to get trout stocked, as it will give guests an extra surprise. We also have intermediated sized rainbows that are perfect to grow up. All three of the trout species we stock readily take fish food, but rainbows in particular respond the best. Mainly clients enjoy stocking 10- to 12-inch rainbows and growing them up through the winter months to finally harvest in the late spring. It is critical to use high-quality fish food to grow trout. Their growing season is short, so using feed with high protein and fat content will maximize growth. We exclusively use Purina Aqua Max fish food to feed our client’s fish. This feed has 45 percent protein and uses fishmeal as the primary ingredient. Cheaper feeds purchased at local feed stores typically have 33 percent protein and are filled with chicken byproduct. All good things must come to an end, and trout are no exception. Once water temperatures reach 70 degrees, they will slowly start to die off. Unlike other fish species, trout will sink to the bottom when they die, so no dead fish odor will be around the pond when they die. If pond owners purchased larger trout, we recommend they start harvesting in late April and May. An added benefit to using high quality fish feed is the trout taste fantastic. There is an old stigma that trout taste fishy if they are raised on fish food. This couldn’t be further from the truth, as many past clients have just as much fun eating the trout as they do catching them. We have limited quantities of trout, so it is imperative that orders are sent in early. Grant Bobo is a biologist II with Aquatic Environmental Services, Inc. Contact them at (770) 735-3523, grant@lakework.com or visit their website at www.lakework.com.
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Visit our new store 490 East Main St., Blue Ridge, GA in Blue Ridge
By Chris Scalley
North GA’s Full Service Fly Shop
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ost new fly fishermen enjoy the process of fly fishing as much or more than catching fish. That’s one of the great things about the sport; even if the fish aren’t biting, you can have fun practicing your casting technique. As a client once said, “with fly fishing, the fish are the gravy!” This early phase only lasts while fly anglers become more proficient with their casting stroke. It usually ends when the angler is done catching numbers of fish and wants to go for quality fish. Typically, the “pounds of meat” theory comes into play with big predatory fish like brown trout, which prefer “bigger bait for bigger fish.” Let’s back up to the early stages of learning to fly cast with small and light flies that are easier to cast. Dry flies, nymphs or streamers in small sizes travel easily through the air because of less air drag and less gravitational pull. This allows for more consistency with the distance and accuracy of the cast. Bigger flies have a large profile, which appeals to the bigger appetite of bigger fish with bigger stomachs. Also, bigger flies are generally heavier. They have a much faster sink rate that exposes them to more trout that inhabit the floor of the trout stream or river. The trade-off with heavier, bulky flies is that they are cumbersome and require a different casting technique than smaller, streamlined flies. There is a fly casting technique called a false cast. This is a helpful technique where the angler uses a classic casting stroke with a “10 o’clock to 2 o’clock” range of motion to create a straight path for the line and fly to travel accurately. This casting stroke is repeated mid-air without landing the cast until the caster feeds the appropriate length of line and aims at the desired target area. False casting is effective with smaller, lighter flies but NOT with bigger, heavier flies. If you attempt your classic “10 to 2” range of motion in your casting stroke, heavier flies will likely hit your rod, or worse, hit your a fishing buddy. Because we are creatures of habit and our learned muscle memory is with lighter flies, it requires some retooling of the casting stroke to throw the heavy stuff. This new casting stroke is the “windshield wiper cast.” It has a broader range of motion like “9 o’clock to 3, or even 4 o’clock.” It requires the caster to break their wrist. It sounds ridiculous, but try it if you plan to “chuck and duck” large nymphs and streamers for bigger fish. It’ll put your big streamer where it needs to be more efficiently, and it’ll also save you from chipping fiberglass off your rod or thumping your buddy in the back of the head.
Chris Scalley owns River Through Atlanta Guide Service. Contact them at 770-650-8630 or through their website at river10:01 PM throughatlanta.com.
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Enter to Win!
12 DAYS OF FISHMAS New Prizes Everyday!
December 1 - 12
Enter on our Social Media Pages or visit
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Photo by Hans-Petter Fjeld
T
he Atlantic Salmon Federation (ASF) is calling on Canada to enact new management measures to reduce the southern Gulf of St. Lawrence striped bass population. “It’s important that Canadian government leaders from across the country understand what’s happening in the Gulf of St. Lawrence and especially on the Miramichi River,” said ASF president Bill Taylor. “DFO has taken incremental steps, but more is needed to restore balance for all species.” Striped bass are native to the southern Gulf of St. Lawrence and were once considered threatened. All fisheries were closed by 2000, and a recovery target of 31,200 spawning adults was established. That goal has now been exceeded for eight consecutive years. Recent estimates show between 500,000 and 2-million striped bass spawn annually in the Miramichi. “We have clearly shown this concentration of striped bass is having severe negative effects on wild Atlantic salmon,” said Taylor. Since 2003, ASF and partners like the Miramichi Salmon Association have been tracking juvenile Atlantic salmon, known as smolt, in three Gulf of St. Lawrence rivers. Initially, 65-75 percent of tagged smolt survived migration through the estuary of each river. Survival rates on the Restigouche and Cascapedia rivers have remained stable, but a downward trend began in 2011 on the Miramichi, coinciding with the sharp rise in striped bass. Less than 10 percent of smolt tagged in the Northwest Miramichi River survived to reach the Gulf of St. Lawrence in 2017. The lower Northwest Miramichi is where the entire southern Gulf of St. Lawrence striped bass population gathers to spawn each spring. At the same time, smolt are migrating to the ocean.
It's been an unbelievable year and we would like to say a big "Thank You" to all our customers and dealers for helping make it happen! Let's make 2019 even better!
