The Phenomenon of the color PINK in Brackish Waters for Sunfish......

[Jeffrey D. Abney]

As an active member of Bigbluegill.com the last several years, I have learned a lot and shared many ideas that have proven successful for Sunfish in the waters I fish. Prior to becoming a member I had several secrets that remained in my pocket and only my closest fishing buddies had ever even shared in this success. This isn't to say others weren't fishing the same baits in a similar style and catching fish or using baits of their choice and finding similar success.  I was a young kid with numerous anglers in my extended family and I learned early from my grandpa Foster Abney, who always told me to listen when I got around fishermen and think about things that might help me or work where I was fishing.  I was fortunate to be pretty close with an Uncle on my mother's side of the family that lived one town over in Southeastern Louisiana. He grew up and lived near the banks of the Tcefuncte River in the small town of Madisonville, Louisiana and only fished two bodies of water during his eighty plus year life.  A fact that many folks close to him never knew is he fished live grass shrimp for some 60 to 70 years and I couldn't begin to tell you how many Bluegill, Shellcracker, Warmouth and Crappie that he caught over the years.   One Thanksgiving day in the early 1970s as our 100 member family assembled in Folsom, Louisiana for the best dinners we ever ate, Uncle Kenny walked out to an acre pond that was dug on the family farm to stock with fish for the 20 plus grandkids in the Sharp family.  I was there casting a beetle spin when he asked if I had a scoop net with me. I did and we went over to some grass beds near the shore and made a quick scoop and filled a bucket up with little crustaceans called Grass Shrimp. He said put a cork and a bream hook on there and let me show you something. I eagerly followed his instructions and a few moments later we were pulling out big bluegill one after another.  This went on for quite some time and my Uncle explained if you ever run out of Grass Shrimp "Jeffie" and can't find more, take a pink soft plastic jig and fish that in the same areas. He explained that I wouldn't be disappointed and don't be afraid to tip the hook with a worm, grasshopper or a cricket if you have some.  I went home armed with the advice and went through seven or eight tackle boxes my dad and I had but no pink in any of them. I couldn't believe it but surely I'll find some the next time at the bait shop.  A few short days later my dad and I visited the local bait shop and I rushed the fishing tackle, both shelves and found two packs of little curly tails that had a mix of white and pink, they were mine and I was excited to let Uncle Kenny know I had found some and was eager to try them as soon as I could. His only clue was Pink was the best match for live grass shrimp in our brackish waters. He explained saltwater anglers have realized it for some time but freshwater fishermen have failed to make the correlation and they are truly missing out. In the weeks ahead I will go into detail how I fish these jigs and hopefull answer many of the questions I have received about the mystery of pink.

[Jeffrey D. Abney]

They would catch fish here for sure Jim!......I like the chartreuse/pink combination of colors as well......

[Tony Livingston]

If big, trophy gills' are my goal, AND I'm fishing a visible bedding area, My first cast will be to the center of the nesting colony. Oftentimes, the biggest fish will stake out a piece of prime real estate in the middle...the downside is, dragging a thrashing fish through the colony will spook the rest of the fish.....but, if I'm looking for a biggun', not a meal, that's OK.

I like the nesting colonies in deeper water. The fish are oftentimes large, and may not spook as readily, as they can't see me as well. And, I believe they feel more secure in the deeper water, causing them to let their guard down.

[Vince Fusco]

I never realized that,Tony. I usually start in the deeper water, just out past the last visable beds. Hoping there are more beds I cannot see, and trying not to spook them off the shallower beds. I will give it a try it this Spring. Thanks for that informative post!

[Jeffrey D. Abney]

Well with July comes the big Independence Day celebration that officially wraps up our family vacation every year. The longest days of the year are here as well as some of the hottest.  Bluegill fans don't despair, in my opinion we are heading into the best month of Bluegill fishing in coastal North Carolina.......I like to take advantage of early morning and late evenings to avoid the brutal midday sun and heat.........The fish will be packed in shallow and a week on each side of the July Full moon will be awesome.......

I still fish a wide variety of pink jigs still employing several grass shrimp from Jim Gronaw. I fish some areas as shallow as six inches in my July pursuit...a real good time for popping bugs and really slow falling baits that will be crushed in these zones....Big 10" plus gills are common on every trip this time of year but I like to free these guys and keep 30 fish limits of 7 to 9 inch gills hoping that big bruisers will be there in future seasons......Sometimes you will be surprised where the gills settle for nesting.....

And finally after hundreds of battles I finally make contact with a 10 pound class Channel Cat and must retire my first Gronaw Grass Shrimp....

It will take several entries to capture July's fishing stories but take a look at some pink jigs during those cold and wet winter days as we plan for next season and I would be surprised if they don't catch a few fish.....

