High Tides and Tall Tails

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	A quick rinse is the ticket June 13 at 9:00 am Fishermen who fish in brackish or saltwater either know the evils of salt or are due for a rather rude and possibly expensive awakening.

	Emily Post at the ramp? May 15 at 9:00 am During the boat and fishing shows over the winter, I had the opportunity to talk with a lot of readers, and one topic that I heard a lot about was proper behavior and manners at launching ramps. With Memorial Day weekend, the largest boating event of the spring, on the horizon, it might be a good idea to go over them.

	More stuff to buy? Yep! April 15 at 9:00 am t’s a plot I tell you, a fiendish plot. It works, too and it separates many fishermen from their hard-earned money. Every spring, just as the weather begins to warm and a young man’s thoughts turn to fishing, new products appear on the shelves and racks of their favorite tackle shop. Sometimes it’s worse than being with your wife or girlfriend at the shoe store, as there are just so many new things you have to try.

	Safety first is no joke March 13 at 9:00 am I had something else planned for this month but felt I needed to delay it and talk a little about boating safety because, so far, 2013 has been a tough one for North Carolina fishermen. In addition to the ever-present bad news seen nightly on the television news, a couple of young fishermen who had most of their lives still in front of them have been lost to canoe/kayak accidents.

	It’s Showtime! February 13 at 9:00 am Even during a mild winter, it is still winter, and there are times best spent indoors. Fortunately, there are boat, fishing and outdoors shows almost every weekend, and they can really help take the edge off a fishing Jones. There are plenty of things bright and shiny to fawn over, but there is also plenty of information for those wanting to learn. Hopefully, this will enhance your ability and desire to learn.

	Too many tournaments? January 16 at 9:00 am Could there be too many fishing tournaments along North Carolina’s coast? Did the question catch you off guard? I don’t know that anyone has ever put together a list of all the tournaments that are held, and I believe it is a legitimate question, especially when considering the state of the economy.

	Wise sportsman’s gifts December 17, 2012 at 9:00 am Wow, it has been a year already, and it’s time for more gift ideas for those outdoor folks in your lives. Hopefully, you’ll find a few suggestions that will be helpful again.

	Hone your shooting skills November 19, 2012 at 9:00 am Everybody wants to be able to make long or difficult shots, but how does that happen? Is it luck, skill or some combination of the two? Certainly, there are elements of both in any great shot, but we need to understand that accuracy is actually the second goal for using that new rifle, shotgun or pistol. Handling that gun safely is most important and should be practiced until it is ingrained before heading to the range or field to shoot.

	Time to ‘hang a net’ October 22, 2012 at 9:00 am Most fishermen will agree the best time to catch smoker king mackerel along the North Carolina coast is the late fall, and most agree that the best way to catch them is to use live baits. Menhaden — aka pogies, fatback, bunker — have been the preferred live bait for kings for many years. Bluefish and mullets are also considered good baits, while fishermen also use pinfish, spots, croakers, gray trout and other fish when the top ones aren’t available.

	Run the ‘prop-er’ tool September 01, 2012 at 7:00 am Propellers are the final link in transferring all the horsepower from a motor to the water so the boat moves forward. They are sort of like tires: there are big, rugged-tread versions for the off-roaders and smaller slicks, with barely any ground clearance, for the hot rods. Just like tires, there are propeller options to improve performance, but many boaters run boats all their lives with whatever prop came on it. Sometimes that’s right, but often it isn’t.

	Shrimp take special care August 13, 2012 at 10:00 am Last month’s column centered on baitwells and how to set them up to keep baitfish alive. This isn’t exactly a second installment, but it will offer several ideas for keeping shrimp alive and special considerations for small baitwells. The principles and ideas previously discussed are all relevant but were geared more to baitfish and larger baitwells. Shrimp are more difficult to keep alive in a baitwell, and smaller baitwells present their own unique challenges.

	‘Live’ is best part of bait July 16, 2012 at 10:00 am Many fishermen have a fascination with using live minnows or smaller fish for bait. The bottom line is they believe it gives them an advantage in trying to outsmart wily, old fish. There are fishermen who would rather carry a stalk of bananas than head to their favorite fishing hole without live bait — and if you don’t know how unwelcome bananas are on a boat, just understand you shouldn’t carry them.