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Photo courtesy of Big Ol’ Fish Guiding Service, bigolfish.com
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hether saltwater or fresh, good striper fishing awaits those hearty enough to brave winter on the water. So layer-up, zip into that parka and go. Some of the biggest fish of the year are feeding right now. On the southern end of their fall migration, striped bass are holed up for the winter off North Carolina. They’ll be chowing down and following schools of bait up and down the coast from Wilmington to the Outer Banks. Many years, Oregon Inlet sets up as the epicenter for the bite, but striped bass can be found in most area inlets. The key is to follow the birds and find bass blowing up on menhaden, glass minnows or eels. The action can sometimes come in close enough that surf casters can catch stripers from the beaches of the Outer Banks, but the best bet is to hire a local captain with recent intel and a fast boat. A little farther south, Wilmington offers another option, as stripers pile into the Cape Fear River, where they hold around structure, drop-offs and creekmouths and can be caught on artificials or even flies. These resident fish are a separate group from the highly migratory fish that winter off the Outer Banks. Cape Fear stripers are catch-and-release only, and must be returned to the water immediately. Keep an eye out for tagged stripers swimming these waters. Finally, on freshwater reservoirs across the Southern states and up through the Mid-Atlantic, fisheries stocked with striped bass produce pretty well for anglers this time of year. While smaller schoolie-sized stripers tend to get tough during the coldest temperatures of the year, the larger fish will still feed. The action won’t be as fast as dropping downlines to massive summertime schools, but the fish that do eat tend to be larger. Tactics will vary depending on the fishery, but when water temperatures stabilize or during a warming trend of a few days, the biggest fish in the lake tend to move up shallow—sometimes very shallow— behind schools of small shad. Find the flickering shad, and you’ll find the stripers. Sometimes you’ll see them plucking bait near the surface. Stealth is imperative in catching them, and a soft plastic such as a Fluke will usually out-produce live baits in such situations. It’s easier to cast and slowly retrieve an artificial. Another popular tactic is to cover a lot of water trolling wide spreads of small live baits or pulling an umbrella rig loaded with swimbaits, or both. When prospecting like this, it’s wise to seek out good information on where the stripers are holding. On many lakes they spend winters down by the dam. On others, you might find them way up in the creeks.
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It’s boat show time! And the National Marine Manufacturers Association (NMMA), which produces 18 boat and sportshows across the country, is investing in more experiences and education than ever to meet the desires of attendees and inspire the next generation of the boating workforce. Attendee favorites will return, too, from fishing ponds to Super Thursdays. Here are some 2020 show season highlights. • With a need for skilled workers in the marine industry (more than 31K open jobs), NMMA boat shows are expanding Boating Career Days, offering the chance for students and job seekers to learn more about opportunities in the boating industry, get career advice from marine professionals and check out job openings. Last year the program attracted more than 550 students across eight shows. In 2020, the program is expanding to 14 markets: New York, Baltimore, St. Louis, Kansas City, Nashville, Louisville, Atlanta, New England, Atlantic City, Minneapolis, Northwest, Miami, Norwalk and Tampa. • New for 2020, NMMA is introducing The Discover Boating Experience (DBX), the “Hub for Boaters,” an educational marketplace that provides space to mingle, enjoy expert seminars, explore new products, learn boat care, discover new technologies, learn to navigate a boat show and more. DBX offers a place to relax and have a drink while enjoying a variety of topics, inspirational stories and live music. • The Progressive Boat House features an Occulus Rift Virtual Reality boat race game, the Annapolis School of Seamanship’s expert seminars and a docking pool with a remote-control boat and helm station to master docking skills. • Returning favorites include free fishing for kids and special deals, like $5 tickets after 5 p.m. and Super Thursday, offering deeper discounts, exclusive pricing and incentives. • Ongoing education for boaters and anglers of all skill levels is a hallmark of NMMA boat shows with free daily seminars.
The Progressive Insurance Miami International Boat Show, Presented by West Marine cruises into the docks at Miami Marine Stadium Feb. 13-17. Great deals and hands-on experience with hundreds of boats and the associated gear are the big annual draw. Highlights of the 2020 boat show include:
• Costa Conservation Village will showcase the work of some of Florida’s leading environmental organizations, such as The Nature Conservancy, Captains for Clean Water, and Costa’s Kick Plastic program.
• Presentations on sustainable seafood from esteemed Chef Allen Susser and an opportunity to get a signed copy of his new cookbook, “Green Fig and Lionfish: Sustainable Caribbean Cooking.”
• Junior Captains Program, where kids ages 13-17 can learn to operate a boat with Annapolis School of Seamanship.
• Boat US on-water training with Intro To Boating, Women on the Water and Precision Docking.
• The Progressive Boathouse, offering boating seminars, a remote-control docking pond and an Oculus Rift Virtual Reality boat race game.
• Wining and dining at three full-service, sit down restaurants at
the Show including: Latin Café, V&E Restaurant Group Showcasing menu items from Havana 1957 & La Cerveceria De Barrio and SuViche featuring select menu items from Novecento.
• For more information, visit www.MiamiBoatShow.com.
For more information and the schedule of 2020 NMMA boat shows, visit to www.boatshows.com. 4
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The easiest way to find bait when you’re ready to go fishing is by using the new Baitfinder App, available for free download on both Apple and Android devices. Bait shops are the best possible resource for local information on what’s biting, and on what bait, to ensure you have the right equipment and knowledge before you head out to target a specific species of fish. Everything about Baitfinder is designed for anglers, by anglers, allowing all bait shops in your area to advertise their bait availability in real-time. There’s no more last-minute anxiety about locating bait or driving all over to locate the bait you’re looking for. Anglers can reserve their bait of choice prior to getting to their favorite bait shop to pick it up, and it’s all easily done on the app! Let your friends know of this free app, and encourage all your local bait shops to enroll at: WWW.BAITFINDER.COM
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By Nick Carter
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otivating yourself can be tough when daytime temperatures fall into the low 20s and ice forms on the edges of Southern tailwater trout fisheries. Even on these dam-fed systems, where water temperatures remain relatively consistent, trout become difficult when tiny midges are the primary food source. But there’s a phenomenon that occurs on some tailwaters that makes fishing the cold snaps worth sucking ice out of your guides. It’s called a shad kill. When it happens every fish in the river takes part in the feast. Shad kills are caused by extended cold weather. When air temperatures drop into the teens or lower for several days in a row, baitfish in reservoirs that feed our tailwaters suffer from plummeting water
temps. Either stunned and dying or just diving deep to find more comfortable conditions, shad and blueback herring get sucked into dam turbines. What’s washed out into the tailwater is a mix of chopped up, whole dead, and quivering stunned baitfish. “All of a sudden, they get flushed out into the tailrace. It’s like chumming the river in that upper mile or so below the dam,” said Bill Stranahan, who guides with Southeastern Anglers on Tennessee’s Hiwassee River. “Good browns and rainbows will key in on it. The ones you catch are so stuffed they look like they’re about to pop.” Fed by high-mountain winters on Appalachia Lake, the Hiwassee shad kill is a good one. In the Arkansas Ozarks, the White River sees shad kills almost every year. The Cumberland River in Kentucky and Georgia’s Chattahoochee River below Lake Lanier are two other tailwaters where trout put on the feedbag for these events. But shad kills are not like a hatch you can follow by calendar. It takes rapidly cooling water temps to disorient the numbers of baitfish necessary to be noticeable in the tailrace. During the winter’s hardest freeze, intrepid anglers should hit the water near the dam and watch for activity. “You’ll see them floating down the river stunned or dead,” said Stranahan. “Sometimes you’ll see fish coming up to the surface to swipe at them.” White and flashy are the keys to catching fish during a shad kill. White Zonkers or other bunny flies, white Woolly Buggers, anything that looks like a dead or dying baitfish will work. Stranahan said to match the size of the baitfish you see in the water and to experiment with depth and presentation. Sometimes a jerky retrieve is preferred, while other times a dead drift is the ticket. At times trout will feed on the surface, and some days call for a sinking line to get the fly down. Shad kills can be ephemeral or they can last a couple weeks when conditions are perfect. It’s the kind of thing you have to be on the water to encounter, and when it happens it brings out the biggest fish in the river.
