Fresh Stone Harbor Fishing Reports

Ran Jim, Shay, and Colby down onto the beach today to try the surf. We were greeted with some thick fog. Things looked good otherwise. I set out four rods to ply the waters. And there they sat. An hour, not a touch other than us hauling them in to change the baits. Decided to make a move to the Bay side. Walking off the beach one of the wheels popped off the cart. The lynch pin holding the tire on somehow vanished. Luckily I had some wire and made a quick fix of the situation. Another angler walking onto the beach asked how we did, to which I replied, nada. He said it was the same yesterday. So, adding things up in my head, I read we had some upwelling and a front push through, then of course we have the New Moon. And the water looked quite cloudy. Thus, no fish. We arrived on the Bay side and set back up. Three fun fish rods, two for sharks and rays. The action was more immediate. We started off with a kingfish, then a spot, then a spike weakie. Then a doggie. And the action continues just like that. Steady pick of mostly spot, weakies, and kingies, with a few doggies in the mix. A bit later one of the big boy rods went over. Shay pounced on it and whipped a nice little brow sharks tail. We got the hook out and took a few pictures for posterity, then got it swimming again. Once the tide turned back out the bite slowed considerably. We picked a few more fish, but no where near as many as earlier. Then the crowd started to thicken, so we called it a day. Had a great time with Jim and the boys. They kicked butt and took names today. Solid fishermen. Hopefully they check out so.e of the spots I showed them and find some more fish before they head back home... Tight Lines!

Fun morning on the beach today. I had Graham and Pam who wanted to learn all about surf fishing. Lesson started at 6am and progressed through 10am. We covered all the basics, from baits, to finding the fish, casting, and much more. Both were excellent students and great sports. We had sporadic action throughout the morning with spot being the predominant fish. Kingfish filled out the roster, with a few small doggies in the mix. Unfortunately no big boys wanted to play today. Despite the small frys, we had a blast. Fishbites and bloodworms were the most productive baits. So, all in all, it was a gorgeous day. Looking forward to many more... Tight Lines!

Hit the beach with John and Henry this morning. It was a perfect morning; pretty sunrise, flat seas, soft breeze, and the fish were biting. I no sooner set the first surf rod into the sand spike when it got rattled. We had our first kingfish on the beach. He volunteered for big hook duty. So early on we landed a good number of kingies and spot. I went to send a spot out on another large hook, but on the cast the spot flew off. Normally they stay on better. As I was reeling the now empty hook back in, a chopper bluefish decided to try and eat the hook. I guess it flashed in the sunlight. The blue also volunteered for hook duty. It didn't take long for the fresh bluefish head to be discovered. The rod went over hard peeling drag. Henry grabbed the rod while John and I cleared the other rods. We weren't positive on what we had on the business end of the rig until after about fifteen minutes into the battle it boiled on the surface. It was a monster ray. Henry was feeling the fight in his arms and shoulders and passed the rod to dad to take over. They took turns back and forth for a good forty minutes as the big ray cruised up and down the beach. Finally the ray settled onto the sand and glommed on tight. John listened and did everything I told him to do as I tried to coach him on to victory. Then, as he was walking back trying to get the ray up on the surface, just before the leader was within reach, the line parted. Not the fairytale ending we wanted, but it made life a bit easier. We saw the beast, and it was very large. We regrouped back at our spot and reset the rods. We picked at fish for the rest of the morning, but it was far from fast and furious. A got a few more kingies, spot, and another blue. I guess in total we landed twenty or so fish and lost or missed as many. No other big rays or sharks wanted to play unfortunately. The ospreys came in and put on a show, diving down and coming up with fish after fish. Pelicans cruised past. Dolphins were tearing some poor fish up about two hundred yards out. And there was a large bird play a bit beyond that. So, lots of life and potential action along the beach. Hopefully next time they move in closer and bite! Tight Lines!

