From the OBX to WVa

The transition from in-person tailgating at Navy football games to destination tailgates has brought our tailgating crew together in some great locales.  Two weeks ago Mike and Mary Kay Shina hosted a most splendiferous week in Corolla, NC, on the Outer Banks.  Now, the weather on the Outer Banks in the fall can get somewhat dicey, as fall hurricane tend to head up the eastern seaboard.  For this week, though, the weather couldn't have cooperated better, with sunny skies and warm temps.  A bit windy on a couple of days, but plenty of time to spend on the beach.  And, if you have to watch Navy get pasted, I can think of no better place than at a beach house!

Being at the Outer Banks also offered the opportunity to so some offshore fishing.  Fellow tailgater Bery Edmonston, who is also a regular on the Mikey D, set up an offshore trip on Haphazard (https://www.haphazardsportfishing.com/), a 61 foot custom-built fishing yacht based out of Manteo, about 40 minutes south of Corolla.  The angling crew, which in addition to Bery included Bery's wife Clare, John Hupp, Mike Shina, and yours truly, set out from the house at 0400, arriving at the dock just in time to board the boat, stow our gear, and put lines over at 0500.  The trip was set for six anglers, but work requirements kept Capt. DiPaola from making the trip to NC.

Pro Gide tip: When work gets in the way of fishing, it's time to find a new line of work!

Like clockwork, Capt. Joey Belton headed out, along with dozens of other offshore charters.  Again, we lucked out on the weather.  Temps would be in the mid-70s, with relatively calm winds.  There was a bit of choppiness as Capt. Joey drove the boat through Oregon Inlet, a bit uncomfortable, and lending to a new nickname for Mike.  But once we cleared the inlet, the seas calmed and the ride was comfortable for the entire day.  Being on a yacht, with enclosed cabin, galley, and full head also offered enough creature comforts to make for pleasant fishing.

Our area of fishing was about 40 miles or so offshore, trolling in depths that ranged between 45-65 fathoms.  Captain Joey's mate Kyle was a master at rigging the 10 lines that would be trolled behind the boat.  The rigs were a combination of squid teasers, plugs, and frozen Ballyhoo.  The target species were Blackfin and Yellow Tuna, Mahi, and the prospect of a billfish.  We arrived at the fishing area probably around 0645, and within a half hour had our first fish, a Blackfin Tuna, in the boat.  The rest of the day would be consistent hookups, with multiple doubles, and at one time 5 lines had fish on.  Captain Joey knew exactly where the fish were, and Kyle did a phenomenal job mending rigs and boating fish.

While the technical side of fishing was left to Capt. Joey and Kyle, for us the fishing was more mechanical, but no less enjoyable.  The captain or Kyle would note a hookup, transfer the rod/reel to an angler, who would reel the fish in to the transom, where Kyle would gaff the tuna and throw into the cooler.  Reel, gaff, repeat.  Some of the bigger tuna we caught would thrash around and try to run when they got close to the transom, but the big rigs and heavy monofilament kept them from smoking too far from Kyle's gaff.

It was a great day out on the water, and when we pulled into the dock at 5:30 we offloaded 280lbs of Blackfin, which after cleaning came to about 120-130lbs of filets.  Turned out to be the largest haul of the boats on the water that day, a testament to the expertise of the Haphazard crew!

Departing Corolla with coolers full of tuna steaks, it was a quick turnaround before heading to West Virginia to once again fish the Elk River.  I had first fished the Elk in 1995, our first family vacation.  The fishing that week was phenomenal.  The Elk is one of the premier brown trout fisheries in the east, with two and a half miles of catch and release fly fishing-only water.  Making that first trip even more memorable was our guide, Dave Breitmemier (https://www.elkfisher.com/), whose knowledge of the Elk and surrounding waters and skills as a guide are unmatched.  

Since 1995 I was able to make 2-3 trips a year to fish the Elk.  But retirement and the move to Potter County opened up waters that made trips to WVa fewer and fewer.

Having not fished the Elk for perhaps 7 years, I figured it was time for a return, and scheduled a fall trip.  Our group, which consisted of myself, John Hupp, Bob "Troutwhisperer" Volkmar, and Captain DiPaola, arrived last Thursday afternoon.  We stayed at the Elk Springs Resort (https://www.elkspringswv.com/), located at the headwaters of the river.  The lodge, which has gone through several iterations of ownership, is comfortable, has a good restaurant (take out only due to Covid), and an excellent fly shop.  We stayed on one of the two island cabins, which sit between the spring and the Dry Branch creek.  Clean and comfortable, but not quite fulfilling the description of a "full kitchen."  Fortunately, there was a Dollar General about 5 miles away.

As I said earlier, the Elk is a renowned trout fishery.  It not only has supported a healthy population of wild browns, but over the years had also shown natural reproduction of Rainbows.  Regrettably, though, the lack of rain in the northeast left us with very little water to fish.  I had not seen the river this low, particularly in the fall.  

There was little if any holding water, and what pools we could find in the C&R section held few if any fish.  Our fishing was essentially limited to a small pool outside our cabin, the Mill Pool, which sits behind the resort, and a pool of the Dry Branch, which in the summer leaves fish trapped and unable to get to the Elk.

Conditions were tough, but we did catch fish.  Almost all Rainbows that easily went better than 15 inches, with a couple that went 18-20 inches.  Also managed an 18-inch Brownie in the Mill Pool on a "Megg."  For the most part, we caught fish on eggs, chamois worms, and San Juan Worms.  John did manage a fish on top, casting a tiny white midge to match the only hatches that we saw all weekend.

Saturday was blast-from-the-past day, as Joe and I were guided by Dave Breitmeier.  Given that we had pounded the Mill Pool for two days, we asked Dave to take us downriver.  The idea wasn't as much to catch fish as it was to find some moving water.  Dave hit a couple of the traditional spots on the C&R section.  On a couple we saw fish, and Joe even got a hook up on an ant.  But, for the most part, the fish either scooted due to low water, or just weren't eating.

Water conditions were so poor on the C&R, that Dave had to take us down several miles before he put us on running water that reminded me of what fishing on the Elk was like.  Six Rainbows, all around 15-16 inches, in less than thirty minutes, took some of the sting out of otherwise poor conditions.

It was a great day with Dave, perhaps not for the fishing, but for all the knowledge he has and shares on the river.  And it was in our conversations that he noted the declining condition of the Elk.  It wasn't the river of ten years past, or 25 years ago when I, Mary, Angela and Charlie experienced it with Dave.  Dave moved to the vicinity of Seneca Rocks months ago, and guides on the streams in that region.  So his time monitoring conditions on the Elk has become extremely limited.  From Dave I inferred that the river is suffering from neglect, from both the state government and the businesses that have relied on anglers wading the C&R chasing wild fish.  The draw of the Elk has been its runs, riffles, and pools, prolific hatches, and wild trout.  The Mill Pool is fun, for a bit, but it's also like a petting zoo.  Until the necessary actions are taken to return the Elk to it's original state, I'm not sure it's worth fishing.  Fortunately, there is a guide who can put you on great water and wild fish elsewhere in wild, wonderful West Virginia.

Tight Lines,

Mikey D Fishing