February has been a super solid month for Redfish, even though we had to deal with a few weather issues. Right in the middle of the month we had a solid week of rain, which kept us off the water, shuffled some fish and stained the water. Luckily it didn't take long for it to fire back up after all the rain stopped. I can't imagine how good it could have been if we had seen pretty weather all month. I have to keep reminding myself that it is February though, and to be grateful that I get to chase these fish at all...some people live in places where they could only dream of fishing in February. On a good half day, we've seen anywhere from 100 to over 500 fish. The smallest schools have been around 10-20 fish, while we often see groups of well over a hundred schooled together. There is no replacement for time on the water this time of year. Sometimes you have to cover miles of marsh to find where the fish are...but when you find them, it's usually on. Some groups of fish are very willing, and some are very picky. It all comes down to how much pressure these fish have seen. Depending on the mood of the fish, you can get a feel for whether anyone else has been putting pressure on them. If the fish are "Nervous Nellies", then the real work begins. Staying as invisible to the fish as possible, trying different flies or lures, and adjusting the technique can turn a group of fish into "eaters". If not, it might be best to move on. Speaking of pressuring fish, we do our best to be as unobtrusive as possible. When we hook a fish, we back off from the school while fighting the fish, then let them settle down before we approach again. Sometimes we catch 6 fish from a school, sometimes 3, but we usually let the fish make that decision for us. When they start acting nervous, it's usually time to move on and let them forget about us. Time to find a new group of fish. I've had the pleasure of fishing with several very cool individuals over the last few weeks and I really appreciate them supporting me and letting me make a living doing this! Thank you all so very much! I'll leave you with a few more pics just to show you what we've seen the last month. If you want to come try your skills at a few, just give me a shout and we'll make it happen.
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Back in the fall of 2019, Grays Sporting Journal came and spent a few days with me while writing an article for their magazine. The Albies hadn't quite arrived yet, but there were plenty of Spanish Mackerel, Bluefish, Jacks and Houndfish along the beaches here on the Crystal Coast. We also hit a few tailing tides, and hooked a couple Redfish. The awesome folks over at Gray's just posted some footage from that trip, I'd love for you to check it out.
The Redfish have been tailing pretty good for a few weeks now here in Coastal North Carolina. I couldn't be more happy to see those golden tails waiving in the spartina grass after not seeing them all winter. Tailing Reds are one of my favorite targets. For one, it's such a visual way of fishing, where a lot of stalking is involved, it's as close as you can get to hunting with a fishing rod. Secondly, these fish are there to eat. Some low tide fish can be completely spooked out or lock jawed, and it doesn't matter what you do, you won't get an eat. A fish tailing in the Spartina Grass is there to eat, so it completely comes down to whether you can pull off the shot or not. If you do, you will be rewarded with an epic eat and a battle in the grass. If you don't, then you get the pleasure of watching your target speed off the flat, leaving a long trail of "you blew it" behind him. Below are the tailing tides for this season. I've broken it down into the times of day, and I've rated the quality of the tides on a scale of 1 to 3. The ratings are based on several things such as time of season, time of day and height of the tide. I'll be happy to discuss any of these dates with you as far as why I've rated it as I did. An average tailing tide can be fished fully in a 4 hour half day trip, but we can combine other types of fishing with it if you would like a longer trip. Date Time Rating May 3 late evening * May 4 late evening *** May 5 late evening ** May 6 late evening * May 21 late evening * June 1 late evening ** June 2 late evening *** June 3 late evening ** June 4 late evening * June 19 late evening * June 30 afternoon ** July 1 late evening *** July 2 late evening *** July3 late evening ** July 4 late evening * July 18 late evening * July 19 late evening * July 28 afternoon * July 29 afternoon ** July 30 late evening *** July 31 late evening *** August 1 late evening ** August 2 late evening * August 15 late evening * August 16 late evening * August 17 late evening * August 20 morning * August 21 morning ** August 22 morning ** August 23 afternoon ** August 24 afternoon ** August 25 afternoon ** August 26 afternoon ** August 27 afternoon ** August 28 late evening *** August 29 late evening *** August 30 late evening ** September 13 late evening ** September 14 late evening ** September 15 late evening * September 16 morning ** September 17 morning *** September 18 morning *** September 19 morning *** September 20 morning *** September 21 morning *** September 22 afternoon *** September 23 afternoon ** September 24 afternoon ** September 25 afternoon ** September 26 late evening ** September 27 late evening ** September 28 late evening * September 30 morning * October 1 morning * October 2 morning * October 3 morning * October 4 morning * October 12 late evening * October 13 late evening * October 15 morning * October 16 morning * October 17 morning * October 18 morning * October 19 morning * October 20 morning * October 21 afternoon * I'd love to get you out on the water to experience the excitement of Tailing Redfish, so don't hesitate to get in touch with me if you'd like to go!
Shad fishing has been really good lately on the upper Roanoke. It should continue for the next 2 weeks. If you are interested in getting in on the action on fly or spin, let me know and we'll get you on them! I'll just let pics speak instead of words.
Although Redfish, Speckled Trout, Stripers and Albies seem to get most of the attention here in Eastern North Carolina, there is a fish that is near and dear to my heart during the month of March. Many of us associate the arrival of shad in our coastal rivers with the official kick off of spring and the fishing season. These fish arrive and pack themselves so tight in some spots that it's not unusual to catch 10 fish out of 10 casts. They have a penchant for bright gaudy flies and lures and put every bit of their energy into escaping once hooked. Known for their acrobatic jumps, they've rightly earned the name, "the poor man's tarpon". The 2016 Shad Season in Eastern North Carolina is off to a great start. Lots of fish showing up in the usual places in the Neuse River and it won't be long before the Roanoke is busting at the seems with Shad. Both Hickory and White Shad are being caught and it should just get better over the next few weeks. If you haven't had an opportunity to experience this fishery, then you are missing out. These shad are fantastically fun on a fly rod or a light spinning rod. They're also a great "first fish" on a fly rod, if you are just starting out. We have all the know how, equipment, and flies/lures needed to go get bent on a bunch, so give me a shout if you want to go. I'll be running some trips on the Neuse over the next few weeks, but don't forget the really big action on the Roanoke around Weldon NC. I'm offering trips out of Weldon on the last week of March, and I can let you know what days are still open if you want to go. These fish are too much fun to miss out on, so I'll be more than happy to fill anyone in on equipment, locations, or the "how to" if you contact me. Have fun and I hope to see you on the water soon! We'd love for you to share this post with your friends! http://www.tailingtideguideservice.com/blogreports/shad-season-is-here The Tailing Tide - Newsletter Signup
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