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HAPPY HOLIDAYS
252.235.2461
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My Typical Striper/Hybrid Artificial Trolling Spread
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D
iatnuomanilorac.ww
ecember means winter is here and cooling water temperatures mean it’s primetime for striper/hybrid fishing on local reservoirs. If you don’t care to deal with catching and keeping live bait this time of year, trolling artificial’s is an effective and proven alternative. It’s also a way to cover more water due to the higher speeds (1.5-2.5 mph) vs. dragging live baits (0.5-1.0 mph). Here are some tips on the tackle I use, and how it’s deployed. Keep in mind you can adjust the number of rods, and the types of lures and rigs in your spread based on varying factors - the number of anglers on the boat, the time of year, time of day, light and wind conditions, water depth, daily observations of how the bait and fish are behaving, etc . There are in-numerous variations on my set up so think of my spread as a starting point for your own efforts. Stern Position(s) – When I’m in deep water (>50 ft) I run 1 or 2 full sized umbrella rigs as “dredge(s)” in my splash-well rocket launchers or stern rodholders. These positions allow me to see rigs on my sonar where I can closely monitor their depth. I use 7.5 ft. med-light Ugly Stik striper rods and Penn 975 reels spooled with 30 lb. Berkley Big Game mono. These are the heaviest rigs I pull, so they’re useful for getting lures down deep. I use 9-drop umbrella rigs with coated stainless steel or 50# fluorocarbon leaders. Red on white 3/8 oz. bucktails are a staple when though I like chartreuse and shad or herring colors too. I often use 1 jig of a different color on the center/longest leader. A curly tail or worm-like trailer can be added to create a larger profile and more swimming action. From the next positions forward, I deploy Alabama rigs of different sizes and weights. I like Shane’s Baits multi-lure rigs because they are nsports.com light, durable, and resemble a closely packed pod of bait. They also can be repaired when needed. I fish 7.5 ft. Penn Battalion rods with Penn Conquer spinning reels spooled with 30 lb. Trilene Tracer Pro Grade braided line. I run one 9 drop rig (Shane’s Blades of Glory or Dominator) with 1/16 or 1/8 oz. jigs and 3-4” swim baits off each side of the boat. When I want plenty of swimming action, I use paddle tail or curly tail bodies. Split tail bodies produce less action, and are often better when water temperatures fall to and below 50F. Again, white, chartreuse, and shad or herring colors are good. I fish these lines 80-100 ft. behind the boat, and they track 10-25 ft. deep depending on boat speed. I tie on a w 30# fluorocarbon leader if I think the braid is too visible, but I’m not convinced it’s necessary when dragging “antennas” through the water. Moving forward on the boat, I fish a number of different lures and rigs, and they are the lightest baits in the spread. I try to get them 20-40 ft. deep by using 1-3 oz. trolling weights or egg sinkers. Be careful to not put out too much line in these positions or they’ll tangle with the dredges when making turns. I generally run 5 drop A-rigs (Shane’s Mini-Blades of Glory) or tandem bucktail rigs on these positions. Johnson or gator spoons can be effective too. These lighter lures I fish on 7 ft. Fenwick HMG medium action rods with Penn Fierce spinning reels spooled with 20# Berkley Pro Spec Braid in dark green. Note that I haven’t mentioned side planer boards, down planers, downriggers, or lead-core line. Many local anglers employ this equipment but my goal is to use the simplest, lightest tackle set-up I can to catch the biggest fish possible. I want my anglers to enjoy the sport of catching quality fish, but still be able to release the majority of our catches alive and healthy. As a final tip, I almost never troll in a straight line for more than a minute or two. Zigging and zagging covers more water plus it causes the baits to speed up and rise on the outside of the turn, and to slow down and fall on the inside. Experience has proven that these variances draw more strikes. Use my approach for any benefit it provides. Everybody has to develop their own methods, but mine have produced plenty of Fish On! for my customers, family, and friends.
Visit our Website coastalanglermag.com/Charlotte Local Forecasts Fishing and Outdoor Articles Bragboard (submit your pic) Distribution Map Tournament Calendar
Simmons@theanglermagazine.com 980-333-7273 Forecast for
Hickory & Rhodhiss BY: COLT BASS Colt Bass Fishing (828) 381-3426 www.coltbassfishing.com
The winter slow down will start to begin for Lake Rhodhiss and Lake Hickory this month. As neither lake has a power plant hot holes to discharge hot water into the lake the water on both lakes will dip down into the 40's. After this happens there's really not a whole lot you can do. For the most part the next couple months I will be sitting on main lake points with down lines loaded with live baits. I will tone down the size of my baits and sit very still on the ends of these points where they meet the main lake channel. If I dont catch fish after 45 minutes to an hour I'll move on to the next. Fishing will not be hot and heavy by any means but doing this a day should produce at least a couple of bites.
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TAM Charlotte 2018 12.indd 1
DECEMBER 2018
CHARLOTTE/PIEDMONT 1
11/14/18 4:49 PM
Forecast for
Cold Water Crappie
LAKE WYLIE BY: JERRY NEELEY
C
Carolina’s Fishing Guide Service (704) 678-1043 www.carolinasfishing.com
ool weather has the fish turned on to just about anything you want to catch. The fish know that winter is not far off and they are feeding up, reading themselves for cold weather. They are cold blooded creatures, so they adjust their feeding habits accordingly to the water temperature. You can have some of the best fishing days ever in November, so don’t put away your fishing gear just yet! Bass fishing is always very good. Some of the best topwater fishing of the year can be had in November. I like a black lure in the late fall. Buzzbaits, Plopers, and propbaits are very productive. Shallow running Crankbaits work well in creeks on shallow points and structure. I usually have two rods rigged up for this, one with a crankbait that runs less than eight feet and another that runs ten to twelve feet deep. There are other lures that will work when the water temperature starts to drop. The crappie fishing is great. Long line trolling in the creeks can get you a limit very quick. Tight lining is another way to limit out. If I tight line I usually stay in deep water on break lines on the main lake. Shooting docks always produces a few slabs. Which ever way you choose to fish, you will surely catch some fish. Catfishing is good. We catch a lot of big catfish during November. We troll using cutbaits and run about .5 MPH for our troll speed. White perch fishing is a lot of fun too, trolling two hook minnow rigs. They stay in 20+ feet of water. Use your side imaging to locate them. You can catch some big perch doing this. A lot of fishermen are hunters, so there should be less pressure on the lake during this time. The lake has a low traffic volume when cold weather sets in, near the end of the month. Sometimes you have the lake to yourself, especially through the weekdays. Please take a kid fishing and wear your lifejacket.
By Michelle Armstrong y late friend Bill Pace once told me, “there’s nothing better than cold water crappie...eating them and fishing for them”. While I was visiting him to Bass fish at Bull Shoals he sat on a brush pile he’d buried and we caught a quick limit...each. He cooked them that very night and I was made a believer. He sent a frozen batch home to NC with me and they were just as wonderful. Bill taught me “how” to catch Crappie but I didn’t know “where” to catch Crappie. Many years later I was fishing a local tournament with my friend Travis Williams and he invited me to Crappie fish afterward on some brush piles he’d buried. Through what he and Bill showed me, and a little (lot) of trial and error on my own, it all fell in to place. Make a habitat. You’ll need about 10 or more stalks of bamboo, (you can use PVC pipe as well), a 5 gallon bucket and some quick Crete. Cut the bamboo in different lengths. Pour and mix the concrete in the bucket and place the bamboo in the wet mixture until your desired habitat is formed. Make sure the bucket handle is up while you assemble the bamboo. Let dry overnight. It’s a good idea to make several of these to create a nice sized brush pile Where to place the habitat. First, check the laws of your chosen lake to make sure you can sink brush legally. Ideally you need to sink your brush in water depths of between 20’ to 35’. It’s good to have a channel close by since Crappie use it like a highway to travel back and forth. In a perfect scenario, look for an underwater point that has a quick drop and place your brush at the deepest point. Once you’ve found the perfect spot it’s time to submerge your habitat. Loop the rope through your bucket handle and lower slowly to the bottom. Once at the bottom you can let go of one end of the rope for easy retrieval. Make sure you mark your way points on your GPS so you can easily find and fish your brush. Upon return, the moment you see the brush on your locator, throw a buoy marker out of the back of your boat for reference. When reeling in fish or on a breezy day, It can be easy to lose “sight” of your brush even with your locator. With the buoy as a visual marker, you can quickly get back to fishing the right spot. Remember the bouy is just for reference, not to mark your brush. You don’t want to drop it right on top of your brush pile because you can get snagged in the buoy line and also disturb the fish. Now let’s catch Crappie!!! When fishing brush you’ll want to use a vertical presentation... If you’re using artificial bait some of the best crappie fishing baits are Jigs, tubes, and spoons. Because I think like a Bass fisherman first, I like to use a drop shot rig and have much success. A light spinning rod with 6-8 lb test will do the trick. I rig a 1/4 ounce cylinder weight about 18 inches from the 1/0 Gamakatsu drop shot hook. I find this to move thru the brush with ease. A round weight also works nicely. If the water color is on the clear side I like to use a Pearl/Blue/Black Slider 3” Double Action Grub. For dirty water I go to a Slider 2” Twin Tail Grub Motor Oil color. Once you see your brush on your locator, drop your bait. You can typically see the bait falling on your screen but if you drift off don’t fret. You should be able to feel the moment to weight hits the top of the brush. Stop your bait at this point and give it a few quick bounces. You can lower your bait through the brush, popping it through the limbs with little short twitches. Be mindful of a tug or heavy feeling and reel up. It’s not really necessary to “set” the hook on Crappie. Their mouths are paper thin and the hook penetrates upon reeling.
