Double Haul Guide Service

Wilmington Winter Sight Fishing still going strong...

2012-01-20T21:02:00.007-05:00

The weather on the Cape Fear Coast has been stellar this season and the fish have enjoyed the mild season as well. It's been a great start to 2012 to have fished so many of my excellent anglers and fly rodders and I'm really excited to get to fish with many more of you in the coming months.

This Thursday and Friday I had three of my good friends and anglers out on the water for some cool weather redfishing and we were not disappointed. On Thursday I guided local anglers Tommy and Kent on a half day adventure. On Friday angler Dana Eddings whose son Josh starred in Redfish Can't Jump with us dusted off his Scott and brought a shiny new Nautilus reel to test on some animals. Both days were filled with plenty of laughs, good casting, cold morning runs and fly lines getting tightened up.

Kent's Hells Bay Marquesa is in Florida getting polished and cleaned up by the talented crew at the Hells Bay factory for the upcoming season. He had the need to cast a fly and was kind enough to call me to guide he and Tommy to some winter schooling reds in the marsh. Kent is an excellent fly angler and made good use of the stripping bucket mounted on the new bracket. He offered some good feedback on the position of the bucket and it really came in handy as Kent is tall and the wind, as always, was a factor. Tommy had a couple of tugs early working a DOA Jerk Bait on the second school we found but never got a clean hook up. Kent persevered and was rewarded with a tight line several times and a nice fat redfish.

On Friday Dana and I had the luxury of some really clean water on the low tide and while we spotted a couple of nice fish and one large 30 incher in the shallows the fish proved to be really spooky. We didn't waste any of our tide or time and quickly hit one of my favorite little tributary creeks. Unfortunately while we found a large number of fish in this particular location the water had been roiled by mullet and the previous days' windy conditions. Time to move again... Boy were we in a tight spot when we began the move. The wind started to breeze up and all of our good bluebird skies were replaced with a gray leaded sky.

Not to be beat by the conditions Dana and I made the best of our time and went aggressive on a school that I had pegged. As I poled Dana close I gave him the exact location of the school from about thirty yards out. I couldn't see them in the gray light and light wind chop but I sensed they were there... When we got within forty feet of where the school likes to stage Dana turned a nice loop loose in their direction. On his third strip the line came tight and I think we were both surprised. It was a stud. Being caught off guard when a fish eats is dangerous, you either a) overcompensate with the hook set going up instead of strip striking or worse, b) not getting a set at all before the fish turns and heads for the next zip code, this fish chose option B. It was a rodeo and the fish came off the hook cleanly in the first fifty seconds. We were both bummed, talked about the angles and what potentially went wrong and quickly got back in the game.

We tried to reposition on the school but they slid into deeper water after their buddy shook the hook. We grabbed a bit of lunch to let things settle down...Dana got back on the bow and we quickly re-engaged the school. Another nice cast and Dana hooked into an even larger fish. The Nautilus purred smooth as a kitten when the ten pounder peeled Dana's drag. It took a little will power but Dana subdued the fish and once boat side I made fast work of the landing procedure. What a fish to start the year with. So far my biggest of 2012 on the boat and Dana landed it in less than ideal conditions, that always makes the rewards that much sweeter.

It's been an awesome start to the new year and I'm stoked to get to fish with you all this coming season. There's plenty of winter sight fishing opportunities on the coast. I look forward to seeing you on the bow this season.

Tighten Up,

Captain Seth Vernon

www.captainsethvernon.com

Nathan and Daniel turn up the Heat on the Winter Reds

2012-01-15T21:18:00.000-05:00

Fishing with my regular anglers is always rewarding. The day is always streamlined by a familiarity of team work, humor (inside jokes) and an understanding of our target species behaviour and habits, in today's case of course our state fish; the Red Drum. Today's repeat angler and friend Nathan Edwards has fished with me on charter, in tournaments such as the Cape Fear Red Trout and for multiple species. A passionate redfish angler and always willing to share some good times on the water Nathan brought his long time fishing buddy Daniel down to he Cape Fear Coast for some winter redfishing.

Nathan and Daniel wanted to fish their own spinning rods so I carefully rigged leaders onto their braided lines suitable to hold a redfish before we launched the Beavertail. We had an exceptionally low tide due to some really strong NW winds which we hoped would bottleneck the reds into a few flats edges. Our first stop on the low tide flats unfortunately presented us with wind whipped waters of the color of Nestle Quick and very little leeward area deep enough to hold our quarry. So without much thought about staying we moved to the protected waters of a particular oxbow I've been seeing some nice quality winter redfish inhabiting.

Sure enough the move to the oxbow proved worthwhile and we were quickly in fish, Daniel getting the first shot. Once we located the school we were able to see the school push the shallows as well as wink as they rolled on their sides to eat mud minnows that were driven off of the shallow oyster bars. It was needless to say very exciting for all of us to have the opportunity to sight fish in spite of the 20-25mph North winds buffeting us in the more exposed bays we'd just left. We stayed in the oxbow working different pods of reds for about an hour landing a really nice redfish in the process, losing a monster that new exactly which oyster bed to severe Nathan's line on and a few missed opportunities or errant casts. All in all things were improving and the bite was definitely on. We decided to let the fish rest, have some lunch ourselves and move with the rising tide to one of my favorite tributary creeks where I've been catching some nice fish.

For the record, while safe and sound and dry we had some big water to cross and the little Beavertail skiff impressed both anglers as it skirted and weaved gently through the slop and swell of the rising tide and opposing wind gusts. While not for everyone these two adventurous anglers are always up for some thrills if it means the rewards are catching fish.

We zipped through the creek turns like a slalom course winding our way to a small lagoon that bottle necks before it opens into a grass flat. Here we would make our "eleventh hour" stand as the fish fell out of the grass lagoon and funneled into a shallow water curve in the creek before exiting all together. The ambush was set in motion... Daniel hooked up first with a handsome redfish and as he fought it to the boat Nathan hooked up number three of the day. This went on for an hour all the while hooking, landing, losing and watching redfish move past us up and down the creek as we set to the side. The fellas were like snipers aiming for and presenting their jerk baits to the larger fish. With the light getting low enough to hinder our site into the water and the tide almost finished for this ambush spot we decided to pack it in for the afternoon with seven or eight nice winter redfish to our credit.

It's always a compliment to fish with my repeat anglers, I know they enjoy fishing with me as much as I enjoy watching them catch fish and make memories with their family members and friends. Back at the ramp safe and sound Nathan and Daniel remarked that today was a great start to 2012 and for each their first reds of the new year. I smiled, (insert fist bump to each angler), and thought how lucky I was to be able to deliver and for such fun loving, hard working anglers to call friends.

This winter has been nothing short of exceptional with plenty of redfish being caught in the cold or on the warm weather days. Don't hesitate to call or book your adventure today and start your 2012 season off right. I hope to see you each on the bow of the skiff this season for some good fish and good times.

Tight Loops & Lines,

Captain Seth Vernon

One Step Ahead... Improving the odds for my Feather Chuckers

2012-01-14T21:13:00.012-05:00

I'm always in search of a simpler way to catch more fish, short of dynamite, with my fly anglers. Is it the latest Krypto Fly, a rod with higher line speed and easier loading characteristics for a full compliment of reach, short distance and long, the perfect strip or is it simply a new technique or cast. These are the thoughts that often permeate my brain during the long silences spent poling my sports towards their next encounter. The pursuit of perfection at whatever it is propels each and every one of us is a beautiful thing to attain.

In the winter months when the weather windows for angling the Cape Fear Coast are typically short lived I try to fill my time being productive at the vise tying flies, changing oil and plugs in the Evinrude, getting props tuned and sometimes experimenting with new ideas. The latest "idea" that has been rattling around in my brain is finally a reality.

One problem that has persisted on my skiff for my anglers, of all levels of experience, is the topic of fly line management. Lets face it the only sure way to keep from seeing your line turn into nuclear spaghetti, forcing one to emit expletives that would make a sailor blush, is to leave it on the reel where it will remain neatly coiled around the spool. Seeing as how that's not conducive to "catching" fish we strip the line off of the reel hoping that most of the shooting line stays on deck, but when the wind blows of course it wants to go overboard thus becoming entangled in the trim tabs, Spartina grass, prop, power pole etc. (Insert more expletives...)

So many moons ago I got wise and began bribing my anglers to use a handy little device called a Pro Trim stripping basket, many of you see it and immediately think it's a trash can with funny stickers on it. A lot of my anglers hate the basket and feel restricted when using it, you know who you are :). While the basket is quite ergonomic it does take some getting used to, especially sight fishing from the forward casting platform and learning to share the confines of the platform with the basket. However the anglers that adopt the basket when the wind picks up average 40% more fish caught than those who go without, hey it won't make you cast better or you'd see a higher percentage but it will keep you from missing an opportunity due to poor line management.

My simple idea for aiding my anglers to more fish with greater ease came from a simple but Bad Ass Bucket Bracket enabling my sports to use the bucket without having to share the platform and still allowing them to custom tailor where the bucket should be placed. The results you see in the pictures is a simple Allen keyed four screw clamp, that attaches to any leg on your casting platform, with some aluminum tubing welded, bent to a 90 degree and affixed with a circular base plate to attach the stripping bucket to. The Pro Trim Bucket is designed with a hole in the middle of it to drain water for floating lines or if you plug the hole; to hold water for intermediate to sinking lines, which tangle wildly when shooting long distances if not immersed in water. Through this hole a simple 5/8 inch bolt with accompanying washers and wingnut make attaching the bucket as easy as 1...2...3. So easy a fishing guide can do it.

The result is an unobstructed view from my side console to the bow and beyond. When running the bucket can remain in place even in a rough chop, which is when you need it as the wind is honking and if you need to take it down there are no special tools required to remove the bucket or the bracket. The bracket can be attached to any of the platform legs allowing an angler to customize the fit whether they strip in front, to the left or right etc. Because the clamp is adjustable it can be raised or lowered to the desired height and under moderate tension swiveled left to right without worry of it sliding down or swinging around and banging into your brite aluminum tubing or fiberglass lid on your platform.

Simple, Solid, Sound design without any fuss. So there it is, a new tool for managing fly line on the bow and hopefully providing you hardcores with one less excuse as seen in Exhibit A.

Exhibit A: Top Five Excuses guides hear when angler misses shot at Redfish, Tarpon, Bonefish...

1. "The fly line was tangled on my foot, the cleat, the cooler, my beer can, your shoelace, the trolling motor, my belt buckle..."

2. "My one o'clock or your one o'clock?"

3. "The wind caught my line."

4. "My line blew off of the deck and was tangled in the trim tab, prop, power pole, oyster bed..."

5. "Should we change flies?"

