Title: Rocktober 2003

By Jim Baugh

One thing is for sure, our rather rainy spring and summer fishing season ended up with one hell of a bang called Isabel. The heavy rains and the worst hurricane to hit the mid Atlantic in 100 years may (to some) spell a lousy fall fishing season. This could not be further from the truth. My prediction is that we will have the best Rockfish season ever in the lower Bay with possibly large schools of Bluefish as a bonus. The large Rockfish will be arriving in abundance just in time for this years Get Hooked On Hampton Rockfish Tournament and Oyster Bash Nov 8th 2003.

This years event will have a lot to offer: over $8000.00 in cash and prize money including $3000.00 in Bass Pro Shops gift certificates, $700.000 in Boaters World gift certificates, a brand new Suzuki four stroke engine and other great prizes as well. There will be plenty of opportunity to place; this event has five top placements, a youth division, a prize for longest fish, and even a fly-fishing division. To top it off, after the captains meting n Friday Nov7th, everyone is invited for a pre- opening tour of the New Bass Pro Shops in Hampton VA. (Roundtrip transportation provided). After the Saturday night weigh in, the tournament will through an all you can eat oyster bash for the entrants. Live music and adult beverages will also be available. The tournament committee has been very busy this year to bring the best Rockfish tournament to the greater Hampton Roads area, look for the entry form right here in the Sportsman's Magazine.

So why is this fall going to be a Rockfish bonanza after all this bad weather? One simple reason is the lack of oxygen levels in the mid to upper Bay. The lower Bay has been chocked full of baitfish all summer and anglers have constantly been catching huge Rockfish by the CBBT. Hurricanes are very bad for land, boats, houses, cars, and even life. However one good thing about Hurricanes is that they can be good for fishing. Isabel is what the mid Atlantic waters needed to help bring the warmer Gulf Stream waters closer into shore. My bet is that we will see the Ocean Rocks come in early around late Oct. and early Nov.

I can not tell you how many calls we have received from people who wanted to know how our boats and house fared in Isabel. We appreciate everyone's concern. Well, here is the story.

The Radisson hotel in Hampton was kind enough to let myself and my cameraman Sean Finnegan stay at the hotel to help monitor and protect not only our boats, but the marina as well. By Thursday the 18th, we had adjusted the lines on the Trojan for a 10 ft surge and a 100mph blow. We stood on the lee side of the Radisson and watched the Custom's House Marina go five feet underwater. One great thing about the Custom's House Marina is that a large portion of the area is somewhat protected from a N, NE wind. This is due to the fact that the Radisson and the new Cousteau Society building block a lot of wind. Sean and I made several adjustments to boats before the storm surge. Once the area flooded and then the water subsided to dock level, we ventured out on the docks to re-adjust boat lines. Fortunately there was only some minor damage to a few boats that were docked on the outside dock next to the channel. Other that some rubbing of wood, most boats at Custom's House fared rather well. There were not any boats that sank or had any holes punched threw the hulls. Custom's House Marina fared far better than a lot of our friends who were docked elsewhere.

After I had a chance to research and find out how much damage was done to many of the boats in the area, I began to realize some important safety issues regarding preparing a boat to survive a hurricane. Here are some points that might be helpful to readers who may find themselves trying to save their boats in the next Hurricane.

A) Consider the storm surge and plan accordingly. If the forecast calls for a 10-foot storm surge, tie your boat up in a manor that can handle that kind of tidal variance. We tied our Trojan from bow to stern dock post, and from stern cleat to bow dock post. All lines were brand new and ranged from 40 to 80 feet. Each cleat had three lines for support, including spring lines. All total the Trojan had over 21 lines tied to her including five bumpers. The Trojan stayed at dock in 100 mph gust with the dock five feet under water, and she never had a problem once. Using new lines, allowing for the surge, staying in a protected marina, and monitoring your boat if possible all can lead to helping your boat survive a hurricane.

B) Boat Us research has showed that hauling your boat out of the water will increase your boats chance of survival. This is true, and we did haul out our 28 Pursuit and kept her at Sunset Boating Center in Hampton VA. We Iooked at the height of the boat out of water and realized the storm surge would not reach the boat. For extra safety, we did anchor the Pursuit down so that there was no way she was going to go anywhere. The Pursuit made it threw fine without a scratch on her. Sunset Boating Center is defiantly a good hurricane haul out for boats under 33 feet. The problem with hauling out your boat for a hurricane is that many boat owners might not allow for the storm surge. One of my favorite marinas up the James River hauled out most or all of the boats in the marina. The problem was that the boats still sat on land way under what the storm surge was going to be. The result is that the boats float off the stands and get blown freely into each other or anything else. This is a boating disaster. Make sure you boat on land or at sea are prepared for the storm surge.

C) Should your boat be trailerable move your boat out of harms way. This does not mean move your boat next to your house in the country where you may still be subject to hurricane winds. I have close friends who had their boats sitting by their house on a trailer topped off with several large oak trees. It would be better to keep a boat in an open area like a marina or boat yard and properly secured rather than leave your boat under large trees that can do massive damage to your boat and trailer.

There are many other things to consider in preparing for a hurricane, keep all boats and cars full of gas, make preparations to live without power for several days, keep plenty of batteries and flashlights on hand, and pre was a lot of clothes, towels, etc.

Depending on the size and strength of the storm will have a lot to do with the amount of potential damage. In a lot of cases, there is just not a lot one can do to protect their property. Never put your or anyone's else's life at risk to protect property, it is not worth it. Heeding evacuation warnings is also a good idea.

Isabel was a horrible storm that even near half its strength brought devastation to many areas. Buckroe Pier in Hampton along with Grandview, were both piers we regularly fished on. Last year we produced a great show that is on our 2003 DVD featuring Grandview Pier. This past August, just a few weeks before the hurricane we shot a show at Buckroe to air during our 2004 season. Both piers are now gone, Isabel showed now mercy. Our thoughts and prayers go out to everyone who lost loved ones in this hurricane.
You can log on to Jimbaughoutdoors.com and visit our new Hurricane page. There you will find valuable information regarding hurricanes and there is also many pictures of the damage caused by Isabel.

Well, I have rambled on enough, and the gas on the generator is getting low so it is time to head outside and re-fill her. No, it is not my generator, it is my dads. After the ice storm he had one put in, so I am working on his kitchen table with the old laptop.

Way to go pops!! Next Rock trip is on me.

Wishing everyone light South West Winds, and a nice slip In Hampton.

Jim Baugh
Jim Baugh OutdoorsTV