Contact Southeastern Anglers through their website at www.southeasternanglers.com.
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after wrestling it from between the pilings, it turned toward open water. As I felt the battle shift in my favor, the line parted, likely from earlier contact with the pilings. “That can happen when you’re fishing up tight like this,” said our skipper, “but some days you have to dig in to get the big ones. Other times we’ll find them in more open water around oyster bars or in the surf.” Captiva Island, on Florida’s southwest coast, is prime territory for snook, redfish, sea trout, tarpon and a variety of other inshore species. “Our waters produce so well because we have a ton of bait, structure and opportunity here,” said Fischer, proprietor of Tarpon Fischer Charters (http:// www.tarponfischercharters.com). “Pine Island Sound, on the backside of the island, for example, has several passes that allow water and bait to flow in and out. The Peace, Myakka and Caloosahatchee rivers also empty into here. I run a lot of my charters out of South Seas Island Resorts (https://www.southseas. com) at the north end of Captiva, and from there you can be fishing in the sound or the open Gulf in a matter of minutes.” Snook and redfish top 40 inches, tarpon range from chickens to 200 pounds and sea trout are abundant. Those species are resident, noted Fischer, but come December and January, offshore action also kicks in with snapper, sheepshead, grouper, kingfish and cobia, among others. For anglers, these waters call for medium-light spinning tackle. Rig a size 3/0 J-hook or a light jighead on a 2 1/2-foot leader of 30-pound mono to freeline live baits around structure, mangroves or the surf edge. Add a 1/2-ounce splitshot two feet above the hook to get down in deeper water or stronger currents, or add a float two feet above this rig to fish the flats. If you prefer to throw lures, toss a 4-inch paddletail, Rapala Skitter Walk or Zara Spook. Fischer favors a 7 1/2-foot, 8- to 17-pound class Bull Bay rod and Shimano 4000 spinning reels for his inshore fishing. Keep in mind this area occasionally suffers from red tide blooms. “It can be here one week and gone the next.” Fischer said. “If it occurs during your visit, simply head for the cleanest water you can find.”
By Tom Schlichter
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apt. Nick Fischer nodded at a boat dock ahead. “There should be a Launching is available at South Seas Resorts (if you are staying there) or good one under there,” he said. “We had a couple there this morning from the Sanibel Island Public Boat Ramp ($5/hr. parking fee: 239-472-6397; but saw a real solid fish just before we left.” 888 Sextant Dr., Sanibel.) Nearby, the ‘Tween Waters Inn is another good spot It didn’t take long to confirm a nice snook was home. I hooked it and, to spend the night. More info at www.fortMyers-Sanibel.com.
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t’s prime time for wahoo in the sparsely populated southeastern Bahamas, where a fleet of boats shows up each winter specifically to target some of the biggest wahoo in the world. Just off San Salvador and Cat Island, precipitous ledge drops within a 15- or 20-minute boat ride from shore are a magnet for wintering wahoo. The prime wahoo season runs from November to about April, when fish are densely congregated. Triple-digit weights are not uncommon, and the average wahoo will tip the scales between 50 and 60 pounds this time of year. High-speed trolling is the name of the game. Pulling lures at 14 knots and zig-zagging along the ledge over depths from 400 to 600 feet is the kind of fishing that produces world records. Five current IGFA line-class record wahoo came from the waters off San Salvador and Cat Island. Two of those weighed more than 150 pounds. When that reel goes off, screaming from the pull of a big fish moving at 60 mph, it’s important to crank down on the drag and power it to the boat as quickly as possible. Oceanic whitetips are thick in the area, and they’re known to show up and rip a trophy fish to shreds.
For information on lodging and charters in the southern Bahamas, go to www.bahamas.com.
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Winter can be brutal, but to the saltwater fly fisherman it can be the greatest time of year to catch some quality fish on the fly. The beaches, flats and bays are practically deserted, the “sunshine” fishermen having retreated to their firesides at the appearance of the first raindrop or snowflake. It’s time for the serious fly flingers to put on thermals, grab a fly rod, and head for the water. Two of my favorite wintertime saltwater fish are the speckled trout (or spotted seatrout) and the redfish, two game fish that thrive in cooler water and make for some great fly rod action even “when the frost is on the pumpkin.” The speckled trout is a coastal fish found on the shallow mud flats and sand flats from North Carolina to Texas. A fish generally traveling in large schools, the “speck” is capable of providing fast action on the fly whether you’re wading or fishing from a skiff, kayak or boat.
A proven way to locate the “speck” is to look for depressions, channels, holes or cuts on or along these areas. Once located, cast into them with a floating or intermediate line, a 9-foot leader and a baitfish pattern. A weedless fly like a Bent Back works well. The key to catching speckled trout in cold water is to retrieve the fly sl-o-o-o-wly using short, jerky strips. The strike is often as light as an aunt’s peck on the cheek, so keep close eye contact with your fly. Another worthy wintertime adversary is the redfish, a fish found in the same areas as the speckled trout. Redfish (red drum), can tip the scales from 5-pounds to a heavyweight of 40 pounds. These members of the croaker family take up residence near breakwaters, pier pilings, channels, estuaries and marshes. They are a great match for the fly rod. Redfish can be finicky eaters and sometimes the fly needs to be placed close to their noses, especially in colder water. An accurate cast is essential in fishing for these rascals. Come prepared with a 9- or 10-weight rod, a floating line (weight forward), a 9-foot leader and a pocket full of crab patterns, as reds favor crustaceans. Don’t hang up your fly gear at the first signs of the winter solstice. Winterize yourself and go fly fishing; it beats sitting in a chair and dreaming of warmer weather.
For more Bowman, go to
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By CAM Staff
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veryone seems to gets excited about those spring runs, when cobia push north in their migration and can be targeted by sight while cruising the beaches. With the run-and-gun nature of these tactics, it’s arguably the most exciting way to catch them. But it’s not the most efficient. Die-hard cobia fans know that wintertime, before the big move, provides some of the best fishing of the year. Consolidated is a good way to describe cobia populations during the winter. On the Atlantic coast as well as in the Gulf of Mexico, fish have moved southward and offshore in search of comfortable water conditions.
At no other time are cobia populations so dense around the Florida Keys, but they can also be found grouped up on deeper wrecks and reefs along both Florida coasts. In the warmer waters of the Keys, deep jigging the ocean-side reefs with butterfly jigs or 1-ounce bucktails will haul up a mixed bag, which will likely include cobia, and chumming them up to the surface is also tried-and-true tactic. Out on the reef line, anchor up and drop a chum bag of chopped-up frozen baitfish and wait for the action to come to you. Cobia will show up with sharks, as well as various mackerel and snapper species. Whether it’s pinfish or shrimp, present your bait weightless, and you might want to add a wire leader for the toothy critters in the melee. Farther north on both coasts, resident cobia are schooled up and easier to locate than they are at any other time of year. Find a good winter day, with warm sunshine and calm seas, and make the run to offshore wrecks or reefs. The key to this is water temperature, so look for temperature bands with surface temps around 70 degrees, and find some good structure with bait present on the sonar. Again, chumming can bring cobia right up to the surface, which leads to fast action on live baits, but jigging is a tactic that is both fun and effective for targeting fish you actually spot on the screen more than 100 feet down. It’s quicker, cleaner and more efficient than live bait. The key to this technique is finding the magic depth where the cobia are schooled up. Drop a 2- to 6-ounce jig, depending on the current and depth, vertically to the depth you’re marking fish. Experiment with the action until they eat. Some pump a jig up with fast, short jerks, others prefer to swing it up high and let it flutter back down. Both techniques will work, and the jig should be sweetened with either a 7-inch soft-plastic trailer or a natural bait like cuttlefish. Some of the biggest cobia of the year come off wrecks and reefs in winter. So head down to the Keys or make the run offshore and catch them before they scatter with the spring run.
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Editor’s Note: Delayed harvest (DH) trout seasons are in full swing across the Southeast. With catch-and-release regulations, streams will stay full of trout through the cool months, providing anglers excellent action. Here’s a quick look at one of Georgia’s best DH streams. This description of the Toccoa River in the mountains southeast of Blue Ridge, Ga. is an abbreviated excerpt from the book “Flyfisher’s Guide to North Carolina & Georgia.”
