Dorados @ 60 Fathoms

Weather: Good

Fishing: Good Offshore, Terrible Inshore 

The Boat: Fixed 

On Friday I packed my bags grabed my new music from Sara who battled Itunes complications for hours just to make me a new cd for my trip. Pulling into Radio Island 2hrs later to find the boat fixed and ready to go. So I spent the afternoon getting the outriggers out, checking all the systems, fueling up the Triumph and hanging out with the guys at the docks. The staff at Radio Island Marina are legit fisherman and all around good guys I enjoyed the conversations about boats, life, and fishing. 

This trip was a special one as we had a special angler with us, Jeff's Dad.

On Friday night we did the regular routine hit up the ruddy duck, dropped by Lowes food, and checked in at the Quality Inn. Its starting to feel like we are regulars every trip seems to get easier in the sense of getting things prepped and ready.

The wind was forecast at SW but in reality it really blew straight west, making my side of the boat wet. We made it out to the 14 buoy where we found other fisherman trolling in the area along side of some semi formed  weed lines but nothing trollable. So we drove on, and on, and on passing non fish-able weed lines. Then the God sent bright glowing weed patch was seen on the horizon. 

We set lines and trolled once the lines crossed beside the big patch a reel went screaming and we where hooked up. Me and Jeff start clearing lines and hand the rod to his dad to start the fight. I picked up the left side rod pulled it out of the clip switch to second gear to hurry up the process. I felt no tension looked out and a dolphin jumped and Pop-pop said it wasn't his, a good 10 seconds of confusion set in. Then my drag started to peel off and we had a double!

Jeff gaffed Pop-pop's dolphin and threw out a bailing line and hooked up again. We put three dolphin in the boat in fifteen minutes. We then proceeded to chum and bail more dolphin near the mat, perhaps the strangest thing of the day was the attack of the birds.

It all started out with one bird feasting on our chum then they where diving at our spinning lines. Once hooked up these birds have no fear of attacking a dolphin and ripping the bait out of their mouths. Ok we can deal with a little bird action then the gang showed up and made trolling impossible. These dumb birds where picking up the plugs and eating the baits! So we picked up our lures headed in and trolled a few more spot with no success.

Overall it was one heck of a trip, good dolphin, decent weather, and great company. 

J.Jones

Fracking Is Safe Right?

Last week the North Carolina house voted to allow fracking for natural gas in the state with approval from the governor. This sounds like a great idea, you know using our own "natural resources right here at home". I mean Exxon commercials provide reassurance or at least I think. Offshore drilling was suppose to be safe but ask the gulf coast how that went.

So I have taken up the interest in educating myself about the process of fracking of natural gas. The more I read the frustration built. The facts are disturbing with the process itself we are essentially poisoning the earth with no repair. Fracking has taken away peoples basic rights of clean safe drinking water along with contributing to health problems. The sad part is it seems like the majority of people don't want fracking so why have our elected officials let down the people again.

Find It On Nextflix

Your sink could become flammable

You could get the chance to hunt, fish, or hike near one of these retention ponds 

Or get to view these beautiful brine tanks

They even come in "emerica" paint

I kinda have a soft spot for these new indie style documentaries and thanks to Netflix I have a few of them to watch, so Sara ordered Gasland (Not available for streaming). This was the other side of fracking, people with sinks on fire, fracking near national parks and more disturbing stories of fracking gone wrong. 

Here is the trailer:

(If you don't read the post at least watch the video) 

Fracking is on the verge of destroying our outdoors and the most important resource...water. I have sent my representatives emails not sure if they will do any good but hey I did what I could. This fracking business will not stop until it ruins drinking water for a major metropolitan area.  

So my challenge is to educate yourself about fracking, choose your side and if your against it do something blog about it, talk to your friends, relatives, and elected political representatives. Depending on your location fracking may take your favorite fishing stream, national park water, or even your homes drinking water. 

J.Jones 

Small Town Largemouths On The Fly

This weekend I found sometime in between working to cast a few flies. I had the luxury of fishing my home turf as I like to call the ponds around my house. There are a few disadvantages to being from a small community, most of them to do with everyone knowing what you have done wrong such as speeding down the road, or missing church on Sunday. However everyone knowing you, your folks, all your relatives and yes even your dog has its perks. Mostly in the form of fishing or hunting permission on various farms.

