This past week a lot of anglers used their keyboards and voices to show their support of guard rail regulations on False Albacore along the NC Coast.
These “guard rail” regulations were presented to North Carolina’s Marine Fisheries Commision a year ago, after ASGA’s research started gaining traction. Previous to the American Saltwater Guide’s Association’s scientific study of False Albacore, there was little to no science on these fish. Thanks to their genetic sampling and tagging from New England to Florida, we are starting to understand their migration and genetics better. It turns out that all of these fish are from the same breeding stock…they are all related. Many of the Albies that summer in Massachusetts, spend their fall in North Carolina, and overwinter in Key West Florida.
With increasing pressure on these fish both recreationally and commercially, it became concerning that there were absolutely no limits on the harvest of these fish. One of the biggest concerns was the fact that False Albacore, due to their oily nature and high content of Omega 3, are being considered as a possible new target by large commercial industries from outside of the USA. The possibility of huge boats coming in with thousands of yards of seine nets to encircle the schools of Albacore for fish meal or cat food is quite frightening.
The push for the Marine Fisheries Commision to vote in favor of protective regulations on these fish has increased over the last year. A plan was written up by the Division of Marine Fisheries to set a cap on Albie harvest. They took the 5-year average of Albies harvested in NC from 2018-2022 and doubled it. If this rule was voted in, regulations would go into effect on Albies only once we hit the 200% average harvest cap. Once the regulation kicks in, it would be 10 fish per rec angler, and 3500lbs of fish per commercial trip. There are less than 3% of the commercial anglers even hitting the 500lb mark on Albie harvest, much less a 3500lb mark. This plan was put together with the idea that the restrictions would not affect any current recs or commercials and would even allow for some growth. What it would do though, is stop the fishery from expanding out of control into a disastrous situation. It would also keep a large-scale fishery for Albacore from being developed. We share our Albies up and down the East Coast, so the fish would only be protected while in NC waters once the rule would go into effect. There are currently 4 other states to the north of us considering protective regulations also, and they were watching us to help them make their decisions.
The last few weeks, guides, anglers and the ASGA have been rallying for support of this ruling. Leading up to the meeting, over 250 public comments were submitted in favor of the proposed rules. Then this past Wednesday night and Thursday morning, many guides and rec anglers came to the meeting to speak in front of the Marine Fisheries Commission. Later on Thursday the commission deliberated and took a vote. There were commissioners who voted against the vote due to the lack of science proving that Albies needed regulations. On the other side, there were commissioners who voted in favor of regulations, stating that the lack of protection due to the lack of adequate science always ends up with over fished fisheries, as there just isn’t enough funding for more scientists. In the end, it came down to status quo vs setting a new standard. The MFC voted 5 to 4 in favor of guard rail regulations to protect Albies in the future as more science is done to study the species. This is a big win for Albies and for every angler that appreciates these amazing fish. For the first time in a long time, I watched NC set a shining example for all of the other states to follow. Hopefully this will lead to a chain reaction of protection up and down the East Coast.
A huge thank you to everyone who spoke out in favor of False Albacore this month, we could not have done this without the support of the public.
The Wednesday meeting and public comments can be viewed here:
The Thursday meeting can be viewed here. Public comments begin at the beginning and the deliberation and voting start at the 7hr 5 min mark.
For more information, please visit the Albie Project on ASGA's website.
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I'm excited about returning to the Roanoke River again this May for the Striped Bass run. As of right now, I've cleared out May 1-11 of 2024 for Roanoke "Rockfish", but I could possibly extend that depending on bookings. The fish will hopefully be there before I arrive, and still there after I leave, but my plan is to hit the peak of the spawn when the stretch of River we fish around Weldon has the highest concentration of fish. Striped Bass are found throughout many parts of the state. Juvenile fish can be found in coastal rivers, large adults are found offshore, and many lakes contain landlocked fish. Just like the earlier runs of Hickory Shad, Weldon is also probably the best place in the state to catch Striped Bass, or "Rockfish", as they’re locally known. Being anadromous, Striped Bass make a Spring journey up the Roanoke River towards their spawning grounds near Weldon. Stripers start to show up in April and usually hang around until mid May. On a really good day, it’s possible to boat close to one hundred fish when the bite is on. Historically, April has been the keeper season, and the Weldon area can be very crowded. It has recently been announced by the NCWRC that there will be no keeper season on the Roanoke this year. Keeper season or not, our favorite time to fish for them, is the first two weeks of May, when the fish numbers are at their peak, and they are the most active. The majority of stripers are schoolie sized fish from 16-24″, but there are big cow females between 30-50lbs in the same stretch of river, so you never know what you could hook into. Last year, every few days we would land a really nice 10lb fish among the schoolies. I absolutely love fishing this river every year. It's an experience to be had! I worry sometimes that the experience is lessened by anglers having too high of an expectation. Several anglers, guides, magazines, and social media posts have sold the Roanoke as the place where you catch 100 fish per trip. Does it happen? Sure...some days. That being said, I tell my anglers to always be realistic. There are lots of factors that can play into the bite. Water temps too high or too low? Water flow too low and the fish are down river? Flow too high and the fish are up in the bushes? Are the fish pre-spawn, post spawn, or are they right in the middle of their spawn and thinking about love? I've seen the most senior of guides on the river struggle to catch a dozen fish some days. I've also seen a local catch a hundred fish while standing on the bank using a $20 rod and reel combo. Every day is different. Generally, when I tell my anglers about the fishery, I say that a slow day on the Roanoke in May is comparable to a good day on most any other river, and a really good day on the Roanoke could ruin you from wanting to fish anywhere else. The truth is this river is so much more than numbers. It's one of the best fishing experiences to be had in the state of North Carolina. Where else can you see Bald Eagles above you, Turkeys along the banks, River Otters splashing at your feet? All while watching dozens of angry male Rockfish fight each other on the surface, trying to spawn with one big female as she releases several hundred-thousand eggs? Seeing all that, and also having the potential to catch more fish on fly or spin than you ever have in a single day? How awesome is that? I love this river and the experiences she provides on a daily basis during the Striped Bass migration. While up on the Roanoke, we'll be fishing out of my 18ft East Cape Fury. There's plenty of room for 1 or 2 anglers to cast fly or spin, while I control our drift and watch the fish finder for schools of fish. My boat will be loaded with plenty of fly rods with the proper lines, and leaders. We'll also have a stack of spinning rods ready for action. I'll be ready for whatever the Roanoke and the Stripers throw at us, with boxes full of hundreds of flies, jigs and top waters. The bite can often peak right at sunrise and sunset, so we set up our trip times around that. We'll run morning half days from 6am-11am and evening trips from 3pm-8pm. If you