On a serious note I hope you enjoy reading the blog and having some humor, now let's get out there and rip some lips this season. It's 2012 already and the rumor is the world ends, wouldn't you like to go fishing before it does?

Tight Loops & Lines,

Captain Seth Vernon~

Craig Holts Article: Why we need Gamefish Status in NC for Red drum, Spotted Sea Trout and Striped Bass

2012-01-08T06:47:00.005-05:00

I have copied and pasted this article from NC Sportsman Magazine by Craig Holt. Take the time to read this and you'll see why Gamefish Status is so important to coastal economies. Help promote sustainable fishing and vote YES to HB 353. Right your Legislators, every voice counts

Captain Seth Vernon~

Link to the story landing page: http://www.northcarolinasportsman.com/details.php?id=2283

Numbers tell the tale of North Carolina’s saltwater gamefish decisionRecreational coastal fishing much more important to state economy than commercial fishing, stats show.

By Craig Holt

Recreational saltwater anglers far outnumber commercial fishermen in North Carolina, making them a powerful force for achieving gamefish status for redfish, spotted sea trout and stripers.

Two numbers jump out of the North Carolina Division of Marine Fisheries’ 2010 report on the state of the Tarheel State’s saltwater fisheries.The total commercial catch from the state’s coastal waters was slightly more than 72 million ponds, while the recreational catch was between 14 and 15 million pounds.

That’s everything: flounder, spotted sea trout, red drum, striper, spot, bluefish, bonito, eel, grouper, cobia, amberjack, grunt, hake, mullet, perch, pinfish, pompano, scup, porgie, pufferfish and shad. All of them.Some other numbers also jump off the page. In 2010, the state sold 5,179 commercial fishing licenses, of which 2,522 were bought by active commercial fishermen. The state also sold 296,175 recreational licenses to in-state purchasers and another 240,000 to out-of-staters, and fishermen who own lifetime licenses, bringing to around 800,000 the total number of people eligible to fish with hook-and-line in North Carolina coastal waters. So what’s the big deal about these numbers? If they are accurate, and NCDMF makes a big effort to ensure that they are, the average commercial netter caught 28,559 pounds of fish during 2010. Meanwhile, the recreational angler caught 18 pounds.

Well, one might ask, what’s the problem? It’s pretty simple. Recreational fishermen figured out a while back that the policies of the N.C. Marine Fisheries Commission – the appointed board that gives NCDMF staff members their marching orders – caters for the most part to the wishes of netters, even though recreational anglers outnumber netters by a factor of 533 to 1. Over the past two years, recreational angler groups – including the Coastal Conservation Association of North Carolina, Coastal Fisheries Reform Group and the N.C. Wildlife Federation’s Camouflage Coalition – have tried through the state legislature to obtain gamefish status for three species of saltwater fish: red drum, spotted seatrout and striped bass.Two bills were drafted and derailed in the legislature, but their supporters rallied after the latest rebuff last year and asked legislators to revive the effort. The legislators, mostly Republicans, rolled the gamefish status proposal into an expansive review of the way North Carolina manages its saltwater resources, whether or not they’re allocated for their optimum use. Committee members such as co-chair Darrell McCormick (R-Forsyth) and co-chair Harry Brown (R-Onslow, Jones) have said the committee will conduct thorough studies of how saltwater agencies are managed in other states and will make decisions based on facts obtained by their staff researchers.

If they check out the NCDMF’s 2010 Fisheries Bulletin, committee staff and members will discover:

• Commercial landings of ocean striped bass totaled 499,740 pounds, worth $1,220,542; spotted sea trout catches were 200,500 pounds, worth $350,349; and red drum totaled 231,760 pounds, worth $421,659.

These three species added together accounted for $1,992,550 in netting income.

• Striped bass totaled only 1.36 percent of all commercial fishing trips; red drum were less than 1 percent (.51) and spotted seatrout totaled 1.03 percent – a total of 2.9 percent.

The income these three species produced, $88,131,778, was 2.2 percent of all commercial fishing income.

• In 2010, only 250 commercial fishing participants statewide had landings of $2,000 or more from the sale of red drum, spotted seatrout, and striped bass combined. Of those, fewer than 30 had landings of $10,000 or more.

Dare and Carteret are the two counties with the largest commercial fishing operations in North Carolina, as measured by the number of commercial fishing participants and landings value. In 2009, Dare had commercial seafood landings of $21,930,359 with a total economic impact of approximately $40,000,000. On the other hand, in fiscal year 2009-2010, Dare County’s tourism-driven economy produced taxable sales of $1,136,418,490, indicating the total economic impact from commercial fishing represented only 3.5 percent. In 2009, Carteret had total commercial seafood landings of $9,542,039 for a total economic impact of approximately $18,000,000. In fiscal year 2009-2010, Carteret County’s tourism-driven economy produced taxable sales of $844,689,004, indicating that the total economic impact from commercial fishing represented only 2 percent of Carteret County’s economy.

It’s the position of supporters of the gamefish bill that almost no commercial fishermen would lose a significant amount of their income by being forced to switch from red drum, speckled trout and stripers to other species. According to federal fisheries managers, the total economic impact from coastal recreational fishing trips and durable equipment expenditures in North Carolina in 2008 was approximately $2.3 billion and supported 22,000 jobs.

According to NCDMF, commercial fishing in 2010 accounted for 3,997 North Carolina jobs. Below is a summary of the number of registered voters (according to the N.C. Board of Elections), the number of recreational saltwater fishing license holders and commercial fishing license holders for Dare and Carteret counties in 2010.

Registered Recreational CommercialVoters license holders
• Carteret 47,831 11,274 (24%) 1,106 (2%)
• Dare 26,758 6,178 (23%) 827 (3%)
• Total 74,589 17,452 (23%) 1,933 (3%)

Any coastal politician who opposes some type of saltwater reform, particularly game-fish status for red drum, spotted seatrout and striped bass will be hanging a sign on his back that says, “Kick Me Out Of Office.”

Carlton Howard bests the first fly caught Redfish of 2012

2012-01-07T21:16:00.012-05:00

I have to admit while I have the utmost confidence in my angler Carlton Howard's abilities as a fly caster I had my doubts about our day of fishing when I arrived at the ramp this morning. It seems what the weather man called as SW at 5 to 10 was actually SW at 12 with gust to 17 which easily pegged at gust to 25 by mid afternoon. Fly fishing folks, that's right we wanted to throw some feather and fur and the wind was howling. What did we do? We went fishing of course and I'm glad we did.

After picking Carlton up on the water we ran several miles through choppy waves and windy waters to a secluded albeit not very protected creek that I knew was holding a good number of redfish in clear shallow water. After we wiped the salt spray from our lenses and stretched a little fly line it was time to start the rodeo. Not five minutes into the morning and three casts from our start and Carlton hooks up on a spotless and beautiful redfish. Literally no spots.. See photos of each side here, no spot tail, still a redfish just looked like his spots had been washed off.

A quick revive and release and before I could ascend the platform Carlton hooked number two. Folks this went on as the fish moved in and out of range of his cast while we set staked out in the creek for six more hooksets and three more fish released. INSERT WIND HOWLING NOISE. With the tide dropping and the fish wary of our pressure we left feeling confident in our abilities as angler and guide to take whatever mother nature had in store for us.

Our next stop was a larger tidal creek with several lagoons attached to it and while the bait was there the reds were not. On our way out Carlton and I stopped, power poled the boat down, ate a pack of Lance crackers and he fired out an exploratory cast. He barely stripped the fly and BAM number five of the day was gently played to hand and released. Against my better judgement we left the shelter of the creek for the open flats to see if I could locate a rather large school of reds that my anglers and I have been enjoying only to find the bays too windswept and the waters roiled into a muddy frothy stain. Time for Plan B.

Our last ditch effort was exactly that a low tide saltwater creek that is more of a crescent shaped ditch that just happened to be in the lee of the wind. Wasting no time we poled into action and quickly found a large school of mature reds working the shallows and the deep edges of the "ditch". Plan B was a success. Carlton continued to hook up and finished the day with several more reds, a few rather large fish that ate the fly only to be lost and a respectable fly caught trout of over 17 inches in less than two feet of water. It was an amazing way to start the year for both of us and I hope Carlton has as much fun on his upcoming trip to the Mosquito Lagoon in February to fish with Capt. Scott Macalla.

It's been a remarkable winter with some exciting sight fishing for reds and trout. I look forward to fishing with you all this season and welcome you to come challenge yourself on the Cape Fear Coast.

Till Next Tide,

Captain Seth Vernon

This last pic brought us a little laugh. We passed this boat today on our way out of a creek we'd been fishing. Oh and the tide was falling. Don't let this happen to you, if you don't know, go slow...

Banana Boat...Redfishing with Rich and Mike Turek

2011-12-29T22:46:00.009-05:00

The old saying "no bananas in the boat" holds true as a superstition with many saltwater captains and with good reason. Ask several charter captains dockside Why they don't want bananas on their boat and you're liable to hear many different reasons. The number one reason the superstition exists is that most banana boats were heavily overloaded with the fruit and capsized when crossing deep water delivering their stores. Another is that Banana Spiders are huge and I suppose to some even scary if you were to wake up with one of these things crawling on you while sleeping in the cramped quarters below deck.

Fast forward to the present day and the superstition while not associated with any recent sinking ships, at least not scientifically, has been known to rob anglers of their confidence and blame the yellow fruit when the bite is slow. With the knowledge that most anglers would never blame themselves for their shortcomings and quick to find excuses for performance anxiety its logical that the insidious banana would be banned from most fishing boats as a "bad luck" symbol.

Thus enter anglers Rich and Mike Turek, my father and son anglers this past Thursday on a three quarter day charter. I picked the Gents up in Southport that morning intent on hitting the flats hard knowing full and well that the next few days of weather would keep me off of the water. Mike was eager to get a redfish on the fly, being from Arizona it's not like he can walk outside and throw a line in the salt and Rich was just game to be Mike's back up using a spinning rod to cover anything Mike might miss. We worked hard for the first 40 minutes to locate some fish on a large flat and I knew and addressed that the tide was higher than we wanted it to be. In the last five minutes we found where the fish were laid up in the spartina grass and decided to hit a new high tide pond and come back to these fish later in the day.

Arriving in the salt pond Mike and I quickly lined up on a target, six reds slithering through the shallow grass, unaware and happy. Mike made an impressive first cast of about forty feet to the lead fish and we each tensed up as the fish turned as it elevated and consumed the fly in one bite. Mike to his credit got a good hook set with his strip strike however the fish turned and rolled under the pressure to face us and with Mike still holding the line tight the hook simply pulled free of the reds mouth. You could see the disappointment in Mike's shoulders as they slumped but it was quickly recharged by the sight of more fish and our nervous laughter as we relived the bite and discussed what we just witnessed. We stayed in the salt pond for another twenty minutes as the tide dropped and had another six legitimate shots at fish of four to ten pounds. It was incredible. The tide eventually dropped far enough to force us out and in search of some fresh victims.

