Tuesday, May 12, 2009, 23:12

THEY'RE EVERYWHERE!!! THEY'RE EVERYWHERE!!!

From the flats of the mighty Queen Sound, to Four Mouths, the Assatague Channel, the buoys leading to the Inlet, the Chincoteague Channel and following the InterCoastal Waterway north past Buoy 4 into the Chincoteague Bay - anywhere you cast a line, you will get hits from flounder. Some areas there is a greater throw back ratio than others; some areas are on the verge of being "fished out' due to the massive fleets of recreational anglers converging there. This has been a good spring; it has the right ingredients of being the best spring we have had in 4 - 5 years - if only Mother Nature would get off her high horse and settle down a little. If you have visited Chincoteague this spring, you know exactly what I mean - either you have a sun burn or a wind burn. You have either had a great day on the water and caught fish or a miserable day and caught a cold!!

Many changes has happened this year - no, lowering the size requirement for flounder was NOT one of the changes!!For those of you that are boaters AND if you have not been to the Island yet this year, please check with your local tackle shop or the USCG for MAJOR changes in the buoy and Channel makers. During the winter, the USCG has moved, removed and/or placed new navigational buoys and makers. The main change was moving the channel makers from the west side of the well know sandbar (that runs parrallel to the Island from Beebe Road to the south end adjacent to Inlet View) to the east side of the sandbar. On that note, if you are contemplating to purchase new maps to assist you, be very careful that you have the new 2009 maps and those out there will not be accurate very long since the USCG is still planning to remove a few of the markers around the sandbar since so many boaters have been grounded there not knowing of the changes. Seems that one of the buoys does not clearly mark the south end of the sandbar. Other changes occur when travelling to the Inlet, buoy 15 is no longer there and the marked channel no longer swings wide but is inside where the Trawlers use to cut across. This also opened up passage to the Four Mouths area since during the course of the past 2 - 4 years strong currents, storms and winds have almost completely shoaled in the old route, using 1, 1A, 2 navigating the perimeter of Chincoteague Point. Again, stop by your local tackle shops or the USCG and get a warm fuzzy before venturing out.

Well, if you haven't read about it on this website or in The Fisherman magazine, or heard about them on the various fishing grapevines, campground, restaurants or bars - the hottest rig for this season is definitely the Flounder King Rig, originally tied up (in America, I might add) and marketed at Capt. Bob's Marina. Thanks to some great guys that are living legends when it comes to fishing, they shared their knowledge about the effects of the rigs and know-how on tying them up. The rest is history. I've sold more than 90 dozen of these rigs in the color - are you ready for this? ORANGE!!! Also, more than 60 dozen in chartreuse, tailing behind is pink, yellow, black/silver... Not any old rig - they work!! They will make a believer out of all you doubting Thomas's. I've had hard core, old timers, come in the shop bragging about how they have used nothing but what they tied up for over 30 years. They would have a friend with them that has fished with them over 25 years AND never outfished the old-timer.. The friend purchased 4 Flounder King Rigs, the old timer did not, knowing he would again reign "top dog". Six hours later a huffing real old timer came back to the shop, got real close and personal in my face, pointed his finger and said, "Don't ever say you can't teach an old dog new tricks - that SOB (pointing at his fishing companion of 25 years), outfished me for the very first time. Give me 2 of those rigs in very color".

The next secret that has spread like a wild fire is the type of baits that are being used. The fishing community is on the verge of some major changes. There was a time when all it took was a piece of squid and a minnow. An you still can catch some flounder with that "Chincoteague sandwich". But, it has been my experience in talking to the legions of fishermen/women that the more baits you have on board - the greater the percentage of fish you will catch. Another issue is the size of the flounder. When we were living with a smaller size requirement - the smaller baits worked well. But now with a 19" minimum requirement - well, think about it! The bigger the bait - the bigger the fish. Smaller mouths - smaller baits! These 19" flounder have big mouths AND big appetites, too! This year alone I have sold more smelt (beautiful, too) than silversides or minnows. Plus the waters are still real cold.. Heck, the temps fell down the last two nights in the upper 30's again. Hey! Mother Nature - it's May for goodness sake!! The colder waters do not really work well with squid. Squid is all about the stink, isn't it? Doesn't travel very well in cooler waters. The baits that have been moving out of Capt. Bob's has been Gulp Pearl White Swimming Mullet, Gulp Pearl White 4" shrimp, Smelts, minnows, Silverside - fresh and frozen, finger mullet and squid. Most people do not go out withour at least 3 - 4 baits. If one isn't working after about 20 - 30 minutes, they switch up to another one.

