--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Howdy folks!!! Well, our journey continued
as we headed from Hampton on down to Broad Creek from the Phish festivities.
Caught a CAT nap in the truck and then met up with Jim Baugh and his buddy
Bill for some offshore action. We were rollin' down the sound at 6:45am with
the parade of boats pouring out of Pirate's Cove for the Tourney. It was a
truly amazing site to behold as some of the finest fishing machines from the
mid-Atlantic region cruised thru the channel and headed for open waters. As
we broke free of the inlet the only thing toying with the boat was the tremendous
amount of wake action being generated by all of those vessels. There was zero
wind and only the hint of a SE swell as we motored S down the beach. There
were tons of bait schools and some inviting rips in about 100' of water but
we stayed our course and when we arrived at the 100 fathom line we discovered
seemingly perfect angling condtions.... You can NEVER judge a book by it's
cover... NEVER! We fished this incredible rip with grass, 83* Gulf water pushing
against a 2 degree break into a lesser shade of blue,upwelling currents, birds.....
but very few nibbles for us and the other boats in this area. Very disheartening.
We had a few bites in 1 10minute window and finally scored a Wahoo of around
30lbs; Bill's first. Way to go Bill!!! Worked both sides of the rip hard,
running 9 lines, keeping the baits clean, and continously in 'the zone', all
to no avail. The fishies would just not cooperate. There was even mention
by one of the charter fleet that even the Bailer's had lock jaw, which is
not a good sign at all. So we worked inshore over more rips, upwellings, temperature
breaks, and depth changes until around 1:30pm when we called it a day. It
just wasn't happening. The weather was too perfect it seemed. The ride back
was easy as could be, albeit quiet for our disappointment. Going to try with
JB again in September and hopefully we'll be able to get some footage for
the camera. Ofcourse, it'll probably be snotty as all get out, but the fishing
will hopefully be much improved. Fish On
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Laughing so hard, the devil gets scared....
Zigh
><((((*>
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Thanks for checking in fishing friends!! Made the journey to the Stream today
with high expectations after having to endure 2 blow days, and coming off
a decent 4 day Tuna streak. We were passing thru the inlet at 6:15am and plodded
our way thru the SW swell and winds of around 15-20kts., to arrive at the
430/ 800 area around 8:45am. The beautiful color change that had defined the
Gulf Stream on our last voyage(4/4) was a forgotten memory, and we met with
cool 68* blended water to start the days fishing. The chatter on the radio
was at a minimum for lack of any consistent bites along the current edge while
we prepared for the task at hand. There were probably 20 boats working a stretch
from The Point area southward several miles. Capt. Paul found us a nice piece
of 69.8* blue water and we set the 9 line spread. We ran 3 flats with small
Trackers(black/ purple, blue/ white, and blue/ silver Mylar), an in-line with
24oz.'s of weight and sweetened with a 'hoo on a silver/ purple Mylar jet
head, the shorts were bird/ squid chain combos(yellow bird/ green and pink
chain attached to pink and black Tracker and the other was a green bird/ pink
Sea Witch chain), and our longs were Sea Witches in assorted color blends.
The baits farther back in the spread saw the most action today, the shorts
being the position of choice. We had many strikes that never came tight including
a 5 line knockdown that only resulted in 1 fat YFT. Results from the fleet
were mixed with from zero to 12 fish at noontime. The morning hours produced
8 good Yellowfin's for us that were a class above the fish we had previously
been seeing ranging from 35-45lbs. We had several multiple strikes with only
one double catch. The in-line and the bird/ chain combos were the ticket for
today, collecting 5 of 8 fishies. We were graced with the presence of lots
of porpoise during the sunshine filled day, but absent were sharks, whales,
and birds. We slinked along the developing color change in the afternoon,
and had a couple of shoppers including a small Billfish(we think), but couldn't
convince them to buy. At 2:15pm we cranked them in and made our way NW for
the inlet while the SW wind fell out and lulled us onward. Back at the dock
around 7pm, and here I find myself talking to you good folks. Nice meeting
all of you good TF'ers, it's been a Tuna filled week that I won't forget.
Additionally, my hat's off to a true fishing friend, I am very thankful for
this great oppurtunity provided to me by my good buddy Capt. Paul. THANKS!!!
Fish On
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Laughing so hard, the devil gets scared....
Zigh
><((((*>
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Hello there fellow fish seekers, and THANKS for looking in! Today marked my
first go at angling for the 2004 season and it surely didn't disappoint. A
hearty crew of fisherman ambled aboard Big Minnow in a grumble of, "Brrrrr's",
and cold weather cursing, as the pre-dawn light began to streak the Tidewater
sky. A bitter chill hung in the winter air as we plowed through the viscous
waters of the Salt Pond's inlet at around 7am, and the biting cold was then
complimented by a steady 15-20kt N wind as we motored across the unprotected
Bay. The ever wary Capt. Paul steered us around the Cape, as the crew looked
on admiring things such as the glinting morning light, trapped on the curtains
in the instantaneously freezing sea spray. One minute it's a liquid, the next,
a solid. Isn't nature great boys and girls?! We kept cruising S with the wind
now at our backs and the sun growing above the horizon in a brilliant glow.
All the while in our travels, speak of large fish, Blue's and Striper's, made
the time pass easily despite the lack of chatter on the radio or birds in
the sky. We did mark a few bait pod's just off of Rudee Inlet in the 43* water,
but not worthy of stopping for. When we arrived at the Sandbridge area there
were some scattered Gannett's and a few marks in the now 45* water. We troll
S, W, N, and then E looking for fish and bait and finally at the 3 mile line
pick up 2 fish in the 30" class that we promptly returned to grow larger.
We ran our usual 6 line Striper spread, with 2 wire-line(mojo/Tomic), 2 Stretch
25's, a Stretch 30, and an Umbrella wtfb; most everything in chartreuse. The
fishing was slow up and down the coast from Cape Henry to Kitty Hawk, and
so we decided to look for some BIG Blue's for Jim Baugh and his trusty fillet
knife. As fate would have it, a few miles off of the beach things got interesting.
Birds, lots of birds, everywhere!! And FISH, too!! For the next several hours
we put a hurtin' on the hefty Striper's on every rig we could get wet. The
fishing was beautiful, just plain beautiful! A full screen, a melee of birds,
bent rods, and beaming smiles; it was Widespread Panic folks!!!! At one point
we had 5 fish on, and these fish were all going over 36" up to the 2
release citations at 44 1/4", and 46". We even scored a sweet 40"
fish on a 14lbs. spinnng outfit while jigging a 4oz. Stingsilver. AWESOME!!
ALL of the 40+ fish we landed today were released to fight again another day;
and even though we never did get Jim his toothy critter, I think he was pretty
pleased nonetheless..... So, with tired arms, cold feet, and an urge to be
at the dock before dark, the Big Minnow and fishy crew sped N and then W into
the waning sun. The day was a complete victory as we finished with 2 paper's
and had all of the pullage any man could want. We even lucked out and managed
fuel and an oil change before dark; now that's livin'!!! Thanks for reading
friends and Fish On
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Laughing so hard, the devil gets scared....
Zigh
posted on 1-Jan-2004 3:19:11 PM
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Happy New Years everyone. What a way to start the new year!! Well I was ZIGHless
today. We left at 7:15 to a beautiful Morning. Ran to 36.58/75.55 and dropped
them. Putting in our 3rd line the rattle trap starts to sing!!!!!!!! 37 incher
in the box! Well for the next two hours it was ON!! We caught 27 fish keeping
10 that were from 34-43 inches. Three were over 40 inches. We had 5 on twice
and multiples were common. All hit anything green. Only saw 8 boats in our
area that was nice too. The birds even put on a show to keep us in the right
direction. Well at 10:15 we had 3 on and I knew it was time to go home because
the guys were saying you get it... no you get it... no you get it. They were
tired!! So we headed for the barn at 10:25 am. BAck in Richmond at 2pm. Until
next time TIGHT LINES!!!!!!!!!!!! Pics up soon!
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Life is to short to own a little boat! A 1/2 truth is a whole lie!!--Capt
Paul\Big Minnow
2 0 0 3 post
posted on 30-Dec-2003 9:05:09 PM
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Hi there folks! Here's yet another *tail* for the fishy pages of Big Minnow's
history..... Journeyed out of Ye Olde Salt Pond's today at around 6:15am into
the swirling morning air. The 7 person crew today included Ted, Dr. Ike, Moe,
Rich, Bill, Capt. Paul, and myself. As the boat wallowed east toward the 4A
area, the splattered sunrise captured our gaze with it's brilliant orange
glow. The 46* ocean water was rolling out 2-3' waves swept on by 15-20kt SW
winds when we arrived to the area just N of the bouy and set the 6 line spread>>
2 wire(Mojo/ Tomic), 1 Stretch 30(chartreuse), 1 in-line Tomic(green), 1 umbrella
rig(chartreuse), and 1 Stretch 25(guess). We worked this area for some time,
and despite the lack of bait concentrations or bird activity we managed to
attract a very hungry 21" Flounder on the Tomic!! We also landed 2 Striper's,
one at 32" that was assailed by the Tomic on the combo, the other fish(25")was
set free. We trolled this spot for a couple of hours, and then scooted over
to the Cape Henry vicinity to try our luck. It was here that we scored a good
number of bites and fish in 35 feet of water with a temperature of 47*. The
fishing was hot for 2 hours on anything chartreuse in color. The Rock's especially
liked the umbrella rig we were running WTFB, so much so, that it enticed a
double of fish over 33" for Ted. He really enjoyed reeling those bad
boyz home; it was an awesome site! The Mojo/Tomic was a hot combo too, scoring
on the lead head and the trailer in either color. We had some success stopping
briefly over the bait marks and jigging the wire-lines slowly. A truly fantastic
feeling is had when a 35"+ fish pounces onto the rod in hand. BOING!!!
There was widespread panic in the pit for awhile amongst the flying scales
and streamers of mono.. In the end though, it was the anglers who prevailed
with a cooler full of finned beasts. The tally was 10 Striper's kept over
32", and up to a respectable 45" fish that pulled the needle to
35lbs, and his 43" brother to 32lbs.. We also had some missed bites and
pull off's during the bite which ended at around 2:45pm, and at 3:10pm we
were stowing rigs and snapping swivels for the ride home. We managed to weigh
the fish, get some photos, and hose the big beast down, all before the creeping
darkness had swallowed all of the precious winter sunset. Thanks to Capt.
Paul as always for having me along!! Dr. Ike, it was nice meeting you and
good to put a name to a face. Ted, GREAT job with the net man!! And you other
clowns
Fish On people, Fish On
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Laughing so hard, the devil gets scared....
Zigh
posted on 21-Dec-2003 8:27:19 PM
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Season's greetings TF'ers!! Here's the score for today's game, Big Minnow
vs. Striper. At 8:45am the Detroit gurggled comfortingly as it pushed Big
Minnow and crew down the creek, headed for points east. As we start our trek
across the Bay, the wind is huffing 10-15 from the WSW and the waves only
slight, increasing to moderate as we gain distance from shore. The 39* water
was a color resembling YooHoo....ugh! There was plenty of boat traffic and
chatter on the squawk box, but not much by way of fish. We stayed with our
plan and put lines in at CH in hopes of finding some rod benders. The radio
was not an encouraging instrument to listen to, as the bite seemed SLOW or
small, EverywherE!! After a brief time of no bait, bites, or birds we headed
for the 4th island area where we had found some fish earlier last week. The
water was up to 43.8* and there was a nice color change in the tideline from
YooHoo to YeeHaw. We worked the Bay side N and found a bite of decent fish.
First bite, first fish, and little Sam the Man scored a 41" beauty!!