want to get the full experience, we can do a long full day where we basically fish a 5hr morning trip, take a few hours mid-day break for lunch and a nap, and then hit the water again in the afternoon and fish till dark. Fly fishing is probably my favorite way to fish for these fish each May. 6wt to 8wt rods lined up with floating lines and 250-350gr sinking lines do the work needed to bring these fish to hand. The floating line setups are rigged up with poppers for the occasions when we get an early morning or evening topwater bite. The sinking line rigs get the most usage, pulling flies down 10-20ft to where the schools of fish hang in the water column. You can get fancy with your flies, but most days a simple Clouser or Deceiver is all you need. Chartreuse and white flies take up half the real estate in my fly boxes, but I tie up a variety of colors for that occasional day when the fish decide to be picky about colors. Most of our spinning rods are rigged up with brightly colored soft plastics on jig heads so that we can fish deep into the water column. The topwater bite on spin can be excellent too. Top Dogs, Zara Spooks, Skitterwalks, Wakebaits, Poppers ...if its loud and obvious, they'll try to kill it. Some of our highest numbers of fish, and biggest fish, come on topwater right before dark. If they are not eating on top, then we will locate them on the sonar and dredge a sinking fly line for them. Sometimes the schools of fish are in the mood to eat, and sometimes they are too focused on "love" to be bothered with chasing a fly. These fish are like lottery tickets. Not every single one is a winner, so the more lottery tickets you can scratch, the higher your chances are. This right here is what you hope for. A solid wedge of Striped Bass stacked nose to tail and fin to fin from mid water column down the bottom. Often these schools can be several hundred yards long and stretch from one side of the river to the other. This is the only place I know where someone could possibly go catch 20 fish on fly and go home disappointed. If you come with your mind set that you will catch fish every cast, you could be really let down, and miss out on all the other great things happening around you. If you come looking for a great overall experience, then you'll never be let down. The Roanoke Rocks! While fishing for Stripers on the Roanoke, we often catch other species too. From Longnose Gar to Largemouth Bass, to Redhorse Suckers, to Common Carp... Speaking of Carp, there is an opportunity to do more than just luck into one blindly in May. I have an area only 15 minutes from our Striper spot, where we can pole flats and lake edges sightcasting to Common Carp. I'm still working on developing this fishery, but it's already at a point where sightfishing them is very doable. If you'd like to split your time between drifting for Stripers and poling for Carp, I would love to talk to you about doing both! Let's chat about it! Hooking into a healthy Striper will put a smile on anyone's face. That's what we're looking for! Putting on a show! Striper spawning action. Come on fish...get a hotel room! I love witnessing the Sun rise and the Sun set on the mighty Roanoke. And there's plenty of fishing to keep you busy between the two. I'll be on the Roanoke March 21-26 guiding for Hickory Shad, and May 1-11 guiding for Striped Bass. I'd love to show you why I love this place so much. Shoot me a message or give me a call if you'd like to go this year.
As we approach the end of January, I'm already excited about returning to the Roanoke River this spring. In less than two months, I'll be floating down this wild river with clients, enjoying the amazing fishery that is the Hickory Shad spawning run. We are right in the middle of our winter Redfish season here on the coast, but I can't help thinking of what's next, as I order new 4wt sinking lines, tie up Shad flies, and imagine the fun to be had. For some reason, Shad just don’t get the same love that Striped Bass receive on the Roanoke. I truly think anglers don’t know what they’re missing, as fishing for these aggressive, acrobatic fish is as fun as it gets. Both Hickory and White Shad make their spawning runs up the coastal rivers of North Carolina every February through April. The Tar, Neuse and Cape Fear are all known for their spring shad runs, but in my opinion, the Roanoke River near Weldon NC is the best place on the planet to experience shad fishing. The hickory shad usually show up in the Weldon area during the first two weeks of March and hang around through early April. I wish I could spend a whole month chasing these fish, but I'll most likely try to time it to fish up there for a week during the absolute peak of the fishing. Even a slow day shad fishing on the Roanoke, is usually more action than you will experience in other locations. I generally hate over-hyping any of our fisheries, but I can safely say that fifty to one-hundred fish in a day, is a definite possibility when fishing the Roanoke. Not that numbers are the most important part of a fishing trip, but when it comes to shad fishing, continuous action is just part of the fun of it. The other great news is that you don't have to get up super early to experience the bite. Shad feed by sight, so we can start once the sun gets up and we can usually catch fish steadily throughout middle of the day. You also don't need any special equipment or skills to have fun catching these fish. If you don't fly fish, Shad are great fun on ultra-light spinning rods, light braided lines, and small jigs. In the Roanoke we are fishing for them in anywhere from 5-15ft of water with some current, so we count down as our lure sinks through the water column. Brightly colored shad darts, shiny little spoons or just plain old crappie jigs all do the trick. I keep rods rigged up with jigs in a variety of colors because the shad can often have a preference day to day. Fly fishing is personally my favorite way to target them. When I first started fishing for them on the Roanoke almost 18 years ago, we were using 6wt rods so that we could throw a heavy enough sinking line to get down to them. Over the years, sinking fly lines (and rods) have gotten better, and now we can catch them on fly rods as small as 4wt, or even 3wt! On my skiff, I usually keep a couple 4wts rigged up with 150-grain fast sinking lines to get the flies down through the current. We generally fish a very short leader, only 2-3ft long. For flies, we have a variety of small Clousers, and marabou tailed streamers tied in pink, white, chartreuse, red and yellow...the brighter and flashier, the better! Obviously, there is more to the Roanoke than just Shad, there is the beautiful scenery, the abundant wildlife (Ospreys, Eagles, Turkeys, Turtles, etc), and the pleasure of a slow drift down a river as it flows through the fall line and morphs from rapids to blackwater river. Shad fishing on the Roanoke is a total package deal, meaning you get some awesome views along with great fishing, making for some lasting memories. It's also a fantastic place to get your children hyped up on fishing. Shad are probably only second to Bluegill in the easy to catch department. If your son or daughter can turn the handle on a real, there's a good chance they can catch Shad on their own. The normally continuous action of Shad fishing really helps keep the younger anglers focused and interested in the sport...and if they need a break, there's always time for snacks! I am officially open for Shad trips on the Roanoke March 21-26, 2024. If I get enough interest, I may expand that, but for now, those are the dates I'm leaving open on my calendar for Shad. We will be offering half to full day trips to meet your needs and I can supply all the gear, or you can bring your own. The only thing you will need is a NC Freshwater Fishing License, if you are of the age where you need one (we can assist with that if you need). In my eyes there's no better way to welcome Spring back to North Carolina than a day of fishing for Hickory Shad. The action is steady, they fight hard on light tackle and love to jump, and they bring a smile to everyone's face. Plus, you get to experience all of this on one of the prettiest rivers in the entire state. I'd love to have you join me this March catching Shad on the Roanoke out of Weldon NC. To book a trip, shoot me an email (john@tailingtideguideservice.com) or call or text at 910-340-4811.
