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NEARSHORE BONANZA

OUT OF PANAMA CITY

By Nick Carter

he rising sun revealed unaddressed devastation as Capt. Randy Cnota backed his 22-foot Pathfinder down the ramp at Tyndall Airforce Base. Less than a year after Hurricane Michael rocked the Florida Panhandle, we launched near the heart of the destruction. Just east of Panama City and a short drive from the catastrophe that unfolded at Mexico Beach, this slice of the Panhandle is a community doggedly enduring the slow process of rebuilding. The bright boards of new framing show progress in neighborhoods of single-story homes. Blue-tarped roofs, shredded metal buildings and acres of tall pines snapped like so many twigs are reminders of just how far there is to go. At the docks, bare wood pilings and concrete footings are left from what was a bustling little marina before the storm surge. But the fish don’t care. And with an eager 8-year-old angler perched on the leaning post, Capt. Randy pointed us toward the open Gulf of Mexico. This was early July, during the Gulf red snapper season, and Capt. Randy’s numbers would take us a few miles out to some hard-bottom that promised big snapper. But first we had to catch bait, which was plentiful in the form of Spanish sardines balled up around the markers just outside the pass from St. Andrews Bay. The 8-year-old would have spent all day catching sardines on a Sabiki rig, but shortly we left the other boats jockeying for position at the marker. We had our bait, and Capt. Randy now had an idea of how the boy would handle his first fishing trip on the open ocean. The kid emitted enthusiasm, and it’s a good thing we didn’t make a several hour run. The waiting would have driven him mad. Bigger boats out of Panama City can comfortably take anglers dozens of miles out to deeper water, quick limits and huge fish, but this nearshore trip was more our speed. Less than 10 miles from the coast, and even inside the 9-mile state waters, there are wrecks, reefs and hard bottom in the 100-foot depths that offer plentiful bottomfish as well as shots at some big pelagics. Within minutes at our first drop, the boy was hooked up with a big bonito, and Capt. Randy was steering with one hand, while holding the butt of the rod with the other. The kid had a death grip on the handle and cranked with all his might. “You’re gonna have to come over here and make sure this rod doesn’t get pulled out!” Randy barked at me with both hands full. But I couldn’t. On the other side of the boat, I was pumping and grunting on what turned out to be a stud red snapper. Somehow, both

fish made it onto the deck, and Randy went right back to work feeding out a freelined sardine from the stern. “Where there’s Bonnies, there’s kings,” he called the shot. Shortly thereafter, he handed me a rod with line ripping off the spool. I came up tight on a good king mackerel. It was one of three kingfish we had on that morning, but it was the only one that made it in the boat. Through the morning, the fish kept us continuously busy. We caught more red snapper than we could keep track of as well as gag and red grouper. Capt. Randy was great with the kid. Seeing the big bottom rigs were too much for an 8-year-old, Randy tied up a chicken rig on a lighter rod, showed the boy how to bait and fish it and then set him loose. Although the beeliners we were hoping for didn’t show up, the boy had a field day hauling snapper and triggerfish off the bottom. He was particularly proud of an FWC-tagged trigger he caught. “Part of the fun is you never know what you’re going to catch when you’re out here,” said Randy as he unhooked a 2-foot-long smoothback pufferfish. The whole time out, we kept eyes peeled for weeds and surface activity that might belie the presence of mahi-mahi or cobia. In the week before our trip, Randy managed to put clients on a sailfish and a big blackfin tuna. Although we didn’t encounter these species, we did watch in awe as two 10-foot tiger sharks circled uncomfortably close to the boat. We went home with a cooler full of fish. But more importantly, while those meaty chunks of snapper sizzled in hot oil, the boy regaled his grandparents with stories of the trip. His first time was an experience he will never forget. Snapper seasons may be over along the Gulf Coast, but if you find yourself hankering for a good fishing trip that’s fun and easy, consider hiring a captain out of the Panama City area. Capt. Randy said fall brings better opportunities for sailfish and tuna nearshore, and with his smaller boat, he is also well equipped to fish inshore. The fall redfish and trout bite can be off the charts. These hurricane-battered communities remain in recovery, but the fish, beaches and visitor ammenities are still there. Go spend some time at Panama City and eastward along The Forgotten Coast. You’ll be glad you did, because the fishing is pretty spectacular. Capt. Randy Cnota is co-publisher of the Panama City/Forgotten Coast edition of Coastal Angler Magazine and owner of C-Note Charters. Check him out online at www.cnotecharters.com or call 229-834-7880.

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Photo by Aaron Peterson Photography, LLC for Experience Grand Rapids

By Tom Werkman

hy do people feel the need to head to remote destinations a million miles from nowhere to fish? Some of the best fishing opportunities exist right under our noses, and many times they are very close to major metropolitan areas. The Grand River is just such a place. Michigan’s largest river runs through the heart of the state’s second largest city, Grand Rapids, and offers great fishing through its 252-mile run from rural headwaters in Hillsdale County down to Lake Michigan. Downtown Grand Rapids: Home to more than 37 craft breweries, Grand Rapids is Beer City. But there is another side of Grand Rapids that few know about. It offers the