The fish, which inhaled a broken-back Stretch25(chartreuse/blue), was nearly
as long as Sam is tall. NEAT STUFF!!!! So, the next bite came on a Stretch25
(chartreuse/green), and produced a nice 34" Striper for another young
fella aboard. Happy campers!! The next fish was 25" and unknowingly swallowed
the mojo/Striper sabiki combo, in white. Basically, this is an oversized sabiki
rig with bucktails and trailers in place of the flies. Place the mojo on the
bottom, and you're good to go. Then it was time to hit the school yard and
choose the fattest fish to stain the fish box. The kids had a hoot, and the
dad's did too, as we scored fish in 15ft-35ft of swift outgoing water. Nearly
every bait produced for us EXCEPT, the 3-way Storm. During the bite, we also
had 1 monster of a fish on for 30 seconds and then he pulled. That one I just
wish I'd seen...... We finished up with 10 in the box from 22"-41",
and released a good number as well. The shortest day of the year made itself
felt, as the light and temperature fell quickly on our run back to port. Everyone
wore a smile to help keep them warm; it worked. Fish On Friends
HAPPY HOLIDAZE FOLKS and MERRY CHRISTMAS
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Laughing so hard, the devil gets scared....
Zigh
posted on 17-Dec-2003 6:27:02 PM
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Hello there fishing friends, I'm back with yet another Striper report!! We
ventured out of Salt Pond's this AM under breezy and rainy conditions; ideal
for Striper fishing. Set out for the 4th island area and arrive to a calming
sea and zero other fisherman. We actually saw only 1 other fishing boat all
morning, and we have a super picture of it too... We checked out the area
over the tube first to see if we could spy any bait or fish on the screen.
There was little outgoing tide left, and also few marks. The visibility was
pretty poor which made hunting for birds somewhat difficult to impossible,
especially in the periods of torrential rain. We then made our way N along
the Bay side of the span running our 5 line spread. 2 wireline rigs(chartreuse
mojo/ green Tomic, 3-way chartreuse 6" Storm), 2 chartreuse Stretch 25's(broken
back), and 1 inline weighted Tomic. It wasn't long before the skunk jumped
off of the boat when we hooked up with a fat 24" fish on a Stretch; just
a little fella. Kept our course N and then began 3 hours of fish mania....
Despite few marks, we had several multiple hook-ups and constantly had a fish
on, aboard, or in the net. Man, it was a beautiful thing! The birds were around,
but never worked hard over anything but the schoolies. All but a few, of the
40 or so fish we caught, were over 30". It's a wonderful feeling to release
30" fish while having a cooler full of his larger cousins. Most fish
we kept were 32" up to 38". The Stretch's outfished the other baits
today 10 to 1. We jigged up a couple on a 4oz. Stingsilver too, just to add
to the fun and methods employed. Despite the now flat sea, a serious fog had
rolled in, and so when we pointed the old girl home at 11:15am it was pretty
eerie out there. We managed to outrun the next round of heavy precipitation
back to the fuel dock where we hoisted the cooler brimming with our 12 fat
boys to the dock. The fat fish had 4" Menhaden in their bellies. It was
a great day! I'm still left wondering though, where is the BIG bait?! Fish
On
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Laughing so hard, the devil gets scared....
Zigh
posted on 17-Dec-2003 6:27:02 PM
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Hello there fishing friends, I'm back with yet another Striper report!! We
ventured out of Salt Pond's this AM under breezy and rainy conditions; ideal
for Striper fishing. Set out for the 4th island area and arrive to a calming
sea and zero other fisherman. We actually saw only 1 other fishing boat all
morning, and we have a super picture of it too... We checked out the area
over the tube first to see if we could spy any bait or fish on the screen.
There was little outgoing tide left, and also few marks. The visibility was
pretty poor which made hunting for birds somewhat difficult to impossible,
especially in the periods of torrential rain. We then made our way N along
the Bay side of the span running our 5 line spread. 2 wireline rigs(chartreuse
mojo/ green Tomic, 3-way chartreuse 6" Storm), 2 chartreuse Stretch 25's(broken
back), and 1 inline weighted Tomic. It wasn't long before the skunk jumped
off of the boat when we hooked up with a fat 24" fish on a Stretch; just
a little fella. Kept our course N and then began 3 hours of fish mania....
Despite few marks, we had several multiple hook-ups and constantly had a fish
on, aboard, or in the net. Man, it was a beautiful thing! The birds were around,
but never worked hard over anything but the schoolies. All but a few, of the
40 or so fish we caught, were over 30". It's a wonderful feeling to release
30" fish while having a cooler full of his larger cousins. Most fish
we kept were 32" up to 38". The Stretch's outfished the other baits
today 10 to 1. We jigged up a couple on a 4oz. Stingsilver too, just to add
to the fun and methods employed. Despite the now flat sea, a serious fog had
rolled in, and so when we pointed the old girl home at 11:15am it was pretty
eerie out there. We managed to outrun the next round of heavy precipitation
back to the fuel dock where we hoisted the cooler brimming with our 12 fat
boys to the dock. The fat fish had 4" Menhaden in their bellies. It was
a great day! I'm still left wondering though, where is the BIG bait?! Fish
On
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Laughing so hard, the devil gets scared....
Zigh
posted on 14-Dec-2003 8:16:27 AM
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Hey there folks, here's my account of yesterday's voyage aboard Big Minnow.
Left the slip at 7am headed for Cape Henry with crew of Carp, Jimmy, Capt.
Paul, and myself. The wind was blustery and the Bay was frothing at the mouth
as we made our way passed the 1st and 2nd islands. There were many more boats
out than I thought to see, considering the conditions; it's funny what fish
will make some of us do. The radio indicated a slow bite of schoolies and
mixed larger fish by the 4th island and we wanted BIG fish, so we kept our
course and put lines in near the 4 bouy at CH. We ran 6 lines, 2 Stretch 25's,
2 Mojo/ Tomic rigs(wire), an inline weighted 6" Storm, and a Stretch
30. Mostly in chartreuse for color in the silty 46* water. We marked very
little bait in our time trolling and when we did it was in 35ft. of water.
We picked up 3 fish from 27 1/2" to 38", and missed 3-4 good bites.
The bites were primarily coming on the chartreuse/ green Stretch 30, and 25.
After the tide change and still no bait, birds, or fish, we head for the 4th
to add to the box. We used 3-way's with Storm baits and Stingsilver's(4oz.),
to pick up 10 more fish from 17" to 24" right over the tube. The
bait and birds were small, and so were the fish. I can't complain though because
that's fishing, and it's always great to get out with good people and just
be on the hunt. Real nice too, the wind laid down in the afternoon making
for a smooth ride home. The fishing was surprisingly slow and even though
a lot of folks marked bait inshore and around the 4th, it was smaller bait
than the good sized Menhaden we like to know the fish are eating. It left
me wondering, where are the BIG baitfish?! We'll give it another try real
soon. With 2 weeks and 2 days left in the season, I'm ready to hear about,
and catch, some bigger fish. Fish On
[ edited 1 time(s), last at 14-Dec-2003 6:18:23 AM ]
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Laughing so hard, the devil gets scared....
Zigh
posted on 9-Dec-2003 9:01:21 PM
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Greetings fellow anglers! I hope everyone is recovering from today's bout
with, 'angleritus'. Seems many folks had the bug today, and despite being
a beautiful day, fishing was a bit tough. We departed Salt Pond's marina at
9am this morning, breaking through a thin layer of ice as we pulled away from
the slip. We had a crew consisitng of Ted, Carp, Jimmy, Capt. Paul, and myself.
Den was supposed to join us, but I think he got the short end of the stick
in traffic. Sorry we missed you Den. The tide was at a lunar high as we made
our way out past the 3rd island. Actually, to our dismay it was still coming
in at 9:45am. The Capt. made the decision to steer towards CH, despite the
lack of birds or positive reports. The water was pretty ugly too, despite
being an ideal 47*. Boats were spread out from the High Rise S and E, to down
off of the resort strip, with little chatter. We set out our spread a little
N of the Cape and began a slow pick of decent fish after a short period of
no marks or bites. The hot color for the day was chartreuse. We nailed several
fish on Stretch 25's, and several others on the Tomic, while still a couple
more on the Mojo itself. The fish were up off the bottom a good 10ft. or so,
just under the real good bait marks at the 22ft. level. We fished the channel
edges hard until finally we had some steady marks and a few moments of pullage.
Well, even though the fish were few and far between, all the fish we did land
were very healthy looking. They ranged from 32"-36" and we finished
the day with 9 in the box. We also lost one at boatside and had 2 pull off's.
It seemed the Mojo's produced better when ran about 30ft. down instead of
right on bottom. Most of the strikes came from the 35ft.-45ft. depths, and
we only saw 1 surface fish all day. It was fun seeing so many familiar boat
names and getting and giving shout out's to fellow TF'ers. It was like a weekend
day out there. After boating our 9th fish for the afternoon about 1:45pm,
we decided to head towards home and check out the rumoured schoolie bite,
Bayside between the 2nd and 3rd. Arrived in that area to see a few birds working
a tide/ trash line and several boats. We briefly casted some smaller baits
out, but no bites after 5 or so minutes, and so we kept on our way. Arrived
back in time to beat the chill that was rapidly descending upon the water,
as the sun melted toward the horizon off to the W. We had the boat and gear
washed off lickity split, and called it a wrap. Even though the bite was lean
today, we had a real good time! The fellas we had aboard today were all good
peoples and everyone worked well together with few tangles or mishaps while
directing the 7 to 8 line spread. Thanks for a fun day guys! Fish On
[ edited 2 time(s), last at 9-Dec-2003 7:50:17 PM ]
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Laughing so hard, the devil gets scared....
posted on 4-Dec-2003 3:32:46 PM
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Howdy fish wranglers! Capt. Paul and crew made it out for some good pullage
this morning. Left Salt Pond's at 6:15am with little breeze to speak of. The
Bay was calm with only a puff or 2 rolling in from the E. The water was the
coldest I've seen yet at 48* in the Bay, and 51* at the CBBT. Since yesterday's
bite was slower, we opted not to run far and try the 3rd island area first.
The plan quickly changed as the awesome sunrise was streaked with flying things
off in the distance...... BIRDS, and LOTS of them. The action started out
just SE of the 3rd and was very steady. Tried to contact you Tim(plumbbob),
but had to leave you a message. The fish were feeding ravenously on the surface,
leaving huge holes in the water and showering bunker everywhere; a truly beautiful
thing. We had fish on every bait, color, and style of offering. The fish began
as schoolies and rapidly gave way to their older cousins. We were having doubles
and triples constantly, with the occaisional quadruple header just for complete
angler satisfaction. The majority of the fish came on surface baits, poppers,
and Storm's. The wireline hooked some fish, broke off 2 real good one's, and
had less overall success. The Tomic with in-line was crushed at one point
and that fish broke off after a drag(user) malfunction. The birds were constantly
on the move and fish could be seen boiling all over. It was fantastic watching
32" fish completely inhale lures attached with 12lbs. test; SPORTY!!
I have one lure they broke both sets of trebles off of. SWEET!!! Towards the
end of the AM we had worked N some, just a couple miles E of the 4th. The
Gannett's could be seen diving here and there in the melee of gulls and Pelicans,
but the bite was cooling. Everyone aboard had plenty of time behind the reel,
I think I even saw the Capt. reeling in a fish. At noon we picked them up
for the journey back to Salt Pond's. As we started W, the sky clouded over
behind us a 1/2 mile or so back, and the ultimate bird performance started.
Thousands of gulls dancing, Gannett's falling from the air like arrows, and
we needed to roll on home. That really hurt! But, what a GREAT day. No hawgs
this time, but we easily caught 60+ fish between 7 of us, the largest in the
35"-37" range. Brought in our limit and had it authenticated by,
'the man'. Nice fellas just outside the Salt Pond's, checking to be sure everyone
was playing fair; and we were. I hope the rest of you had as much fun as we
did. It was spectacular! Can't wait to go again SOON!! Thanks for reading
and Fish On
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Laughing so hard, the devil gets scared....