I feel like I should post a trigger warning on this story, as I know I'm going to upset a few people. I've made the decision to go 100% catch and release on Redfish in 2024. I made this decision several months ago, but wanted to go ahead and put it out there for everyone as we enter a new year of fishing. Before we go any further, I'm not telling any other anglers or guides what they should or shouldn't do. I'm also not judging anyone for harvesting any type of fish, as long as they are obeying the law. Right now, you may be saying, "John, why the heck aren't you harvesting any Redfish in 2024?" Well, I guess we need to step back a few years and start there. I've been chasing Redfish here on the Crystal Coast almost 20 years now. I started my guide service 12 years ago, and I was only doing it part time to start. I loved fly fishing, so I decided to fill that niche as a guide. As my business grew, it stayed focused on sight fishing and fly fishing, although we do blind cast when the situation calls for it. As a guide with mostly fly fishing and sight fishing anglers making up my clientele, we have a few situations going on. One, the majority of my anglers are very conservation minded and catch and release focused to begin with. Two, many of my anglers like to chase fish in the hardest way possible, so we need lots of shots.... lots. Since we need many opportunities, and we aren't worried about filling the cooler, my guide service never really harvested that many Reds in the first place. I'd occasionally get a guy who wanted to take one or two home, but I don't know if we've ever even had a year where we harvested 10 Reds. Fast forward to September of 2022. We were fishing some shallow water Reds and had one in the boat. Once we snapped a few photos, we watched it swim off and it dawned on me that we had not harvested a single Redfish that whole year. I started thinking back trying to remember the last time I had thrown one on ice for a client. After a while, I remembered us putting one or two in the cooler for an angler in September of the prior year. It had been a whole 12 months since we had kept a Redfish. I thought that was pretty cool. Then something told me that we should try to finish out 2022 with no Redfish. Should be easy enough. Albie season was starting up in a few weeks, then I'd be off the flats until December. I only had about 8 or so Redfish trips left, and we had made it this far, this should be a piece of cake... I jinxed myself the second I started thinking that. I had a gentlemen call me the following day and request a late September Redfish trip. He was a fly angler and professed to be a really good one. He excitedly told me that he was looking forward to the thrill of stalking a Redfish in shallow water, sight casting a fly to it, working the fly just right to entice a bite, hooking and fighting the worthy opponent, and then frying it up for supper. I wondered if he had heard the "gulp" in my throat when he told me how excited he was to harvest his catch. My mind was racing to figure out how I was going to respond before the conversation went too far. Part of me said, "John, stick to your guns", and the other part of me said, "John, just run the trip, he might not even catch one anyway." "Sorry sir, we aren't harvesting any Redfish this year" I quickly said to him. How dumb of me to think he would just accept that answer. In actuality, this was just the beginning of a somewhat stressful conversation, where I really had to defend my reasoning. He believed that as a license holding angler, he had the right to harvest his 1 Redfish per day. And although I agreed that he absolutely did have that right, I would need him to respect my request, if he was fishing on my boat. I explained to him that I was more than happy to take him any time in 2023 and harvest a fish, but that I was steadfast in goal of not harvesting any Reds in 2022. He ended up going fishing with another guide. I lost $500, but I kept my moral values by not backing down. I felt like that was a win, but my anxiety began to build as I thought about the rest of my Redfish trips already on the calendar. I immediately contacted the rest of my anglers for the year and explained to them what I was working on. Thankfully every one of my remaining clients was onboard and I was able to finish out 2022 as a full-time guide without harvesting a single Redfish. That felt amazing and meaningful. As we moved into 2023, I didn't push to do another catch and release only year of Redfish. I figured I would just let it ride out and see what happened. At some point during the spring, an angler caught a Redfish and asked if he could keep it. I didn't hesitate to say yes. And thus ended a year and a half streak of catch and release. I had one more angler request to keep one later that summer, and we kept that one too. Not to sound like a wimp, but something in my gut bothered me about killing those fish. I'm not against harvesting fish. I love keeping Atlantic Bonito and eating them. I'm happy to let my anglers put a limit of Spanish Mackerel in the cooler. But for some reason, killing those Redfish didn't sit right with me. Perhaps it's because I consider those fish my business partners, and I rely on them being there day after day. Maybe it's because we fish for them in a way that makes us work extra hard to catch them, and I consider them such a worthy opponent. Whatever the reason, it bothered me enough that I decided that I would be going back to zero harvest on Redfish in 2024. Even if that meant losing some charters and income. Besides having a soft spot in my heart for Redfish...why am I going total catch and release on them?