Face it, the world has been changing for so long with computers, etc. Fishing is no longer a "drop your line in the water and wait" ordeal - it's all about technique - from the rigs, to the baits, to the positioning of rods on the boat - it's almost getting like work, huh? But, Oh, the rewards...

Not only are there flounder out there - trout have began to show up in minimal numbers, some bluefish, especially in Cockle Creek (stripers, too), kingfish/whiting (now that's a good thing), drum on the surf, striper as well, dogfish and at the wrecks black sea bass (and remember tautog are closed).

On a last note, the crabbing looks as if it will be another banner year for the recreational crabber as was last year. It is surely getting off to a good start.

Come by and visit with us. Pick up a Free Frequent Bait Buyer Card - we stamp it for your bait purchase (one daily), after ten stamps - the 11th bait is free, based upon the most expensive bait purchased or of lesser value (good for inshore baits only).

With all that said - I'm going to hit the sack!

Talk at ya later!!!

Donna

 
Tuesday, May 12, 2009, 23:05

THE LANCASTER, PA DIE-HARDS!!!

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Esh, Cummings & Nicholson fished 2 days, long and hard. They fished the first day reluctantly heeding some good advise about the right rig to use. They took one or two rigs. This was the haul out of Queen Sound, using squid and minnow and the flounder King Rig,from 19" to 22". Scroll down to see the biggest spread on day two with only Nicholson in the photo - this time they used flounder king Rigs and smelt.. The proof is in the photo!!

 
Tuesday, May 12, 2009, 23:01

THE ROYAL FLOUNDER KING FAMILY!!!

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Prince Gunter, son of Laura, main squeeze of Flounder King Stacey Tubbs, hold the only catch on Sunday. The winds were gusty, it was cool and everyone was worned out from the power-fishing the day before... Some days it's just like that!!!

 
Tuesday, May 12, 2009, 22:57

CAPT. BRETT HITS THE WATERS AND THE FISH HIT THE COOLERS!!

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Capt. Brett of Driftaway Charters, shows off his customers and their fine catch. Jeff Carter of Philly, PA, landed 3 nice 19" flatties in the Flats, north of Queen Sound. They were using squid and silversides and a flounder rig.

 
Tuesday, May 12, 2009, 22:54

STACEY TUBBS, ORIGINAL FOUNDER KING & LAURA.

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Getting ready for Capt. Steve's Flounder Tourney this weekend, Stacey got in some "power-fishing" practice so he can walk away with that cash prize... You go, King Stacey!!!

 
Tuesday, May 12, 2009, 22:53

BREAKWATER BEING REBUILT!!!!!

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Tuesday, May 12, 2009, 22:53

SOME WORK BEING DONE AT THE ENTRANCE OF THE MARINA!

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Tuesday, May 12, 2009, 22:45

BOB CALLAHAN AND FRIEND FISHED QUEEN SOUND1

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Bob had a great day - he and his friend had 5 flounder and look at that "weakie" in the front!!!. That sure is good to see, isn't it? Don't see too many of those anymore! Where have all the trout gone? I remember a time when spring meant 8 - 9 pounders!! Fishing at night under the drawbridge, casting into the concrete structures of the drawbridge, getting butterflies everytime you see a bow light coming up from the south wondering if a little blue light on top on the boat would reveal what you feared - the USCG!!! Since anchoring in the main channel at the drawbridge was a deinite "no, no"!!! But, my gosh, what good fishing - trout and stripers. You could hear them smacking the waters as they jumped. The good ole days!!!!

 
Tuesday, May 12, 2009, 22:41

JOHN BUSHMAN OF CHINCOTEAGUE LANDS THIS STRIPER WITH A NEW SECRET!

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John Bushman and Lee Woltman were fishing Cockle Creek when they hit a school of stripers! What's amazing was the bait and rig they were using!! Well, to begin with - they weren't fishing for rockfish - they set out to fish flounder!! Thus the amazing rig was a flounder rig and shiners for bait. Yep!! This beauty that was 39.50" was netted using a flounder set-up!! Find that strange? Well, they caught another one, too! Where's the pix, you say? Sadly the fillets were in a ziplok baggie!!

 
Tuesday, May 12, 2009, 22:36

ED BEZAK & KEN HASS ON VACATION FROM OHIO & W. VA.

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The weather sucked!! I tried to talk them out of renting a boat. They left, came back in a few hours - still had the itch and Mother Nature wasn't going to deter them. They came, they fished, they conquered!!! They got wet, they got cold, they felt satisfied! What more can you ask for? They fished the marsh near Black Narrows using the Chincoteague sandwich - the flounder was 19". What determination!

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