From: seapuppy
Date: 12/5/2010
Time: 7:00:28 PM
thx for the kind words all..I'll post stories..but...not many from calo as I dont want to comprimise my friends' favorite fishing areas..Have plenty from the Va Capes.Hatteras Inlet/Ocracoke Inlet' Maybe it will help all of you/us get through the winter....
DAMN..this past week or two have HURT so much..not bein' out there w/ my friends for the past 20plus years..be glad when this week is over !! Sure the Warrior misses it to...sigh
Will start with 4 stories from the north end of Ocracoke December '05..Christmas weekend/New Years weekend..hope ya'll like them,,they were very early stories..before I could spell lol..& I'm NOT GONNA" DEFEND things that happened 5-6 years ago..Okay??
12-24-05
Flirting With Disaster
December 24th 2005 North End Of Ocracoke
Crossed over the ferry last night about 10pm & drove out to the beach all the way north to the end of the ORV signs.Checked the water nearby,looked like a great place to launch the Seapuppy in the morning.Ate some supper & crashed out about midnight.Set the alarm for 5am.
Kept hitting the snooze button so long it quit going off.Finally woke about 7:30.Two & a 1/2 hours late! Was hoping to run to the shoals off of Cape Point(Buxton) today.Went outside,the wind is blowing SW 5-10 kts.The sun bright,partly cloudy & about 50*.We still have time if we hurry.Got my waders on & prepped the Seapuppy.Checked the water temp and it was 47*.Turned Warrior lose on her rope,backed the truck around & put Seapuppy over.The beach was a perfect ramp,dropping deep right at the shore.Warrior has already jumped on the Seapuppy! Went back up to the camper & started cooking breakfast & coffee,stepped back outside & Warrior is gone! Son of a__!
Called her over & over,no sign of her.Cut off the burners,removed my waders,put a pair of shoes on & grabbed a bottle of water.I found her tracks leading across the sand straight into the bush.Lost her trail so I started going through the brush.I kept yelling "Warrior,time to go! Common girl,time to go!" After searching about an hour I heard her barking in the distance,must have cornered a raccoon.I came across a low grassy area,the water about calf deep.Had a few choice words! Cut across the swampy area,now my shoes,socks & my pants wet & the water is very cold.Finally finding her,she had a raccoon treed just behind the restroom at the ferry landing.How in the heck did she get this far on a rope & not get tangled up? When I got to her I saw that the rope had broken & only a foot was still attached.Boy I was hot! Grabbed her rope & we headed back across the swampy area again.We made our way straight to the inlet coming out about a quarter mile from the Jeep.Went along the beach & through the brush,making it back to the camper.Put Warrior in the front of the truck where she has a water jug & continued to cook breakfast.Now it's 10 oclock,too late to make the trip to Cape point ! Some more choice words !
After eating breakfast & finishin' prepping the Seapuppy we set out for the ocean about 1030.The waves were small averaging two foot with a few three-four foot.Not choppy,just smooth swells.Once beyond the bar & the old Coast Guard stations pilings I dropped my baits overboard & began trolling. I use 2oz red & white lead heads with about a 5/O J hook with 6 inch rubber shad bodies, white with blue or red tops & various other colors in the tackle box..This rig was very successful a few years ago,catching stripers & even 2 big drums off Cape Point Buxton in January.Let the lines out real far & troll very slowly.Nearby pelicans & seagulls were divebombing,went over to check out the situation & it turned out to be dolphins & black ducks feeding pushing the baits up,no stripers.
I was out in the center of the inlet trolling south just next to the breakers.A boat full of kids & their father came from the north a good mile away,pulled up beside me asking if I had caught any fish.They haven't found them either.After talking for a few minutes he went on as he was trolling a little faster than I was.He then cut right in front of me forcing me into the breakers! I hollered at him to give me room.He didn't listen & said some smartaleck remarks.About that time I had to turn seaward as a wave was about to break over me,took a hard left & drove right over his lines,cutting them off. At the same time Warrior went overboard! I was cussing the other boat bigtime now & he was shouting profanities back.Now Warrior is overboard in the middle of 5 foot high breaking shoals! Thank goodness she had her lifejacket on! I rolled in my lines & did a wide circle coming back into the shoals heading into the breakers.Jumping over the breaking waves I made my way back to her.Got next to her & pulled her out of the water between breaking waves.The other boat never stopped to help or nothing! By the time I got Warrior out of the water & made my way out of the shoals the other boat was almost around the south tip of Hatteras Island heading into the sound.I just couldn't understand why he cut in front of me after coming from a mile away! When Warrior went over he still didn't stop to help at all ! To say I was HOT would be an understatement !