Well for one, I don't think we have enough of them here in NC. I can hear all the grunts and groans from the audience in response. Look, I don't think our Redfish population is in trouble, I don't even think it's low...but I know it could be better. I hear all the time from anglers that fish for them with bait or even blind cast for them, that we have a good population of fish, that they have no problem catching plenty. There are quite a few people, who even believe we should raise the limit on them. I spend enough time poling up shallow, sight fishing for these fish, both here in North Carolina, and in other states. And what I've seen in other states, tells me that although our fish are doing okay, we definitely have room for improvement. There is more pressure on these fish than ever. Just drive by any coastal boat ramp and compare the number of trailers now to how many were there 5 or 10 years ago. The number of boats and anglers on the water has exploded. So, although each angler can only keep one fish, there are more anglers than ever keeping fish. Not only that, but there are more boats pushing these fish around and educating them than ever. If you bait fish for Redfish, you may not notice the pressure on these fish as much as I do, but I can see these fish getting smarter and smarter every year. We're a bunch of goofballs chucking feathers at Redfish from 30ft away in less than a foot of water...we need as many opportunities as we can get. My point is, I know the fishery could be better. If I'm taking fish out of the water, then I don't think I should get to complain about the numbers of fish in the water at the same time. We have a good fishery, and I want to do my part to keep it that way, and maybe, just maybe, see it get even better down the road. I had my most successful year of guiding ever last year. We sustainably harvested fish on about 5% of those trips. And we harvested Redfish on only 1% of those trips. I don't mind losing 1% of my business to do my part to make our fishery better. I think my biggest concern is offending all of my guide buddies who post the livewell pics, cooler shots and cleaning station photos. Please don't be offended. I'm not belittling anyone who wants to harvest Redfish, nor am I saying anything negative about any guide who harvests Redfish for their clients. We all have different business models. I'm just doing what works for me. I think my second biggest concern was scaring anglers away. I promise we have a good fishery; I could take you out there right now and show you big schools of Redfish…I’m just doing my part to make sure we still have that down the road. I am fortunate to have some amazing clients that are stoked to go chase Redfish, get challenged, lose some, win some, and watch them swim away afterwards... and I'm so thankful for that. I have to be honest; I was a little nervous to put this post out there into the Universe. Enough of that nonsense, I'm going to be proud to tell people that we're giving them all a second chance in 2024. If you are an angler or a guide who is going 100% catch and release on Redfish in 2024, I'd love to hear about it. Winter Redfish We kicked off 2023 with a great winter Redfish season. January, February and March gave us crystal clear water, big schools of fish, and lots of hookups and happy anglers. I can remember having some large schools of 100 to 300 fish floating around in 12" of water, and watching fish eat flies 30 or 40ft off our bow. We had lots of opportunities to change flies, presentations and stripping speeds, learning what the fish wanted, by watching how they would react. One of my favorite memories from early 2023 was accidentally bumping into a school of well over 500 upper-slot fish stretched over a hundred yards of sand flat and proceeding to get successful shot after shot at them. Although I usually get sucked into chasing slot Redfish in the shallows January through March, we also took a few days to go look for their parents out along the beaches. Not only did we find some big schools of Bull Reds, but we also found a bunch of winter False Albacore. You never know what you'll find running out there in the "big pond", even in the dead of winter. Early Spring Shad on the Roanoke River Although I grew up an hour down the road from Weldon, I didn't start fishing the Roanoke there until 2007. I still remember that first trip and how much fun I had catching Hickory Shad that day. I've been back chasing the shad on personal fishing trips almost every year for the last 17 years. This year I finally started running shad charters up there and we had a blast. I stayed for 5 days running trips and I couldn't tell you how many fish we caught. Using 4wt fly rods and ultra-light spinning rods, we couldn't stop smiling. As an adult I absolutely love catching these fish, but these fish are also a wonderful fish for kids to practice the sport of fishing on, due to the high chances for success. For 2024, I'll be back up there late March-early April and I'd love to fill a full week of charters. I'll start advertising for it soon, but feel free to contact me if you want to talk about doing a shad trip. Spring Nearshore - Bonito and More! After coming back home from the Roanoke River, we jumped in the Parker and went looking for Atlantic Bonito, along with Bluefish, Albies Spanish Mackerel, and Grey Trout. This mostly consisted of running out to the nearshore wrecks at first light and getting in on some Bonito surface action and then fishing for them below the surface once the sun gets up. I'm mostly a catch and release focused guide, but I absolutely love keeping a few Atlantic Bonito as sushi, ceviche, or seared on the grill. On several of our Spring nearshore trips we were able to go find some schools of big Bull Redfish after the Bonito bite died off. Some of my favorite memories of 2023 include following and casting to a 100-yard-long school of giant pumpkins floating in aqua green water somewhere out in the middle of the Atlantic. For 2024 we will absolutely be back out there targeting Bonito, spring Albies, Spanish, Blues and hopefully finding some more jumbo Redfish. New Fly Shop in Town Our little circle of friends has talked about opening a fly shop for years. We had this mental picture of not just a fly shop, but a hangout, a hub for all the fly-fishing activities on the Crystal Coast. The stars finally aligned for my buddy Perry McDougald in 2022 and he purchased a building on the waterfront, that with a lot of hard work, became an amazing fly shop as of April 2023. Perry is doing a great job serving local anglers, keeping exactly what you need in stock, and providing a cool hangout spot for us fly geeks. I wish him continued success in 2024! www.soundsideoutfittersnc.com Back on the Roanoke chasing Striped Bass Right after the opening of Sound Side Outfitters, I packed the Toyota and the Fury up and made my way back up to Weldon. I spent the last few days of April through the 10th of May on the Roanoke taking my anglers out targeting Striped Bass on the Roanoke. Just like Shad fishing, I also love the laid-back vibe of drifting down the river casting flies and plastics to Stripers. The Roanoke has long held the title of "Rockfish Capital of the World", due to the numbers of fish that pack into that stretch of river to spawn each spring. Last year, the first half of my Roanoke mini season didn't quite live up to the Rockfish Capital name. For whatever reason (low flows, temps, etc.), the fish were late to the party last year and we struggled the first week to see the types of trips I had hoped for. By early May, the fish finally started stacking up in the river and we started having the days that bring me back up there year after year. The problem with the Roanoke is that it's advertised for its 100 fish days, so you can easily get disappointed with a 10 or 20 fish day, depending on your expectations. If you come with the expectation of having fun no matter the number of fish, you will fall in love with this fishery and the scenery and wildlife that comes along with it. There are a handful of trips up there from 2023 that are etched in my memory with piles of fish spawning on the surface, owls and cicadas calling across the river, and top water plugs getting crushed by hungry Striped Bass. I'm looking forward to getting back up there again this coming May and enjoying all of the things that make the Roanoke Spring Striper season so special. I hope you can