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lure of big-river fishing in an urban environment. The river through downtown Grand Rapids offers the angler a unique opportunity to fish for steelhead in swift rapids beneath the city’s skyscrapers. On an early leg of their run up out of Lake Michigan, these fish are strong and as hot as they come. From October through December and again during March and April, droves of steelhead run through downtown as they migrate through and hold up in the rapids. Some of the best steelhead fishing lies between Sixth Street Dam and the Fulton Street Bridge. It’s not uncommon to see people wading the river, fishing from the banks or in boats landing these chrome bullets. When fishing here, the angler can expect to only move a few times to get on fish. Once you have your spot, you don’t want to move very much as it can be crowded at times. If you’re not on a fish right away, be patient. These fish get backed up at the dam and constantly move around in search of the fish ladder to pass through and continue their migration up the river. Lowell To Ada Section: Just minutes from downtown Grand Rapids, a roughly 10-mile stretch of the Grand River between the towns of Lowell and Ada offers fishing that is a little more secluded. From late spring through early fall, this section offers smallmouth bass and northern pike. There is little public access here, and the angler can expect solitude and no-pressure fishing in a remote river setting just outside Grand Rapids. A typical trip involves floating in a drift boat or jet boat from Lowell to Ada, covering a lot of water while casting to the banks, river timber and rocks. Bald eagles, osprey, blue heron and deer are common sights on this piece of river. Rarely will the angler lay eyes on another boat or fisherman. On the Grand River, one can enjoy spectacular fishing and then enjoy a cold beer and everything else the city has to offer. Tom Werkman, and his son Max, are owner/guides at Werkman Outfitters, a guide service on the Grand River in and around Grand Rapids, Michigan. Contact them at tom@werkmanoutfitters.com or check them out at werkmanoutfitters.com.

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FISH & FISHING

FOCUSING OUR EFFORTS MARK SOSIN

t may seem logical, but it’s not always right. My favorite example is George Westinghouse, the man who invented the air brake for oversized vehicles. Researchers relied on logical thinking and experimented continuously on using air to apply the brake. It didn’t work. Westinghouse took an opposite approach and used the air to hold the brake off the drum until the driver stepped on the brake pedal and released the air. The common approach to understanding fish behavior lies in applying human values with the assumption that a fish’s brain has the capacity to reason. Just because a particular lure looks good to us does not mean it’s a fish’s favorite, too. Few of us can boast even the slightest knowledge of the release that triggers a fish into striking or simply passing up an offering. And, we probably wouldn’t recognize it if we saw it. Repeated observations hold the key to helping us focus our efforts on techniques that have worked in the past. As an example, fish have an amazing alertness to movement. It can cause them to flee a situation or take advantage of it and feed. The same applies to underwater sound. Low frequency vibrations such as those that indicate a fish is in distress usually cause predators to investigate with the hope of finding food. The more natural a bait or lure appears to a fish, the greater the chance a strike will occur. When you can see your quarry

and observe hesitation of any type, assume that something in your offering appears unnatural. Fish may be curious, but they are seldom in the habit of wasting energy to pursue something needlessly. Many species have the ability to measure energy expended in chasing food against the value received. Because fish are creatures of habit, they tend to do the same things over and over. That’s why captains and guides boast the ability to find fish. The quarry may hold in one spot with uncanny precision day after day, month after month, and year after year. If that fish is caught or leaves for any reason, another will take its place. Those fish that work a tide follow the same pattern daily. Even offshore skippers understand reliable patterns that fish follow and troll the waters where their quarry should be. For some unknown reason, fish tend to hold at the same depth over a wide area. If another angler can tell you the depth where he found fish, you don’t need to know the precise spot. Keep in mind that water temperature can play a role. Each species has its upper and lower limits. As water temperature drops, fish tend to swim slower and chase an offering for shorter distances. Figuring out what motivates a fish to strike a bait or lure becomes a continuous challenge for leading anglers as well as the scientific community. The important thing to remember is that fish do not think like humans. Their basic approach is simple, yet it is not always easy to detect. The more you observe fish behavior and understand that it follows patterns and procedures established a long time ago, the more successful you are going to be.

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REDBREAST SUNFISH?

t first glance, Alphonso Jackson’s 2-pound, 1-ounce redbreast sunfish might not seem all that impressive. But when you consider the size of your average redbreast, this thing is a monster. Jackson was fishing the Lumber River in central North Carolina’s Scotland County on June 10 when he caught the fish on a cricket. It bested a 36-yearold North Carolina state record for the species by 5 ounces. The previous record, caught in 1983 by Ronald Stanley in Big Swamp in Bladen County, N.C. weighed 1 pound, 12 ounces. Jackson’s fish also outweighs the world record. The current IGFA all-tackle world record for the species has stood at 1-pound, 12-ounces since 1984. That fish came from Florida’s Suwannee River. Wikipedia claims the heaviest redbreast on record weighed 2.3 pounds (2 pounds, 4.8 ounces), but there’s no information as to where that weight came from or whether it was angler-caught. So, if Jackson bothers to complete all the paperwork properly, he would definitely be the new IGFA record holder. Jackson, 43, is an avid fisherman, a passion he attributes to his father Johnny Jacobs who taught him how to fish when he was a boy, and one that he has passed on to his children, ages 23, 18 and 17. They were with him the day he caught the massive readbreast. “We started fishing in a pond but weren’t having any luck, so I said to my kids, ‘Let’s go back to where I learned how to fish.’ And this is what we caught,” Jackson said. “I’d like to thank my daddy for teaching me how to catch fish and where to catch fish.” COASTALANGLERMAG.COM • THEANGLERMAG.COM