By Nick Carter
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pstream of Lake Blue Ridge, the Toccoa River is large and wide in comparison to most Georgia trout streams. Even high in the drainage, it offers plenty of room for airing out casts. The main river and several of its tributaries are stocked heavily with mostly rainbow trout. There is some reproduction in the river’s tributaries, so the occasional wild fish and a few brown trout might show up. It is a good fishery because it is full of fish, but it is a better fishery during the cooler months when the water is cold and the trout are more active. The upper Toccoa’s DH stretch is 1.5 miles of water on the lower end of the river’s trout water that has been set aside as catch-and-release, single-hook, artificial only from Nov. 1-May 14 each year. From personal experience, it is one of the best of Georgia’s DH streams. Size is one of the main reasons the Toccoa DH is so good. There are good deep holes as well as some runs and pocket water big enough to be considered deep holes on most other Georgia trout streams. Even with just a mile and a half of water, there is a lot to fish. The Toccoa DH also seems to receive stockings of some larger fish through the DH season. On one January trip with snow on the ground,
a buddy and I got into a pod of rainbows in the 14- to 18-inch range that ate flashy egg patterns and San Juan Worms until we got tired of sucking ice out of our guides. The DH section runs from the Sandy Bottom Canoe Access downstream to Shallowford Bridge, which is generally considered the bottom of the decent trout water. A road and a trail run the length of this stretch of river, so access is good, although high water can make it difficult to wade. As with any stream with easy access, the best-looking, most-visible areas receive most of the pressure, so it can be worthwhile to find areas that require a little walk. Or, you can fish from a float tube, canoe or kayak and hit all of the holes. Bring an anchor or the short float will be over before you’ve had a chance to string your rod up. “Flyfisher’s Guide to North Carolina & Georgia” includes maps, GPS access points and detailed descriptions of the region’s best trout fishing. It is available on Amazon, at fly shops or by contacting the author at nsc8957@gmail.com.
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By Jay Striker
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hen I go to the lake this time of year, I grab my three favorite rods. They are my jig rod, my other jig rod, and last but not least… my jig rod. Your chances of catching a big fish increase when throwing jigs in the winter. In January, it’s easy to find water in the magic temperature of 55 degrees or lower. That is an excellent time to be fishing. Conditions can also be very calm, and the lake is just about empty most days. Now, don’t get me wrong. I don’t like being cold and uncomfortable when fishing. I’m looking for air temperatures that will rise
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throughout the day, and instead of rushing to the lake at 4 a.m., I arrive at 8 or 9 a.m., relaxed and ready to fish. Bass are easy to predict this time of year. On frigid days, the fish are not active and are usually sitting on the bottom of the lake. I’ve caught fish with mud on their bellies from being on the bottom. A key factor to consider is how bass react to the sun. When it’s bright and sunny, bass tend to move to areas warmed by the sun. On overcast days, they’ll be bunched up near the bottom, and this is when I catch more jig fish. They are more predictable. Minimal movement is the presentation for this bite. Instead of hopping the jig, use a dragging technique that provides full contact from the bottom of the lake to the end of the rod. There might be only a handful of bites all day, and this technique allows you to feel fish when they pick up the bait. I look for water that is not dirty but has a light stain, as bass use sight to verify prey before striking. Black and blue is my go-to color in January, and I use a big chunk trailer to slow the jig’s fall. Watch your line on the fall, especially around sun-warmed rocks. You might not feel the bite, but if your line jumps, set the hook. I fish structure and cover when it’s cold. When fishing docks, I focus on those near steep drops that fall off into a channel. Steep or vertical banks allow fish to move up and down through the day, and they are especially good if there is a nearby flat. I also look for areas with combinations of structure and cover, such a brush, laydowns, metal-roof docks, rocks and grass, but they must be near steep water. When you get the urge to fish in the winter, go out and enjoy it. Take a handful of jigs and focus on slowing down and dragging the bottom. Look for the right water clarity and the right combination of cover and structure. There won’t be many bites, but you just might catch the fish of a lifetime. Contact tournament angler Jay Striker through his website at www.jaystriker.com. Follow him on social media @jaystriker52.
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By Tonya Wiley, Havenworth Coastal Conservation
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awfish are shark-like rays named for their saw-shaped snouts. Smalltooth sawfish were once found in coastal waters from Texas to North Carolina; however, fishing mortality and habitat loss led to dramatic reductions in both their numbers and range. Now they are regularly found only in southwest Florida, especially around Everglades National Park. NOAA Fisheries listed the smalltooth sawfish as “Endangered” under the Endangered Species Act (ESA) in 2003. Because of the protections afforded by the ESA, it is illegal to target, harm, harass or handle sawfish in any way. While it is technically illegal to catch a sawfish except with a research permit or in a fishery where incidental take has been authorized, captures do occur while fishing for other species. Mortality from incidental captures in both commercial and recreational fisheries is an ongoing threat to this endangered species. It’s the responsibility of all fishers to follow guidance to quickly and safely release, without harm, all sawfish caught while fishing. Sawfish are powerful animals that can whip their saws very quickly, which can cause serious injury to the angler and the sawfish. The number one rule to remember when releasing a sawfish is to leave it in the water at all times. Because of the ESA protections, it is illegal to possess a sawfish. Removing it from the water is considered possession and is a clear violation of the law. Do not lift a sawfish out of the water onto your boat or a pier, and do not drag it onto shore. Simply cut the line as close to the hook as is safely possible. Never remove the snout, called a rostrum, as sawfish use it for detecting and catching food. In addition to being illegal, removal of the rostrum severely limits the ability of the sawfish to find enough food to survive, and could result in death from starvation. Mishandling and
By Will Schmidt
I
magine slowly stripping a shrimp fly, with prey in pursuit, when your guide says, “Quick… pick it up before the bonefish gets it.” It seems nonsensical, but it happens more than you think while casting at permit in Ascension Bay, Mexico. Known to many fly fishermen as one of the most permit populated places on earth, the waters of the southern Yucatan hold much more than world class permit.
the purposeful injury or killing of captured sawfish is both illegal and detrimental to the recovery of the population. These guidelines ensure the safety of both the sawfish and the angler. If you catch or see a sawfish, take a quick photograph of it, estimate its size, note your location, and share the details with scientists. The details of your sightings or catches of sawfish help to monitor the population and track the recovery progress. Share your information by calling 844-4-SAWFISH (844-472-9347) or visiting www.SawfishRecovery.org. For more information about sawfish research, conservation, and management in the United States visit www.SawfishRecovery.org.
The journey starts with an easy flight to Cancun. From there, a two-hour van ride to Tulum might still have you wondering how to get away from all the tourists. However, once you board your panga and start the hour ride through the pristine waters of the lagoon system of Ascension Bay, you will realize you are truly on the path less traveled. Once back on land at the Grand Slam Lodge just north of Punta Allen, you’ll be greeted with margaritas and shown to first class accommodations in your beachfront villa. You will also notice there is nothing else around, and you are actually at the end of the road in the middle of nowhere. This fishery is nothing short of amazing. Home to a lobstering community, there is no other commercial fishing. All the recreational fishing is catch and release. These waters hold more permit than anywhere else I know, but be forewarned they are still permit and not easily fooled. Additionally, the number of bonefish here is staggering, and although not typically as large as the fish you’ll encounter in the Bahamas, they average a respectable 3 to 4 pounds in quantities that are astounding. There are also large numbers of tarpon, snook (which the guides seem to get particularly giddy about), jacks and barracudas to keep you busy all day. One of the other unique aspects of fishing here is each boat has two guides, the head guide and a junior guide. The second guide is extremely helpful to the angler as an extra set of eyes as well as for quickly changing outfits for the variety of species encountered and to help manage tangle-prone fly line. If you want to be spoiled, two guides does it. Ascension Bay is one of the greatest fisheries I have experienced. This is a renowned destination for fly fishermen seeking permit and a wonderful intro for anglers new to saltwater fly fishing. To see the quantity and quality of fish here, you would expect to travel much farther and stay in far more rustic accommodations. I recently returned from a trip in the “off season,” which is in reference to the number of tourists not fish. In three days of fishing, I never saw another angler while fishing. It provided us with abundant, pressure-free, happy fish to target. Will Schmidt is an experienced tournament angler who has been writing about fishing for more than two decades. For more information, check out grandslamfishinglodge.com.
