Capt. Gordon's Fishing Reports

Cool old video showing what it was like before gill nets… not that long ago

captgordon — Sat, 28 Jan 2012 17:04:50 +0000

I received this email from Capt Seth Vernon:

A good friend of mine who is close to the Gamefish issue sent me this “blast from the past” video of Southern Sportsman Franc White. The commentary is haunting as Franc takes us aboard a small outboard skiff into the heart of the Pamlico Sound and describes the dangers the fishery is facing today, circa 1993 Franc then takes the viewer on a rare “look back” where he takes the us on the same trip but fifteen years before to illustrate how prolific the fishing was in the 70′s compared to the 90′s or present day when this aired.

I picture my friend who in 1993 was 12 years of age sitting on the floor in front of the tv set watching Franc’s adventure with wide eyes. He doubtfully knew then what a trawl was or even a gill net and likely did not understand he would never see the days of being able to keep a cooler full of fish, much less gray trout, like Franc did in the 70′s. This same young man now has a home on the Pamlico and is raising a family. He, like so many other sportsmen and women, is not going to sit idly by and watch the future of NC fisheries be treated with favortism to the commercial industry and destructive fishing gear practices for one more day much less another 20 years.

If you don’t know your history, the gray trout in NC are gone, it’s too late to save them. The redfish, spotted sea trout and striped bass in this state still have a fighting chance. The time to act is now. The coastal gamefish bill is the catalyst for insuring that our fisheries will be properly managed and in tact for future generations. I urge you to watch this video and consider the weight of Franc Whites’ words as they relate to the issues at hand today.

It’s worth checking out the clip. The fishing he does in 1993 is about what we have today. Then he goes back 15 years before and they are thick. The difference, the large mesh gill nets and “shrimp” trawlers. Check it out, skip through the first segment which is a cooking demo.

http://www.wral.com/wral-tv/video/1416204/#/vid1416204

New resource for information on NC Gamefish Bill

captgordon — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 14:12:31 +0000

Capt Seth Vernon has set up a new site to provide a central location to find info and send messages about HR353, The Gamefish Bill. I suggest you check it out and then contact the appropriate person or persons. The URL is http://www.nc353.org

2011 year in review part sieben

captgordon — Sat, 14 Jan 2012 20:52:52 +0000

Another redfish that was disturbed from his crab feeding in the spartina grass at high tide.

2011 year in review part 6

captgordon — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 19:48:42 +0000

Another nice day of fishing with my buddy Pete. We started out on the low tide and found some fish crawling but didn’t get one but did catch a couple tailing on the high tide.

Great video that shows the value of wild places and preservation

captgordon — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 19:03:14 +0000

This really is amazing. Dry fly fishing to giant brown trout in northern Russia. they have taken extensive steps to make sure the fishing stays good and that nobody messes it up. All the way to a no campfires rule. Pretty impressive

2011 year in review: cinq

captgordon — Sun, 08 Jan 2012 17:19:15 +0000

Through the course of the spring and summer we had some good tides for trailers but I and most people I know who tell the truth were all lamenting the low numbers of fish we were finding. Of course the “Powers that be” just tried to tell us it was one bad year class. Well… Three years ago those same powers increased the number of reds the netters were allowed to take as by catch. Three years later we have really low numbers…hmm. And if you don’t think there is a healthy black market in redfish sales, then I have a bridge to sell you over a huge river in Nevada. Hopefully this redfish bill will pass so we can have the fish back in the water where they belong instead of rotting in a cooler in some fish market in Philadelphia.

2011- part quatre

captgordon — Sun, 08 Jan 2012 02:23:52 +0000

Hit the water in May with my buddy Pete and he found us some nice red dawgs running the beach right behind the surf line. It’s very fun to see the schools running the waves. If you can get close enough they will eat a fly nicely. Almost ran aground on a sandbar at one point, but we found these beauties so it was worth it.

2011 in review – trois

captgordon — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 01:15:26 +0000

Found some good fishing in April while the water was still clear and the fish were schooled up. Low tide was the time to be out there. Got this shot of my buddy Steve from the Big Apple with a nice one.

2011 year in review part deux

captgordon — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 00:05:35 +0000

In April I Took a trip to FL with my buddy Pete.

This refugee from a Kevin Smith movie is the highlight of the Titusville scene.

If you ever want to fish Mosquito Lagoon you should fish with Capt Brian Pahmeier. Very cool dude and really knows the area well.

2011 year in review part un

captgordon — Mon, 02 Jan 2012 18:11:57 +0000

Started the year as usual with a short bonito run. Unfortunately this fish was not caught by me. This has been typical pattern for me and bonito the past couple years. The fish showed up primarily off of Topsail and not much anywhere else. Maybe next spring.