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TIPS FROM A PRO

READ GRASS MATS FOR BIG BASS

BRANDON LESTER

ate summer and early fall absolutely scream for a frog. With big bass holed up in thick vegetation, working a frog across grass mats can lead to some of the most explosive strikes in fishing. I always look forward to the frog pattern setting up around this time of year. This year should be especially sweet because of the reemergence of Alabama’s Lake Guntersville as one of the best bass fisheries in the nation. This Tennessee River impoundment is frog fishing heaven. Over the last decade the Guntersville bass fishery saw a bit of a decline. But the “Big G” has come back in a big way. Bassmaster ranked Guntersville the No. 2 fishery in the nation in this year’s “100 Best Bass Lakes” listings. It is fishing lights-out, with five-fish tournament sacks regularly approaching and surpassing 30 pounds. I just came off a top-10 finish in the June Elite Series event on Guntersville. Some fish came off frogs, but the best patterns I found were deep cranking and worms. You can bet the frog bite will ramp up soon, though. No matter where you fish, the key to topwater frog fishing is reading the grass. To really dial in a pattern, you need to observe what’s happening on the lake. At Guntersville, the two prominent grass types are hydrilla and milfoil. There are other types, but these are the two you will encounter

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most often. From the time the grass first tops out in the summer until the first frost of the fall, I will concentrate on milfoil. Milfoil creates a great canopy and is hollow underneath, so the bass can get through it to get to your frog. When the hydrilla is still green, it is so thick that a bass has trouble seeing your frog on top of the mat. With that said, later on in the fall when the hydrilla starts to turn brown and break up, it starts to get hollow underneath. That is the time to start targeting it more. Another key to frog fishing is to listen and watch for “active” grass. Bass school up in grass mats just like they do on ledges, points and humps, so it is important to find a mat that has activity in it. Listen for bluegill popping the mat or watch for shad to flicker. Those are signs that bass are not far away. Also, look for points, turns and indentions in the mat itself. Anything different will often hold bass. Rod selection is important for hauling bass out of matted grass. I throw a MHX-MB-874. This rod is 7’3” heavy power with plenty of backbone, but more importantly it has enough action in the tip to allow the fish to eat the bait. I use 50-pound Vicious braid and a 7:1:1 reel. Try a topwater frog on your next trip out, or better yet plan an excursion to Guntersville for the trip of a lifetime.

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IT’S TERRESTRIAL TIME ON TROUT WATERS

By James Bradley ugust is a great time of year to throw those big ol’ nasty dry flies. About anywhere you go, big dries will work from the smallest streams to the big tailwaters. Look to be casting hopper patterns, beetles, Letort Crickets and the biggest dry flies in your box.

Many of the sparse hatches of mayflies and caddis have dissipated, and if you get lucky to see a hatch, these insects will be tiny morsels. Since trout have become accustomed to looking up for their next meal, larger flies can be very enticing for trout to engulf. Remember, breezy days in early morning or late evening will put larger terrestrials on the water. Many will be knocked off due to being careless, the wind, or being on the wrong leaf that becomes detached. One of the best things about throwing larger flies is they’re easy to see. Many anglers attempt to softly land a large dry fly pattern. Don’t worry about that. Big trout eat big patterns. First, you must get their attention. A real bug or hopper is heavy. They hit the water’s surface with what I would call a “blop.” This is the attention getter, so there’s no need for a soft landing. If you’re having no luck with that big dry, add on a dropper pattern such as a big number 6 or 8 on top with a smaller number 16 or 20 as the dropper. Any takes on that sub-surface dropper will jerk that big dry under the water. Where to fish these big flies depends on the angler. Good casters can toss these things 30 feet into an 18-inch opening under the rhododendron where a trout will be hiding. One of my favorite sayings is: “Good casters catch all the fish.” Grassy areas along the bank are a surefire place where grasshoppers or crickets might find their way into the stream. Casting a beetle pattern along a bank log can be another dandy place to float a terrestrial, and yes, even out in the wide-open middle of the stream. One of the best ways to learn about fly fishing is to spend time with those of us who are professional full-time guides. Currently, we are doing floats on Georgia’s Toccoa Tailwater, which is producing well on early morning trips. James Bradley is the only Orvis endorsed fly fishing guide in north Georgia’s historic High-Country. Reel Em In Guide Service has permits for guiding in North Georgia and North Carolina, offers over 6 miles of private trophy waters and operates drift boats on the Toccoa River and the Tuckasegee River in North Carolina. www.ReelEmInGuideService. com; (706) 273-0764.

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NANTUCKET SHOALS:

HOME OF THE DOORMATS! “Jimmy the Greek” from On Time Sportfishing charters in Yarmouth, Massachusetts shows off a nice summer flattie taken earlier this year at Nantucket Shoals. Photo courtesy of On Time Sportfishing.

“F

or anglers looking to hook-up with the fluke of a lifetime, there’s no spot more likely to bring success these days than Nantucket Shoals, Massachusetts. Action for summer flounder has absolutely sizzled here for the last several years, with many anglers drilling doormats weighing 8, 10 or 12 pounds and heavier. “This truly is an amazing place when it comes to catching outlandish summer flatties,” said Capt. Demetrios Koutalakis, also known as “Jimmy the Greek.” He runs On Time Sportfishing (www.ontimefishingcharters. com) out of Yarmouth, Massachusetts and launches from various local ramps based on weather conditions. “The action is generally fast-paced with typical keepers running 20 to 24

