# AI this weekend



## buckmeyer (Jun 17, 2004)

Anybody heading for AI this weekend? The water temps should be getting better. I'm going wed.-sun. Anybody sees my silver f-250 crew cab in the ORV zone stop and say Hi.

Buckmeyer (Scott)



> If your beer smells like squid, you're doing something right.


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## Fishing_Noob (Aug 2, 2004)

*I'll be out there Sat. night or Sun. morning.....*

I'll keep my eyes out for ya. Haven't met anyone yet from P&S.


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## DERFM (Jun 19, 2004)

me & the mrs heading down fri nite ........
white 250 ford crewcab , lance camper , FHB tag on the front rack ......
stop bye & say hi 
derf & deb


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## shaggy (Jun 18, 2003)

Debating (again) a Friday night/ Saturday day trip, but won't know until five pm Friday.

OBX, check pms.


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## PJDSR (Apr 2, 2002)

*AI -- MD or VA?*

Am definitely planning on hitting the beach this weekend to see what' biting. You all headed to the MD end or the VA end?


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## Fishing_Noob (Aug 2, 2004)

*Md.*

Never been to Va. side. So I'll be at MD. side. Platinum color Pathfinder w/30 days tag. Hope to see you guys out there. 

Tony


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## Wrong Way (May 29, 2003)

Are all of you who are headed to AI this weekend have ORV permits to access the beach? I'm trying to figure out where to go this weekend and AI sounds pretty tempting although a few buddies and me will be limited to parking in the parking area. AI is open 24 hours correct? I recall it's like $10 daily to park or $20 for a season pass.


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## Fishing_Noob (Aug 2, 2004)

Hi Wrong Way,

I think it's $10 for entire week to park and you do need a permit. You can get a permit from the ranger station and it will cause you $70 from the time purchase till a year later. I might be wrong because this my first season at AI but that's what I paid for.

Tony


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## buckmeyer (Jun 17, 2004)

Entrance is $10 weeklt, $20 yearly.
ORV is $70 yearly.
I'll be on the MD end.

Good luck.
Scott


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## Sandcrab (Mar 20, 2002)

*I'll be there..*

I'll be at the South Parking lot area fishing Saturday AM before sunrise. Red Olds is not a 4X4...

DE surf will be super crowded this weekend due to the tournament...


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## OBX Rookie (Dec 22, 2003)

*That's a fact jack!*

Saggy you debate tooooooooo much! Don’t say anything just do it! Well, maybe you should mention something to the wife...they like it when the hubby goes away fishing, didn’t you know that? LOL! I will be on the beach, green/silver Dakota w/ cap. Leaving Friday after work, hope to be on the beach before dark. Hope to meet some of you folks and catch a few fish!  Drive safe everyone!


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## shaggy (Jun 18, 2003)

Access seems limited. Winds, moon, tides, and mother nature are all taking tolls on how much beach is accessible, which right now seems to be very little. 

Anyhow, maybe reports I get are worse then reality, but glad I didn't try. Hopefully, all you who made it there caught fish and are okay, and though off Tuesday, and though nobody really listens, I am staying home.

It don't look pretty, even if it is one of my favorite NE'ers, but put a NE up against a gaining moon, tides and not safe, sorry, granted been in worse, so, maybe learned a lesson or two, or maybe I got to try and go fer it again.

Watch the beach crossings (dunes) for protection, beats some alternantives.

Be safe, be smart.


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## Sandcrab (Mar 20, 2002)

*AI FIshing Report -Saturday*

Got to the South Parking lot around 5:20 AM. Weather and water was warm so I did not need any waders and changed out of my jeans to lightweight quick-dry fishing pants with zip off pant legs...

Rigged up the heaver with a fish head on a FF rig with 6 oz and lobbed it out. Was rigging up the second rig with cut bait when the heaver went down hard and was pulled out of the sand spike. Figured that I did not need to set the Gami circle hook so I reeled in...nothing - only part of the head left.

Rest of the day all I caught lwas loads of small sharks. Tried metal on a school of blues I saw in near the outer breaker - no joy. At least I could reach them out about 300+ feet out with the new rod/setup.

Left around noon when the families with kids started to come out full force. Lots of people fishing and did not see anyone catching anything worthwhile...

Used cut bait, squid, and nature's free bait (sand fleas) I dug up in the wash for bait. Beautiful sunrise and day to fish.  Had to switch over to 8 oz later in the day to hold bottom with the heaver setup. Forgot how tiring it is to sling B8-N-8 is all day...  

Lots of ponies out in the early AM.


