NCSTEPV

[reelapeelin]

Hey Man...saw your Oregon Inlet reference...talk to us about the Fall Striper action up there...it's a LONG tow for me, but if as good as I hear, WORTH IT!!...

Might be good time/ location for Mid-Atlantic Hook-Up!! ;D ;D

[Blue_Runner]

I can attest that mid December through late February is usually the best time on OI stripers. And I agree that it would be a good place for the mid-Atlantic meet and greet. This pic was taken in Jan. and we had our limit early that day...
http://i33.photobucket.com/albums/d73/stinkery/Jan_2006_Fishing_Trip8.jpg

[reelapeelin]

Seein' as how you've been there, done that, it sounds like just the time/ place for:

"The 1st Annual Mid-Atlantic Hook-Up!"

I've been hearin' about it too long...time to DO somethin' about it...about 9 hr tow for me...whaddabout you, BR...Shicks, you'll be runnin' by then... Airslot? how 'bout ya??...Pipe, can we ''tempt'' ya to the OBs??...NCSTEPV, I know you can do it!!...Whopper, jump on in if ya can here...labii, come on, Bro...

Think we can put this together Guys??...

[Blue_Runner]

I'll be there for sure!! 5 - 6 hour tow and have done it a few times.

The real "haul" is when you break the inlet and have to run up the beach 40 miles to find fish ;D

[Franco]

Nice canvas blue

[Blue_Runner]

Thanks Crabby!

[shicks007]

I'd be looking at about a 3 hour tow. I do believe I might $%@# my pants at the thought of trying to get out of the inlet though.

[Airslot]

I'd be in. That's most of my fishing anyway, winter stripers. Only problem with this plan is the weather down there in winter is soooo unpredictable. Ain't no way to plan anything more than 2 days in advance.

Airslot

[Blue_Runner]

The inlet is long and can be gnarly - the thing is, if its crappy conditions, we just don't go. It sucks but normally there is a day or two that we aren't able to fish. That's why its good to plan for a 4 day trip with 3 possible fishing days. If everything works out, you'll get in 3 days, but likely only 1 or 2.

Oh yeah, bring surf gear cause you can catch the bigguns from the beach too! ;D

[reelapeelin]

If we pull this off and have a line of v-20s goin' out the inlet, old Reelapeelin' WON'T be in the front...I'll be followin' Air or BR or somebody who's been there, done that ;) 8)

[Blue_Runner]

It ain't that bad all the time. We were running 30 mph in and out of the inlet this past December.

[Mac_Attack]

For us Midwest guys, where is the Oregon inlet? Bill Mac ;D

[reelapeelin]

Yeah, Dawg...I's runnin' about 30 when I ran up on that sandbar goin' to see labii the other day :o...back in the ditch, no biggie, but out in an inlet, it could be ::) ...I followin' YOU!!...at least the 1st time...

Mac, Oregon Inlet is Outter Banks of NC...been there blue fishin' from the surf long ago, but not since the striper action has picked up...time to put one in the books!!... ;) 8)...

...and Franco, bet if we do this, BR'll let ya stand under that nice canvas...region-hoppers welcomed!!! ;D ;D...

[Blue_Runner]

Franco, bet if we do this, BR'll let ya stand under that nice canvas
You betcha! We can easily fit 4 snaggers under there! (counting me)

[tlb888]

I am definately in but the seas can get real nasty down there in the winter. You definately have to pick your days for OI.

[willy]

You guys takin reservations yet for out of staters ;D

[Blue_Runner]

COME ON WILLIAM - I KNOW YOU ARE A STRIPER MAN DEEP DOWN INSIDE THAT BIG OLD SALTY HEART OF YOURS! *YOU COMIN? I'M GOIN WITH OR WITHOUT YA'LL!!

(Preferably with ::))

[reelapeelin]

Willy, your reservation is MADE, Bud...all you gotta do is get yoseff there an' get on the boat ;D ;D ...

[willy]

Give me some dates, if I am healed up enough I'm in. ;)

[reelapeelin]

Give me some dates, if I am healed up enough I'm in. ;)


Speakin' of dates...do we go ahead and shoot for dates or wait and see what kinda weather we're havin' closer to ''Hook-Up" time??...whadda you guys think??...

