Surf at Bogue Pier ranged from a high of 50 to a low of 40-degrees with an  frigid average of 45.3, (blue diamonds). Bogue Sound (red squares) had a high of 52 and a low of 34-degrees with an average of 42.0-degrees. Very cold for even February.

Vulnerability of the Spotted Sea Trout to cold, Trout Stun Events and Trout Kills Along the Crystal Coast.  By Dr. Bogus (Updated 2/23/18)

Trout kills (cold stun events) are normal and not as infrequent as you might imagine and have an important impact on natural mortality of spotted sea trout. In the fall and winter trout move south and then reenter the backwater deep creeks for food and shelter against the winter temperatures. If the water temperature falls, as a cold front moves in, sometimes after a snow event, the trout can seek deeper waters for protection. If the temperature drops too quickly they may or may not have time to seek deeper warmer waters. Remember, trout, as are most fish (there are exceptions), are cold blooded and their body temperature is the same as the water around them. As they get colder their body metabolism slows and their speed of movement and feeding and digestion slow considerably. Remember when you trout fish in the winter, the idea is to move your bait, slow, slower and slowest to get a hit, or “bump” from a lethargic trout.

There is always a debate on what the “cold stun” temperature for a trout is, that is the temperature where they lose swimming control and float to the surface upside-down (they have swim bladders) where they may freeze and die. That temperature is somewhere around 39 to 41 degrees or so, but the stunning of the fish it is not instantaneous, it takes some sustained time at or around a critical stun temperature to incapacitate the fish and it may also somewhat depend on the fish’s  age as well.  So, just a rapid drop in water temperature of a short duration will not be cause a major trout kill, but would mainly impact fish in very shallow waters like the North River.  Also many fish may feel the drop in temperature and have enough time to escape into deeper water in time to protect themselves. Where major trout kills occur, the temperature drops rapidly, often preceded by snowfall, which (the snow and sinking cold-water runoff) also will contribute to rapid water cooling, and then followed by an extended cold air and water temperatures, with water temperatures holding in the 30s for a several days.

We have seen a number of these events over the years. The first major one I witnessed was the devastating trout stun event of January 2003. I was not in North Carolina during the snow storm and frigid cold of 1989, so I don’t remember that event, but by all accounts it was also epic. More recently we have had a rapid succession of stun events in January 2010, December 2010 and January 2011 which led to the total closure of trout harvest both recreationally and commercially, by NCDMF. It also lead to dropping the bag limit, eventually to 4-fish/day and raised the minimum length to 14-inches to ensure the fish have at least one year to spawn before they are subject to harvest. I’m sure there were other trout kills during my 20-plus years in North Carolina and Emerald Isle that I haven’t documented.

As you may know, I routinely keep ocean surf and Bogue Sound water temperatures on a nearly daily basis. I have some data going back to 1995 and daily data date since 1999, when I moved to my Emerald Isle home permanently.  For the stun events that I mentioned above I have the following Bogue Sound and ocean surf water temperature data.

January 22-28, 2003: In the aftermath of a snow storm, Bogue Sound temperatures dropped and remained in the 30s and as low at 30-degrees in a salty slush for the entire week. Many of the creeks were frozen over. Ocean surf at Bogue Pier went as low as 36-degrees, which is about the lowest I’ve ever measured in the surf.

January 3-13, 2010: Bogue Sound remained in the 30s or very low 40s during that entire week and a half, with a low of 35-degrees. Ocean temperature bottomed out during that time at 43-degrees during that week.

December 19-30, 2010: In 2010 we actually had two stun events in the same year.  Again after another snow storm (It doesn’t snow in Emerald Isle, does it?), Bogue Sound temperatures rapidly plunged into the 30s with a low of 33-degrees.  It should also be noted that almost the entire month was unusually cold with an average of only 41-degrees for the month! The surf reached a minimum of 42-degrees during that period.

January 9-15, 2011: Right after the frigid December 2010 and trout kill, temperatures, already primed for disaster, dropped again into the 30s (low of 33-degrees) for another trout kill event for basically the third event in a little more than a year. This was the final event that precipitated the dramatic closure of the trout harvest and restructuring bag (4-fish/day) and size limits (14-inch minimum) when the harvest restriction was lifted in mid-June, 2011.

