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Waterway Guide Recommends Offshore Detour

As a result of the Nov. 13 to Nov. 23 closure, Waterway Guide is recommending mariners exit the Winyah Bay Entrance near Georgetown, SC, (Charts 11532 and 11531) and travel the approximately 43 nautical miles offshore to the Charleston Harbor Entrance (Charts 11518, 11523, 11521).

Of particular note once you approach Charleston are the two submerged jetties that extend outward almost three nautical miles from shore. Once you've negotiated the entrance, you can rejoin the ICW in the South Channel at flashing red buoy "2" and Mile Marker 465.

While there are other inlets between the Winyah Bay Entrance and Charleston, most of them are too shoal or require intimate local knowledge to pass through safely. Be sure to check the offshore weather forecast in advance and wait for the proper weather window.
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Wintertime is Hot Time for Super-sized Specks

Spotted seatrout are also called speckled trout or by the abbreviated nickname, “specks.” But, whatever you call these beautifully freckled fish, the fishing for trout in colder months is nothing less than spectacular.

“As the water cools down, the speck bite gets hotter,” said Capt. Jot Owens of Wrightsville Beach. “I’ve logged the way the fish bite over a couple of decades and, up to a point, the colder it gets, the more consistent the speck bite becomes.” more>>

   
 

Oyster Reef Stimulus Project Begins

Quarry workers, truckers, welders, barge operators, tug boat captains and heavy machine operators--these aren’t the kinds of jobs that usually come to mind when thinking about environmental projects. But they make up the backbone of an oyster-habitat restoration project that began this week in coastal North Carolina.

The N.C. Coastal Federation is partnering with local contractors, scientists from N.C. State University and the University of North Carolina-Wilmington, North Carolina Sea Grant and the state Division of Marine Fisheries (DMF) to build and monitor approximately 47 acres of oyster reefs in Pamlico Sound. more>>

   
 

NOAA to Establish Eight Federal Marine Protected Areas in the South Atlantic

Sportfishing community lauds this contrast to fisheries management by proclamation

Industry and fishery conservation groups learned today that the Department of Commerce’s National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) is preparing to announce the final rule creating eight marine protected areas (MPAs) off the coasts of North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia and Florida. more>>

   
  What’s In Your Tackle Box, Part III?
by Joyce Deaton
Fishing in inland lakes and just offshore of the North Carolina beaches can be plenty challenging. But sooner or later most serious fishermen feel the call of the wild blue water and want to test their mettle against the bigger and tougher fish who live there. more>>
   
  Save Those Oyster Shells!
by Joyce Deaton
October marks the beginning of North Carolina’s oyster harvest. Maybe you’re celebrating sometime soon at a local eatery with a tasty mouthful of the mellow mollusk. When you finish, your oyster shells may do a little celebrating of their own. With the help of dozens of human volunteers, they’ll likely be making their way back into the Cape Fear area waters where they’re helping the state’s oyster population thrive. more>>
   
 

Green Docks and Piers: Coming Soon?
by Joyce Deaton
With a growing environmental awareness among homeowners, marina owners and dock builders, the momentum for using green marine building materials and techniques is steadily growing. more>>

   
 

Winterize or Not?
by Joyce Deaton
That unmistakable nip in the air means it won’t be long before boaters on the Cape Fear waters face the annual dilemma: to winterize or not to winterize. more>>

   
 

 

 
Cape Fear Coast Pilot cover v6n3

About the Cover:
You’re looking at a Shimano Tiagra T150WA AA05. These reels feature an innovative hydrothermal drag system that virtually eliminates the drag setting variances that affect today’s big game reels. They combine technology with years of expertise to deliver a superior reel. The new Tiagra brings the strength and reliability of a solid aluminum frame, is designed to fish heavier line right out of the box and is perfectly suited to long range fishing. These reels and other great products for your tackle box can be found at Tex’s Tackle in Wilmington (910-791-1763 or www.texstackle.com) and Eastern Outfitters in Hampstead and Jacksonville (910-270-2823 or www.easternoutfitter.com)..

AUTUMNAL EQUINOX 2008

Goode Daye from Strat Donnell, Jr. (Cap’n Troll)!

Knowing that the risk of hurricane landings and steady hot-greasy - Gulf Coast air envelopes are almost history for ’08, and that all wild critters will soon be hustling to prep for winter’s chill, I get real excited thinking about fishing and hunting expeditions to come!

National Hunting and Fishing Day reminds us to share our love for the outdoors with youngsters, family, and friends, and this year I am going to plan to re-connect with some older buddies who just do not seem to get out and about as in times past. We all have trappings of sorts that keep us from doing the things we love to do, yet I sense that it may be more difficult to create the effort if your partners of the past are elsewhere.

My Pilot travels let me see and visit with many ages and types of folks that love the coast, and I have been reminded that once bitten by the love of the sea, age and infirmities cannot quell the fires of water memories. Nor’easters will bring the savage bite of the blues near the suds, off-shore winds let you mark patrolling schools of red fish, slick marshes enable the hoppings of jumping mullet to turn you around, Pelicans sitting and diving mark Spots as they gather about the inlets, and the sprays of finger mullet quicken the casts or reels and nets. We all have our favorites, and as you pound the troughs seeking fat kings closer in shore or watch the diving gulls from a sea oats hide, let the memories urge you to share.

Also, be sure to properly measure and ice down your fresh catches as quickly as possible. I have been specifically reminded of relatively new measuring rules for soft fin fish such as red fish and trout. Fish with soft fins must be measured lying flat, with longest part of the jaw as the beginning. The tail must be “compressed” or pinched at top and bottom to create the longest axis in a straight line from the jaw. This measurement becomes very critical for fish that must fall within a certain range or “slot,” as more than one inch of length is gained using this formula.

As the days shorten and the fingers begin to burn from the outside, let’s all remember to stow our boats, equipment, and gear freshly tuned and oiled, but not out of easy access. A long time super outboard mechanic friend of mind last week reminded: “Don’t put her up and leave her ‘till spring, ‘cause she’s made to be used as often as possible, and that means at least once a month”! Oh so true, and his reminder gives me a bona fide legitimate NEED to get on the water more!

As I write this it’s hard to project a hot fire with the sounds of cedar and oysters popping, but I am assured by shorter days that it will indeed happen. I cannot help but smile at the doctor who said if your gastronomic makeup allowed it, you can eat our delectable bi-valves in any month. I think I’ll go make sure my traveling oyster knife is in the bottom of my possibles bag right now…

For Fellowship and Adventure,

Strat Donnell, Jr.
“Cap’n Troll”
Associate Publisher,
Cape Fear Coast Pilot

Stratford Donnell, Jr.

PS: Adventures or bees in the bonnet are welcomed here, ‘cause without the story it did not happen…
910-612-3050

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