[Blue_Runner]

Depends - is this going to be a weekend thing? 3 or 4 days? A week? What?

It would be hard to plan ahead a "get there on Friday, fish on Saturday, come home Sunday" deal.

But if you allow 4 or 5 days, chances are you can fish 1 or 2.

Or, if its not fishable we can all park our boats side by side and walk around drinking beer admiring each others boats ;D V-20 Cruise-in. Then go surf fishin!

Also, there's a nice Comfort Suites not far from the ramp that is very reasonable. I stayed there last year during one trip.

[reelapeelin]

BR..."V-20 Cruise In" in the parkin' lot...can I check out your drain hole?? ;) ;D ;D

[reelapeelin]

Who among us can ACTUALLY do this: travel day 1, fish day 2,3,4,then travel home day 5...we could probably make two of those days weekend, so for instance: travel to OBX Wed, fish beach or boat Thur, Fri Sat then travel home Sun...

I'm pretty sure I can make that work...anybody else?...

BR, Comfort Suites sounds pretty good...do you remember ''ball-park'' rates?...did ya'll do two to a room or really rough it and do four to a room?...

...if four should I bring condoms?

[willy]

Let me know when your talking. I don't want to tow that far for four days of fishin but I would drive down and anyone who needs to can hitch a ride.
Also are you talking fall, because I don't think I can do it summer, neck wise.

[reelapeelin]

Willy, lookin' back at NCSTEPV and BR's post, it looks more like mid-winter...Jan, maybe Feb...I'm dependin' on the guys w/ experience for guidance on the WHEN part ;) ...

[willy]

Gotcha, if that motor works out on WindTalkers boat he'll probably still be out running like a mad man around then, I'll have him point it south and hitch a ride down with him ;D

[Blue_Runner]

I CAN !! ;D January 11th is my birthday....I's thinkin maybe you guys could bring me lots of gifts and stuff :-*

Seriously, late December through mid-to-late February have been the "go to" months for the past 5 years. Fish are within reach.

Wifey caught a 30lber last Dec. We weren't marking anything on the FF and suddenly she pulls in a hog:
:D
http://i33.photobucket.com/albums/d73/stinkery/S2010053.jpg
http://i33.photobucket.com/albums/d73/stinkery/S2010054.jpg

[Pipe_Dream]

Dang Blue -- that's awesome! :o

[reelapeelin]

A fine example of WHY I'm thinkin' this would be a GREAT V-20 Hook-Up!!...get that trailer ready, Pipe or I'll pick ya up on the "I"... 8)...either way, ya gotta make this trip ;) 8) ...

Thanks for postin' that pic, BR...out there ketchin' big ol' stripers, gotta GOOD lookin' wifey an' a PURDY lil' ol' 21...did I ever mention you a DAWG!!... ;) 8) ;D...

[willy]

Yea Blue very nice ;D Big fish too 8)

[Blue_Runner]

Thanks guys ;D 8)

[garagenc]

hey guys I know ya'll talked abt this in july but I grew up and still live 35 minutes from the outer banks (obx). I've fished here for 50 years and EVERY winter I hit it for stripers. I have a 91 V-20. I'm in for a meet and fish. Let me know, doesn't one of the posters also live close?

Send me reply and maybe you and I can hook up and fish.

Lee 252-336-2588

[willy]

Yea did ya'll figure a date yet for a shindig, I'm a itchin. :)

[reelapeelin]

Hey BR...you still plannin' on this??...I'm still on...should we be makin' any plans yet?...it'll be here soon...or should we wait til we can get a long-range forecast?...

[Airslot]

I can not do four or five days >:(, however, I can and will trailer down to fish for a day or two :). Just gotta get lucky on a weather window.

Airslot

[TheTinMan]

Nice catch BR!


Fish is ok too ;)

Man, check out the water!

