# I gotta come out and say this.....



## fishrulemylife (Jan 20, 2006)

When people say there nothing like fishing in North Carolina, they ain't kidding. I'm a transplant from CT and have been surf fishing as long as I can remember. After being out of the game for almost 6 years the bug finally bit me and I'm back in head first. I can't believe the seriousness of fishing down here, and I love it. Ya'll are some real die hards and that's what its all about, that's how my father and I are. I've got so much to learn and I'm so thankful I live in a state where folks are so willing to help me and teach me. Now don't get me wrong I know a lot but there's just so many different species of fish down here to target and I have a ton to learn. I mean, I must have learned about 20 different species this past year and probably caught 10 of them which I've never caught before. Its just overwhelming. Then there's tackle, most terminal stuff is the same, but up north I never new what a heaver was and now I own one. I never thought there was a rod that you could make throwing 8oz of weight feel like a feather..... . I digress. What I'm saying is this state really has some of the greatest fishing the east coast has to offer and I can't wait to experice it all first hand.


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## uncdub13 (Aug 9, 2003)

indeed


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## Drumdum (Jan 6, 2003)

Yeap, what fishrulemylife said..  

Been livin in this state most of my life. Been saltwater fishin from Hat for well over 30 now. Wouldn't have it anyother way...


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## chris storrs (Aug 25, 2005)

i plan to move down there after im 18 at some point....virginia just sucks in comparison...


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## flathead (Dec 18, 2003)

It's like that from the mountains to the coast.Near the mountains,you can catch 4# smallmouth on light tackle in running water that feel like 40# drum on the coast.And that's not exaggerating.Throw in some stripers,big catfish,and crappie and we have a most excellent State in which to fish.I am indeed thankful for all that NC has.


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## fish-fool (Dec 17, 2004)

Hey Chris.....Virginia ain't so bad on fishing. Chesapeake Bay, Lynnhaven, stripers on the beach? Come on, rig up a pole and toss em in.


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## Tuck (Oct 29, 2003)

fish-fool said:


> Hey Chris.....Virginia ain't so bad on fishing. Chesapeake Bay, Lynnhaven, stripers on the beach? Come on, rig up a pole and toss em in.


Hey, I'm born and raised in nawth cacalacky, but live now in verginie, and I must say they do have some fine fishin places with a wide variety to spoil yerself on. How bout the New River for big smallies, brookies, brownies and muskies. The upper James river for massive flat heads and ton of quality smallmouth to the lower james for giant blue cats and more smallies. Uh, Smith Mountain Lake and Lake Anna both have a very nice striper fishery. Take a trip to Briery Creek and put a citation largemouth and a citation crappie in the boat the very first trip ya go. may even deck several. Ya know the Roanoke River does start in verginie, plus like fool said, uh, The Chessie, only the largest spawning grounds for almost all that swims.
I tell ya, I love NC with all my heart and call it home, but I ain't had no problems catchin fish all over Virginia. I can definitely say it doesn't suck.
Oh, this one didn't suck








Nor did this one


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## Lipyourown (May 11, 2005)

Don't forget about the Potamac, hosts major bass tournaments, you can catch trophy stripers right now and during the spawing run and lots of good catfish year round. The upper Potomac is awesome for small mouth.

As far as summer fishing, I'll take the Bay over the Outer Banks / Ocean surf anyday as far as raw numbers of fish are concerned.

You just have to know where and when to go....


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## chris storrs (Aug 25, 2005)

i lost interest in just about all freshwater fishin when i started saltwater....i stiil fish for catfish but they aint fighters...id consider em the second sissy fish...And for a good fishing time ya generally need a boat for dem...especially in winter..the only time im stuck fishin for em...

