# Is it me or has the fishing this spring been slower than usual?



## dlpetrey (Oct 30, 2013)

Is that a fair assessment? Granted, I've only been to the OBX once this spring but judging from various reports, first-hand accounts, etc., it seems the fishing has been a little off so far. Am I right or completely wrong? Or is it just too early to place a judgement on this yet.


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## ez2cdave (Oct 13, 2008)

I think the "roller-coastering" water temperatures and unpredictable weather patterns are playing a part. It seems very slow, everywhere, to me, too !


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## Drumdum (Jan 6, 2003)

Actually,it's just a normal spring (at least to me)... Plenty of seamullets,blowtoads,a few pups,and now LOTS of bluefish.. There have been quite a few big drum as well as big sharks caught.. Going out tomorrow to "HOPEFULLY" find a cobe on a temp change... Also as ez2cdave said,water temps have been up and down so much it's hard to say what is going to bite next...


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## speckhunter80 (Oct 3, 2011)

Can't speak for all of NC but Swansboro area and Topsail Island I would say it has been pretty much the usual.


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## surffshr (Dec 8, 2003)

Saying things are normal means it's takes long hard hours to catch fish unless you are lucky enough to b there for a bite. However, Still love that ocean fishing. Us week at a time surf guys are pretty dependent on wind direction too.


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## dlpetrey (Oct 30, 2013)

surffshr said:


> Saying things are normal means it's takes long hard hours to catch fish unless you are lucky enough to b there for a bite. However, Still love that ocean fishing. Us week at a time surf guys are pretty dependent on wind direction too.


Absolutely! That's the way I feel. I think you've hit the nail on the head here surffshr. The more I learn about surf fishing the more it seems it's a timing game. I read the fishing reports from the various tackle shops all the time and it's always ,"blowtoads on ramp 43, pups on ramp 38, blues on ramp 55, etc.) Well I have no doubt that there were indeed fish caught at that particular ramp that day but I guess the eternal optimist in me envisions grand catches and coolers full of sea mullets. I know bites like that happen. Experienced one once when I was a kid fishing Portsmouth Island. However, it seems to me that surf fishing should be about the experience and not necessarily the numbers of fish caught. At least that's what I try to tell myself when the fishing is slow.

So moral of the story for me...don't worry too much about the fishing reports or weather forecast. Go when I can and enjoy fishing the OBX because hey, you're fishing the OBX!


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## gshivar (Aug 29, 2006)

The fishermen that catch the most fish are the fishermen that fish the most - period! best - glenn


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## bronzbck1 (Jun 13, 2007)

What has hurt the OBX this spring is not water temps or storms, that is just the way it is. Our problem this year is sharks and blue fish. More sharks than anyone has ever seen and blues showed for the first time early than they have for a long time. Predator fish run away dinner. All the nice fish I've caught and seen caught have been on the long cast because the sharks are running the good fish out of the holes and they are just passing through.


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## ez2cdave (Oct 13, 2008)

bronzbck1 said:


> What has hurt the OBX this spring is not water temps or storms, that is just the way it is. Our problem this year is sharks and blue fish. More sharks than anyone has ever seen and blues showed for the first time early than they have for a long time. Predator fish run away dinner. All the nice fish I've caught and seen caught have been on the long cast because the sharks are running the good fish out of the holes and they are just passing through.


So, thanks to the "Conservation-Nazi's", the "protection" of Sharks is, in effect, destroying the rest of the fish in the Environment.


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## goinfishing (Sep 10, 2013)

ez2cdave said:


> So, thanks to the "Conservation-Nazi's", the "protection" of Sharks is, in effect, destroying the rest of the fish in the Environment.


I'm not defending environmentalists but that's a bold statement to make without any facts. There's always ups and downs so you can't blame sharks for "destroying the rest of the fish in the environment".


