North Carolina Fishing Reports

Garry · Ol'Salt Joined: Apr 05, 2004 Posts: 665

Last summer I had a chance to fish using some flying fish. How do you catch these critters?

Also where do you catch ribbonfish say from Wilmington down to say Southport?
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Capt_Dave · Posted: Wed Feb 01, 2006 9:17 pm Post subject:

Garry,
Flying fish....The only success I have ever had catching Flying Fish was on Overnighters with really bright lights and sabiki rigs at the surface.

Ribbonfish, I get my fresh ribbon fish from local shrimpers. Toss the local deckhand or Captain $20.00 and ask them to bring you back some.

Dave
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teamflatline · Posted: Thu Feb 02, 2006 11:17 am Post subject:

YOU CAN CATCH THEM IN THE YACHT BASIN AT CB. BUT I THINKS IT STILL MAYBE A LITTLE TO COLD FOR THEM RIGHT NOW

Garry · Ol'Salt Joined: Apr 05, 2004 Posts: 665

Thanks for the heads up Flatline. Yep it is cold right now but in late June and July it will be just right. I have mostly fished the Bouge Sound end of the NC world and don't know squat about down Wilmington way.

Dave down in Bama and the rest of the Oil patch you can tie up at a rig in the blue water areas at night and turn on a light while bottom fishing and it would draw FFs. One toss of a good cast net and you had all the bait you needed. I hadn't thought about using FFs for Dolphin here in NC until last summer and it dawned on that they really skip a lot better than Boone birds and you don't need to hang a spoon off the back of them. Thinking of the past I bet I've lost more birds to headon strikes than I have caught fish off the spoons trailing behind.
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Capt_Dave · Posted: Thu Feb 02, 2006 12:35 pm Post subject:

Flatline,
Are you talking about Flyingfish or Ribbonfish in he Marina at CB? There are plenty of pogies there in season? Never seen a ribbonfish on hook and line or netted out of the basin. It would not suprize me if the flat bottom shrimpers don't catch a bunch in there.

While we atalking about bait....anyone ever tried a Garr for Kings? I used to see a TON of them when we went gigging.....
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BILLFISHIN · Posted: Fri Feb 03, 2006 10:00 am Post subject: Speaking of Garr.

Anyone every ate one? Hard as heck to clean but worth it! Poor mans lobster.

Garry · Ol'Salt Joined: Apr 05, 2004 Posts: 665

Eat which Flying fish or Ribbon fish or both.

A friend said his dad use to make rounds early in the morning on the deck of the Navy ship he was on during WWII and picked up the FFs that had flew up on the deck. He would get the cook to fix-um up for him. He said his dad loved-um. I have read that in some coastal asian areas, both Ballyhoo and Ribbons are eaten but are very poor table fair.

Me I have never been hard up enough to try most bait fish but after what he he told me about his dad eating FFs I might try a fresh one. Hell if they are good enough for Yellowfin they should be good enough for us.
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OffLine · Posted: Fri Feb 03, 2006 10:41 am Post subject:

We were on a sailboat in the southern bay of St Lucia and there were pickups full of FF. The beds were so full, that the fish were level with the top of the side rails of the bed and the bumper of a Toyota was almost dragging the ground. It was a site to see. They were selling them by the basket full to the locals. So that must be good eatin....

FinaticRN · Posted: Sun Feb 05, 2006 4:40 pm Post subject:

Flying fish are a bit too fast for me too catch...usually by the time you see one it is heading back down into the water. I have often times wondered how would one go about catching flying fish for bait. I guess one would have to rig a flying fish similar to how bonita or spanish are rigged for trolling. Only flying fish I have ever had in my possession came from the belly of a big dolphin I had caught. The gastric contents had not even began to work on it. I brined it along with a bunch of cigar minners I had and froze it. It didnt troll too good on the Gitzem heads or on the hank brown hook up lures. So unless you rig it correctly,the only other good thing to do with it would be to eat it. I think I would eat one of them way long before contemplating eating a ballyhoo or ribbon fish. Ya ever see that icky brown stuff that leaks outta ballhoow when you rig a big hook thru em? YUCK!

Garry · Ol'Salt Joined: Apr 05, 2004 Posts: 665

Good point F-RN, how do people rig FFs and troll them.

Best I remember the guy I was with used a regular live bait set up like you would with pogies trolling for kings. Only we were trolling fast and after Dolphin. The FFs danced across the top of the water and look like they were flying, much like a Boone Bird does.
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divnnc · Ol'Salt Joined: Jan 26, 2005 Posts: 289

I watched a show this past weekend and they were using Flying Fish for bait. They rigged them just like a hoo.

They pulled them from a flat line clip and had them skip along the surface.

As far as ribbon fish go. I know a kid that goes out and catches them by the dozen. He uses a gotcha plug.

Matt

BluewaterBandit · Posted: Mon Feb 06, 2006 12:36 pm Post subject:

Rig FF just like a hoo, cut off the wings within about 1/2" of the body, you can wire em for naked presentation, or cone em for skirted baits. Running them with a small chugger plug in front is best, gives them the action you are looking for with a flyer. They are not easy to get a hold of, if youre catching Dolphin, best thing to do is gut them and clean em right after you boat em and try to find some that way, sometimes you get lucky and one will have a recently eaten flyer.

BWB
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FinaticRN · Posted: Mon Feb 06, 2006 1:08 pm Post subject:

Ribbon fish hitting gotcha plugs. Well don't that beat all. For such a ferocious toothy critter that would make sense. But I have caught one on a sand flea while fishing for black drum near the SP ferry landing. I Don't think they are too picky when it comes to feeding. But until now, I have not seen anyone talk so much about these two species as bait. I suppose in the past we all have just bought frozen Ribbon Fish or have traded a six pack to a shrimp boat captain for some of his cull. Not saying that I am interested in starting a biz catching and selling them...but maybe someone would be interested in taking this a step further. Obviously there is some interest.

FinaticRN

Liquid_Addiction · MOD Joined: Jan 23, 2004 Posts: 724 Location: Wilson

I have caught alot of ribbons out from Risely's pier while fishing for greys in the fall. Some very nice sized ones as well. We caught them on stingsilvers. As far as for Flyers. I am an old redneck. How many of you guys as ever wandered just how much fun it would be to have a 12 guage shotgun and hunt them like you would quail. Skeet shooters paradise. Twisted Evil

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FinaticRN · Posted: Mon Feb 06, 2006 9:19 pm Post subject:

Oddly enuff....that thought has crossed my mind...evil grin


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