# Fishing around the Striper Guys, 12/1-12/2



## French (Jun 18, 2005)

with two weeks of Maryland striper skunks under our belts, Tunafish and I headed south to Hatteras Island to take a crack at some puppy drum and maybe a stray striper this weekend. Our plan was to fish the Point on the east winds Saturday and Sunday while most fishermen were up north participating in the striper tourney. 

We left DC around 6:30PM Friday, and stopped by the Oregon Inlet catwalk to throw a few bucktails around 11:30PM. No luck, so we headed to Hatteras Jacks to pick up bunker and mullet, then headed to the point. There were only 3 cars there, and nobody was fishing, so we picked a nice spot on the north side of the point to fish the slough and set up shop. Fish came quickly, as a mystery fish took Tuna's combo for a swim five minutes after we set up. Luckily for him, he snagged the combo later and salvaged it. We picked up doggies at a steady clip, then around 3:30AM, I got a knockdown on my Ocean Master. Whatever was on didn't seem to want to make a run, but it was heavy, so I was thinking maybe...just maybe I had a stray drum or a big striper. 

Much to my suprise, 10 minutes later I had beached a 60 inch sand tiger. Huge fat fish with a mean looking grill. It looked like one of those fat blue catfish that Racn35 posts on SOL, with much nastier teeth. Luckily it was lethargic as hell and didn't put up any struggle once we were on the beach. I wanted to get a quick release, so Tuna tried to take a pic with his camera phone and our headlamps providing light, but the picture didn't turn out . I released the fish unharmed. While not what I was looking for, that was still my biggest fish from the beach ever.

Charged up a bit, we decided to stay put for the day and avoid the striper tourney guys, but things slowed down. The morning featured piles of doggies, and lots of 10 inch blues, but no drum, puppy or otherwise. I think I saw about 5 puppies caught, and one keeper striper (before dawn on the striper.) The winds picked up, and I really started to feel the effects of a major cold I had been fighting since Wednesday, so we packed it in at 3:00 and headed to the hotel. Dinner at the Diamond Shoals and a suprise run in with John Ratzenburger's tour bus (Cliff from Cheers) along with a HOKIE BCS BIRTH were highlights of the evening.

We headed back to the point on Sunday, eager to fish the pre-front SE winds. I figured things would be on fire, but all that was there were doggies and small blues. Around 11:00AM we decided to pack up and meet Huntsman at a pretty hole on Pea Island. The water looked great (a beautiful slough with 3 nice breaks) but there were no fish. . Finally, we headed to the OI catwalk in a desperate attempt to finish off our bait, but nothing seemed interested there either. We finished off the trip with some delicious speckled trout and mahi mahi at Awful Arthurs and headed home. Good times!

Highlights:

1) Beaching a 5 foot fish, even if it didn't fight.

2) Recovering Tuna's Breakaway after it went into the briney deep

3) Knowing that Cliff Claven sleeps in the same hotels as you and I.

4) Grilled Mahi Mahi and hushpuppies

5) waitresses with mohawk babies

Lowlights: 
1) no drum, and no stripers, puppy drum, or speck's for Mrs. Tunafish birthday.

2) Snot...lots and lots of snot. Same goes for coughing, wheezing, and hacking.

3) Julie Ball wasn't surfcasting beside of us. 

My totals:

1 sand tiger
about 35 doggies
10 small bluefish. Biggest was only about 12 inches.

Maybe next year!


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## Fireline20 (Oct 2, 2007)

At least you didn't blow an engine, have a flat tire and have to follow Santa Clause on Firetruck for and hour to get back to your room...
and u caught more fish,,,
(see my post Winds, White Caps, Santa Clause, etc)


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## OBX Jay (Sep 3, 2007)

I love this site for posts just like FRENCH's!  I learn more here than in a dozen books. But since I'm new to this, what's a doggie?


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## Drumdum (Jan 6, 2003)

Nice report as usual,French... 
I hate doing this but I gotta... 
Went to Avon Pier yesterday... They only caught a few BIG seamullets yesterday,BUT>>>
Saturday they SLAYED EM!!! Talked a friend of mine that works there.. He said they caught some decent specks,and there were several folks that left with 5 gal buckets full of BIG seamullet!! He also said he wrote 12 citations for seamullet that day!!!!!
Don't feel bad,I was in the tourney,caught squat except doggies,both kinds,and skates.. Went to Avon yesterday saw a few mullets caught and some small specks.. All I got was AGAIN>> doggies and skates..


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## TunaFish (Aug 16, 2001)

DD, argghhhh!!! I think I'm sick now:--|:--| I was trying to take home few but got shut out.

Dipnet: A doggie is basically dogfish/sand shark/trash fish, anyway you want it named, it's not somethiing we want to take home. 

Highlight:
- Got my set up back
- Had a great time as usual
- Fishing with Frenchie

Lowlight:
- French keept me awake all night by calling Julie's name in his sleep.
- Tennis shoe not available next to my bedside to curb Frenchie's mumblings.


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## French (Jun 18, 2005)

I am always on the lookout for the future ex Mrs. French!


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## French (Jun 18, 2005)

Drumdum,

That is usually the way it goes, but I am not too worried. Anytime you beach a PB, even if it is a foul mouthed evil shark, you have to mark the trip as a success. I was bummed that I couldn't get my buddy some fish for his freezer. I was suprised we didn't see more fish around the point, especially on Sunday with an incoming tide and a slight chop mixed with onshore winds. 

Congrats to all the folks with citation mullet. I bet they are eating well this evening!


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## spot tail hunter (Sep 27, 2007)

I probably fished right beside you sat night. we caught 2 drum 26" and 25". But you are right on the blues. Dem little bastards would not leave you alone.


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## French (Jun 18, 2005)

we were in the green tracker w/ the Ron Paul for President sticker on the back windshield


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## Fishman (Apr 23, 2000)

So you didnt catch what you wanted but at least you had some fun catching what ever.


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## Jesse Lockowitz (Feb 13, 2006)

French said:


> we were in the green tracker w/ the Ron Paul for President sticker on the back windshield


french is it summer yet? ;-)


Jesse


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## Sea2aeS (Jan 7, 2005)

Hey French, lay off the Cheetos dood!!!!


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## French (Jun 18, 2005)

Jesse Lockowitz said:


> french is it summer yet? ;-)
> 
> 
> Jesse


I can feel it.... ring a ding ding... I taste a cobia!


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## Jesse Lockowitz (Feb 13, 2006)

Sea2aeS said:


> Hey French, lay off the Cheetos dood!!!!


brent! lay off of the lsd!



Jesse


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## jobxe327 (Aug 7, 2007)

if were gona get any cobes gona have to be at hi since its illegal at emerald isle now what a joke a fishing ppier that dosnt wana catch fish???????


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