[DAVID L EITUTIS]

THESE PICS ARE GREAT JEFFREY !!!!! SINCE your Dad likes to fly fish for gills what is his favorite time of the year to get the long rod out? Mid May or later? Or does it have more to do with conditions , like no wind , instead of time of the year?

[Jeffrey D. Abney]

It's kind of taking advantage of opportunities Tooty.....Carry it with you and if conditions and situations present themselves then send that surface bug or sinker in there.  Great fish can be taken on the long rod in these waters....it boils down to your personal preference in most cases.....

[DAVID L EITUTIS]

THANKS JEFFREY FOR THE ANSWER RIGHT AWAY and I will tell ya this ahead of time: those pics of yours by that corrugated sea wall were made to have a bug precisely placed with the long rod and see what comes from the depths!!!!! I too often find it expedient to just toss the spinning rod offerings instead of the long rod and have to work on that for next year..............

[Jeffrey D. Abney]

It's open nicely for fly fishing too....pretty water with big gills......

It's perfect for fly fishing!

[Jeffrey D. Abney]

So now it's the beginning of the second week of July and I have a couple weeks before I must travel with work for a month....So with a good long range forecast including plenty of hot days it's time to scatter through as many rivers as I can before 7/23 when I take off for work......

Turns out I get a total of eight more fishing outings in July, seven by myself and 1 with a friend from work.......catch the best stringers of the year both weight and numbers.....some incredible fish coming off the Pasquotank, Perquimans, Yeopim and the North rivers....fish hitting great on all four.....

The grass shrimp and shad populations are booming and where these migrations meet the bluegill grounds it gets ugly fast and often.....The North River in particular produces several 100 fish days back to back....We have a blast anchored on shallow flats just getting hammered time and time again........Every color Gronaw grass shrimp is being pounded, pink curly tail jigs and anything tipped in Electric Chicken are deadly......

So the only difficult decision at this time is where to go next....I've caught fish on six rivers since the first of the month and I enjoy fishing them all......I decide to fish them alphabetically and things turn out just fine....

Amazing results continue and so does the heat wave....brutal conditions but the Bluegill are responding and what a blast......I've caught grass shrimp in all rivers I'm fishing and that's a common denominator in these black water rivers.....Water temperatures are in the high 80s almost everywhere.....

So now just a couple more trips and I'll be off to South Carolina but July has not disappointed at all! I have one more entry for July 2012 and it will solidify my belief that July is our BEST Bluegill fishing in coastal Carolina......it's been amazing over the years and I have an awesome streak of 10 years rolling for amazing July results......

[Jeffrey D. Abney]

And finally it's the morning of July 22nd and it's my last North Carolina fishing trip for probably a month.....I go on travel for work tomorrow but there is still time for one more rewarding trip.  Jim Gronaw has sent me some other colors of Grass Shrimp jigs and I'm anxious to get out on my favorite river to try them.....Light westerly winds and warm temperatures are promised on this long Summer day......I ponder several locations on the Pasquotank River,  Mill Dam Creek,  Areneuse Creek,  The Stables, Goat Island, the sunken barges but I decide to hit Beaver Creek and what a great time it turned out to be.......Just as the name suggests, I'm greeted by slapping tails as I enter the creek to set up on the flooded timbers and other heavy cover. The dark waters look so good on this day!  I started with a tipped pink jig and the action was hot right out of the gate.......

Things are going great and all gills are being released on this day since I'm packed for the road but there is still a few more hours of excitement on this day and big cooperative Coppernose are making it a blast....I reach in to my box on a whim and pull out Jim Gronaw's Blue Ice/White grass shrimp jig and tie it on.

I continue working the shoreline and on this calm day active fish break the silence as they chase life on the water's surface and enemies in their nests. I fish an old reliable downed tree top landing some great fish but I can't help but to see and hear lots of action about 50 yards behind me on the opposite bank so my adrenaline takes me there and in goes the tipped jig......Three consecutive casts produce big pound class male Coppernose when I bait up the jig for another cast. I send it in the honey hole....just two feet of water adjacent to a pine top resting in ten feet of water and the float plunges under and goes deep.....I rare back and set the hook and the Zebco's drag yields some line as the fish enters the deep creek channel....I'm relieved that this fish has left the safety of the shoreline trees and entered the depths for an epic battle......I'm just about ready to say bass when the tight circles begin and I gain some line on this fish....we get surface wakes and I'm feeling good about the hook set....One more pass and I place my landing net next to the boat for the herding event.....I'm relieved that this fish is netted on the first pass and what a great looking gill....I've caught dozens of 10" plus gills this season already and several big frisbee gills but this fish looks better.....With nobody around to share the moment with, I break out the Sony and snap some great shots of this wonderful fish. He hits 11.1 inches on the bump board and is also 10 inches tall.....I grab a quick weight on the boat before release and he hits 1 pound 5 ounces, my biggest fish of 2012 and on a bait tied by another BBG.com member...Jim Gronaw who was gracious enough to offer me a few to try in my waters.....I get this fish released and decide to call it a day and a month for that matter.....I love July for America's birthday celebration and the long days but more than that, it's the best month of fishing in the black water rivers of coastal North Carolina.......

