Now booking for May Striper fishing on the Roanoke River North Carolina 910-540-2464
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Apr 2006
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Wrightsville Beach, NC
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Charter Capt.
NEVER GIVE UP!
As most of you know, Mike Pedersen (No Excuses and maker of Riley Rods ) and I fish the IFA together which is the Redfish tour. Each tournament, we prefish the week before the tournament. This week we found a few fish but all were in that 22" range. In Redfish tournaments, there is a slot that the fish must be in to keep them. In NC, it is 18 to 27".
On Thursday, we found a group of 26" fish and felt that we could catch a few of them in the 4 or 5 hours that we had even though we had a 50 mile run one way to get there and back. Forecast was not good but it was doable and that morning, we off we went feeling very good about it.
Got to the first bank we wanted to fish and on Mikes 3rd cast, fish blows up on his topwater twice and misses it, never to come back or to hit anything else we throw in there. Not to worry it is early and we head down the bank, without a sniff. We move to another bank we found fish on and nothing, then to another only to find the first place team (in points) there.
We head to another spot that we have not prefished but is very close to our first bank and work down it. Almost to the end, Mike has a blow up on his top water and the fish is big. We get it in the boat and on the measuring board, it tail is huge for that size fish and when Mike pinches its tail, the fish grows an 1 and 1/2 inches, making it 27 and 1/2. Our spirits fall but we get back on it, fishing even harder knowing that if we got that bite, we would get another on the bank, but it never happened. We went back to our first bank as now the tide was starting to fall and we needed that. Fished it hard but found no love there as our time ran out and we needed to head back.
It was a long trip back into a north wind and 7 miles on open bay. There was more holding on than talking but I could tell Mike's mind was working as much as mind. By the time we hit the No Wake zone, Mike figured that we might have 30 minuets left to fish. He suggested one spot and I suggested another, mine was closer and he put the hammer down. I think it was one of the longest runs of my life with anticipation of what would happen and neither of us wanted to have double zeros to end the season.
We shot into the bay and sat down on top of the oyster rock and stated casting, Mike on the top water and me on the Goldilocks. When we got to the area, we power poled down and went to work...no love. Mike put down the top water and picked up the gulp rod. Was standing there doing something with the rod in his mouth and suddenly gets his head yanked around as a mid size Drum picks up his Gulp, fish in the boat and 15 minuets to go. I sit down Goldilocks and pick up my Gulp rod and get to work but we get no love. 10 minuets left, 5 minuets left.
I sat down my gulp rod and went back to Goldilocks and slowed it down to a painful crawl so I could kind of cover water. I concreted on a spot that I thought had had a bump at earlier and then thought I had another. Mike said 1 more minuet, I fired another cast and slowed it down some more. Thump and I was on. I yelled for Mike to fire in there as I thought that was where the school was sitting that we were looking for. He fires in to there, I get my fish to the boat to be netted. He sits the rod down to help get my fish in the net and as he scopes it up, his hit rod and it heads out the boat. He makes a great dive, grabs the rod that now has a busted guide and 2 more that got bent in all that and we land his fish.
A short measurement and back his goes and into the live well goes the 1 I caught with no more time left. Some how we get planed off and fly down the waterway to the check in and pull in with a minuet to spare and those 2 fish, that weren't in the boat 20 minuets ago, land us in 9th place and put us in 6th place team of the year in our division. From a zero to, well not a hero but to where we could hold our heads up.
We did not finish where we had hoped for this year but I am still pleased with what Mike and I have done this year as it is only our second year together on the trail. We are very much looking forward to the nationals in La. this year and fishing against the best in the country, so stay tuned for that.
Next week I'll be in Morehead fishing the Redfish Tour there, not with Mike but with Alex as Mike fishes that circuit with his other half, Vikki, oh BTY, they celebrated their 20 wedding anniversary last Saturday.
As always Mike, I enjoyed it and looking forward to the Nationals.
Also thank you guys for taking the tine to read this thread.
Awesome job guys, I learned a long time ago that your best fisherman do not give up easy. Sooner than later you guys partnership is gonna pay off in a big way. Good luck at nationals guys, bring it back home to NC, Lee and Mike.
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