Fresh Stone Harbor Fishing Reports

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!

Ran a few back bay trips this week. All three I tried to get out onto the reefs for flounder. Two of the trips we came back in due to the choppy conditions. One we came in because of a little dudes sea sickness. Again, due to choppy seas. Suffice to say, the weather prognosticators got it very wrong as far as the sea state was concerned. Each trip was an absolute blast in its own way. The personalities onboard, the shared laughs, the ribbing, the bonding. Michael and his group came out on Wednesday. We tried to get out front, but the chop was a bit much. We stayed in the back and landed a ton of croakers. Wanting so.e fish to eat they kept fifty. Cleaning them was a chore, but they had a nice bag of meat to show for their efforts. Thursday I had Matt and his gang onboard. We made it out front and fished the reef for about an hour before his son started feeling ill. We came back inside and played with the croakers for awhile. Then we took a ride to get away for the voracious little buggers and tried for flounder. We had quite a few hits, dropped one, and then Joe landed the buzzer beater for the win. Last drift of the day, just about to call it, he nailed a 17" keeper. Perfect ending to a fun day. Final trip for the week was a fun trip with long time friend Tim. We planned to hit the reefs, but as usual, the forecast was off. Bumpy seas and increasing wind forced us into the back bays. We skipped the croakers and hunted for flounder. We tried various areas, and most appeared fishy, but luck wasn't on our side. After a lot of well intended, but fruitless drifts, we decided on a hopeful long shot. It paid off. We found some sweet bottom contours holding bait fish and worked the area over. Tim got hammered, dropped back and was rewarded with a rod bending, drag pulling flounder. It measured 22.5 inches. It made our excellent, though fishless day even better. In subsequent drifts Tim hauled up another just short flounder. I landed a doggie. Not my day. Once the tide finally turned the drift was all messed up and the little bite we had died out. We called it a day. If I haven't said it before, I'll say it now. I love what I do. This is what I plan to do in retirement. Regardless of having to get up at 4 am, or struggling with over stuffed sharks in the sand, this is the greatest "job" in the world. I get to follow my passion and share it with others. Nothing better. Well, maybe just one thing, that being family and being married to the love of my life. But this gig is definitely the icing on the cake... Tight Lines!

Hit the surf this morning with Ed, Andrew, and Joe. We met at 6am, which was fortunate given the fact that my stupid alarm never went off. Suffice to say, it was a mad scramble getting there on time. Surprisingly, I made it and was able to set up before the guys arrived. I set up four poles to start, two with bloodworms, one with clam, and one with a chunk of bluefish. Bloodworm was the early and consistent winner throughout the morning. The clams and bluefish were picked off by persistently pesky crabs. The first fish of the day was a small kingfish. It was kind enough to volunteer for shark hook duty. We landed a small butterfly ray on it's tasty head ( remember: fish heads, fish heads, rolls Polly fish heads...). The other rods rigged with Brown Dog Bomb kingfish rigs hauled in kingfish, croakers, weakfish, sand perch, spot, and a cool looking tropical fish (looked like a hogfish). I think the final tally was 22 fish. Nothing huge, but steady fun. And we missed a bunch of bites, and had a few pop off in the surf zone. The morning started off really nice, but very humid. Around the turn of the tide the wind came up fairly hard. The once rolling ocean became a white capped maelstrom. The water got dirty, and the bite really subsided. Around the time we walked off the beach it began to spit. Fortunately it never materialized into a proper rain. I didn't need another deluge soaking on the beach again. So, all in all, a fun day on the beach with repeat clients. Hopefully the bite continues to improve. Tight Lines!