Coastal Angler Magazine | January 2020 | Tidewater, VA/Outer Banks, NC Edition by Coastal Angler Magazine

TIDEWATER, VA/OUTER BANKS, NC EDITION

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Winter's

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Photo courtesy of Big Ol’ Fish Guiding Service, bigolfish.com

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

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.

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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.

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By CAM Staff

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

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

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

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS JIM MIKE BRYANT AARON JOLLY JOHN JAKE

BAUGH BUSS FRANKLIN KELLY ROGER TIGER WORTHINGTON

GRAPHIC DESIGN JENNY DIAZ

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

BRENDA RIGGS brenda@coastalanglermagazine.com

MIKE RIGGS mriggs@coastalanglermagazine.com

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PLANNING By Mike Buss

e all know January is the first month of the year and the start of the new year. It is also the time many of us make our New Year’s resolutions and plans for the upcoming year. I also like to make my fishing plans in January for the upcoming year using my fishing log for this planning. I keep a very extensive log of all my fishing trips. Even the shortest outing gets an entry in my log. For all my trips I log the date, location, time I fished, water temperature and conditions, weather conditions (wind, sky conditions, rain or shine), number and type of fish caught, and flies and tactics used. If I fished in saltwater, I also log the times of high and low tide and current conditions. A river outing will also contain the flow level and water conditions. I spend the month of January reviewing this log, reliving the fishing trips and also noting those dates and times when I had very good results. If you keep your log accurate, you can almost predict when specific fish species will show up and where. I also have a new calendar next to me and I note on it when specific species first start to show in my area. Using a color system with my sharpies, it makes it easier to see when fish start to show. Now I can start to make plans to get out for these fish. Because I have noted the specific locations and conditions when I have had good luck, I can start to make plans to watch for the same conditions and let them guide me on when I go fishing. January is also the time when I make plans for my major fishing trips to areas beyond my immediate neighborhood. I subscribe to many of the fishing magazines and almost all of them have articles on new places to go fishing. When I find an article that interests me and sparks my interest in checking it out, I make a note and set the magazine aside for future reference. At the end of the year, I usually have a pretty large collection of these articles. Now I am ready to make some choices for the upcoming year. I rank the articles according to my interest in making a trip and then review these articles for information that I will need to make the trip. Then I select a date for the trip and make an entry on my calendar. It is always amazing to me to see how often good fishing conditions repeat themselves and a review of my fishing logs over the years emphasizes this fact. Plus reviewing my log gives me a chance to relive my fishing trips noting what did and didn’t work. I hope you are keeping your own fishing log, but if you are not, I hope this will convince you how valuable they are and to start one this year. I know it will improve your fishing success! Good luck and tight lines

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Jakeâ€™s Outdoor Adventures By Jake Worthington

new year has arrived and we are all hoping to get more time on the water. I am starting my last semester at NC State in Raleigh and I am looking forward to graduating in May! Speaking of Raleigh, there are several events in Raleigh that may be of interest to fellow fishermen. The Bass and Saltwater Fishing Expo at the NC State Fairgrounds is January 10-12. This show features a large number of exhibitors and speakers which draw thousands of fishermen from the east coast. The Expo has vendors that have great deals on tackle and equipment, boats for you to see, and even a fishing tank for the kids to try their hand at catching live fish. If you cannot make the Raleigh show, then try to attend the Richmond Fishing Expo located at the Virginia State Fairgrounds in Doswell, VA. The Richmond Expo is January 17-19 and offers the same quality event as the one in Raleigh.

Since fishing is a bit slower this time of year, now is the time to do a few things that will allow you to be successful when the fishing season starts in full swing. The first thing I do is have my reels serviced during this down time. When you get them back, go ahead and bite the bullet and respool your reel with new line. Once that is done, make a quick inspection of your rods to make sure all the guides are smooth and they have no burrs or cracks in them that would cause your line to be cut when you are reeling in a fish. Also make sure the tip is not loose. Also, now is the time to check your tackle and buy anything you may need replaced in your tackle boxes. If you own a boat, now is the perfect time to have your boat serviced because most marinas have low work volume during the winter months. Why wait until it gets warm only to be put on the list to be called when a slot is open? This is also a great time to have your trailer serviced so it will also be ready to roll when the fish start to bite. Be sure to check your life jackets, fire extinguishers, flares and other safety equipment to make sure they have not expired and are in good working order. Call your local Coast Guard Auxiliary to have them inspect your boat and give you a 2020 inspection sticker. This inspection is free and it is a good service to use to make sure your safety equipment is working and functional. Now is also a great time to purchase a membership for SeaTow or TowBoat US as an insurance policy in case you breakdown on the water. A membership in one of these services will get you a free tow back to the dock should you have engine problems. If you prepare now in the dead of winter, you will be ready to hit the water when the spring bite starts.

