A Little Family Time

This past Memorial Day weekend my wife and I took some time to get out on the water with our son. Nothing big. Not a major "day trip" or anything of the sort. Just some time to relax and recharge. Of course we took some fishing rods. Do you honestly think I would pass up an opportunity to catch a few fish?

We got our usual late start so we decided to go to the Lotus Garden close to our house. That way when Paul had hit his limit it would be an easy, quick trip back to the house. We launched a lot easier than I expected. We ran into a buddy from work that said the fishing was less than stellar. That worried me, but we pressed on anyway. Getting mom out of the house was the bigger goal of the day.

As we made our way down the creek we both tossed Texas-rigged craw imitations and swim baits. The water temperature was a little on the high side I thought. I hovered around 84-85 degrees in the upper creek, but dropped as far as 82 degrees a little farther down. When we got to the cove with the dock we both started targeting fallen trees on both sides. Nothing. After a while Paul was getting restless so he and mom started making their way down the creek. That is when my first Largemouth Bass hit my Zoom Speed Craw as I was picking it up out of the water. She nearly yanked the rod out of my hand and went straight under my kayak from left to right. She was pulling hard, too! After a short fight I got her into the boat and quickly noticed that she still had a belly full of eggs. Odd I thought since the spawn should be over. Plus the fact that the water temperature was so high struck me as odd. She was the only fish caught in there so we all moved on. I realized, though, right after I released her that I forgot to take a photo. Oh well. It was a much better decision to get her back in the water so she could make her contribution to Mother Nature.

Mom told me that there were fish breaking the surface all around her in the outside of a bend, but she could not get any of them to bite. I saw them chasing bait fish and tossed my swim bait in there, but no one wanted what I was offering. Paul was on the frayed edge of his limit as was mom. Especially since she had not caught any fish yet. I suggested that we head down creek to a huge fallen tree that I know holds fish no matter what the conditions are.

As we neared the tree I told mom to pick her spot and I would get out of her way. She chose the right side so I chose to sit across the creek and cast into the top of the tree. First cast, my Zoom Speed Craw hits the water and never hits the bottom. This little guy was swinging WAY outside of his weight class…

Still nothing for mom. I threw the craw some more, but nothing more than some bumps. I knew they were fish because the craw was pushed down around the bend in the hook. Then, on a whim, I tried a Zoom four inch ribbed worm that is black with a blue curly tail. I had it Texas-rigged on a 1/8^th ounce Slider head. I tossed that a good ways back into the tree. It hit the water, I hopped it once, twice, then BAM! A drag-stripping run, and fight, that lasted a lot longer than I expected it to. Here I am thinking I have a toad on the line and I was getting a little excited! But, once I got this little guy to the boat...

…I realized that he, too, was fighting way outside his weight class. But, they both pulled hard so who am I to complain?!

Nothing more off of that tree, but I did mark a LOT of fish on it so that is some good information for another trip. Paul, and mom, had reached their limit for sure by now so it was time to head back. I took Paul into my boat so he could watch my Lowrance for fish. Anything to occupy him for the return trip I thought. It worked pretty well especially since I had a used Speed Craw in the bottom of the boat. He spent his time playing with that and watching the Lowrance. That made the trip go by faster and before we knew it we were at the launch waiting on a couple to get all of their stuff squared away. Sadly, that took longer than we would have liked due to their obvious inexperience. Not only did they linger at the launch site itself, but they left their vehicle parked in the loading area far too long. But if that was the only “issue” we had on the day then I will take it. The only other thing that I could have hoped for would be that mom caught a fish or three. I guess that just means there is another trip there in our future!

That Old Familiar Feeling

I took a little time today to head out to a new bank spot that a friend of mine has been telling me about. I have known about it for a while through all my years of cycling, but discovering Pungo from the fishing perspective opens up a whole new world. Anyway, I went down to Blue Pete's Restaurant on Muddy Creek Road. The water was extremely high due to all of the rain and South wind we have had recently. There was water all over the roads everywhere in Pungo. Luckily it had receded enough to pass.

Once I got to the bridge I saw that there was another person fishing on the opposite side from Blue Pete's. He said he had some luck fishing with live minnows for Crappie. I went to the other side so that I would not crowd him.

First lure I threw was a shallow running crank bait. No luck. Then I tried a double willow leaf bladed  spinner bait. That got me a bump, but nothing too aggressive. I thought it was Crappie so I changed to a 1/8th ounce spinner bait with a single willow leaf blade. That produced the same bump with little commitment.