At lunch Rich and Mike opened their cooler and I almost choked on my piece of fried chicken. There in the bottom of the cooler three ripe bright yellow bananas! I started talking to the guys about the superstition about the "bananas" and Mike offered to eat the evidence, black shadow whatever you might call them. I joked that it was too late and said I'd have to go see the local Muti man or medicine man to get the hex removed. A few jokes later and we were back on the hunt. Again we found some schooling fish in the shallows exactly where I'd prepped the guys to expect them. Some close moments and one scraped fish on the fly later we still hadn't gotten one to the boat. Not to be discouraged we reeled up, trimmed the motor down and headed to the low tide flats in search of a large school I'd been catching fish out of.

Once on the platform searching for the school with the late evening light fading fast I could see the anxiousness of my anglers. A few minutes poling in the shallows and we saw muds in the distance from 50 or more redfish. They were a little further out than Mike's fly cast so Rich fired the jerk bait in the general direction of the school. A few "jerks" later and Rich was tight to an eleventh hour redfish. The banana curse was finally broken! We celebrated with high fives and photographs to document this monumental feat. Continuing down the flat we bumped two more schools but with the light fading low and some optimistic blind casting we attempted to score one for Mike on the fly. No dice and as Rich was reeling in his final cast BAM another redfish slammed his lure this time a solid seven pounder. Rich artfully landed the fish, there was some father son trash talk in a good natured way as we photographed and released the final fish of the day in the fading hours of daylight.

So we proved that even with a boat load of bananas we could catch fish and while we all would've liked to have caught several more considering the numbers of fish we saw today a great time was had by all. Rich has one up on Mike, oh and he never ate any of the yellow poison either, and I'd imagine when I get the opportunity to guide the fellas again this summer that there won't be any banana boat sunscreen, banana bread, fruit of the loom underwear or anything else resembling the Yellow Boomerang Fruit.

Until next Tide,

Captain Seth Vernon

Capt. Tommy Scarborough visits SE NC to write a Redfish Article

2011-12-19T22:15:00.003-05:00

I had a lot of nervous excitement about fishing today. It was the good kind of anticipation one gets when looking forward to fishing with good friends and hoping the weather constructs well for good angling. Long time friend and local Georgetown, SC legend Capt. Tommy Scarborough of Georgetown Coastal Adventures joined me for a day of fly rodding my home waters here along the Cape Fear Coast. Tommy is a monthly contributor to a fishing column and is constantly looking for fresh material to write about and called me last week to set up a day to fish and write his piece. We couldn't have asked for better conditions today. It was so calm that the only ripples on the water were made as I backed the boat into the water.

With clear skies, not a breath of wind and the throttle pegged Tommy and I were off to find some fish to throw some feathers to. I knew the fish I had been catching would be doing their "thing" ie tailing, again today and wanted to capture it on film so we approached the first flat with caution poling quietly while Tommy manned the bow. Soon we could see fins piercing the surface in the distance. It appeared that we had fish to our port side from sixty feet out to two hundred or more feet away. Obviously there were more fish here than we needed for Tommy's article. We crept closer barely creeping with the tide and cautious not to clank the push pole or cast a wake. Tommy whispered, I see a wink at eleven o'clock! There below the surface a fraction of the school, about seventy fish, silently slid into view, some softly finning the surface and others rolling gently on their sides sipping prey and causing their belly scales to "wink" in the sunlight. With gin clear water to view the school it was more than Tommy could stand. As the fish closed the distance Tommy unleashed a cast. Frame by frame these pictures unfolded... The line hits the water right in front of the lead fish, the fish turned seeing the Kwan settle in the water and engulfed the fly, Tommy's line comes tight revealing a large boil as the fish thrashes under the tension and suddenly the school erupts telling the story of how many fish were really there to begin with.

We continued to see pushes, tails, wakes and winks for an hour or more, sometimes just watching them eat or bust the surface and at other times casting feverishly to receive another hook up. There was a lot of trash talking, good natured ribbing, casting excuses and more but mostly it was a ton of fun as guides to have a day to share our passion for shallow water sight fishing for redfish with the fly rod and get some great material and photos for Tommy's upcoming article.

The weather at the coast is predicted to be wet but warm until Christmas, pretty much keeping most of the right minded anglers off of the water during the holidays. Monday after is forecast to be gorgeous and the warm weather is bound to prolong our winter sight fishing into the coming weeks of January. Here's to wishing you the very Merriest of Christmases this season and a happy New Year. I am booked through the end of December but encourage you to contact me if you're interested in fishing in January 2012. I am grateful for the joy of knowing I will be fortunate to guide many of you to more adventures in 2012 and wish you all a happy New Year!

Tight Loops & Lines,

Captain Seth Vernon~

Ramsey and Sage Chase Wilmington Winter Redfish on the Fly

2011-12-15T22:22:00.005-05:00

Repeat angler and Duke Tennis coach Ramsey Smith and fly fishing dog Sage were aboard today for some incredible winter sight fishing for redfish along the Cape Fear Coast. Ramsey is all athlete and his casting reveals his level of confidence and comfort with the fly rod even though we fished some extremely diverse habitats during today's falling tide adventure.

It's days like today, mid December and air temperatures in the 70's, that make living on the coast of North Carolina so rewarding as a sportsmen. Ramsey showed up in shorts and long sleeves and even though the water temperatures were hovering in the high 50's he was extremely comfortable. Blessed with plentiful sunshine and not a breath of wind, it was an exceptional day to be on the water.

Ramsey's sidekick Sage, is a well mannered year old Chocolate Labrador and burgeoning "sight fishing hound" and boat dog. She has been with us on previous trips and really becoming quite the team mascot.

I had been scouting hard this week and fishing some with anglers and was grateful to have Ramsey on board with his casting abilities, I knew we were going to have fun. I had been secreting some fish away and only visited them twice to see how they were patterning and today was the day to see how they would respond to Ramsey's angling and the fly. As soon as we got in position in the lagoon we saw fish waking in front of the boat. Poling quietly within range Ramsey spotted the school of 6-8lb reds in a foot of water headed directly at the boat. He quickly fired a cast, the lead fish charged, spotted the boat and veered off of the fly. Not to be discouraged we spotted a second fish at eleven o'clock and Ramsey fired a great fifty footer out in front of the solo redfish and with two strips of the fly we watched the fish light up, turn and strike the fly. What an epic bite to witness our first fish of the morning was on. Ramsey skillfully boated the fish for a few pictures with Sage, who offered a welcome lick to the redfish, before we released it. Poling further in we encountered another trio of larger fish in the 8-10 lb range and again Ramsey made a great cast. Once the redfish on the leading edge saw the fly it turned, elevated and rushed the fly. Ramsey was tight for two and a half seconds and made the fatal mistake of lifting the rod for extra tension and pulled the hook. Seeing a different fish to our left at nine o'clock I spun the boat for the shot, Ramsey located the redfish laid up stationary against the grass made a cast to thirty feet and we watched as the fish turned and inhaled the fly. I think it all happened too quickly that we had two eats in two casts in twenty seconds time because this fish "fell off of the hook" too. California release, long distance. No worries we were so pumped to see four eats in such a short time that it was well worth the effort to get to these fish. The tide was falling rapidly and soon we would be forced to leave so we opted to find some fresh reds to pursue and make a run.

We arrived at our next destination, a large creek complex, where I'd been seeing a lot of fish. A challenging place to fish with the clouds that were beginning to obscure our view we made the best of it by looking for pushes, tails and wakes in the shallow creek. While prospecting in a "prime lie" for redfish Ramsey pulled another nice six pounder off of a sand flat while we were poling into the shallow backwaters. A few more bends and we spotted a tailing fish working an oyster bar. Ramsey managed one excellent cast at the fish before it slid to deeper water ignoring our fly. Not to be discouraged and with the tide and sun low we opted to head for the open flats to finish the day on a large school of fish I'd been seeing.

As the sun set we poled across the waters mirrored surface in a few inches of water. Mullet skipped in the distance and about eighty yards out we spotted the school. Fins and tails broke the calm surface with finite rings emanating from where the individual fish moved amongst the school. Once we were within ninety feet of the school I stopped poling, letting the momentum we had glide us into position for Ramsey to cast. At sixty five feet Ramsey picked out a tail and unleashed a laser like cast. The fly landed and I watched his line come tight on the second strip, then nothing. The tension was lost, the fish pulled and the school was now pushing quietly across the flat. At this point with fish milling everywhere Ramsey realized how big the school was. We were easily in the epicenter of two hundred redfish. With the light quickly fading to twilight we were out of time and though we had a couple of more encounters the tide had ceased to flow and the bite was over. Another great winter day of sight fishing to tailing and finning redfish and some superb memories with a fine angler and friend.

It's a magical time of year to be on the water, crowds have dispersed, the water is clean and clear and the fish are hungry. Don't hesitate to test your skills on the winter redfish on the Cape Fear Coast. Call to book your adventure or order that gift certificate for the angler on your holiday gift list today.

Merry Christmas,

Captain Seth Vernon

Larry Rushin puts the Heat on some December Redfish

2011-12-09T21:42:00.006-05:00

Repeat angler Larry Rushin and I hit the water this morning with bright blue skies, cold weather and more wind than was forecast...The objective was to get Larry on some shallow water redfish with the long rod and with the wind pushing close to eighteen miles an hour we knew it would be a challenge.

The tide was high, flooding the marsh, when we left the boat ramp but falling at a good clip. Our first challenge would be finding a pond big enough to hold some redfish as they transitioned out of the grass. Being exposed to the wind we opted for the spinning rod and a weedless set up. We quickly located a couple of reds in the grass and had one strike the jerk bait on the third cast of the morning but he didn't stay hooked up.

As the tide fell out Larry and I worked a few creeks sticking a small red on a terrific cast and missing a couple more. The fish that we raised were aggressive and pulled hard but there didn't seem to be a pattern and as the clouds began to move in our sight fishing was coming to a close. As the tide hit dead low we moved out on to the open water flats and found a large school of redfish slowly working the shallows. We moved into position upwind of the school and Larry put a perfect cast on the edge of the school and instantly hooked up to a nice five pound redfish. These fish pulled hard and were very aggressive. Larry brought four more to hand with the spinning rod to finish out the day before the clouds totally obscured our view.

The redfishing has been excellent this winter and with the warm spell predicted for the middle of next week it's only going to get better. Don't miss your opportunity to take advantage of some awesome winter sight fishing on the Cape Fear Coast of North Carolina. Have a Merry Christmas and don't forget to purchase that gift certificate for your favorite angler this season!