Zigh
posted on 29-Nov-2003 8:52:48 AM
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Greetings fishing fools!! I hope everyone had a good Turkey day and has had
their waist return to near normal size. We ventured into the Bay yesterday
seeking some pullage for some folks from Gloucester. 5 of us left Salt Pond's
around 7:15am(party was late) and headed towards the 3rd island. We plodded
thru the pea soup until we neared the CBBT where the fog slowly began to dissipate.
There were plenty of boats out there as we scouted out a few areas and then
decided to go Bay side. As we're headed around the island, we spy some working
birds and only a few boats on them, so we treck WNW toward the activity. The
birds weren't real thick but enough to get your blood going and so we set
out some Storm's, Stretch's, and various other baits. We marked some bait,
had a water temp. of 56.5, and thought the action would be decent. Unfortunately,
the fish were there, but small, and the bite was sporadic. We managed fish
on and near the surface with an occaisional fish on the deep baits. Casting
worked well, as they gobbled up our offerings of 4" Storms(Golden Mullet),
and of all things, trolled Stingsilver's. The fish liked the 3 oz. Crippled
Alewife spoon too, until it was broken off. So, we chased the birds up the
Bay with the now growing armada. We managed 20 or so fish between 18"-23"
and the group on board was happy. The birds scattered and so we motored back
to the 3rd looking for something bigger. Dropped the wirelines over and had
no luck. We only saw the occaisional fish pulled from the water, although
they were in the 30" range. Too many uncool boaters trying to fish the
tube, so we tried 1 more spot and then had to motor in to pick up group 2.
Group 2 climbs aboard around 12:30pm and off we go again. On our return trip
from the morning mission we saw some birds working right out side Salt Pond's,
and so we were under heavy surveilance mode as we slid out into the Bay. Saw
a lone boat and some birds up off of Bluefish Rock, but the birds scattered
as we headed towards them, and so we redirected to the Thimble Shoals light
area. We figured we'd have a little protection from the building winds and
seas and be able to scare up some schoolies along the channel ledge. Marked
some bait at the 20ft. level all day long, but few mid-level bites. Finally
found some hungry fish and had good action for 45 mins. or so. These fish
were still schoolies, but all 15 or so were a little larger, between 20"-
24". They too favored the 4" Storm. Heard that some were being taken
on chartreuse bucktails and had no success with that. Anyway, worked the channel
ledges and picked up a couple more fish before the wind started howling at
25 gusting to 32 and we called it a day. Beat the rain back in and had the
boat cleaned up lickity split. Had the best cheeseburger in a long time(forgot
lunch) and planned a trip for Sunday. Totals for the day were around 35 (18"-24")
fish and 9 happy anglers. Thanks for reading, and Fish On......
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Laughing so hard, the devil gets scared....
Zigh
posted on 19-Nov-2003 12:32:15 PM
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Greetings fish slayers! It's been a long day already, and it's only 12NooN.
I had the grand pleasure of fishing with my wife and Capt. Paul this AM aboard
Big Minnow. Despite Paul and I having fished together for a couple of years
now, my wife had never been out on his boat. So, when we ambled aboard at
5am, lady luck was already at our side. We cruised out to the 3rd island in
the gloomy predawn. There was a SE wind racing across the Bay, but the seas
were still reasonable and we prepared all the neccesary evil's to snare some
fish. Arrived to no birds, a nearly slack incoming tide, and had the place
to ourselves. The sunrise was eerily beautiful, blended a red and gray you
only can behold while at sea. We pulled up to the S end of the island as I
threw out a Windcheater to demonstrate to the little lady how we were gonna
catch some fishies. Well, the lure wasn't even 1/2 way on it's demo ride and;
FISH ON!! Let the games begin!!!! We started throwing Storm's, Stretch's,
Windcheater's, and a Baggley Crystal Minnow, all to hungry fish. Also found
jigging productive. The 1st few fish were schoolies and then with every cast
we added inches. Finally, every fish was in the 8lbs. class and we had a larger
1 or 2 for the tourney. It was full on for an hour! Boom, boom, boom, boom!!!
The way Striper fishing should be, you know. And man o' man was the wife elated.
She not only caught the largest Striper's of her life, but LOTS of 'em!! Happy
woman equals happy man! We all had a blast as Capt. Paul deftly scooted the
Big Minnow to and fro about the span, all while catching his share of sweet
Striper's. We were hailed on the radio by Tim(Plumbbob), and let him know
his odd's would be good out this direction, should things be slow or small
at his location. Unfortunately, as always happen's when you call someone to
a bite, it faded as the current came around. We did see some bent rod's as
Chuck and Ted landed some fish. After we determined the bite here was nearly
done and time was running very short, we motored around to try the other side.
Ofcourse, Tim's on the radio minutes after we're around the corner letting
us know they have landed a decent fish. Darn, we thought, as our screen was
blank and our casts were being ignored. So, after 1 1/2 hour's of fishing
time, we pointed the beast toward the barn to make the weigh-in in Norfolk.
Traffic ofcourse was playing me like an old 6-string until we found some rabbit's
to chase down the highway. Made it to the tourney headquarters with wife,
4 fish, and no tickets! Cool!! Then came the moment of truth. I spyed Tim
and his LARGE cooler while I held 2nd position in the weigh-in line. It was
real good meeting you Tim! Great guy. So, we talked about the catches, and
watched as the circus unfolded. Some nice fish were brought in, but nothing
spectacular. The largest fish, and winner of $1000 for big fish and big limit,
had a solo 25lber. Then came the awards for the rest of the field based on
a 2 fish limit. The wife would've placed 6th if there was such a ranking;
she's #1 in my book fellas, and that's no joke! Next on the totem pole was
our friend Tim with his 4th place finish. And, my day was made when the other
2 fish total we had placed 3rd for the tourney, narrowly missing 2nd place
by (.04lbs) So there it is guys. A fantastic AM!! THANKS Capt. Paul, Thanks
to Tim for having my back at the weigh table, and thanks for reading folks.
When's the next tourney?! Fish On
[ edited 1 time(s), last at 19-Nov-2003 10:42:45 AM ]
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Laughing so hard, the devil gets scared....
Zigh
posted on 6-Nov-2003 10:56:18
AM
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Hello fishing friends! ZIGH is predisposed so I will attemp to post a Big
Minnow report in his absence. Here goes........
Departed Salt ponds at midnight enroute
to Norfolk Canyon. Capt. Paul's guest include me (den), ZIGH, John (shark
J.P) and Jack (Blue Persuation).
The evening was perfect, cool, starlit and calm seas with a 2-3 foot swell
and light variable SW winds.
We arrived at the fishing ground :45 before sunrise which gave us ample time
for a quick breakfast while rigging baits. Mmmmm ballyhoo flavored Lay' potatoe
chips.
We depoyed a blue/white isander, pink daisy chain, seawitches, a bird with
a blue/ white jethead, naked hoo, a Boone Bonto, green/ white jet head, a
black hole down the middle and last but not least a 3 1/2 blue plated drone
spoon on and inline sinker.
We found plenty of structure in the form of weedlines, lobster pot bouys and
scattered debris in the 70.5 degree light blue water.
Our first action came on the drone. A small dolphin which put a smile on our
faces. Next dolfin came shortly after off the short rigger that we nabbed
off a floating burlap sack.
As the Capt. made a slow turn to starboard to make our way to the sack a quadrupal
POP,POP, POP, POP! 4 yellowfins for 4 in the pit. Perfect chaos. We lost one
at the boat but got the other 3 in the box. Something about that turn and
bait presentation caused the YF's to bum rush our offerings. Drone spoon and
the bonito plug and the jet heads produced.
We quickly put our spread back out and worked the sack again with no takers.
We closed the bag and tapped it with a gaff to find it full of cans and garbage.
As we were leaving the sack ZZZZZZZZ on the flatline. John quickly grabbed
the rod and started fighting the 60 pound waterlog burlap sack of garbage.
Good job John! we took some snap shots and released the sack to fight another
day. As we were clearing the sack the short rigger went off and the nicest
dolfin of the day gave us a great show. About 20 lbs.
There was some chatter on the radio about a good bluefin chunk and some nice
hoo's taken on the troll. We debated picking up and heading there but we had
some solid runs and mystery bites. I mean good 30 second runs but then the
hooks were spit. One rig was broke off by the crimp and after further investigation
determined to be a possible hoo hitting the various baits.
we pulled up and headed SW to the chunk but it was getting late and only one
boat remained and told us that the fish were deep, 100 foot or so. We cut
up some butters and set up a chunk. During the 45 minutes and no bites, we
cleaned up, took some photo's and then called it around 3pm.
Thanks to Capt. Paul for the great time and as always nice to meet new friends
in John and Jack. Good call on the drones ZIGH! I'm collecting all colors.
Total count: 3 YF and 4 dolfin
Till next time, tight lines all!!!!!
Den
posted on 18-Oct-2003 11:17:15 AM
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Thanks for checking in fishing friends. Made the Big Minnow's final offshore
journey for this season with Capt. Paul, Carp, and Moe over Thursday/ Friday.
We wanted some pullage and were willing to travel, so at 8:00PM we set the
waypoint 10 miles N of The Point. The Tuna had been biting there most consistently,
so we figured that's where we should be. The journey out was easy at 13.5
knots in a 2-3ft. sea. The wind was light and died out over the evening. Man
did it get cool out there about 4AM, too! As we made our way, the water was
mostly 68*-69.7*. No real signifigant breaks until we were S of the Va. line.
Also, the moon came up blood red in the shape of an iceberg. I was on watch
when it came into appearance, and it freaked me out. At first, the color and
shape were so odd, I didn't even recognize it as the moon. Let me say, that
a 1/2 moon in a red like that is just weird. Anyway, as daylight broke, we
were only a few miles N of the Point and so deployed the baits. We ran 3 flats
with small jetheads, 2 shorts, 1 with bird and 1 with daisy chain, and 2 longs,
an Islander, and a Seawitch. Also ran the 'Stinger', inline with 3 1/2"
blue Drone. As usual, we adjusted and toyed with the spread all day to try
and accomodate the fish. At the Point we saw whales, porpoises, birds, nice
eddies, and found 73.4* water. Fished some fishy areas with some other boats
and couldn't believe no strikes. Worked a current edge/ 1* break and saw some
fish jump. Also saw a nice splash off the right shortrigger, but no bites.
No one appeared to be hooking up and we started to head E. Capt. Paul found
a real good looking weedline and the water was up to 75*. Worked the edge
and some trees that were 1/2 submerged. Nada. I think we saw 1 peanut Dolphin
try to scare the ballyhoo away. That was it. Water looked prettier, although
not BLUE. Up to 76.5*, grass, birds, bait, NO fish. So we start NW and now
the water is 77*; still no bites. Work towards a cluster of boats and the
water temp. settles back to 73.4*. Finally it happens. 1, 2, 3 lines go off.
2 shorts and the 'Stinger'. 1 fish pulls free and the other 20 lbs. class
YFT's are boated. Lines in and as we troll the outskirts of the 50 some boats
we see only a few hook-ups. It was kind of discouraging, but just when you
think it might not happen. WHAMO, Fish On!!! Moe handily brings the next YFT
to gaff and in the box it goes. We continue are troll NNW and break away from
the fleet. We see some free jumping Tuna, and encounter more grass than I've
seen all season. Scattered as could be for a couple of miles. Finally we break
free, and the water is still 71*. We troll towards another cluster of boats
and some Tuna Stick's. Our excitement diminished when we discovered they were
King fishing. Tried the planer for the pass by, to no avail. Saw 1 King boated
by 1 of the 4 Stick's in that area. You know it's bad when the Stick boys
are King fishing. So, at 2:30PM, we picked 'em up for the ride home. By this
point the wind was SSW and the seas very calm. Nice ride in until dark when
it cooled off fast. Arrived Salt Pond's 9:30PM and home at 11:30PM. Now that's
a marathon fishing adventure. Had a great time as always, and look forward
to Striper season. Thanks to Capt. Paul!!! Fish On
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Laughing so hard, the devil gets scared....