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Forecast for LAKE HICKORY & RHODHISS By: Colt Bass Colt Bass Fishing Guide Service – (828)-381-3426
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anuary can be… a headache. I think that’s a nice way to say that, right? There’s an issue that everyone is very aware of. It’s cold. The weather can be nasty, with cold rain or frigid morning temperatures. So I go at January fishing with a simplistic approach. Look for bait. If you can find bait, there’s going to be fish around it. That’s honestly the best advice I can give you for fishing these lakes this time of year. Getting them to bite can be a whole different story. You just got to sit on ‘em. They’ll turn on and they’ll feed for, maybe, a one hour feeding cycle a day. Live baits, small stuff, like three inch shad. Your baits are going to be around the obvious stuff – points and drop offs. Use your down lines. Most of the baits will be down at about 20 foot or better, with most of the stripers being down at about 25 foot or better.
January is an “old man” month. You just have to go out there once you can stand the cold, which a lot of times can be not until 10 in the morning, and you pretty much just have to practice that patience you’ve been working on all of the previous year and sit on the fish, hoping they turn on while you’re there. Now you’re reading this saying “so, why would I go fishing in January again?”, and there’s a couple of answers I can give you. A lot of times if you can catch fish this time of year, it’s usually a pretty good fish! The old adage of ‘quality over quantity’ rings very true in January. The second answer I’d give you is – we fish in January because we love to fish. It’s what we do. Grab a nice hot coffee, layer up the clothes, and start hoping and praying you catch that monster that makes the shivers all worth it.
123 W Broad St * Statesville, NC 28677 * 704.871.1444 1-40 exit 150, S one mile or 1-77 exit 50, W 1 mile approx
Hours: Tues-Fri 11am 7pm
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OldBy:Hacks, New Year Michelle Armstrong, Professional Angler
ere we go again, another year has escaped us. That one flew by Hfaster. faster than the last so I’m certain this one is going to go by even With that being said, on this year’s resolution list, it would be in all of our best interest to plan on more time on the water, and more fish caught. Â
This month, I’m going to dedicate my time to catching more fish... at once. My plan is to achieve that with a blast from my past, the “Aâ€? rig. I was not allowed to use the “Aâ€? rig in any tournament setting last year so I didn’t get to show it much love. The reason for that rule in most professional tournament circuits is that this lure is simply deemed unfair. Not to the fish, to the other competitors. If you get on the right bite, you can literally catch a limit in one cast. Yes, it’s that good. Needless to say, I’ve missed my long lost buddy. But that perfect time of the year is upon us, and it’s time to bring it out of it’s tangled resting place.  I’ve learned and changed a few things over the years about how I like to use the “Aâ€? rig. The first time one found its way into my arsenal, I, like many others, depending on which rig, used 5 to 9 - oz jig heads and 55lb braided line. I used 3â€? swimbaits on the outer arms, with a slightly larger swimbait on the middle arm. Usually, I’m pretty tough, but at the end of the day, I was whooped. It was fun catching numerous fish at a time, but it definitely took its toll on my body for three days after. I likened the experience to over hand throwing a frozen ham repetitively, all day.  But, it was super effective for catching deep suspended Bass so I endured the pain. When the deep bite would slow, I’d pick up a shallow(ish) crankbait and continue on, one fish at a time. Â
I realized, I was missing something.  I know, they don’t go far, they are still eating, somewhere, but where. Fish suspend at various depths, but they are constantly going with the flow, literally. When the bite slows, they don’t just disappear, they just simply suspend at a different depth. I knew that if I was catching fish on any other moving bait, I would simply use my rod tip to adjust to the depth of where I got bites. That was really difficult with the “A� rig because it was such a heavy rig.   So I changed things up a little. I rigged 1/16oz jig heads and spooled on 20lb fluorocarbon line. I used the same size swimbaits as before. What a difference in a lot of ways. It’s still a beefy rig, but it’s not nearly as hard on a girl. Most importantly though, I can adjust the depth of the rig much easier. As a result, I can more efficiently, follow and find suspended Bass. For this beefy bait, you’re gonna need a beefy rod that does most of the work for you. Not all rods can handle the size of this lure. Add two or three fish to the fight and you’d better have the right equipment. My preferred rod is the Powell Endurance 795cf. I can get great lure distance with little effort on my part and it can definitely handle the job of fighting and landing multiple fish. My bait scenario consists of Keitech’s 3.3 Swing Impact FAT swimbaits on the outer arms and a 4.8 on the middle arm. The “rings� on these swimbaits hold air that create bubbles, that often entice fish to strike. I like to stick with natural colors like Electric Shad or Black Shad, depending on the water color. This is truly a bait you can use all day.  Happy New Year, now go catch (multiple) fish.
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12/13/19 6:07 PM
Forecast for Lake Norman By: Capt. Craig Price, Fish On! Guide Service PO Box 1623, Denver, NC 28037
anuary on Lake Norman can be like late fall, or like the mid-winter Jforage conditions of February. Water temperatures are the key factor, and migration is the major influence on where to find hybrids, stripers, bass, perch, catfish, and crappie.
As long as water temps remain in the mid-to-low 50’s (F), look for concentrations of bait in major creeks - midway back to the very back. As water temps fall past 50F, the bulk of the bait (and fish) should push out to the creek mouths and river channel. The primary exception to this migration is when shad remain in the really cold, shallow waters near the backs of creeks (<43F), and become stunned or die in significant numbers. There are winter periods when predators locate these “damaged” baits and actively feed on them. Fortunately, seabirds are well established on local waters by January and are a great indicator of bait schools and feeding fish activity. Seasoned anglers pay close attention when they ride the roads and bridges around the lake in their vehicles. Spotting bird activity from a warm car can minimize the length of those cold winter boat rides. As always, live shad and herring are solid options as long as the water isn’t too cold and the fish aren’t moving too quickly. You can also try trout or shiners, which usually hold up better in really cold water. Carolina rig live baits on free lines or weighted down rods to get your baits to the required depth.
Finally, don’t overlook the influence of the warm water discharges from the power plants. On Norman, wind (more so than current) pushes the warm water in all directions, even upstream. Gamefish follow forage into the warmer water so pay attention to prolonged winds from any direction. This doesn’t mean the bait and fish will always be close to the discharge canals/coves. A temperature increase of even one degree is a substantial improvement for cold blooded fish in really cold water. The “warmth” effect may extend to a mile or more from the “hotholes”. Obviously, the possibilities for January are pretty wide ranging. Track the water temperature to narrow down your starting locale, break out the foul weather gear, and hopefully the birds will lead you to the bite, plus your share of Fish On!
But live baits can only be pulled so fast, and sometimes the fish are really on the move. One live bait “old school” technique is to sit and let them come by you. You can enhance your chances by chumming or using noise (thumping) to attract the fish. These days when the fish are highly mobile, especially along the river channel or near major creek mouths,” fast trolling” artificials is the prevalent way to cover water and track the activity. I deploy a spread of multi-hook and tandem bucktail rigs in shad and herring colors, plus white and chartreuse of course. My trolling speed is 2 mph +/- 0.5 and I’m generally trying to work the upper third of the water column, except when I see striper marks on my sonar. Though not as common as they once were, stripers can still be found in Norman, and in winter they’re often under the hybrids, spotted bass, and perch activity. I run full size umbrella rigs with 3/8-1/2 oz. bucktails fished 45-65 ft. deep, and often add trailers to them. Red on white is a proven bucktail color choice, with optional tinsel, or lime green worm or curly tail trailers. “Running and jumping” visible surface feeding action is another exciting and effective method. Bucktails or jigs with swim baits from 1/16 – 3/8 oz. fished individually, or on Arigs, work well. I like curly and paddle tail bodies when the water isn’t too cold, and a split tail design when colder water sets in. Keep the old axiom “bright baits for bright days and dark baits for dark days” in mind. And duller colors in really cold water mimic the reduced vibrancy of our natural forage species in mid-late winter. Vertical jigging with lead jigs or bucktails is productive when you can stay over the action. 1/2 - 1 oz. jigs or spoons in silver, white, pink, or chartreuse are a good starting point, as are 3/8 - 1/2 oz. bucktails in red on white or olive and white.