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By Aaron Kelly Hope everyone had a great holiday season! It’s cold it’s January. Bluefin tuna are waiting for you offshore. Only gonna be a few weather days this month to get out there with calm enough seas. Trolling horse ballyhoo with heavy headed skirts seem to be the standard method. Maybe pull a naked hoo way back. One or two flat line ballyhoo with skirts. Then a planer with a sea witch n hoo for covering the deep. Meat hog fishing makes a 4-8 ounce bullet style head you get tied or tie yourself. You slide that over the horse ballyhoo. The green head one was a big seller last season. You might also encounter a stray yellowfin, mako, or bigeye. Pushing to the calmer waters look to the sounds for some light tackle striper fishing. Rattle traps in blue, chrome or gold are good choices. Mann’s stretches in blue back or red and white also work well. I also like smithwicks rattling rogue stickbaits. These suspending baits entice baits when waters are cold and fish lethargic. Most of these baits can be found at any of our local tackle shops! So go in buy a few lures and some great info. Stay warm, have fun and go fishing!

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BOATING & TOWING:

Proper Boat Navigation Lighting

By John Tiger

If you have a boat, chances are you don’t limit your use to daytime fun only; a dusk or nighttime cruise can be a great way to relax and spend an enjoyable few hours after dinner. Whether you’re on a little pond, a wide river or a big lake, you must be safe and legal on your nighttime sojourns. In this article, we’ll look at proper and legal navigation lighting for your boat. COAST GUARD REGS A quick look at the US Coast Guard regulations (http://www.boatus.com/ boattech/articles/coast-guard-requirements.asp) or http://www.uscgboating. org/images/420.PDF (starting on Page 27) shows that navigation lights are required between sunset and sunrise. USCG regulations are segregated for boats under and over 12 meters (39.4 feet) in length. Most Coastal Angler readers will really only be concerned with rules for typical runabouts, fishing boats, pontoons and cruisers in the 10 to 30-foot range. For powerboats that fit in this size range, sailboats under power (or combination power and sail) should display the same lights as powerboats. Sailboats (and also rowboats, canoes, and other paddle/oar powered craft) under 23 feet in length must at least be able to display a white light (such as a flashlight or lantern) that can be displayed in time to prevent collision. Generally, navigation lights must be clearly visible at dusk and at night and in periods of low visibility (fog, etc.). They must be operable by the vessel captain, and installed/positioned in such fashion so that the bow lights (red for port, green for starboard) and the stern light (also called the anchor light) are securely installed and easily visible by other boaters. No other lights can interfere with the direct line of vision of these navigation lights. The anchor light must be elevated above the stern of the boat. What about when you’re anchored, maybe fishing or just taking a quick break? At night or in low visibility, the stern/anchor light must be displayed, and it must be visible 360 degrees—in all directions.

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WHAT TYPE? Navigation and anchor lights are readily available at marine dealers, online resellers, and catalog retailers. There are literally dozens of types, sizes and brands to choose from. Newest are LED lights that use less power and provide better, brighter and longer-lasting illumination. Bow lights are available in permanent and removable styles, even separate green/red or combined. Stern lights are also available in permanent mount or removable styles. INSTALLATION While many shy away from anything electrical, installing 12-volt navigation lights is an easy and quick job. Required is 12-volts positive power and a negative ground. Each light has a positive and negative wire. After installing the light, both wires are run to the dash area, where the positive wires are connected to an on/off switch and the negative wires directly to a ground post. That’s it; the dash switch operates the lights such that you can turn on the anchor/stern light only (for at-night anchoring or mooring), or both anchor and navigation lights. DO’s/DON’T’s 1) While the anchor light may be bright enough to interfere with nighttime vision, never black out or otherwise block it from forward visibility. An oncoming boat may not see yours as a result. 2) Never anchor or moor without displaying the anchor light. 3) Check your lights at the beginning of each season for proper operation. In their tough operating environment, lights can lose continuity, spiders and other bugs make nests inside the light housings, and bulbs can burn out. Make sure they’re working before you head out. 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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CATCHIN’& COOKIN’ JIM BAUGH’S RECIPE OF THE MONTH