Zigh
posted on 4-Oct-2003 9:59:15 AM
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Hey there fishing friends. I had the chance to hit the deep with Capt. Paul
yesterday, and so rolled out of the Salt Pond's with he and Bill at 1 AM Friday.
It was pretty breezy and choppy as we made our way across the Bay and out
past the CLT. The wind at CBBT was registering 27kts and at the CLT 26 kts
out of the NNE. Fortunately, the Big Minnow has great seakeeping, and with
the right angle, you can ride thru the 4'-6' pretty easy; it gets a little
wet. The water was cool on the way out at 69.8*... Warmest water we encountered
was 95 miles out at 71.6*; that was just E of the Canyon Bight. We saw virtually
no life except for one huge boil that was just off the stern. No hit though
from whatever it was. Saw some large birds, no Petrel's except inshore. We
went by the lobster balls and found no fish and 68.5* water. Real pretty water
around, too. Not Gulfstream blue, but the next best thing. The water all day
was cool and we would've headed E if we thought we had time. At this point,
the seas and wind had laid down considerably, so we trolled inshore toward's
Wayne's World and over some of the Finger's. It wasn't until inside there
that we nailed our 1st fish of the day. The inline Drone with 28 oz.'s of
weight and long leader nailed a Fat Albert. Finally, the skunk was out. Dropped
it back again, clicked in gear, and Whamo; fish on again. Another Albert.
We caught 10 or so real quick on Cedar Plaug's and Drone's. Then picked up
and ran in, a bit perturbed at the overall fishing. The seas were real calm,
and it was like a different day.... Stopped very briefly at the CBBT and cast
at the rocks. Managed a Striper and a few looks on a Windcheater, before we
headed on in. Chased the heels of the setting sun, and arrived just before
dark to clean the boat. We're going to try 1 more time; going SOUTH... Good
Luck when you go and Fish On.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Laughing so hard, the devil gets scared....
Zigh
posted on 6-Sep-2003 10:41:56 AM
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
HOLA' MI AMIGOS!!!!! How the heck is everyone?! I managed to get out for some
angling yesterday with Capt. Paul and Den. Bait was harder to come by, but
we managed to gather some Wassomelons from the marina via castnet and then
fueled up and were on our way. As we left the inlet around 7:15AM we were
met by a steady NNW wind at 10-15 and a sloppy scene in the Bay. We made a
left turn and headed up just off the Grandview pier and deployed our Clarks
and Drones in pursuit of Seno'r Spaniard. We made a pass or 2 with not even
a planer trip or a Bluefish for bait, so we eased Big Minnow back SE and ran
to the ODU reef. Started our troll towards the LC jetties and after our 2nd
pass, we nailed the first of several decent fish. The color of choice for
the Spanish was gold and then it seemed to not matter. We ended up with several
fish including 2 Blues and then headed back toward the reef. We tried a couple
of Flattie drifts, but with no nibbles, decided to venture elsewhere. Our
sites on the CBBT, we ran toward the 1st island. Our intentions were to skirt
the span trying to stay out of the stiffening breeze and 3-4 footers. The
water was ugly, so we slowed to trolling speed and were again targeting the
tasty Silver Streak's. Well, the first gold spoon wasn't even all of the way
out and WHAMO!!! Fish On!!! Den and I worked the rods in the pit, while Capt.
Paul kept the boat masterfully in the perfect position against the outgoing
tide and swirling breezes. It was CHAOS for about 2 hours. In fact, Den and
I couldn't keep 4 rods in the water and then struggled with 3 as the bite
was "ON"!!!! We fished the planer rod and had plenty of bites, but
it was the trusty in-line set-up that out produced the other techniques today.
We used a 6 oz. inline weight with 20-25 feet of 30lbs. leader and gold or
silver spoons. We were pleased with our success as we lost few, if any fish,
after the initial hook-up. All of the fish were fat, healthy specimens from
17" up to Den's whopper at 24"..... The fish were many and the bait
was thick and showering. Surprisingly, there weren't many birds working the
area. So after some fun, messy, and action packed hours, the bite slowed and
we trolled on toward the 1st island. At one point we came across the world's
largest chum slick... Evidently, one of the wonderful commercial boats had
netted up THOUSANDS of 10" to foot long Menhaden; and for whatever the
reason, returned them dead and rotting to the Bay. Their heads were all missing
from being removed from the nets and they were in such a state that even the
birds wouldn't touch them. Disgusting on ALL fronts!!! The tide was all but
gone, and the conditions seemed to be worsening, so we decided to swing over
to the Hampton Bar for some Flatties. When we arrived the current was starting
it's flood and we were finally out of the wind. Our first drift from the Bay
side over the tube produced a nice 21 1/2" fish for Den. We thought this
was a great sign, but after an hour or so and only a couple of more nibbles,
we decided to roll back to the Salt Pond's and clean our plethora of Spanish.
The finally tally was 39 Spanish, 4 Blues, and 1 very lonely Flounder. I had
a fantastic time and will be looking forward to Tuesday unless the weather
has other intentions. THANKS Capt. Paul!!!!!!!
Fish On
[ edited 1 time(s), last at 6-Sep-2003 7:43:27 AM ]
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Laughing so hard, the devil gets scared....
Zigh
posted on 29-Aug-2003 11:34:29 PM
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
It was 3:15AM when I piled in the trusty Chevrolet this AM, en route to plucking
some (melons) from the Salt Pond's.... When I arrived, I found TFer Den looking
blankly at his castnet..... ahhhuhhahh. Well, I took pity on him and showed
him the wonders of the casnet when catching bait. He was AMAZED!! I will admit
that his net was bigger than mine, but I don't think that really applies here...
So after I caught us some bait, we shuffled over to the pier for a little
pullage. The wind was fairly consistent out of the SSW at 10 or so, and the
water a bit muddied today. I made Den pay my way on the pier and then he carried
our fishing apparatus(sp.) to the very end of the pier. I tried to tell him
to see if he could go further, but he didn't by it. We fished live bait, dead
'Peanuts', and night crawlers in addition to the plethora of jigs and artificials.
The tide was low, and the bite was slow. I caught 10-12 Flatties up to 19"
and Den caught his first ever fish from a pier. I did have to reel it in for
him though..... We also caught some Threadfin, and Den was slaying the prized
YELLOWTAIL PERCH!! Way To Go man!!! At around NooN as we melted to puddles
on the pier, Den offers me cold beer and cheeseburgers at the pier restaraunt.
Sweet!! So he carries my belongings to the car and I proceed to the bar. Suddenly,
it's 7:30PM and our butts are still glued to the wonderfully chilly barstools;
our hands grasping liquid cheer. The bar temptress decides to by us some food
and drinks along the way and provides coffee to help ease the 'cheer'. So,
the fishing wasn't that swell, but I'll surely be fishing with Den again SOON,
he showed me where to find the elusive citation buzz..... At least your good
for sumthin' DEWD!!!! Fish On
(and watch out for that guy) seriously!
THANKS
posted on 22-Aug-2003 2:19:42 PM
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Hey there folks, what's shakin'? Well, my buddy Capt. Paul wasn't going to
be fishing for a few weeks; due to work and vacation, and so, my fishing prospects
were looking slim until I was contacted by Phil on the boat High Risk... Phil
and I had met a few times at the Salt Pond's and Paul mentioned to him to,
'Take ZIGH fishing so he doesn't go thru withdrawl or something dreadful like
that', while he wasn't around. Well, VERY Thankfully, Phil and Joe invited
me along for Thursdays adventure to the Fingers...... and here's what happened.......
It was 2:15AM and I piled in Phil's truck with he and Liz en route to Salt
Pond's. We arrived, met up with Joe and Neil, loaded up the handsome Albemarle,
and zoom, we were gone. The trip out was very calm and fast as we cruised
at 26knots out to the fishing grounds. Along the way we encountered a large
group of porpoise, which is always enchanting, and then had to do some maneuvering
to avoid the live ammo testing the Navy was conducting. We were advised to
stay clear of said area 10 miles, and plotted a course around the activity,
yet still landing us in the desired start off point. Only slightly discouraged,
we were able to get lines and and trolling by 7:30AM. It wasn't to long before
one of the flat lines goes off, but we missed that one and then another before
a solid hookset on a 15lbs. Gaffer. Nice fishy; skunk out of the boat, and
we're all smiling. We ran an 8 line spread consisting of 2 flats(daisy chained
jet head purple/black and green/blue), 2 shortriggers with daisy chained small
jetheads, 2 longriggers with jet heads in blue/white, a bird off the shotgun
with a trailing daisy chain and hoo, and what I now call the, 'STINGER', which
was the inline run Drone out of the chair. The spoon was a 3 1/2 in blue/silver,
20ozs. of weight and 30ft. of Fluorocarbon......... All day we experienced
short strikes. We started out going 1 for 5 on hits before we started boating
some more fish. As we fished the E side of the Finger's we worked NE where
the water was steely blue for the most part and 76* to 78*.... so I was surprised
when we nailed some Albert's. The bites continued and the seas remained smooth
and tranquil. We saw a good amount of life including a solo sea turtle, several
groups of LARGE Manta Ray's, Pilot whales, porpoise, and plenty of Petrels.
Absent from the list were sharks and Flying fish... We spyed some lobster
bouys in the distance and worked our way towards them hoping to pick up some
Mahi, but there were only a few lowly Bailers with lock jaw. So after a couple
passes and cotemplating a drop of some fresh Albert, we head S from the bouy's
and then it happens. First flat line clip pops, then shortrigger, then the
spoon rod bobs, then finally there is something actually on the wwtfb blue/white
longrigger as it sings out it's cry of mercy. At first the fish shimmers and
flashes on the surface like a huge Gaffer getting ready to go airborn. Then
after giving it a good look as the rod bends, and the huge fish thrashes about,
we realize it's a Billfish. A BIG fish! The fish stayed on the surface way
behind the boat and was there with the bait not taking line really, for about
60 seconds... Then the line went slack..... Now, I'm no Billfish expert, but
that fish was way to BIG to be a White Marlin. I've been part of catching
those fish before and this fish was too broad and so we concluded, a Blue
Marlin. It was so strange watching all the lines get pulled on and retrieving
them to find no tooth marks, just skinned or lightly torn baits. Sneaky fish.....
So, we trolled on and had short strikes seemingly all the time. We had some
hits passing over Manta Ray's too, but they were Alberts. We also had a fish
Phil saw cut a flatline bait in half just after being put back in the clip.
We went thru a lot of bait, and it wasn't until after noon time that we got
a little bit larger fish on. Again, the wwtfb blue/white jethead was the ticket
and this time we landed a 37lbs. YFT. Sweet! Had to give the boys doing the
leadering and gaffing a hard time as I drove the boat, they did a GREAT job!
A little ribbing just adds to the fun... Kept working that same area as there
were good slicks, eddies, and fish. Had a quintuple knockdown we thought were
small YFT's and ending up landing 3 BIG Fat Alberts... Maybe should have weighed
one to see there proximity to citation size.... Anyway, things slowed and
the afternoon lazed on before we had another good fish on the 'Stinger', we
were thinking possibly Mr. Hoo, as we gladly brought another YFT to gaff.
Again, good work fellas. This fish was probably 20-25lbs. and was a nice way
to finish off the fishing day. Also, proved the inline gig is still working
on the YFT's and maybe you don't always have to go planer. Pulled the spread
and ran 26-28knots on the way in, even thru the slight chop of the Cape Henry
area and Bay. It was awe inspiring to watch the rain storm over Va. Beach
from the vista of the sea, and the perfect way to end the adventure.
THANKS to Joe and Phil for having me along. I had a really good time guys,
and hope to do it again sooner than later. That's a nice rig you fellas are
sporting. Keep up the good work........... Fish On
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Laughing so hard, the devil gets scared....
