A Little About The Numbers in 2015.......75 Days on the Albemarle..........

[Jeffrey D. Abney]

As most are aware I keep very detailed fishing logs mainly used to look back on for planning purposes.......It has been another rewarding season on the Albemarle which included another successful family vacation covering from May to late June this year.  Not as hot as recent years but has come with an abundance of rain and I won't complain when many folks would like to see just a little rain at this point.......not a lot of tropical activity to date but we did receive over 4" last Saturday when the system that turned into Tropical Storm Claudette went through.........that took us over a foot of rain for the month of July but not enough to turn over the marsh and subsequently kill a bunch of fish.......So from the first of May through yesterday the 14th of July I have boated 2,626 sunfish with 1,012 at or above the 10" milestone that I seek most often.  This was a mix of Fliers, Warmouth, Redbreasts, Redears to 12", Coppernose and Seeds.  Pop, Dan and I caught 1,607 during our family fishing adventure which is competitive with recent years.  They departed on 6/19 and I have landed 994 since then mainly on trips by myself......not as fun but I consider July peak on the Albemarle and I already have caught 692 this month with half of July in front of me.......Compared to 2014 which I had tallied 3,619 sunfish for the year on the 1st of August, I sit at 3,096 today and need 523 to match that by the end of this month....That will be tough with more work than fun left in July but it has still been great for sure........Here's a few highlights from the last 75 days.........A toad from the 9th of June......

Another shot of a really nice gill.....

June the 11th was a special day and here was a classic Daily Double from that trip.......

Never get tired and the white jigs have been great this season......much better than recent years.....

Glad that Pop and i could share the Bluegill hole together yet another year!

His and Her Daily Double from the 16th of June........crazy day.......

A Big gill in my right hand and a Beast in my left........

Grand Daughter Myla gets into the action this year....she's a hoot and ready to fish!

This beast hit 1.3 pounds back on the 19th of June........

Heavier than the 1.3 pounder but all beat up and blind in one eye.......I froze this one for future endeavors..........

A big round one from the Father's Day outing...........

A crazy looking hybrid as well........

Good Dynamics on the Pasquotank River

Never get tired of these Coppers.......my quest!

A toad from late June.....

This bloat was one of 262 gills caught and released on the 3rd of July.......incredible day!

This has been a bonus season on quality Shellcrackers too.........

 Been cracker crazy this month.......

Good dynamics last weekend.........

I will update throughout 2015 but it has been a good time and I look forward to the rest of the year to see what's in store.........Hopefully we avoid a major storm this year which will allow our fish to prosper..........

[Jeffrey D. Abney]

Well the sun has set on August of 2015 and we look ahead to Fall fishing on the Albemarle........Got a few trips in last week to close out the month at 541 sunfish and climbing to 3,831 for the year......The fall crappie bite can be a distraction as it was yesterday on the coastal marsh but time waits on no man and we'll enjoy the cooler weather and crisp mornings while our favorites teams lace em' up on the grid iron..........here's a few shots from last week's trips....

Gills have been found a bit deeper in recent weeks with the warm water temps.......

The daily double is a staple of my fishing.......a tribute to my mother who is an identical twin........started with me and my cousins when we were younger......

Been having a good time on telescopic gear.......

Carolina Blue Skies over the coastal marsh.........

[Jeffrey D. Abney]

The first three trips in September have yielded 117 gills bringing my 2015 total for sunfish to 3.948..........Looking forward to the water temps falling back into the 70s and 60s..........will make for some good fishing in the weeks ahead along with the beloved fall crappie bite in the shallow cover.......

A good variety of sunfish already in September.........seven species in three trips........

Pretty RBS....

[Jeffrey D. Abney]

After our first real weather change as Summer begins to surrender on the Albemarle.......jumped to 4.131 gills for the year and the crappie bite has picked up shallow as our cotton plants bloom white and night time air temps fall back........

Crackers and Crappie all weekend.....

Fall taking a bite out of the Albemarle......we stand to enjoy some nice fishing in the weeks ahead......

[Jeffrey D. Abney]

Fall has arrived on the Albemarle..........

[Jeffrey D. Abney]

With the continued mild weather that September has brought us on the Albemarle combined with the lowering water temps the bite has been intense and a few more prosperous trips including 90 sunfish yesterday has pushed my total for the year to 4,319........weather appears to be trending down this week which will bring tough conditions but we must battle through for a few more great trips that will be available in the coming weeks....

[Jeffrey D. Abney]

A challenging weather week in coastal Carolina with small craft advisories every day but I finally got back out this morning for a few hours and it was a good bite with moving water that has dropped into the lower 70s.......added 63 gills for a total of 551 in September and pushing my 2015 total up to 4,382........

[Jeffrey D. Abney]

Made one final trip on the 28th of September and it yielded 22 gills pushing my September total to 573 which pushed my 2015 total for gills to 4,404...........Not a bad September considering the decline in the weather the last ten days of the month..........Water temps have steadily fallen and were at 72 to 74 degrees on this trip......

[Jeffrey D. Abney]

Only been out once in the month of October and that was the morning of the third on Bagley's Swamp........very high water from abundant rains and the surge from the approaching hurricane......most docks are under water on the Northern Albemarle.........first time seeing water temps in the 60s since early May..........37 gills takes me to 4,441 for the year.......we will have some mild hypoxia in the marsh areas so the approach this weekend will be manmade canals where the runoff has a lower impact.........cotton is showing white and falling water with the exiting storm should produce some shallow tidal crappie...........looks like we'll be able to get back to them later this week as the water has begun to recede in most locations.....

[Jeffrey D. Abney]

So October is half way over and Fall turnover is underway on the Albemarle,,,,,,,,,,so far I've taken 219 gills in October for a 2015 total of 4,623 with a couple months to go........may sneak up on 5,000 but it will be challenging..........looking forward to trying to get there.........I would like to be at 4,800 by the end of October, that would leave me with a 100 in November and a 100 in December to reach that lofty goal.........stay tuned....

[dick tabbert]

Good luck Jeffrey if anybody can do it my moneys on you buddy.

[carl hendrix]

Jeffery;;  like Dick Tabbert says;; if any body can do it;; its you buddy !  I  have all the confidence in your ability to catch a record high of over 5000 this year !!

[Jeffrey D. Abney]

Two more trips since this update including the best October Flier trip I've ever had taking 112 fliers along with 78 tidal crappie yesterday morning..........also had a solid trip last Tuesday taking 41 gills........this kicks my 2015 total to 4,776 for sunfish and I continue to strive to reach 5,000 .....hopefully all the things I've learned here from successful cold water anglers will provide me what I need to reach my goal......so a little more than two months to catch 224 sunfish.........we'll see!