CHICHARRONS ROCKFISH KETO STYLE

For those of us who love fried fish but are cutting on carbs I have found a perfect recipe for battering up fish. Get yourself a bag of Chicharrons (Pork rinds) and be sure to get the traditional non flavored style. The BBQ and Hot varieties have added sugar. To prepare, put the pork rinds in a large zip lock bag and then take a pounder/hammer and start whacking at those rinds until they are crush up really good. After all the rinds are pounded out, add 1 cup of almond flour and what ever seasonings you like. I typically just add some garlic powder, good salt, little pepper, and some seafood seasoning. Mixed it all up. Coat your fish with an egg wash and then dredge the filet in the coating. This really is a fantastic way to bread fish and I think is way better than just flour. With this recipe the coating is for the most part zero carbs and no sugar and it taste fantastic. Enjoy.

SEA CAT IS BACK AND ROCKIN’ THE NEW YEAR! by Jim Baugh reporting from Oyster Farm at Kings Creek, Cape Charles VA Jim Baugh Outdoors TV is proud to announce our new marine sponsor for 2020 Sea Cat Boats! This really is quite a thrill for me and I have always been a fan of Sea Cat. These boats were very popular in and around the Chesapeake years back and they had a strong reputation of being an extremely seaworthy boat. I also loved watching Dr. Jim Wright fish out of his old Sea Cat on TV. I believe his family has since restored that original Sea Cat and is back on the water. The boat had been out of production for over a decade and now Sea Cat is back with new owners and a new redesigned boat that is probably the best vessel available for both offshore and bay fishing. A stylish 26-foot boat with only a 14-inch draft and she packs 120 gallons of fuel which is plenty to offshore fish especially around the Mid-Atlantic and Gulf Coast. The 26 is just the perfect size boat to handle the chop in the bay or the heavy seas offshore. Simply put, the new Sea Cat is a fishing machine. We will be debuting Sea Cat on Jim Baugh Outdoors TV at the Mami International Boat Show in Feb 2020 so look for our feature on social media and on JBOTV on Amazon Prime Video worldwide. For more info on Sea Cat just visit their web site at https://www.theseacatboat.com/ They are also on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/seacatboat/. Check out their new black hull. Super schweet! Jim Baugh Outdoors TV is now streaming broadcast on Amazon Prime Video. These new shows are re-mastered and are commercial free, closed captioned and are the highest quality presentation of JBOTV anywhere. To find our shows simply go to Amazon and search Jim Baugh Outdoors TV and our series will pop right up or the direct link is www.amazon.com/JimBaugh-Outdoors-TV/dp/B07Z9W2VDN. The Rockfish Shootout was held last month at the Oyster Farm and there were a lot of happy anglers. Over $22,000 bucks was handed out to the winners and the bite was on! One team drove from Oklahoma to fish the tourney and they caught and released well over 100 fish and they placed 4th in the event. As always Mike Standing and his crew put on one fine tournament event. Congrats to all the winners and look for the feature on Jim Baugh Outdoors Amazon Prime Video. If you are looking to escape on a great get away, there is no finer place to dine than the Oyster Farm Seafood Eatery. It is located right on the Chesapeake Bay and is home to Kings Creek Marina. The Oyster Farm also has a fantastic and huge dry storage facility for boats and even farm equipment. So if you are looking for that perfect storage facility, contact the Oyster Farm on the Eastern Shore of Virginia www. theoysterfarmatkingscreek.com. Happy New Year Everybody! 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