Zigh
posted on 14-Aug-2003 10:59:04 AM
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Hey there fishing folks! I joined Capt. Paul with 2 other buddies on Wednesday
for a trip out to the deep. We left Salt Pond's at 12:45AM Wednesday morning
with a course set for Wayne's World. The ride out was unbelievably nice with
a light SSE breeze, VERY calm seas, and a nearly full moon to light the way.
It was neat to check out Mars also, that is, until the fog and cloud cover
splintered and brushed out the moonlight and did away with, 'the Red planet'.
We arrived at our waypoint a touch early, and so had lines in and trolling
at 6AM. I observed the water temperature to be 72* here. We were running a
9 line spread, which consisted of a wtfb bird/green machine combo, 2 large
Islander's for our longriggers, a jethead and a medium Islander for the shorts,
3 flats w/ small jetheads, and a deep running Drone w/ 50ft. of leader and
28oz. of lead. Well, it wasn't long before the first fish of the day was playing
the reel on one of the flatlines having missed the shortrigger bait. Nice
boil too, but it was the 1st of about 6 Fat Alberts we nailed early on. We
released all but 2, saving them for bait. Had a mystery bite and then picked
up a Skipjack Tuna on the shortrigger. Surprisingly, we had no Bluefish all
day. That's a good thing! So, around 8AM we trolled NE with intentions of
hitting the bight of the Norfolk Canyon and then troll the wall to the tip.
The day was awesome. A little sun, the hint of a southerly breeze, and lots
of life. We saw some whales, a Hammerhead, sea turtles, porpoise o' plenty,
petrels galore, an ocean going Sunfish, and a few unmentionables...... no
weedlines ANYWHERE. In fact, I think I saw 1 blade of grass out there the
whole day. As we angled our way to the Norfolk, we heard very little action
on the radio. I think we heard of 1 Tuna caught, and a scattered Mahi bite.
In the Canyon area now, we switch to smaller baits, the water is A LOT prettier,
silver/blue, clear as a bell, and up to 74*. Real nice rips, some slicks,
dancing petrels, but few fish. We decide we'll troll the lobster bouy area
where the Big Eye bite had occured earlier in the week. Saw some other boats
and the word was there were some Bailers on some of the balls. We trolled
past a time or 2 with no strikes and then, after seeing some fish laying way
deep under the ball, decided to throw some peanut bunker and Albacore chunks
to 'em. Whamo!! Fish On!! We managed to land 6 or so Mahi, missing an equal
number, before they all got lock jaw. The fish were thick there, but they
were VERY finnicky. Also, the water temperature here was up to 76.5*.....So,
we decide to troll the next set of lobster bouys near the tip of the Canyon,
and on our first pass the deep bait goes ZzzzzzzzzzzzzzZzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz
Fish On. This time it feels a little bigger, maybe a Wahoo they way it's fighting,
but after a brief battle, we deck our only other Tuna of the day, a 30lbs.
YFT. We hailed the other boats in the area over, as things were slow, but
we didn't hear of any other hook-ups. As the day wore on, the angling slowed,
but the beauty of the sea kept us in the game. Truly awesome out there with
little wind or wave action. Inshore a little now, real good rips near the
Ocean Venture wreck and then WHAMO, another fish on the deep bait. The run
led us to believe we had another decent fish on, but it ended up being a Fat
Albert on a loose drag. So, we picked 'em up and ran in towards the Triangle
wrecks. Here we dropped our Albacore chunks and 'Peanuts' over the side and
started nailing some real nice Black Seabass up to 4 1/2lbs.. All but a few
were real quality fish and we only lost a rig or 2. Sweet! A real good way
to round out the afternoon. The bite slowed, and so we pointed the Big Minnow
westward for the smooth ride in. Around the mouth of the Bay there was a little
more wave action, and we watched the distant rain weave it's way thru Hampton
Roads. We even joked about stopping for some Flounder fishing, but we were
beat. Arrived back at the dock around 8:30PM and had the boat and fish cleaned
by 9:30PM. GREAT DAY!!! Final totals were: YFT=1, Skippy=1, Mahi=6, Fat Albert's=7,
and Seabass=25+.
One last thing; those planers may catch fish, but they are a pain in the ***,
and as soon as we took it out of the water, we started getting some bites.
I'm sure there is equal support for and against, but unless that's the only
way fish are being caught, we felt there is too much hardware in the water
when using them. Even with the break away set-up, too much to potentially
lose other hook-ups on, and all the metal down there can't be attracting fish.
We switched to the in-line with a LONG leader, and had good results(4 fish).
Just some thoughts. Fish On
[ edited 1 time(s), last at 14-Aug-2003 8:04:45 AM ]
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Laughing so hard, the devil gets scared....
posted on 28-Jul-2003 9:14:59 AM
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Hi there gang, how is everyone this fine Monday morning? I myself am feeling
well rested after my sleep marathon(11hours) last night. I was fortunate enough
to travel with Capt. Paul and some folks from Maryland out to the Floundering
grounds yesterday. We departed Salt Pond's around 6:15am and were greeted
by a stiff SSW breeze as we rounded the bend and headed across the Bay to,
'the Hump'.... Despite it's clever name, this area produced only 3 fatty Flatties
in several hours of angling. It's easy to forget how subtle Flounder bites
can be when trying to teach nonfishing folks to play the game. After we established
a drift and determined the correct weight to use for our rigs we bounced along
losing many baits(squid/ Peanuts), but netting only a few Flatties from 20"
to 23". The sun was out and the wind was actually a blessing in disguise,
as it was offensively warm and sticky by 10:30am. Thanks to Craige for beckoning
us out a little deeper and sharing in his success. Classy move dewd!! We also
talked briefly with a few other TF'ers in the area, and so were afloat amongst
friends. The bite wasn't blistering so we headed for the 3rd and 4th parking
area and danced around the ocean side losing a few rigs and scratching out
another fish for the box. Overall, things were slow. We did hear of several
nice fish caught, but we ourselves were stonewalled at 23" and never
saw any other type of fish than the Flatties. At least they were all keeper
size; an improvement for the fishing thus far. We scooted over to the ocean
side shoals to try for a Cobia around 2:00pm. We soaked some fresh menhaden,
live eels, and live Spot to no avail. Also had the chum slick going and plenty
of 'Peanuts' to throw in occaisionally, yet still nada. As the breeze stiffened,
we determined this was not the day for us, so we went ahead and called it
a day. Returned to Salt Pond's about 4:15pm and got the boat ready for the
next adventure offshore. Enjoyed a GREAT cheesburger and beer from the bar,
and traveled on home. After arriving at the house, the wife said I mummbled
something about Flounder and Tuna in the same sentence, and she knew I was
done for..... Hit the pillow face down and never looked back until early this
AM.......... When are we going again???? Fish On
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Laughing so hard, the devil gets scared....
Zigh
posted on 17-Jul-2003 9:43:27 PM
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Hey fishing folks! I'm just now getting the oppurtunity to get this report
up for the Big Minnow's Wednesday, 'Tuna and Tunes', adventure. Arrived at
Salt Pond's and met up with Capt. Paul and the fellas at 12 midnite on Wednesday
morning. After clearing the CBBT we set a course for the 21 fathom Finger.
It was an awesome evening with moonlight splashing on the gentle waves, and
the warm salty air lingering like perfume on the night. While we glided ever
closer to our target, visions of Tuna swam past our moon shadowed eyes. Suddenly,
it was predawn and we made the preperations for the days fishing. The wind
was light from the S, there was a mild 3' sea, which was 74* and clear, but
blended blue/green. We were fishing near the 21 fathom Finger and the depth
was 130ft. to 110ft.. Our 8 line spread consisted of 2 Islanders run wtfb,
1 in blue/white the other in red/black, the wwwtfb ran shotgun was another
large Islander, the shorts were chuggers in green and blue/speckled, and the
3 staggered flats were mini jet heads in green/blue, blue/white, and red/black.
So were trolling very briefly with no boats in sight and BINGO, citation Bluefish
numero uno is in the boat. We figure, 'ZOIKES', and head out a little and
speed up a touch to try and change the Choppers minds. Thing is though, where
there are Bluefish you might also find a Tuna. Well, it isn't long, and now
we're wading through citation Bluefish releases. We kept a few for the box
and joked about harnessing one up for bait. Then, with the depth at 115ft.
Zzzzz zzzzzzzzz zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz. Fish on! This time it's
surely not another Bluefish though as it peels line mercilessly from the reel,
the rod bent and paying it's load full attention. The Bluefin we wanted was
hooked up and as the fight proceeded to unfold, the Capt. hailed the few other
boats working off to the E. This was a nice way to spend a morning. Smiles
beeming, sun rising, and line sizzling! The fish came to the boat after about
15 mins. which was kind of a surprise, but we knew not to be fooled. When
you see the leader you have to give it a shot though, and the fish sprang
into action as it's impending doom was echoed down the fishing line from the
touch of the human hand. This war between man and Tuna lasted for some time
and we had the fish at the boat 4 times, until 45 mins. later, on his 5th
visit to the boat, he let down his fins, layed over, and allowed me to stick
him in the head. It was the biggest fish I'd gaffed to date and another angler
plunged a gaff home to help ease the 115lb. Bluefin aboard. Blood flew about
as the life swam out of the Tuna and back into the sea. After some time of
bleeding we removed his tail to fit him in the box and iced him down. That
made the whole trip worthwhile. We straightened up and deployed the spread
again hoping lightning would strike twice, but it was not to be. We trolled
until 10:30AM, and then the decision was made to point us toward shore and
a pass by the CLT. The wind picked up and swung more SW as we got closer to
shore. We saw some real pretty water, but not much life to speak of. We arrived
to 8-12 boats fishing the Tower for Spades and so opted to scout out the nearby
bouy/marker for any schools. We managed a few nibbles, a lonely Spadefish,
and several very small jacks of some sort. Pretty cool looking little fellas.
Tried the Spanish gig briefly to no avail off CH, and then headed for the
fuel dock and some paperwork. Ended up with a citation for the Bluefin, and
several more for Bluefish. We did our best to keep moving and get all the
dirty work done, because now we were going to celebrate our victory and the
Capt.'s b-day with some great tunes. After the boats back in shape and we're
cleaned up, we swung over to the Harbor Center in P-Town and caught a Widespread
Panic show. The solid music was a nice bonus to the real good folks and cold,
cold beer. Got home late last night, slept like a rock until early this AM,
and then was off to help move my folks. Gonna pass out as soon as I'm logged
off. Everybody be good and go fishing.............
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Laughing so hard, the devil gets scared....
Zigh
posted on 11-Jul-2003 6:44:03 PM
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Greetings TF'ers! Trekked out to the CLT today with Capt. Paul and crew at
about 4AM this morning. There was a steady SW wind at 15-20 most of the day
however, the ride out was not that bad. Arrived at the CLT with only 1 other
boat in the area, and tried to set anchor a few times, but couldn't achieve
the position we wanted. After several attempts we decided to just drift 1
corner repeatedly and this did the trick! We managed to land about 50 Spadefish
in 2 1/2 hours of fishing, losing about another 25 to breakoff's, pulled hooks,
and overly exuberant anglers..... The fish were small overall, with the sizes
ranging 3 to 7lbs.. With the wind whistling by, we pointed the Big Minnow
towards CH and trolled for a bit picking up a random Spanish on the Clark
spoon and planer set-up. The sun shone bright and the wind howled away but
we decided to give the Floundering a go. As we fought the tide into the Bay
we saw many military vehicles including planes, destroyers, carriers, and
submarines; lest not forget the speedy zodiac patrol boats. Drifted the CH
wreck but the current was to stiff to get a nice run. Journeyed up to bouy
10 and drifted back to the tube and then behind the 1st island. All these
drifts produced a few nibbles and the occaisional Flounder, but no keepers......