inches long and a disproportionate number of bigger fish in daily catches,” said Koutalakis. “It’s not unusual to see a double-digit doormat hit the deck in these waters. We had a 14.4-pounder yesterday, released a 14.9-pounder last week, and had two over 15 pounds last year.” Nantucket Island is roughly 16 to 17 miles from Koutalakis’ typical departure sites in the Bass River area. From there, the fish can be anywhere southwest of the island from up tight to 7 or 8 miles out and beyond. The entire area features a hilly bottom that’s more gravel than sand or rock. In the spring, squid and mackerel get swept through the shoal waters by strong currents and the big fish show up in hot pursuit. By mid-summer, sand eels dominate the baitfish scene and the fluke fishing settles in to a steady, consistent pattern that runs right through August and into September. “It’s the combination of the hills, currents and baitfish that give this place big fish appeal,” explained Koutalakis. “The biggest fluke, especially, like to settle into the gullies and wait for the current to bring the bait right across their noses. The water depths where I like to fish typically vary from 30 to 60 feet deep, and the best action moves around from day to day based on bait movements. So it really helps to have a skipper who is out working this area on a daily basis. It also helps a lot that the waters here are slow to change temperature, so small cold fronts or a couple of hot days generally don’t dampen the bite. I think the big fish really like that.” Koutalakis favors a hi-low rig with 6- and 8-ounce Berkeley bucktails tipped with 5- or 6-inch Berkley Gulp! Grubs or Swimming Mullets. He’ll spool up with 20- to 30-pound test Berkley X9 braided line on a fast retrieve reel. Typically, white, chartreuse and Nuclear Chicken color grubs work best but this year pink shine seems to have an edge. “More important than color choice,” he advised, “is keeping your rig active and bouncing all the time. Big fluke will follow a bait being dragged smoothly across the bottom—but they’ll absolutely SMASH a jig with exaggerated action.” If you’d like to give this super fluking a shot, you are best off using a professional skipper to reach the grounds. For those traveling overnight, Koutalakis suggests staying at the Wind Drift Hotel (https://www.windriftmotelcapecod. com) in Yarmouth. If you’d like to sample these waters via a party boat, the Helen H Fishing Fleet in Hyannis (https://helen-h.com) offers both one- and two-day trips.

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WORLD RECORD SHEEPSHEAD

Official news of a new World Record Sheepshead that was caught while spearfishing here on the Outer Banks on June 2, 2019! Quentin Turko of Kitty Hawk, NC, spearfished this 16.8 lb Sheepshead off the coast of the Outer Banks. His new record beats the previous world record which was 15 pounds, speared back in 2011. He officially weighed the fish at TW’s Bait and Tackle in Nags Head on June 2nd and sent in the paperwork to the International Underwater Spearfishing Association (IUSA) that officiates international world records for spearfishing. On July 2nd, he was officially awarded this new world record by the International Underwater Spearfishing Association (IUSA). The new world record can be viewed at www.iusarecords.com

AUGUST 2019

PUBLISHER & EDITOR

BRENDA RIGGS MIKE RIGGS Co-publishers & Editors

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS

JIM BAUGH MIKE BUSS BRYANT FRANKLIN AARON KELLY JOHN TIGER JAKE WORTHINGTON

GRAPHIC DESIGN

JENNY DIAZ

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

BRENDA RIGGS brenda@coastalanglermagazine.com

MIKE RIGGS mriggs@coastalanglermagazine.com

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Jake’s Outdoor Adventures By Jake Worthington On July 5th, the Outer Banks lost a great man when OBX fishing legend Captain Omie Tillett of Wanchese “crossed the bar” at the age of 90. For years, Captain Omie ran The Sportsman out of Oregon Inlet Fishing Center. He was well known for his morning prayer as the boats left Oregon Inlet headed East to the Gulf Stream. Those prayers eventually made their way to the Big Rock Tournament and other locations where he would fish or visit. In addition to being a top-notch fishing captain, he also built some of the finest Outer Banks Carolina Flare Boats. He only built seven boats because he developed a severe allergy to epoxy used in the building process and he had to stop building boats. The restaurant Sam and Omie’s was opened by his father, Sam, as a base camp to feed all the captains and customers who were going to fish boats docked at Oregon Inlet. Back in the early days, the road to Oregon Inlet was a sand road and everyone would meet there, eat breakfast and travel to the docks. Sam and Omie’s was also where they booked charters until the Oregon Inlet Fishing Center opened. Captain Omie was a great influence on many young mates and upcoming captains and he was always ready to dispense advice and help them if they were broken down. Some of his old mates and close friends knew he also had a humorous side, and he loved to pull pranks and jokes on people. Regardless of who you speak to when you mention his name, the word “respect” is always attached to Captain Omie. Respect as a Captain, a Boat Builder, friend, neighbor, or acquaintance. On every fishing website when news of his death was being reported, people commented not only from our area but from all around the world. The Outer Banks will not be the same without Captain Omie, but he will live on through all that knew and respected him.

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Now that the month of August has arrived, that means the Pirates Cove Billfish Tournament will be underway. The Alice Kelly Ladies Fishing Tournament will be on Sunday, August 11, 2019. The Pirates Cove Billfish Tourney will kick off on Tuesday, August 13th, and runs through Friday the 16th with the awards banquet being that Friday night. For more information, go to the website: http://www.pcbgt. com/. Even if you are not interested in fishing the tournament, make sure you stop by in the afternoon when all the boats return with their catches and maybe pick up a t-shirt. There are public events that you can attend while the tournament is underway, so check out the schedule of events and come join in this great tournament. Because it is August, as soon as the Pirate’s Cove Tournament is over, I have to pack my truck up and head back to Raleigh for my senior year at NC State University. I am looking forward to graduating in the spring of 2020 and beginning my career as a charter boat Captain on the OBX! COASTALANGLERMAG.COM • THE ANGLERMAG.COM