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## surffshr (Dec 8, 2003)

dlpetrey said:


> Absolutely! That's the way I feel. I think you've hit the nail on the head here surffshr. The more I learn about surf fishing the more it seems it's a timing game. I read the fishing reports from the various tackle shops all the time and it's always ,"blowtoads on ramp 43, pups on ramp 38, blues on ramp 55, etc.) Well I have no doubt that there were indeed fish caught at that particular ramp that day but I guess the eternal optimist in me envisions grand catches and coolers full of sea mullets. I know bites like that happen. Experienced one once when I was a kid fishing Portsmouth Island. However, it seems to me that surf fishing should be about the experience and not necessarily the numbers of fish caught. At least that's what I try to tell myself when the fishing is slow.
> 
> So moral of the story for me...don't worry too much about the fishing reports or weather forecast. Go when I can and enjoy fishing the OBX because hey, you're fishing the OBX!


Yes, and it's very important to remember that if 200 people are fishing and 5 of them each catch one fish it's not inaccurate to report that bluefish, sea mullet, blow toads, puppy drum, and trout were caught. Yeah to like surf fishing the Outer banks you have to enjoy the times you aren't catching fish or you will not have much fun.


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## Dr. Bubba (Nov 9, 1999)

I like sharks in the environment. sometimes they get in the way of what I'm trying to catch. But they are badass apex predators and I'd hate to see em gone.
The toothies also bear live pups. Which means they reproduce slow, and (most) must reach teenage years to do so....gotta not kill too many.


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## ez2cdave (Oct 13, 2008)

goinfishing said:


> I'm not defending environmentalists but that's a bold statement to make without any facts. There's always ups and downs so you can't blame sharks for "destroying the rest of the fish in the environment".


My post was just a comment about the post made by "bronzbck1" ...


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## HStew (Jan 8, 2009)

they are biting before the front. span.,blues ,pomps, whiting. mac to 4 lb., pomp 5+ (though scattered,and singles , not good as last year yet, and might not be). 2+lb whiting.


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## HStew (Jan 8, 2009)

drove down this a.m. from ral.nc called a friend...said don't come ,but was at castle hayne ...got to kure and visited a while....sorry no go today ..so back to ral. till the mess settles.


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## Drumdum (Jan 6, 2003)

bronzbck1 said:


> What has hurt the OBX this spring is not water temps or storms, that is just the way it is. Our problem this year is sharks and blue fish. More sharks than anyone has ever seen and blues showed for the first time early than they have for a long time. Predator fish run away dinner. All the nice fish I've caught and seen caught have been on the long cast because the sharks are running the good fish out of the holes and they are just passing through.


 Not often I will dispute your comments,but these I do not agree with.. To each his own.. I HAVE seen sharks this thick in spring before.. I will stick by my statement that this is a normal spring.. You do not think dolphins bear ANY IMPACT on driving small fish out of the holes you are speaking of???? Like I said,we'll have to agree to disagree here...


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## bronzbck1 (Jun 13, 2007)

What I've seen is Dolphins are staying off the beach more this spring but yes they do the same thing. They are a predator too. Everyone I've talked to drum fishing say's they have never seen the sharks this bad. I'm talking about fishing the surf


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## Chris_Worthington (Jul 13, 2012)

bronzbck1 said:


> What has hurt the OBX this spring is not water temps or storms, that is just the way it is. Our problem this year is sharks and blue fish. More sharks than anyone has ever seen and blues showed for the first time early than they have for a long time. Predator fish run away dinner. All the nice fish I've caught and seen caught have been on the long cast because the sharks are running the good fish out of the holes and they are just passing through.


I noticed the same thing the past few weekends and although some look at me funny when I toss out a river rig on a 13' 3-6oz CCP I was filling my cooler and they were watching the dolphins or something?


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## bronzbck1 (Jun 13, 2007)

I use the same rod and its the long cast that's been working so far.


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## raven316 (Apr 27, 2015)

It's easy to be scientific if you live near the ocean and can pick and choose. I'll be at Topsail for a week and, like all my trips to Hatteras and the Gulf, I'll fish as many hours as I can. My wife brings her sewing machine and loves being able to focus on what she loves to do and I fish! Tides, wind, rain be damned!


