Friday, December 30, 2005
Saltwater Sportsman Seminar in New Bern
 Saltwater Sportsman has a great saltwater fishing seminar series and on January 7th local fishermen will have a chance to learn new tips and techniques from some of North Carolina's top professional fishermen. Presenters will include Captain Tom Roller, head of the Atlantic Beach-based Waterdog Guide Service; Captain Ron Whitaker, Hatteras offshore captain; Captain George Beckwith, Jr. of Oriental, who guides on the lower Neuse River, Pamlico Sound, Roanoke River and in Costa Rica; and Captain Jimmy Price of Southport, a noted flounder and speckled trout expert. Topics covered will include locations, presentation techniques, and other tactics for red drum, striped bass, king mackerel, dolphin, trout, flounder, sea bass, yellowfin tuna, bluefin tuna, and tarpon. The Saltwater Sportsman seminar will be held in the New Bern Convention Center from 9AM to 4PM and has a $55 admission fee. Each attending angler will receive a $40 coupon for merchandise at West Marine, a one year subscription to "Saltwater Sportsman" magazine, and a bag of fishing accessories. There is also a raffle for a fishing trip for two to the Caribbean and the grand prize, a 2006 Mako center console sport fisherman powered by a 200 HP Mercury outboard. For more information visit the Saltwater Sportsman Seminar homepage. See you there.
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Thursday, December 29, 2005
Pressure to Ban Gill Nets Rising
 A large number of recreational anglers have been advocating new legislation to ban the use of gill nets by commercial fishermen for several years and it appears that this movement is picking up steam. Just about every recreational angler we know supports more restrictive laws or banning the use of gill nets in North Carolina and it seems that everywhere we turn we hear the same argument over and over. The tragic incident on Hatteras in early December seems to have motivated more and more North Carolina anglers to stand up and voice their opinions. This Sunday, Gordon Churchill of Morehead City wrote a letter to the editor of the Winston-Salem journal that really sums up the argument well. While commercial fishermen are justified in their defense of their livelihood, the success of South Carolina's and Florida's net bans are just too impressive to ignore. We expect this pressure to enact a net ban to continue to build steam in 2006 and sincerely hope that legislators understand the potential impact a net ban could have on NC's fisheries and tourism.
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Tuesday, December 27, 2005
Oregon Inlet One of the Most Dangerous
 In the January issue of Saltwater Sportsman, Oregon Inlet was named as one of the five most treacherous inlets on the Atlantic coast. Don Willard, retired Coast Guard and Oregon Inlet angler, is quoted in the issue. "The water is cold and rough, and anglers chasing big stripers sometimes forget how dangerous a place Oregon Inlet can be," he said; "Fishermen are working lures and baits in inlet whitewater and get so caught up in the action they don't pay enough attention to incoming waves and they get in trouble." During the striper season over 300 boats a day head out through Oregon Inlet and the local Coast Guard station averages 10 calls a month to rescue folks in the water. The four other inlets are St. Lucie Inlet, Florida; St. Augustine Inlet, Florida; Indian River Inlet, Delaware; and Chatham Inlet, Massachusetts.
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Friday, December 23, 2005
Merry Christmas from Fishing-NC.com
 We are taking a few days to spend with our families and we hope that you have an opportunity to do the same. With the weather warming just a little this might even make for a good weekend to get a line in the water if you can find the time. Thanks again to all the great folks we been able to meet and who've helped shape Fishing-NC.com, without their input we would not be where we are today. If you haven't shared your thoughts yet, please drop us a line and let us know your suggestions. Merry Christmas to All! Archive Link 0 Comments Tell a Friend |
Thursday, December 22, 2005
Wrightsville Beach Menhaden Clean Up Slow
 After the massive fish kill earlier this week that left millions of dead menhaden on the shore at Wrightsville Beach, city officials have been trying to push forward with clean up efforts as quickly as possible. You can imagine that millions of dead menhaden wouldn't smell like a field of wildflowers, but apparently the scene was so overwhelming and smelled so foul that it was drawing tourists. The Wrightsville Planning and Parks Department has been using front end loaders to remove the menhaden, but the cleanup efforts have been hampered by additional environmental concerns over protecting bird nesting areas. There is still no word from the North Carolina Division of Marine Fisheries on the ultimate cause of the fish kill. More on the clean up efforts are available in this article from WWAY.