join me on the river. Hatch Reels Partnership I made the switch to Hatch Fly Reels back in 2017 and they have continually provided a solid fish catching experience for me from my light 4wt rigs all the way up to battling bruisers offshore on my 12wts. On top of being a great tool, I've been a big fan of Hatch's mission and their family like atmosphere. This past summer, I was invited to join their Pro Staff and continue to build my relationship with their brand while fishing their latest and best gear. I'm honored to be a part of their team and I can't wait to see where we can take it in 2024. Hatch Outdoors | Pro Staff John Mauser – Hatch Outdoors, INC Summer in the Marsh - Crawling and Tailing Reds, Flounder and Trout Redfish have always been the backbone of my guiding business. And although I've branched out in several other directions, I still spend a lot of my yearly total guiding days in the pursuit of shallow water Redfish. Even though we fish for them 12 months a year, summer is still the most sought out time for anglers to come fish for them. We spent a lot of time out there from May through September this year. Low tide crawlers. High tide fish on top waters. Flood tide tailers in the grass. Fish in creeks, bays, and on big open flats. We did it all. I have to be honest with you, I struggled a bit this summer as a sight fishing guide. We had two major factors that made life hard last summer. Hot water and dirty water. It was one of the hottest summers I can remember and the water temps up on the flats could easily hit 90 to 95 degrees by noon. That pushed a lot of the fish off of those shallow flats we like to fish, as they searched for cooler more oxygenated water. On top of that, the wind and rain we dealt with last summer kept the water pretty dirty. I worked as hard as I could to turn slow days into good days, and good days into great days. Although the peak of summer was tough, the book-end months to summer, June and September, were much better. And high tide fishing with top waters was really good this summer, as those fish were extremely aggressive in 2-4ft of water and the water clarity didn't matter. We were also blessed with a couple large schools of Redfish in certain spots this summer, which is abnormal but very much appreciated. I'm looking forward to flip flops, board shorts and tailing and crawling Redfish in the summer of 2024. I hope you can spend some time on the bow with me casting to them next summer. Summertime Nearshore and Wreck Fishing Although I found myself in the East Cape a lot of last summer, I also spent a good deal of time on the Parker fishing the nearshore and offshore waters of the Crystal Coast. I'm a big fan of being ready for anything when fishing in the ocean, and several trips this summer started off as Spanish Mackerel trips along the beach, but somehow ended with us 20 miles offshore jigging Amberjack. I love doing that kind of stuff. My anglers caught everything from Mackerel and Blues to Cobia and Amberjacks, and even Sharks on both fly and spin. We'll be back out there again this coming summer and I'm looking forward to trying some new techniques like slow pitch jigging on some of these fish. Saltwater Fly Fishing School We put on two Saltwater Fly Fishing Schools again this year in the Spring and Fall. Us instructors love sharing our knowledge and experiences with anyone who is interested in becoming a better fly angler. During our schools we covered everything from equipment selection, to fly choices, to rigging, to presenting flies to fish, to mastering the double haul. We'll be back in 2024 with more classes, so stay tuned for updates on that. CAROLINA FLY FISHING ACADEMY - Home Albie Season Begins! I'm always looking forward to Albie Season. Especially in the heat of the summer, you start really getting amped about going after fish that don't give you the middle finger. There's something special about a big school of angry mini tuna, foaming on the surface, and knowing that you are going to get an eat as soon as your fly touches the water. I am so appreciative of all the anglers that kept me booked every single day this past fall. Albies have become a big part of my business, and I couldn't do it without all of you. Our season kicked off in late September and went on for two months straight. Although we had some killer days with the Albies around for hours at a time, we also had some days that they played hard to get. Some days they showed up with their knife and fork and bib on, and some days they ghosted us even though there were epic proportions of bait around. Fortunately, Albies were not the only thing available to us on those slower days...and that's what I love about the Crystal Coast. Bluefish, Spanish Mackerel, Bull Redfish, Amberjack, Cobia and Sharks offered a ton of pullage if you were willing to look for them. Bull Reds are one of my favorite targets in the nearshore waters, there's something special about those big old orange fish. I saw more of them this fall than I've ever seen, and I definitely wasn't mad about that! Some days we had acres of Bluefish under birds, and not just little 1-2lbers...we caught all the 5lbers you could want and had some pushing 10lbs. Some days we had big groups of Sharks on bait balls mixed in with jumbo Albies. And some days everything merged, and we had a mosh pit of big Blues, Sharks and Albies in the top half of the water column, with a 10ft wall of Bull Reds underneath. Goodluck getting your lure or fly past the mayhem and down to the Reds. We had several days where we lost $200 in tackle in a few hours of fishing. The tackle shops really loved me this fall! And you want to talk about chaos? See what happens when you hook a 5lb Bluefish or a 40lb Redfish with big hungry sharks around. Just keep your hands out of the water... If the weather was nice, we often took the option to ride offshore to some shipwrecks and look for Amberjack and other predators. You never know what you'll connect to when you drop a fly or a jig down in 100ft of water over structure. Can't say it enough, variety is the spice of life, and you have plenty of it on the Crystal Coast. We finished out the end of November with the Albies returning and playing nice. My last trip of the season had us fishing in hard west winds and rough seas, but we had Albies busting all around the boat for a few hours. I'm not sure the total number of Albies we caught in 2023, but we did tag 78 of them for the Albie Project with the American Saltwater Guides Association. I'm honored to be helping them out with their mission to get more scientific data on species like Albies, Redfish and Striped Bass. There is even more in the works for the Albie Project in 2024. Stay tuned. The Albie Project – American Saltwater Guides Association A New Coat for the Fury! While I was living in the Parker for 2 months, my beloved little skiff was getting a makeover. 9 years of being poled over sand and oysters had her looking pretty rough. Rough, as in, you could see bare fiberglass all over the bottom. With the help of a trusted friend, I was able to connect with a local NC shop to have the Fury sanded, patched, re-gelcoated and buffed to perfection. She looks good! Like brand new good. I'm going to make a separate post this winter detailing the whole thing and giving props to the excellent work done by Rojo Marine Performance in Washington NC. A Much-Needed Getaway! After Albie Season ended, we made the trip to Louisiana for our annual guy's getaway. During those 5 days in Louisiana, I probably spend more time with a fly rod in hand on the front of a boat than all the other days of the year in NC combined. This trip is my little gift to myself for a long year of guiding. It was a great trip, and I will post a full report with a bunch of pics soon. Stay tuned. Back after those Winter Reds! And here we are right back where we started, poling to schools of winter Redfish in clear shallow water. It's only December, but all signs say we are going to have a really great winter Redfish season coming into 2024. If you get a pretty day on the long term forecast and want to go sight cast Reds, give me a call or email. 2023 was without a doubt, my best year in 12 years of guiding, and it's all because of my anglers. As we stand right on the edge of 2024, I can't wait to make the coming year my new best year ever...I hope you can be a part of it. I wish you nothing but happines, health and success in the coming year!