I can't commit now but I'd like to hitch a ride with Willy if someone's got room on their boat. I KNOW I'll be jonesin for some Linesiders's this winter:)

[pikfish]

If you need another testimony I can give one; the winter stripper fishing is great out of Oregon Inlet! Once the schools of strippers are found, which is normally not far from the mouth of the inlet the action is great. The charter boats run ½ day stripper charters that target the stripper schools and almost always max out the 2 fish per fisherman per day allowance. We have always thrown back 6 or 8 each per fisherman, most fish are in the 34”-42” range. The down side is the sea conditions in the inlet area! The days I have been there the 5’-6’chop in the bottleneck area of the inlet would be unsafe in a V-20. I have always been on a 52’ boat and it was still often quite rough. If the winds were light it could be fine in a smaller boat (less than 30’) but I would keep a careful eye on the weather before a long trip. jm-.02c

[macojoe]

Who has room for a 330 pounder?? ::)

[Blue_Runner]

The rental season isn't exaclty "boomin" in Nags Head during the winter season, therefore you can wait till just a couple days before to book a room.

This Comfort Inn is only about 5 miles or less from the boat ramp:

http://www.outer-banks.com/comfortinnsouth/

Its where my wife and I stayed once last year. Normally when I go, I'll probably have like 8 - 10 other guys with me and we'll have 3 or 4 boats between us so we rent a house.

Right now we're thinkin about trying to squeeze in a trip before the holidays - say around mid December. Then after new years around 1st or 2nd week of January....then again about a month later in February. We normally like to take off work on Thursday and Friday so we'll leave on Wed. evening and be able to fish Thurs. Friday and Sat. weather permitting.

Yes the inlet can be rough, but I've never been on a trip where I couldn't at least get out there1 or 2 outta 3 days. A V20 will eat up those puny lil 5 or 6 footers ;D

[Blue_Runner]

I would definitely love to do a meet and greet/striper tourney :D

I do think its going to be hard to plan though.. Might be best to plan on coming on short notice if you can.

What I can do is let you guys know when my clan gets their dates nailed down, then if you guys want to meet up with us down there and hit the water together each morning, that would be fun! We'd have a big squadron of V's!

If anybody needs to research rental properties or places to stay, directions, anything like that I will help out as much as I can. Its about a 5 1/2 hour drive for me.


P.S. The town right outside of Oregon Inlet is called Nag's Head and got the name from the old days. Land pirates used Horses with lanterns tied to their necks and walked them up and down the beach at night. Merchant skippers in the off-shore waters would mistakenly think the lights were of other ships closer to shore. They would then change course and run aground, with the pirates pillaging their cargoes.

[Skools Out]

i don't currently have a floating boat but i'd love to hitch a boat ride. i'm only 3 hrs from home or 45 min from my beach house.

[reelapeelin]

A ''short-notice'' trip will probably work best for me in Jan or Feb...gonna be a 9-10 hour pull from here..but I'd like to be able to see at least some kinda forecast B4 leavin', although forecasts can be completely WRONG :o ...


BR (aka DAWG) ... what kinda lures/ bait should I be thinkin' about...top-water sticks and poppers?...live-bait?...

[Airslot]

Rap, you can jig em up with heavy metal, you can throw plastics at em, or you can troll em up. Now my dream is to be in the right place at the right time, cause every year down there some poor soul hooks a 300 - 1000# BFT on Striper gear. It usually only takes a second or so for the reel to explode ;)

Airslot

[C YENSEN]

i would be in maybe Airslot and I can ride down together.

[Airslot]

Cy, you could definately fish with me. I got a feeling the family would tag along and hang around Nags Head during fishin hours to make sure I didn't get too stupid after dark ;). Have to see how that will work out. Either way, my boat and trailer are both ready for the road. Enclosure guy coming today, but I dont know what I'm gonna do for certain. Something tells me that over the next 2500 miles or so I may see sumpin exciting 8)

Airslot

[C YENSEN]

still looking for the v21? when you leaving? florida right?

why you doing the enclosure if your buying a new boat?

[Blue_Runner]

Yep many ways to catch em.

First step is finding them. Here's how we find em:

We read the report at www.oregon-inlet.com. We ask around the dock to see where the bite has been recently. North or south and how far? Once we have a general idea the next day we will head in that direction stopping occasionally to look for birds/marks. If no birds/marks keep on gettin it until we see birds/marks or the armada of boats! We went over 30 miles north on one trip and I've had friends that went over 40 in one direction to catch fish in an outboard.

We keep spinning outfits ready with top water stuff and bucktails. The swim shad soft baits work pretty good. Metal works also.