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OBX By Aaron Kelly

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We will be chasing all kinds of gamefish this month! Wind direction really changes the ocean and sounds. Light east brings beautiful clear warm water to the beach. West wind turns the water over making it chilly along the shoreline and cloudy. Generally we will see good Spanish mackerel fishing along the beaches. As we troll spoons along the shorelines we can encounter cobia, big red drum and false albacore. A albie can really pull off some line in a hurry. Watching a big drum or cobia take a well-placed buck tail is a rush that really never gets old. We can even luck into a nice dolphin this month closer to shore than one would expect! Farther offshore the big boats are licking their chops at seeing billfish. White and blue Marlin are here ready to eat a well presented bait. Sailfish are always a possibility as well! Backwater fishing this summer has been top notch for speckled trout. Plenty of small trout and nice stringers of keeper size fish consistently have been coming in to the docks. Live bait and small light jigs have getting them. Chartreuse, white, new penny, and smoke are the colors I see most consistently getting them with the soft plastics. Sheepshead numbers have been way up this year as well. Tapping a sand flea along a piling or dock pier can tempt these white and black vertical striped tasty fish into your cooler! It takes a few baits to get the hang of it but stick with it you will soon be a sheepshead Jedi! So we keep our fingers crossed and eye on the tropics hoping to dodge hurricanes. We give thanks for our blessings of great weather and fishing this month. Captain Aaron Kelly Rock Solid Fishing www.rocksolidfishing.com• 252-441-6575

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CATCHIN’ AND COOKIN’ SHUCK & SUCK PLUS BASH BY THE BAY by Jim Baugh reporting from Oyster Farm at Kings Creek, Cape Charles VA The fishing this spring and summer has been red hot. We have been fortunate to have filmed both black drum and spadefish shows which are always an audience favorite, mine as well. Both fish are also very delicious table fare. Next up for JBOTV will be fishing and filming offshore for dolphin and maybe some deep drop bottom fishing. Stay tuned! If you are into boating, fishing, seafood, and waterside festivals, here are two don’t miss events coming up at the Oyster Farm in Cape Charles. First up is the Shuck and Suck 2019 complete with oyster shucking and eating contest, clam contest, skiff races, live music and a must-see workboat boat docking contest. This event kicks off August 2 and runs through Sunday August 4th. You will want to book your slips and accommodations ASAP. Also, the cobia bite will still be in full swing and if you are looking for a charter, you can book one right out of the Oyster Farm. It has been a good year for cobia both baiting on the bottom as well as sight casting, even on the fly! JBOTV had the pleasure of filming with Captain Neil Lessard fly fishing for cobia and it turned out super!

While you are booking your slip for the fist weekend in August, go ahead and reserve August 24th for Bash by the Bay with the Deloreans. This is one hell of a party and one you don’t want to miss! Another great excuse to come to the Oyster Farm, bring the family and do a little fishing and boating. Also be sure to try out the new Sushi bar at the Seafood Eatery, the lobster roll is huge and fantastic! www.theoysterfarmatkingscreek.com Jim Baugh, Jimbaugh.net, Jim Baugh Outdoors TV For more updates on our fishing trips and latest shows check out our blogspot at https://jimbaughoutdoors.blogspot.com or all our new shows at JBOTV - https://www.youtube.com/c/JimBaughOutdoors

JIM’S SHORE STEAMER JIM BAUGH’S RECIPE OF Ok, get yourself 3 pounds of THE MONTH shrimp, 8 ears of fresh corn, 200 ESVA

Clams, and andouille sausage. I am not going to waste your timing telling you how to steam shrimp and clams I think all you folks got that by now. But if you don’t already, do use some good bear to steam everything in, it really is good. NOW! The corn, oh man the corn. This is a BIG trick to this recipe. Here is what you do. First cook the sausage in a cast iron skillet and set the sausage aside and keep warm until everything else is done. Keep the drippings in the pan! Now take 8 ears of shucked corn and cut them each in half. Coat each ear with olive oil and sprinkle some blackened seasoning on each ear. Now you want to braise the corn in the skillet with the sausage drippings. You may also need a little more olive oil in the pan. Turn the ears of corn until there is a slight brown char around the corn. De glaze the skillet with white wine and baste for a couple more minutes. By caramelizing the corn just a little, it brings out the sweetness of the corn in a super way. It is fantastic! Lastly put the corn in a baking dish with a ½ cup of white wine and one pat of butter on each ear. Bake in the oven for 30 minutes at 350. Once done, steam up your clams and shrimp, mix everything together in a huge family style serving platter. You’re done.

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AREA ANGLER CLUBS Come visit the Virginia Beach Anglers Club. We meet the first Thursday of each month at 7:30pm at the Foundry United Methodist Church located at 2801 Virginia Beach Blvd. in Virginia Beach. For more information go to virginiabeachanglersclub.org - Check out our monthly newsletter TIGHT LINES there or email vbanglersclub@gmail.com

The Great Bridge Fisherman’s Association is a family-oriented fishing club located in the Great Bridge area of Chesapeake, Virginia. Our charter is to introduce new anglers to the sport of recreational fishing while promoting the conservation of our resources. The diversity of its membership covers all aspects of recreational fishing from freshwater to saltwater, surf to pier, and inshore to offshore fishing. The club is active in the community, sponsoring various events including Wish a Fish, an Annual Scholarship to high school seniors pursuing higher education and inshore party boat fishing for both our senior and disabled residents. Our Tournament Director also ensures that the membership sponsors and participates in various inter and intra club tournaments throughout the year. Some of our annual activities include a banquet, lead pouring, oyster roast and fishing flea market. Monthly meetings are held the first Monday of the month from 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. There is always a guest speaker talking on a wide range of topics and there are plenty of door prizes, raffles and snacks to round off the night. We meet at the Great Bridge Baptist Church located at 640 Battlefield Blvd South, Chesapeake, Virginia across the street from the YMCA. Guests are always welcome. Feel free to contact us with any questions at www.fishgbfa.com.

