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 Dr. Julie Ball Holds a 74-pound cobia, a pending IGFA 20-pound record Virginia resident expert female angler Dr. Julie Ball has done it again as we just received report that she has set an IGFA 20-pound class Women’s Tackle Record for cobia with the 74 pounder that she landed today.
She said that the sight casters are catching some nice cobia in the lower Chesapeake Bay right now. A fishing buddy Rudy happens to be a good angler, but his forte is sight casting for cobia.
When Rudy called her at work and mentioned cobia fishing, she said, “I was there!” She joined Jason Legg and Captain Rudy Lavasseur at Bubba’s Marina in Virginia Beach, fishing out of Lynnhaven Inlet in Rudy’s 24-foot Triton.
After about 30-minutes, they found a fish for Julie to target — a big cobia. She said that she had her rod spooled with IGFA rated line and ready to go — Julie would know, she is a representative for the IGFA.
“Please eat, please eat,” she murmured as the group watched the cobia inspect her bait. As she raised her rod, she knew she was hooked up.
No Fish Fights Like a Cobia
I’ve only caught cobia that weigh in the 20-pound range, and the fish that I landed was one amazing fighting fish. The fish fights, and when tired, comes to the boat. However, when the fish is still green and sees the boat, it peels off a run like you can’t believe. Julie experienced this first-hand with light tackle today.
 Julie indicated that the fight began with one peeved cobia peeling line, heading for the bridge! Rudy quickly chased her down, and they turned the cobia around.
At first, the group thought Julie was going to be able to make quick work of the fish since it was staying on the surface. But she said that she became nervous as the cobia decided to thrash and jump. Being the expert angler that Julie is, she said that she was able to keep the fish from breaking off, even with 20-pound test line.
Julie said that she had the cobia close to the boat a few times, and Rudy and Jason were making plans to take a gaff shot at her very green cobia. But that all changed when the fish decided to head down and sound. Not good, the group began to play the waiting game.
During the relentless up and down tug-o-war, my crew’s discussion became heated as they estimated the weight of the cobia. At one point, they had estimated the weight at 90-pounds, and then sinking all the way down to 50-pounds. “Would you quit guessing? You’re gonna jinx me!” Julie said to the group. The group didn’t stop with their estimates, and they settled at around 75-pounds.
After an hour and forty minutes, Julie finally worked the record cobia back to the top, and could see it had tired. Julie said that Rudy smoothly gaffed the fish right alongside the boat, and held it as Jason helped him carefully lift it into the boat. The record cobia stayed calm while they took photos and packed it in the fish box.
At Long Bay Pointe Bait and Tackle, the fish hit 74-pounds, which is over 3.5-pounds bigger than the existing record. Dr. Julie Ball nails yet another IGFA record — congratulations to Julie as she continues to set the fishing world on fire.
I spoke with Shirley at Donovan’s Dock in Bower’s Beach today and the boat has been running and doing well with the flounder. However, few anglers have been fishing. This is actually an opportunity for anglers to get out and fish uncrowded decks for big flatties. The Delaware minimum size flounder is 18-1/2 inches, and when you land one of these big flatties, you have quite a meal.
Shirley said that the boat is running most every day, and the Reliable II, a headboat, only charges a fare of $45.[mappress]
A recent fish kill in Pennsylvania’s Pymatuning Reservoir has resulted in a Do Not Eat advisory issued by the Federal Government. The Department of Environmental Protection issued this consumption advisory for all species of fish taken from the Pymatuning Reservoir in Crawford County while officials investigate the cause of a large fish kill that has occurred over the past two weeks.
The advisory was issued after approximately 2,500 dead fish were found in various locations in the reservoir beginning on Saturday, May 15.
Water samples have been collected and are being tested at the DEP laboratory in Harrisburg. Fish samples are being tested by the Fish and Boat Commission and at Cornell University. The Ohio Department of Parks is assisting in the investigation.
The Do Not Eat consumption advisory will remain in place until investigators can determine that there is not a danger to public health and safety.
 Matt at Jim’s Bait and Tackle told us that in South Jersey, the striper action continues to be good. He said that anglers are nailing stripers along the beaches on clams.