M
Good luck and go catch (Crappie) fish.
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COASTALANGLERMAG.COM • THE ANGLERMAG.COM
11/14/18 4:49 PM
Michelle’s Top 10 Christmas Fish List
W
hether you're looking for stocking stuffers or that one perfect gift #1 you'll surely find them with my favorite way to shop... LOCALLY, made and sold... #1 on the list is Caraway Creek. Owned by Carmen Nelson, she hand pours all of her custom baits. You can't go wrong with any of them but two of my favorites are the 8”magnum worms (salted) and 10” R-Max 10 worms (floating). There is a great video on C3Baits.com. Both are offered in a variety of colors. You Can order online at www.C3Baits.com Or contact Carmen via Email- getyourbait@ c3baits.com
#2 My favorite jig is handmade with a powerful message at Higher Power baits owned by Eric Winter. Eric can customize any color for you. He has novelty jig #2 colors to support all first responders, breast cancer awareness, military, etc. But most importantly, they catch big fish! These can be purchased via Facebook at Higher Power Baits (Concord, NC) #3 My all time favorite local crankbait maker is Brian Huskins. His custom lures are unsurpassable. Bloody Thumb Lures are among my new favorites. The custom rattle weights and color enhancements that only fish can see make them sought after by man and fish! These can be purchased online at BloodyThumblures.com or picked up in person at Denver Tackle located at 7938 Unity Church Road, Denver, NC #4 Next on the list… Shane Lineberger's creation, Blades of Glory. Rigged with your favorite small swimbaits on custom hand poured jig heads (featured below), you become a pod of baitfish that Bass can't resist. You can find #3 these at Denver Tackle (mentioned above) and at Shanesbaits.com #5 I'm very proud of first responders, especially police. Lucky for me this next local company is owned by a paramedic. Chris custom makes all his lures. The company name lured me in like a fish, and they make amazing spinnerbaits. The Hidden Weight Spinnerbait has a low profile and crazy vibration. I keep several of these in my arsenal year round. Get a variety of weights and colors, (you're gonna need them), at www.911customelures.com #6 Louie Hull is best known for his custom jigs but he makes a variety of great lures. He started making his own baits in the 90s. Once word got out how good they were he started Shooters Lures. When the fish are biting on topwater, his custom buzzbaits are the go to bait. “Buzz” by The Great Outdoors in Cherryville, NC - or online at www.teamgreatoutdoors.com #4 #7 Matt McBee is another local “hardbait” maker. He makes outstanding custom lures. When fishing shallow, one of my favorites is the moonshiner wake bait. Order online... www.taterhogcustomlures.com #8 Doris Parsons not only owns Tackle Town, but she makes a lot of her owns lures. A great female angler, she personally water tests each bait. I pair her hand poured darter head jig heads with the Blades of Glory (mentioned above). She makes fantastic jigging spoons but my all time favorite lure is her 3/8oz Shur-spin. This bait is a fish catching phenomena! #9 Though the next item is not “made” locally, they are “sold” locally. Powell Rods have several different series but The Endurance Series has become my favorite. The sensitivity is astounding but the backbone ensures you want #5 lose fish. Any pick from this series would be the ultimate gift. K&J Tackle 203 W. Main St. Jamestown, NC or online at www.powellrods.com #10 You can’t forget about terminal tackle. I enjoy vertical fishing, and deep water finesse fishing True South Lures come into play here for me with their spectacular dropshot weights and assortment of hooks. They use there custom powder painted heads paired with Mustad hooks on their Ned Heads and Shaky head hooks. www.truesouthlures.com Through the holidays and everyday thereafter, let us not forget something that is often overlooked and it’s so simple. It’s the ultimate gift... Take someone fishing. A veteran, a first responder, a friend, your kids, your wife... etc. If you don’t fish, don’t be afraid to ask someone to take you. The gift of learning and/or teaching someone to #6 fish is so rewarding and as a perk, will last lifetime after lifetime. I wish you all a very Merry Christmas. Now go catch fish.
#10
#9
#8
#7
Remember to SHOP LOCAL this Holiday Season COASTALANGLERMAG.COM • THE ANGLERMAG.COM
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DECEMBER 2018
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A Deep Secret By Capt. Gus
by Karen Fisher
F
ish, like people, live in different places. While some folks set up housekeeping in the mountains, others live in the country or at the beach. Regardless, the biggest populations are in the cities and towns that dot our land. Lake Norman has never conducted a house-tohouse census of where fish dwell, but anglers know that fish also find shelter in a variety of habitats. Since the advent of modestly priced marine electronics, specifically sonar and GPS, fishermen are venturing farther and farther from the shoreline to locate and catch fish. There was a time when the expression, “the fish are deep” meant they were hovering in water depths to fifteen feet. Today, deep can be anywhere from fifteen feet to any depth of water. While many anglers cast the shorelines for their favorite species, a growing number of them seldom fish in water less than twenty feet. They believe their chances of catching a lot of fish are greater in deeper haunts. Striper and hybrid fishermen have been catching their quarry in the deep river and creek channels of Lake Norman and other Piedmont lakes for decades. Now, bass, perch and cat fishermen have joined them. Anglers in brightly colored bass boats are deep jigging, drop shooting and casting big lipped crank baits on deep humps, edges, ledges and drops offs. The key to locating underwater sanctuaries is easier than it appears¸ particularly if your boat is equipped with a fish finder/GPS. The topo map, loaded into the GPS, shows underwater terrain features, and the fish finder confirms the presence of fish. When a likely spot is located, it only takes a push of the waypoint button to save the spot on the map to return at a later date. Winter is a great time to fish for deep water bass, hybrid striped bass and white perch. Expect to find your favorite species in creek runs to ninety feet of water. When suspended fish are located, they are usually hungry and easier to catch than those resting on the bottom. Tips from Capt. Gus! Water-proof topographic maps show the lakes bottom contours and mirror the GPS map loaded in your boat’s electronics. Maps are a great tool for an angler to locate potential fishing areas before actually going on a fishing trip.
Brenda Farmer Broker/Realtor
Happy Hunting!