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## Fishing_Noob (Aug 2, 2004)

*Yep, AI was not too good this weekend.*

First, we try to cast net under the OC pier for some mullet but the inlet parking was closed. So we headed to AI and try to get some menhaden from the bay and got a few, not much was out there. I got there with the family on Sat. night and it was packed. They closed off all of AI except for maybe a mile of beach and everyone was jammed together. I setup a bonfire for the wife and kids then I proceed to rig up my gear. First time casting with conventional at night and read somewhere that's it not easy. My concern wasn’t the in-ability to cast at night, but the knots breaking. Over the weekend, in order to get more line for my 525 Mag, I switched to PowerPro Braid 30# and running about Ande 10’ 50# shock leader. So I was using the knot technique from PP’s website. It just seems too long for the knot and doesn’t look like smooth sailing through the guides. I hook up my bait with 6oz on hi-lo rig and did a gentle cast. All was smooth but no fish landed. Then an older man came by and we started chatting. He says he caught 40’’-46’’ reds on cut blues about an hour ago, blues frozen from last night catch. That got me real excited so I change my hi-lo rig to my spinning setup and went to ff rig on my conventional. He gave me two 15’’ blues for cut bait and I think a size 13 hook, humongous hook but I can see the advantage of using it. So I gave him some of my wife barbecue chicken and Dew. First cast with new hook and the whole head……, snap….second cast….snap….third cast….same thing. By this time I was upset loosing the best piece of bait and the hook (I think the hook is like $13). I was thinking this is not going to work because I need to get my bait out there and can’t heave. So, I decided to go with the no name knot on a twist and it worked fine, of course after a few baby cast. The guy came back about an hour later say he just released a 42’’. I had nothing else to say cause not one single bite from 4 rods in the water (my friend was there so 2 rods was his). All night was like this. Morning came and we decide to head down further south when they reopen more section of AI. There was a line forming to head south and it was funny seeing how many addictive fisherman out there. As soon as we pulled out from our spot to get in line, another vehicle pull in on our spot with a surf board. To make a long story short, we fished down further south with the same result. But I did manage to catch a few pompano off of sand fleas. Nothing was hitting the blues or the menhaden. Overall, was a great Sat. night and Sunday for the family. The kids enjoy the campfire and playing on the beach. I enjoyed my new wader and getting my line wet. I will most likely try again next weekend.

Tony


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## shaggy (Jun 18, 2003)

Hence, Shaggy debating too much. Not much on going through the effort to buy bunker, load up gear and drive, only to find out "Mother Nature" won.

Me, been on AI in most conditions, and have been unable to make it off the Island twice. All I can say is, watch the moon phase (the fuller, the higher the tide), the winds (nor'easter, with a fuller moon, watch out), high tide, fuller moon, and the winds of a hurricane off shore, usually leads to at a minimum, closures not far south of the entrance.

Now on a side, storm track only bringing maybe 3" - 4" and winds may not be as bad as predicted, so once again debating a journey east (depending on Jeane) and what may happen while at work tonight.

Have to call Ranger station, and find out what they may have in mind.

I'll get out there, only when I know I can get out there, and then again back off.


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## BigJeff823 (Oct 14, 2002)

*AI I was there Sunday*

I stoped being cheap and baught an ORV Pass and Yearlong Pass Yesterday;90bucks.High Water had the beach closed down about 10mi south of the Bullpen.I fished there from 1-8pm and got one 10" Blue on Mullet on a 7/0 Circle hook Drum Rig.Blue where slicing my baits up toward afternoon.I didn't see anyone pull up anything but heard that Blues and Kingfish being caught.I also heard some Reds were caught alot further south of the Bullpen;probily 20mi south.Its only about 30-45minites south of DE;So not a bad drive.DE is about 1 1/2-2hr drive;depending on speed traps,traffic,etc.I will make many more trips so I can hook up with The Big Red Train.


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## BigJeff823 (Oct 14, 2002)

*I know the feeling Sandcrab*

I did that Monday last week at 3rs;I threw 12s,then 8s,Than 6s and pulled in one 14"Blue after another and another till I caught about 2 dozen.I drove on the DE/MD/VA beaches with my old beat up Ford Bronco 2 so THE OLD TERD ISNT SO BAD.


