View Full Version : 6/26 Back River
Greetings fellow fishing fiends!!! Journeyed out today to attempt some Cobia fishing from the YAK with my good buddy Darren, but it wasn't to be... Arrived around 5:30am at the old Grandview pier site and found a steady 10-15kt. east wind and few, if any, visible pier remnants... I guess those old pilons couldn't handle the winter without some weight on them... Attempted foolishly to launch from the beach, but a few waves, and some clear thinking later, we opted for plan "B"; loaded up and headed for the Back River.... Launched from Wallace's after giving away our chum, and as soon as we got around the small island near the ramp we were greeted by busting fish everywhere.... Managed some nice sized Croaker here and a few other runs on minnows, but never did hook-up with the large 'somethings' that were feeding all around the boat... Perhaps they were Trout or Puppy Drum, saw showering Mullet, but no joy.... Decided to try for Flatties on the point at the Back River mouth and immediately began a steady catch of Mr. Flounder.... Ended up catching 10-12 fish up to Carp's(Darren) beauty of a specimen at 24 1/2"(5.75lbs.); all caught on minnows, and ALL released to fight another day.... It was awesome out there watching the nesting Skimmers and Terns, and we were well protected from the steady ESE wind, if not a little damp from some passing showers... Water was very clear and fortunately, there wasn't too much grass to contend with.... As the wind increased and swung around a bit, we paddled back in to avoid another soaking and to avoid fighting the tide/wind anymore than was necessary... Back at the ramp around 11:15am.... It was a great time this morning, and Thank the lord for plan "B" Thanks for l00king in folks, and Fish On!!
Next trip will be to the Blue on Wednesday
[grin]
wpvboat
06-27-2005, 07:51 AM
24 1/2" flounder! Nice catch. Let me just say that it is fine if YOU want to toss a tasty fish dinner back in the water. That's your choice, that's what America is all about! I would have thrown his ace on my stringer along with any of his friends that were over 16 1/2". I guess I just don't see flounder as a sporting type fish. They just kind of lay there like a rock. If you want a lean, mean, fighting machine, try some of the 24"-30" bluefish you can catch around the Lesner Bridge right now. Shoot, take an ultralite and fight one for an hour or so.
Like I said, C&R is ok with me. MY choice is to keep the tasty ones for myself, family, and friends who enjoy fresh fish.
Tom
To each his own my friend.... I must say however, that there is a nice level of satisfaction releasing fish; especially larger one's, to fight another day... besides, me and my peoples have freezers stocked with Tuna and Mahi at this moment, and Flounder is second tier[wink] As for the sporting aspect, I find Flounder to fight pretty well on light tackle and enjoy the heck out of catching them[grin]
Maybe we'll keep some tomorrow for the fryer or to be stuffed with crabmeat?!? Maybe we'll just tag the daylights out of'em.....
That's why there is as many bluefish as there are, because everyone that is caught isn't kept. If flounder were treated the same way and not kept with reckless abandon they would be plentiful as well. It is amazing that you can go out and catch 40 flounder in a day and maybe have one that is considered a keeper. If more were released you could catch more and keep one or two that is occasionally bigger. I am not a "don't kill a fish at all" advocate and I will release there arse into some grease as well. However, the thing that seperates us from the rest of the animal kingdom is our ability to reason and self awareness. I think it is pretty easy to reason that if you (we) release more fish then you will more. I think we all fish for sport first and sustenance second or we are kidding ourselves. As kayak fishermen, we are on the low end of the spending spectrum on what it costs us to go fishing and we are still not paying for our gear with the fish we catch. I like to hold myself to a higher standard than what the state says I can do legaly, after all the limit set by the state is a compromise between sound scientific data, public pressure and politics, not what is most reasonable. That applies to all species of fish and animals whether "I" consider them "sporting" or not.
CPR,
Chad
Zigh,
I tried to call you at 4:30 to tell you that you probably wouldn't be able to launch there in a SinK. We saw yall try to launch and then leave. I told Kevin you guys were probably going to head around and fish the backside, sounds like it was a good idea. I plan to go try that area next week for some trout and reds. You didn't miss anything but mister cownose.
Chad
Chad~ Sorry I missed your call, and appreciate you trying to give us the heads up.... We may return to fish Back River this Sunday depending ona few factors... I'll let you know if we decide to do it... may end up going in the boat instead.......
Take It Easy
[grin]
wpvboat
06-27-2005, 10:23 AM
Chad,
Of the reasons why I fish, sustanance is not one of them. If I spent the money I spend fishing in the grocery store I would surely come out ahead, especially when fishing from my 20 footer. But you can't beat the taste of fish that is FRESH, like that day. The whole "hunter, gatherer" thing is part of the deal for me. I follow the rules, I guess I am just not as 'giving' as some others. It's not in my nature to be selfless.
In a perfect world we could regulate all the greedy developers,
industrial polluters, big commercial fishing industry, and other water polluting, fishery destroying types. That ain't gonna happen the way things are going. All the fish will be dead before I get a chance to catch them anyway! Just look what happened to the smallmouth in the Shenandoah Valley (North River?). I read the article in the Pilot yesterday.
Tom
If the people in Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana and Texas subscribed to that philosophy in the last 20 years then many of the fish species you fish far up here would have been irradicated or at least severely depleted. So what your saying is F$#% it, somebody is going to kill all the fish, it might as well be me. Great attitude. Besides that, the thing I am talking about shows fishery improvements in less than three years, sometimes a year or less, not in several years or decades. Let's all just go fishing, adhere to the standard that the state sets (the same state that won't come down hard on the same polluters you are talking about), set out as many crabpots as we possibly can, seign up as many menhaden as we possibly can, set out gillnets everywhere and have a good run as lonng as it lasts. Besides, you stated why "you" keep the fish. He stated why "he" released the fish. Let him say he released a fish for the enjoyment of it without commenting on the fact that he should have kept it. To each his own, you don't have to make a comment on everything that someone does that isn't what you would have done.