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Tuesday, December 20, 2005
Panel Not Swayed by Navy's Sonar Range Arguments
 Navy officials met with the North Carolina Joint Legislative Commission on Seafood and Aquaculture Monday to discuss plans for a potential sonar training range off the NC coast but apparently the panel isn't buying the Navy's assurances of environmental safety any more than the public. The proposed 660-square-mile range would be used for training ships and aircraft in the use of sonar, yet the potential environmental impact is a hot topic, especially to North Carolina fishermen. High intensity sonar tests like the ones the Navy has planned for the NC coast have been blamed for the death of numerous aquatic mammals like whales and dolphins and little is known about how other species of fish are affected. While the Navy has final say on whether or not the project will move forward, we're hoping that the less than positive reaction from the state committee will help prevent it. More on this story is available from the New Bern Sun Journal.The Navy's Site for the Undersea Warfare Training Range Archive Link 0 Comments Tell a Friend |
Monday, December 19, 2005
Millions of Dead Menhaden on Wrightsville Beach
 Locals first saw a few hundred dead menhaden washing up on Wrightsville Beach Sunday afternoon, but as of this afternoon NC DMF officials have estimated that there are now millions of dead fish in the surf. While the menhaden are still washing ashore, the NC DMF is already aggressively investigating possible causes. The dead fish do not appear to have open sores that are typical of chemical spills but nothing has been ruled out at this point. One potential cause that has happened at least once in the last 20 years is that a large school was stuck in a small creek as the tide was falling. Officials said that in the early 1980's a very rare but similar fish kill occurred at Topsail Beach. Officials with the NC Department of Environment and Natural Resources collected water and fish samples today and are apparently pushing the analysis through this afternoon. We will continue to keep our eyes on this story as it unfolds and let you know what we are able to find.
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Sunday, December 18, 2005
Long Beach Pier Farewell
 Dozens of hurricanes left their marks and Floyd was even able to virtually destroy it, but the Long Beach Pier was always repaired and welcomed fishermen to the southeastern NC coast. Now after 50 years, North Carolina's longest pier at 1,000 feet is falling victim to a far more powerful force, Oak Island's development. The pier, tackle shop, camp grounds, restaurant, and bar will all be demolished to make room for a new condo development project that should be finalized in late January. Owner Tommy Thomes explained that at some point the property just became more valuable than the business. Tommy is planning a big New Year's Eve celebration as a send off for the pier and if you are in the area it could make for a fun evening. While we certainly understand the pressures that drive sales like this one, but at what point do we do we try more aggressively to slow development? No one wants North Carolina's coast to be a place where no buildings are more than 5 years old.
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Saturday, December 17, 2005
NC Bluefin Tuna Season Still Slow
 A few weeks ago we reported on the slow start to North Carolina's bluefin tuna season due to warmer waters in the Atlantic that have delayed the migration. In fact, NC's portion of the bluefin quota is still only sitting at only 25% for the year. This week the National Marine Fisheries Commission lifted some restrictions for weekend fishing to allow fishermen an opportunity to try to get back on pace. The NMFC will continue to monitor the pace of the quota and if it remains slow, they will stay with the lifted restrictions. This is turning out to be an interesting season off the Carolina coast and still has a lot of potential in January. With all the change in bluefin tuna's migratory timing, North Carolina could end up with a strong finish to this year's season despite the slow start.Full story from the Jacksonville Daily News Archive Link 0 Comments Tell a Friend |
Friday, December 16, 2005
Magnuson-Stevens Fisheries Bill Approved By Senate
 The American Sportfishing Association have been fighting the good fight for the rights of recreational saltwater anglers and the sportfishing industry. Yesterday they had one of their biggest victories yet in Washington when the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee approved the new version of the Magnuson-Stevens Fisheries Conservation and Management Reauthorization Act. The Magnuson-Stevens Act is the primary legislation governing management of all federal fisheries. The Act was originally enacted in 1976 and has only been amended once before in 1996. Ultimately the nation's federal fisheries, waters 3 to 200 miles offshore, will now be managed like the fisheries in the Pacific Northwest where there are currently no species declared overfished. The Act will also provide for increased metrics for more precise catch information which should lead to more effective management in the future. Press Release from the ASA Archive Link 0 Comments Tell a Friend |
Thursday, December 15, 2005
Grey Trout Comeback Uncertain
 The NC Division of Marine Fisheries has been working to improve grey trout, also known as weakfish, populations in North Carolina through effective fisheries management. While the grey trout had once been severely depleted in our coastal waters, there has been some excellent progress in the past few years. Recent reports however have shown that while waters on the southern NC coast, SC, and GA have experienced population booms, northern NC, VA, and MD stocks may once again be dropping. The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission's technical committee has provided recommendations to reduce harvest by 50 percent for recreational anglers. This would mean NC anglers would be restricted to only 1 grey trout per day instead of the traditional 7, or a 4 per day bag limit with a shorter season. There have been questions about the validity of the data used in the original report and further investigation is still underway. No regulation changes will be made until the data is carefully examined and the final decision by the NC DMF is expected in May. For more on this story check out this article from the N&O.