Hatteras has TARPON ...KINGS ...COBES ...JACK CREVALLE ...DRUM....BARRACUDA and more all available from the surf/pier....

i dont know when the last tima a pier in VA got a decent king or any big jack,tarpon or cuda...From the pier/surf anyway

VAs got cobia(not many surf/pier caught...but now add in OV and buckroe piers in the future and we should do alright) and drum...where we do pretty good(sandbridge)but still not as good as hatteras 

But i dont know many people that would rather fish in VA than down south... 


in two weeks i was there in rodanthe/avon i saw a tarpon jumped..and C.E. got a tarpon...I caught a king...There was kings caught on frisco...At avon i saw a huge barracuda....There was a jack caught at rodanthe(a few hooked up).....a king at rodanthe(other than mine)....drummies(big) caught at rodanthe...I probably saw 12 cobia on baits(big)(not hooked up) including mine...Caught a cobe pup and i caught alot of biters....

i dont know of anytime during last summer that there was this much caught in weeks...or the whole summer for that matter...I cant even catch more than 1 shark at night up here..buckroe and ocean view should gine us alot more cobia this/next year and in years to come...but i still like when your clicker goes off and it could be anything...not just a cobia or ray

Virginia does have agood freshwater and a good saltwater fishery...but if ya wanna catch more than one big fish(excluding drum)IMO your waaayyy better off with a boat up here(i guess this apples to anywhere)

just me wishin i lived in NC


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## reelrebel18 (Oct 13, 2004)

chris i hear ya virginia does suck and w/ this new govoner well:--| :--| but the city of va beach sucks 10 times harder cause its a tourist trap:--|


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## TreednNC (Jul 1, 2005)

I feel ya on them mountain smallies Flathead

TUCK I was born and raised in NC and I know few places to catch a big trout or two....caught my personal best this may, 4.5lb brooke, granted it was an ole dough belly sow but still...seen a 30+in brown in the same hole bout day break one mornin, it didnt stick around after first light tho lol

I live next to the 1 of the greatest catfisheries in the state...Lake Norman, and aint a far drive to the other good'n...Badin...throw in world class saltwater fishin and ya got it made


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## Drumdum (Jan 6, 2003)

I gotta go with my home state as well.. Happy I'm still alive and kickin and get ta yank in a redone once and a while.The cobes,kings,tarpons,baracudas,jacks of all kinds,unbelievable wreck fishin,not even gonna discuss offshore stuff,I feel blessed.. 

As far as VA freshwater feeshin,those James River "whipers" take the cake. Those things flat pull some string....


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## Topsailbum (Apr 10, 2003)

Frank it is kinda hard to beat those "Red eyed " smallmouth. 2# fish feels like a cinderblock


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## flathead (Dec 18, 2003)

Folks,I took a fishin' trip a couple years ago that I'd like to git Ole DD on.Now the Chucky and the New are world famous for their smallmouth,but we waded the Clinch River in the mountains of eastern Tennessee.Ya can only wade this river without waders in July and August cause the water's too cold.And,it's too dangerous,IMHO,to use waders because of the current and the deep holes.You know,the ones where you're wading along in knee deep gin clear water but then yer next step yer up to yer eyeballs.

Well,first thing we did was seine a bunch of shiners,hellgrammites,and crawfish.(used a bunch of spinners but only the small ones hit'em)The HAWGS like meat.Stuff a bunch of that stuff in the little belt bait buckets just like we use at Hatteras.Throwin' those baits on #4 Eagle Claw LO42 hooks with 6# line,no weight, on ultra lite 5 1/2-6' rods.Toss a shiner,hellgrammite, or crawdad up current,let it drift into a hole.I'm tellin' ya they ain't nuthin' like gittin' yer arms broke and yer knees skint up on a boulder in waist deep water 100 yards from shore,whilst gittin' dragged downstream by a 4# smallie.  Slippin' and slidin' and fallen all over the place  The only bigger thrill is when a 500 # blackbear comes out and wants yer hole  

Treed,last flathead I got at Norman was a 35 lber just above marker #20.Couple of 60s caught behind #18 in Rocky Creek,and around Goat Island.Also,ya can jig up some 25-35 lb blues in that general area right now in the middle of winter.


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## Drumdum (Jan 6, 2003)

Frank have done something similar,yrs back on the James,Murray,and Shanandoah.. Was a few yrs back,and not quite as treacherous,but it was fun.. A bud of mine turned me on to a spot that was loaded in 3-4lb small mouth on the James,he had caught a 6lber in there that season.. All those fish ate the "meat"...  

We also fished James near 17th st bridge? There was an island there to climb up on and we would livebait near the rough water. We were catching largemouth,stipers,and whipers (hybrids).. When those wipers would hit you were in fer a h$ll of a ride..


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## RuddeDogg (Mar 20, 2004)

*I Hope....*

To find that out for myself soon I hope.......