January 29-30, 2014: We have saw a rapid drop in temperatures caused by the so-called Arctic Polar Vortex, setting record low temperatures here in eastern North Carolina and around much of the nation. Surf temperatures dropped to 47-degrees around Bogue Pier and I’ve measured Bogue Sound temperatures at a very cold 35 and 34-degrees. We did not had a snow storm prior to this drop in temperatures and the Polar Vortex has weakened and rapidly receded, from whence it belongs (the Arctic!) after just a couple of days. The water was cold but has rebounded to near normal for mid-January and although we have seen skim ice on the creeks, even that has receded as well. It appeared that the short duration of the freeze minimized the deleterious effects on our beloved trout. Unfortunately, by the end of January 2014 we had another attack of the Vortex, this time preceded by a snow and ice storm, resulting in some trout kills. The result again was a harvest closure for both recreational and commercial fishermen.

February 16, 2015: We have had some sustained cold again, this time thanks to a Siberian Express and also preceded by a wintery mix of ice and snow resulting in reported trout kills this winter as well. This past week I have measured ocean surf temperatures as low as 40-degrees and as low as 34-degrees in Bogue Sound. There are reports of trout kill events from Dare County south to the in Belhaven and the Pungo River, and areas around the Neuse River, including Broad Creek and around Havelock, such as Slocum (I’ve seen the photos thanks to Fin Chaser Charters) and Cahoogue Creeks. I have personally looked and talked to people around Deer Creek and Broad Creek along Highway-24 in Carteret County, and haven’t had any reports of stunned or dead trout in those areas. As I write this there hasn’t been any information from Dr. Louis Daniel and NC Marine Fisheries of possible closings of speckled trout harvest…yet. On the other hand we have another bout of cold thanks to another Siberian Express and the possibility of wintry precipitation. All we can do is wait and hope. Time to bundle up!

        UPDATE for 1/2017:  Big chill January, 7, 8, 9,10, 2017 after winter storm.We had winter last week, and some spotted sea trout were killed. It happens often here in the old North State every couple of years. I have been trying to keep up with reports on trout kills to get an idea of the scope of the problem this year. Here is what I gathered. Reports of kills seem fairly localized where the most significant kills was reported in the North River and Ward’s Creek where many fish, juvenile to 20-plus inches fish littered the banks of the river.  Other less significant reports include the areas around Harker’s Island, the White Oak River in Stella, Hadnot Creek along the White Oak, Queens Creek and some scattered fish appeared in the New River Creeks. Importantly a report from the Pungo River and associated creeks (Pantego, Slade, etc.) were negative where significant kills had taken place in recent years. To my surprise I did not see or hear of any stunned or dead fish in the Highway-24 Creeks, which had been ice covered during part of the freeze. In fact the big chill seemed to run out the spike trout and drive in the 3-pounders.

          Also, NCDMF has come out with new guidelines: “Internal Guidelines for Adaptive Management for Cold Stun Management”, dated 12/14/16 to address a move to a more quantitative metric to trigger action (i.e. harvest closures).

          UPDATE for 2/23/18: As most of you know, I, the consummate scientist, have religiously taken water temperatures for well over 20 years. Why? It tells us who and when as far as the comings and goings of fish on our local waters. In the winter it also can raise flags as to the safety of some of our favorite commercial and recreational species, specifically the speckled trout who are known to be susceptible to cold water temperatures. Speckled trout are a warm water fish are the cold spells as we have experienced recently can lead to so called “cold stun” events or as I call them…troutsicles!

In fact over the years as I have amassed reams of water temperature date, we have also documented such trout kill/stun events every two to three years. This past week I measured surf temperatures at Bogue Pier as low as 38-degrees (Fahrenheit) and as low as 29 and 30-degrees in the ice and slush of Bogue Sound. The last time I saw water temperatures reaching these lows were in late January 2003, after a snow event and freeze which led to a very significant trout kill.

          In late December 2010 into early January of 2011 we had a series of cold events that were extreme enough for our NC Department of Marine Fisheries close all harvest of speckled trout and adjust both bag and size limits for when the season reopened. More recently new cold stun guidelines have been put in place to, on a regional basis address the issues of cold stun events with speckled trout. These guidelines based on experimentally validated water temperature criteria and visual cold stun parameters of affected fish, were instituted for the first time this past week in response to the extreme weather conditions. This proclamation closes the commercial and recreational spotted seatrout fishery due to cold stun events, in accordance with the management strategy outlined in the N.C. Spotted Seatrout Fishery Management Plan. The spotted seatrout fishery will open June 15, 2018 by proclamation.