Tried a few drifts in front of the Grandview pier area on the way back to
Salt Pond's and again had a few nibblers but no Flatties for the fryer. Despite
our luck with the Flounder we still had a great day and it's always a joy
just to be out there wetting a line. Going to give the Fingers a try next
Wednesday. Catch Ya on the Water!!!!! I apologize for the brief and unexciting
post, but I'm on my way to WV for the weekend and I'm already running a couple
of hours behind. The next report will make up for it. Fish On
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Laughing so hard, the devil gets scared.... Z
posted on 14-Jun-2003 11:28:54 AM
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Hey there!! Headed out of Salt Pond's at 4AM Friday with our course set for
the CLT. Encountered SW wind at 10-15 on the way out and the water temp. at
the mouth of the Bay was 71*. Arrive at the Tower where the water is 69* and
fairly green. Set-up the chum bag, lines in the water, and it wasn't long
before we had some nibblers. After hooking up with, and then losing several
fish, we finally got in the groove and started putting some fish in the boat.
As the bite improved we saw many fish around the boat including some rather
healthy looking specimens. For our efforts, we ended up with 16 Spadefish
up to 18"...... Great pullage was had by all, and we even got to land
a few fish on the fly rod. With a fading current and the arrival of the dive
boat, we shot over to the 12 mile marker in search of some Trout and/or live
bait for Stripers. Lots of boats when we arrive including 3-4 headboats. Nice
drift down the pilings had us catching many Trout and Blues with some keepers
thrown in for good measure. No monsters, but lots of smiles and bent rods.
The livewell was down for this trip and so after saving a few Blues for live
bait in a 5 gallon bucket, we try the live bait scene over the tube. Unfortunately,
our baits were mostly belly up after our first go and so we switched to 3-ways
and Storm baits which produced 5 Stripers for us up to 22". At this point,
the fellas had plenty of fish and memories, and had logged several hours,
so we steered the Big Minnow homeward, enjoying the moderate sea and warm
breezes. Arrive back at the dock at 3:00pm and on the road home at 4. May
give the Drum a go on Sunday, but we shall see. Fish On
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Laughing so hard, the devil gets scared....
Zigh
posted on 1-Jun-2003 3:07:55 PM
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Hey there TF'ers! ZIGH here with yet another fishing update...... Fished the
1st annual Hampton Open on Saturday with Paul, carp, Chris, my buddy Eric,
and we had 1 (no show). The event was put on by Jim Baugh, and he did a fine
job! Thanks Jim. I suspect next year there will be a stronger turn out, and
until then, we have the Striper event this fall to look forward to. Our days
fishing began at 6AM as we headed down the creek from Sunset Marina enjoying
a light SW breeze and a hazy sunrise. Our sights were set on fishing the 3rd
and 4th islands early for Striper, and then to try some Floundering in various
locations. The 1st method we used for the Rock action was live baiting. Captain
Paul and I had snared some small croakers in route to Sunset from Salt Pond's
the evening before. We kept the little fellas frisky in a 30 gallon live well,
and their liveliness paid off moments after they hit the water. We used up
all of our baits relatively quickly, having landed many 21-27" fish and
missing an equal number. In this same area, a Stingsilver in pink/white did
the trick on a couple of fish also. Since we so enjoyed feeding the Stripers
this way, the Big Minnow was pointed towards the Trout bite at the 12th where
we hoped to capture some more bait while hunting for a nice Grey to throw
in the box. As it turned out we slayed the Trout and many Blues up to a few
lbs., but never landed a monster. Our Trout ranged from 11" up to 15"
and were often clipped at the tail by Blues. We also caught some bait Croaker
here, and then we headed back to the tube and proceeded to use up the live
bait. That is some fun fishing!! With an easing current we shot up to 36A
for some Flounder drifts. We dragged cut Blue, nice cleaned ocean squid, fattie
bull minnows, and some other stuff to no avail. We landed some Blues here
and the occaisional Trout, but were not impressed by the Flounder bite. Yuck!
After some thought, we head towards the High Rise and observe the wind increasing
and the tea stained water along the way. Water temp. at 36A was 66.4 degrees,
and near the High Rise 64.2 degrees. The water was a little clearer on the
ocean side of the span as we made a swift N drift. It's here that we caught
2 Oyster Toad's. Both of them kept for the tourney weigh in. That's right
sports fans, it's getting down to crunch time. Well, no Flounder here either
so we scoot back to the 3rd and 4th stopping for more Trout action on the
way. The bite was slower now, but we had fun nonetheless. We started the live
bait deal again to finish out the day, and by this point the wind had really
picked up making for a strange current vs. boat situation. We landed some
more pretty fish and headed homeward at 3:15 in what was now the Washing Machine
bay. After the fun ride back to Salt pond's, punctuated by distant lightning
and dark skies, we loaded up our potential finned entrants and scooted to
Sunset again. The biggest Rock was 12 lbs.; no luck there, we had no Flounder;
largest was 5.4 lbs., and caught from a pier; we had small Trout and the winner
was a 5.2 lb. fish; the largest Croaker was 2.4 lbs.; and the largest Oyster
Toad was our beauty at 2.4 lbs!! That's right, we had the biggest Uglyfish
caught. Swell!! So after some chuckles about ' TEAM OYSTERTOAD', and some
head scratching about a $700 Flounder caught off a FREE pier, we made our
way home.
What a fun event!! Jim Baugh is a kewl dude and I suggest some of you fellas
give that Striper tourney in the fall a go. Now it's in the log book, another
fishy day aboard the Big Minnow. Ya'll be good.......
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Laughing so hard, the devil gets scared....
Zigh
posted on 13-May-2003 11:22:30 AM
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Howdy!! I made my first bay trip last evening in hopes of scoring my first
flattie of the '03 season. Arrived around 5:15PM due to heavy eastbound 64
traffic. Was bummed to see Vaness(sp.?) bait and tackle closed up and for
sale. I always enjoyed chatting with the older gentleman there, and the idea
they'd let you snare your own minnows at .75 a dozen. Anyway, I decided I'd
get some minnows at the pier after a quick cell call insured they actually
had some. There were only a handful of folks fishing and a strong W wind.
The water wasn't real pretty, but not so stirred it would prevent a decent
Flounder bite. The couple of dewds I asked, told of small Flounder being caught
most of the afternoon. I slung out my large spinning rig with the largest
minnow I had and a slab of squid, then went to work with the trusty Flounder
rod and a 3-way bucktail with green hair and spinner. Things were SLOW for
me. I had several nibbles but couldn't snare a fish to save my life. Not even
a Croaker. My ego was even more troubled by this 12 year old LITTERBUG who
kept catching Croaker after Croaker. Not what I wanted, but still a blow to
the ego. I decide around 7PM I'd fish toward the inshore end of the pier having
struck out at the far end. Saw a buddy Dennis there and exchanged some tales,
and then started working a deep hole I knew of from years past. Lost a bait
first pass by and then another. Put the last large minnow I had on and a very
tantalizing squid strip.Walked by the hole and then on my return trip I finally
felt what I was sure was Mr. Flattie. Waited for a five count, lifted the
rod tip slightly and still felt the fish and actually a TUG. Needless to say,
I set the hook and was pleasantly surprised at the familiar tugging and undulation
of a nice Flounder. We battled briefly and then I saw him surface, and beamed.
Now to hoist this fella over the rail. 'THUD', as my first flattie of the
day, and season was landed. I broke out the trusty measuring device to get
the #'s. He was 22 1/2" long and weighed 4.25 lbs.. I'll take it. I decided
to give my fish to Dennis and he was very glad to take it off my hands. In
lieu, he said he'd make up some of his straw rigs for me, in observation of
the rapidly approaching Spanish season. Seem'd like a swell deal to me.
The pier is looking pretty good and there were lots of fish jumping right
at dusk. I suspect Taylor's or Shad, but I suppose they may have been small
Trout. I looked over the catches thus far and it seems there are plenty of
Flounder being landed, an average # of keepers. I finally broke the ice, now
I need a citation fattie Flattie...... What's the wind doing??
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Laughing so hard, the devil gets scared....
Zigh
posted on 6-May-2003 10:36:53 AM
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Hey there fellow fishing fools! ZIGH here reporting from the Hatteras library.
We were blown out today, but what a day yesterday was. Left Hatteras Landing
Marina at 5:45AM headed for the Triple Zero's and points south. NE wind was
10k and due to shift around to the S during the afternoon. About 3 miles short
of our waypoint we see some pretty water and lots of bird activity and decide
to deploy our arsenal of baits. We mainly ran jetheads in assorted colors,
and also a deep runner with an inline in hopes of snagging A HOO. Mainly blue/silver,
naked, and some darker colors(i.e. purple) After about 15 minutes we discover
a decent weed line and start lighting them up. We catch several nice Mahi
and lose a few baits. Then we troll past a boat that's hooked up, get back
in line and WHAMO.... 5 out of 8 lines go off. The chaos in the pit begins
as everyone tries to clear the remaining lines and prepares to bring the meat
aboard. First off a nice little YFT, and then another, and another, and then
Mr. Gaffer and his brother, and finally another Mahi. After reorganizing we
drop 'em back again for another multiple knockdown. This time it's a nicer
Tuna and a few more Mahi's, and we also see something very large streak thru
the spread , crashing 1 bait and missing. Shucks!!! We proceed down the line
and pick at fish for a bit before it's decided we'll head offshore a bit further
and scare a monster up. Water temp. to this point is in the low 70's and we
are only in 150 ft. of water. We point the Big Minnow eastward and it isn't
too long before we hook into another nice Gaffer on the purple/blue longrigger....
And then it finally happened, Wally Wahoo shows up and paints a smile on all
of our faces. We also have a bite off on the Capt.'s new $30 lure, and then
snare another Wahoo that is slightly larger. The action slows a bit and we
are able to clean the boat up and relax for a breath or 2. As we head back
inshore towards the weedline we pick up another Wahoo at a nice color change
and a 2 degree break. All of this was by 11:30AM and we decide we'd troll
NW to the Rockpile. Lots of boats here and plenty of breaking YFT football's,
but only a few nibblers and a scattered fish. The weather and water were unreal.
We had good bait marks, breaks, color changes, and temps. up to 76.8......
Sweet!! We troll inshore for awhile and then pick 'em up for the very smooth
ride home. Our final tally for the day was 3 Wahoo, 4 YFT's, and 19 Mahi.
having been down since 5/1 this was the best day yet. On 5/2 Capt. Ed and
I landed my first ever Wahoo, a YFT, a Mahi, and a King. The next day produced
wind, waves, a short trip, and a YFT. The next day was unfishable. We will
be here until 5/11 and will be fishing the Hatteras open Thursday, Friday,
and Saturday, and the fish the outside up on Sunday. I hope you all are catching
them up, and I'll lay another report on ya'll as soon as we can get out there
and wet some lines.
Happy Fishing!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Tight Lines,
ZIGH
posted on 3-Apr-2003 7:11:04 PM
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Just read this and thought it might be appreciated here. WOW!!! I guess sea
monsters do exist.....
WELLINGTON, New Zealand (Reuters) -- A rare and dangerous squid with eyes the size of dinner plates and scores of razor-sharp hooks to snag its prey has been caught by fishermen off Antarctica, New Zealand scientists said on Thursday.
The half-grown female colossal squid is only the second intact example of the monster cephalopod known to have been found, said marine biologist Steve O'Shea of New Zealand's national museum.
"I've seen 105 giant squid, but seeing something like this is pretty sensational," O'Shea told Reuters.
A trawler caught the 150 kg, 330-pound squid in the sub-Antarctic Ross Sea about 3540 kilometers (2,200 miles) south of Wellington.
The squid was eating Patagonian Toothfish, which grow to two meters in length, when it was caught. It was dead when it was hauled into the trawler and the remains are now in the New Zealand national museum.
The body of the colossal squid is much bigger than the giant squid, which can weigh up to 900 kg, 2,000 pounds when fully grown. A giant squid's tentacles can be up to 13 meters long, compared with five meters on the recovered creature.