What we usually do is troll around using Mann's stretch 30's deep diving lures. 4 or 5 rods out with the back 2 wb and wwb. When we find concentrated fish we might stop and jig some bucktails. When we find em busting the top we stop and cast too! ;D

Optimum trolling speed with the stretches has been around 5 - 5.5mph for us.

Colors I like for Mann's stretch 30's are:

Blue/Chrome
Black/Chrome
Black/Gold
Red/White (old standby)

Welp, that's how we do it and it seems to work for us! Hope it helps.

Blue

[Airslot]

Headed south Friday afternoon I think. Enclosure guy coming today. If he gives me the right deal I may go with it, or wait till I get back. Heck, the new enclosure will fit a V-21 just as good, right? Wifey has stated that we will be looking along the way. Who knows?

Airslot

[throwback]

Hey guys for those of you who are not familiar with oregon inlet use extreme caution. Oregon is one of the most unpredictable and dangerious inlets on the east coast. It can be dead calm in the morning and by noon be a raging cauldron. To be honest I would give a lot of thought of running a v20 out of oregon in the winter especially if you don't know local waters. Want to fish for stripers charter a boat. About ten years ago was on a 31 shamrock grandslam ran the inlet in the morning came back in around 2pm seas were running so hard that one wave turned the boat almost over broke the windshield and knocked a gen set loose. Len Belcaro who is the publisher of offshore journal related to me a story of a 50 footer geting a windshield blowout and almost sinking . Ever wonder why the carolina built boats have glassed in deck house fronts. Yes, the rockfishing is great but it can and does get quite exciting especially if a east wind is blowing on a strong ebb tide. IN MY OPINION NOT A GOOD IDEA. If you want to winter rock fish run up to the bay bridge fishing is just as good and a lot safer.

[Blue_Runner]

Over the years there have been many boats to capsize there. Every winter right around November you start hearing about them. But the only boats I've heard of having problems were trying to fish the shoals. Talk about dangerous. With the water ripping through there all you have to do is take your eyes away for one second and you are in trouble! They end up hitting the bar with a big roller slamming them over. I do NOT fish the shoals. I go in and out of the inlet.

And I do agree that you have to use extreme caution.

[TMcGovern]

8)Check out Pirate's Cove on Roanoke Island (Manteo). Rental homes and condos. Get enough folks and it's much cheaper and about 100 times nicer then motel/hotels in the area. Public boat ramp across from entrance and many charter boats that run half day striper trips. OI is just plan nasty, even on a good day. You need to know what the hell your doing. I run the inlet only on the very best days. Sand bar at the end is finicky.....I typically do three to four striper trips come winter....would love to join in the party!

[tlb888]

BR I'm with you. I always check the weather and don't go unless I have a SW, W, or NW light wind. I have driven down and the inlet was nasty and you just have turn around and go about 20 miles back north and over to Mann's Harbor Bridge and catch all the fish you want. The inlet can be a little tricky but definatley doable and there is always the other option.

NCSTEPV

[willy]

Well do we have a date am I making a trip

WHATSUP ;D

[Blue_Runner]

you just have turn around and go about 20 miles back north and over to Mann's Harbor Bridge and catch all the fish you want.
I need to find out how to get there from the OI fishing center. So its about 20 miles? Then do you troll around the bridge, livebait, or cast around the pilings? I've driven over the bridge several times and rarely have I driven over and not seen somebody bailing stripers ;D

Well do we have a date am I making a trip
Well, I know its a done deal for me! I'm goin!! Don't have exact dates yet, but may know soon. Like Bob Barker says, "COME ON DOWN!!" :o

[tlb888]

We usually troll stretch 15's because the depth is between 12-15 ft across the span of the bridge. Many people jig and chunk with eels and bait. If you are staying at Pirates Cove it is only a few miles through town from there. The funny thing is that last time I was down there we had an audience watching us because they don't sell stretch 15's anywhere in the area and it seemed to be the only thing working. Actually had people trying to buy them from us on the water. There is actually another really good place to striper fish up in currituck mainland. Coinjock canal holds alot of fish throughout the fall and winter but it is mostly schoolies.

[Blue_Runner]

Thanks NCSTEPV, good info to know there ;) Now just gotta check out the chart to see how to get there from OI. :D We talked about it last time we couldn't fish but none of us knew how to get there or how to fish once there ::)

[racerx]

i wanna go!