Another Fall at the Cape has come and gone. We ran the beaches and inlets in search of fish, but in reality, there was so much more that made up our experiences. From sunrises to wild horses to bait balls full of sharks, there is so much to take in. I've spent the last few posts sharing the fish we've caught at the Cape from September through November. I wanted to take a minute on this post to share some of my favorite non-Hero Shots from this Fall. You may or may not have been there to experience these moments with me, but I hope you enjoy seeing them half as much as I've enjoyed witnessing them. Morning meeting at the Cape. Sharks working a bait ball of Spot in 40ft of water. Sunbathing Loggerhead. On the hunt. The same fish spit both of these out. Time to get off the "spit". Captain Sarah finds a school. The fight is finished. Out for a stroll. Mullet bust. Migrating Tarpon. Check out those parasites on Flipper. Capt Richard Andrews. Schools in session. The Wizard. Spotted Dolphins. Love taking couples out chasing Albies. School of Spot getting crushed. Back on the search after the storm. AJ for Flat Out. Chaos. Toothy Critter. Golden Tail. Bad day to be a Spot. Frenzy. Horsley gets a day off. Play time. Good morning Cape Lookout. Drop it like it's hot. Off into the storm. Looking for a good time. Jump little children! Fins up. Tide's ripping out. Pelican play. McFly crew hooked up on Jacks. Amberjack finlets. Dolphin doing work. Fly Girl is on it. Buffalo Albies crushing a bait ball. Take a breath. Tarpon gulp. Silversides. Mullet blow. Heading out. Long walks on the beach. Colors and shapes. Found 'em. Trouble a brewin'. Waiting on lunch. Poon tail. Oyster Catchers at the point. Skyscrapers. Making the run back to the Cape. Horse play. Acrobatics. In the mix. Sunrise at the Cape. Welcome to the Jungle. Stretching some string. Torpedoes. Shackleford Ponies. Into the sun. Hookups. Albacore study. Different kind of Tailer. Golden light. Jump! Dolphin gang. Bring the Caribbean with you. Running through the snot. Albies doing what Albies are famous for. Bulls on Parade. Skiff dogs. Fly graveyard. 12 O'clock, 40 feet. Horse watching. Golden bait ball. Worth the work. Chewed up Chovy. Slashing bait. Bluefish blitz. Catch and Release. Target acquired. Gumby got one. Silversides. Light tackle gear. Might be some bait there. Bruiser. Within reach. Love the spot patterns on these fish. Lunch break with good friends.
Well, it looks like this might be my last big nearshore report for the fall of 2023. There are still some Albies around and we'll be chasing the big Bull Reds on and off through the winter, but my "life at sea" is complete for the year. I've already transitioned to poling the backwaters chasing schools of Redfish. I don't think I'm ever quite ready for two months plus of fishing almost every single day, but when there's catching to be done, we go! The months of September, October and November are extremely hard to top here on the Crystal Coast. From Spanish to Blues to Albies to big Reds to Amberjack to Cobia and Sharks...you just never know what might pop up. And I love it! I love the fact that at any moment you might be racing for the horizon and switching up rods and gear to take a sling at whatever is boiling on the surface under a cloud of birds. I have to be honest though. I would never get to experience all these cool things, if it wasn't for the anglers that choose to spend their day on the boat with me. I'm honored that you keep coming back and trusting me to show you a good time. I take that challenge very seriously, and I'll always work hard for you. Thank you for coming and sharing awesome adventures and making memories with me. Let's take a look at what mother nature brought us during the month of November. The fall of 2023 was a bit of a funky season for Albies. We'd have a few great days, then a few very tough days, and the cycle would repeat. You could blame it on a lot of things, like weather patterns, but I don't speak Albie, so I don't really know what they were thinking. Fortunately, there is an abundance of other possibilities out there too. So if we hit a day when the Albies weren't on fire, then we went to see who else would play the game. I've got to be honest, I friggin' love these big Drum. I mean I love slot size Reds in the marsh, but there's something next level about seeing and catching these big adults. I am so thankful for my repeat clients that fish with me each year, but I am also thankful for the anglers that give me a shot for the first time. If this season was the first time you've fished with me, thank you for giving me a chance to show you a good time. These gentlemen fished with me this Spring for Bonito and we ended up getting into a bunch of Bulls. This fall they booked me for Albies, and we ended up getting into a bunch of Bulls again. By the way, they also got their Bonito and Albies. Pulling on a pig. Subduing the beast. Taking an intermission between Reds to catch some green and silver. No sir, we're not having a good time at all. Finally found a few full grown Albies in November. This one was 30" at the fork and was tagged and released like many others this year. I swear these things must have a lightbulb inside of them...they just glow! Check out that tail spot! This father and son duo has been trying to hit the golden jackpot for a few years now. A little risk ended up with a whole lot of reward this time around. So happy I was able to witness the mayhem with them. These fish are art! Can't always be sunshine and dry skies...the fish don't care, they're already wet. That's what you call pullage. Some days they are given, some days they are earned...every day they are worth it. The fight's almost over. Sending another tagged Albie back home. For more information visit: The Albie Project – American Saltwater Guides Association Sunrise Albacore. We gave the Mauser Watermans and Hatch Iconics a workout this fall, and they put the heat on plenty of mean fish without a hiccup. We had some days towards the end of the season when the Albies completely ghosted us (they were offshore doing whatever Albies do offshore). Thankfully we found plenty of trout and blues to keep the rods bent and anglers happy. Thankfully the Albies did decide to come back for the last few trips of the season, and we got to enjoy some major pullage and drag burning once again. Well, that's about it folks. I'm already back in the skinny chasing after schools of Redfish. The water is clear, and the fish have been plentiful, looks like we are going to have an excellent winter season sight fishing Redfish. Give me a shout if you want to go chase Reds during the next few months, or if you are interested in any other upcoming opportunities. As for next year's fall Albie season, I'm already almost 50% booked, so don't wait too long to contact me and get on the calendar. Thanks for checking out the report, I appreciate you all so much and look forward to hitting the water with you.
