BIG BOY Fishing

For more than 130 years, ferrymen have jammed poles into the James River's gravelly shallows to push the Hatton Ferry slowly across to other side.
The unique calling now may be days from extinction: America's last known hand-poled ferry is a casualty of ebbing state finances and politics.

Maritime news, commercial marine directory and day rates - WorkBoat.com

Midnight Express Powerboats received a three-year contract from the Coast Guard to supply a progression of the builder's 39-foot Interceptor models

Midnight Express will build boats for the Coast Guard

American Marine Holdings, the parent company of Donzi Marine and Pro-Line Boats, was sold to a private investor.

Donzi/Pro-Line parent sold to investor

The former head of Burger Boat Co. has gone to the dogs - as in hot dogs.

Former boatbuilding executive goes from Burger to hot dogs

Winning the 51st Big Rock Blue Marlin Tournament wasn’t just a figment of Steve Coulter’s imagination.
The Hatteras-based captain of the Sea Creature motored to the Big Rock scales Saturday with a 466-pound blue marlin to score a final-day victory and win $746,820 from the tournament’s $1,752,366 purse.

The Big Rock Blue Marlin Fishing Tournament

Even though competitors in the 51st annual Big Rock Blue Marlin Tournament experienced great billfish action Thursday no one was able to catch a blue marlin big enough to bring to the scales.

The Big Rock Blue Marlin Fishing Tournament

It is rare to find a bottom-bouncing angler who has not encountered a dogfish shark.

To most serious bottom fishermen, smooth and spiny dogfish are a nuisance.

But they also can be a serious problem, especially when fishing for drum in the Chesapeake Bay, or for grouper and tilefish along the edges of the Norfolk Canyon.

Fishing forecast for June 11 - 17 | HamptonRoads.com | PilotOnline.com

Golden Eye Seafood LLC and owner, Robert Lumpkins of St. Mary's County, Md., pleaded guilty today to conspiracy to and violating the Lacey Act, by falsely recording the amount and weight of striped bass, also known as rockfish, that were harvested by local fisherman and checked-in through Golden Eye from 2003 to 2007, announced United States Attorney Rod J. Rosenstein and John C. Cruden, Acting Assistant Attorney General for the Justice Department's Environment and Natural Resources Division

Seafood Wholesaler and Owner Plead Guilty to Conspiracy in the Illegal Harvesting of Rockfish

It said that while about 300,000 striped bass are harvested each year in Massachusetts, an additional 500,000 are released and then die from handling-stress and injuries. I was staggered. Gobsmacked as the Irish say. Half a million? That's a lot of dead fish.

Fishing around: Handle stripers with care | CapeCodOnline.com

Fountain Powerboat Industries Inc. has retained investment banker Jacobs Capital to help the boatbuilder find a partner that can provide additional capital to get through the economic downturn and finance future growth.

Fountain looks for more capital

It’s no figment of your imagination … after three days the 51st annual Big Rock Blue Marlin Tournament has a leader!
Figment captain Glynn Loftin of Swansboro and angler Kyle Culpepper of Wilmington combined to bring a 439-pound Blue Marlin to the scales Wednesday to give boat owner Mickey Corcoran, New Bern, the inaugural tournament lead.

The Big Rock Blue Marlin Fishing Tournament

The volunteers of Smith Point Sea Rescue, based in Reedville, have pulled people from the water after vessels capsized, found lost boaters all across the Chesapeake Bay and rescued folks from dead batteries, failed engines and groundings hundreds of times over 35 years.

Fredericksburg.com - Fishing derby aids water rescue organization

Reedville Bluefish Derby Homepage

Early June is a wonderful time to fish for striped bass. The long daylight hours allow us plenty of time to go fishing, while the cool water temperatures fend off the bluefish. Not to say they aren’t fun to catch, but each requires slightly different tackle. It’s simply a matter of the leader material, wire or monofilament. Summed up in one short word. “Teeth.”

The Resident » Blog Archive » I’ll Have the Striper, Hold the Blues

Big blue marlins remained elusive for the second straight day of the 51st annual Big Rock Blue Marlin Tournament leaving the leader board vacant as anglers head toward the midpoint of the competition

The Big Rock Blue Marlin Fishing Tournament

Croaker are in the rivers in good numbers. Jim McDermott and Rusty Thompson launched their boat at the Point Lookout State Park Saturday morning and ventured just outside the pound net stakes in Cornfield Harbor (about a mile from the boat ramp). In about 28 feet of water they lowered their double hook bottomed rigs baited with squid and bloodworms and immediately hungry hardhead began coming over the side. They returned the Tackle Box store in Lexington Park at 2 PM with a box full including one out-sized croaker at 19 inches in length.