Jim also said that the black drum bite continues to be good at Slaughter Beach. Offshore, anglers are starting to catch sharks.
Fishing is starting to take off — get out there and land some linesiders while you can.
 Tom Brower and Phil Lagrossa hold a pair of nice stripers weighing 39 and 57 pounds. Big bass are here! Phil Lagrossa nailed a 57-pound striper yesterday while fishing from a boat in Central Jersey. He and fishing mate Tom Brower, who nailed stripers as large as 39-pounds while fishing off the Seaside Beaches, landed these large linesiders while fishing the bunker schools. Betty and Nicks are reporting that the run is here, big time, and anglers are nailing big bass like never before.
This action should last for at least the next couple of weeks. Big stripers can usually be caught up into the 4th of July Weekend, but the beach fishing action should taper off in early to mid-June. The bait to use right now is bunker, but if you get into fish, try casting some swimmers over them and fishing through the schools.
There are also lots of bluefish around as well. If you get into a school of bluefish, try fishing below the school as stripers will often be below them.[mappress]
Striper fishing has become one of the most sought-after fish for anglers. Anglers catch many bass that are sometimes as large as 30, 40 or even 50 pounds, providing some of the most exciting fishing that you can find.
Those with their own boats can get in on this fast action, but those without boats must rely on the kindness of others or pay for a charter or head boat. Of the two, a head boat is less expensive. While a charter boat is less crowded, there is no reason why a head boat trip cannot be equally enjoyable.
Have Fun With Strangers on a Party Boat
Fishing on a head boat does require interaction with strangers. Following some basic rules will ensure that you fully enjoy your party boat experience. Continue reading Party Boat Striped Bass
South Beach on Hatteras Island, North Carolina is truly a fishing oasis. It’s almost impossible to get skunked here, which every angler loves.
South Beach is defined as the shoreline below Cape Point at Buxton, down to Hatteras Inlet. Without question, fish can be caught here throughout the calendar year, depending on weather patterns.
South Beach can be reached from Route 12 (the main highway from Oregon Inlet going south) by 4-wheelers at four access ramps from 43 north of the Point, down to 55, close to Hatteras Inlet. I am partial to the stretch available at Ramp 49, the airport access, which is well marked on Route 12.
The beauty of South Beach, for surf anglers, is its geography. The island bends sharply back to the southwest in a boomerang shape, removing the beach from the frequent fury of the north/northeast wind that can beat up the entire coastline on Outer Banks beaches to the north. When this occurs, South Beach can be a fishable, productive haven for surf anglers. Water temperatures here are also between 5 and 10 degrees warmer than beaches from Buxton north to Corolla.
An impressive array of fish can be taken here all year long. Anglers land speckled trout here in frosty early February, and stripers and big red drum are taken as well in mid winter, in the hook due south of Cape Point.
For the past 20 years or more, Thanksgiving weekend on Hatteras Island has produced spectacular surf fishing trips for many mid-Atlantic anglers. Puppy drum, speckled trout, citation sea mullet, keeper flounder, blues, and even false albacore are often available at this time.
With this said, the spring season begins in earnest on South Beach usually around April 1. Anglers always look forward to hauling in a healthy sea mullet to signify the start of a new season. As the water warms, other species join the parade, including speckled trout, gray trout, drum, flounder, pompano, and more.
The easiest access is the public parking lot (on Route 12) and walkway about 1/2-mile north of Hatteras Village. There is also a walk-on lot down near the ferry dock, well marked, but the trek to the surf is a bit further. Check in at local tackle shops regarding Hatteras Island beach access, as the situation can change daily.
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Easter fishing for the northeast promises to be good, but unfortunately, the water is still cold. In areas like New Hampshire, the recently opened landlocked salmon season promises good action. States like New York and Delaware have also seen their annual trout opener, and anglers can hit waters in Maryland and Virginia and many others so there is plenty of prime action in the freshwater.
For those fishing the salt up north, the water is still awfully chilly, but those fishing south of the Mason Dixon line, like off the Virginia and North Carolina coasts, are already seeing great action for striped bass and bluefish. More fish will be coming north soon as the waters warm.