Chad
Cory ruthless Routh
06-27-2005, 01:27 PM
I agree, it seems that there is alot of that going on here in.
If i want your opinion ill ask "What do you think" If I dont then I dont want to hear (or care) what you have to say.[grin][grin][grin]
[grin]this means I am joking!
wpvboat
06-27-2005, 03:10 PM
Ok, I hope I didn't hurt anyone's feelings. I wasn't trying to go after anyone. It seemed to me that a point was being made that "ALL were released". I simply wanted to note that keeping fish is as good a decision as releasing them in my opinion. Obviously there is a debate on that point and that's fine, I just don't want anyone to take it too seriously.
naked goby
06-27-2005, 05:28 PM
Who here is going to return a keeper cobia? Seems there are less of those then flounder.
I highly doubt Tom was trying to put anybody down. He was simply saying, "I like to eat flounder." Nothing wrong with that.
Well, since you asked, Why not release a keeper Cobia?! I would... Unless it dies in the fight or is so BIG it deserves an official weigh in[grin]
Great report Zigh! Me and Zigh fish alot together and we have been known to keep a fish or two but many times we tag and release. When we keep fish it may be for that evenings meal. Zigh's a hell of an angler and freaks if he don't get pullage. That's what it's about for him. The thrill of catching many different species, switching up techniques and even trying to find out what they won't bite at times. That's valuable data as well.
Wait till you hear about our spadefish trolly idea LOL
Fish on Freaks
Why we gettin on Zigh anyway, Carp released it[excited]!!!!!!
I have to tell you guy's, that was one beautiful fish and I dont catch many that size. It was my best to date.It came up without a fight and at first I thought I had a clump of grass ,but when I saw it I knew it was big. Lets measure her and get her back to the water tagged or not.
I've been fishing hard for Flounder this year ,because I havent had that much luck with them before and I want to see what a (doormat ) looks like,so when I put both feet next to it I realized what I had and didnt have any problem releasing it.
I ussually fish for meat ,but that fish took my breath and I just could'nt kill it. Who knows, it might be the big one you're after next time.
DARREN
ZIGH& DEN- Good luck wed. How about spades at the tower in a yak!!!!!![excited]Im in!!!
I would have released him too.
One night when I first started kayakfishing, Chad and I were out, and I hooked a pretty big gray trout; he ended up getting loose on us, but if we would have gotten him in the yak, I would have let him go. Sometimes, you have a moment like that and realize there is no possible way you can keep it. The ones I keep to eat are ones that don't stand out as the biggest or best fish.
I hope offering my opinion isn't offending anyone!
[grin]
Hope all is well. Sorry I've been such a stranger lately.
Winston
For the record, I have caught many cobia from the boat and had several long distance releases from the yak before landinng the one I caught last year. I have released every cobia I have ever caught until the one I kept last year from the yak. The intention that day was to release the fish as well but I fought him so long it just wouldn't have done much good to release him, Ric and I talked it over and decided it was best to keep it, you know it made some damn good steaks for me, my neighbor and Kayak Kevin ate the remainders after I deployed for several weeks. That fish went to good use and I don't as much regret keeping it. The next one will propbably swim away after a quick photo.
Chad
naked goby
06-28-2005, 05:12 PM
Chad, honestly I don't give a sheit. All Tom was saying is that he likes to keep and eat flounder. Because this is the internet, everything gets lost in translation so now he is the bad guy because he keeps fish to eat. I don't think that was his intent...he was just trying to have a "message board conversation".
Just because you throw stuff back doesn't make you a saint and just because you keep stuff doesn't make you satan.
Carry on.
It's obvious that you both just troll the boards trying to get someone to bite, you got me, I was stupid enough to fall for it. I am done now. It's kinda like the "when you wrestle with the pig, sometimes you begin to think he likes it." You keep fishing with your keyboard, maybe you guys can contact Brandon and get him to start a Keyboard Fishing board for guys that can't get out of the house but once a month.
I'm out,
Chad
wpvboat
06-29-2005, 08:16 AM
Well, I'm not pissed at anyone, so if I see you, I'll act like nothing happened. If Chad or anyone else chooses to be pissed at me then so be it. I've got all the friends I need. I fish when I can based on my situation and it's alot more than once a month. More like once or twice a week. That's about the best I an do since I have a job, wife, 3 year old, 3 week old, a couple of sick relatives, a 90 year old house, and I sit on a city commission too.
See you all on the water, hope there has been no harm done.
Tom
Sorry,
Just venting, I am just passionate about catch and release and other conservation efforts. I was already frustrated that there were two dead sea turtles on the beach in Grandview, 4000 crabpots, a two hundred yard long gillnet and almost got run over by a crabpot boat and the VMRC seems to be indifferent. You can't eat a shellfish, the stripers have sores on them, pollution is ridiculous, oysters and sea grasses are depleted, commercial fishing (especially menhaden) seems to be unchecked and a blue crab doesn't get a break. The least I can do is release a fish every now and them. And then someone questions that, Man!!!! The Atlantic Marine Fisheries Council is almost invisible and the last executive director of the CCA is now in bed with commercial fisherman. I believe in trying to swallow an elephant one bite at a time, it just seems as though this is one big elephant with the ability to regenerate limbs and you have to keep eating the foot........
Chad