NC Bass on the Fly

[Wild Bill]

Simon and I headed down to Rudee Inlet Sunday morning with the idea of fishing the afternoon and then moving on to Oregon Inlet Sunday night if we could not find a good slug of fish. The idea was to use the fly rod as much as possible. We found plenty of birds and fish just south of Corolla. What a beautiful sight. We were in fish until we headed back to the inlet about 4 PM--nice strong fat NC stripers.

http://home.ptd.net/~bschotta/birds1.jpg

Monday we ran south about 35 miles in a moderate SW breeze finding a good load of fish again. It seemed that the morning bite was strong, the middle of the day slower but OK and the afternoon frantic. It is hard to leave biting fish but we left them about 4 again for the ride home.

http://home.ptd.net/~bschotta/s3.jpg
Simon with a Typical NC Striper

We were concerned about the NE 10-15 wind predicted on Tuesday. Decided to stick our nose out and see what it was like. Fortunately the inlet was easy and the breeze not strong. The northeast wind really turned them on. Found fish only 18 miles south on a long finger bar. The fish were very aggressive and stayed within one mile all day. One of those incredible days when the fish were pushing the bait out of the water and traveling in "rat packs" near the surface. We were able to cast to small pods of fish and they were not fussy at all. We stayed with our sinking lines and streamers but did not wait for it to sink. Fish would hit the fly as soon as we started to strip. Stayed a little later because we were close to the ramp.

Wednesday started with thick fog. We went out the inlet and slowly hugged the shoreline heading south. After about 20 minutes the fog lifted and we could run 35 MPH. Stopped at the Tuesday spot and it was loaded with charters trolling but few fish. We did not connect. Saw a few fish caught trolling but not many. Headed south and wound up fishing near Corolla the rest of the day. This was our last day and it was hard to leave biting fish but we quit about 4 for the run back.

http://home.ptd.net/~bschotta/rg2.jpg
An Average Fish for this Trip

http://home.ptd.net/~bschotta/s2.jpg
Plenty of Fish Like This

http://home.ptd.net/~bschotta/S1.jpg
Cookie Cutter Fish Right Now in NC

This is pretty easy fishing right now if you get the weather. The main thing is willingness to run. We traveled 320 miles in the boat in four days. The FS Yammy purred like a kitten and sipped fuel.

If you fish enough and are fortunate, you have a chance to land a fish on the fly that is a little better than the rest. I have been very lucky in the past 14 months to land a 32 pound striper at the CBBT, a 38 in the Susky Flats and on this trip a 40. It was caught on a 9 " light blue, chartreuse and white all bucktail half and half with 1/4 oz Ibalz eyes. The rod was a 10 wt Loomis GLX and the reel a Ross Canyon Big Game 5. The line was a SA Custom Tip Express, tippet 25 # FC.

Forty pound fish are sure a lot harder to hold now than 30 years ago. [wink] I really did not do a very good job of it, but did get a few pics. All fish on this trip were released to swim another day and be caught again, hopefully by you and on a fly.

Will try to return to NC very soon.

http://home.ptd.net/~bschotta/46inch5.jpg

http://home.ptd.net/~bschotta/46inch6.jpg

[SageBoy]

Ugh! If I wasn't already dreaming about them returning! :rolleyes: Nice work gents. Great way to spend a day in January. Those are some beautiful fish! Especially that last one. :eek:

[Lov2Fish]

Fantastic action! Great pictures! And best of all EXCELLENT catch! --127-3- If I didn't use up all my vacation time , my boat and trailer would be heading south. My arm doesn't have to be twisted! Great report, put a smile on my face after a long day of work!

[Wild Bill]

Thanks luv2-

This is my second year for fishing NC in Jan. It is the best bass fishing I have encountered. Planning to give it another shot on Sunday if the weather cooperates. It is going to be hard to beat the last trip, but if we catch half as many it will still be a good trip.

[Slappy]

Nice post! That was a fun read.

Lunch is so much better with a good reel-time post!

[Ray]

Nice Report!!!

Sounds like a great trip!!!

[itsmoderating]

Glad to see someone still fishing. Keep catching! Still some bass being caught off the Rockaway's & Sandy Hook but nothing as big as your monsters of the deep. see you in the spring
Good Luck and Good Fishing on Sunday

[Wild Bill]

Its-

I was very thankful for catching those fish, but I think it is possible to hit a small school down there where all fish are 30 to 50 pounds. Years ago before fishing for stripers became popular in the Susquehana Flats, we would run into schools where all fish were 40 and above. That is when I caught my two 50's. Unfortunately I was not fly fishing then. We used big 9/0 and 11/0 Crippled Alwife spoons cast on a 7' rod with some backbone. I used to custom make the rods. That was before braid also. I used Penn SS 6500 reels spooled with 17 pound Trilene XL and a 40 pound leader to heave those magnum spoons. It was usually in 4'-6' of water and the big fish would often jump on the spoons as soon as they landed. My boat was small and I frequently got a tow out of the fish.