Tight Loops & Lines,

Captain Seth Vernon

I've got a Stiffy...but it's broken!

2011-12-08T20:59:00.020-05:00

That was pretty much the gist of a phone call I got the other day. I loaned my "back up" Stiffy Hybrid push pole to friend and fellow angler Colles Stowell upon the arrival of his new Beavertail BT3 Skiff. On what was probably only the third trip on the water in Colles' new skiff my push pole became a casualty of battle. It seems that while loading the boat onto the trailer Colles got the skiff off center and the trailer guide caught the push pole while he was still motoring forward. I bet that made an impressive snap!

After some good natured ribbing from his fishing buddies, Colles called to inform me of the destruction. After surveying the damage I determined the "back up" would lose a few inches but it was salvageable with a Stiffy Ferrule Kit. The following is a step by step of the repair, which Colles performed, while I supervised with a cold PBR in my hand.

The first item is to cut off any of the splintered fragments from the two ends. We chose to use a hacksaw, it's cheap and easy. For one of the sides we had to find out where the ferrule was in the old joint and cut below it so the new ferrule would fit. Using a piece of red electrical tape I was able to mark where the ferrule ended.

With the two ends cut and the rim of each end sanded with some 320 grit sandpaper we needed to sand the interior of the push pole ends to give a texture that the ferrule once epoxied could adhere to. The Stiffy Push Pole Ferrule Kit includes: two west epoxy system kits, two Popsicle sticks for mixing the epoxy as well as one carbon fiber ferrule. It's actually quite genius how well this works and reminds me of the simplicity of a fly rod ferrule. To ensure that the ferrule fits into the two push pole halves equally I like to make a mark at the halfway point of the ferrule with a Sharpie.

Next using the plastic the kit comes in and some cardboard from a spent PBR case it's time to mix the two part West epoxy with one of the sticks. Now apply a thin coat of epoxy on one half of the ferrule before sliding it into the push pole sleeve. It's December here in the Carolinas so in order to get the epoxy to "kick" I had to use a small space heater to get the epoxy working properly. Once the epoxy has begun to cure and I can't twist the ferrule it's okay to coat the other end of the ferrule and slip the other push pole end over and secure it.

So if you ever run into a situation where you loan your push pole out to a friend, and he breaks it... he'll be able to read this blog and fix it before returning it to you and you'll never know the difference!

The winter sight fishing is incredible this season. Don't hesitate to book your adventure on the Cape Fear Coast this year.

Tight Loops & Lines,

Captain Seth Vernon

Tailing Winter Reds and a great day with Hawk and Carl

2011-12-07T05:56:00.008-05:00

I guided anglers Hawk and Carl yesterday to some incredible redfishing. This winter sightfishing for redfish in the shallow water along the Cape Fear Coast has been exceptional this season. Dave Hawkins aka "Hawk" and I have been trying to get back on the water together since last summer and we finally got the opportunity to settle an old score with some nice redfish on the flats with Hawk's fishing buddy Carl.

We got an early morning start and were pleased to find the December temperature at a comfortable 60 F as we motored the skiff onto plane disrupting the mirrored surface of the water. Mornings like this always get my blood pumping with anticipation of what we might find...

A short and comfortable ride later I pulled the throttle back, got my anglers on the bow with their arsenal and ascended the push pole to silently maneuver us into range of some redfish. I had only poled a short distance when I spotted the school in merely seven inches of water about two hundred yards from the starboard side of the bow. There in the shallows, using my push pole to point over Hawk and Carl's shoulder at one o'clock, I coached my team to the school silently finning in the shallows with their backs, dorsal fins and tails protruding from the surface. Occasionally a fish would surge eating a small shrimp or glass minnow and the school would shift and shudder softly in the calm water. As we poled closer I could feel the anticipation of Carl and Hawk on the bow ready with their offerings for the fish and enjoying this rare spectacle. Just twenty more feet and were in range fellas, I offered. As the boat slid ever closer and the dimples and wakes clearly became visible as fins and tails Carl and Hawk let their lures fly quickly to the near edge of the fish. I cannot over exaggerate this point that once my anglers lures were in the water and right as they were about to animate them, the reds were already tight to their lines. INSTABITE. My absolute favorite. We watched the school surge and what appeared to be a modest sized school was clearly over 150 redfish milling quietly in the shallow water.

The reds were fired up and as we pulled on two fish and backed off of the school the three of us were laughing nervously at our rewards. Hawk's fish came loose and as Carl and I concentrated on landing his redfish Hawk kept an eye on the schools position. A few quick photos and we were back on the fish hooking up another double.

It was at this point that my anglers noticed and commented on another spectacle. That of a guide operation, which will remain nameless, shamelessly running his bay boat at a high rate of speed in a foot of water next to a grass bank in an effort to "rodeo" or corral any possible schooling redfish for his sports. My anglers were disappointed and I was embarrassed to see such a lack of respect paid to the fishery. There simply is no need, especially on a slick calm day, to ever use a 250 HP motor and a 2500lb bay boat to stampede a flat to find fish. I Digress! While my anglers were busy catching beautiful wintertime redfish by sightcasting light tackle lures and having a ball we watched this other operator get a spoonful of "skunk" on the bank they finally decided to actually fish. Karma does happen.

We landed several more fish on DOA Jerk baits and Halo Shrimp before the tide quit falling and the fish moved to deeper water. It was a superb way to start the morning and one Hawk and Carl deserved to experience. We moved off of the flats in search of some shallow water fish in the creeks an spent an hour or two working shorelines, oyster beds and micro flats with some sightings of redfish but not a lot of activity, it seems the bite was just about done. We ate lunch and talked about our day, the tactics we were using and the tackle before trying one more location. Carl pulled the first fish out, a nice five pound redfish and after working the area thoroughly, spooking a few more decided that we'd better get moving home. The tally for the day would be around ten or so flats redfish with another four or five that simply spit the hook and none of us would dare complain about that or the stellar warm weather.

It's a beautiful time of year and this season has already proved to be a better winter than last with much milder temps and a near record high of 70 F yesterday. I hope you will find the time this holiday season to get outdoors and or spend some time on the water or in the field with a good friend or family member. The bite is on and I'd love to have any of you on the bow of my skiff this season for some excellent sight fishing for redfish. Don't hesitate to call to book your adventure today.

Tight Loops & Lines,

Captain Seth Vernon

Hot Winter Redfish bite in Wilmington with fly angler Jordan Gussenhoven

2011-12-02T20:56:00.007-05:00

Fly angler extraordinaire Jordan Gussenhoven and I had the opportunity to fish together for the first time in a while today. We've always had fun, caught fish and seen some incredible fishing action and let me just say the dude can double haul... Jordan is very familiar with how exceptional the winter sight fishing for redfish can be here on the Cape Fear Coast and today the bar was set a bit higher.

I've had the opportunity to share a lot of intense low tide tailing and shrimp busting redfish with my anglers all month and while Jordan has taken his own flats boat to Louisiana in pursuit of hot redfishing in the past, he's never witnessed what we experienced today. On our first stop of the morning in a shallow creek we poled silently into view of several large redfish smashing grass shrimp and mud minnows against the mud banks, oyster bars and flats. With a quick acquisition of the first backing redfish Jordan let go with a perfect cast, three strips later and he was tight to the first redfish of the day and his first this December. We managed some high fives, admired the fish for a minute and released the red for another day.

Interestingly while Jordan was fighting his fish we watched several more reds in the distance continue to feed aggressively smashing bait in the shallows. We poled deeper into the marsh to a point I had been seeing a lot of redfish activity on and suddenly it happened. Copper scales appeared above the water line as a redfish nearly beached itself foundering on grass shrimp. I was almost too distracted by what I saw happening to the bait to see what Jordan was in awe of, four tails bristling behind the creepy crawling redfish in the front of the school. Another quick cast of the fly and the redfish struck hard immediately stretching Jordan's fly line. Clearly the high point of the day for each of us was the sight of those tails...

We continued catching fish on the fly and had some amazing encounters staying in fish nonstop for about five hours. In all we easily saw over 150 fish all of which were charged up and many of which had their backs and fins out of the water they were so aggressive. I was so pleased to have guided Jordan on such an extraordinarily beautiful morning on the water. It's a great time to get out and enjoy the winter sight fishing for redfish. Don't let the cold fool you, it's the perfect time of year to be on the water with friends.

I hope to see you on the water this season and invite you to call in sick to work so you can get some bow time before Santa arrives.

Tight Loops & Lines,

Captain Seth Vernon

Cold Weather brings a Hot Redfish Bite for Trout Guide Ollie Smith

2011-12-01T21:46:00.005-05:00

Dawn broke cold this morning on the Cape Fear Coast of NC as guide Ollie Smith and I set out for a little redfishing. Ollie Smith is the freshwater trout fishing guide in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Boone, NC. One of my great mentors and closest friends Ollie and I've had our share of fun on the water. From Boone to Billings MT and just about anywhere in between we've been fortunate to chase everything from redfish to muskie and it's never been dull.

Today would be no different. With winds out of the North and the right tide for some sight fishing we set out. Our first stop proved to be a good choice as we quickly were on a small school of nice fish. On the first cast at the school Ollie scored with a nice seven pound redfish on a small DOA Cal jerk bait. The intent of today was just to get out, score a couple of bites and do a little scouting together like old times.

With a nice reward red in our hands, our first of the year together, we poled some fresh waters leaving the school to rest, no need to pound on fish we knew we could catch and that I would be able to guide on soon. The choice proved perfect as we quickly got into some fish in merely five inches of water busting shrimp and tailing in the shallows. It was an epic scouting mission and proved a great experience as Ollie is rarely at the coast during tailing tide season. So it was a real treat to get to share with him the wonder and joy that is tailing and busting redfish with their backs out of the water. Two reds on the hook later and the wind began to howl and we were off for some coffee and an early breakfast.

It's an amazing time of year to be sight fishing the Cape Fear Coast. Don't hesitate to book your adventure today, Fly or Spin you won't be disappointed.

Tight Loops & Lines,

Captain Seth Vernon

What a Guide means when he says, "You should've been here yesterday..."

2011-11-26T21:17:00.000-05:00

We've all heard it, those of us who fish hard the year round. Your buddy or fishing guide calls you up late one night after an amazing day on the river, flats etc. he's had a few brews and is begging you to come down tomorrow to experience the amazing fishing he just had today. The conversation unfolds something like this, "Dude it was epic today the (insert fish species here) were going off! They were chewing so hard they were cross eyed!" You plead with the wife, bribe the kids, call in sick and in the early dawn light you're off to see the Wizard. Right?!