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Tuesday, December 13, 2005
Last Minute Christmas Gift Ideas
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If you are anything like us, there are still a few more names on your Christmas shopping list. We spent quite a bit of time the last couple of days looking into anything and everything that might make a great gift for an avid angler and wanted to help you cross those last names off your lists. In addition to our usual favorites, Overton's If these weren't what you were looking for, you could also consider subscriptions to Sport Fishing or In-Fisherman |
Monday, December 12, 2005
Right Whale Off Hatteras Still Entangled
 It was a little rough today but if you were fishing off Hatteras today you might have seen a small flotilla 20 miles out. NOAA's Fisheries Service and other agencies were working frantically to free a right whale from over a hundred feet of net and rigging. The right whale is the most endangered species in the Atlantic and only about 300 are known to still exist. NOAA's Fisheries Service first found the whale last week while performing routine aerial surveys off the coast of Georgia and has been following the whale since December 3rd in order to free it. They were able to attach a GPS tracking beacon on the right whale today but rough seas have made it hard to remove the debris. NOAA, the whale, and most likely a media entourage will be off Hatteras for at least a few more days as they continue to track the whale and free it. Any anglers in the area should try and steer clear; although mariners are only required to give the animals a 500 foot berth, NOAA needs a good deal of room to get the job done as quickly as possible.
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Sunday, December 11, 2005
Gift from the Sea to Topsail Island Resident
 In August, the North Carolina Coastal Land Trust teamed up with a group of residents on Topsail Island to buy the island's southern top and designate it as a development free nature preserve. We had heard that they were working on gathering the funds needed to purchase the land, but we hadn't heard the history of the land until we read an great article on the planned purchase this weekend. If you own land on the North Carolina coast and erosion destroys part of your lot, you are out of luck. On the other hand, if sand is deposited on your land and your lot grows, you own the new land. Our coastline is constantly shifting and a little ebb and flow in acreage is normal. Apparently a 62-year-old elementary-school librarian was looking into rezoning her land this summer to sell some lots and this sparked the public desire to purchase the land and create the preserve. What is amazingly interesting about this whole scenario is that storms over the last few decades have been shifting Topsail Island more than usual. Since 1980 the librarian's lot has grown more than 125 acres with more than a mile of new beach front. Real estate agents have estimated the potential value of the land at more than 30 million dollars. While we most certainly understand the owner's desire to get full market value, NC Coastal Land Trust is a great organization and were hoping that they can pick up the land for a little less.
