If Phil sees his shadow:

Punxsutawney Phil/ Now aghast at his likeness /Winter’s grip lingers

If Phil doesn’t see his shadow:

Punxsutawney Phil / No furry shadow today / Winter’s door now shut.

New Year’s Resolutions for the Angler, by Dr. Bogus

It’s winter and the New Year 2014 and we have survived the dreaded Polar Vortex, and indications are that the trout did too. I will have a special report and data on trout stun events next week.

So, even though on the average, only 8% of New Year’s resolutions are found to be long lasting, it’s always good to think about what you may change for the better in the New Year even for the angler. Here are some of my suggestions. Trash…please go trashless this season, this includes proper discarding of your fishing line. We all see the careless disposal of trash in and along our waters and along the highways. It seems to be epidemic, so everyone do your best to discard your own trash properly and if you have a chance, help clean up after others not as considerate.

Several of the main reasons for lost fish include old fishing line, bad knots and dull and rusty hooks. Resolve to replace your line at least each year, it’s the only thing between you and your trophy fish, learn how to tie secure high strength knots and check your hooks for dull points and rust. Poor hookups from dull hooks result in unnecessarily lost fish but sharp hooks insure solid hookups and more fish in your cooler.

Speaking of fishing line, maybe this is your year to try braided line. But if you do you will need to learn how to use it properly or you experience will end up in a costly tangled web of fishing line. I have an article on my web site that will get you up to speed and avoid my early troubles with braided line (www.ncoif.com). I had terrible troubles, you don’t have to!

Knowledge is often the basis of better fishing. The local fishing clubs are a wealth of good fishermen and great personal fishing information and experiences of folks that are willing to share. Local clubs include the Onslow Bay Fishing Club, Saltwater Light Tackle Fishing Club and the Cape Lookout Fly Fishers.

Another information fount include the winter fishing seminars. Two prominent seminars include the SaltWater Sportsman National Seminar Series to be held at the New Bern Convention Center this year  on January 11, 2014. You can get tickets by calling 800-448-7360. I hope to see you there. Another is the put on by the Fisherman’s Post Magazine. This will be held in the Crystal Coast Civic Center in Morehead City on February 22, 2014. Tickets can be gotten from Chasin’ Tails (Atlantic Beach Causeway) and West Marine (Morehead City). Registration forms are also available from their web site, www.FishermansPost.com. You will recognize many of the expert presenters.

Location, location, location is not only a real estate mantra, but fishing too. Remember that 80% of the people fish in 20% of the “hot” fishing holes, so try to stray from the madding crowds and find your own hot spots. One way for me was to take up kayak fishing several years ago. Believe me, I can get places where most of you can’t go!

Along with braided line, give a try to some new baits. If  you don’t use corks or haven’t gotten to using some of the great suspending baits, maybe 2014 is the year for you. Try the MirrOlure 17 or 27-MR suspending baits in the “808” or electric chicken colors. And if you are not catching fish with them, you are working them too fast, soooo sloooow down your retrieves.

To help our fish stocks, please follow creel and size limits, return unwanted fish back to the water (even “trash” fish), practice catch and release, keep only fish you will eat. And if you see violations, don’t hesitate to call in the violations to NC Marine Patrol (800.682.2632) or Wildlife Resources Commission (800.662.7137). Finally, respect other fishermen. That is the best resolution of all, and the fishing will be better for us all.

Vulnerability of the Spotted Sea Trout to cold, Trout Stun Events and Trout Kills Along the Crystal Coast.  By Dr. Bogus (Updated 2/18/15)

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 rapid drops 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 week or more.

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: 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 and size limits.

This year (2014) we have seen 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 have not had a snow storm prior to this drop in temperatures and the Polar Vortex has weakened and rapidly receded, to 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 appears that the short duration of the freeze this year minimized the deleterious effects on our beloved trout. In fact, I haven’t heard of any reports of stunned trout. I was out fishing the creeks during this period, no, I didn’t catch any trout but I didn’t see any floating fish either, but I did land many drag stretching slot sized red drum from our local creeks.

UPDATE: By the end of January 2014 we had another attack of the Vortex preceded by a snow and ice storm, resulting in some trout kills. The result was a harvest closure for both recreational and commercial fishermen. Now in mid February 2015 we have had some sustained cold again preceded by a wintery mix of ice and snow resulting in reported trout kills this winter as well. I’ve seen photos of stunned and dead fish from Slocum Creek (Fin Chaser’s Charters). And as of 2/18/15, the frigid cold continues with forecast of teens and single digit temperatures before moderating over the weekend.