Weekly So. Md. Fishing Report - Southern Maryland Headline News

Perfect offshore conditions yielded dozens of hook-ups but no blue marlin catches Monday as the 51st annual Big Rock Blue Marlin Tournament got off to an unusual start.

The Big Rock Blue Marlin Fishing Tournament

Witnessing history in the making is a cool experience. This weekend, I did just that.

I was invited to co-host with Captain Don Lancaster on his radio show “Fishing Tidewater,” as he covered the grand opening of the new Buckroe Fishing Pier in Hampton, Virginia.

The original pier was destroyed in Hurricane Isabel in 2003. The new pier was built to withstand hurricane strength winds, and stretches into the lower Chesapeake Bay with 706-feet of sturdy concrete and planks. This pier is best known for typically hosting some the first cobia catches of the season. It turns out, that this weekend is the very weekend we normally see the first cobia catches in the lower Bay.

Grand Opening of the BUCKROE Fishing Pier | HamptonRoads.com | PilotOnline.com

Genmar Holdings, the second-largest boatbuilder in the US, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection on Monday. A petition filed in the US Bankruptcy Court in Minnesota listed the assets of the company as US$237.5m, with liabilities of US$216.5m.

Genmar chairman Irwin Jacobs told the Minneapolis Star-Tribune that the the bankruptcy petition does not include more than US$400m in intangible assets. Wells Fargo and Fifth Third bank, the only secured creditors, are owed US$75m. The bankruptcy petition also listed 20 other creditors.

Genmar files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection

The Environmental Protection Agency is preparing to make an important and far-reaching decision this year that will affect more than 500 million gasoline engines powering everything from large pickups to family cars to lawn mowers: whether to grant the ethanol industry’s request to raise the maximum amount of ethanol that can be added to gasoline.

Ethanol Industry’s 15% Solution Raises Concerns - NYTimes.com

According to the data, the program's first year: --recovered more than 8,600 crab pots and 61 abandoned nets. --discovered nearly 5,000 animals, including: more than 3,000 crabs, 19 turtle species, eels, a lobster, a diving duck and a muskrat--some alive, some dead. --involved fifty-eight watermen who covered 1,524 square miles of the bay and its tributaries

Crabs, turtles found in Chesapeake 'ghost pots' -- dailypress.com

Richard Carney, 31, of Portsmouth caught this 24-inch pickerel, his first catch, which is a state Inland Fisheries citation qualifier. (Courtesy of Mike Jones)

Greenhorn nets first fish - and a trophy | HamptonRoads.com | PilotOnline.com

A coastal recreational fishing group is pushing North Carolina legislators to enact a bill that would designate red drum and spotted sea trout, or speckled trout, as coastal game fish and make them off-limits to commercial fishermen

Some game fish could soon be off limits to commerical fishermen | fish, fisheries, fishermen - Local - ENCToday

A federal judge sentenced the former owner of a Georgetown seafood restaurant and his son yesterday to three years' probation for purchasing thousands of pounds of illegal rockfish.

Ex-Owner of Seafood Shop, Son Get 3 Years' Probation for Buying Illegal Rockfish - washingtonpost.com

Red drum are providing decent action among the breakers and sloughs near Smith and Fisherman's Island, especially at night. The best action is among the breakers, and kayak anglers are taking advantage of this trend right now. John Fauci (Norfolk) released a 58-inch bull from his kayak in the white water off Fisherman's Island. Bill Knapp (Virginia Beach) found drum action while his crew braved the storms and rain, releasing a 51-inch red while bottom fishing at night with crab off Fisherman's Island.

Fishing report | Richmond Times-Dispatch

A big catch for Bradley Channels of Elkins with assistance from dad Donnie Channels

"I always call the West Virginia group the 'good luck group'," said fishing guide Ryan Rogers. "It's the third year they've been with us and the third year we've caught our limit.  I always look forward to the fellowship and a good group of guys."

Each lure is hand-tied by the crew of the Midnight Sun

Rogers captains "The Midnight Sun" out of Smith Point Marina in Reedville, Virginia.    During the early part of the year he's targeting stripers, but his is a year-round operation.

West Virginia Outdoors News