Got my feet sandy this morning with Anna, Avery, and Lilly. I got a kingfish right off the bat in the early morning fog. It took a strip of Fishbites bloodworm. It was the only kingfish of the day. Still trying to figure that out. The kingie volunteered to be tossed out on the big rods to see what might be lurking around. It didn't take long to find out as the rod with the head on it went over hard. Avery was quick to get on the rod and slow the screaming drag down as the unforseen fish streaked off for the horizon. After a spirited battle Avery was able to land a good sized bull nose ray. We got it unhooked, snapped a photo, and sent it on its way. We had the incoming tide all morning, and the fog was rather dense off and on. It was stifling hot with the extra humidity. On the plus side, the water was pretty clean. Not that it helped. Even the ospreys weren't diving down much, and the dolphins just cruised past. Nothing of interest I suppose. We did land a small doggie, a bluefish, and a spot. The blue and spot also volunteered for hook duty. The spot chickened out and flew off the hook though. The remaining kingfish chunk lured in another beast that bent the rod hard and pulled drag off the reel with a vengeance. Anna was game for the battle, or so she thought. She gave it hell for a solid ten minutes but finally tagged out, turning the rod over to Avery. We followed the fish down the beach trying to gain an edge and slow it enough to pull it closer to the beach. The still unforseen beast was having none of that. So the battle raged back and forth with Avery gaining line when the beast allowed. Finally, we saw the surface break and a wing emerged. It was a large ray. Knowing who his adversary was seemed to inspire Avery who fought a bit harder. Once the ray was closer to the wash zone I tried pulling it in with the line in order to get to the leader. Even wearing gloves wasn't much help in restraining the ray. But eventually Avery and I subdued the ray and got it onto the wet sand for a quick hook pull and photo op before being released. That was pretty much all of the action for the day. We missed a bunch of hits, and had five fish pop off the hooks right in the wash (frustrating!!!). Otherwise, the last hour was rather quiet. Maybe the outgoing is better? I definitely need to find out... Tight Lines!

Poked around in the back bay today with Shane, Abby, Collin, and Cody. We tried for flounder in a bunch of normally productive areas, but either they had lock jaw, or the various conditions made the thought of grabbing our offerings unappealing. We had the incoming tide early on. The water temperature dropped a few degrees, so that didn't help. The water was also very murky, again, no help. South wind, never good. And a full Moon. Not a fan of a full Moon for fishing. Despite the odds stacked against us, we picked at some fish. Cody started things off with a big shell he snagged on the bottom. While not a fish, it was a treasure from the deep. What six year old wouldn't love it? Abby struck next with a micro sea bass. The drifts were tough to maintain, even with the trolling motor. We ran to another area looking for a better drift and hopefully more compliant fish. We found the drift, but only a baby sand shark and dink flounder. After a few drifts full of whacks, nibbles, and tugs, but no hook ups, we made another move. I was hoping the ever present and overy abundant croakers would provide the boys with some steady action. Well, the conditions conspired against us yet again. The croakers were thinned out, voracious as always, but rarely hanging onto the hooks. We managed seven. Missed countless. Collin finished the fishing part of the day by hooking another dinky flounder. He was elated. It was a great way to finish up. We took a ride out of the inlet after to see if any dolphins might be around. It was bumpy but manageable. Unfortunately there were no dolphins around, but everyone enjoyed the ride. And despite the poor overall fishing, enjoyed the morning out. Tight Lines!

Got an early start on the beach this morning with Deb, Jason, and Jonah. You couldn't have asked for a better day to start. Fairly calm breeze, bit of an overcast, and comfortably cool. I set up three rods trying to get some bait before my guests arrived. I landed a fat kingfish just before they walked down. Then everything went quiet for awhile. It was definitely not the normal rapid fire fishing we usually have on the beach this time of the year. We had a fish now and again. Things I'm thinking played a role in today's poor fishing: Full Moon, dirty water, and more damn calico crabs than need be anywhere! Every cast, regardless of where I placed it, was assaulted by crabs. Instantly! Even the big shark baits were destroyed within minutes of landing in the water. On the plus side of the day, Deb, Jason, and Jonah were extremely gracious guests and enjoyed themselves despite the slow fishing. They did land around ten kingfish, keeping five of the larger specimens for the table. There were also doggies and skates in the mix. Missing were the usual suspects; sharks, rays, croakers, weakies, blues, flounder, spot, and others. At least the other folks fishing around us were even less active that we were. So I was doing something right. We saw some pelicans slamming into the water, which was a first for me. Usually they are just cruising past. And the ospreys patrolling the sky were rather quiet today. Usually they are hauling off a fish or two. So, despite the fishing, it was a nice morning with good company. I tried ending it with a cream donut and apple fritters (yeah, like I need the empty fat calories...). But the final kick to the teeth was Brittons was out of my favs! Maybe it was a sign... Tight Lines!