4001 East Highway 24/27 Midland, NC 28107
(704) 791-5437 (704) 888-6335 4 CHARLOTTE/PIEDMONT
TAM Charlotte 2018 12.indd 4
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Hunting with a pistol? OH YES. unting season is upon us. Let’s mix it up a little and talk about pistol hunting. Let me first say that with any type of shooting sport, safety should be #1. Let’s review our safety rules: *ALWAYS keep the firearm pointed in a safe direction. *ALWAYS keep your finger off the trigger until you are ready to shoot. *ALWAYS keep the firearm unloaded until ready to use it. *ALWAYS know your target and what is beyond. Pistol hunting is fast becoming a sought-after sport, even though it certainly isn’t new to hunt with pistols. I contribute that mainly to hunters wanting to free themselves of heavy gear. Hunting with a pistol is challenging, yet gives you an advantage to being able to stalk your trophy, maneuver easily, handle your dogs, etc. However, hunting with a pistol takes practice, patience and persistence – and a lot of it. So which firearm should you use? It depends on your game. Below are a few suggestions. Keep in mind that barrels 6 inches and greater are beneficial for accuracy. Small Game. Tracking small game with such calibers as .22 or .17 can get interesting quick when you are met with the task of hitting a small target. You’ll want to test your choice of ammunition before venturing out to the woods to ensure your firearm will cycle it properly. Some great pistols to consider for small game are Browning Buck Mark, Smith & Wesson Model 22A, Ruger Mark III (thank goodness they’ve finally redesigned these for easier take down), or Ruger Single Action Nine or Ten. Large Game. The pistol can open up a whole new level of sport to a hunter. With the pistol, every harvest is a trophy, every hunt is an adventure and a full freezer is an irrefutable plus. For large game hunting, consider the Ruger Redhawk/Super Redhawk, Smith & Wesson Model 29, Glock 40, Thompson-Center G2 Contender, Taurus Raging Bull Model 444, MOA Maximum. Sights and optics. It will take some research based on your chosen pistol model, but scopes offer the added benefit of magnification, allowing the hunter to better assess and judge the animal in their sights, along with the ability to shoot at longer ranges more accurately. Replacing stock sights with night sights or fiber optic can also be a consideration. State Law. It’s important to reiterate that laws in the state you are hunting must be followed. Restrictions on barrel length or caliber could be a factor when hunting with a pistol in addition to rules and laws regarding transport and storage of firearms. Please research your state’s hunting laws.
DECEMBER 2018
The Angler Magazine Charlotte NC
COASTALANGLERMAG.COM • THE ANGLERMAG.COM
11/14/18 4:49 PM
Winter In The Blue Ridge Mountains
By Britt Stoudenmire
D
REASONS TO ADVERTISE YOUR BUSINESS IN
10
ecember marks the beginning of the winter season in the Blue Ridge Mountains for outdoor activities. And while hunting season and most watersports will be winding down, there are a plethora of activities to enjoy throughout the cold season. Day tripping on the Appalachian Trail is one example that can provide some great exercise and a chance to catch some incredible scenic vistas. Snow skiing is also a great winter activity with ski resorts such as Wintergreen Mountain Resort in Nellysford, VA being a great example. And while “most” warm water fishing will be winding down, cold-water fishing opportunities are abound with the Watauga and South Holston Rivers ranking very high for excellent brown and rainbow trout fishing opportunities. And if you are up for a winter fishing challenge, musky fishing will begin to peak as water temps fall into the 40’s. Rivers such as the Clinch, New, James, and Shenandoah all hold muskies while several lakes in the Blue Ridge hold fish as well. Depending on water levels, floating or river jetting are both viable options to pursue these fish. Whitewater rafts outfitted with fishing frames or dory style drift boats will get you into hard to access areas especially when river levels are on the lower side, while an aluminum boat with a jet intake will allow you to cover more water, more thoroughly when river levels are on the higher side. Make sure to take extreme safety cautions when fishing in the winter, especially if you are by yourself, because cold water can bring on hypothermia within minutes of exposure leading to possible death. A few examples of safety that I take include dressing in noncotton layers such as wool or spandex type material. I always wear a PFD and notify someone of my fishing location and time for return. And I always carry extra clothes and supplies to build a fire on board should I become exposed. Winter fishing is absolutely one of my favorite times to fish. With very little traffic on the river, and the opportunity to chase one of the freshwater’s top predator fish during a peak period, this time of year can provide some wonderful memories. Make sure to look for deep pools, as fish will move to them to winter. Pick peak times to fish with the afternoon “typically” signaling the opportunity for a feeding window as temperatures peak, and make sure to slow down your bait presentations in the colder water. And always remember, “Set the hook!”
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Jeremy Nelson Tyler Nelson
Cameron Crane Erica Nelson
Want to show off your fish?
Upload direct to our webstie at www.coastalanglermag.com/bragboard Send us via email to add to bragboard simmons@theanglermag.com Tyler Nelson
any pictures submitted to the bragboard or via email may be considred for our print publication
Capt. Gus
6 CHARLOTTE/PIEDMONT
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Brag Board Blue Catfish
Steve McCrary
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TAM Charlotte 2018 12.indd 7
DECEMBER 2018
CHARLOTTE/PIEDMONT 7
11/14/18 4:49 PM
Meet Steve Gomez By Michelle Armstrong
S
teve Gomez graduated high school in June 1991. He joined the United States Army and in August was stationed with the 3rd ID based at Fort Stewart, Georgia. Steve was among the first troops to be deployed during Operation Iraqi Freedom in 2003. He was deployed again in 2005. He served as a combat arms field artillery soldier. Through his service, he gained a tremendous amount of expertise that would greatly benefit and guide current and future soldiers. In 2006 he was asked by CALL (Center for Army Lessons Learned) to return to Iraq and help co author a Convoy Commander handbook. At this time he was away from the immediate war zones. After the completion of the handbook, once again, he returned home for a short stint. He would be deployed two more times to the war zones of Iraq. Steve sustained several significant injuries resulting in many surgeries requiring “hardware” to be placed in his body. He developed hearing loss, and it was apparent he had developed severe P.T.S.D. He became increasingly aware that he was no longer competitive for the military and he retired due to his medical conditions. Sergeant 1st Class Steve Gomez served in the United States Army for 23 years, 2 months, and 11 days. He dedicated his entire adult life to his country. Commendably, Steve doesn’t like to talk about what he experienced during his deployments. He prefers to stay focused on the present, his family, and his future. Like many Veterans, after his experiences, Steve became a loner. He explains that after he retired from his military family, he felt lost and vulnerable. At times even doubting, that if needed, he could protect his family. He became detached socially and life became boring. Through the Wounded Warrior Battalion at Fort Bragg, he heard about Operation North State, an organization offering fishing tournaments to disabled and wounded veterans. One concern for him