          So how wide was the scope of this year’s cold stun event? Locally we have heard of stunned and dead trout numbering in the hundreds in fish in the North River and at least 1000 estimated in the White Oak River near the train trestle around Stella, Gayle’s Creek, Pungo River and there were also stunned fish reported as far north as Kitty Hawk Bay and as far south as Surf City. There were also reports of trout kills in Virginia. Indeed a wide ranging situation. Also remember the number of floating fish, that initially lost equilibrium doesn’t account for the many that remain on the bottom unseen. The NCDMF may do some bottom trawl surveys to get a better handle on the total numbers. Other fish killed? Visual confirmed reports were of red and black drum, flounder mullet and probably more.

          And please remember, during this closure NO possession of spotted sea trout is allowed from fishing or scooping up of dying or dead fish. I repeat NO possession of speckled trout is allowed until the closure is ended by proclamation, presumably on June 15, 2018 by our new Director of Marine Fisheries, Steve Murphey. Steve was recently appointed to take place of the interim director Braxton Davis who will return to his full-time role as director of Coastal Management.

Surf at Bogue Pier ranged from a high of 57 to a low of 47-degrees with an  average of 51.0, (blue diamonds). Bogue Sound (red squares) had a high of 57 and a low of 35-degrees with an average of 47.0-degrees. January as usual was a cooling off month. Temperature in Deer Creek was 44, 45 near the end of January (1/28, 1/29).

Fishing Myths, Misconceptions and Downright Lies: By Dr. Bogus

            There is much fishing folklore out there based on rancorous rumor, personal bias, and indeed even some “bogus” misconceptions which have been passed down from generation to generation. Here are a few that are often heard and can use a little good-hearted debunking.

• Pinfish, a.k.a. “bream of the sea”, are good for nothing…except bait stealing. Pinfish are in the porgy family with the likes of sheepshead and have earned the well-deserved reputation as “bait stealers” because of their incessant nibbling.  Nibble, nibble, nibble and your bait is gone. To their credit, they themselves make great baits. Small pinfish are exceptional live bait for flounder, trout and red drum and larger ones are effectively used on king mackerel rigs. Pinfish are also fine as strip baits for flounder or split for grouper.
• Flounder are wimpy mealy-mouthed fish. Boy this sounds like flounder fightin’ words. Much of the wimpy flounder press comes from the fact that most fish for flounder with live bait, which minimizes the “feel” of the flounder. Read my lips, flounder can swim fast, have BIG mouths which when open can suck down a good size blue fish, a nasty set of teeth and powerful jaws (I have the scars to prove it) and a disposition to go with them. They can hit a moving artificial lure as hard as many other fish and their ferocious head shake has thrown many a hook.
• If you see bubbles in the sand on the beach it must be mole crabs. Although neither flea, nor related to the backyard subterranean ground mole, the sand flea or mole crab (especially the softies) is a wonderful bait. They are found along with the colorful coquina clams in the ocean surf  “swash”, apparently coping well with their Sisyphus like unending cycle of back and forth, up and down on the rise and fall of each wave. Their characteristic “Vs” in the retreating waves give them away. Hand, net, or commercial gathering devices readily gather mole crabs along the surf on the retreating wave. By the way, the bubbles are actually escaping air, as the rising tidal surf is forcing the air out and not mole crabs.
• A common cry is that there is so much bait around; the fish will never find MY bait. So is it bad to fish when there is lots of bait around. Answer is NO. Fish are where the bait is and NOT where the bait isn’t. You just need to make your bait more visible.  Just like us, fish are opportunistic feeders and will take the easy way out all the time. The injured, the slow the obvious.  Presentation and location are key. Work the edges of the bait schools, give it action of an injured fish, use artificials with flash and rattles and clangors that say; “here I am, eat me!”
• We have often heard the axiom “match the hatch”.  But is this ALWAYS the best thing to do? Sure it makes sense and it’s the obvious starting point, but when things are slow, be a little crazy, take the road less traveled, sometimes it’s just the thing to turn on the fish.
• The best fishing is on incoming tide. Anytime I am asked this kind of a question, i.e. what is the best… (you fill in the blank)… for fishing, may it be tide, time, lunar phases, wind, season, whatever, I always answer with the annoying response, “what are you fishing for and where are you fishing”? For example to answer the above tidal question I might say yes to the likes of fishing for flounder in the ocean surf or on the pier, I may nod affirmative for red drum fishing on ocean bars and shoals, or up in shallow water oysters beds, grass marshes and, a yea for the likes of spot and sea mullet in the surf. On the other hand, I prefer the outgoing tide while fishing inlets for the likes of flounder, blues speckled trout and Spanish. I also like to fish a falling tide for speckled trout in surf. A falling tide often will have a concentrating effect of schooling fish like trout. The potential locations where they can be found diminishes as the tide falls making the specks easier to find, that is fish the holes.  So always think what and where when asking such generic questions. It really matters.

