the fish so far…

The fight makes it worth it. Check out these catches from Chris!

Tarpon

When most people think of Tarpon fishing, they think about Florida. I like catching tarpon in the Keys and Biscayne Bay like everyone else, but Florida is actually not the only good tarpon fishery on the east coast. From Pamlico Sound, NC, down to St. Simons Island, GA, there are a number of great tarpon fisheries.

Stripers

Stripers in the northeast are some of my favorite to fish for. There is nothing like the fall run out east in Montauk NY, or from the sound side in CT. We often travel up to Maine, where a lot of the stripers hold in the summer, or to some of the salt water ponds in RI (great for kayak fishing btw).

We occasionally enjoy seeking large fish like the one below (my personal best btw) which are usually caught on live bait or cut bait. Live eels at night or bunker in the day often produces the largest fish, although my favorite way to fish for them is hands down a top water plug.

A lot of the pics below are caught on topwater plugs, evidence that you can still produce some very respectable fish this way.

A few times a year, we travel to RI to visit one of our favorite salt water ponds in (Ninigret pond Charlestown RI) for some kayak fishing. Although you can easily access the ocean from here, I stopped even leaving the salt pond because it’s such a pleasure to catch these beasts from a kayak. While there are definitely some schoolies mixed in, I am always surprised how large stripers will still follow the bait fish back into these channels especially toward the end of a high tide or beginning of an outgoing one. The fish below were caught on topwater from the kayak which, if you have never done so, is a completely different experience from a boat.

In addition to being level to the water so you can better experience the strike on a topwater plug, these fish are big enough to tow you around on a kayak. Talk about feeling the fight! My son Brooks often likes to accompany me from his seat in the cargo box in back. He’s going to be quite a fisherman!

Miami/Keys

There are few places in the country (or world for that matter) which can rival the fisheries in Florida. South Florida especially, is a fishery like no other and one of my favorite to visit. The diversity in fish species here is astounding, as are the different types of fishing one can undertake within just a few mile radius. From mahi or sailfish right in front of the Miami skyline, to sight fishing for permit, tarpon and bonefish in Biscayne bay or the everglades, to reef or wreck fishing for grouper, snapper or amberjack, to swordfish over 1000 ft deep, to snook fishing the canals in the Everglades, there is something for everybody! While I enjoy all of the above, sight fishing for tarpon and permit in the flats is my personal favorite. Spotting the fish before making a perfect cast to lead (but not spook) the fish adds another level of skill and excitement to the experience. And if you are a fly fisherman, your bucket list will not be complete before catching a tarpon on a fly rod! And of course, the elusive grand slam of flats fishing (tarpon, permit and bonefish in the same day). Below are some of my Miami/Keys favorites.

While I enjoy all of the above, sight fishing for tarpon and permit in the flats is my personal favorite. Spotting the fish before making a perfect cast to lead (but not spook) the fish adds another level of skill and excitement to the experience. And if you are a fly fisherman, your bucket list will not be complete before catching a tarpon on a fly rod! And of course, the elusive grand slam of flats fishing (tarpon, permit and bonefish in the same day).

North Carolina Offshore

North Carolina and Florida are two of the most accessible places to fish the gulf stream. As a part time resident of NC, we frequently do some offshore adventuring out of either the Topsail Beach area or the Outer Banks. In the gulf stream, massive mahi, wahoo, yellowfin, and marlin are some of the favorite targets just to name a few. And while the gulf stream is amazing, you often don’t even need to venture out that far. The fall is a great time for king mackerel in NC, and oftentimes these can be found less then 10 miles out! Below are a few of our favorite NC offshore catches.