Comparisons are difficult because of the colossal squid's hostile environment and rarity. Five of the six previous discoveries have only been pieces inside sperm whale stomachs.
More dangerous
American marine biologist Kat Bolstad said the colossal squid was a more dangerous
animal than the giant squid, the mythical monster of the deep that attacked
Captain Nemo's Nautilus in Jules Verne's "Twenty Thousand Leagues Under
the Sea."
"This is a very aggressive animal and moves quickly. If you fell in the water next to it you would be in big trouble," said Bolstad.
The colossal squid finds food by literally glowing in the dark, deep waters to light up prey for its massive eyes -- the biggest of any animal.
But it is the colossal squid's weaponry that marks it out from its giant cousin.
Its eight arms and two tentacles have up to 25 teeth-like hooks -- deeply rooted into muscle and able to rotate 360 degrees -- as well as the usual suckers to ensure fish do not escape.
The hooks not only hold fish for the squid's two parrot-like beaks, but also are used to fend off attacks from hungry sperm whales, O'Shea said.
The species, whose scientific name is mesonychoteuthis hamiltoni, was previously thought to have lurked at least 800 meters down in the freezing waters near Antarctica, but the specimen found a fortnight ago was near the surface.
O'Shea said the discovery raised questions about what else was down deep in the ocean.
"We know so little about the marine environment in general. If animals like this are turning up, what's going to be at 3,000-meters (10,000-foot) depth. We don't know," O'Shea said.
Keep your feet in the boat.
ZIGH
><((((*>
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Laughing so hard, the devil gets scared....
Zigh
posted on 23-Feb-2003 7:42:47 PM
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Hey gang. There's some pretty interesting information concerning fish and
their favored water temperature ranges over at>>>> www.saltwatersportsman.com
Although I'm sure some of you will disagree with some of the info, it certainly
is better than having no clue. I think the Dolphin is 1 case where the water
temp. can dip to 67 or so and you can still nail 'em..... I've referenced
this chart before and find it to be somewhat more accurate since it's most
recent update. I especially found it interesting to see the baitfish listed.
Anyway, I hope this info is useful to some of you and spawns some conversation.
If you do have a real disagreement with any of these #'s, there's an e-mail
address you can send your mind to..... that is all........
Tinkerin' in the Tackle,
ZIGH
><((((*>
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Laughing so hard, the devil gets scared....
Zigh
posted on 24-Nov-2002 7:44:34 PM
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Just read where there was a 331 lb. Bluefin landed today down in Hatteras
by a Yorktown, Va. man........ I hope all of you guys out there 2morrow have
GREAT luck on those Tuna and calm seas. I look forward to reading your reports.............
Tight Lines,
ZIGH
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Laughing so hard, the devil gets scared....
Zigh
posted on 17-Nov-2002 11:24:22 PM
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Well HAd a feeling the weather man would be off again. So Myself,ZIGH,ERic
and Den with his boat headed for OI Friday Night. Got there about 3:30am and
went to sleep. Got up at first diesel noise. Was surprised to see NO BOATS
putting in. Hell there were no boats there period.There was zero wind. Left
about 5:45 am and followed the fleet 120 degrees. STarted fishing just 1 mile
north of point. Fishing was not great for us but we did manage 2 yellowfin
20-25 lbs and missed 5 more before heading back at 11:15am in SMOOTH seas
to beat the rain coming. Were back in Va. Beach by 5:30. Gonna try Ricks on
Tuesday if weather holds .
Thanks Den!!! See you Tuesday!! Keep'em Bent Paul
posted on 4-Oct-2002 11:02:56 PM
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Hey fishing fools. Here's the lowdown on today's adventure w/ Capt. Paul and
company on the Big Minnow. Left Salt Ponds under hazy, dark, and calm conditions.
EERIE. Our 1st stop would be the weather bouy due E of Va. Beach. When we
arrive, it's still dark and so we decide we'll give the Mahi a shot on the
light tackle and Albert chunks. Before putting trolling lines out at 1st light,
we already have 3-5 Mahi in the boat. We make a pass with the spread and manage
a couple more fish in the same class size to slightly larger. As we troll
NE away from the bouy, it isn't long before we have 2 knockdowns. 1 fish is
hooked up. and after a nice fight we have a 25lb. Yellowfin aboard. We circle
around and 1, 2, 3, lines go off. After some time we manage to get all 3 Tuna
aboard. 2 more Yellowfins and a Blackfin. Excellent!!! We proceed E for some
time with not much action and then we spot a bouy and troll past it. We have
a couple short hits and then WHAMO... the flatline gets crushed. After a nice
fight, a 60+ lb. Yellowfin is in the box!! That's what it's all about. The
rest of the day was quiet, although we did have a Wahoo bite off and landed
some more sporadic Mahi. There was a fair amount of scattered grass and the
water we fished was mostly 73.6 degrees, blue/white was the hot color. What
a great freakin' day offshore. The weather was more like June than October,
the SE swell and breeze made for a great ride home, and we got into some Tuna.
AWESOME!
Totals for the day: 5 Tuna up to 60 lb. and 14 Mahi from 3-10 lb........ I'll
take it!!!
Fishing is great, but Offshore is extraordinary!!! I'm addicted!!!! Go Big
Minnow..................
Tight Lines,
ZIGH
posted on 24-Sep-2002 2:00:47 PM
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Andy, as long as the water temperature is at or above 68 degrees, you should
be able to find the fish you mentioned. That is , except for the White marlin.
The Tuna like the 69-74 degree water a lot, and we managed some decent Dolphin
earlier this season(May) in 68-70 water, even though they're typically found
in a little warmer temps.... I'd say if the wind is OK you should find plenty
of fish, especially Tuna, this weekend in the areas you mentioned. I imagine
after a couple weeks of this cooler weather those Wahoo, Dolphin, and the
White's will have swam South. Check the offshore water temps. at >>
sstcharts.com>>>>>>>> GO GET 'EM!!!!!
Tight Lines,
ZIGH
posted on 21-Sep-2002 1:25:23 PM
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Hello there fin addicts..... Had the great pleasure of taking another offshore
adventure with Capt. Paul and crew. We left Salt Ponds under an awesome moon
around 9 pm Thursday, headed for the Wayne's World area. We tried our hand
at a bit of chunking during the dark hours with only some squid bites on our
Butterfish. Just before sun up we ran a little ways and deployed our trolling
lines in about 40 fathoms. I think it was the 855/355 area where we discovered
a real nice weed line. Lots of life and action here, the water just looked
'fishy'!! We ran the weed line and were completely covered up in Mahi after
a short time. It was actually tough to keep all 8 lines out since we were
getting hits on nearly everything. The Mahi ranged from 5 lbs. up to 24 lbs....
Then the Capt. found a half submerged old piece of a tree. It was LOADED with
fish. We must have made 10 passes and each time we'd hook-up. We caught Mahi
on Hoo's, cedar plugs, and chunks of Butterfish. The real treat here was the
emergence of 2 nice Wahoo, 1 on the 'Wahoo' rig, and the other on the cedar
plug flat line. These handsome fellas weighed in the 20's. An interesting
catch too, was a Bar Jack on a small squid plastic lure. After catching a
load of fish here, the bite seemed to slow(11:30) and we trolled west hoping
for some Tuna or Marlin. The afternoon remained quiet though with only a bite
or 2 and 1 more Dolphin.
Highlights of the trip had to be: double and triple headers, the flawless
weather, and seeing a TF'er and offshore 'newbie', catch a citation Dolphin.
That's pretty darned cool. WAY TO GO CARP(Darren)
We picked up for the cruise in at 2:00. It had proven a good day, as the fish
box was well stocked. We finished up with 23 Mahi including 2 citations: 1)
24 lbs 2) 21 lbs. and 2 Wahoo in the 20's...... A Great Day!!!! Thanks guys.
Go get on that weedline 855/355
Tight Lines,
ZIGH
posted on 31-Dec-2002 9:00:28 PM
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HAPPY NEW YEAR my fellow fisherfolks!!!! Today was a nice ending to the 2002
season. We glided out of the Salt Pond's at 7AM headed for the 4th island
area and then to Cape Henry. We were hoping that somewhere along the way we
would encounter some diving birds and feeding fish. As we approached the 3rd
and 4th islands we noticed a large group of birds wheeling and diving about,
revealing the position of our finned adversaries. We deploy our arsenal of
baits to the unsuspecting striped one's. The arsenal includes 2 wire-line
rigs(mojo/small spoon, 3-way segmented blue Bomber), 2 Stretches(blue/silver,
chartreuse/black), and the omnipresent Storm bait. Immediately the Bomber
hooks a 22" fish, and then the Storm with a 20" fish, and then the
blue Stretch with a 22" fish, and then another on the Storm using light
tackle, and another, and so on. Nice birds, nice weather, nice fish, but we
want BIGGER. So after a quick 1/2 hour and some fish to knock off the skunk,
we proceed to Cape Henry in hopes of something a little more pull worthy.
Lines over and, BAM!! Nice 32" fish on the Bomber. We only marked scattered
bait all day, but the cocentrations were very dense. We put out an in-line
with a large blue/ white Windcheater and start a pluck of 30"to 34"
Stripers. The fish seemed to be feeding mostly in the top half of the water
column today, and there wasn't real heavy action, but enough to keep everyone
pleased with things. Next up, the mojo. WHAMO... fish on. This 1 appears to
be a bit heftier than the others, and after seeing him, we wonder why he pulled
so hard for a 32" fish.... oh wait, there's his 3rd cousin the 30"
on the spoon. How Nice!! A double.... And so, the afternoon passed along with
the sultry S breeze, a fish here and there to sweeten the deal, and loads
of laughs!! Our fish tally for the day eclipsed the 30 mark, and the anglers
all wore wide smiles and t-shirts to pay Thanks to the fish and weather Gods.
THANK YOU!!!
We pointed her into the waning sun around 3:00, and in our wake surfed the
thoughts of anglings beauty, the culmination of friendships, and the eternal
buzz that is fishing. Fish on brothers and sisters, fish on.
Wishing You and Yours a HAPPY NEW YEAR,
Fish Brother ZIGH
><((((*>
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Laughing so hard, the devil gets scared....
Zigh
posted on 27-Dec-2002 10:30:50 PM
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Hey there TF'ers!!! Left out of Salt Pond's at 7AM headed for the 4A bouy
area then to give Cape Henry a try. Stopped on the Bay side of the 3rd island
'cause the birdies were flappin' all around, but only picked up some 20"-22"
fish so lines in after 15 or so minutes and off we head to CH. Troll with
2 wire rigs(mojo/segmented blue Bomber) an in-line with a large blue/silver
Rebel, and a couple Stretch lures in green/black.... At CH we put 5 in the
box, but no monsters. Troll for awhile, when we decide to head back towards
the CBBT 4th island where there are birds and some fish. Arrive to the horde
of boats and birds, then pick at fish as we troll N towards the High Rise.
The biggest we caught was around 34", and most favored the blue Bomber.
Also picked up some fish on the light tackle, throwing Storm baits while on
the troll. Loads of fun!!! As the bite completely faded, we headed Bay side
and landed a couple more fish to round out the limit. Nothing big to report,
but all in all, the day was good and the guys aboard had a blast. The weather
was nice also after the morning breeze and chill evaporated. Good to feel
the sunshine. Always good to see 'Chris Kay' and 'Negotiate' out there. We'll
give them another go on Tuesday. Be Lucky and Be Safe!!!!!
Tight Lines,
ZIGH
><((((*>
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Laughing so hard, the devil gets scared....
posted on 23-Dec-2002 9:16:33 PM
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MERRY CHRISTMAS my fellow fin seekers!!! Had the Grand pleasure of fishing
with Capt. Paul again 2day, along with his buddies Gary, Joseph, and another
fellow named Paul. Late start for us this AM since the Capt. left directly
from work and headed for the boat. We made it onto the water at 9AM, started
fishing at 10:20AM and were headed in at 2PM. Ofcourse, we fished the Cape
Henry area along with the myriad of other boats, among whom we saw 'Aquaman'
and 'Graceland'. WSW wind, lots of bait, some birds, and PLENTY of fish. We
were pulling 2 wireline rigs(blue segmented Bomber/ Mojo), and 3 Stretches(2
green/ 1 gold).... Also had the *Capt. Paul special* out there for awhile.
