ruge13
07-08-2003, 10:54 AM
I spent the last week on the OBX in NC. I stayed with the family at the southern end of Nags head by the 64/12 split.
First, thanks to Capt Dave from Cape Lookout Charters (RT sponsor) who emailed me and gave me some pointers...Thanks a lot Dave! Unfortunately I couldn't get down that far for a charter but he and some people from his site were very helpful. Thanks again.
I should have taken advantage of the calm weather before hurricane Bill passed by on Monday and Tuesday and fished the sound side. Anyway, as for the sound and even Oregon inlet, at least on the inside out to the tip of the jetties and over towards the pond and propeller slough the general consensus from the local community, at least the guys I talked to was too dirty. Too much rain and too dirty water. Instead of the usual yellowy brown water with about 1 foot of visibility there was a brown to black water with 6 inches or less visibility. So that's my excuse for an otherwise relatively disappointing series of outings. Total tally was a couple of small flounder and bluefish drifting chart over white Clousers over sandbars in the flowing water in Oregon inlet on the jetty side by the tip. Also picked up the largest fish of the week, this monster bluefish off the tip of the southern jetty. I did start using a 2 fly dropper system that seemed to be effective since I picked up fish on both of the flies at different times. I also fished the sound looking for small Reds and Speckled trout, but later in the week after the storms passed and the wind really kicked up. Made for a sweet 20knt in your face wind even at 5am. So, I poked around Bodie island light at sunrise and worked the little stream outflows and flooded grass banks praying for a trout because for 3 years now I have never been able to catch one. Nada. Talked to a charter boat drifting close to shore and he said its been pretty bad with the water clarity. So again, that's my excuse. This time, 2 fly rig, but small 1 or 2" Copper and brown clousers with copper flash (recommended by locals) bounced along the bottom along the shore lines, and out into the channels. Later in the week I headed down to Hatteras for sunset. Did a little shore fishing with larger 3-4" chart over white clousers but pulled up nothing more than large hunks of grass. Typically frustrating given the jumping blues and diving birds in the surf but I couldn't even hook one of those...Finished the week fighting the wind on the sound side of the Oregon bridge working dropping tides with the eddy and rip that sets up just off that small jetty before the crowd shows up for sheepshead. I was usually gone by 5:30 or 6am. On the sound side, especially bodie island (great crabbing spot if you can stand the bugs) areas, if you are going to fish there in low light, bring a bee keepers suit and a gallon of bug spray to take a bath in. The hum from the mosquitoes is so loud you can hear it over people talking.
Enough about my sad week, what I heard from guys talking and reports from the marinas and shops was that offshore, Cobia are around, Pirates Cove had its cobia tourney this weekend. Wrecks are holding the usual Amberjack. Mahi are around as usual and yellow fin close to shore. Fly guys are also occasionally getting swords here and there. Tarpon down south of hatteras.
The highlight of the week was the second to last day around 7pm. I was looking out towards the rough water churning around outside the inlet jealous of the boats that could get close while I was drooling. Since I had seen a few tails swipe close to the rocks a few days before of what I thought might be stripers, and saw a guy land two, all I could think was how there must be stripes in that wash. Anyway, As I was drooling I saw some surface breaks. Thought they might be stripes or probably bluefish. Then I saw one go flailing through the air. Pretty cool site but not a typical feeding jump, this was an "I need to get the hell out of hear" kind of jump a couple feet in the air and a distance of 5 or more feet. So now I am confused, I have never heard of large blues feeding like that, they must be on to something quick. This is about 200 yds or more from the jetty but this was large enough to look fairly close and get a good long look at it. So this goes on for 1 or 2 more breaks and splashes, and then I saw it. I am not sure if it was a yellow fin, probably since they are around an known to be close to the inlet. But there was no mistake to the three of us that were standing out there, this was a tuna of some sort. Big fat forked tail and football shaped came a good 3 or 4 feet out of the water, tail beating like crazy! I almost crapped my pants and was debating weather I could make a swim for it and stand on that bar where the water was churning...didn't happen. I am guessing this fish was about 3/4 my size. I have heard people say they see big ones jump, this was by no means a giant, but it was one of the more amazing sites I have ever seen. Even my girlfriend who was with me and really couldn'care less about fishing was amazed and wanted to see more. Kept me casting well into dark...