Carp

While often not appreciated (or even fished for) in the US, Carp can be a nice change of pace (and challenge) for a freshwater angler. Carp are amazingly strong fish and can grow to over 50lbs! They are extremely finnicky and elusive if you don’t have the right gear and technique which is probably what turns off a lot of anglers. With a bit of research and investment however, they are quite catchable. And who doesn’t like catching a 50lb fish in freshwater! Whenever we travel to a freshwater lake (which is a lot) I bring the carp gear. This consists of a 3 rod holder with an alarm system, carp rigs (tiny pre-rigged 6x hooks with bait ball setup) and lots of canned corn. While it doesn’t sound that exciting (and its not) just sitting around for hours fishing with corn and waiting for a carp to come by, the alarm system lets you go about your day and just run out to the dock when the fun starts! Below are some of our favorite carp catches

After weeks spent trying to catch a monster-sized carp, we finally landed one! It took many days with 6 lines out and a variety of baits to catch this fish. After finally hooking one, it took about 30 minutes just to get it in, but the challenge was certainly worth it! Take a look at my blog page to see more about carp fishing.

Fall Run – Northeast

If you are an angler in the northeast then like most of us you live for the fall fishing. Not only do you get large schools of stripers and bluefish as they migrate south, but this is the one time a year when you get a chance at false albacore. Although not the largest fish in the world, pound for pound they are some of the strongest – and the most fun to catch! You can even catch them from the beach! From Nantucket to Montauk, here are some of the fall favorites.

Freshwater

We spend a lot of time as a family on the water. Whether on a dock at a lake house or an afternoon on a pontoon boat, there is usually a line (or two) in the water. The kids love seeing the fish, and so do I!

Up north are some of our favorite freshwater destinations. Finding some lakes with northern pike is a real treat. We especially like the Saranac lakes in upstate NY, but you can find pike sprinkled throughout a variety of lakes across the northeast. These fish get massive, and you can catch them in a variety of ways. My favorite (of course) is a topwater plug but if you spend a day on the water, simply trolling a live shiner or sawbelly depending on what’s native to the area will usually produce fish.

For freshwater species, catfish can also be some of your larger varietals. Most freshwater lakes and rivers will hold some kind of catfish. Like carp, a lot of times people don’t want to fish for these because it requires throwing a bottom bait out (they will eat almost anything) and just sitting around waiting. Again, the alarm system is great here. If you are staying on the water, you can put a couple of lines out and go cook dinner while you fish. Just remember to pull them in before bed or your wife may be unhappy at 2 AM when the alarm goes off!

Bass

What freshwater angler doesn’t like fishing for bass? While largemouth certainly get bigger (especially in the south), my favorite are actually the smallmouth bass up north. Pound for pound these fish are stronger and put up a great fight! They will even jump out of the water like a tarpon. And what a great experience it’s been to get the kids out on the water! Here are some favorites.

Drum (Red Drum and Black Drum)

In the south, you fish for redfish. And why not. Whether inshore (up a creek or river), out in the ocean, or even from the beach, these fish are a lot of fun.

A couple of my most notable personal catches of all time have been with redfish. I actually caught the fish below right from the beach in Cape Charles Virginia. Besides sharks, this was the largest fish I ever seen caught right from the beach in the south.

 Another notable catch (potentially the all-time most fun for me personally) was this Redfish in North Carolina. This giant was caught on just 10lb test and a super ultra lite rod while jigging for trout. It took well over an hour to bring it in! What a great fight!

You can also catch these up creeks/rivers. That’s always a lot of fun on topwater or soft plastics.

Of course, black drum can be a lot of fun too. These fish are surprisingly strong for their size and can put up quite a fight.

Surf fishing from shore with the drone

My family likes spending a lot of time at the beach. After years of frustrating traditional surf fishing where you are forced to target predominantly smaller fish/species, I finally bought a drone to make it interesting again. With the help of the drone, we can fish for larger species (sharks, larger game fish etc.) right from the shore. For most of the beaches we frequent, we will fish around the ledges which are 1200ft – 2000ft off the beach. We use the drone to fly out and drop off the bait at our desired location.

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