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Friday, December 09, 2005
NC Lifetime Sportsman Licenses and Saltwater Fishing Licenses
 By now we are sure that you've heard about the new North Carolina Saltwater Recreational Fishing License that starts January 1, 2007. But what may surprise you is that if you want to buy a North Carolina Lifetime Sportsman License that will cover hunting, freshwater, and saltwater fishing, you have to purchase it by December 31st. After then, all new purchases of lifetime licenses will not include the license for recreational saltwater fishing and a separate lifetime saltwater fishing license will cost you $450. It might cost you a little more now, but a lifetime license is really a good deal for the next few weeks. You might also want to consider them as gifts for your children or grandchildren, they are only $200 for children under the age of 1, and $350 for those under 12.Information on Lifetime Sportsman Licenses from the NC WRC Archive Link 0 Comments Tell a Friend |
Thursday, December 08, 2005
NC's Striped Bass Tagging Program
 The first statistics have been reported by the North Carolina Division of Marine Fisheries on their new Atlantic Ocean Striped Bass Summer Catch Card Landing Tag Program. During September and October, NC recreational fishermen were required to tag all striped bass caught north of Oregon Inlet and report their catches to official reporting stations. A total of 57 striped bass were brought in with an average length of 30.6 inches and an average weight of 10.7 pounds. These numbers only include stripers that made it into a cooler, any released fish were not required to be tagged. Starting in 2006, NC fishermen will be required to tag and report their stripers from May through October. Although there have been surveys in the past to gauge recreational catch numbers, this new program will provide much more accurate numbers and should lead to more effective management in the future. Striped Bass Tagging Program Details from the NC DMF Archive Link 0 Comments Tell a Friend |
Wednesday, December 07, 2005
Bonner Bridge Plans Still Uncertain
 Oregon Inlet has been moving at a steady clip since it first opened in 1846. The sea is constantly shifting the inlet farther south and the inlet has moved more than two miles in the last 160 years. As a result, the bridge that spans the Oregon Inlet, the Herbert C. Bonner Bridge, has always been in a treacherous position. More than 50 million dollars have been spent in the last few decades to keep the 40 year old bridge operational, but recent surveys have given the Bonner bridge a stability rating of 4 out of 100. Residents and visitors have been pushing for action to avoid disconnecting Bodie Island and Pea Island. State officials presented updated information on the future of the inlet at the Dare County Board of Commissioners' meeting on Monday, but little is certain at this point. Options include a parallel bridge and a bridge that bypasses Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge and goes 17 miles directly to Rodanthe. This bridge is vital to North Carolina's outer banks economy and we will keep our eyes peeled for further updates.Aerial Photographic History of Oregon Inlet from 1932 Full Story from the Outer Banks Sentinel Archive Link 0 Comments Tell a Friend |
Monday, December 05, 2005
Time Running Out For Charitable Donations
 In September President Bush signed into law a measure that allows individual donors to write off up to 100 percent of their adjusted gross income for charitable cash donations made from August 28th to December 31st, 2005. This is a one time opportunity and after December 31st the maximum allowable deduction will revert to the traditional 50 percent maximum. This measure is designed to encourage contributions to all qualified charities and many smaller non-profits are experiencing downturns in giving because of the great outpouring of donations for Hurricane Katrina and tsunami relief earlier this year. Talk to your tax preparer or accountant and see if you have some extra room to help protect our state's coastal resources through a donation to either the CCA of North Carolina, The Foundation for Shackleford Horses, or The North Carolina Coastal Land Trust. Non-profits like these have had a hard time this year, so any help you can provide would certainly make an impact. Do it for yourself, do it for your children, or just do it because you would rather see someone other than Uncle Sam with your money.
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Sunday, December 04, 2005
SAMFC Meeting in Carolina Beach This Week
 The South Atlantic Fishery Management Council will meet this week in Carolina Beach to discuss future management plans for reef fish that have been overfished. The meeting will be held at the Marriott on Charlotte Avenue from December 5th through the 9th and the public is invited to offer opinions on both December 5th at 6PM and December 8th at 3PM. The first meeting open to public comments is on Amendment 13C to the Snapper Grouper Fishery Management Plan that hopes to end overfishing of four species that have been hit hard in the last few years: vermilion snapper, snowy grouper, golden tilefish, and black sea bass. Bag limits, shorter seasons, and more restrictive size limitations are all on the docket. The second opportunity for public contributions on December 8th is for Amendment 13B of the same plan and hopes to have broad ranging impact on the health of just about the entire snapper and grouper group. It proposes restricting bottom fishing in certain areas called Marine Protected Areas to better allow key habitat to produce more fish. Regardless of your opinion, if you have one you ought to share it when given the chance.SAFMC December 2005 Meeting Agenda (PDF) Archive Link 0 Comments Tell a Friend |
Friday, December 02, 2005
NC Flounder Still Floundering
 Flounder have been one of the most popular catches of both recreational and commercial fishermen for a long time in North Carolina. Now after two decades of overfishing and some questionable management decisions by the NC MFC, the NC flounder population is in serious trouble. Anyone who has done much inshore or surf fishing on the NC coast knows that their flounder have gotten smaller and smaller over the last decade and that the definition of a "doormat" flounder is no where near where it used to be. There is some discussion about flounder hatcheries and there are a few small projects underway now, but there are still a ton of questions about the impacts and feasibility of large scale flounder hatcheries. The CCA of North Carolina has been doing a lot on this front so give them your support if you can. If nothing else, be sure to release the small ones like you are supposed to and send a quick email to your state representative to let them know that this is an issue voters care about.
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