Some of us arrive at the destination with high hopes only to have them fall short. Pulling up on the stretch of water that was so "epic" yesterday and it looks dead, no fish, no life, nada! Then it happens... your friend says ,"Dude you should've been here yesterday." Gee, no $#*t Sherlock.

Well that didn't happen to us today. Dawn cleared the morning light came shattering through and my anglers and I were met with slick calm waters. These conditions have prevailed most of the last two weeks of this month and the fishing has remained stellar. Guiding Mike and Patrick we found redfish in the grass tailing, in the lagoons pushing, on the flats winking and feeding on the surface and on the low tide making a big mess of the grass shrimp! Truly an epic day, no comments about you should've...yesterday they were... it was better when... NONE OF THAT. Today was the day. IT was going off and even a hack photographer like myself was able to capture it to share with those of you who've yet to see it.

Fishing is full of sights like this, I call them Marty Stouffer moments in honor of the famous wildlife film maker from Mutual of Omaha's Wild America, and we're lucky as sportsmen to get to experience them with friends and fellow anglers alike. I couldn't be more stoked to have had the opportunity to share this with so many of my anglers this month and the highlight would be catching these fish on topwater flies.

The fall/winter sight fishing for redfish is just getting started and it appears we're getting a milder winter than 2009-20010 allowing us to enjoy some amazing winter fly and light tackle fishing for reds and specks. Happy Holidays and don't hesitate to call or email to book your adventure or to get that special angler in your life a gift certificate this season.

Tight Loops & Lines,

Captain Seth Vernon

910.233.4520

Jeff and David Hull seeing RED on the Cape Fear Coast

2011-11-25T20:46:00.000-05:00

I've had the pleasure of guiding Jeff and David several times now and we've had some good fishing out of Bald Head Island where they vacation often. On the Friday after Thanksgiving I picked the fellas up at Bald Head with yet another breathlessly calm day before us.

We started by fishing the mid tide up in the shallow lagoons ambushing fish falling out of the grass flats. It didn't take long and we were dialed in on a school of fish in the six pound range offering Jeff the first shot at a redfish. The first cast landed on the far side of a hot redfish which turned and struck the fly immediately. Jeff failed to strip strike due to the fish's sudden reaction and the fish spit his fly out. A few tense minutes later and we were back on the fish and Jeff got his redemption cast in place and hooked up to a nice redfish, this time setting the hook home perfectly and landing the fish after a short tug of war.

David was up next and we switched things up a bit seeking out a large school of fish in the shallow water bays. It didn't take long to locate the school, over 200 fish altogether, and they were chasing bait on the surface. We struggled to get David within casting range and admittedly when it's slick calm a cast of forty five to fifty feet is the minimum necessary to get the job done. Not accepting defeat we decided to seek out shallower water and the recesses of the marsh.

What we found in the creeks was nothing short of incredible, fish tailing, crawling with their backs out and busting shrimp. While David had numerous shots because of their tight schedule we only got about four hours on the water and as things were heating up fishing wise it was time to get the guys back to their family on the island. We didn't go home empty handed and we had a ton of fun on an extraordinarily beautiful day on the water.

There's so much incredible fishing happening on the Cape Fear Coast right now. The fishing is going to stay excellent through the winter as the redfish school together in large gatherings making for some exceptional shallow water fly and light tackle fishing. Don't hesitate to call to book your adventure today!

Captain Seth Vernon

Local Angler Chris Scerri likes his redfish "gift wrapped"...It is the Holidays

2011-11-22T23:25:00.007-05:00

Angler Chris Scerri and I have been doing some on and off the water work to harness Chris's passion for fly fishing into some lethal skills and techniques. We first met when Chris called me up in late August to schedule a redfishing trip together. Nothing new there. We had the usual conversation; what type of fishing, target species, experience level and when are we going?

We quickly settled on a date and tide that would show Chris the magic that tailing tide redfish have to offer. In ten minutes of poling the flats that day we were in the fish...a tail here a tail there, Chris had no idea we had this kind of fishing in NC. On that day and by Chris's admission it was an eye opening experience for him as a burgeoning fly rodder. We spent a solid four hours on redfish and while Chris didn't boat one that day he was hooked.

Which brings us to today's adventure. We began this trip with a falling tide with the plan being to target redfish as they got more concentrated with the falling water. The first stop we made had been a good one for me earlier in the week, an oyster bar fading to deep water that was holding a school of reds. While we didn't stick one here it was a great opportunity to throw some large topwater flies and search for fish.

One quick move and we were on a huge school of reds numbering at least 250 fish. With the air slick calm these fish had their fins and tails percolating out of the surface of the water in only ten inches of depth. IT was an amazing sight. There is video of this encounter on my Facebook Profile and it does a good job of explaining the scene...

We pursued the school for an hour taking shots and man were they spooky with the lack of wind and clear blue sky overhead. Sidenote: (So many of my fly anglers swear that they would catch fish if the wind wouldn't blow and having been on the poling platform on windless days I know this is false. If you can't cast fifty feet on the windy days there stands to reason your distance skills won't cut it in windless conditions. Here's why, good fly guides will shorten your leader on the windy days and the slight wave chop on the surface provides camouflage for the boat and anglers letting you get closer. Shorter leaders are more accurate and I firmly stand behind the belief that we can get closer than fifty feet on a windy day. On those chamber of commerce windless days where the water and sky mirror one another the fish feel everything, a foot moved while casting, the fly hitting the deck when starting to false cast, a guide gonging the outboard with the push pole by accident and so on. On calm days you need a longer and smaller pound test leader and one helluva cast, say fifty foot sometimes sixty feet. Remember this "The Wind Is Your Friend" to a point obviously...)

So when it proved that Chris simply hadn't had enough time with the long rod in his hand to develop a super long cast aided by a double haul I encouraged him to pick up the spinning rod to achieve the distance needed to reach these calm water fish. And reach them he did landing a nice six pound redfish on a DOA CAL jerk bait. With some new found confidence we put the spinning rod away and got back into pursuing the school with the fly rod. They provided us with a couple more educational encounters and then we decided to give them a rest. I had other plans as the tide was falling and the creeks would be firing off.

We found ourselves pushing several shallow water creeks attaining numerous shots, Chris getting to sight all of his fish and learn their movements and behaviors and in one exceptionally fishy place hook and land a nice redfish on the fly. I sometimes forget that fighting a fish on the fly is dramatically different from fighting one on traditional light tackle so we had time with this fish to use the fly rod to subdue the red employing different rod angles and techniques. But the best line of the day was coined by Chris...As I poled the boat out of the mouth of an exceptionally shallow creek two seven pound redfish came crawling, literally, down the bank with their backs out of the water at a perfect eleven o'clock position only forty feet away. Cautiously we watched them approach, I tensed in anticipation of Chris's cast as the fish closed the distance, 35,30, 28 feet still crawling...Chris began his false cast and somewhere the line got loose in his hands inducing slack and the cast fell apart about the time the redfish noticed us and split for parts unknown. Chris turned nervously smiling back at me and said, "Could you have put a bow on them for me?!" I.e. (that shot was gift wrapped). We had a good laugh, shook it off and reeled in to head home with an amazing day under our belts.

Chris is like so many of my new and passionate fly anglers, full of enthusiasm, the hand eye coordination and athleticism to cast well and the knowledge with each trip to make him a more lethal angler. I love teaching and working with my fly anglers and seeing the "aha" moments whether with a nice cast or a perfect fly placement. If you'd like to try your hand at some exceptionally rewarding and fun sight fishing for redfish this winter season is shaping up to be a phenomenal year. Don't hesitate to book your adventure before the year's end.

Tight Loops & Lines,
Captain Seth Vernon
www.redfishcantjump.com
www.doublehaulguideservice.com

Colorado Trout angler John Shuler finds adventure at Sea Level

2011-11-20T19:00:00.011-05:00

Angler John Shuler from Telluride, CO manages the world famous fly shop Telluride Outside when not trying to get his salt fix. I met John through a mutual friend of ours, Cameron Barker who has been a trout guide with John out west for several years now. I was thrilled to be able to get John on the water for some amazing redfishing this November and we spent two solid days on the water putting a bend in his new Scott S4s 8 weight.

John and his dad, Donald, were on board for both days as we scouted far and wide to hunt down some shallow water sight fishable reds with the fly rod. What we found literally blew my mind. We started our first morning with not a breath of wind, I mean slick calm, and it remained that way for the better part of seven hours. The only draw back was the no see ums were after us so a Buff was helpful in more ways than one. On our first stop with Donald on the bow we worked some pushing redfish in the shallows. Not having had any experience with the larger saltwater tackle Donald simply lacked enough casting experience to reach the fish with the larger fly rods/lines. Note to all my anglers, when you have a saltwater destination planned always practice using the exact type of gear you will be using on your trip, tune up your cast with an instructor if you can and if you have time learn to Double Haul, (this is not a technique you can learn watching hacks on youtube by the way...).

A little disappointment for Donald, some spooked fish and we were lines in and looking for a new batch of fish to wreck. Our next stop was pivotal. Arriving in one of my favorite small creeks during the falling tide we turned the corner with John on the bow and me on the push pole to find a school of about twelve reds pushing the banks of the creek chasing grass shrimp with their HEADS OUT OF THE WATER! It was ridiculous. I quickly tied my signature topwater shrimp fly on for John, a Vernon's Jalapeno Popper, and we poled within range. A perfect thirty foot cast at the school now swimming towards us at twelve o'clock and John put the fly on the dinner plate. It took one strip of the gurgler for a redfish to raise it's head out of the water and assault the fly in a vicious bite, sadly the Colorado trout angling came out...that's right a lift of the fly rod for the hook set instead of a strip strike and the fish came unbuttoned. Aaaargh! The fly was still on the surface so John stripped it again and BAM another fish eats, same response, John lifted the rod and the fish came off. (Insert nervous laughter) Not many anglers understand this seeing a fish smash a fly the impulse is to lift up with the rod tip and with saltwater fish, especially reds, the correct response is a slightly harder and longer strip or "strip strike" which helps the fly find a purchase point in the meat of the fish's mouth.

We changed flies, went to a subsurface shrimp fly, my hands shaking tying the knot, and on the next fish John sank the hook in with a perfect strip strike, he wasn't going to make the same mistake this time... John fought the fish well to boat side and we did the obligatory grip and grins on his first redfish on the fly. I was proud as hell. This scene played out with both anglers on the bow throughout the morning and Donald hooked but sadly didn't land his first redfish on the fly that day. There was a lot of cutting up, discussions about the fish, behaviours and techniques for casting , stripping and playing fish.