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TIDEWATER AND THE OUTER BANKS FISHFINDER and GPS INSTALLATION By John Tiger It’s great to have the latest fishfinder with all the bells and whistles. Often many features go unused, and buying the best and latest/greatest may mean overspending for features you don’t need or won’t use. For example, many boaters and fishermen I’ve spoken with are not aware that a simple GPS speedometer can be purchased separately; you don’t need a $1000 fishfinder unit to get a speed reading and map for your boat. Even cheap $100 GPS units have a speedometer with “highest speed” recall capability; in fact, chances are you have a Garmin or other brand GPS in your tow vehicle that will work just fine in your boat as a speedometer. And, if you don’t care much about finding fish but want to chart a trip across the lake and back, a handheld GPS will do the job…well…handily! For those who need to do more than follow a map or see how fast they are, today’s fishfinders are light years ahead in technology over those offered just a few years ago. Given their capabilities, accuracy and resolution, it’s even more important to mount them properly, locate and mount their transducers correctly, and maintain them with care. SIGNAL STRENGTH To obtain accurate and consistent speed readings, the GPS signal receiver puck must be mounted properly; the best location is on the deck where it can receive a clear satellite signal. The hold drilled for the coax cable must allow for easy pass-through when rigging; I’ve seen more than a few damaged by pulling the cable through the deck. The connections at the dash must be clean and tight.

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Special precautions must be taken when choosing a location and mounting the transducer puck for the fishfinder. While transom mounted transducers are popular and easy to install, thru-hull performance—when installed properly—is as good or better than transom mount, and without the wire and puck exposed. A clear signal path to the lake bottom is necessary for accurate and consistent performance. Most popular hulls use some type of core material (balsa wood, closed-cell foam, etc.) to stiffen the hull and provide strength and flexibility. Problem is, transducer pucks can’t read the bottom through core material. The solution is to (carefully!) remove the core material to fit the puck, then epoxy the puck in place—weighting it down as it cures so no air pockets can form. Sealing the unit with more epoxy will ensure its performance for many years, and keep your hull core from allowing in water-and eventual rot. WIRING AND SEALING It’s important that the power and ground to the unit are properly routed and connected. The power connection should be fused to provide protection to the unit. As the wires pass through the deck, they should be covered by a stainless clam shell or similar suitable wire cover, stuffed with silicone sealer to keep water out. The wire run from unit to dash underneath should have at least an inch or two of extra length to accommodate the fishfinder’s swivel and tilt range. Lastly—protect that expensive head unit with a cover, especially if you don’t remove it when the boat is not in use. Covers are typically available from the manufacturer, or one can be fabricated locally that provides better fit and protection. Best protection, however, is to remove and store it when not in use. John Tiger has published columns and articles about boating and towing for over 25 years. A recognized expert in high performance boat setup, rigging and driving, outboard repair and trailer towing, John’s boating and racing experience has helped him write popular columns such as Outboard Tech and Seat Time as well as many hundreds of feature stories.

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CROAKERS SALTWATER PANFISH By Mike Buss

his month let’s look at a fish I consider to be a saltwater panfish. I’m talking about Croakers. Like freshwater panfish, they are numerous and readily take a well presented fly. Plus, like their freshwater cousins, they are very tasty, you just need a bunch of them to make a family meal. Croakers arrive in the Tidewater area in April and stick around until October. They can be found along the ocean shoreline, but like to congregate in holes and sloughs that can be found at low tide. Deeper holes 6 to 8 feet deep act like magnets for these fish. I like to walk along the shore and whenever I find shore anglers using conventional tackle and bait, I stop and watch. IF they are consistently catching croakers, I make note of the area and tide cycle and plan to return at a time when these fishermen are gone. I’ve found early morning to be a good time to have the shore to myself. I like to use 5 to 7 weight balanced outfits with a sinking tip shooting head, a sink tip, or sinking fly line to get my fly to the bottom where you find the croakers. They are not leader shy so I use a 3 foot section of 12 pound test mono for my leader. As for flies, any bonefish fly will do along with clousers and weighted bendbacks. You want a fly that rides hook up to avoid snagging the bottom. Brighter flies work best in murky water and more natural looking flies work well in more clear water. Chartreuse over white is always a very good combination. I’ve also had very good luck with a combination of orange and black with some copper flash. Croakers like to nibble on anything that hangs behind or above the hook and if may feel like a solid strike but you must wait for the croaker to turn away before making a good strip strike. Striking at the first sign of a nibble usually results in no hookup and frustration. When I plan to keep some to eat I bring a bucket and fill it with water and keep it on shore and fill it with my catch. Then when I’m ready to leave I put the croakers on ice in a cooler before I can get home to clean them. These are fine fighters that put up a good fight on a light rod and have the added benefit of being good to eat. Follow these simple instructions and you should have lots of action.

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KAYAK FISHING

By Bryant Franklin

My fishing buddy Jimmy Tran calls me in Virginia and says come on up, there is a break in the weather and the Cobia are going to be hungry. One of the best opportunities for catching a cobia from a kayak is at Buckroe beach in Hampton. So, I loaded up the Hobie Outback the night before and headed out. I met Jimmy early and headed out from the beach armed with a chum bag and a half dozen eels each. I have yet to catch a cobia from my kayak only from a boat and now that I live in North Carolina and the wind doesn’t stop blowing ever, it’s hard to get the opportunity. Jimmy was getting some action early on with a bite and came up with an eel missing a tail. I was thinking, “Oh no, here we go bluefish.” Bluefish will go through some eels quick. No that wasn’t the case and jimmy hooked up a few minutes later with a nice 40-inch just legal cobia. He decided to let it go seeing how we had only been here an hour or so. His catch attracted attention and looking around I counted about 10 other kayaks. Roy E. Brady, Jr. was the closest kayak to us and jimmy and Roy had been bellowing across the water for some time at each other. Then Roy hooked up and the way it was fighting I just knew it was a ray. I paddled over to him to take some video and looking for my next story. Roy said it wasn’t a ray that he had seen it surface. Roy unhooked from his anchor and the fish pulled him around. He got his cobia sleigh ride. It seemed like forever but the fish finally tired out and Roy was able to get this beautiful 46-inch fish into the boat. I’m not sure who was more tired, Roy or the fish. After several attempts Roy held up his prize for me to take the picture of his first ever cobia. Congratulations Roy!

