The Force is Strong: Turneffe Island Edition

While we were out chasing"trash fish" like Permit, Tarpon, and Bones in Belize (more on that later), @FlyfishMagazine's newest correspondent, Kevin Ladd, decided to reel in a Wahoo which fed the entire resort.  When he isn't busy catching bigger fish than us in Belize, Kevin's other hobby is sight fishing for massive Cobia in the Chesapeake Bay.  

Don't worry though, both Kevin and I caught our share of the grey ghosts on the fly as well. Look for more details about fly fishing Belize and our take on Turneffe Island Resort in the near future.   

Found: A Passion for Tarpon: Andy Mill

The postman left something pretty nice on the doorstep of the FlyfishMagazine.com compound this past week, a review copy of Andy Mill's thirty year in the making book, "A Passion for Tarpon." published by Wild River Press, this book is an enormous compendium of man's hunt for big game in warm tropical water. I haven't read it yet (the sheer size will preclude it from going with me on my travels next week) but a thumb through reveals beautiful photography and the promise of some great stories. More later!

News: Fluke Sashimi = hot water for boat Captains

Two Montauk based party boat Captains were issued 53 citations (and not the good kind of citations) for " assisting party boat passengers to illegally catch and consume fluke

Via The North Country Gazette:

On Aug. 9, four plainsclothes officers (two per vessel) boarded the boats and documented that customers were filleting fluke on board, failing to keep fluke racks, keeping undersized fluke and keeping over the limit fluke. Officers observed customers eating raw fillets while the trip was ongoing — and that they were being advised by vessel personnel to dispose of undersized fish and to hide illegal fillets.

A total of 53 summons were issued, including tickets to the mates and captains of each vessel. All charges are violations and carry a penalty of up to $250 per violation. More than 60 fluke were seized as part of the investigation.

Carolina Saltwater Fish Catch Improves

The Charlotte Observer is reporting that a decline in commercial fishing has led to better catch rates for recreational anglers.

For recreational anglers, however, 2007 was a productive year. They averaged 4.997 fish per trip, based on surveys by the N.C. Division of Marine Fisheries. That's the best year since 1994, when they averaged 5.155 fish. The average results from dividing the number of trips into fish caught (those kept plus those released).

The real winner is the sporting angler who targets the not so elusive "Bluegill of the Sea" otherwise known as Spot.

The 2007 fish-per-trip average was skewed upward by catches of spot, the bluegills of the ocean. Doug Mumford, who manages recreational fishing surveys for the division, said spot accounted for 16percent of total fish. Nonetheless, he said, “we're seeing improved catches on a lot of species.” The harvest of spot hit more than 5million fish during three of the past four years, highest in 13 years.

NC Magazine Cuts Staff

Even North Carolina Magazines are feeling the effects of the slow economic times. The Raleigh News and Observer reports that North Carolina Sportsman Magazine is cutting back.

"It's the turn in the economy," said Ty Conti, publisher of the magazine. "The magazine is selling less advertising, just like any other publication. We're just reducing our force right now."

"Boat dealers, which are our staple, if they're not selling boats, they're not buying ads," Conti said.

Check out the current issue North Carolina Sportsman here.

Road Trip: Saltwater Weekend

One thing I know for sure, when FlyfishMagazine.com's saltwater guru, Capt. Gordon Churchill calls us up, and says get your hindparts to the coast for some fishing this weekend we do as we are told. This is especially so when he throws around terms like "wearing them out", and "10 weight in case the Albies show up." Let's just hope it goes better for me than the trip pictured above did.

New North Carolina State Tarpon Record Set

According to a press release from the N.C. Division of Marine Fisheries, a Carteret County angler, Malcolm Condie, set a new state record when he reeled in a 193 pound 5-ounce tarpon while fishing for king mackerel off a North Topsail Island pier.

“It hit the king rig at 12:30 (p.m.) and I landed it within an hour,” Condie said.
The fish measured 80 inches fork length (tip of the nose to the fork in the tail) and had a girth of 42 inches.
Jesse Lockowitz held the previous state record with a 175-pound tarpon caught at Bogue Inlet Pier Sept. 7, 2005. The world record tarpon was 283 pounds, caught in Africa.

Condie said he initially hoped to donate the fish to the N.C. Aquarium at Pine Knoll Shores. Instead, researchers with the University of Miami Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences happened to be in the area, so he allowed them to remove the ear bones and other fish parts for DNA, and age tests.

“They’ve never had access to a (tarpon) of this size in North Carolina,” Condie said.