Then, on a whim, I tossed the Mylar Minnow I received back in the winter from a friend of mine. I did not have high expectations on it being productive since it is the post spawn. But, to my surprise, when it got to the spot where I got the bump something nailed it! After a short fight this little guy was the culprit:

Sweet! No skunk this trip!

After a little while of throwing the tackle box I tied on a Zoom Speed Craw on a 1/4 ounce Slider Head. I dropped it down next to the retaining wall and it immediately was picked up. It started swimming off with it before it hit the bottom. I did a half-hearted hook set and lost the biggest female (I think) Largemouth Bass I have caught in a while. I know she was big because she threw the hook on the surface. To say I was bummed is an understatement!

So I tossed it right back in the same spot and caught this little guy:

I felt sort of bad because I set the hook pretty hard on this one. But he was just fine and was released with plenty of spunk.

The only other action I had was when I was picking the same Zoom Speed Craw up on the opposite side of the bridge. I felt the bump, but when I went to set the hook whatever it was had already spit the lure out. I knew something was there because the craw was all bunched up on the bend of the hook.

After that I swapped over to the other side of the road. I took the Mylar Minnow, the same Speed Craw Texas rigged with a 1/4 ounce bullet weight, and a Zoom swim bait in black and silver rigged on a belly weighted 4/0 hook with a 1/8 ounce weight. That one got the only other bump of the day, but it was short lived because my new friend Melvin had live minnows. The Largemouth Bass that bumped my swim bait took his live minnow and Melvin was able to land that nice fish. No photos of it, though, as he put it right in the cooler for dinner along with his other two Crappie and a nice White Perch. I know he and his wife were eating good tonight.

I saw a lot of action on his side of the road, but I think it was all from Longnose Gar. They were up in the reeds splashing around a making a big commotion. Those things are fun to hook into, but they are really difficult to get the hook out.

A good couple of hours spent for sure. Hopefully I can get the family out this weekend for some much needed reboot time with Mother Nature.

A Tale of Two Creeks

Both of these photos are from Lotus Garden in Virginia Beach.

This first one is from when we had such strong North winds. The amount of mud exposed is just mind blowing:

Charlie sent me some photos of the boat ramp at Nanney Creek. He said he walked out about one hundred yards past the end of the ramp! Here is one of his photos:

These next three photos are from today. This is from today after a LOT of rain lately with all of the storms coming up from the South:

Needless to say it would be very easy to launch here with the water being so high. I hope it moderates itself by this weekend. I am hoping to get out on the water maybe one day this weekend.

FINALLY!

I went out to "The Pipe" yesterday for a little while. With everything going on lately I needed some "clarity" that only fishing provides. I did not catch a thing, but it was a good time none the less. Hopefully I can get out on the kayak soon. That would be just the best thing ever!

Don't Forget to Check...

....the date on your license! I was in Walmart with my family the other night and on a whim pulled out my license "just to check the date". It is a good thing I did, too! It was already expired. I guess this is one time to be thankful for a "honey-do" list because it does not look like I will be fishing any time soon. But, when the time comes, I now have a newly renewed license!

West Neck Creek - 2; Gilbert - 0

It was with high expectations that I met Rob at the ramp at West Neck Marina about 1000. I also had higher hopes due to the fact that I finally installed my Lowrance fish finder last night. Since this was my first fish finder I knew my learning curve would be high.
I made it out onto the water first so that put me on Charlie's Point first. I figured out how to put my Lowrance into "fish ID" mode and began marking fish immediately. They were deeper than I thought they would be, though. They were suspending out in the middle of the channel. The water was kind of low as well. The deepest spot I hit was near the West Neck Road bridge at six feet. The water temperature when we started was 39 degrees. By the time I finished it had warmed up to 43 just below the bridge.

I finally decided to head in with zero fish in the boat. I was pretty cold even though I was wearing several layers. My waterproof gloves were a joke! My hands were wet and cold. Not a good combination on a cold windy day. Hopefully things will start to turn around for me. This is getting depressing.

West Neck Creek Round Two

Tomorrow is not going to be as nice as the weatherman said it was going to be just yesterday, but I am going fishing none the less. I am meeting my buddy Rob at the ramp so things should be fun and interesting.

Same set up, same lures. The only difference is that I finally got around to mounting my fish finder. I got a Lowrance Elite 4X for my birthday back in December. It has taken me this long to figure out just how I was going to mount it and get everything together to do so. It all came together just about how I imagined it would so I will see how it all works out tomorrow. Hopefully I won't "watch the show" and forget to fish!

What Was I Thinking?!

A few days ago the weatherman said that today was going to be somewhat chilly but doable. Then just yesterday the forecast had changed to chilly, but just about a gale was going to be blowing! However, with only a handful of days for fishing I decided to go anyway. BIG MISTAKE!