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## Dyhard (Oct 24, 2002)

If Virginia had beaches that you could drive on I would argue with you about the best place to fish. But it doesn't so I wont.
At one time before blackened Red Fish became a big thing, they had no commercial value at all. Sometimes bringing just 5 cents a pound if the dealer was feeling generous. With no fishing preasure the reds were almost always there.
Very few people went to the Point because of the diffilculty. 
Combine that with a huge fish population.
The sharks were called Carolina Freight Trains because so many were unstoppable.
I carried 3 heavers and 6 reels with extra spools for each one. Being spooled a few times was expected.
The past few years the fishing on average has been dismal but its still my favorite beach because I can drive on it and carry all my gear with me.
The Madam loves it too. She likes to fish but I catch her sleeping in the sun and grinning.


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## fishbone4_14_74 (Feb 7, 2005)

Ya Know im just glad i live close to the Border i got the best of both worlds but i will have to say MY Heart is South as this Man has Tar on His HEELS.


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## Lipyourown (May 11, 2005)

From what I have read the drum run was much better in VA this year than in NC and the big schools of stripers don't seem to be going that far south this year, just an observation but yes NC is a great state to fish.


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## Drumdum (Jan 6, 2003)

Lipyourown said:


> From what I have read the drum run was much better in VA this year than in NC and the big schools of stripers don't seem to be going that far south this year, just an observation but yes NC is a great state to fish.


 When you add up from state line to Ocock,I'd beg to differ on the drum run.. 

Ya got me on the stripers,the "no winter syndrome" fixed that,but how many tarpon did the eastern shore catch in compairison to the Neuse River fish,or even the piers here for that mater?? 

Both states are great fisherys without a doubt.. With salt,I'd have to go with my home state. As far as freshwater,I be Va bound...


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## OBX Rookie (Dec 22, 2003)

Drumdum said:


> back on the James,Murray,and Shanandoah.. Was a few yrs back


Hey Kenny, what part of the Maury River did you fish?


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## Drumdum (Jan 6, 2003)

I think it was Glascow we were camping near,anyway it was where the Maury and James connected.. Caught small brookies in the streams. Fished Shanandoa and caught a bunches of smallies on beetlespins. Camped at James River campgound and caught some nice smallmouths,redeyes,and green sunfish in the James. Went on that vaction with my X and my daughter many yrs ago,and it was a fun trip..


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## flathead (Dec 18, 2003)

> beetlespins


Beetlespins are proof that fish ain't real smart.They started biting those things when they first came on the market and they ain't stopped yet.Seems they just line up for the frying pan march when they hit the water.If'n ya watch any TV at all,you'll notice that the guys winning the money on the redfish tours are now throwing a modified version of the beetlespin/spinnerbait.Around here the fish in the streams have been hitting the black/yellow and chartruse black for many,many years.


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## OBX Rookie (Dec 22, 2003)

Drumdum said:


> I think it was Glascow we were camping near,anyway it was where the Maury and James connected.. Caught small brookies in the streams. Fished Shanandoa and caught a bunches of smallies on beetlespins. Camped at James River campgound and caught some nice smallmouths,redeyes,and green sunfish in the James. Went on that vaction with my X and my daughter many yrs ago,and it was a fun trip..


Have some property upstream from Glasgow, near the Maury River, have fished the area called Goshen Pass for trout, beautiful area.


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## Drumdum (Jan 6, 2003)

OBX Rookie said:


> Have some property upstream from Glasgow, near the Maury River, have fished the area called Goshen Pass for trout, beautiful area.


 "Glascow" Thanks for the spellchecker,Jay..  

And yes,we did several trips there,can't remember the names of the trout runs we fished? But,yes indeed it is a beautiful area,and someday hope to do it again.. Love catchin helgrimites out from under those rocks,puttin them on a hook and watchin that smalley take off with it.. Other than the fact there are no drummies up there,I'd sell this joint and head up there to live...  

Frank,ain't much funner than using a 5' ultra light uglystick a diawa ultralight spinner with 2-4lb test on it and catching brookies,redeyes,green sunfish,and smalleys. I have fished some of the eastern rivers near Currituck and done the same with big bluegills,white perch,yellow perch,stripers, and bass,one heck of an invention fer sure..


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