was that due to his medications, Steve requires a caregiver to be with him. After speaking to the director of Operation North State, Terry Snyder, he learned that this was not an obstacle. So he made the trip to Lake Norman. Steve recalled being quite scared. He had never fished before and had no idea what to expect. Upon arrival at the tournament site his fear subsided amid the camaraderie of fellow veterans. Though still nervous about what to expect from the fishing aspect, Steve felt at home with his new found “battle buddies”. He and his caregiver were paired with a civilian “host boater” named Kenneth Tucker. Neither of these men realized that from this day, a new passion for life would be born and a lifelong friendship would come to fruition. Steve’s heart raced as he watched the boats launch. He became scared again and expressed this to his host boater. Steve had to find strength within himself and trust this man essentially with his life. At that moment, in a sense, Kenneth became a new kind of “battle buddy”. Kenneth explained the boat launch process and assured Steve of his safety. It had started to rain so Kenneth explained to Steve that the raindrops could hurt, so to cover his face. Steve described the launch as a “mad dash” and said it felt like a “motorcycle on water”. But somehow, he felt at ease with his boater. Though it was early Spring, the weather took an unexpected turn and temperatures dropped. Not many, including the seasoned host boaters, were prepared for the cold rainy weather. Steve didn’t mind, he was learning so much from Kenneth. He was gaining confidence, catching fish, and feeling things he’d never felt. Many could not endure the elements and came in early but Steve stayed out til the very end. He said at times, the wind was blowing and rocking the boat. He got the sensation of literally standing “on” the water. By the day’s end, Steve had discovered so many unexpected elements of this organization and of fishing. At weigh-in and during the after tournament banquet, the camaraderie strengthened among shared stories of the day along 8 CHARLOTTE/PIEDMONT
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with bragging rights and a new found self respect for what they all learned and conquered on the water. Each veteran received a fishing rod to keep along with “goodie bags” full of baits and edible treats. Trophies for the “biggest catch” were given out to the winners. They learned that one of the veterans had fallen in the water but was retrieved unharmed. It is a requirement that all veterans wear a PFD (personal flotation device) at ALL TIMES during the tournaments. The rule likely saved this man’s life. He earned the nickname “Maytag” from this event. Steve attended the next tournament held at Randleman Lake. He and his caregiver were paired with another civilian boater named Brad Holder. The weather for this tournament was not much better with heavy rains in the afternoon. Again, a lot of the fisherman came in early. Steve was learning so much from Brad that they stayed out all day. NASCAR legend Richard Petty invited all of the veterans and host boaters to his home after the tournament for a barbecue. It was at that time, that the veterans received some unexpected good news. Bass Pro Shops had heard of the weather conditions these men had faced, unprepared, during these tournaments. They made sure each veteran there received their very own GORE-TEX waterproof rain suit to keep! The veterans were in awe at the combined generosity of everyone involved at the event. Steve finds it easy to describe the impact and effects these experiences have been for him: “Operation North State has enhanced my life in surprising ways. I now have a network of extended family. I have found a passion and a new hobby. Brad and Kenneth have armed me with so much knowledge that I can continue this hobby on my own. They are great Patriots doing all they can do to support veterans. I have made two great life long friends.” “I have been able to teach and take my boys fishing. To give them lifelong skills. To show them that even through limitations, one can learn something new and help provide for their family.” “I have come out of my shell. I’ve allowed myself to make new/ different “battle buddies” and trust in them and myself.” “My new hobby has me dreaming of someday buying my own boat so I can help other Veterans. Especially after experiencing the healing therapy it is for Veterans with PTSD.” “I am grateful for Operation North State.” Steve Gomez, we are grateful for you. Thank you sir.
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Forecast for
HIGH ROCK/BADIN/ TUCKERTOWN DAM BY: DARIN BROWN Hwy. 49 Sporting Goods (704) 463-7053 www.49sports.com
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triped bass activity has been increasing on Badin Lake and the average size has been increasing. Most fish are still in the 4-10lb range so don’t expect to catch many trophy fish. Most are being caught trolling either bucktail jigs or 4” shad bodies. But be prepared for schooling fish chasing bait fish. Crappies are being caught by slow trolling jigs and on deep water brush piles. A good rule of thumb is “ the colder the water the slower you troll”. Try the Newsome Creek or Riles Creek area on Tuckertown Lake. The Garr Creek area on Badin can produce some nice catches. The Flat Swamp area on High Rock Lake is a great winter trolling area for some slabs. Largemouth bass love A-rigs this time of year. An A-rig is a wire form with multiple baits on it. Usually three to five swim baits. The most common form has five 1/8 oz jig heads with a swim bait on them. The Zoom Swimming Super Fluke Jr. is our best selling swim bait to use on the A-rigs. You can also use plastic shad bodies or curly tail jigs. Stay with the compact A-rigs, the large ones are hard to throw and must be used on very heavy rods and line. For the compact rigs use a medium heavy rod at least 7ft in length with a strong backbone. If you use mono or fluorocarbon line use at least 20 lb test. I like to use 50 lb braid line for A-rigs. You can fish it shallow or moderately deep. Hold your rod tip up to make the rig run shallower and hold it down to run it deeper.Vary the speed and twitch your rod tip occasionally. Cast the rig around structure similar to the way you would fish a spinnerbait. Visit our Website coastalanglermag.com/Charlotte Local Forecasts Fishing and Outdoor Articles Bragboard (submit your pic) Distribution Map Tournament Calendar
Simmons@theanglermagazine.com 980-333-7273
Forecast for
LAKE NORMAN BY: CAPT. GUS GUSTAFSON
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Fishing With Captain Gus (704) 617-6812 www.fishingwithgus.com
hose tough enough to weather December’s cold temperatures will find bass biting around deep-water boat docks throughout the day and those that are lighted after dark. Other good bets for bass are the lay downs, boat ramps, and the deeper sides of river and creek channel points. Not to be overlooked, are the McGuire and Marshall power plant discharge channels. Hybrid striped bass will be chasing baitfish to the surface at daylight and dusk in Mountain, Stumpy and Hicks Creeks. Anglers slow trolling deep running lures and live bait will find hybrids feeding along the river channel north of the Highway 150 Bridge. Large crappie will hit small jigs and minnows in deep brush, covered boat docks and along the sides of bridge pilings. Hardy fishermen will shine lights under bridges after dark in hopes of catching a limit off “slab crappie”. December is a good month to load the cooler with white perch. Best bets are Little, Mountain and Hicks Creeks. 10 CHARLOTTE/PIEDMONT
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DECEMBER 2018
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11/14/18 4:49 PM
The Science Line: What’s The Future For Lake Norman Fishing?
