Article by Dale Timmons
You may have already read or heard about the fiasco that occurred at the recent Big Rock Marlin Tournament, but briefly, the “Citation,” which caught the heaviest blue marlin with a new tournament record 883-pounder and was slated to win approximately $1.2 million, was subsequently disqualified because one of the crew members did not have a North Carolina fishing license. The young man in question apparently told Captain Eric Holmes, angler Andy Thomasson and the rest of the crew that he had a license. He then tried to buy one on his way to the scales after the fish was caught, but he failed a polygraph and North Carolina Division of Marine Fisheries officials only had to check the computers to know that his license was purchased after the fact. Talk about stupid—an out-of-state NC license only costs $10 for a week. I buy one at least twice a year, and there is definitely no million bucks on the line when I go to Buxton to fish the surf. Because of the disqualification, the big blue is no longer a tournament record, and the crew of the “Citation” gets nothing. For the crew of the “Carnivore,” however, the blunder means they went from second place and $217,570 in prize money to first place and $999,453, including $318,750 for bringing in the first blue topping 500 pounds.
Anglers and crews fishing in this year’s big tournaments in Ocean City, including the White Marlin Open and the Mid-Atlantic $500,000, don’t have to worry about having a fishing license, except that technically they are supposed to have a new National Saltwater Angler Registry card issued free of charge by NOAA. I don’t know whether tournament officials are making this mandatory or who is enforcing it, if anyone. By next year, however, the state of Maryland will probably have a saltwater license in place for Atlantic coastal anglers as well as Chesapeake Bay anglers, so make sure you check before you fish…
Last summer (or maybe the summer before last) I wrote about a then new knot for making double lines called the Triple Surgeon’s Loop. Anglers were using the knot to replace the Bimini Twist or the Spider Hitch. I have gotten so I like to use a short double line about a foot-and-a-half to two feet long at the end of my line. Then I splice in a shock leader, which can be either long enough to make a few wraps on the reel or only two or three feet, depending on whether I am rigging a surf rod for casting heavy weights or a light spinning rod for casting lures to stripers or speckled trout. I usually use a No-Name or Bristol knot for this connection. Anyway, I have been using the Triple Surgeon’s Loop for my double line, and I am happy to report this knot is definitely a keeper. I use it for both braid and mono, and I haven’t been able to make it slip, even in the braid. I have caught several large red drum using this knot, as well as quite a few much larger rays and sharks. Last week I wrote about a cobia trip to the Chesapeake Bay-Bridge Tunnel. I was rigged with a 40-lb. braid main line and a piece of 50-lb. mono shocker, again using these connections. At one point I hooked a decent sized butterfly ray, and once I saw the fish and had it close to the boat the first time, I tightened down the drag and held on to the heavy St. Croix musky rod I was using. My fishing partner, Scott Bruning, said something to the effect that “Let it be known that Mr. Dale was making some weird grunting noises.” I didn’t want that ray to get back down to the bottom, and I wanted to see if everything would hold. It did, and a few minutes later the ray came to the boat so we could cut the leader (the circle hook was in the corner of its mouth so I’m sure the ray was fine, for all of you PETA folks out there). Besides its strength, one of the things I like about the Triple Surgeon’s Knot is that it is easy to tie. You simply double the line for however long want the finished loop to be, then tie a loose overhand knot with the doubled line. You then go through five more times (a Surgeon’s knot is two times, so three times two, for a total of six) before pulling the knot tight. I pull on both the main line and the tag end first, then just the main line. Done right, the knot is neat and very compact and easily goes through the rod guides. It’s definitely one worth learning…
There has been a good striper bite at the south OC inlet jetty for a few weeks now. Many of these fish have been caught on artificials such as Storm lures or bucktail jigs with a plastic twister. Others are being caught on live baits, but this early in the season live spot or even sand perch can be hard to come by. In that case, think crabs. Some anglers are using peelers, but if you can’t find peelers, old Mr. Striper will eat a hard crab in a heartbeat. Hook a small (but legal, of course) live crab through the point of the shell just like you were fishing for permit in Florida. I like to take off the claws first. Cast it up into the rocks with no weight or fish it down deep on a barrel sinker fish finder rig. If your crabs are too large to fish whole, cut them in half or quarters. You can then either remove the legs and run the hook through a leg socket and out the back or belly or leave the legs and pull them up around the hook shank and secure with a rubber band. As a bonus, you might even catch a black drum or a nice sheepshead…
I see where a new member from Maryland, Stephen E. Linhard, has been appointed to fill an at-large seat on the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council. Mr. Linhard replaces Larry Simns, who served for many years. I have to give Mr. Simns credit—he was a commercial fisherman, and he served that segment well for a long time. You knew where he stood, and even though I didn’t always agree with his viewpoint, he will be missed. Mr. Linhard is described in the MAFMC press release as a recreational fisherman. I don’t know him, or anything about him, but I hope he serves us just as well…
It’s hard to believe that this is our 4th of July issue already. Want to wish good luck and fair seas to all of you who are fishing in this weekend’s Ocean City Marlin Club Canyon Kickoff Tournament, and to the rest of you, enjoy the holiday and the freedom that this country offers equally to all of us—no matter how ignorant, lazy, greedy, selfish, rude or ridiculous we might be at times…think about it…
Contact Dale Timmons at [email protected] or call 410-629-1191.
