The Fishing Line April 13

What a good week it was. We were in Myrtle Beach, S.C. for baseball, but got to do a little freshwater fishing during our free time. Not as much as I wanted, but it was still good, and a favorite combination of activities.
It brought truth to the saying that a bad day fishing is better than a good day at work. The weather was great, warm and sunny, between 70 and 80. When it rained Friday morning, the baseball was over and we were still able to do what we wanted. The clouds stayed, and a few showers occurred from time to time, but we didn’t need to change any plans.
Rain on and off Saturday led to a sunny late afternoon, and a nice evening ferry ride on the Delaware Bay. While relaxing during the crossing, I checked my messages and found word of a few productive tog and striper trips. Thoughts of successful Sunday fishing trips drifted in my head. Then the Saturday night storm, and the Sunday winds, ended all thoughts of a fishable Sunday.
Our first report of the year arrived from Capt. Fred at Utsch’s Marina.  Capt. Bob Cope on the Full Ahead and  Capt. Tom Daffin on the Fishin’ Fever were out on a recent rainy Saturday. The weather didn’t matter, as it was the second day of the short April blackfish season. Both boats can run six person charters, and by 2 p.m. they were near their limits.
Both boats ran charters on Wednesday and limited out on blackfish. That’s a great way to start off the season.
Next we have our first report from  Capt. Skip Jastremski, and Stalker Fishing Charters. On the same rainy Saturday mentioned above, the Stalker went out on a morning trip with a party of six. They returned with five nice stripers to 25 pounds. It seems the rain can’t stop a determined captain or crew. The afternoon trip was tougher as the wind came up. They had hits, but no solid hook-ups. 
Out and about: This week we take this segment on the road to Myrtle Beach, S.C. I made my second annual trip to the Second Avenue Pier. This is a pier that has been a place to visit since 1936. It consists of a restaurant, but for our purposes also a tackle shop and naturally a large pier for fishing.
Last year the staff was very accommodating to me and my family by letting us go out on the pier. While the wife and daughter relaxed, my son and I went and spoke to some of the anglers. Again this year, Bob in the tackle shop gave me carte blanche to go and interview and photograph anyone who obliged. I had no problem finding friendly, willing participants.
Last year after talking to multiple people, I focused on two guys from Charlotte, N.C. via Czechoslovakia. One fact that emerged last year, and re-surfaced again, is that the anglers on the dock are loyal, repeat visitors.
Most people mention that they visit multiple times during their visit to town, and some, like this year’s couple, visit multiple times during their various yearly visits to Myrtle Beach.
Melody and Bryan Pruett of Shelby, N.C. have been going to Second Avenue Pier for 25 years. They come for a visit around the Easter holiday, then return later in the year for the fall run. They usually spend two weeks at least per year fishing here.
On the day we visited, the Pruetts had caught a couple seabass, a white bass, and a small sea trout (weakfish). While talking with them they had a couple of fish get off, and a small skate that made it all the way in. There were constant taps and tugs on the shrimp baits that they offered.
They watched, as earlier in the morning a fisherman down the dock caught a puppy drum. A few sharks were also caught in our vicinity while we talked. Though small, they reminded Bryan of a 9-footer he saw caught and released from the pier this past November.
After concluding my visit to the pier, I went back through the shop where Bob added that the week before our visit some flounder, whiting, speckled trout, and a 20-pound red drum had been caught.
The pier has the tackle shop that you enter from a parking lot before going out onto the pier, plus a restaurant above the shop. It is a nice, all-in-one setup. It was easy to see from the amount of visitors, and the activity along the pier, that the fishing season was definitely kicking into gear.
Taking a look at the freshwater side of our visit saw a lot of effort, and no catches to show for it. It showed that the fun isn’t always in the catch, but it was in the satisfaction of our effort.
The “our” was my daughter Lindsay and I, as my regular fishing partner was hanging with the team. Other people were fishing, and receiving the same results as us, so we didn’t feel bad about getting skunked.
Just seeing her casting and working the bait gave me a great sense of satisfaction. We saw some nice bass swimming around but just couldn’t entice any to bite. Some small sunfish were also spotted but they too showed little interest in any bait thrown. Oh well, that’s why it’s called fishing.
Regardless of results, it felt good to wet the line, and the time spent fishing with my daughter was well worth it.
Farther south, a couple of other local fishermen were also paying their dues. Kevin Barr was in coastal Central Florida and his effort was highlighted with a 22-inch flounder, while the high hook award went to Timmy Myers and friends who landed a number of amber jacks, mangrove snappers, and triggerfish. Myers sent me a picture of one other fish they caught, a bright orange, very large-eyed, squirrel fish. All the fish caught by Myers and the gang were released.
Overall, whether a lot of fish were caught or none were brought in, I didn’t hear anyone regretting their decisions to get out and relax by the water. Steadily, the action we seek will envelope our area, and the time invested on the water will reap its rewards. Keep me informed as to how you do, and I’ll be seeing you around.
Submit your fishing news and photos to mrobbins@cmcherald.com.