Now with all the development, the runnoff normally makes it muddy in the spring and there are often over 100 boats in a relatively small area. I will never see those schools of big fish in the Susky Flats again. You can catch a stray on occasion if you are lucky. The ocean still has the potential for those special fish.

[Lov2Fish]

It's shame about the big "boom" in striper fishing! So many guys fishing the regular spots, I try and constantly look for new locations. If you released those 50's I'm kinda glad you got them on heavy rods, since the fly rods would have probably tired them to exhaustion, and even though they swim away, some do not make it! I too remember the massive schools of stripers. Too bad nothing good lasts forever! Now I just use lighter tackle and get the same fight! Tight Lines!

[tom crowley]

I stopped fishing for bass the day the season ended in NY I'm sure they are still in season in N C but i can't understand why guys keep fishing for them out of season with all the data about catch and release?

[Lov2Fish]

Catch and release works, it's a proven fact to me. I tag many fish and get a high return ratio. So I'm positive it works. Also when the water is cold the fish have a much higher percentage of servival, there is very little lactic acid build up. So whats the problem with it? All of my fishing is done with lures, not bait so fish are almost always lip hooked. Every authority I spoke to, told me as long as your not keeping them they don't have a problem, and if they did they need to get a life!

[tom crowley]

That's not what I've read .I agree that the colder the water the better ,why have seasons if the only difference is that we don't throw them in the boat

[Wild Bill]

Hi Tom-

It is the striper season in NC. Two fish a day over 28" is the limit. The water was 46 degrees when the fish were caught. Single barbless hooks were used by us and the fish were very lively when released. I also use ten wts with 25# fluorocarbon to land fish quickly. Because the season is closed in one section of the country does not mean it is closed in the entire country.

I guess we should not go to the Bahamas and catch and release bones either this time of year because the NY striper season is closed.

I fish Montauk in October also and see loads of huge cows brought in every day caught by live lining porgies. It is perfectly legal but certainly puts a dent in the big breeders. Whether big fish are killed in October or November at Montauk or January in NC does not make much difference. They are still dead fish. At least careful catch and release in winter gives the fish an excellent chance of survival.

Posting reports and pics of good fish on message boards usually draws a few sour comments. That is why you do not see many guys sharing what they are doing.

Leaving for NC on Tuesday.

[tom crowley]

Bill, the original post was not about catching fish in season .It was about guys up here who are still out there fishing .What is the sense for a season if you keep pressuring the fish.
I'm leaving for Florida in a week.

[Wild Bill]

OK, Teach. Why then attach your comments to a thread about fly fishing in season and releasing fish in NC?

As long as it is legal, I try to follow the philosophy espoused by Zane Gray many years ago.

"A good rule of angling philosophy is not to interfere with any fisherman’s ways of being happy, unless you want to be hated." -Zane Grey, Tales of Fishes, 1919

Our situation is certainly different today and we need to question some things for the sake of the resource. Hopefully, we express ourselves through proper channels where it may do some good. Very little changes by airing complaints on message boards.

I worked for several years in MD developing testimony and testifying to both the House of Delegates and the Senate over a bass and environmental issue that was just plain wrong. We had some success in making changes.

Good luck in FL.

[Nassau Frank]

Get em Bill! Great looking fish!

[Albiemanmike]

WB,

Excellent fish and on the fly that is even sweeter.

"A good rule of angling philosophy is not to interfere with any fisherman’s ways of being happy, unless you want to be hated." -Zane Grey, Tales of Fishes, 1919

Zane Grey's comment is priceless and I am going to remember that one, thanks for sharing that one.

[ruge13]

Wow! Lucky guys, great report!

[JackStraw]

Pretty, pretty work fellas!! Congrats and I bet that was some fun! --127-3-

[Wild Bill]

Hi Jack-

The mild winter this year provided some world class bass fishing in NC and VA waters within the three mile limit. I think the bass are there each winter but some years the cold pushes them into the deeper warmer water beyond the three mile limit. The fish were there for three solid months.

Those fish have now moved up the Chesapeake Bay and up along the coast. Guys now are catching them outside Ocean City MD. They are definitely headed north now. Length of daylight (regardless of temperature) tells the fish it is time to get going. A buddy of mine caught them about a mile from shore in 41 degree water. They were not real active at that temp but definitely feeding with gannets over them. I may try them this week in MD if we get the right weather.