The view above is what I see as I look out my window while typing my blog entry. Ask me if I believe in God. This beauty can not be an accident.
Before I start my report today, I would like to give a shout out to my new friend and fishing bud Donald. Donald is a military man, back from Afghanistan now serving his country in our area. I met Donald on the SCP last night and we fished and talked for a while. God Bless Donald and his family, and all our military families for their great sacrifice while protecting US, YOU AND ME, OUR WAY OF LIFE, AND OUR FREEDOM. As I have said before and will say again.
FREEDOM IS NOT FREE! IT MUST BE PAID FOR. IT HAS BEEN PAID FOR BY THE BLOOD AND BRAVERY OF THOSE WHO CAME BEFORE US. IT IS BEING PAID FOR NOW, BY THE BLOOD AND BRAVERY OF THOSE WHO CHOOSE TO SERVE, AND IF WE ARE TO REMAIN FREE, IT WILL BE PAID FOR TIME AND TIME AGAIN. BECAUSE THERE ARE ALWAYS THOSE WHO WANT TO DESTROY AMERICA AND OUR WAY OF LIFE. DO YOU REALIZE THAT THE LONGEST A DEMOCRACY HAS EVER LASTED IS ABOUT 200 YEARS? DO YOU KNOW WHY? MOSTLY BECAUSE ITS PEOPLE BECOME COMPLAISANT AND LOOSE THE RESOLVE TO FIGHT FOR THEIR FREEDOMS WHICH THEY JUST LET SLIP AWAY.
SO IF YOU KNOW SOMEONE WHO IS SERVING OUR COUNTRY, GIVE THEM A CALL OR SEND A LETTER OR A CARE PACKAGE, JUST LET THEM KNOW YOU SUPPORT THEM. IT CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE.
GOD BLESS YOU DONALD, GOD BLESS YOUR FAMILY, AND THE FAMILIES OF ALL YOUR BROTHERS AND SISTERS SERVING OUR GREAT NATION!
Now, to fishing.....
After a week long migraine, my to-do list gets long. And, since I am retired, and do nothing outside the home, but fish, and occasionally a stretch of making some pottery, I do all the housework. So now that I have my chores caught up, (sort of) I hit the pier Thursday and Friday nights. A stiff wind was "in my face" as I stood on Surf City Pier looking towards North Topsail Beach, which is just the conditions that Donna's dad, locally known as "Mr. Lee", always said was the perfect wind conditions for a night of fall fishing. Well, Mr. Lee was right on Thursday night, because I landed no less than six different kinds of fish, and most were nice size fish at that. My stringer was highlighted by a couple of two pound black drum, perfect size for grilling, and a 15 inch gray trout. The gray came with a humorous story which I will share sometime when I don't have fish to talk about. Also included in my cooler was croaker, bigger than usually for this area, but not big enough to be called "Chesapeake croakers" like my brother Jesse, (lives in Virginia) catches in the Chesapeake Bay and James River that weighs up to two pounds. I also landed a nice puppy drum, but no matter how I stretched the fish, it wouldn't hit the 18 inch mark on my fish ruler. Fishin' bud and friends Ken and Karen contributed some large spot and sea mullet making a nice night of fishing on the Surf City Pier. I have to give some of the credit to the beautiful ocean shrimp that I bought at Herrings Outdoor Sports. They were so fresh they were practically swimming! As impressive as I thought our stringer of fish was, it paled in comparison to some others. There were coolers with as many as four black drum, not small ones like mine, but huge ones with tails sticking out of the cooler tops. There were coolers half full of nice spots. A flounder, about two pounds was caught by Mike Becker, author of the weekly fishing report in the Topsail advertiser and publisher of a fishing blog called "Topsail Angler".
During the daytime on Surf City pier, the guys and gals who target sheephead are getting a few, and friend and fellow angler Glenn has an eight pounder to his credit this year. Glenn has the touch with sheephead. Glenn is also catching some nice spanish plugging with gotcha plugs.
Most of the serious pluggers are catching blues and spanish during the morning hours, and bottom anglers are catching blues all day and into the night. As for spanish, they were so thick Thursday, now get this, that a guy bottom fishing caught one on a piece of cut shrimp and a bottom rig right behind the breakers! Neighbor and friend Tommy while throwing his cast net in the breakers near old Barnacle bills pier had a large spanish or small king pass within a few feet of where he was standing. So what I am saying is, the fish are thick! Bait is everywhere. Large schools of huge row mullet are passing by the pier one school after another. Most are just out of reach of cast nets, but a few are being caught by the serious cast netters.
As the flood water from the recent storm makes it's way down to the sounds and inlets from the rivers and creeks upstream, I am concerned that the huge influx of fresh water doesn't run the abundance of fish we seem to have back out into the deeper water. If that happens, we will just have to wait until they return.
On another note, I have always heard that when we see yellow butterflys coming in across the ocean in the fall, the huge yellow bellied spots will follow close behind. Well I have seen a few in the past week. But as I am sitting at my computer looking out over the salt marsh, what seems like hundreds of them are flying inland. So hopefully all the lovers of the famous panfish that has a festival named after it, the "Spot" will have all they can catch in the coming days. So if any of you are reading this, get your gear ready and loaded in the truck or van, or wagon, or however you get here, 'cause,
them spots, they are a comin'!
Till next time.....
Tight Lines!
Johnny
16015
