Rusty Catches Saltwater Fishing Fever!

Our friend Rusty at BB&T caught "saltwater fishing fever" at his home in Atlanta, and in spite of a full moon drove to his friend Wayne's place on St. Simon's Island looking for a cure! 

Rusty and Wayne grabbed dinner at one of their favorite restaurants B&J's Steak and Seafood before going to bed, dreaming the fisherman dream of the next big catch!

The next mourning, time to get BAIT!  They caught fiddler crabs on the mud flats and mud minnows in the creek near East Beach and bought live shrimp before heading to Village Creek. 

Rusty and Wayne caught a few trout over the oyster bars before heading to Little St. Simons' docks in search of Sheephead.  

Rusty and Wayne only knew fish were there because they were losing bait with no apparent bite. Then they found their approach: they used a small hook and a swivel and then let the crab drift by the dock pilings. They kept the line moving and when they saw a drift change they set the hook!

They never did feel a decent bite but they did manage to catch a few gems in the 4-6 pound range (almost under the boat).  They were ferocious fish and when hooked put up a great fight! 

Wayne could not resist trying to reel in a 5 ft gator who got a bit too curious about Wayne's popping cork. See the below video! Unfortunately the gator escaped before they could get him in the dip net.

The sharks were trolling the shore near the Hampton River at Sea Island, but Rusty and Wayne managed to get more trout and a small flounder there, and had fun reeling in the 2-4 ft hungry sharks. 

Finally it was time to get out the frying pans! Sheephead are bony, but you can get a nice, tasty mild filet if you watch out for the fins!

Rusty, we can't wait to hear about your next fishing adventure! Enjoy and happy fishing! 

In the mangroves with Capt. Bob

I took a recent trip to Naples, Florida to fish with Capt. Bob Marvin.  The weather wasn't the best (rain), but I caught some nice fish and had a great time.  You never know what you're gonna catch in the mangrove swamps, but it was mostly snook this time.  We found several pods of baby tarpon, but they wouldn't cooperate.  I also hooked (and lost) the snook of a lifetime -- about a 30-pounder!  Armed with just a 7-weight fly rod, I couldn't keep him out of the mangrove roots.  He jumped once and snapped my 20-pound tippet.  Bummer!  I may need some professional counselling for that.

Capt. Bob is a great guide.  If you're ever in the Naples area, give him a ring (239-877-9162.)  He will put you on some fish!

Nice speckled trout.

The mangrove swamp:  haven of big fish and the enemy of fishing line!



Here's a small snook -- fun on the fly rod!



Grass carp!

I got this 22.5 pound grass carp on the long pole recently.  It's my biggest fish ever on the pole!  I was fishing at the KY Fish and Wildlife Headquarters in Frankfort, KY.  It took me about twenty minutes to land him, and I had a good crowd of people watching.  Fishing with a 40' pole gets a lot of attention.  Playing a big fish on one gets you even more!

Fishing in South America!

Robert Charles with Suzuki School recently shared his FANTASTIC experience in Argentina and Brazil – an amazing 17 day fishing trip!!

Jealous yet? If not, you will be!

Robert caught many beautiful golden dorado in Argentina.  (Look below-- this one weighed 20 pounds!!)

Another big dorado!!!

Also on the trip Robert experienced a carnival and an amazing tango show, and literally took a "flyer” and jumped off a 1500-foot high cliff to paraglide over Rio de Janeiro, landing on the beach. 

During his time in Brazil, Robert and his three Canadian comrades flew in a small plane about 400 miles to a village and then spent a week on this boat: 

The water was high – the rainy season had come a few weeks earlier than expected, but after a full day and night of riverboat traveling they found a great fishing spot. They caught a lot of nice peacock bass, including nine fish over 10 pounds!! The biggest catches include 21 and 20 pounders as well as a 17, 16, 15, a couple of 12s, and a couple of 11 pounders.  Take a look:

All in all, a very successful trip.  We missed you Robert-- glad you are home and thrilled you shared your adventures with us!

A very successful afternoon of fishing this winter...

Over winter break, our good friend Joe DeLisle had the pleasure of fishing with his two sons Henry and Sam on Florida's Rodman Reservoir near Ocala. In less than four hours they caught 40 (YES 40!!!-- THIS IS NOT A TYPO) largemouth bass on shiners, including a 10 pound, 8.5 pound, and several 7 pound fish!

Back on land they learned that they were not the only lucky ones that day, as one guide boasted that he caught over 100 fish that morning.

Very impressive DeLisle family, and thank you for sharing these amazing shots with us :). 

Fishing at Oldfield Club in Hilton Head, South Carolina

With temperatures in the 70s and light winds, fishermen at Oldfield Club had a great opportunity to get out on the water this week and enjoy some fresh winter fishing! 

Inshore, the redfish were chewing and Capt. Charlie Beadon led the fishermen guests to plenty of action aboard the Oldfield Club’s new Ranger 183 Ghost flats boat.  Given the ideal conditions, his anglers were treated to some great sight casting with both fly and spin tackle. 

Oldfield Clubs’ own Captain Jason Dubose was able to get offshore for a number of days to take advantage of the fantastic bottom fishing activity this time of year offers.  His fellow fishermen caught red snapper, grouper, black sea bass, porgies, and jacks until their arms were sore! 

Lowcountry certainly has some fine fishing opportunities so check it out if you have a chance!

Fishing in the Rain... (like the song?)

Pictures from a Lake Lanier fishing trip with BNKJ's own fearless leader Chris Clayton and buddies Joe Delisle and Don Bravaldo. Striper fishing in the rain... does it get any better than this?