This was a wonderful day with some 75 big bluegill caught and released with the added bonus of a month to rest while I was away to South Carolina doing some good work....I will always remember and talk about this day and this month in 2012! And I fished alone all but two trips during the month, nobody with me to enjoy the majority of it including 7/22/2012! Fish hard and often my friends!

[Jeffrey D. Abney]

So July is almost history and I'm down in the Low Country of South Carolina doing the good work when on the 28th  I sign into BBG and I have a message from member Tooty......"I've been checking out your pics and I was wandering if you might be interested in trying a few of my bugs down you way".....I said sure I would be honored to give them a field test when I return home next month.  I shot him my address and a few days later my wife reported the bugs from Troy Grove had arrived......Got home mid August and I was anxious to take a look.....I wasted no time breaking into the envelope to see what it held.....The first ones sent were many of Tooty's favorites as we had not discussed my preferences or favorites at this point......Several caught my eye right away and I quickly shifted a couple to my telescopic poles.....A quick ride down to the river was encouraging as the promising black waters  were at a perfect level and the temperatures were in the mid 80s on the surface, just what you might expect for August in Carolina......So August 17th I set out to the "Stables" with old reliables in tow and some new jigs for field testing.....The Stables is a creek off the "Tank" that is my absolute favorite location for telescopic pole fishing and it had been nearly a month since I fished my home waters on 7/22......But I had great weather and a very long day to see what was going on......I made my 12 minute run south using my three visual navigational aids and dodging dozens of soaking crab pots along the way....Cracked throttle and entered the creek to get to the downed pier where I like to commence.....I contemplated going with the field test jig first but instead went to a relatively sure thing first, a pink curly tail sitting at 18 inches.......The results were immediate and often........

so steady action for the first hour leads to the crossroads of trying something new.....Tooty hasn't sent anything close to pink but I want to check a few out....chartreuse is a great color so I start with a Green/Chartreuse Beadhead Micro and the battle was on......

My success continues right over to the field tested bugs and I continue for several hours catching nearly a hundred fish on my first trip back from South Carolina.....I head back to launch eager to get the batteries on charge and I grab another round of live crickets on the way home.......Weather looks even better tomorrow and there's five or six more places I'm ready to go tomorrow but I settle on the Little River that borders Pasquotank and Perquimans counties in Northeastern N.C.

So the next morning my efforts shift to the Little River and I go with Tooty's experimentals right off the bat and the action is incredible....Locations that have rested for over a month produce dozens of big gills rapidly.....the micro baits hold up well and I experience another great Carolina Gill fishing trip during the dog days of Summer.....Tooty is delighted with the results and we start talking colors and combinations and the man ends up staying up through the night in some cases trying to get some bugs out with pink.....I was just hoping I could incorporate my most productive colors with the style for some great fishing.....I was enjoying catching fish that would strike during the slow fall of these baits as I tuned them with small split shot and small floats.....The Troy Grove monster is on the attack! More to follow about August very soon.....I still have Gronaw Grass Shrimp and Tooty is working on some bugs with pink.....Can't Wait!

[DAVID L EITUTIS]

Thanks Jeffrey and you are too kind to me. It was a trial run that ended up being a VVVVVVVVVAST LEARNING EXPERIENCE FOR ME and the revelation that new things can produce some good results for you and me. I'm indebted to ya for the input on colors and especially sizes.  Always thought that #12 dry fly hooks were the way to go. Got some new supplies today and will be doing some experimentals tonight . CLouser minnow types, Silents on #8 old style mustads . Very wide gape on these and some imitations of other folks stuff I"ve seen of late on here and can't wait to get down to the shop tonight. THE MIDNIGHT OIL will be burning tonight with pics tomorrow hopefully with a grass shrimp imitation . I have to admit this stuff is all experimental and know for sure that Jim Gronaws stuff catches fish and one I saw the other night on here that was fabulous will be done also. I like to give credit were it's due and will go back through aaaaaaaaaaall the postings to see which fella to give credit to .
  I"m anxious to see your August post cause I think you caught a few fish on the new COTTON CANDY'S THAT MONTH and do appreciate you taking the time to work the experimentals and see how they worked in the HEART OF DIXIE...............