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## raven316 (Apr 27, 2015)

surffshr said:


> Yes, and it's very important to remember that if 200 people are fishing and 5 of them each catch one fish it's not inaccurate to report that bluefish, sea mullet, blow toads, puppy drum, and trout were caught. Yeah to like surf fishing the Outer banks you have to enjoy the times you aren't catching fish or you will not have much fun.


 Dam Straight. There is nowhere I fish where people don't whine about what it used to be like. FIDO as we say!


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## sanjuanworm (Dec 20, 2012)

gshivar said:


> The fishermen that catch the most fish are the fishermen that fish the most - period! best - glenn


yep...you have to have bait in the water to caTch fish.

I don't think it is slow ...but I definitely did not bring home puppy drum for the freezer this trip. 
Heres the numbers...you make the call if it's slow.
Ocracoke mostly the north end...
4/29-5/4
Fished 4 rods..
2 rods with shrimp , one way out,one close in.
1 rod with mullet. 
1 rod with bunker.
I fish the whole time..No down time.
rain, tides, grass, overwash, wind, whatever. 
Total. ..
29 blues
5 puffers..yummy
1 puppy drum. .24"..yummy
3 sea mullet
3 trout...yummy
5 black drum..all 18"-22"..yummy
8 flounder. ..1 went 15", the rest were babies. 
lots of sharks every night...the kind with teeth.
maybe a dozen dogfish. 
12 cow nose rays...big ones.
2 skates. ...yummy 
1 citation red drum....41"..Sunday afternoon with tide coming back in..highlight of the trip. 
Saw 2 nice sheepshead caught on the beach. 
Pompano were starting to show when I left .

Not really slow...but nothing hitting constantly except blues


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## ez2cdave (Oct 13, 2008)

raven316 said:


> My wife brings her sewing machine and loves being able to focus on what she loves to do and I fish !


I bet you guys get some "funny looks" on the beach or the pier . . . LOL !!!


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## dlpetrey (Oct 30, 2013)

sanjuanworm said:


> yep...you have to have bait in the water to caTch fish.
> 
> I don't think it is slow ...but I definitely did not bring home puppy drum for the freezer this trip.
> Heres the numbers...you make the call if it's slow.
> ...


Sounds like a pretty dang good trip! Do you sleep any or just kind of snooze in a lawn chair?


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## raven316 (Apr 27, 2015)

ez2cdave said:


> I bet you guys get some "funny looks" on the beach or the pier . . . LOL !!!


 Good one!


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## DrumintheSuds (Nov 19, 2007)

I guess it depends on where you fish, how you fish, what you fish for and what you consider "normal".....

From my vantage point based on my own where, how and what I would say this spring has been pretty good. April and May are always very hit and miss IMO unlike October and November. As June rolls in the S, SW, W winds become more predominant which makes the fishing more reliable


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## Drumdum (Jan 6, 2003)

bronzbck1 said:


> What I've seen is Dolphins are staying off the beach more this spring but yes they do the same thing. They are a predator too. Everyone I've talked to drum fishing say's they have never seen the sharks this bad. I'm talking about fishing the surf


 They have very short memories then,because I can remember a few,both springs and falls... As far as sharks,we are lucky we are not wrapped up in blacktips like in years back,those things know how to be predators Respect your view,but still stick to a typical normal spring.. Some years you get more of this species and less of another,but it usually balances as it has this year... Every time I have went this year,I have caught.. Can't say that about every spring...


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## sanjuanworm (Dec 20, 2012)

dlpetrey said:


> Sounds like a pretty dang good trip! Do you sleep any or just kind of snooze in a lawn chair?


low tide is for sleeping.


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## DrumintheSuds (Nov 19, 2007)

sanjuanworm said:


> low tide is for sleeping.


That's when I catch a lot of my fish. When other folks are "sleeping"


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## 1BadF350 (Jul 19, 2006)

DrumintheSuds said:


> That's when I catch a lot of my fish. When other folks are "sleeping"


Last summer while pin rigging we had a rod go off and nobody grabbed it. Fish kept going...and going...and going....and we were all like "who's rod is this?" Dude was in the crapper LOL. Finally Cowboy picked it up and kinda held the fish till the guy got back. But the fish ended up straightening out his treble and he lost it in the end. Never did see what it was.


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