Day two dawned with a little bit of wind but not much sun shine and as predicted we thought for certain we'd blown all our luck with the amazing day we'd experienced before. Not so. On our first stop John made an excellent cast and strip strike on a school of redfish and brought a ten pounder to the boat. Not a bad start! Later Donald hooked a nice fish on spinning tackle that broke us off on the oysters and we had a lot of great fly shots and landed some nice fish on the fly with John.

The fall fishing has been spectacular and it was a nice treat for me to get to fish with the Shuler gang as we have so much in common with friends and the fishing profession. John I wish you the best this winter and will often think about the sight of those reds smashing shrimp on the surface in that creek with you. I can't wait to do it again. Be sure to tell all the fellas at the shop that there's plenty of adventure to be had at Sea Level!

Tight Loops & Lines,

Captain Seth Vernon

This Weeks Tip: Rigging up a New Fly Line

2011-11-18T21:10:00.016-05:00

I've always maintained the belief and many of my anglers have heard me say, "the fish have all of the advantages", which is why I will go to extreme lengths to swing those odds back in our favor. I also believe it gives me an edge over my competition and I enjoy the constant pursuit of perfection in technique and tackle to balance those scales.

This week's tip is important because we're starting with the tackle at it's most basic level, the foundation. Rigging a new fly line should have one basic idea behind it, to hold fast! Now most of us don't have access to fancy line winding machines like the tackle shops so I opt for the white trash version. If you have a cordless drill and a spare plastic fly line spool as well as a bolt long enough to fit through the spool and reach the drill's chuck you're in business. Now wrap your leader around the spare spool and while holding the rod handle and the cordless drill you can unspool the fly reel with one squeeze of the drill trigger.

For me a good connection to the fly line begins at the backing. I prefer a Bimini twist at the terminating end of my backing which when paired to a looped fly line butt section allows for a quick change of fly lines as well as a strong connection. (When I tie my Bimini in the backing I double the line over twice before I begin, it makes the knot stronger than if you were to tie a double surgeons knot in the final loops).

Next I like to tie my own loop into the butt section of the fly line as I've witnessed the welded factory loops fail or tear. I begin with some 20lb tippet, preferably of small diameter so the knots are not too bulky and will slide through the rod guides if you're lucky enough to have a fish burn to the backing, to make my knots in my fly line loop. I recommend 20lb. for line weights up to nine weight as most of the cores on modern fly lines won't test above 20lb in break testing. In the larger tarpon, tuna and giant trevally lines however the lines might break closer to 50lbs in which case your rod will be the weak link and explode! Remember your tippet is the weakest length, we want our knots to hold and matching the lines break strength is a good starting point. The premise is simple and is known as a speed Nail knot. I like to use a nail knot tool for this. Simply put a loop in the fly line and insert it looped end first into the nail knot cradle. Using the 20lb tippet make seven to eight wraps on the nail knot tool over the loop pulling the mono tag back through the knot. Now very carefully pinch the now formed nail knot and fly line with one hand and pull the nail knot tool out of the attachment. Quickly seat the knot by pulling on the opposing ends simultaneously. Repeat this step again forming two nail knots in the fly line loop and you'll have twice the holding power. This will insure you'll never have to worry about one of the knots failing and you'll always have the second knot for insurance.

The next step is easy as you clean up the tag ends and loop the two ends together pulling tightly to secure them. The final step is a twist on the nail knot known as the Albright Knot and finishes off the terminal end of the fly line nicely. In this case I am rigging up a sink tip fly line for fall spotted sea trout fishing. I've chosen a thicker diameter 20lb tippet for this task as I want the interim connection between the fly line and leader to have a smooth power transition when casting. This can be achieved by making certain that butt section of your leader material is approximately 2/3 the diameter of the fly line allowing for smooth power transfer. Tying the Albright is much the same as the nail knot with one major exception, while still using the nail knot tool I make a loop in the fly line and when I place the tippet material in position to form the nail knot I make certain to get the tippet in between the tag and running end of the fly line before I begin my wraps. This forms the Albright knot. Once I've trimmed the tag ends and seated the Albright it's time to put a loop in the terminal end of the tippet material, approx four to six inches in length. Here I use a Perfection Loop which allows the secure and simple removal of any size leader with a Perfection Loop in it to be joined Loop to Loop in the same manner as the backing and fly line.

Next when stringing up the new fly line on the rod instead of grasping the fine and often transparent and small diameter leader I recommend folding the fly line over one time, not only is this easier to grasp it's usually a high visibility color making it easier to string up the rod without missing a guide, which is kind of embarrassing by the way... Because most of us use nine foot rods it's impossible to string the rod up and hold the rod at the same time. So when I set my reel down on the ground to keep from scratching the reel up in the dirt or gravel I simply place my baseball cap down and put the reel inside this. $400 Nautilus reel vs. $12 Scott fly rod hat, you do the common sense on this one.

Last when I attach the fly I use a Duncan Loop which takes about 4 to 6lbs of pressure to seat and when formed properly has a 98% break strength in fluorocarbon. I also like the flies' ability to more freely articulate on the loop knot, again giving us the anglers another edge in our angling trade.

I hope this is insightful and helpful and gives you at least a simple and effective proven method for rigging a new fly line onto your reel in a fast and fail safe way. While not the only way to rig up your fly line it's certainly my preferred method for keeping my fly line securely fastened to the fly reel.

Tight Loops & Lines,

Captain Seth Vernon

www.doublehaulguideservice.com

Gordon Wallace hunts for Gator Trout in Wrightsville Beach, NC

2011-11-14T22:33:00.001-05:00

I picked Gordon up an hour before sunrise today at Figure Eight Island so we could do a little pre dawn trout fishing. Gordon was splitting his day fishing with me in the morning and getting to work before mid day. In the fall with trout fishing really firing off and when pursuing big trout it's hard to beat an early morning start.

We began fishing at Mason's Inlet throwing shad tailed DOA jigs at a rip formed on a grass line and Gordon instantly had a hook up. With the first few trout coming in rather small we changed shad colors a few times looking to find a color that a gator trout would eat. NO dice, still in the small trout with about six fish landed and a couple of bluefish thrown in or robbing our soft plastics we decided to move a few feet. Within a few minutes Gordon was hooked up again this time to a substantial fish. While landing the fish the sun was peaking over the horizon to greet us.

Several more fish in the smaller class kept us interested until the bluefish moved in and it was time to find some new water. So we reeled in and headed south.

Fishing in Banks Channel we got onto a hot trout bite as the tide began to rise. With the water a little off color we rigged up some pink jerk baits and quickly got down to business with trout from 14 to 20 inches biting. While fishing near a guide friend of mine we watched him land a 23" trout on spinning tackle and release it! It was AWESOME.

Thanks Gordon for making a little time in your day to let me take you trout fishing. I hope we get to do it again soon.

The trout and redfishing this fall has been nothing short of phenomenal. Don't hesitate to call to book your adventure or to purchase a gift certificate for the angler on your holiday gift list!

Captain Seth Vernon

910.233.4520

Wright Boys Redfish Redemption in Wilmington, NC

2011-11-13T22:35:00.007-05:00

Sunday was an exceptionally beautiful day to be on the water chasing redfish on the Cape Fear Coast of NC. I had the pleasure of the Wright boys again as anglers and we were all eager to get on the water to see what the day held.

In no time Jamie was on the bow searching for tailers with me poling through the grass, it didn't take long and we had a fish eagerly moving deep into the flooded grass. We pursued the fish for several minutes but lost him somewhere in the thicker grass. We quickly turned our attention to some shallow water sight fishing in the salt lagoons and were quickly rewarded with shot after fly shot at fish. Jamie being new to fly rodding in the salt did a great job of keeping focus and didn't give up on me which was great. We had exceptional conditions with no wind and good sunlight on a perfect tide.

I kept us on the move from pond to pond, shot for shot at redfish and watched with baited breath as we came ever so close to getting Jamie his first redfish on the fly. After lunch Jack got on the bow with a jerk bait as we entered a shallow creek. At first I could hear the reds busting bait and shrimp in the shallows and as we rounded the first corner we began to see reds tearing up bait some of them with their backs out of the water. It took us a minute to find our mojo but once we began working together Jack dialed in on the reds quickly bringing two to hand in no time.

Jamie got back on the bow and survived some frustrating moments as he sight casted to a school of fish in five inches of water hooking three and losing each to too soft a hook set. We've all had our share of hard knocks fishing and Jamie was simply paying his dues today. The highlight had to be watching his son Jack wreck some redfish I know it certainly was for me.

The fall fishing has been exceptional and I hope to have some of you readers on the bow of my skiff for an adventure soon. Don't hesitate to call to inquire about the fishing, book a trip or to purchase a gift certificate for that special fishermen in your holiday shopping!

Tight Loops & Lines,

Captain Seth Vernon

Chasing Trout on the Fly with Austin Barnhill

2011-11-12T21:28:00.008-05:00

I met Austin Barnhill this morning over at Atlantic Marine after the first real cold front of the year passed through. The battle plan was to get on a hot spotted sea trout bite on the fly. Austin and I hadn't had the opportunity to fish in quite a while so we had some catching up to do. Since he hadn't fished since spring time on the Roanoke for stripers we were both amped up for a good adventure.

The first creek we stopped in on the falling tide produced three or four trout on the fly in as many casts with Austin's eight weight. He had an exceptionally good sink tip loaded on the rod, custom 10 lb. flourocarbon leader tied by yours truly and a small chartreuse Weber's Rattle Shrimp tied onto the business in. I had to sharpen the mustad hook as this particular production fly never comes presharpened... We cast a little while longer even changing positions with the boat when our bite suddenly stopped leaving me wondering what happened and eventually moving locations.

We moved into deeper water, shallower water, swifter water and calmer water and for a good hour and a half Austin worked the fly meticulously through several strike zones but nothing was biting. Not to be too discouraged we chatted up our fellow trout fishermen that we encountered and nobody, not even the bait guys were having much success for the time being.

After several frustrating moves and watching Austin bang out some nice casts we moved to the inlet and set up on the edge of a creek with a nice eddy forming in the back of a carved out grass bank. Here we began to put some numbers on the board, while we never broke the 14 inch line the action was consistent on trout with a few small bluefish thrown in for good measure. What I found really surprising was that Austin was catching more fish than the bait and artificial anglers on either side of us, guess the trout got choosy today. Austin and I fished for over an hour, ate a quick lunch, fished some more and decided to move once we'd had our fill of aggressive and beautiful cookie cutter fish.

Our last move of the day was a wise one. Fishing in my home creek as the last bit of the falling tide receeded Austin picked up several more fish in the 12-13 inch range. We switched over to my Scott S3S 907 with intermediate line in the shallow water and Austin wasn't ten casts into a rythym when WHAM! A solid hit, this fish was different and then we sighted him a strong three and a quarter pound spotted sea trout was tight to his fly line. Over several tense moments with me leadering the trout and just knowing it was going to shake the hook we finally landed it for some photos. Austin carefully handled the fish for some grip and grins and we admired the largest trout of our day. With a couple more casts and two more seatrout on we reeled in, shook hands and stowed our rods for the day.