The other guy who was out there immediately went to his cell phone and the last thing I heard was "ya'll aint never gonna belive this s***t!"
First, thanks to Capt Dave from Cape Lookout Charters (RT sponsor) who emailed me and gave me some pointers...Thanks a lot Dave! Unfortunately I couldn't get down that far for a charter but he and some people from his site were very helpful. Thanks again.
I should have taken advantage of the calm weather before hurricane Bill passed by on Monday and Tuesday and fished the sound side. Anyway, as for the sound and even Oregon inlet, at least on the inside out to the tip of the jetties and over towards the pond and propeller slough the general consensus from the local community, at least the guys I talked to was too dirty. Too much rain and too dirty water. Instead of the usual yellowy brown water with about 1 foot of visibility there was a brown to black water with 6 inches or less visibility. So that's my excuse for an otherwise relatively disappointing series of outings. Total tally was a couple of small flounder and bluefish drifting chart over white Clousers over sandbars in the flowing water in Oregon inlet on the jetty side by the tip. Also picked up the largest fish of the week, this monster bluefish off the tip of the southern jetty. I did start using a 2 fly dropper system that seemed to be effective since I picked up fish on both of the flies at different times. I also fished the sound looking for small Reds and Speckled trout, but later in the week after the storms passed and the wind really kicked up. Made for a sweet 20knt in your face wind even at 5am. So, I poked around Bodie island light at sunrise and worked the little stream outflows and flooded grass banks praying for a trout because for 3 years now I have never been able to catch one. Nada. Talked to a charter boat drifting close to shore and he said its been pretty bad with the water clarity. So again, that's my excuse. This time, 2 fly rig, but small 1 or 2" Copper and brown clousers with copper flash (recommended by locals) bounced along the bottom along the shore lines, and out into the channels. Later in the week I headed down to Hatteras for sunset. Did a little shore fishing with larger 3-4" chart over white clousers but pulled up nothing more than large hunks of grass. Typically frustrating given the jumping blues and diving birds in the surf but I couldn't even hook one of those...Finished the week fighting the wind on the sound side of the Oregon bridge working dropping tides with the eddy and rip that sets up just off that small jetty before the crowd shows up for sheepshead. I was usually gone by 5:30 or 6am. On the sound side, especially bodie island (great crabbing spot if you can stand the bugs) areas, if you are going to fish there in low light, bring a bee keepers suit and a gallon of bug spray to take a bath in. The hum from the mosquitoes is so loud you can hear it over people talking.
Enough about my sad week, what I heard from guys talking and reports from the marinas and shops was that offshore, Cobia are around, Pirates Cove had its cobia tourney this weekend. Wrecks are holding the usual Amberjack. Mahi are around as usual and yellow fin close to shore. Fly guys are also occasionally getting swords here and there. Tarpon down south of hatteras.
The highlight of the week was the second to last day around 7pm. I was looking out towards the rough water churning around outside the inlet jealous of the boats that could get close while I was drooling. Since I had seen a few tails swipe close to the rocks a few days before of what I thought might be stripers, and saw a guy land two, all I could think was how there must be stripes in that wash. Anyway, As I was drooling I saw some surface breaks. Thought they might be stripes or probably bluefish. Then I saw one go flailing through the air. Pretty cool site but not a typical feeding jump, this was an "I need to get the hell out of hear" kind of jump a couple feet in the air and a distance of 5 or more feet. So now I am confused, I have never heard of large blues feeding like that, they must be on to something quick. This is about 200 yds or more from the jetty but this was large enough to look fairly close and get a good long look at it. So this goes on for 1 or 2 more breaks and splashes, and then I saw it. I am not sure if it was a yellow fin, probably since they are around an known to be close to the inlet. But there was no mistake to the three of us that were standing out there, this was a tuna of some sort. Big fat forked tail and football shaped came a good 3 or 4 feet out of the water, tail beating like crazy! I almost crapped my pants and was debating weather I could make a swim for it and stand on that bar where the water was churning...didn't happen. I am guessing this fish was about 3/4 my size. I have heard people say they see big ones jump, this was by no means a giant, but it was one of the more amazing sites I have ever seen. Even my girlfriend who was with me and really couldn'care less about fishing was amazed and wanted to see more. Kept me casting well into dark...
The other guy who was out there immediately went to his cell phone and the last thing I heard was "ya'll aint never gonna belive this s***t!"