I feel like I'm always busy nowadays (not sure if that's good or bad), but October and November are definitely the busiest months for me. That being said, I wanted to post an update for our fall fishing season. I have to be honest; it hasn't been the easiest fall season for me. I think we had a lot of Albies leaving New England late due to warm temps up there, so we didn't have the numbers that we expected early on. On top of that, I think the wacky fall weather kept the bait and fish constantly changing their minds about where they wanted to be and how they wanted to act. It has kept all of us guides on our toes. That being said, I have worked my butt off to make sure all of my anglers had a fantastic, memorable time on their trips. You may look at these photos and think "what is he talking about, looks like it's been epic". It's because I've been working extra hard to make it that way. And please don't think I'm complaining. I know it can't be epic every day (although I know a few guides that advertise that illusion), and I am thankful for all the fish we have been able to catch. And if the weather wasn't right for the Albies, and they didn't want to cooperate, we just went and found some fish that would. Yes, it's Albie season, but being opportunistic and open minded pays off big time. Consider this my mid-season report, and I'll follow up with one more when the season is winding down. The fishing is finally starting to really get good, so there's another report with a bunch of pics coming soon. Until then, enjoy these 101 images of some of the fish we have caught the last few weeks. Big sticks for big fish. Wreck fishing for Jacks on fly is pretty fun. Unfortunately, sometimes you have to pay the tax man. We got Cuda'd over a wreck. Amberjack's little cousin the Almaco Jack. Target Species. Ate the "wrong" anchovy. I feel like I'm always staring into the sun no matter which direction I point. I swear we get just as excited watching our buddies catch them too. This is a little technique I call, "quickly yanking the line off your reel to relieve pressure on your rod so that Albie doesn't snap your rod in half across the gunnel". I love these fish! I'm already getting sad thinking about them leaving. Uh...not an Albie. "You ain't nothing but a Hound Fish..." This guy looks miserable. He must not be having a good time at all! Kevin got to put the first fish ever on the Hatch custom Jolly Roger Iconic. "Get on outta heeere!" Nice specimen of aquatic torpedo. Business end. Send it! Silver and gold. Families that fish together, catch Albies together! Or something like that. Look at that innocent face... he ain't never killed a baitfish. Still one of the coolest designs on a fish ever. This was one of those days where we had to work extra hard for them, but it paid off in overtime. Worth the wait. Finally! Now we can all go home with smiles plastered on our face. Hi Albie, nice to meet you! We have tagged a bunch of Albies this season for the "Albie Project". Happy to be helping to further the science on False Albacore population health, migration, growth, spawning and population genetics. To learn more about the Albie Project visit The Albie Project – American Saltwater Guides Association Spinning for the win on some big deep-water bruisers. That's a handful.. Jack parts... Set, set, set! Blue Runner. Putting up a fight! I want to say a humongous thank you to everyone who has fished with me this year so far! You keep me in business. And beyond just the awesome anglers I have, thank you to all of my supporters whether you are family, friends or one of the companies that makes the gear we use and abuse.
You all rock and I love and appreciate you more than you know!
Well, it's definitely fall and its definitely Albie season, and I am definitely loving it. It's got me so incredibly busy that I can barely get enough sleep and barely keep my head above water. Therefore, I'll make this report short and sweet for y'all.
The False Albacore are here, and the amount that show and how well they bite has just depended on the weather and the bait. We've had a tropical storm to start us off and a few days of weather that did not help the bite. Even on those tougher days we had fun and made it happen one way or the other. On the opposite end of the spectrum, we have also had some really special days when everything came together. They may not have been the best days I've ever seen in 20 years of doing this, but they were definitely an 8 or 9 out of 10. Simply put, I am having a blast and so are my anglers.
Here are some images from the last 2 weeks of fishing. We've got another 5 or 6 weeks of fishing to go, so be expecting a lot more info and images coming your way. By the way, I post pics almost daily on Instagram, so give me a follow @tailingtide if you aren't already. Anyways, I'll let the pics do the talking....
A little pre-season Albie action...actually a Redfish trip that morphed into an Albie trip.
Hold on!
Success!
Send it!
I'm kind of a gear whore and I can't resist the bling. Love my Hatch Iconics.
Lot's of early season Bluefish around, which is why we always keep a 6wt onboard.
Get them started early!
Smiles all around!
Spaniards.
I can hear the drag burning off that Florida Fishing Products reel right now.
And there's the guilty party for the drag burning.
Crank fast, he's making a run for the boat!
Got him!
Got THEM!
Back after them.
Big or small, they all fight like crazy.
Someone ate the wrong silverside.
God sure did design a beautiful fish, when he created the False Albacore.
We've been putting the Mauser Waterman 890 and 1090 rods along with the Hatch Iconic 7+ and 9+ reels to work this fall.