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## OBX Rookie (Dec 22, 2003)

*Weekend Report*

Yep things could have been a little better! Than again it could have been a lot worse. After sitting in a 16-mile backup for the bay bridge and thinking the whole time that I was missing out on all the action, the man upstairs was looking out for me once again. Since I was running a little late…more like a lot late, I figured I would call ahead and have some bait left out for me, well I was told to just call when I arrived and they would open up the shop so I could get whatever I needed, WOW never got the VIP treatment like that before! I arrived in OC around 11:30 PM thinking I would just get the answering machine, not only did I get an answer, she remembered my name and said come on over. I arrived at the shop a few minutes latter and was greeted by a tired but smiling face, as I was getting everything I needed she asked if I was planning on heading out to the beach tonight, I said yes, should have been on the beach long ago but the traffic was a real mess, at that point she began to tell me that I hadn’t missed a thing and it might be best to wait till the morning, high tide had made a real mess, her husband had been stuck with several others on the beach with all of the wash over from the high tide. Well I took her advice and decided to head to the room and get some sleep, so I thought. I had come down with a friend of mine that has a little…huge problem with snoring, I had packed my ear plugs so I figured I was covered and would sleep like a baby and be ready to fish in the morning, well, LOL, so much for that idea, that boy was going off, I am surprised we didn’t get a call from the front desk (note to self…get my own room next time) don’t think I have ever heard anyone snore that loud before! Well, we headed out to the beach around 6:30 AM to find practically a virgin beach, after driving several miles south it was clear that high tide had washed over most of the beach stranding campers and ORV up on the dunes, I was thinking that sitting in traffic was better than getting flooded on the beach, not knowing AI at all I had to thank god for having me sit in a traffic jam instead of getting stuck, or worse getting flooded on the beach. We set up and started fishing, pulled in a few blues and snagged a pompano and I was quickly running out of steam, I decide to take a much needed nap in the back of the truck. Around noon the ranger came by and was telling everyone they were closing the beach at 4:00 PM because of wash over from high tide, about this time I was thinking, now I know why Shaggy is always debating about when to go fishing, AI can be pretty unforgiving and you must respect “Mother Nature”! The mile of beach that was open was wall to wall campers with a few surfers mixed in, I found a open spot and after watching the surf for a little while it was clear why nobody was fishing it, I baited up anyway and fished for several hours with not even the first bite. Hope to have a better fishing report next time Shaggy goes fishing!


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## Hat80 (Sep 22, 2002)

*Why don't I fish AI on weekends?*

    









You guys enjoy! .....Tightlines


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## shaggy (Jun 18, 2003)

Sorry, traffic should have been a given with Sunfest, and the Dover races.

Now that said, I don't claim to be an AI expert, got alot to learn, but I have spent my share of time there, and if you want to play on the Island, you need to pay attention to all forces of "Mother Nature", high tide and full moon, generally okay, throw a nor'easter in there, and you better know the dune crossings, throw an off shore remnants of a hurricane, with full moon, high tides, and you might need some iron ones. Me, personally, have some brass ones, but they AIn't tough enough to try certain things. Like I said before, been stuck there a few times, and once was pretty, well, scary.

Watch the weather, mostly the winds, nor'east, great for fish, tough on beach, but more important, pay attention to marine forecasts, that will tell you wave heights, and if swells more than five or six feet at high tide and full moon, don't go at it alone.

Just my debating 2 cents worth.


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## buckmeyer (Jun 17, 2004)

*fish tally*

just got back this evening...to be brief, lots of kings on squid, small blues, undersize flounder, sharks, skate, and the great gamefish...the pufferfish. Talked to people who had luck with reds, and one guy caught a decent rock. Beautiful weather. Great time with my wife and 3 sons.


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## OBX Rookie (Dec 22, 2003)

Debatably its all part of the learning curve, I have plenty to learn about surf fishing. Next time, not only will I check the weather but I will also take a look at the marine forecast, I had checked the weather just before I headed out the door and was encouraged with the light NNE winds. I still had a good time, met some nice people, learned some valuable lessons and look forward to my next trip to AI.


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## Sandcrab (Mar 20, 2002)

*What line?*



Hat80 said:


> You guys enjoy! .....Tightlines


No line when you get there BEFORE 5 AM... 

Same thing at IRI - Lots of room on the jetty when you get there when it's real dark... Just more jetty for us...

I think I am becoming more and more nocturnal in my old age...


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## BigJeff823 (Oct 14, 2002)

If you leave before 9am on Sunday or 7am on Saturday the comute over to the seashore can't be any better.The earlier you leave the better;all the Yahooos are still in bed.I belive AI has less people than IRI especally towards earlier and later in the day.Once 7pm was arround I was alone on a desolete beach;still cant compare to The Virginias Barrier Islands.But atleast you don't need a boat to get to AI.


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