How about some culinary fish food for thought, that is lore on what’s edible and what’s not.

• Contrary to common lore, the pinfish is edible but rarely reaches sufficient size to warrant keeping unless it is cooked whole, if cooked fresh the fish is indeed acceptably palatable. I can personally attest to this. And don’t forget other culinary forgotten edibles, dogfish, sea robins, skates and rays. Garbage fish to some, excellent table fare to others.
• Many tunas are outstanding table fare, but how about the false albacore?  As a game fish they are great and I, release most, but sometimes when they do not survive their frenzied run to freedom, I will keep and eat them. I know that you’ve heard that they make terrible table fare, and if you don’t fillet them right their dark, bloody can be almost inedible.  However, properly filleted and “loined” into four nice loin strips they make great sashimi when dipped in some nose clearing wasabi-soy mixture make an excellent raw tuna treat.  I have also blackened the loins as one might blacken redfish, or boiled the meat for a enjoyable tuna salad. They are as good as it gets.
• How about those abundant bluefish?  As fun as they are to catch, many people don’t like the bluefish on the plate, but frankly, it’s mostly from fish abuse. Fresh bluefish are a delight and I have many appetizing recipes. If you have the chance to land a few, here is a quick and tasty recipe. Place bluefish fillets on a lightly buttered aluminum sheet on your broiler pan. Prepare a thick paste of mayonnaise, horseradish lemon juice and a dash of Worcestershire sauce and spread it over each fillet. Garnish with slices of onion, sprinkle some freshly ground pepper over the fillets and bake at 400-degrees until the paste is has a bubbly brown crust and the fish is moist and flaky. Yum! The key here is FRESH fish. Blues that have sat on pier, boat deck or beach, getting sunburn and that by the end of the day resemble fish jerky are indeed truly inedible. Keeping them on ice and removing the dark strip of meat at the center-line of the fillet does the trick. Many bleed them as well. Personally I find bleeding is not necessary for 1-3 pound fish, so I only do bleed the big ones. Finally, although speckled trout, flounder, spot or drum survive the freezer well, blues do not and are best eaten FRESH.
• Now blowfish is another story. Talk about names, that like Rodney Dangerfield, get no respect, they go by such unappetizing monikers as blow toads, swell fish, and puffers, but the notion that these delectable critters also known as sea squab or chicken of the sea are poisonous is wrong. Sure, their kissing oriental cousins have a history of death and destruction for those who dare this culinary “rush. Puffers are of the family Tetradontidae includes many species that are notably toxic, but NOT our NORTHERN PUFFER. Japanese torafugu is one of the culprits. The toxicity of these fish is largely influenced by their reproductive cycle. Prior to and during their spawning season they are most poisonous.  Many researchers believe that toxic algae may be a component in the production of deadly tetradotoxin.  The skin, liver, ovaries, and intestines are generally the most toxic parts of the puffer.  The musculature at times may be poisonous. The poison acts mainly on the nerve centers of the victim as a sodium channel blocker.  Death is the result of suffocation and cardiac paralysis.  Cooking the fish can’t destroy the toxin and there is no known antidote for puffer poisoning. Our northern puffer variety of these inflatable fish actually do taste and look remarkably like chicken and are nicely and safely prepared by gently sautéing them in lemon butter. Yum!

I know that there are many, many, many more fishing myths, misconceptions and even some out-right lies out there, but enough debunking for today. Knowledge is power and veritable information on fish habits, habitats and habituations will help you catch and enjoy more fish.

Surf at Bogue Pier ranged from a high of 57 to a low of 50-degrees with an  average of 54.1, (blue diamonds). Bogue Sound (red squares) had a high of 59 and a low of 44-degrees with an average of 51.8-degrees. December was a cooling off month.