When I got up this morning the wind was blowing pretty hard. I got up and ate breakfast. I made the final decision and loaded up. I went to West Neck Creek Marina. When I pulled up at the ramp I knew I had made the wrong decision. But, since I was already there I figured that there was no since in wasting the $3 I paid to use the ramp.

The wind was HORRIBLE! There were white caps in the main channel at some points! What was I thinking?! I fought my way to Charlie's Point first. The wind was howling so hard that I could not even think about using my anchor pole so I just drifted down the bank. That is when I got my one and only productive "anything". I got a very solid double tap on the Mylar Minnow. That thing is a DREAM to fish with! I will cast a country mile and the action is solid. I know it will produce fish under better conditions!

The rest of the trip was an exercise in futility. Suffice it to say that I will not EVER make that mistake again! Hopefully the predicted weather for Monday holds as it is predicted. If so, I will be back at it again. Maybe this time I will even put a fish in the boat!

Not Looking All That Great

In my running around today I went down West Neck Road. I stopped at the bridge over the creek of that namesake to check on the conditions. I was not prepared for what I saw....

The water is rather low!

Looking across the creek just above the bridge.

The first cove on the right just above the bridge.

Christmas Tree point and the big fallen tree.

A panorama below the bridge.

The first cove on the right below the bridge.

The group of Cypress trees across the creek from Charlie's point.

It was also brutally cold! I know the next couple if days are going to be rough. As Charlie always says low water means good fishing. I just hope the last few weeks, coupled with this next winter blast, do less damage than my mind is conjuring up.

Things That Make You Go....

....Hmmm. I am absolutely giddy with excitement! I have a 96-hour liberty this weekend with Friday and Monday being my weekdays off. That meant that, after the winter that just will not end, I am going to go fishing!!! I checked the weather report and Friday is looking pretty nice. Then, on a whim, I checked the moon phase calendar. FRIDAY IS A FULL MOON!!! I have never had the chance to fish on a full moon. I cannot wait to get out on the water! Weather PLEASE do NOT mess this up!!!

Time For New Challenges

I have been inspired by my friend Charlie's lure painting. This past weekend my wife and I beat the cabin fever down, went to a local hobby store, and bought a small airbrush set up to begin our journey in lure customization. Also, ordered some new blank lure bodies from Dakota Lakes Tackle. I cannot wait for them to come in so we can start figuring out how to paint our own lures! I'll be sure to post photos of our progress so stay tuned!

Prospects Not Looking All That Great

After the "Snowpocolypse" round two I decided to take a tour of Pungo to see how the launch spots were looking. I know Charlie went out to see how things were looking after the first hard freeze. Things did not look good then and I am afraid they did not look any better today. So, I took my favorite riding buddy...

My Favorite Riding Buddy

...and here are the results of the tour.

First up is the Lotus Garden. As you can see the launch site is hard frozen in. This is not looking too promising.

Lotus Garden Launch

Lotus Garden Launch Closer Look

Lotus Garden Pond

 Then I headed out to Muddy Creek Road. Beggars Bridge was not looking all that much better.

Beggars Bridge Mud Ramp

Next is Nanny Creek. This was the only spot that had open water when Charlie checked. The situation was even worse today.

Nanny Creek Ramp

The Right Side of the Pipe

These poor ducks were doing the best they could to get to open, clear water. They were walking on top of the ice to get where they could swim.

Ducks in Clear Water on the Left Side of the Pipe

Ducks Walking on Ice

The last place I checked was the end of Old Pungo Ferry Bridge Road. What I found was not any better, just a little prettier.  The beach launch site is not looking all that promising. There was ice on the beach and even thicker ice in the water. This is not very kayak friendly to say the least.

The Beach at the end of Old Pungo Ferry Bridge Road

 If you could get out past the ice you might be able to troll for any Stripers that might be still hanging around.

Open Water Near Pungo Ferry Bridge

The Main Channel is Open

However, even if you could get off of the beach and out into the open channel - and had an idea to go to the Oxbow - there is no way you would be catching anything. The Oxbow was completely frozen. 

The Oxbow Across the North Landing River

Looking up the North Landing River at More Ice

 All in all it was a good time spent with Paul. But what this outing told me was that it is going to take quite a few days of warmer temperatures to break up all of the ice that has frozen Pungo waterways. Here is hoping we get that some time soon. If not we will all be heading Charlie's advice and playing in our tackle boxes for a while.

But at least we had a beautiful sunset to end the day on the ride home.