By Jake Bussolini
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early 20 years ago, I came to Lake Norman hoping to spend my retirement years with my lovely wife, living on the shores of this beautiful lake. All of my life I fished in northern waters and coming south where man-made lakes are normal was somewhat of a shock to me. It didn’t take many days with small catches to convince me that I needed to develop a completely different style of fishing to be successful on this lake. With my science background, I decided that I needed to thoroughly study this lake to gain the kind of success that I wanted. I quickly realized that for most of my life, wherever I fished, the natural bottom structure like stumps, trees and brush provided great places for the fish to habitat. If the fish hung around a fallen tree one day, they were likely there the next day. Not here on Lake Norman. The practice of clear cutting everything as part of the lake’s construction, created a situation where the fish are always moving, looking for food and safe places to hide. This made fishing Norman more difficult than was my standard. I diligently studied the lake day after day until I increased my catch rate from less than one fish an hour to more than five fish per hour. Based on all of my research, I started writing and since moving here I have published seven books about freshwater fishing. My computer files are filled with data and photos from my research and I consider myself reasonably knowledgeable about the lake. But to increase my education, I fished with several of the guides that had been fishing the lake for many years, some who had fish here since their birth. These trips provided me with the tips and secrets that these guides had buried in their brains. I cherished this information. Now comes 2018 and all of my knowledge seems to have had no relationship to achieving success on Lake Norman. Since writing my first book, I have traveled around the country fishing more than 100 different lakes and rivers here and in Canada. But this year I had to ask myself, “what has happened to the fishing on Lake Norman? One of the benefits of this lake was that it was a 12 month fishery due to the abundance of Striped Bass. This cold water fish filled in the colder months when the other lake species were scarce. Largemouth bass were very active all during the warm month and crappie were being caught in nice numbers and large sizes. If all else failed, it was always possible to pull up a 20 pound blue catfish or an occasional huge flathead catfish and white bass were a bonus catch. Today, almost everything has changed. Unusually warm water in late summer accompanied by low oxygen levels killed off all of the Striped Bass. The lake was invaded by white perch that rapidly caused the demise of all of the white bass. Spotted bass slowly but steadily replaced most of the largemouth bass and to top off the fish species changes, Hydrilla plants suddenly showed up causing very serious problems to the ecology of the entire lake. Many reputable fishing magazines that always listed Lake Norman as a fine fishery, suddenly no longer mentioned the lake. Even some North Carolina outdoor magazines stopped mentioning this lake as a good fishery. After a long series of studies and arguments with local anglers, the State finally agreed to replace the lost Striped Bass with Hybrid Stripers that are more likely to survive the warm, low oxygen water. The spotted bass seemed to thrive but the largemouth bass have all but disappeared. There are also signs that the white perch will eventually eradicate the crappie crop. Random fish kills have occurred nearly every year over the past 6 years and this summer we even witnessed a Catfish kill of nearly 1000 catfish caused by excessively low oxygen levels. As important as all of the above, the extreme cold last winter caused some icing in the shallow coves causing a kill-off of large schools of Shad, which provide an important food source for all fish species. More recently a serious invasion of hydrilla has occurred at the south end of the lake. None of these events bode well for the future of Lake Norman as a world class fishery. In this authors opinion there are a few known causes of the problems. Most important, the oxygen levels in the water during the summer months, is the largest single problem that needs
attention. This problem is not unique to this lake and has been solved in other oxygen starved waters by the introduction of external oxygen sources in strategic locations during the hot months of summer. Duke Energy claims ownership of the lake so they should also show interest in the health and welfare of the various species of fish that are housed here. Introduction of fresh air is not an excessively costly solution to the low oxygen problem. Since additional hot water is introduced into the lake by the hot water discharges at the two Duke power plants, they should feel some responsibility to contribute to the known solution to the temperature and oxygen problem. The Hybrid stripers that are being introduced are apparently doing well in terms of health and growth. The Wildlife Resources Commission personnel feel that the low nutrition level of the lake water is limiting the eventual growth levels of these hybrids but the fish will live a healthy but possible shorter lifespan. To insure a good start to the new hybrids, this author recommends that a specific season be established fo fishing hybrids to permit the recent supplies to live more freely during the growth months of the summer. This author also feels that the lake is being over fished. There are an excessive number of fishing tournaments on Lake Norman yearround. These tournaments are bringing a large number of non-resident boats on to the lake with little or no control of possible foreign species that they may carry or the foreign plant life that may be attached to their boats. Recently published articles are now admitting that the tournament environment causes much higher mortality rates for the fish than previously admitted, in some cases as high as 30% for fish that are caught, culled and put through the weigh-in process. Most anglers who fish the lake regularly, know that the catch rate of illegal fish (hybrids being caught by unlicensed anglers) is growing rapidly, especially where large bank-fishing areas exist at the north end of the lake. This problem is well known by lake officials but little or no corrective action has been taken. These bank fishing areas should be closed until better controls can be established by wildlife officials. This is an easy solution that is being blinded by political correctness. The hydrilla problem is well known by lake officials and it appears that the proper corrective action is being taken. The input of grass carp is the known best solution to hydrilla growth. These fish feed on this plant and this year’s stock of more than 10,000 carp is the right step toward a solution. But the practice must be continued on a smaller scale in future years since this problem is not a short term one. It is a known fact that chemical or cultivation treatment of hydrilla is not a long term solution and can actually cause an increase of the growth problem. Private residents should not try chemical treatment around their docks because it will have long term negative effects on the lake water. There are no known plans to address the white perch problem or the hinted reduction of future crappie numbers. This author believes that the Hybrids are being properly managed and tagging results show good progress for that species. I have also suggested to the Wildlife Resources Commission that they establish a “Frequent Angler Reporting System”, using anglers who fish the lake waters regularly, to report their finding through a social media system. This would provide a larger bank of reliable data than can be achieved by electro fishing or tagging. More data could provide hints at better solutions to the problem of shrinking fish populations in the lake. As for the over-fishing of the lake due to excessive tournaments, the various fishing clubs and organizations that exist on and around the lake should be asked to begin limiting their sponsored tournaments. Most experienced anglers will understand the need for practicing good fish conservation practices if they are presented with the problems that are being witnessed on the lake. It’s time for all of us to wake up to the potential problems that I have mentioned. We can bring Lake Norman back to its previously recognized status as a top notch fishery, but all anglers need to get involved, or at least get more interested in supporting solutions to existing problems.
COASTALANGLERMAG.COM • THE ANGLERMAG.COM
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Stringers and Swearwords: Poaching is not a Victimless Crime By Ryan Wilson
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recently had the unpleasant experience of running into a poacher on one of the Delayed Harvest streams that I frequent on guided trips. This individual was dragging a stringer full of trout, while leaving a pile of bait buckets in the area he had been “fishing”. Without going into detail, I’ll just say that I chose to use this encounter as an educational opportunity for my clients and for the poacher. My clients learned about the real impact that poaching can have on our public waters and the poacher was educated about how much fish costs at the store, because he didn’t bring any home with him that day. This isn’t the first time that I’ve encountered this situation and it most likely won’t be the last. The unfortunate fact is that there are people out there that believe that it is acceptable to take fish and leave garbage. Another unfortunate fact, is the lingering outlook amongst the angling community that poaching is just a part of life and beyond general grumbling, there’s very little one can do to actually curb it. I’d like to argue that responsible anglers absolutely can make a difference in stopping this kind of behavior and that we have a responsibility to do so. The good news is that this group is an extreme minority, making a wildly outsized impact. Because we observe the trash by the stream, or notice a steep decline in fishing quality at certain places, there is a tendency to believe that poaching is widespread and endemic – a problem too big to solve. In reality, it’s just a few individuals, making a series of selfish decisions that screw over the entire angling community and the local industry. Let’s break down the damage that can be done to a particular spot with just one bucket of worms. One bucket contains 18 nightcrawlers. Each wiggler can be cut into about five appropriately sized sections. That means that each bucket of worms sitting on the riverbank has the potential to cull out ninety fish! Of course that’s not to say that poachers are generally having those results, but it does illustrate the damage that one individual can do. Multiply that over a period of a few weeks and one can see that it only takes a handful of thieves to completely wipe out a trout stream. The good news is that we only have to change the behavior of a few people to make a measurable difference. Every poacher stopped will have a real impact on the quality of our fisheries. So what can the responsible angler do when encountering these folks? I absolutely do not recommend engaging in a confrontation if it has the potential to turn physical. There’s not a trout in the state that is worth getting shot over. However, if you possess the temperament and can effectively read the situation, you can use an interaction to educate the scofflaw about angler ethics and specific regulations. Be respectful and non-aggressive, but also don’t let them off the hook. They’re doing something wrong and it has a direct impact on you and the entire angling community. Let them know that. For most situations, a direct confrontation is not advisable. If you can do it safely and discretely, snap a picture of the illegal activity taking place and even of the poacher’s vehicle/ license plate. Report the activity & evidence to authorities. Be as detailed as possible on time, location and observation. If you can call immediately, you may even be able to get a wildlife agent there before the poacher leaves.