In the console of my truck holds a wrinkled coffee stained index card with a list that features name the nicknames of all the ponds I have access to fish. Some that include "The lighthouse", " Mr.Rossie's", "Angus Acres", "The waterholes", and a few more. 

They are not all fly fishing friendly, some require a boat others spinning outfits, but there are a few that are fit for a backcast. These few spots are where I spend most of my time trying to find that six pound or above lunker on the fly. I didn't find the one this weekend but I did find a couple of good ones and a lot of small ones. The majority fell for a black and red closer minnow fresh of my vise, and a few others on a deer hair frog. 

Different ponds bring different shades of bass. 

Caught a lot of this size.

Lucked up of this good sized one. 

J.Jones 

Can't get out of the gate...

The Weather : Great
The Fishing : Getting Better
The Trip: Canceled

This is the weekend sounds ideal:

- 80 Degrees
- 2 to 3ft Seas
- Variable Winds
- Big Rock Tournament 
- Good Fishing Reports

However the roadblocks of life have come at full force. The trip was originally set back till Sunday due to prior engagements. That is no prob just roll the plans over to the next day. Then the phone call that shut down the whole operation.

A Little back story--last time when we got back we backed the boat into the dock and noticed oil leaking from the motor. The mechanic has been working on it this week, he went to lunch today and didn't return. So now we are missing a key element in going fishing---The Boat. Things in life can drive you crazy, piss you off , and make you a terrible person to be around all weekend. 

So I will take the roadblocks of life as a sign switch gears tie up some loose ends and finish my to do list. This weekend I plan on enjoying the good weather, the Big Rock webcam, tying some flies, and Dinner with Sara.

J.Jones

Blue Water Therapy

The Forecast : They Missed It
The Fish : Weren't Hungry

Our morning started late the 4:45am wake up call never came so we where up a quarter after five and headed out the door, little before six we where planing out. We knew it was going to be a bumpy ride, but two miles outside the inlet we hit a pretty high six foot swell and that set the tone for the day. The sea was mostly two footers with some four mixed in. Then a six footer would sneak up on us, they would send us climbing up and crashing down with a thud that was felt with big swell. Alright little clarification this was not a scene from deadliest catch, but rather a rough run offshore in a 23.5ft boat put into English class description. Anyways the forecast read 2 to 4ft with 5 to 15mph winds, yeah it blew 15 plus from the start.

My postcard pic from the ride in 

We went on to pass the king fisherman at the knuckle 9 buoy and found a nice sport fisher to follow out. This made for a bit better ride as the sport fisher cut down some of the waves. He soon stopped out at the 14 buoy which is about halfway to the big rock. We proceed on for another hour till we reached 60 fathoms near the big rock.

Jeff set the lines and I drove the boat as the weather was to rough to set the boat in gear and both of us set the baits. The radio was not giving me any hope as only one boat had picked up a peanut dolphin. So we trolled on, and about an hour later...click the line come out of the outrigger but no drag screams, must be grass.

It's a tuna after it, looking back a yellowfin tuna running the surface diving at bait relentlessly. You could see it's football shape and tail which each rise and dive. Then he was gone, just gone...The tail of the bait had been bitten off and the leader had some scars, we had just missed a 50 pound tuna by less than an inch. However the show was spectacular, so we circled area never found a hook up. The desperation and disappointment of the voice on the radio revealed no new dolphin, so everyone was just dragging baits.

As twelve approached me and Jeff where shot out of hope,eating cookies, and talking about the tuna we missed. The the drag screams off the portside we, our reaction time was far from great as we kinda looked at the rod then back at each other. Jeff jumps up and yells fish on, I clear lines as the drag runs scream, the fight lasted about five minutes as I stood there with a hand on the wheel and one on the gaff.

As the dolphin neared there was no one with him, I tried to talk Jeff into letting me fight and he become the gaff man. Yeah he pretty much told me to be a man a stick em, my gaff history is far from good as practice on bailers was a fail. This was clutch time I couldn't mess this up, so the dolphin cruised up to the side and I stuck em and slung him up in the boat like I had been doing it for years.

That was the only dolphin we caught but it was a still good day, I had gaffed my first good dolphin and Jeff didn't have to go to the office.