Back on the Water!

I took a little break from fishing to pursue metal detecting, knock out some chores around the house and a few other things. But lately I've been trying to take advantage of the occasional nice winter days we get once in a while.

Mostly I've been hitting the little pond by my house and have been having some luck with a few bass, pickerel, and yellow perch there.

Last week on Valentine's day I thought I would try my luck around the bridges in New Bern for some drum, trout, or striper. There was supposed to be light winds and a chilly, cloudy start to the day. But it was predicted the sun would break through and the temperatures would rise to the low sixties. When I got to the launch it was just as chilly and cloudy as forecast, it was also dead calm. Water temperature was around fifty-two. I covered a lot of bridge pilings trying a variety of artificial baits. But, I couldn't buy a bite. Plus, the sun never came out and it stayed pretty chilly, so I packed it in just after lunch.

Today I headed over to Wilmington to check out what might want to play in the cape fear river and some creeks. There was supposed to be 5-10 mph winds and warm temperatures. It was cloudy and warm. Some of the clouds in the distance looked like they were threatening rain, but I went for it anyway. Out in the river I didn't get bit on anything. The winds also picked up to what felt more like 15-20. So I found a nice creek to take shelter in. One nice bass fell for a olive jerkbait, which kept this trip skunk-free. I didn't get another bite after the bass though so called it a day.

Probably going to try my luck at Jordan Lake tomorrow looking for stripers, and if that falls through try for crappie and bass.

Cape Lookout Yak Camp Fish

Years ago when I worked at a real estate company on the beach they had me represent them at Chamber of Commerce function. At first I was not too excited. Then I found out that it was actually a boat ride and lunch at Cape Lookout lighthouse. My attitude changed once those details came to light. When we arrived at lighthouse bay I remember thinking how awesome it would be to get out their on my kayak.

Fast forward over ten years and I still had not made that trip again by boat or kayak. So last week when the wind was supposed to die down a little I planned an overnight stay paddling from Harker's Island to the lighthouse. I fished along the way and the tide and winds made it a very easy ride.

When I got closer to the lighthouse I found finger mullet and hungry bluefish. I fished most of the day both in the yak and from the sand. I couldn't catch anything but blues most of the day.

If you have never been out to Cape Lookout lighthouse area, it is a must see. There was not a whole lot of people out there so I almost felt like I had the place to myself. I had packed a good sized cooler with the essentials: water, Lunchables type snacks, and of course beer.

After having my fill of bluefish I started looking for a place to set up camp. For some reason I wanted to camp somewhere I could see the lighthouse when I awoke in the morning. I found a nice spot across the bay on Shackleford Banks. This spot was pretty cool as it was almost directly across the bay from the lighthouse and the beach drops nearly straight off into the deeper waters of the channel.

From this spot I continued catching bluefish and enjoying the view in the fading sunlight.

I got careless and let my finger mullet die in their little bucket. No matter, I kept fishing them, and catching bluefish. As I started running low I thought I would chunk them to prolong the fun. Low and behold I actually caught a speckled trout on the tail of one of those dead finger mullets.

When the sun set, I retreated to my tent and had a couple cans of soup for dinner. When I woke up I was kind of bummed to see the wind never really died down. Looking at the water it was clear we were about mid-way through a falling tide. Between the wind and the tide I knew this was going to be a long paddle, or pedal rather, back to the truck at Harkers Island.

A couple hours later I was back to my truck and civilization. I would like to do that trip again, but I definitely want to try and get out there when winds are forecast around 5 MPH next time.

Back on the Water!

Back in 2012 I accepted a great new job in RTP. And my living situation was such that I had no room to store my kayak. I reluctantly sold it on craigslist. For the past several years this left me with no choice but to become a land lover. But the desire to move through the water under my own power chasing fish never left me.

Recently, I moved to a new home where I am blessed with ample storage for any and all of my toys. After buying a house, all the furnishings, tools, and things needed to get a large garden going I wanted to get something fun. There is a real pretty pond across the street as well so the decision was pretty easy, a new kayak was in order. It was really amazing to see the advances that have been made in kayak angling over just the past few years.

At first the sensible side of me was thinking, "all I really need is a decent sit on top with a rudder." But then the Native watercraft yaks crossed my path. The propel drive then became something that seemed almost a necessity. Then I was torn between the Titan and the Slayer. Both are pretty big boats, but the Titan is called the Titan for a reason. I was just about to pull the trigger on it, but then I asked how much it weighed. I think its like 160 pounds. That and the large width kind of made me gunshy. I wanted a boat I could take on big water, but also would feel right at home in the marsh or smaller rivers. So I grabbed the Slayer.

Of course the day it came home, it had to get wet and I was hoping to get a little slime on it too. Launching right across the street from home onto the pond was really quick and easy. The pond has a lot of sunken timber and submerged cypress trees. It looks like bass heaven. The looks did not deceive. My first trip on the pond I caught only a small bass, small crappie, and a large bluegill.

The next day I was back out there, and some nice bass fell for a large rubber worm. The day after that I was off to the coast. I fished behind Emerald Isle in the sound bouncing gulp shrimp around docks. Caught a lot of sea robins and not much else while making my way to the bridge. At the bridge I changed tactics, switching to a redfish magic. The first cast found a short flounder and I started thinking it was game on! After making many more casts with no more action, I called it a day.

I had to take the 'yak off the truck for the work week. But once my weekend started I was back on the pond. This time catching chain pickerel and small bass. All in all lots of good times so far and I have only had my new boat for about 2 weeks. Hopefully the wind dies down next week for my days off. The coast is calling me back for some red drum, flounder, and trout fishing.

Tight lines!