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11/14/18 4:49 PM
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MCTG-3575 Coastal Angler FP LO4
Report provided by FishingNosara
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or much of the U.S. it is time to don winter coats, sweep the chimney and winterize the boat. As the temperature plummets, it’s easy for the mind to wander toward thoughts of warm sun and a beach escape. For the fishing crews in Nosara, Costa Rica, the forecast for the next 10 months is perfect sunshine and clear fishing weather. Best of all, this is the time of year when big dorado provide plenty for the Christmas dinner table. Here in Costa Rica, our fishing pattern resets each year. Ever since the rainy season ended in early November, we have seen large
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schools of dorado stacked up like cordwood. Also, there are swarms of sailfish and the occasional marlin stalking these mahi-mahi meals. We expect this feeding pattern to continue until late-March when the dorado will be replaced by schools of yellowfin tuna moving in from the north. Gangs of spinning dolphins will show us the way to these tasty ahis, and once they show up the tuna bite will strengthen until our end-of-season in early September. Our offshore marlin, yellowfin and dorado all follow schools of bait that move from north to south along the Pacific coast. Conversely, our inshore fishery doesn’t depend on pelagic bait migration patterns. Instead our secluded port of Garza Bay is fed by local mountain rivers. When the cool, nutrient-rich river water collides with the warm, fast-moving saltwater of the Pacific, conditions are perfect for localized swarms of baitfish to form. This “homegrown” bait supports a ravenous population of big roosterfish, broomtail groupers and massive cubera snapper. It’s not unusual for these monsters to weigh upwards of 60 pounds yet still ascend the water column to strike on the surface. Roosterfish are in an especially catchable mood after a cool evening’s rain floods the estuary with fresh baits. Inshore or offshore, all are ripe for the catching, and captains of FishingNosara have posted excellent catches ever since the season started. Right off the bat, angler Brian Stafford, of Jacksonville, Fla. and his fellow firefighters nabbed a big batch of dorado on the 32-foot Wanderer. Catching these big beasts on the first day of the season is a great sign of what we imagine will be a “fishtastic” 2019 season. It’s always a great time be thankful for friends, family and the blessings in life, but with Christmas Day right around the corner, it is the right time to give the gift of fishing. If you have a youngster in the family, get them a tackle box and a starter reel. If you are already an avid angler, remember that Black Friday/Cyber Monday deals are great for expanding your arsenal. And, if you are ready to challenge yourself to catch the baddest fish on the planet, come on down to Nosara and pay us a visit.
11/15/18 10:08 AM
By Nick Carter
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used to work with a woman who spent Saturdays fishing kitchen refuse from a pretty little brook that ran through her front yard. Apparently there was an old lady upstream who didn’t own a garbage can. She would just toss trash out the kitchen window and into the creek. To me, anyone who could do such a thing, especially to a creek that held trout, was the most despicable form of human garbage. Mariann, the lady I worked with, was the first to explain that old timers picked up their habits in a time before the garbage man came around to empty the curbside bin. In remote areas of the mountains, standard practice was to pick a hollow and unload the back of the
pickup. It’s been a while since I’ve visited the West Fork of the French Broad, and the garbage might be long gone, but I remember being amazed at the things we found in that gorge. Someone, or even a small community of someones, used one particular bend on Silverstein Road as a regular dump. It must have been fun to watch a clothes dryer or a water heater tumble down the ravine. It’s testament to the bounty of the fishery that we continued to fish there even after my brother had the rear window of his SUV shot out while he was down in the gorge. That was years ago, though. These days the river receives a little more traffic from anglers, and there has been a concerted effort to clean it up. The fishing remains good, as the West Fork receives light stockings of rainbow, brook and brown trout to supplement a population of holdover fish and some wild browns. There are excellent mayfly hatches on this river, and a dry-dropper rig can yield numbers of standard hatchery fish as well as a spattering of wild 8- to 12-inch browns. We’ve also hung into some big 14- to 18-inch fish throwing streamers. The gorge section is a little difficult to access via an unmarked angler’s trail. There are some areas where the wading is difficult, too. Although Silverstein Road parallels the river, the water is down in the bottom of a steep-sided gully. There is easier roadside access at a few pullouts upstream of the gorge. Once, while I fished this flatter section in waist deep water, a big old furry beaver swam right between my legs. I’m not lying. It was startling. Silverstein Road (SR 1309) is a northward turn off U.S. 64 west of Rosman, N.C. There’s a convenience store and a self-storage place at the intersection. Bear right to stay on Silverstein when the road forks, and continue about 1.5 miles to the bridge and pullout parking. 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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DECEMBER 2018
BLUE RIDGE
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outh Carolina’s Santee Cooper lakes of Marion and Moultrie offer world-class fishing for multiple species, and winter is prime time for incredible striped bass action. The two lakes are impoundments of the Congaree River between Columbia and Charleston. They are connected by a 7-mile-long diversion canal and offer more than 160,000 surface acres of prime fishing water. Kevin Davis owns and guides out of Blacks Camp located on the diversion canal, which gives him direct access to either lake. “Because of our outstanding forage base of threadfin and gizzard shad, the December striper fishing is off the charts good,” Davis said. “Anglers can enjoy sensational surface schooling action as well as excellent live bait fishing opportunities when the surface action slows.” Davis said the fishery has rejuvenated to an elite level because of striper regulations that have enabled the resource to grow. Limits of stripers are often caught, and many days anglers catch and release scores of additional fish. The current regulations allow anglers to keep three stripers per person within a 23-to-25inch slot limit, plus one of the three can exceed 26-inches. “The lakes are absolutely loaded with fish in the slot limit size,” Davis said. Linwood Thornhill also guides out of Blacks Camp and has been chasing schooling stripers for decades. “The large stripers get considerably more active from Thanksgiving through December,” he said. “Anytime of the day can produce schooling action, but typically the best is early and late. But on cloudy days we may see topwater action all day.” Thornhill diversifies his lures for schooling stripers because the fish have an ever-changing preference. He uses Rockport Rattler jigs with plastic trailers, as well as 1/2- or 3/4-ounce bucktails. He varies colors until he hits the daily pattern working chartreuse jig and trailer patterns, white and white and various jighead and trailer colors. Capt. Leroy Suggs, another guide out of Blacks Camp, said December is one of his favorite striper months. “We typically use live blueback herring when live bait fishing. We’ll mark stripers on the graph along humps and ledges and drop baits to the depth fish are marked, or just slightly above,” he explained. “Stripers will readily come up for bait, but seldom go deeper.” Suggs said December fishing has another good twist on Lake Moultrie because most years huge schools of menhaden are found near the Pinopolis Dam and can be caught and used as bait. “The menhaden migrate into Lake Moultrie via the lock and fish lift from the Santee and Cooper rivers that flow into the Atlantic,” he said. “I prefer them about the size of a small bream, about three fingers wide. Menhaden are excellent striper bait and also tempt huge catfish to load on as a bonus.” For more information, contact Kevin Davis at Blacks Camp at 843-312-3080 and check them out online at www.blackscamp. com.
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11/15/18 10:02 AM
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SOUTHEAST
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Photo courtesy of IGFA hose interested in destination fisheries have probably heard of the fantastic fishing, scenery and hospitality experienced on Mongolian taimen trips. Well, there are taimen in Russia, too. And Russian rivers have a reputation for producing the largest taimen on the planet. Taimen are known as the largest, meanest salmonids in the world. They look and behave somewhat like brown trout only on a much larger scale. Fishing for them might be the world’s ultimate freshwater fly rod experience. Angler Guido Rahr, III got to experience taimen in a big way in September, when he hooked into a pending IGFA record for fly tackle taimen. He caught and released the 83-pound, 4-ounce monster on Russia’s Tugar River. If approved, it will replace the existing 71-pound, 2-ounce record for the heaviest taimen on a fly rod ever recorded by IGFA. The IGFA all-tackle world record for taimen was also caught in Russia. In 1993, Yuri Orlov landed the 92-pound, 8-ounce record on Siberia’s Keta River. He caught it on a Blue Fox spinner and 17-pound-test line.