The spotted sea trout and redfish are hungry this fall, don't miss your opportunity to fish the waters of the Cape Fear Coast this season. Call to book your adventure today 910.233.4520

Captain Seth Vernon

Two Anglers, Two Firsts one killer day on the water...

2011-11-11T09:28:00.008-05:00

Earlier this season I guided anglers Todd Bramwell and Jon Manzo, two good friends and fly nuts, on seperate trips. Todd and I fished with his brother in law Rob chasing redfish and Jon and I fished a really diverse weather day and had a tough late summer trip but made the most of it. Sadly both of these fellas are hardcore fly guys and neither early season trip was really conducive to good fly rodding due to weather. So we made plans to take our revenge later this fall and as it turns out we made a great call.

The tide surrounding this late fall full moon were primed for tailing redfish in the grass and while it is late to be chasing tailers we really couldn't pass up the opportunity to get after these fish due to the great tide and weather forecast. Dawn had us ripping across the water in the skiff in search of a rising tide and some flooded spartina grass.

We arrived at the first flat in perfect time to ascend into the flooded grass with me on the pushpole and Todd manning the casting deck, fly rod in hand. We spotted the first tailer in minutes rooting out a crab in some dense grasses. Several tense moments passed as we closed the distance only to have this fish disappear without a trace. Little did we know this was going to be a theme for tailers... After several more attempts on active tailing fish Todd finally got a good shot only to have his fly catch on his fly line during the false casts and rob him of a chance to cast to an aggressively tailing redfish.

Thus it was Jon's turn on the bow and we switched flats to offer him some new fish to cast to. With Jon on the bow and me on the poling platform Todd stood on the Yeti in the cockpit and helped spot fish tails for Jon. Todd was on point and easily spotted five different tailers aiding us in getting Jon into shot range of a redfish. Again we had several shots, lined a few and had many fish that simply were too sensitive to let us get close. Ultimately the fish tailed really well and the conditions couldn't have been better but a little buck fever and the fact that it was the first time the guys had chased tailers contributed to their lack of success.

Once the tide receded from the grass it was time for us to slide into the lagoons and creeks in ambush mode. It was here that we began to get our revenge after two tough trips this past summer. Todd was back on deck and while we encountered a lot of fish and had some really good shots at laid up reds unfortunately the fish "made" us before we got the drop on them.

Switching gears again we sought out one of my favorite fall creeks and there we found the best shots at clear shallow water reds of the day. Jon was back on the bow and after a few encounters, picked out a fat redfish in merely inches of water and put the fly on him. We all watched breathlessly as the fish turned, elevated and sucked the fly in only twenty feet from the boat, epic BITE! Jon's first redfish on the fly was in the bag.

Working further into the creek we saw the entire creek surge as a school of reds accelerated pushing a wall of bait into the back of the creek. It was Todd's turn on the bow and this time he was ready. Once I caught up to the school Todd made a great cast to a school of fish and we watched as the redfish he picked out charged his fly. Fish ON two anglers with two firsts in less than thirty minutes. Some high fives and a few photos later we were headed home with a great day under our belts having fished a full falling tide.

Thanks guys for being tenacious and for bringing great attitudes to the game, I enjoyed our day immensely and can't wait to do it again.

Till next Tide,

Captain Seth Vernon

Sear Wins Cape Fear Red Trout Tourny Fly Division

2011-10-27T13:20:00.000-04:00

Congratulations to Richard Sear and co angler Nathan Edwards, on the Cape Fear Red Trout Fly Division Tournament win. It was an honor to fish with you two for the third year in a row. Here's to defending the fly title two years running.

The tournament which raises money for Cystic Fibrosis is a part of the Red Bone series of Tournaments hailing out of the Florida Keys and founded by Capt Gary and Susan Ellis. I would like to thank all of our participants and my fellow esteemed Captains on an amazing tournament and for their unending support of this great tournament and to help Catch the Cure for Cystic Fibrosis.

Nathan Edwards and Colles Stowell catch Wrightsville Trout/Reds

2011-10-20T15:26:00.007-04:00

Fall is definitely here as we begin prefishing for the upcoming Cape Fear Celebrity Classic tournament. Main objective: Catch as many trout and redfish as you can in an eight hour day, do it in style and win the fly division...

Today anglers and friends Nathan Edwards and Colles Stowell were on board as we targeted mostly trout and some local redfish. The Wrightsville Beach area Trout fishing has been stellar this early fall season. I'm currently seeing fish of a size and quality that were in truth missing from last year's class or stock of trout.

There are some really large trout biting right now and my favorite lures for enticing them are the Rapala Xrap in White or Hot Pink when the water is dirty as well as Saltwater Assassins in salt/pepper chartreuse tail as well as opening night and opening night with a chartreuse tail. When the water's off color the DOA CAL baits in Pink are doing great too. I've been fishing 3/8 oz heads on big tides and high water and 1/4 oz heads on low or weaker tides. Another favorite this year is the Halo Shrimp clear with silver flake in 1/2 oz fished slow on the bottom. Alot of our strikes are happening on the fall and two nice trout that we caught today hit the xrap when it landed and before it was "twitched". As for flies, any clouser with medium weight eyes with these color themes, pink/green, purple/pearl, lavender/pearl or pearl and clear are doing really well. I'm using synthetics for my "hair" these days and most of my trout flies would resemble an albaclouser this time of year.

If you're thinking of putting together a trout trip this season don't hesitate. Fishing has been good and the action fairly consistent. It's going to be a great fall season, time to break out the gloves, put some light leader on the rods for trout and get the action started.

Tight Loops & Lines,

Captain Seth Vernon

Jamie and Jack bring the Wright Stuff

2011-10-19T21:40:00.004-04:00

I'm often rewarded with the opportunity to guide father and son duos. Today would be no exception. On a cool October morning with a flood tide upon us I met Jamie and Jack Wright for their first redfish adventure. Little did we know how exciting and memorable this trip would be for all of us.

No it was no "three hour tour", we were blessed with moderate winds, ample tidal surge to push the tailing redfish up into the flooded spartina grasses and hungry and happy redfish ready to stretch our fishing line. This would be a father and son first of sorts and we were celebrating Jack's thirteenth birthday to boot so we I felt it was necessary to step up my game a bit to make certain we had a great day on the water.

Jack's hard won redfish

knew it was going to be a challenge getting young Jack casting accurately enough to enjoy sight fishing for redfish without frustrating him to death so we began slowly making each approach to a tailing redfish very deliberate and careful.

After some tense moments of spotting a tail only to lose the fish to it's own inactivity in the grass I caught a glimpse of a redfish out of the corner of my eye. Slowly I communicated to Jack armed with a spinning rod and a secret soft plastic of mine...to the fish's location in the grass. At first Jack thought I had him casting at a rock as the fish lay motionless on the edge of the grass with just the tip of it's tail sticking out of the water not twenty feet from the bow. Now in Jack's defense the wind was directly in his face, his knees were shaking and he was about to make his first cast to a sightable shallow water redfish! None of us knew nor would I have beleived the fish would lay motionless for seven or eight agonizingly tense casts of the lure before Jack got the critter in front of the fish. Once in the strike zone the redfish made no hesitation to consume Jack's offering and he was quickly rewarded with the "tug" of his first redfish ever.

Not to be outdone dad Jamie took the bow having seen firsthand how tough it is to earn ones stripes on a tailing redfish and ready to taste the rewards himself. After several encounters a few spooked fish and a couple of missed opportunities Jamie got his redemption and landed two nice redfish.

We finished the morning session with Jack and Jamie getting a little instruction on the fly and sighting some more tailers together before calling it a very successful trip and looking forward to getting out on the water together for another adventure.
Congratulations fellas, you're bona fide redfishermen now and I can't wait to get together and try to get a few on the fly with you soon!

Captain Seth Vernon~
http://www.redfishcantjump.com/
www.doublehaulguideservice.~~com~~

Carlton Howard takes his first shot at NC tailers

2011-09-10T19:14:00.004-04:00

It was a beautiful September day when Carlton Howard and I met for the first time to fish together on the Cape Fear Coast. A veteran with a fly rod Carlton has survived an affection for peackock bass, largemouths and redfish for several years. Having spent a fair amount of time pursuing redfish in the marshes of Southern Louisiana for several years he decided it was time to give the Ole North State a try and I think he's glad he did...

This being our inaugural trip together I wanted it to be a good one and we wisely chose a tide with enough swing throughout the day to provide us with optimal low tide as well as high tide fishing through the course of an eight hour day. While wind proved a formidable opponent to our desires during the low tide we did find several redfish albeit in close courters and often leaving the two of us feeling as though we were caught with our pants down.

Not to be dismayed we pushed on chasing redfish with Carlton's trusty 6 weight in search of some tailing reds on the incoming tide. We hit paydirt in the eleventh hour of our trip, literally. Once Carlton was up to speed on where and what to look for regarding tails sticking out of the grass while the redfish fed on crabs he was dialed in tight. It took a while to get him comfortable with casting so very close to these fish but in the fading sunset glow and under the light of the moon it all came together in two magic moments as Carlton went two for two on a pair of beautiful Carolina tailing redfish.

Congrats on your success Carlton, can't wait to do it again soon!

Captain Seth Vernon

Tom Westbroook wrangles his first Cape Fear Coast tailing redfish

2011-09-02T20:41:00.000-04:00

Tom Westbrook and I had not met before fishing together today however having several mutual friends including world famous trout Sherpa Ollie Smith of Blue Ridge Anglers made it feel like we had been fishing together for years. We met early in order to take advantage of a morning flood tide fishing for tailing redfish in the spartina grass.

We began our fishing excursion on one of my favorite flats with Tom wielding a topwater spinning outfit which in a short span of time yeilded a nice topwater bite and a sizable redfish on the end of his line. It was the perfect way to start the morning. To state that we had a truly epic morning of fishing would be appropriate as we had so many incredible sightings of tailers and shots with the fly rod. An experienced saltwater angler, Tom made a spot on observation that I've stated for many of my sportsmen. Tom has spent some miles in a pair of flats boots in pursuit of bonefish and caught some nice bones in his travels. He admitted that the challenge of catching a tailing redfish in the spartina is harder than pursuing bones in most of the situations he's encountered. While I've caught my share of bones and agree I think the major difference is simply put, bonefish live in a mostly sterile sandy environment and therefore can be more aggressive if the presentation is accurate. Redfish in the spartina require the right fly in the right place and are super spooky not to mention the waters they reside in are super fertile with lots of food to choose from. I often feel like telling my anglers ahead of time Warning: THESE ARE NOT LOUISIANA REDFISH...