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Fish At Night...Cool Temps, Hot Bites RIGGING & JIGGING

Tim Barefoot

or the remainder of the summer and into early fall, the best fishing can often be at night. Temperatures are more comfortable, there’s less boat traffic, less wind and fewer anglers. There’s no need for sunscreen, and best of all… fish are very active. I fish for several species in fresh and saltwater at night around the big lights on bridges and docks. I’ll also bring my own lights. Light draws the baitfish, and then it’s just a matter of time until the target species show up. Squid, cigar minnows, sardines and tinker mackerel (boston mackerel) show up in numbers around a bright light on an anchored boat over a ledge or wreck. This is a wonderful opportunity to fill the livewell with a Sabiki. It also brings all the action right to your back deck. It’s really cool to watch the life that is attracted. It’s like a National Geographic show right behind the boat. The key is bright lights. Years ago I bumped into the owner of Hydro Glow Lights at ICAST, and he quickly brought me into the modern age of offshore and inshore lights. New LED, low-amperage lights are powerful and require low power usage. Not only do I use a light on the surface, but I also drop at least one down 20 or 30 feet, and one even deeper depending on the target species. See video of this on the website. In addition to the good bite at night, it’s kinda like hunting in some respects when running the existing lights in waterways and sounds. You can go from light to light and watch, and you can also be very quiet and hear surface activity. Being stealthy is important. You don’t want to stomp around the boat, or yell over thumping music. Some of the standout species that hunt the edge of the light are

DUDLEY WINS FOURTH FLW ANGLER OF THE YEAR

avid Dudley made history by winning his fourth FLW Angler of the Year title at the last regular-season stop for the FLW Tour on Lake Champlain in late June. His seventh-place finish at the Lake Champlain event vaulted him to the top of the AOY rankings. “I’m still making the championship and still doing well, but in my mind I thought I had peaked out,” said Dudley. “To win my fourth makes this one very special and satisfying.” Dudley has finished in the top 25 at every event this season, with the exception of one stumble at Lake Seminole. Coming into the Lake Champlain event, Dudley trailed John Cox by one point in the standings. “I knew I had a very good chance at winning after day one at Lake Champlain,” said Dudley. “I had an 18-point lead, but what was more encouraging was that I had almost a 2-pound lead over John. I had the confidence that with a 2-pound cushion, I had a good shot at winning.” Consistency is the hallmark of Angler of the Year, and Dudley personified this throughout the year with timely, on-the-water decision-making. “The decisions you make out on the water separate a good angler from a great angler,” said Dudley. “Understanding how to play the game better than good anglers is key. We all can skip docks the same way, but knowing when to pick up and leave an area at the right time can make all the difference.”

kings, wahoo, most all the snappers and tuna, offshore. Inshore, snook, tarpon, drum and trout are susceptible. In freshwater, striped bass, crappie and panfish are suckers for well-lit water. I have memories of commercial trips of kings and beeliners in numbers at night. The beeliners really chew it up a few days before and during the full moons of summer, but the bite shuts down right at daylight. Even though the largest gag grouper I ever caught was at night, groupers can be difficult at night. Snapper, on the other hand, move higher in the water column and really chew. King mackerel under the lights can be off the charts. Once you get the squid and minnows concentrated under the lights, the dinner bell is ringing for kings, wahoo and tuna. Be sure to fill the livewell and fish the first couple hours after daybreak, while it’s still cool. Then head back in with a full box while other folks are just headed out. For video instructions on how to tye this rig, see:

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When submitting a photo for consideration for use as a cover image or editorial image, please follow the guidelines specified here: Optimal size: 10 x 12.5 at 300 DPI (3000 x 3750 Pixels) 1) Don’t zoom in too closely. Allow additional background to give our art directors the opportunity to create a horizontal or vertical layout. 2) Don’t hold your fish way out in front of you to create the illusion of a bigger fish. We call this telescoping and we just don’t use images like this. 3) Make sure the lighting is good. Having the sun behind a subject will create a silhouette effect and too strong a light source will burn out details in a photo. 4) Don’t have blood in the photo. It may not bother you, but it doesn’t contribute to making a better photo and many readers find it unattractive. 5) Hold the fish properly. The subject should hold the fish in a horizontal position supporting it with their hands. Don’t let fish hang by the head, gills or tail. Send to: graphics@coastalanglermagazine.com

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DIVER STICKS WORLD RECORD SHEEPSHEAD

n June 2, Quentin Turko, of Kitty Hawk, N.C., speared this 16.8-pound sheepshead while diving off the coast of the Outer Banks. It is a new International Underwater Spearfishing Association world record (IUSA). Turko officially weighed the fish at TW’s Bait and Tackle in Nags Head the day of capture and sent in the paperwork to IUSA, which officiates international world records for spearfishing. A month later, on July 2, he was officially awarded the new IUSA world record, beating a mark of 15 pounds, which had stood since 2011. By comparison, the IGFA all tackle world record for sheepshead weighed 21 pounds, 4 ounces. It was caught on rod-and-reel out of New Orleans in 1982. The North Carolina state record for sheepshead caught on rod and reel is 19 pounds, 4 ounces. It was caught by Chris Robbins off Oregon Inlet in 1999. To view more spearfishing records, go to www.iusarecords.com.