Got reorganized & headed north about a mile off Hatteras beach & continued trolling,talked to some other boats that went by & they had not had any bites either.About 2pm I was trolling off the bar just east of the end of Hatteras Island,I kept cutting into the whitewater then coming back out just before the wave broke.Suddenly a rouge wave came up, I couldn't escape it. The wave sideswiped me & hit the Seapuppy squarely on the side just as it was breaking! The left side of Seapuppy was every bit of 55* higher than the right side! How Seapuppy didn't flip I will never know! As I was sliding sideways I gunned the engine & tried to surf the wave but still couldn't pull out of it's clutches.I was in a real jam as the Seapuppy was almost submarined! Desperately I took a hard left & drove over the top of the wave in much the same way as a surfer turns back to the ocean after his ride.As I went over the wave I went airborne & dropped about 8 foot down..Wham! Directly in front of me was another wave getting ready to break.I was thinking to myself "Why in the Heck am I in here so far??!!!" I gunned the engine again lifting the front of the Seapuppy just as the wave broke over me about 5 foot overhead.Went through the wave & again into empty space dropping about 6-8 foot Wham again! Seapuppy is full of water & my hat & sunglasses are gone.When ever you get introuble in the shoals you must go straight into the waves,it's the only way to survive.There was a lull between big waves so I cut the trolling lines off & limped out of the shoals.
Once to safety I was finally able to breathe.My heart was racing & I was almost shaking! I had just survived a very close brush with disaster! Pulled the plugs & drove around awhile draining the Seapuppy.I had just escaped with my life! Wouldn't that be something to die on your birthday in the WRONG INLET !? If I'm going to ever perish at sea I hope it's Ocracoke Inlet! Decided to go back to the camper as fishing just wasn't that important anymore.Once I got back to the beach,I opened a beer & I tried to figure out what went wrong.I had to have made some mistakes to end up with such a close brush with disaster.One mistake was fishing an area I'm not familar with.Another is I came into the shoals in the wrong direction with my back to the waves.Should have gone through the shoals from the beach on out,not from the outer edge of the shoals in.Also by trolling the heavy baits it slowed the Seapuppy just enough that I couldn't outrun the waves.So many mistakes! This is why I don't like going out in the winter! In spring & fall if you go overboard it's not life threating as it is with 47* water.Went back down to the Seapuppy & drank another beer looking out to the shoals.The pelicans & the birds are diving hard in the center of the inlet.It was just too late to make another run all the way back out there.A boat pulled up under them for about 15 minutes & left,must still be the dolphins & ducks.
I decided to switch gears & throw mirrolures for trout.I put on a black one with silver sides with spots.A few years ago a freind of mine called it the "Harlem Spearchucker" ! It works well with stripers & trout.Warrior & I got back in the Seapuppy & we ran out to the piles in the inlet.The tide was coming in but was slowing as it was begining to change.Pulled up near the piles & started plugging.Casting between the piles,slowly twitching the mirrolure between the piles.Fished till just before dusk & didnt even get a bite.
Ran the Seapuppy back to the beach & pulled it out of the water.Then,Warrior & I walked west along the inlet to the deep water on the north end of the island.I started plugging again with the black & silver mirolure.After dozens of casts finally got a bump,the first bite of the day.Kept throwing & caught a 20" spec.Fished all day out in the Seapuppy,almost got drowned & the darn fish are right here by the beach! Son of a__ ! Fished until sunset & caught another about 18".The sun set & the whole horizon was a shade of purple.We headed back to the Jeep & cleaned the two trout & a pound & a 1/2 of shrimp I bought yesterday in Nags Head on the way down.Cooked them up along with some mashed potatoes,corn & a couple rolls.Warrior & I ate a great Christmas Eve dinner.Watched the 10 o'clock news to see the weather.The forecast calls for strong south winds & rain tomorow so I doubt I can go out in the Seapuppy again.No reason to set the alarm.Not a lot of fish today but heart stopping excitement!
It's Not a Fishin' Trip ! It's an Adventure !
Pup & The Mighty Fish-Dog, MysticWarrior