A Beautiful Pungo Sunset

New Addition to the Tackle Box

I now have a new addition to add to my winter/cold water hunt for fish. And here is the "before" shot:

 And now the "after" shot:

I did not paint this myself. The only thing that I did was add the hooks that I picked up during a trip to Bass Pro Shops (BPS) in Hampton, VA. I will withhold the person's name that painted this due to the fact that I am not sure if he is willing to have that much advertisement about his lure painting/making skills. Suffice it to say that I am extremely pleased and proud to own one! Hopefully I can have as much luck as he has had with his.

Also during the trip to BPS Paul had a fit for this lure:

I took the hooks off for obvious reasons. He is just not quite ready to have a lure with hooks. That will be coming soon. So, Paul is the proud owner (as you can see) of a Mann's Red Hook Baby 1-Minus in Red Craw! So much so that he is currently sleeping with it! Oh the wonder that is being a child! I am hoping we can put it to good use catching some fish here in the near future.

Lure Selection Lately

I thought I would take some time to show what lures I have been throwing lately. Not that I have been having all that much success with any one in particular, but more to record it for myself so I can look back next fall/winter. So, here goes...

First up suspending jerk baits.

Rapala X-Rap in Silver and Glass Ghost on the left. BPS XPS Suspending Minnow in Bone XXX Shad, and a Matzuo Phantom Minnow in Blue/Silver on the right.

Then the jig/craw trailer.

Hart Tackle Justice Jig w/Chunk Trailer in Blue/Black and a Pumpkin Seed Jig.

Texas-rigged worms.

7.5" worms in Pumpkin Seed, Junebug, and Tequila Shad.

Spinner baits are always tied on.

Mostly Willow-Leaf in Black, Chartreuse, and Chartreuse/White

.

3 Strike King Mini King and one Booyah all 1/8th oz.

I have even been known to throw some shallow running crankbaits.

The two on the left are Strike King KVD in Sexy Shad and the two on the right are

BPS XPS Lazer Eye in Pearl Red Eye and Texas Shad.

And finally the humble Beetle Spin.

A Hurricane Curly Tail Grub on a red 1/8th oz saltwater jig head.

Like I said at the beginning this is what I am throwing. Some folks do better with different presentations than others. Some folks, like , can throw anything and catch fish. Hopefully, with a little more time on the water, I will become more comfortable and proficient with them all. I suppose only time will tell.

See you on the water!

Woo Hoo!!!

It's like Christmas all over again at my house!

Meh...

It wasn't all that I thought it would be. 

New Year....Same Result

I started my new year off with a trip to West Neck Creek.

 After quite a long day with close-to-perfect conditions, if not cold, I boated a fish and a half with two other bumps. That's. It.

I threw a wide variety of lures. Two different suspending jerk baits, a jig/craw, a Beetle Spin (of course), three different crank baits, a 1/8th ounce Rat-L-Trap, and a bubble gum soft plastic jerk bait. One bump came on one of the crank baits and the only other bump came on the Beetle Spin. The one fish I boated came on one of the suspending jerk baits. More on that fish in a bit.

The half-of-a-fish NAILED the same suspending jerk bait. So what was it and why do I call it a half-of-a-fish? It came off right at the boat as I was reaching for it. I never got to touch it. It was a Shad! A Shad hit a suspending jerk bait! I know Charlie caught one recently also. The best I can guess was that it was a Gizzard Shad.

That guess was based on the shape and color that was thrashing around at the surface. I wish I could have gotten it into the boat, but that means there might be a chance I could catch another one some time in the future. Partly because of the cool factor and partly because it made some crazy fast runs. It came straight at the boat faster than I could crank the reel! It had some good pulls, too. I definitely want to catch another one of those. Maybe I could get some tips from Rob Choi on how to catch them.

The one I got in the boat was a Largemouth Bass. Strongest fish I have ever caught, too! I thought it was a stick when I hooked it. Just pure drag on the line. I was pumping and cranking. It never acted like a fish until I got it next to the boat. That's when it finally realized it was hooked and started making some good runs. I got it in the boat and snapped this photo:

Some time after noon my buddy Rob and his daughter Emma showed up. Emma had a good hit, but whatever it was cut the line pretty quickly. My guess is that she hooked into a Chain Pickerel and her line was no match for all of those teeth. Other than that there was quite a bit of boat traffic out. Some considerate while others were not. There was only one other kayak angler out at the end of the day. I don't know how he did, but I hope he did well and had better luck than I did. 

While the day was frustrating in that the bite was few and far between it was a good way to spend the first day of 2014. I just wish Danielle and Paul could have been with me, but it was too cold for both of them. Maybe soon they will make a trip out there with me.