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AREA ANGLER CLUBS In 2008, a group of men gathered on the Outer Banks with the purpose of organizing a club for fishing and called themselves the Outer Banks Anglers Club (OBXAC). They consisted of small boat recreational fishermen who wanted a club where they could share fishing stories and learn from each other. They created and adopted bylaws that stated the club was formed “for the entertainment and education” of the membership that would “promote safety, good fellowship and true sportsmanship of their members.” OBXAC began with about eight members and grew to over a hundred members in a few years. They just recently celebrated a decade anniversary of fulfilling those ideals the charter members created. I have been a member since 2011 when I joined at the ripe age of 12! The OBXAC meets the last Monday of every month at the Kern-Pitts Center located behind the Southern Shores Town Hall at 7:00 pm. The meetings are open to anyone, whether they are an experienced fisherman or those who are just starting out. At each meeting, the club has a monthly guest speaker that may be a member, a local fishing captain, biologists, state or local marine agencies, or has a connection with fishermen. Also, members will discuss their fishing trips and share information and sometimes pictures from the trips. Every month, members will submit their exemplary catches for the Fish of the Month contest. During the break, refreshments are served and members and guests can network. After the break, a short business meeting is conducted and ends with a raffle for a $50 gift certificate from TW’s Bait and Tackle, as well as a 50/50 raffle. The club also conducts several fishing tournaments for its members during the year. There is a Catfish Tournament in early spring, a Cobia/ Dolphin Tournament in May and June, a Speckled Trout/Puppy Drum/ Flounder Tournament in August and September. The last tourney of the year is the Striped Bass/Rockfish Tournament which generally lasts for a couple of months to give everyone an opportunity to participate. Awards and cash prizes are awarded for each tournament. In addition to tournaments, the club has an annual Pig Pickin’, an Oyster Roast and an Annual Awards Banquet. The OBXAC has taken the lead and formed a committee and was awarded a grant from the NCDMF to create a new Artificial Reef that will be about 6 miles south of Oregon Inlet. Terry and Robin Stewart, owners of TW’s Bait and Tackle, made a very generous donation in support of the new reef. TW’s Bait and Tackle has also been a strong supporter of the club for the last 11 years. The club also supports the annual Fritz Boyden Youth Fishing Tournament every June, the Beach Food Pantry, and the Southern Shores Fire Department. So, if you are in the area and want to join a club that promotes and supports fishing, then we hope to see you there! Check out the club’s webpage http://www.outerbanksanglersclub.com for more information about the club.

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.

Come visit the Virginia Beach Anglers Club. We meet thefirst 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 Tidewater Anglers Club (TAC) was founded in February of 1941 at a meeting at the Monticello Hotel in Norfolk, Virginia. The objectives of the TAC were the same then as they are today—to promote legislation and fishing practices that effectively provide protection of the environment and our resources. TAC is an organization that influences the customs and practices for the conservation and propagation of fish and kindred creatures. The TAC organization is committed to the promotion of true sportsmanship among all fishermen along with providing entertainment and education for its members. The club has grown into a truly multi-disciplined angling organization with almost equal individual and family memberships. Each year there are 11 monthly membership meetings and an Annual Awards Banquet. There are also club activities such as tournaments, family fishing days, a fish fry and other events which allow members to gather for fun and fellowship. The monthly meetings are held on the second Tuesday of each month at 7:00 p.m. at Bayside Presbyterian Church, 1400 Ewell Road, Virginia Beach, VA. (Intersection of Independence Blvd. and Ewell Rd.) Guests are always welcome and we usually serve light refreshments. Monthly meetings always include an educational talk or presentation on some aspect of fishing. Also members submit fishing contest forms and this information is used to select the winners of our annual trophies. The club maintains a record of all fish reported to determine club records. Special events bring everyone together for some fun and relaxation. These include hot dog and chili nights, our annual fish fry and our annual awards banquet for the awarding of the fish trophies. We welcome you to join the Tidewater Anglers Club. We are a group of about 100 members, of various levels of fishing experience, ranging from those of us who have not purchased their first fishing rod or tackle box or own a boat to those of us who have been fishing for over 60 years. For more information, please call Mr. Leslie Parr at 757-593-8853 or go to our website at www.tidewateranglersclub.org.

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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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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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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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he Regata Storica started in 1489, when the beautiful Caterina Cornaro, wife of the King of Cyprus, renounced her Cypriot throne in favor of Venice. The people of Venice welcomed her with a parade of elaborately-decorated gondolas, in a rainbow of popping colors. Every year since, the spirit of 1489 is recaptured in those world-famous canals when the famous Regata is repeated. Our Cornaro Necklace is the essence of Venice, with the revelry of the Regata channeled into one perfect piece of jewelry. The gorgeous colors recall the Regata itself, and the 59 beads of authentic Murano are the only thing as historic and uniquely Venice as those gondolas. Each necklace is handmade by the legendary Murano glassmakers, where the proud Venetian tradition has been passed down from generation to generation, dating back to before the city threw that first famous party for Caterina.

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