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COASTALANGLERMAG.COM • THEANGLERMAG.COM
11/15/18 10:55 AM
r spread FRESHWATER By CAM Staff
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very few years a new technique explodes on the bass fishing scene. Many of these trends just fade away, but some endure and become a part of every bass angler’s arsenal. The technique of the moment is the Ned rig. It is excellent for big numbers of spotted bass and smallmouths. It’ll catch largemouths, too. And it really shines when the fishing gets tough. On post-frontal days in winter, when bass are deep on vertical structure, it’s time to rig up a Ned and go to work. It is the perfect technique when bass are looking for a meal that is small and slow moving. A Ned rig is a miniature soft-plastic stick bait threaded on a light 1/8- to 1/32-ounce mushroom-style jighead. A drop of superglue holding the 3- to 5-inch worm to the jighead works wonders for making this rig durable. When fishing at winter depths, light line should be matched with a light spinning rod with a supple tip. Go as light as you dare, with 4- to 8-pound-test braid finished off with a fluorocarbon leader. When fish are active, a Ned worked steadily along the bottom is deadly. When they are sluggish, it’s better to let the jig sit on the bottom, allowing the bait’s vertical tail to do the work with the slightest shake of the rod tip. It’s not the most exciting way to fish, but it catches fish—sometimes when nothing else will.
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11/15/18 10:39 AM
Photo courtesy of The Cooking Channel
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hose who have seen his show “Man Fire Food” will recognize Roger Mooking as the iconic host of what has become the ultimate look at extreme outdoor or fire/smoke based cooking. Each week Roger introduces us to passionate and inventive outdoor cooking aficionados and an array of epic custom-built apparatuses designed to cook everything from 200-pound sturgeon to whole cows on a massive homemade spit. Roger’s visits give us insight into the innovative extremes outdoor cooks utilize in their pursuit of perfection. If you’re an outdoor cooking enthusiast, “Man Fire Food” is a must-watch program. We recently caught up with Roger to discuss the show’s success and rich content. CAM: Roger, your show has become a must-watch series for anyone who mans a grill. Why do you think your show has become so popular? Roger: Over the course of the last 7 seasons, we’ve seen an amazing array of outdoor and flame-inspired cooking devices and techniques featured on the show. If you love outdoor cooking, then you’re probably going to like the show. People just love being outside with loved ones. Backyard barbecues have been a longstanding tradition; in fact, you could say that tradition may even date back to the most primitive use of fire itself. There’s also something very special about slowing down and taking the time it demands to tend a hypnotizing fire and be immersed in the full experience, and getting to eat at the end of that entire adventure. The smells, sounds, sights of nature and breaking the hectic pace that a lot of us live at… it’s needed. CAM: So, you think cooking outdoors is somehow satisfying a primal urge? Roger: When I look back at some of the massive cuts of meat that have been prepared on previous episodes, it does seem like fire and food is primal, and I think we would all have to agree that cooking with wood, coals or heated rocks bridges a gap that is satisfying to those primal instincts.
CAM: What can we expect to see in future episodes? Roger: Humans all over the globe have been cooking with fire for many millennia now, and cultures all over the world have different ways of cooking with fire. I would like to explore extending the borders of the show to feature more places outside of the U.S. CAM: What advice would you offer the average outdoor cook? Roger: Just to enjoy the whole experience. I think the average outdoor cook is a more experienced cook, or else they would be a novice indoor cook. It takes a different level of attention to detail and mindfulness to cook outdoors because you have to deal with many other variables like wind, rain, keeping the fire going, how hot or cool is the fire, what are the hotspots, how much wood/charcoal do I need to add at a particular stage, bugs trying to get you, and all sorts of other things that you simply don’t have to worry about in a modern day North American kitchen with electricity and good shelter. Also, use the smoke as a seasoning advantage. You don’t need to add all kinds of stuff if you start with a freshly caught fish, some salt and a bit of good wood smoke; the work is already done, you just have to make sure you don’t get in the way or don’t burn the darn thing. It’s the magic of simplicity. CAM: How do you select the places that we see on the show? Roger: There is a very dedicated but small team of amazing people who find, research and vet all the potential locations for “Man Fire Food.” The winning candidates have endured hours of interviews and a barrage of questions as exhaustive as possible. The variables are so unimaginable to the viewer, and if we all do our jobs right, you have no idea how much work went into what looks so simple on TV. We’re always interested in looking at unique “Man Fire Food” subject matters. If any of your readers think they qualify, they should email: Contact@rogermooking.com. “Man Fire Food’s” new season premiered Wednesday, Nov. 28 at 9 p.m. on The Cooking Channel.
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Feeding Strategies MARK SOSIN What appears obvious may be deceiving. Most anglers erroneously believe that when predators corner a hapless school of baitfish, they simply open their mouths and swim through the prey, gorging themselves in the process. It doesn’t happen that way. A predator must isolate and attack one specific victim at a time. That’s not always an easy task. A frantic school of baitfish sensing predators can appear as a shimmering mass of silver with each individual member of the school constantly changing position. Selecting a tasty morsel to ingest can frustrate even the most sophisticated gamefish. That’s one reason why you’ll find predators lurking under a pod of bait. The instant their intended prey strays from the pack, they strike. When you think about it, you can understand that any gamefish searches for a victim that is isolated, disabled or looks different from the others. Feeding is a tradeoff. Success centers on expending as little energy as possible for the food value received. Unsuccessfully chasing prey for long distances keeps a predator lean, hungry, and tends to slow it down. The easiest way to get a strike when you locate a school of baitfish starts with a cast into the middle of the school. It doesn’t matter whether you are fishing an artificial lure or a natural bait. The retrieve should work your offering toward the fringes of the school in basically the same direction in which the school is swimming or at a 45-degree angle to the basic direction. As your bait or lure eases toward the edge of the school, it is easier for a predator to isolate. And, it looks slightly different than the baitfish in the school. Some live bait fishermen squeeze a minnow before casting
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it or drifting it so that it will be disabled. Clipping a fin or two also impairs swimming motion. The injured fish will have trouble swimming, and that means it will send out vibrations that attract the attention of predators. These frantic movements to obtain equilibrium frequently trigger the strike. Even during the anticipated feast of locating a school of baitfish, certain factors come into play. As water temperatures drop, a predator will not pursue its prey as fast and as far as it would in warmer water. When you are fishing a chum slick and fish are feeding on the chum, it is much more effective to fish an offering without retrieving it. A dead drift works just fine. I’ve seen that produce inshore and offshore including tuna and sailfish. I once had an opportunity to watch scientists monitor the behavior of a school of bluefish in a massive aquarium as they attacked a school of minnows. By chance, I focused on a minnow that did not move, even when attacked by a bluefish four times. Each time, the bluefish broke off the attack because the minnow did not behave as it should. On the fifth pass, the minnow moved and it was eaten faster than you can read this sentence. Finally, if you are trolling and see a school of small fish on the surface, approach the school slowly so as not to scare them. Ease alongside the school and work the fringes or establish a position ahead of the baitfish. If you prefer to cast, keep the boat away from the school and make the cast into the school. As you retrieve your offering and it begins to clear the fringes of the school, you should get a strike.
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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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