The TFO Inshore rods and Florida Fishing Products have been doing work too. I am the polar opposite of a shill, and I'm not getting paid to say nice things about the products I use. I just use gear that works day in and day out all year long, and if I find something that works, then I'm going to share it with y'all.
Hi Pam, this is Albie. Albie, meet Pam.
Jim getting in on the action.
Check out my drip...
If you don't get it, it's okay.
Pink candy for the win.
Love it when Bud comes to visit. He always puts together some great videos from our trips!
Designed for speed!
Nice fish Bud!
Bud brought his friend Mark. Great fishing with you Mark.
Shewwww... Redfish, what Redfish?
Zzzzzing!
Oh hey Spanish Mack, thanks for coming to play!
If I had to describe the Bluefish we've been seeing in two words,
they would be QUALITY and PLENTIFUL.
Oh hey, who dis?
Oh hey there my copper friend! Good to see you. Did you bring your buddies to play?
6ft sharks on giant poppers? Okay, I'll play this game!
Oh hey, my copper friend did bring his buddies to come play!
I don't think I could look at this fish without my sunglasses on, wow! I actually had to de-saturate these images because they almost looked fake.
Oh yeah!
McFlyfishing and his crew getting in on the action.
Shawn comes Striped Bass fishing with me every year and every year he manages to catch a Carp. Well I take him Albie fishing and dang if he didn't try to catch the closest thing to a Carp that he could. LOL.
Look at this BEAST!
Drop it like it's hotttt.
That glorious golden paddle!
I told Brian that it was going to rain all day. He said screw it, lets go.
Good choice Brian, it was a great trip.
Flexing some muscle on a mini tuna.
We are wet, the fish are wet, we are all in the same boat. ;)
Cast to a school of busting Albacore in 30ft of water and catch a Sea Robin! The only thing that's crazier than that, is that the exact same thing happened last year also.
Dreary weather and happy Albies.
Love the collage of patterns and colors on these fish!
Acres of Bluefish.
Lead member of the Razor Gang.
If you play this game, you better bring lots of flies. :)
It's been a month since my last blog update and we have a lot to talk about. The last 30 days have been a roller coaster ride between some of the best fishing I've seen in a long time and some of the biggest struggle bus rides of the year. We've also gotten to get out looking for some future opportunities for our anglers to enjoy the amazing fishery we have on the Crystal Coast. So without further ado... We've experienced some of the best tailing Redfish I've ever seen. We've had some really good floods and witnessed some of the highest numbers of tailing fish I've ever seen on the flats. Will the late August and September floods be as productive? I guess we'll see. Although the slot sized teenage Redfish are our bread and butter...sometimes, every once in a while, something really cool happens, and we get to cast at grandma and grandpa Redfish. Although it doesn't get the hype that Redfish do, I love getting out along the beaches and chasing after Bluefish and Spanish Mackerel on 6wts. Sightfishing Redfish in shallow water never gets old. Sending one back into the grass to go hunt more fidders. We've experienced some extremely high air and water temps (88-94 degrees), so we've been really careful with our Redfish and taken some extra time on the releases to make sure they get back into their habitat safe and healthy. Feeding fish up close and personal in six inches of water is a blast. This fish was so shallow that I had to get out and push the boat to the fish. Doing headstands. They don't come everyday, but I live for those slicked out sunny days for sightfishing Reds. Thats a big motor on a big old sumbarine. "Alright Redfish, give us a quick smile and we'll snap a pic and let you go." "Fine, just get it over with, I'm so embarrassed that I ate that fly..." Moonrise over the tailing flats. Megalodrum. Yes, they are here! The Albies started showing up sporadically in early August, mixed in with the Spanish Mackerel. More recently, they have been showing up as full fledged blitzing schools. I can't wait until September, I think we'll experience another great early Albie season this year. The hard part is over, just got to bring him to the boat. Tearing up the marsh! Flood tide sunsets are the best sunsets. Everybody comes for the fish, but the plan is for them to leave with so much more...with an experience, and long lasting memories. Fooled another one crawling in ankle deep water. There's been plenty of Spanish Mackerel around, and they are a bunch of fun on light tackle whether you are a beginner or a veteran angler. The Redfish bandit strikes again... "Give me all your shrimp flies and no one get's hurt!" "Let me just hide right here behind this blade of grass and maybe they won't see me." Say no to trout sets, and say yes to strip strikes and side pressure. Colin putting the heat on another fish. I'm a biology dork, so I love seeing my anglers catch cool stuff like this Moonfish. I think the coolest part of sightfishing Redfish is the couple seconds leading up to the eat. When it's really good, we don't even cast, we just lean over and snatch them right out of the water....just kidding. Getting in a few last shots. Was that a tailing fish, or are we just seeing things? My buddy Eric made it back from a year of working in Korea, just in time to fish the first annual Redfish Rodeo fly fishing tournament. The "neigh"bors are out for a morning stroll. Jonah fished several floods with me this month and wore them out. Bulldogging it. Evening topwater bites are the best. Coming in for a landing. Watching clients cast to Redfish is a high excitement and high anxiety activity for me, but it all morphs into joy and relief once they come tight. Gosh Jonah, leave some for the rest of us. Love watching them wake up and swim away. Bluefish are super aggressive and a load of fun on light tackle and fly. Topwater Grass Bass. Copper scaled fly crushers. Johah, I'm about to cut you off. Thanks for your time, we'll catch you later. Where do you think your going? Come back here. We've kept a couple this year, but we've put 99% of them back. I'm planning on putting 100% of them back in 2024...stay tuned. Multi-spotter! Okay Jonah, you got another one...the sun is setting, can we go home now? Blues and teals and greens. Fooled by a well presented shrimp fly. Somebody's not happy about getting caught. Light rods and running the beaches for Spanish Mackerel = Good Times! That look of guilt and regret. Sightcasting pigs. Want to see a magic trick? Now you see 'em. Now you don't. Vast.
The first word that comes to my mind. I love the open ocean and being able to watch giant storms form and travel across the horizon. There's hungry fish out there somewhere. |
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