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Forecast for LAKE WYLIE By: Captain Jerry Neeley
Brought to you by:
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ell, the cold weather has arrived and along with it the water temperature has dropped into the 46-50 degree range. That means that the cold body fish will not eat as regularly as they normally do. Their metabolism slows down. This translates in to less bites for the angler looking to catch a few fish in the winter months. Not so fast my friend. They have to eat to live. The next question is when and where do you fish? Bass fishing usually takes a hit during in the winter months. Frankly speaking, they are hard to catch during this time. I have had great success fishing warm water discharge areas on Lake Wylie when Duke Energy pulls the water. The South Fork River is one place that warms up when they pull the water and another place is Big Allison Creek nuclear discharge area. These areas will warm up the water considerable when they pull water. The bass will get active during this time and this is when I would bass fish. Fish points and coves in these areas. Crappie fishing is very good during the winter, you just have to fish deep. Most crappie will move into 35-40 feet of water for the winter. When that happens, I tight line with a single #6 gold hook and minnow rig. You will need a very good depth finder to locate them. Helix 10 is what I use on my boat for this. You will catch the limit most days when you find them. White Perch fishing is easy and fun during the winter. I use a two hook minnow rig trolling at .5 MPH right down the middle of the lake or creeks. You will catch all you want most days. Catfishing is slow most days, trolling in the main lake. I use cutbaits trolling in 30-45 feet of water. I catch a lot of big catfish doing this, but not many. Take a kid fishing. Keep warm and safe.
4070 Charlotte Hwy Lake Wylie, South Carolina
(803) 831-0251 M-F 7:00am-5:00pm Saturday 7:00am-12:00pm
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B R A G B O A R D
Jesse O’Neal
Andy Brode
Jennifer. No last
name needed, lik e Prince
Crystal Hamilton
Matthew Dunn
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B R A G
Pete Brezden
Bailey Fuller
Rabid Fishermen
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Dad
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Forecast for HIGH ROCK, BADIN, TUCKERTOWN By: John Martin,Owner and Operator of True South Custom Lures 704-577-8707 • www.truesouthcustomlures.com
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ith the rush of the Holidays behind us, it’s time to start the new year. The water temps on the Yadkin lakes will continue to drop and the bass are settling into their winter patterns. Fishing in January can be tough but with some planning and proper gear it’s possible to catch some really nice bass during this period of winter. There are several ways to approach these lakes this time of year but try to keep it simple. I like to break it into two parts. 1. Bass that are shallower and closer to the bank. Look for areas that are warmed from the sun, like rock and wood. Creek channel swings are great places bass can move up shallow on sunny winter days. Crank baits like a shad rap or DT-6 can be deadly on these fish. Also a jig or shakey head can be effective if a slower presentation is needed. 2. Bass that are deeper and off the bank near deep structure. These offshore bass can be tough to catch but if the timing is right you can catch them really well when you get the school fired up. Bait fish is key to locating these schools. Look for bait in creek channels and main lake pockets. Umbrella rigs, suspending jerkbaits and underspins are great choices to target
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these areas. Good electronics and an understanding of how the fish are set up on deep structure is key. With a little patience you can learn which group of fish to target on a given day. Watch for stable warming trends in January as these can be great times to hit the water. Be prepared for the cold and stay safe. Enjoy January on the Yadkin Lakes, you may catch a fish of a lifetime! Take advantage of the great fall fishing on the Yadkin chain this fall and enjoy some fun bass action. Be safe and remember to “Take a Kid Fishing” Brought to you by:
Brenda Farmer
Country Home Real Estate Broker/Realtor
4001 East Hwy. 24/27 Midland, NC 28107 (704) 791-5437 (704) 888-6335 www.countryhomerealestate.com brendaleefarmer@gmail.com
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The Science Line Keeping an Eye on the Food Source
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New Products Land in American Waters By: Thomas Raines
akura Fishing is a company located in the heart of wine SFrancis country in Bordeaux, France. They were founded in 2005 by Coutou and team member Frank Rosmann. The company
By: Jake Bussolini
hen I moved to Lake Norman 20 years ago, I spent many months studying how things worked in a man-made lake. In the northern lakes where I spent most of my life fishing, the most important features of a particular lake or river were the various structures that held the fish day after day. My studies of Lake Norman told me to keep a sharp eye on the food sources for the fish which are normally the schools of shad and herring. Over the years I developed the habit of gluing my eye to my sonar screen to find the schools of bait and try to determine their behavior and movements. I even did some significant research in an attempt to try to understand how many fish these large bait schools contained. The photos below is a typical large school of shad.
I even did some simple mathematics to determine that this large school contained approximately 5000 shad. For several years it was normal to find two or three of these large schools in nearly every cove on the lake during the summer months. The behavior of these schools was also fairly predictable as the water temperature changed during the seasonal changes. The schools went into the deeper water as winter approached and moved back into the shallower waters as the water warmed. This year has been different and from my experience there are far fewer of these large schools to be found, regardless of the water temperature. What has changed the behavior of the shad? Frankly I don’t know. Lake Norman has gone through some significant water temperature changes this year, but my records show that the same temperature changes have occurred in past years with no significant change in shad behavior. This year I have found that finding one of these large schools in a large cove is unusual and in many searches that I have made, there was not a shad to be seen.
produces a variety of fishing essentials that have a high quality build similar to products you would find on the high end of the Japanese market. The company actually has some ties to the Japanese market by being the exclusive distributor of Gary Yamamoto products in France. They even helped to develop an exclusive color of the Fat Ika for the French market. Many of their baits are unlike anything we have ever seen here in the United States. In fact, their baits are not available at all in the US market. Sakura was kind enough to send us some of their products to see how they perform in American waters. We didn’t get a chance to test all of the baits we received due to the pattern of most fish this time of year but we did get a chance to try out their spinnerbaits, chatterbaits, jerkbaits, and a few soft plastics. Before I even fished with the spinnerbaits and chatterbaits I was very impressed with the build quality of the baits. I am told the skirts are hand tied and all the baits are hand painted as well. The jerkbaits have the nice magnetic weight transfer system which has become the standard for jerkbaits as of late. The plastic seems very solid on these baits and the casting system works phenomenally for maximum casting distance. I used these jerkbaits for walleye one afternoon and once one of these toothy critters got a glimpse of the bait it was game over for the rest of the school. The chatterbait is a workhorse in thick grass and the hard head on this bait, formulated by a special blend of antimony, does not chip making it very close to the feel of a tungsten jig head. This bait along with the spinnerbait are smaller in profile compared to baits of similar weight due to this antimony blend used in the jig heads. The soft plastics I tried were their “Gobygo” swimbaits, I used these baits as a trailer on the chatterbait and it seemed to help give the bait a more erratic motion when retrieved. Overall I wxcause of some of their more uniquely designed baits but I never imagined I would be looking to put down some of my most trusted lures in place of these products. Currently Sakura products have not entered our market here in the US but they are always open to expanding if there is interest in the products. If you’d like to see Sakura come to a tackle shop near you go let them know on their Instagram page: @sakurafishing_official or on their website: www.sakura-fishing. com
We know that if the water gets below 45 degrees in the winter, many of the shad begin to die off, but this happens nearly every year in some areas of the lake. There is no reason to think that the shad spawn this summer was not normal but yet why the seemingly significant reduction in this food source? I would like the input from other anglers on Lake Norman to get their experiences and opinions on this subject. Those anglers interested can e mail me at allandco@roadrunner.com with their opinion. Jake Bussolini is a freelance writer, who has published several books about freshwater fishing. His books can be seen at www. booksbyjake.com. 12 CHARLOTTE/PIEDMONT
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Forecast for LAKE WATEREE By: Cory Davis Instagram: Carolinafishin3
appy New Year!!! Say goodbye to 2019, on to bigger Hcommunity and better fish in 2020. I’m sure a lot of the fishing has accumulated some new fishing toys
over the past few weeks. Just because it’s cold doesn’t mean those new presents have to sit there collecting dust till spring. The lake level has been very low so finding a place to launch a boat has been tough. Be careful and do a little research before taking the boat out and wasting a day looking for ramps. With the water level so low, this can be a good time to do some recon on fishing spots for spring. Going out and finding the cover, creek channels, exposed timbers, and spots with hard sandy bottoms that have been exposed. Remembering these key spots during spring can pay off huge. As of now, find the warmer water. A few degrees can be the difference in getting one random bite or having a memorable day. Rocky shorelines are always a go to this time of year. The rocks absorb the heat from the sun and therefore heat the surrounding water. Try fishing minnow imitations like crank baits, spinner baits, swimbaits with under spins, and walk the dog action topwater baits. Tc Lloyd, Head Guide at Southern Angling Guide Service reported crappie fishing has been on fire. Fish are being caught from June Creek up all the way up to the main river. Try fishing in 12’-18’ around ledges with live bait. Double minnow rigs have been productive. Some of the bigger fish can be found on deeper brush piles but most have moved off. Check out Southern Angling Guide Service on Facebook or call Tc at (843) 307-6678 to schedule a trip. Big ones are being caught. Try fishing the lower half of the lake, in 10’-30’ will give you the best odds. Fishing with cut bait on main lake points, bridge pilings, and main lake ledges are all good spots for the big ones to hang out. Cats will be hugging the bottom either cruising around to different points of cover, or they will be sitting still while in or under cover. Stink bait can also be effective in bringing them out of cover to eat. The southern end of the lake is the best place to start for finding the striper. The Clearwater area and Dam have been producing numbers but the bigger ones should be showing up more throughout the month. As always with striper fishing, find the birds. Live bait is catching fish, as well as umbrella rigs. Walk the dog action topwaters are a good option when the school is busting the surface.