Happy Easter; great spring fishing is upon us and it’s only getting better, so get out there and fish.
DJS
A dip in the water temperature, along with a serious dip in the air temperature had few people fishing this weekend, according to Sue Foster at Oyster Bay Tackle. She said that the rain came on Friday,
the wind blew on Saturday, and Sunday they had more wind and chilly temperatures.
Sue said that the Judith M did go out on Sunday and had a good catch of tautog. Wednesday and Thursday saw some good striper catches for boats casting or trolling offshore within the 3 mile zone. They said that they will see a warming trend for Easter Weekend, and hopefully they'll be hearing some more fish stories.
Every year, outdoorsmen trade their fishing rod for a bow or gun and head for the woods, thinking the fishing season is over. For those who do just that, they are missing out on some of the year’s best fishing. This is especially true if you are within striking distance of Reedville, Virginia and the charter fleet headquartered there and at Smith Point.
MAKING THE SWITCH
At the end of October, charter captains and individual anglers begin readying their gear to switch from chumming for rockfish to trolling for lunker-sized rockfish. The switch represents a change from free-lining bait in a chum slick on a medium action rod to pulling a parachute rig or umbrella rig behind a boat on a heavier rod. The switch is big, and the fish well represent the effort put forth by anglers.
Fish measuring 18 to 24 inches are suddenly replaced by fish in the 30-pound range.
Anglers will find that towing their boat to the area, or chartering a boat, in the early part of November through Thanksgiving is the prime time to troll for monster stripers.
BRING ON THE BUNKER
Stripers move from place to place looking for something to eat. That “something” in the bay is bunkers (menhaden), which are usually plentiful; Reedville is actually the center of the commercial harvest. Bunker grow fast and are protein packed, allowing striped bass to rapidly gain weight rapidly.
Menhaden stay in the area of the middle Chesapeake Bay until the weather cools down. They then head for the open ocean off the coast of North Carolina to spawn. While they are in the bay, anglers who can locate the baitfish will find striped bass feeding.
FIND ‘EM FAST
Finding baitfish is simple, as long as you know how to use your fish finder. Baitfish show up differently on different fish finders, but most show the bait as a cloud or ball. In addition, keep an eye out for gulls diving into the water. Birds in numbers diving into the water equate to feeding fish.
Once the bait is located, it’s time to begin putting out trolling rods. The most effective rigs for trolling are umbrellas or parachute rigs. Most tackle shops carry umbrella rigs by Sekora. These rigs come rigged with sassy shads or eels and work best with an inline sinker attached to get the rig down to the fish.
Some individual anglers will troll large spoons, Mann’s Stretch lures and Mann’s Sea Snakes with good results. A word of caution when trolling lures: If you plan on releasing fish, replace the treble hooks with single hooks to avoid doing unnecessary damage to the fish.
GET ‘EM DOWN
It is important to get the lures and rigs down to the same depth as the bait where the rockfish are feeding. Local experts suggest that anglers troll between 2 and 4 knots. They also recommend using sassy shads that are between 6 and 12 inches. Troll around the perimeter of the bait to avoid spooking them, and be mindful of the other boats working the area.
The most popular area to find fish is at the mouth of the Potomac River between Buoy number 3 and number 9.
KEEP ‘EM HEAVY!
It is a good idea to have a heavy action rod and reel when trolling as some of the fish push the 40-pound weight. A large net is essential. If a fish is to be released, have the camera ready and take the pictures without letting the fish dry out. Release the fish as soon as possible, and do not use a gaff.
STAY SAFE
November can be a fickle month. Some days are mild and some are downright miserable, with windy and rainy conditions. Anglers are encouraged to take the proper gear on their boat to deal with varying conditions. Wet weather gear that is warm is a smart idea.
A cell phone and marine radio is also a must, as the bay can get rough. Keep an eye on the weather before and during your trip, and be sure you are knowledgeable of the marinas, ports and other areas where you can get in out of the weather should you need to do so.
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Julie indicated that the fight began with one peeved cobia peeling line, heading for the bridge! Rudy quickly chased her down, and they turned the cobia around.