We managed 35 Stripers from 26" up to our AWESOME citation catch of a
47" Beauty. Her #'s were, 47" length, 34" girth, and she weighed
in at an official 49 lbs. 2 ozs.!!!!!
The even better part was watching the battle and 14 year old Joseph's reaction,
to catching what was his 1st ever Striper. WOW!!!!! Way To Go Joseph!!! I
hope we didn't ruin him for life..... I think he's a fellow fisherman for
eternity. That monster was hooked in the first 10 minutes, and after that
we were gifted with mutiple triple and quadruple hook-ups, and even a quintuple
hook-up!!!! Thank You fishing Gods!! We lost 2 fish to break off's and had
one beast that stole 1/2 of a segmented Bomber, after he handily straightened
the connecting eye. Wish we would've seen that one, but I am certainly not
complaining. So, with HUGE fish, HUGE grins, and sore arms we rolled back
to the Salt Pond's after 3 1/2 hours of angling. What an awesome day!!! Next
trip is on Friday....
MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYBODY!!!!!!!!!!!!
See you on the water,
ZIGH
><((((*> ><((((*> <*))))><
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Laughing so hard, the devil gets scared....
Zigh
posted on 15-Dec-2002 10:59:17 PM
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What a beautiful day!! Left out of the Salt Pond's at 7AM headed for fish.
Light WSW winds, 1 footers, and a sensational sunrise to get it started right.
Not to mention a real groovy and fun group of folks, including some ladies,
which always lends itself to a more interesting day. We were going to give
the 4A bouy area another go, but the birds and fish stopped us on the Bay
side of the 3rd island. Lines out , 2 Stretch's(gold&chartreuse), Capt.
Paul's double Storm rig, a segmented Bomber(blue) on a 3-way, and a blue/white
Windcheater on a 3-way. It wasn't long before we were hooked up and landing
the 1st of our 30-35 fish for the day. The hook ups proved to be mostly schoolies
from 18" to 25" with the odd 40" thrown in to keep us off guard.
WoW!!! That guy was sooo excited, as was everyone aboard. Although we caught
fish on all the baits, the fish favored the chartreuse Stretch, and many including
the 40" beast, fell victim to the segmented/deep blue Bomber. The population
of birds that had gathered up started to disipate after a couple of hours
and 20 fish later. We trolled towards the 2nd island along the bridge and
scrapped out another dozen fish from then until 1PM or so when a friend of
Capt. Paul's scooted by and mentioned a hot bite of large ocean fish 7-8 miles
E of the CBBT. Thanks Mike!!! And off we went....... Arrive to see all the
birds and boats and begin to troll. We had 2 more nice size fish here and
had a clean brake off on a hefty fish that stole the Bomber. With smiles and
mild sunburns we headed on in around 3:30PM, admiring the great weather, the
full cooler, and sharing stories of trips that were, and trips that will be.
See you on the water,
ZIGH
><((((*>
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Laughing so hard, the devil gets scared....
Zigh
posted on 14-Dec-2002 9:44:51 PM
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Greetings!!! Headed out this AM with Capt. Paul and a real fun group of folks.
Left Salt Pond's at 7AM and headed to the Bay side 4th island area. SW wind
pushing 25 and gusting to 30, waves 3-4 feet. Lines in and we troll for a
bit along the channel edge down to the tube and out towards the 4A bouy area.
We tried pulling 3-ways with Storm baits and Windcheaters. Also put out some
Stretch's and a spoon on an in-line. The Stretch's didn't do much for us,
so after landing our 1st fish(15lbs.), we threw on some more of the Storm
baits. Some bait marks and plenty of birds, even a busting fish or 2 but,
NADA..... After a bit we pick-up and run up to the 14 mile mark area and troll
S along the bridge. The current just wasn't doing much and neither were the
fish. We did see some birds working the Bay side but not enough to get excited
about. We troll for a bit and then get a radio call from PRIOR ENGAGEMENT.
THANK YOU!! He buzz's us on the cell, and then off we are to some fish and
birds 1/2 mile S of the 3rd island ocean side. We arrive and start hooking
up with a decent pick of fish. Not Big Un's, but pretty Rockfish nonetheless.
And boy were the fellas happy. That's always a good thing!! We fished some
smaller baits and only ran 4 lines to keep up with the action. After a bit,
the Bay side lit up and we swung around to pick on some more fish under the
frenzy of birds. Only 3 boats working the pod, and Thanks again to Prior Engagement
for the very cool heads-up.... You've gotta love your fellow TFer's!!! So
after catching roughly 20 fish; many released, we head for home into the diminishing
W wind. Back at the dock, fish and boat cleaned, and ready to do it all again
2morrow. See you on the water..........
Tight Lines,
ZIGH
><((((*>
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Laughing so hard, the devil gets scared....
Zigh
posted on 1-Dec-2002 7:46:23 PM
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Greetings fishing fools!!!! We had a fun group aboard today as we left the
Salt Pond's around 6:45 AM. Journeyed out into the washing machine they call
the Bay, and set our sights on the 3rd island. Nice breeze blowin'...... Arrive
at the CBBT to find scattered birds and only 1-2 other boats. In our arsenal
we are pulling a Stretch 25(red/white), 2 wirelined Storm baits in the silver/black
color, a free swimming Storm bait, and 2 Storm baits in the Croaker color
w/ 8-10 oz. inline sinkers. We pick at 2 smaller fish(22") away from
the structure and then swing towards the 4th. It's here, at the Bay side 4th
island, that we found a nice body of fish and bait. We managed 25 fish, all
over 15 lbs. except the first 2 baby's. A couple of the fish that comprised
our 12 fish limit were in the 30 lbs. class. NICE!!!
Most fish were caught on the Storm baits w/ inlines, and we had several good
fish on the Stretch also. Only broke off a couple of fish and pulled the hooks
on 2. For a slow start it turned out to be a good fish day. Nice to see the
'Mary E' out there and talked to 'Chris-Kay', although they were fishing down
off Sandbridge. Great to see other TF'ers getting nasty on the fish like the
wind was on us. Pullage is GOOD!!!!!!
So with the tide fading, we decide we'll head on in and get things cleaned
up and ready to go for Tuesday. Back at the dock around 1:45PM and on the
way home by 2:30PM...... You've got to love the Chesepeake Bay Striper fishing!!!!
We are LUCKY to have such a great resource!!!! Catch you on the water............
><((((*>
Tight Lines,
ZIGH
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Laughing so hard, the devil gets scared....
Zigh
posted on 21-Nov-2002 10:49:16 PM
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Greetings fellow fishermen!!! We headed out this AM on a Striper charter.
A real nice group of folks and nice morning to start the day out right. Arrive
at the 2nd island to a few boats and little to no wind. Start casting to the
rip and end of the rocks and pick up some decent fish on red/white Windcheaters
and other diving plugs in blue/ white. The fish were mostly 19"-23".
After several passes, and with the bite slowing, we decide we'll troll/ wireline
towards the ocean side 3rd island area. We pick at a few fish along the way
and manage to throw a 2 lb. Blue in the mix. The tube between the 3rd and
4th looked like a small parking lot, so we pick up and run to it hoping to
share in the action. The fish here were larger overall and averaged 22"-28".
Most hit the wirelined Windcheaters but a few were snagged by white bucktails
and Stretches, and even 1 fish on a Gotcha. With the fish box filling up we
meander out of the pack and head to the Highrise. There's mention of some
good bird activity and upon our arrival we can see that isn't a joke. Lots
of birds working, slicks, busting fish, and still enough flow to keep 'em
biting. We troll this area with the full arsenal and cast to busting fish
and wheeling birds. We have pretty steady action here with the largest fish
probably around 12 lbs.. We had achieved our limit of 20 fish with our total
somewhere in the 50's. When we pointed her home at 3:30, the birds were really
starting to get going. Always hurts to leave like that, but feels good too!!
It was a super day out there, with little to no wind to speak of, and plenty
of fish action. Thankfully too, the rain held off till later in the day. Try
again on 12/1.................
Tight Lines,
ZIGH
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Laughing so hard, the devil gets scared....
Zigh
posted on 19-Nov-2002 11:21:05 PM
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Hey there, to all of you fishing fools. I had the great pleasure of doing
some angling aboard the Big Minnow w/ Capt. Paul, his buddies Neil and Jim,
and Den today. We left Salt Ponds around 4AM this morning to an absolutely
incredible sky. Between the full moon and brilliant meteor shower, it was
magical. And despite being chilly, there was ZERO wind to speak of. Truly
awesome..... and then we got to fish....... We started out fishing for Bluefins
3 miles W of The Ricks(wreck). We trolled to the wreck, around the wreck,
and despite marking some bait and seeing scattered birds we didn't get any
knockdowns. We were running Islanders and Horsey Hoo's. After some time, we
decided we'd hoist the Hoo's up the riggers for a bit and work on some Sea
Bassin'..... good idea. Despite being a small wreck and wrestling w/ a pretty
strong current, we managed a lot of Black Sea Bass up to about 4 lbs.. The
action was pretty non-stop provided you could keep right on the wreck. After
we'd enjoyed this spot we decided we'd run NW to the Gulf Hustler(wreck).
Here too, the current was strong and we got into some more Seabass including
the largest one of the day. So, with our dinner in the cooler, and seeing
that we had some time, we headed for the CBBT for some Striper action. Just
off Cape Henry, we encountered diving Gannetts and some scattered slicks,
but decided to keep on truckin' for the 1st island area. We could see some
folks fishing the ocean side of the 1st and 3rd but proceeded on around to
the Bay side. Still scattered birds about and some squawking on the radio
about, '1000 birds' down by the Bay side 3rd. We opted to cast to the rocks
around the 1st and quickly got into the fish. Most fish were 20-23" and
caught on topwater plugs. We did get some nicer fish to 26" and it was
pretty wide open until dark and the end of the flow. The hot color for 2day's
Striper's was red/white. They'd hit the blue/ white, but they were tearing
up the red/white. AMAZING!! I'll also mention that we broke off a couple real
good fish, but that's what casting 10lb. test will do for you sometimes. The
final fish counts for the day...... 50-60 Black Seabass, 45-60 Stripers, 1
skate, and 1 Hogfish. NICE!!!! Not only was the company great 2day, and the
angling, but you just could never have believed it was 11/19 out there....
just TOO darned beautiful. Thanks guys for the super day!!!! Now you TF'ers
get out there and catch 'em up...................
Tight Lines,
ZIGH
p.s.- nice to meet you on the dock at the Salt Pond's Bill.
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Laughing so hard, the devil gets scared....
Zigh
posted on 5-Nov-2002 8:48:11 PM
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Hey there to you fellow fisherfolks. Had the great pleasure of heading out
on a Striper trip to the CBBT today, with everyone's favorite friend Barbie,
and 5 kids, and their Dad's...... We left Salt Pond's around 9:45 and headed
to the 2nd island. The tide was slack, or close to it, and not much was going
on until about mid-island Bay side, we caught 6 fish in this area, but they
ran 17"-20". We were throwing blue/white Rebel's. After a while,
we left the shelter of the island to try the ocean side without but a hit
or 2. The wind was blowin' out of the E, but not too bad. Still not much current.
Capt. Paul decided to try the Bay side 1st island and we bounced 2 wirelines
here with no takers. Finally, the current woke up and so did the fish. We
managed a total of around 25-28 fish between 17"-26"for the day,
and kept 18 over 19". Not too bad at all considering the lack of tide
flow until real late. The rain that developed didn't