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Breaking the Ice. Don’t Get Cold Feet About Winter Fly Fishing By: Ryan Wilson Owner and Operator of Madison River Fly Fishing Outfitters
New Year’s Resolution is a tradition by which each of us Tself.hecommits to making a change that promotes a new and better If you’re reading this article, you probably understand
that the clearest path to self-improvement is time spent on the water and there’s a fair chance that your resolution was some permutation of “Spend more time fishing.” If that’s the boat you’re in, you can’t let the cold, short days of January keep you from that goal of a new and better self. While fly fishing in January might not appeal to everyone, it can provide a great opportunity for those willing to brave the elements. With an extra layer, good socks and sufficiently Irished coffee in your Stanley, you can take advantage of an underutilized fly fishing season. There are plenty of reasons to fish this month, not least of which is that there just aren’t that many other people on the water. While our more indoorsy compatriots sit inside and play checkers or yell at strangers over Facebook (full disclosure, I’m not 100% sure how non-anglers spend their time), you and I will have a whole trout stream to ourselves.
and shirt are absolutely my favorite cold weather apparel. They provide insulated warmth, without overt bulkiness. A good pair of fingerless or flip-mitten style glove is a necessity, as is a good hat and neck/ sun shield. Several brands make excellent performance gear, but there’s a reason most guides have a closet/ backseat full of Simms. When the temperature starts to drop, some of our fishing buddies will too. However, the hearty fly fishing addict can look forward to chipping the ice off of his or her guides and catching beautiful, healthy trout in gin clear water all winter long! Just make sure to discover and repair leaky waders BEFORE you get waste deep in the stream.
Ryan Wilson is the Owner and Operator of Madison River Fly Fishing Outfitters in Cornelius, NC. If you’d like help finding the right gear or experiencing some great winter fly fishing, please contact him at madisonriverflyfishing@gmail.com or call at (704) 896-3676. Check us out on Facebook: Madison River Fly Fishing Outfitters or on the Web: www.carolinaflyfishing.com
Winter generally means low, gin-clear water and a more educated fish. The clueless hatchery fish from November has seen every variation of Squirmy Worm and is now forced to survive on actual bio-mass. Fishing these conditions requires a little bit more stealth, a tight drift and a willingness to move and search. The most obvious pools will still hold plenty of fish, but these might not be your best spots. Big, slow pools will have received most of the angling pressure. Additionally, slow water will allow trout more time to find something that they don’t like about your pattern. Faster, more shallow water will hold fewer fish, but they will be the more active and willing feeders. Your fly selection doesn’t have to change wildly from the warmer months, but you will want to consider sizing down. Choose patterns that you have confidence in, but try them in an 1820. I find that nymphs with some red seem to be productive in the winter. You will also get a chance to start casting some dry flies this time of year. BWO midges and Parachute Adams, in the smallest size you’re comfortable fishing, can be your friend when you find an isolated rising trout. Another benefit of winter fishing is that you can sleep in! There is no reason whatsoever to be out there with the rising sun. Although trout are invariably cold water fish, they seem to enjoy stretching out a winter morning with a cup of pumpkin spice latte and an hour of the Today show before getting to the serious business of sifting through golden stones and cased caddis. Take advantage and don’t worry about getting your waders wet before 10am. We’re fortunate in North Carolina that we don’t have a long season of extreme temperatures, but that’s not an excuse to not have the right gear for the conditions. Don’t underestimate hypothermia and make sure you are prepared every time you enter the water. The Simms Coldweather series fleece lined pants 14 CHARLOTTE/PIEDMONT
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Cream Rises to the Top By: Vinny “Commish” Ferreri Founder of Queen City Kayak Bass Fishing Club, LLC
ell, you can feel it in the air. It’s chilly, the wind is cold, the weather W is rainy. It’s winter in Charlotte, North Carolina. That must mean the fishing is done for a while, and the kayakers are relaxing… right? Not here
in the Queen City! Yea it’s cold, and may not be ideal, but cold weather and cooling water means less boat traffic and hungry big bass!! Bass are feeding up on shad, and prepping for their winter hideouts. It’s my favorite time to be out on the lake catching giants. Here at Queen City Kayak Bass Fishing, we literally fish every month of the year. We usually start our regular season in February, and do what we call a “Warm Up” in January. This season the club members were given an option, and they voted to start our season early, in January on the great Lake Wylie, QCKBF’s home. This club is built for the anglers, and angler input matters. It has been a crazy time for the team getting ready for such a quick turnaround, but we are ready! January 11th, at 8:00am, the start of season six kicks off. Upwards of seventy kayak anglers will flood the lake in hopes of four big bites, with intentions of walking away with $1,100!
fish with us, all the way up to anglers who are retired. We have multiple female members as well! It’s a great family feel. It is a great place to not only compete, but learn and grow as an angler. If you are interested in joining the largest kayak club in both Carolinas, reach out on Facebook at Queen City Kayak Bass Fishing. You can also check the website at Qckayakbassfishing.com. We start up on January 11th. Tight lines!
Our sixth season is lining up to be amazing. We are guaranteeing our largest payouts to date. Each of the nine trail events will pay out $1,100 minimum for first place. We are also raising all other payout spots along the way. Our goal is to keep all anglers happy, giving many anglers a chance to walk away with some cash and prizes. If you would like to participate in the events we have, we are an open club. Any angler can come fish any of the trail events. If you plan on fishing all year, we offer an affordable membership for $40 which allows you to earn points and qualify for our championship event, and also have a chance at winning our coveted Angler of the Year Title presented by The Angler Magazine. The AOY title not only comes with an amazing plaque, but also $1,000 cash. The championship event is also a large paying event. We had over $4,000 in the purse last season, and we plan on more than that this year. Think you want to make a run at it? We take your top seven events and total your points. If you land in the top fifteen anglers, you qualify! We also offer a fish off event as a last chance effort to qualify. Throughout the season, we also have prizes and cash for Big Bass and Small Bass every month, along with yearly prizes for Biggest Bass, Smallest Bass, Longest Limit and Most Top 10’s. We have a lot of fun, while being competitive at the same time. Entry fees for the events are $58. Big and Small Bass are optional and are $5 each. If you go all in, you are looking at $68 for a shot at over potentially $1,500 with Big and Small Bass. We give out plaques with every event as well. We have a ton of anglers who love the hardware. This is a great environment for anglers of all ages, genders, and experience levels. We have a few kids who are in middle school that
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What TeensBy:Think About Gun Safety Karen Fisher, Carolina Self Protection www.carolinaselfprotection.com – 704-237-4487
uring a recent conceal carry class, I was chatting with a student Dsafety. (a Millennial) about the importance of teaching children gun He is an artist in a large city close to me and spends a great deal of time with teens and young people. What he said to me left me a little perplexed.