Tom and I had a great time and due to the number of shots we were able to start a dialog about where shots should be placed for certain scenarios and how to make different casts to different fish. It was a steep learning curve and Tom soaked it all up like a pro. We were rewarded on one of the last flats of the tide when I spotted a fish at nine o'clock fairly close to the boat and Tom made a picture perfect cast to the red who promptly pounced on the fly and straightened some fly line.

On the ride home we were treated to an aerial display by our nation's symbol, pretty great day at the office all in all...

There's a lot of great fishing opportunities here on the Cape Fear Coast whether you spin or fly fish, don't hesitate to book your adventure today!

Captain Seth Vernon

Dr. Will Ryan pursues Tailing Redfish on the Cape Fear Coast

2011-08-15T20:54:00.005-04:00

Summer is in full swing here along the Cape Fear Coast and the redfishing is red hot. I guided angler Dr. Will Ryan, a fellow Texan, to some tailing redfish today and man was it a beautiful morning. On my way to pick Will up dockside I took the opportunity to photograph some of our resident Terns, who happen to be some of the most acrobatic pilots in our skies.

There are few sights equal to the thrill of chasing any tailing fish; be they permit, bonefish or redfish. While numerous species of fish tail and "back" in the shallows our redfish on the Carolina Coast offer a unique challenge full of immense rewards. Because most of the tailing redfish opportunities for us occur on high tides we are pursuing these redfish in hte flooded spartina grass. Casting a fly into what looks like a flooded lawn presents its own potential hazards, namely getting the fly into the strike zone and keeping it weedless so that the fly doesn't foul in the grass when stripped. I tend to prefer flies with heavy barbell eyes ensuring the fly will penetrate the thick grass and stout monofilament weedguards.

Fishing with Will we found a large number of fat and happy redfish tailing in the marsh providing us a full tide phase to enjoy casting and sight fishing these redfish. Will did great for his first time pursuing these reds, it offers challenges including not only distance but speed of shot and accuracy as well. With great weather we enjoyed several shots through the tide and landed Will's first "tailing" redfish on the fly.

A great day on so many levels I always look forward to our summer fishery and the calm weather and excellent redfishing. If you're looking for an adventure this summer don't hesitate to call to arrange your trip today.

Tight Loops & Lines,

Captain Seth Vernon

Raiford Trask pursues Tailing Reds of June

2011-06-14T08:08:00.007-04:00

Yesterday I fished with friend and fly angler Raiford Trask in the flooded spartina grass for tailing redfish. While the other half of the fishing world in the Carolinas is focused on the Big Rock Blue Marlin tournament, crowding the docks, sharpening kill gaffs, rigging baits and inhaling diesel smoke, Raiford and I were quietly poling the flooded grasses for feeding redfish with literally not a soul in sight... Other than the occasional squawk of an Ibis or Great Egret the only sounds were of the push pole foot gently swishing in and out of the water and our light conversation as we hunted tails waving above the water line.

I'll update more about this trip when I have more time... until then enjoy the photos...Until then the Cape Fear Coast Redfishing is red hot. Let's get your adventure started today.

Tight Loops & Lines,

Captain Seth Vernon

Glenn Wilson tests new Scott 808/4

2011-06-08T20:39:00.002-04:00

As I sit here this morning going through some photos and thinking about this afternoons charter I can't help but be grateful to live and work here in coastal NC. We have a lot of opportunities for angling and outdoor pursuits and it always amazes me how much there is to do here along the Cape Fear Coast.

On Tuesday my good friend Glenn Wilson and owner of Glenn's Tattoo Service in downtown Wilmington and Carborro, NC accompanied me in search of some shallow water redfish. Glenn is a new father to a beautiful little girl and needless to say has not had a lot of time on the water in the wake of all the new changes in his life. Glenn is a passionate fly angler and I knew we'd have a great time checking out some new and old haunts in our search for reds.

The first area we searched we hit pay dirt. We had redfish eating shrimp off of the surface and making a big commotion. When the reds weren't pushing bait on the surface we could see them through the glare their white belly scales winking as they rolled on their sides and fed subsurface. I guesstimated the school at 150 fish all in the upper slot towards 27" and beyond. Glenn had picked up my brand new never been fished Scott 808/4 for the occasion and quickly put it to good use. We were both surprised at how quick a cast could be made with this shorter rod and it loads sharply and smoothly in the tip. An interesting rod design Glenn noted it cast like a fast 8 weight but handled the fish during the fight more like a 7 weight.

We stayed in pursuit of the school while taking fly shots until we got the right "feed angle" to make some magic putting Glenn tight to a nice Cape Fear Coast redfish in no time. I think you will agree from the grin on his face he was having a blast.

The sight fishing here on the Cape Fear Coast is in full swing and Father's Day is around the corner! Don't wait to book your adventure this season.

Tight Loops & Lines,

Capt. Seth Vernon~

2011 June Fishing Update

2011-06-03T17:26:00.009-04:00

Okay I've admittedly been a bad blogger. This page started to become a "fishing reports page" and while there's nothing wrong with that I'd like to bring you something more than fish porn and an update to the days fishing.

With that being said the fishing along the Cape Fear Coast and Wrightsville Beach has been excellent this spring and I'm earnestly looking forward to this summer season.

Since my last post a lot has happened. Namely I got very busy promoting and working with the crew on Redfish Can't Jump, the premieres, visiting Raleigh to meet with our legislators to discuss gamefish status and more. My anglers for the Cape Fear Red Trout won the fly division and were featured on ESPN Saltwater Series, I had my first article in Grays Sporting Journal about rails and redfish and Francesca and I found and fell in love with Sanibel Island in Florida. I've had the opportunity to fish with some longtime anglers and friends, lost some friends and family and met some amazing new folks along the way. This winter with the help of Beau Johnson at Johnson Custom Boats I was able to refinish the bottom of my 2007 Beavertail Skiff which has allowed all of us to enjoy a lot of adventures on the water over the years. In the spring Francesca and I learned that we were going to become parents, I spent ten days in the Glades/Keys chasing tarpon while living on a houseboat in the backcountry, celebrated a birthday, #32 and I shot my first coastal Eastern Gobbler with friend Capt. Allen Cain. It's been a good start for 2011.

I've been inspired, rewarded, rejected and all out amazed by all the wonder our little slice of heaven here on the coast has to offer and I hope to do a better job at offering you an insight into these things over the coming season.

In the meantime I hope you get outdoors, do some fishing, camping or just spend a day with friends outside. We have a lot to be grateful for in spite of all the bad news on the boob tube and I look forward to seeing you on the water or on the bow of my skiff this season.

Tight Loops & Lines,

Captain Seth Vernon~

Skip Lovejoy Catches Topsail Redfish on Fly

2010-06-16T22:26:00.003-04:00

Skip Lovejoy and I met early this morning to pursue some shallow water reds armed with fly rods and spinning tackle rigged with topwater plugs. Ken, Skip's brother in law from SC joined us for some serious good times and great fishing conditions.

Near record heat conditions had us drinking lots of water and making several runs in the skiff in between bites to keep cool. Skip was up at bat first and scored with a nice six pound redfish on the fly and had several more encounters with the school before rising water scattered the school and we made our next move.

We tried several locations through the day with near success and misses until late in the fourth quarter while fishing topwaters to a school when Ken landed a beast of a fish measuring 34 inches and weighing in at over 13 lbs. The fish was tagged! I called in the tag to DMF later that day and they issued me a baseball cap for participating in their study program. Ken was elated at his catch, Skip had caught his first redfish on fly and we landed a great tagged fish which was of course released to continue the study.

It's a great time of year to be on the water and the fishing is hot. Don't miss your opportunity to book a trip and have your own adventure this season.

Capt. Seth Vernon~

Adam Pilsbury Wrangles Reds on Fly along NC Coast

2010-06-14T22:18:00.002-04:00

Angler Adam Pilsbury and I had the opportunity to chase some reds on the fly today with his twin boys in tow; Sam and Jake. Great kids, we had a blast fishing one of the sons and then the other.

The fishing was challenging, hot and humid and a good band of scattered clouds making spotting fish difficult at times. Nonetheless Adam got right to work with the fly rod catching a nice redfish on a Scott x2s seven weight matched with a Mighty Minnow fly.

I had a great time fishing with Adam and his sons and can't wait to get you guys back on the water next season.

Capt. Seth Vernon~

Two half day trips and angler success...

2010-06-12T22:01:00.004-04:00

Fishing two half days is no small feat for professional fishing guides. It offers a lot of challenges some risk and a lot of rewards. Today I had the opportunity to guide anglers John and Lyles Webster out of Figure Eight island for some reds on fly/spin. We had a blast. John has fished with me a lot and we've had some awesome adventures. Today was no exception. John was throwing a fly and brother Lyles was backing him up on spinning tackle.

We found a large school of happy reds in clear shallow water feeding on topwater shrimp in a quiet backbay creek. Lyles hooked up after John put one to the boat on fly but we couldn't keep his fish hooked and were running out of time as the school got less patient with us. The trials of only having four hours to fish....The clock wins a few.

Later in the afternoon I guided friends Jordan Gussenhoven and Amy Ponton to some reds on topwater and we hunted tailers. The wind kept the tailers at bay and we only saw a few that evening. All in all a busy sun up to sundown experience for me during one of my favorite seasons on the Cape Fear Coast. Stay tuned for more fishing and fun in the sun on the NC Coast.

Capt. Seth Vernon

Dempster Duo tangles with Red Drum

2010-06-08T19:09:00.005-04:00

I had a great adventure with the father and son duo of Bo and Jack Dempster. Our goal was to locate and fish over a large school of shallow water redfish in the backcountry marshes of Masonboro Sound during a falling tide.

After picking the guys up at Figure Eight we headed North to an early morning high falling tide lagoon that had been loaded with redfish. I had loaded us up with some of the prettiest pogies (menhaden) I could find and we had at least 100 live baits creating their own vortex in the live well...

Upon arriving at our chosen lagoon we could see a school of over 150 redfish pushing and winking in the shallow water. In order to get close to them we were going to have to pole quietly above them and get the sun behind us so we couls sight fish the school. Using popping corks and 3/0 circle hooks with the pogies rigged right behind the back Jack and Bo began casting their rigs to the edges of the school. Four hours later, a lot of laughs and some very interesting bites we had landed 12 hooked 15 and the guys fought two doubles side by side. Jack caught his biggest fish ever and then beat that record again and again. It was one of those extremely perfect shallow water redfish days.

I had a great time with you two, Jack you're going to be one heck of an angler and I can't wait to do it again.

Regards,

Captain Seth Vernon