# Rudee 4/24



## harry buggs (Feb 7, 2006)

Got to Rudee about 11 right at high tide. A stinkpotter comin' out was bemoaning the rain runoff and the cloudy water. He said he got a bunch o' blues, with one at about 8 lbs. I was skeptical but did see a huge washtub-size boil later, so maybe he did. 

Gorgeous day! No waders, the water has warmed up, what a difference a week makes this time o' year  . The wind kicked up for a while, but lay down later. Just beautiful.










Got a small blue right off, over near the island.










Drifted the open water and caught a number o' blues to about 20", one might have been 22 or 23. Didn't count or photo 'em, just enjoyed their fight and tried not to get bit  .

Decided to try for flounder, so headed up front. Made a couple unsuccessful drifts. Was the middle o' a sunny day, so just assumed blues and flounder were the best bets. A couple small boats were hitting blues steady and I thought I saw a shad or 2. Saw a few small swirls in mid-channel, so I anchored up and broke out the fly rod. Might as well enjoy the blues and I was hoping the swirls were shad, which wouldn't destroy flys like a blue will. I had one o' me junker flys I keep around to use on blues with a short piece o' bent-up wire on.










A few casts later, I got a solid take and the rod bowed up. Heavy pulls and a fast pass at the surface made me think better class o' blue, but it was this lad, to me surprise.










I cut off the junker fly and tied on a nice soft-hackle deceiver, white, pink, yellow, and blue, which also looked good to this one.










A larger class blue decided he liked the deceiver, too, and came to hand after a hard tugging fight capped by several head-shaking leaps. Got a couple more before a cartwheeling demon decided to keep the fly. I tried an olive and yellow Ray's Fly and was surprised there were no takers, since it's a great spearing/glass minnow imitation. Blue seemed to be the day's color, so I dug up a small flatwing streamer with white, blue and yellow feathers and scored this guy.










Here's a peek at the fly.










It was about 3 by then, and the rises were fewer and farther between. A couple o' boats putted through and I decided it was time to go. 

Got one last blue on a gulp by the island and hit the ramp. 

Here's the day's keepers, all fly-caught.










I mean, it was nice enough to just get out on the water after a week away, but to get into some good fish on the fly, too, was close enough to perfect for me. I don't even mind the sunburn .

~buggs


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## eaglesfanguy (May 1, 2003)

Awsome dude.. NICE fish.. And to whoop it up on the fly.. Priceless..
How do you cook them specks.. I usually fry em but have broiled and grilled em.. and i happen to think they have a "hose water" type flavor.. i dont care for trout much id rather a small blue to a trout.. unless its freshwater..
But awsome day .. id have kept em anyway.. ..

WHatever makes a "free" turd:spam:


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## eaglesfanguy (May 1, 2003)

Ohh yea... Friggen Beautiful pictures with the Narration.. Keep up the luck bro..


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## SkunkApe (Dec 9, 2006)

Nice work ~Sr Buggs. Glad you got some pullage off the fly and "Sply". 

Sorry I won't be @ the meeting, but I'm outa' here to FL for some action in about 2 hrs. I'll be smoking cigs, Steve and Snooks 

Hold the Fort down when I gone, my friend! 

Skunk


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## Rick C. (Dec 2, 2002)

Nice meeting you out there. I got into the blues right away , must have caught every one in there twice. Near dusk, I switched to a topwater bait (spook) and the trout were smashing it until it got dark. Kept 2 at 19" each and had a blast watching them knock it out of the water on a slick calm night. Got a good dinner lined up tonight. Speaking of boats though, after you left a 35' sportsfisher trolled the basin all afternoon with full boat rod spread (TLDs etc) . Tough to dodge big boys like that.


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## RuddeDogg (Mar 20, 2004)

Great job. Nice work.


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## harry buggs (Feb 7, 2006)

eaglesfanguy said:


> Awsome dude.. NICE fish.. And to whoop it up on the fly.. Priceless..
> How do you cook them specks.. I usually fry em but have broiled and grilled em.. and i happen to think they have a "hose water" type flavor.. i dont care for trout much id rather a small blue to a trout.. unless its freshwater..
> But awsome day .. id have kept em anyway.. ..
> 
> WHatever makes a "free" turd:spam:


I roll the specs in flour, dip 'em in egg, then coat 'em with panko (Japanese bread crumbs) and fry in olive oil. Love 'em. Be sure to skin 'em, might be where that flavor comes from. I also cut 'em into chunks and stir-fry with veggies, and sometimes I'll steam 'em with wine and herbs, they can be great that way .

~buggs


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## harry buggs (Feb 7, 2006)

SkunkApe said:


> Nice work ~Sr Buggs. Glad you got some pullage off the fly and "Sply".
> 
> Sorry I won't be @ the meeting, but I'm outa' here to FL for some action in about 2 hrs. I'll be smoking cigs, Steve and Snooks
> 
> ...


Yeah, miss them Snooks, great fish. Get one for me while yer there.

Enjoy!

~buggs


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## harry buggs (Feb 7, 2006)

Rick C. said:


> Nice meeting you out there. I got into the blues right away , must have caught every one in there twice. Near dusk, I switched to a topwater bait (spook) and the trout were smashing it until it got dark. Kept 2 at 19" each and had a blast watching them knock it out of the water on a slick calm night. Got a good dinner lined up tonight. Speaking of boats though, after you left a 35' sportsfisher trolled the basin all afternoon with full boat rod spread (TLDs etc) . Tough to dodge big boys like that.


Good to meet you, glad you got into 'em. Gotta love the topwater hits, but it sometimes makes you wonder how some fish manage to feed themselves . Enjoy your dinner! btw- wonder what those guys on the 35' ended up paying for a bluefish dinner? 

~buggs


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## Entropy (Mar 9, 2008)

i beleive i saw you out there.

i was walking from the croatan jetty to my car (i was surfing) and stopped my buddy and said, "check it out, this guy is fly fishing." he was in a yellow yak by some docked boats...

idk if it was you for sure, but seems like it. glad to know there are fish in, ill have to hit rudee next time the surf is weak. and im even happier to know that i still have all my fingers and toes knowing that blues were in the area.


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## harry buggs (Feb 7, 2006)

Sounds like moi . Short, surfin' style yak, yellow bow, red stern. Saw some surfers walking outta Croatan, mighta been you. Woulda been about 2 PM.

~buggs

Btw- mostly small blues now, yer challenge will be in the next few days, or so, when the big toe-nippers arrive


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## Entropy (Mar 9, 2008)

if it was a couple that was my buddy and i. lol

we left the water around 2, i got to my car slightly after. where do you launch your yak to fish in that area?


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## harry buggs (Feb 7, 2006)

Entropy said:


> where do you launch your yak to fish in that area?


Owl Creek ramp.

~buggs


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