Teenagers think gun safety is completely uncool. Interesting - at least from my perspective. I pride myself in having the ability to listen and be open-minded to arguments about gun safety and gun control. I don’t necessarily agree 100% with either side of those debates 100% of the time, but it’s imperative I remain unbiased if I want to make a true difference. Don’t get me wrong, if facts are being manipulated in an effort to influence people, I will step in and employ the truth, regardless of who it offends. But, this “teenagers think gun safety is completely uncool” matter got me thinking.
Why is it that we don’t put enough, if any, focus on firearms education as we would teaching our children how to swim? Pools aren’t going away. Neither are guns. We want to know what you think. Do you feel that providing education to kids and teens might help them learn a healthier respect for safety and risks when it comes to firearms? What are your thoughts about implementing mandatory gun safety in schools? Email us at karen@carolinaselfprotection.com or message us on Facebook at Carolina Self Protection. We hope to hear from you.
Why? What makes it uncool? With the increasingly vast number of school shootings conducted by young people in our country, I wonder what kind of safety education, if any, is ever provided to adolescents? Based on my research, most shooters received their education online, and unfortunately it wasn’t gun safety education as proven by their intentions and results. So, what’s left after the crime? A lot of confused teens with voices that need to be heard. It’s our job to guide young people to be life-long learners, and this should include firearms education. Over 160 middle and high schoolers across the country participated in a PBS Student Voice publication to share their concerns and opinions about gun safety and gun control one year after the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooting in Parkland, Florida. I read all of their entries. I can summarize most with the following: • Something needs to be done. • We need to find a way to solve these school shootings. • Local communities need to take more action. • It comes down to ethics. • We have failed too many kids. • Students must be part of the conversation. • Responsible gun ownership, yes, but this isn’t happening. • We need a new plan. • Change will not come on its own. We have to make it for ourselves. • It’s time to make a change, before another shooting. Then, there was this one: What needs to happen instead is education. We need to educate the public about guns in order to prevent firearm ignorance. We should have mandatory gun safety classes in school and teach young people what a firearm is, the tools and parts of the gun and what purposes they serve. BINGO. None of the over 160 entries had this simple theme. Gun safety education for young people. A pretty powerful message. Why do you think there weren’t more teens questioning the lack of firearms education in this collaborative effort? Is it just to taboo to talk about for them? Is it an off-limits discussion? Do they just not know how to talk about it? Or is it . . . uncool? 16 CHARLOTTE/PIEDMONT
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C
orey Kitzmann, of Davenport, Iowa, knows what it’s like to catch a freshwater monster. The 57 ¼-inch muskellunge he caught back in August was recently certified as a new Minnesota catch-and-release state record. The nearly 5-foot-long muskie measured 25 ½ inches in girth and had an estimated weight of 47 pounds. Kitzmann was fishing alone at Lake Vermilion, a more than 40,000-acre Canadian Shield lake west of Lake Superior. He was working a bucktail on 80-pound line when the toothy critter ate. “When I set the hook, I knew immediately that I had a nice fish on,” he said. “It wasn’t until the fish made its way to the side of the boat that I realized I had a true giant.” But getting the fish to the boat wasn’t the end of the fight. Kitzmann was able to net the fish solo, but he had to wave down a nearby boater to help haul it out of the water for photos before a successful release. Minnesota’s certified-weight state record for Muskie is 54 pounds. That 56-inch fish was caught way back in 1957 at Lake Winnibigoshish. The IGFA all-tackle world record for muskie has stood since 1949. It weighed 67 pounds, 8 ounces and was caught from Lake Court Oreilles in Wisconsin.
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By John Lidington t’s January—named for Janus, the two-faced god who looked forward and backward at the same time. It’s also New Year’s resolution time. That’s when we look at what we should have done, to figure out what we ought to do. Doing this, I’ve come up with a long list of shortcomings that could stand some attention in 2020. But resolutions don’t have to focus on negatives. Accentuating the positives is equally important. One such positive event was a special snorkeling session at the Blue Heron Bridge. The 6-year-old granddaughter of some friends was coming to visit, and they wanted to introduce her to snorkeling. They heard the Blue Heron Bridge was a great site, but had never been. Knowing it’s a spot I frequently dive, they asked if I would guide them. I agreed, and we chose a day with an early afternoon high tide so
I
the weather would be at its warmest. Of course, the bridge delivered its usual magic—magic that was amplified and transformed by a 6-yearold’s reactions to experiencing it for the first time. We swam the full length of the snorkel trail—saw the sunken boat, the shark statues, the rock piles and the artificial reef castings. I pointed out critters left and right to a very excited audience. When we reached the end, she insisted on retracing our path back to the beginning. She wanted to see everything again! As we wrapped up, it hit me that even though I had not seen a single frogfish, octopus or nudibranch, I was psyched. I realized that I’ve come to treat the standard cast of fishy characters—angelfish, barracuda, porkfish, grunts, parrotfish, porgies and so much more—as background noise while I search for “rarities.” Familiarity had bred complacency. It took the contagious enthusiasm of a 6-year-old to knock me out of my rut. That was a special afternoon. I’d like to think I helped start someone on a lifetime of appreciation for the marine environment. But it was important for me, too. I felt good that, through a small investment of time and effort, I could make someone happy. I also welcome a renewed enthusiasm for what I had begun to treat as commonplace. So what’s my New Year’s resolution? Well, I have three grandchildren, spaced a bit more than a year apart, with a fourth on the way. I resolve to offer all of them a good introduction to snorkeling. Obviously, that’s a multi-year resolution. It will let Grandpa interact with them in a way that will keep them excited and my outlook fresh. If I’m really lucky, they will transition to PADI’s Junior Open Water SCUBA Diver program as they turn 10, opening up even more years of fun for us. If you’ve got someone to take under your wing (or fin), get out in the water with them! There’s no shortage of easy snorkeling sites in Florida, and Pura Vida Divers will show you where to go. The rewards are great for all involved. Give Pura Vida Divers a call at (561) 840-8750 or make an online reservation through their website at www.puravidadivers.com.
a few inches wider, a few #10 self-tapping stainless screws, some indoor/outdoor carpet and a pool noodle.
G
Tim Barefoot
ot an aluminum jonboat that makes a lot of noise with hull slap? The Silencer eliminates this hull slap noise and allows you to get closer to the fish. With a few basic hand tools and materials, you can have a jonboat that is as quiet as a V-hull fiberglass boat. Internal insulation reduces the noise of hull slap, but The Silencer eliminates the chop that causes this hull-slap noise all together. Sure, you will have to drill a few holes in your bow, but this simple homemade gadget allows you to get closer to wary fish. Fish hear your noise way beyond casting distance. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been frustrated by watching trophy fish swim right past the boat in shallow water. These fish have lockjaw. They’ve heard the boat, and they’re trying to get away instead of smashing that topwater lure. Noise absolutely matters! Fish are not stupid to the sounds of trolling motors and hull slap. There is nothing I can do about trolling motor noise, but when you need to get closer to fish upwind, the Silencer allows you to get within casting range without the noise from hull slap. I created this method due to my own frustration at watching fish spook before they were in casting range. From ponds to the Intracoastal Waterway and the sounds, aluminum boats offer advantages for fishermen. But their built-in disadvantage is they are noisy. The materials for The Silencer are simple. Everything you’ll need for this project can be purchased at the local hardware store or flooring supply store. All you need is .125-inch (1/8 inch) x ¾ wide aluminum (or stainless) bar stock cut to the width of your bow or
STEP 1: Sew a loop of the carpet around the pool noodle (as shown in photo). The carpet should be as wide as your bow and slightly longer than the height of your bow off the surface of the water. STEP 2: Screw the aluminum bar stock and the non-pool-noodle end of the carpet to the bow rail. Drill (.187) 3/16-inch (clearance) holes in the aluminum bar stock, and match the self-tapping holes in the bow of your boat to match. Use an impact driver or drill to “seat” the self-tapping screws into the bow rail, through the clearance holes in the bar stock and the indoor/outdoor carpet. STEP 3: You’re done. Toss the pool noodle end of The Silencer off the bow. Chop is absorbed by the carpet and pool noodle, leaving an eddy of still water between The Silencer and your hull. For a detailed video of how to DIY, visit
BAREFOOTCATSANDTACKLE.COM click on: “The Silencer.”