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, KINGFISH BACK TO THE BASICS Photos by Gene Dyer

By Gene Dyer

6 barrel swivel. I like to stay on the long side with my leader to be a bit stealthier. This step will help to avoid line twist, especially when using a spinning reel. Now it’s time to put together some rigs. You’ll need some #5 stainless steel, coffee-colored wire, and depending on the bait that is available, octopus hooks ranging from 3/0 to 7/0 and some treble hooks in size 4 and 6. If you are using smaller baits like pilchards, you’ll want to use a smaller main hook and smaller treble hook for your stinger. For bigger baits like goggle eyes, blue runners and speedos, step up your hook size for your main hook and stinger. Use a haywire twist to attach a 20inch length of wire to the main hook. Don’t over do it, as four to five twists on a 45-degree angle will suffice. Finish off your haywire with three to four straight wraps to secure the connection. Now it’s time to attach your stinger to the main hook. Again, depending on the size of your bait, attach 4 to 8 inches of wire to your stinger hook with a haywire twist and then attach the other end of your stinger rig to the eye of the main hook with another haywire twist. It’s extremely important to rig your stinger with enough slack so that your bait will swim naturally. Now you are ready to attach your rig to your leader. Use an albright knot to connect your rig to your leader. If you don’t know how to tie an albright knot, do an Internet search and plenty of pages and videos will pop up. You can fish this setup a couple of different ways. If you will be drifting, fish at least two rods. You’ll want one bait on the surface and one deeper, from 30 to 60 feet. Send your surface bait out first and allow it to swim away from the boat. You can attach a balloon to your main line to help keep track of where your bait is. Depending on conditions, add 4 to 8 ounces of lead to your deep rod. Slip your lead on above the swivel or attach it to the main line with a rubber band. If you utilize the rubber band method, it’s highly likely that you’ll lose your sinker on the strike. These rigs can also be used for slow trolling baits. Slow trolling can help determine what depth the fish are in. Start trolling in about 60 feet and head out to 200 feet and then back to 60 feet. Once you find the fish, set up your drift at the depth. When kingfish strike, they typically go on a long run away from the boat. Take your time and slowly work the fish toward the boat. Don’t be surprised if you get it close and it takes off on another short run after it sees the boat. Let the fish run and tire out. You should then be able to get your fish back to the boat for a gaff shot to the head.

ing mackerel are aggressive predators with extremely sharp teeth. To catch them with consistency, you must prepare accordingly. Though there are many ways to rig your rods for kingfish, I’d like to focus on a few techniques that have worked for me over the years. These techniques can be utilized on both spinning and conventional tackle. To start, you’re going to want a rod in the 7-foot range that has a sensitive tip, so you can feel the bite, but also some backbone to turn the head of a smoker that just peeled off 100 yards of line in 20 seconds. Sometimes, a big king will swim right back at the boat after a blistering run, and you will have a better chance of coming tight with a higher speed reel. You’ll want nothing less than a 5-to-1 gear ratio. When it comes to line choice, you can certainly spool your reels with braided line, but I prefer 20- to 30-pound monofilament, as I’m kind of old school and learned to fish for kingfish before braid became so popular. That said, you’ll want to connect your main line to Gene Dyer is co-publisher of Coastal Angler Magazine’s Fort Lau4 to 10 feet of 40- or 50-pound fluorocarbon leader with a size 4 or derdale edition. Contact him at gene@coastalanglermagazine.com. 14

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FLY FISHING 16

CHUMMING UP MAKO SHARKS One of the greatest adversaries on the fly rod in saltwater is the shortfin mako shark. The mako is considered by many as the fastest of all sharks, but what makes this great gamefish stand out is not only its fighting ability but its tendency to leap 20 feet in the air once hooked! The mako shark is one of saltwater fly-fishing’s outstanding but unappreciated gamefish. Found on both in the Atlantic and Pacific coasts, a smaller mako in the 20- to 30-pound range can be perfect for the beginning saltwater fly fisherman; of course, fishing for sharks is a tad different than fishing for bluegills in your Uncle Ned’s farm pond. First, you’ll need a boat, preferably a boat over 18 feet that can handle fairly choppy seas. Most center-consoles will do; however, a skiff with a beam of 8 feet or wider and a not-too-deep V will settle in the water better and reduce pitch and roll to a minimum, guaranteeing a much more stable casting platform. A chum line is the most effective way of attracting makos into casting distance of your boat. Chumming attracts the larger makos and will allow you to sight-cast to them. Into a chum bag, place the belly sections or fresh carcasses of tuna, bluefish or bonito. Then place the bag into a milk crate or five-gallon bucket, lower this mess by rope over the side and listen for the musical score from the movie “Jaws” to begin. You won’t have long to wait once that chum slick begins to spread. Ideally, you should use fresh carcasses, but store-bought chum will suffice. One bit of important advice: Less is more when chumming; you don’t

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Instant Savings on select models when you buy during this promotion. See your dealer for details.

Rates as low as 5.99% on new Suzuki outboards on approved credit.* [60 Months]

To learn more, visit www.suzukimarine.com. 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 04/01/19 and 06/30/19 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 04/01/19 and 06/30/19. 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 04/01/19 and 06/30/19. “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. © 2019 Suzuki Motor of America, Inc.

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3/15/19 2:26 PM