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By Michael Okruhlik • Capt. Michael Okruhlik Photo courtesy of Controlled Descent Lures.
or those who enjoy targeting speckled trout of larger proportions, we know they are not easy to come by. The majority of trophy trout hunting is done in cooler water temps and below normal feeding patterns. Utilizing solunar tables for feeding times can improve your hookup ratio and help you get the edge on gator trout. When I was a child, I would look at the calendar on the wall and see how many fish were on the day I had a trip planned. Multi-fish days built the excitement and anticipation while zero
fish still left me wanting to go, but lessened my expectations. During my younger years, I also found no consistent correlation between my success and the number of fish on the calendar and soon felt no reason to review it. I felt it was more of a folktale than a tool. As I matured into a somewhat better angler, and started spending more time saltwater fishing, I once again started to study the solunar tables along with the tides. To be clear, these tables are not a magic act, nor do they place fish where they are not, but I am a believer that if you are on fish, they will be more aggressive during the feeding times specified in the tables. Many people misinterpret the major as the better bite. This is not necessarily the case. The major vs. the minor is the length of time the bite will last. The major is typically two hours long while the minor is about an hour and a half. Both can share the same intensity of the feeding period. I plan each trip around the bite times. Naturally, I fish more than the two hours of the major bite, but I place myself in what I feel is the prime area during the bite. One rule that I stick to is to fish during the feed times rather than travel from one spot to another. On a recent trip, I wasn’t having any luck and considered moving locations. I checked the time and realized the bite was approaching. I decided to not move during the bite and continued to fish the once non-productive area to realize an aggressive feed during the specified time slot. I find this approach especially true when hunting gator trout. They do not feed that often and are difficult to catch, therefore utilizing the solunar can give you the edge for catching these larger specks. As I stated previously, these solunar tables do not guarantee you will catch fish. However, if you have the correct conditions of tide, wind, water clarity, temps, bait and most of all FISH, giving it your best during the feeding times greatly increases your odds of catching fish, and gator trout. Capt. Michael Okruhlik is the inventor of Controlled Descent Lures and the owner of www.MyCoastOutdoors.com.
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Make reel memories.
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Plan your trip at discovermartin.com 18
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urf Expo is coming to Orlando’s Orange County Convention Center Jan. 8-10. It is an enormous one-stop shop, where retailers can stock up for the upcoming season. The expo’s Bluewater category is designed specifically for retailers of fishing gear, apparel and accessories. Here is a list of Bluewater vendors at January’s Surf Expo: Smithfly, Monster Cooler, Fish Hard Gear, CEECOACH, Big Ocean Sport, Apparel by Home Run, Kanga Coolers, Float Pak, Mang Gear, Fish Hippie, Ugo Wear, Reel Happy, Hooked Soul Fishing Company, 5Fin, AFTCO, Marsh Wear Clothing, Heybo Outdoors, HUK, Tormentor Fishing Products, Jeep by Buck Wear, Bimini Bay Outfitters, Salt Life, Pure Lure Reel Fishing Gear.
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Long lines. No waiting.
When the entire Florida Keys was designated a National Marine Sanctuary, it wasn’t just to preserve the 2,900 square nautical miles of marine life, coral barrier reefs and crystal waters. It was to provide a complete refuge for people looking to get as far away as possible from the rest of the Florida frenzy. fla-keys.com 1.800.fla.keys
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MARK SOSIN
A
ll of us have enjoyed those rare days when fish would ingest virtually any lure or bait tossed in the water. Those experiences are certainly the exception, because fish are selective about their diets and seldom vary extensively in their choice of foods. Only when they cannot find enough of their standard fare will they range in their choice. Let me share a few examples: It was a beautiful day on the offshore grounds with a strong current that should hold fish. As the hours passed, our frustration increased. We couldn’t even raise a fish. Finally, the captain told us to reel in the lines. It seemed obvious he was going to try another spot, but that wasn’t his intention. Instead of moving, he took the trolling lures off the rods and rigged them with a single hook. One of the outfits had a sinker so it would go deeper. Then he turned the boat broadside to the current and cut the engine. We were now being pushed by the natural flow of water. A live baitfish was put on each hook and then streamed off the starboard side of the boat. He chopped up dead bait and threw a handful overboard as chum every couple of minutes. It didn’t take long before the big guys hit the live bait, and it suddenly became a banner day because the skipper did something different. More than 50 years ago, the late Joe Brooks told me no
one to his knowledge had caught an Allison (yellowfin) tuna on a fly, and he was sure I could do it. Joe set up a trip for me to Bermuda, where yellowfins responded to chum. I had fished chum slicks with a fly with my father since I was a young boy, and we simply cast in the slick and retrieved the fly. I can’t remember ever having a problem with that method. We were anchored on the edge of a bank in Bermuda, with the current taking chum off the edge into deep water. Tuna were devouring chum, and I was sure it would only take a cast or two to hookup. To say I was wrong was an understatement. The tuna ignored the fly as I retrieved it. They swam around it and kept eating chum. Finally, in desperation, I dropped the fly into some chum that lingered on the surface and did not move it. To this day, I can see that tuna inhaling the fly. It weighed 53 pounds and 6 ounces. The point to remember is that if the more common method isn’t working, try a modification. A friend and I were both fishing the same plug. He kept getting strikes, while nothing touched my offering. Finally, he showed me how he periodically vibrated his wrist. It made the lure flash, and that’s all it took. In a similar situation, another friend and I were using diving plugs. He kept hooking fish while I couldn’t buy strike. While I followed a standard retrieve, he would pause for an instant periodically. That allowed the plug to float upward before diving again. Simple, isn’t it? Before you claim there are no fish where you are fishing, try a few variations to standard practice. You might be surprised with the results.
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heepshead are some of the tastiest fish in the ocean. They are abundant throughout the Gulf and up the Atlantic coast, usually holding tight to structure like piers, pilings, seawalls, jetties and wrecks. Sheepshead are easy to find, but difficult to hook. They have hard mouths and teeth designed to crush the shells of barnacles, shrimp and mollusks. They’ll crush bait, and the hook, without an angler even knowing they were there. That’s why a dropshot rig is a good tool to have. The standard Carolina or fishfinder rigs are effective, but the added sensitivity of a dropshot, where everything is in line, lets you know the fish is there before it gets away. You’ll get two taps. Set the hook on the first one, because the second tap means the fish is gone. Fishing a dropshot rig is simple. Drop it to the bottom and reel up any slack. With a sensitive rod, the smallest peck is transmitted to the angler’s hand. Here’s how to tie it: • Use a double uni-knot to secure 6 feet of 15- to 20-lb. fluorocarbon leader to a 10- or 15-lb. braided mainline. • Use enough weight to stay in contact with the bottom, and tie it into the end of the leader. • Choose your depth, typically about 2 feet up the leader, and use a Palomar knot to tie in the hook so it rides point-up. Use a sharp J hook (#1-4) depending on the size of the bait, whether it’s a fiddler crab, sand flea, pieces of clam, or shrimp.
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To show exquisite details, necklace shown is not exact size.
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Thanks to the Regata, we’ve visited Venice often and made great contacts, which is how we found and negotiated the best possible price on the highest quality Murano available. Now’s your chance to share in the spirit of this legendary event without needing to break out your passport. Satisfaction guaranteed or your money back. Enjoy the gorgeous colors of the Cornaro Murano Necklace for 30 days. If it doesn’t pass with flying colors, send it back for a full refund of the item price. Limited Reserves. You could easily pay $300 or more for a Murano glass bead necklace, but at $29, this genuine handmade Murano won’t last. Don’t miss the boat! CALL 1-888-444-5949 TODAY!
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