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82 Days on the Albemarle.........a view from the Bluegill Chariot

I decided on a recent trip that I would look back and reflect on a few of the memories of the 2013 season to date....If you have followed me at all on BBG you know that I traditionally count down to Good Friday as this usually marks the end of Winter and our water temperatures begin their slow crawl toward the 60s as we wait impatiently for our beloved Coppernose gills to become active..........Within 75 miles of my residence I have 12 river systems and over 50 creeks that regularly produce quality bluegills which I label as 10" or greater....When It's time to tear April off my calendar I get the chills knowing that May has arrived again and my three best months of the year are finally here.......I have checked every pole twice, retied again and again, put the battery tester on a half dozen times and written list after list to prepare for this moment, as the next 82 days will be a blur on the Albemarle........I have settled down in recent years so that I can really enjoy these moments with friends, family and gills.......I read in a local study that the grass shrimp hatch is one of the best ever and many may think, "well I'll never get a bite with all that forage in the rivers", but I think just the opposite.....it's very important to match the hatch and to fish with live grass shrimp and baits that resemble them.......Of course Doug has nothing to worry about at the local bait store as I have still been responsible for the purchase of 86 tubes of crickets since the first of May....A few local ponds near my neighborhood are producing quality grass shrimp and I go every couple days to fill up my aerated buckets with new specimens.....It would be abnormal to not hear the hum of dueling aerators in my garage this time of year.......I have big plans this season as several new anglers will join me on the Bluegill Chariot including friends from BBG.com and my grandsons also join me for the first trips for us together from a boat.....Twelve anglers fish with me during this 82 day period and 11 of them catch at least one personal best...It's both exciting and rewarding to provide friends and family with this great opportunity that is fishing........Folks from as far away as Louisiana join me in coastal North Carolina to pursue the big gills of the Albemarle.........During this period we experience three full moons and all are very productive and predictable........We have been unseasonably mild through April and the forecast is for more of the same in May.....But I have so many bugs and jigs to try and so little time to get it done......testing is fun and you never want to tell a guy or a gal that their  bait doesn't catch fish!  But when great imaginations are coupled with my bluegill addiction, big things can happen and in the days ahead I will document 82 days on the Albemarle Estuary between the first of May and the 21st of July..........2013 has been special as I have already topped 1,200 Crappie and 4,100 Sunfish.........If you get one thing from this blog, just remember how important it is to enjoy fishing for what it is and indulge in the memories as they happen....it creates bonds that are not easily broken if ever! Thanks to all the guys and gals that have got out with me this season and allowed me to share my addiction to the beloved Bluegill......I'm too old to change so you can rest assured that I'll be somewhere chasing gills or preparing a feast of those mouth watering fillets........

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Comment by Jeffrey D. Abney on September 1, 2013 at 9:18pm

Having experienced such a great morning on Memorial Day I couldn't talk myself out of going for a few hours after some good eats.....This time I would visit the Little River and what a crazy couple hours I had......Water temperatures had continued to climb on this warm day and as the sun began to fall on this holiday, I was in the middle of an active pattern and took a few pictures to preserve the memory...........

Big Spawning Coppers were turned on from a shifting calendar and it started with the first fish of the day.....

The water was boiling with activity and these larger fish were the culprits.......

I couldn't believe how these gills had turned on in just a few short days.....

Fish like this make it hard for me to pick a favorite location on the Albemarle....

Some pole bending action I'm telling you.....

I had only been fishing a couple hours when sunset was threatening and I reluctantly decided to call it a trip....Turned out the fish counter read 87 gills and I had caught and released several Largemouth Bass also....

A true Little River Luxury....a North Carolina Spring Season Daily Double.....

I've had success for years on Memorial Day weekend and it also marks the traditional beginning to peak Bluegill fishing in coastal Carolina...this year was no different and I'm already pumped up about 2014.......

Comment by Jeffrey D. Abney on September 1, 2013 at 8:58pm

After a weekend getaway for a family reunion down on Santee Cooper lakes in the Low Country it was time for a life long tradition of fishing on Memorial Day and the 27th day of May 2013 had a promising forecast.....Waters were slightly stained and a bit low but the wind tides were favorable for a rising trend and this coupled with gills migrating shallow was very exciting........Many folks celebrate with their own families on holidays so I was off to the Pasquotank River at first light solo and found the water temperature steady around 73 degrees in this region with quite a bit of fish activity.........Armed with many of my favorites along with a few new bugs from BBG.com member Rick King, I headed out to the hum of my grass shrimp aerator and the familiar chirps of a colony of live crickets........Here's how it looked in pictures...

It took just a short time for the action to get intense.....

Those familiar frisbee gills showed up today also......

Closeup of a great Coppernose.......

These fish were very active on this morning and the quality was the Pasquotank Standard with multiple 10" class gills.....

BBG.com member Rick King had sent me a few of his creations and this one produced several quality gills...I tipped with live grass shrimp for the best results on this date......

The Coppernose gills were still displaying their cold water colors but that's all about to change on the Albemarle....

I had released some great fish by mid morning and also had a nice mess for a Memorial Day Fish Fry so it was time to head back in with the option to fish again late afternoon.......

Wound up with a nice creel of 30 good eaters and I released 23 other solid gills to go along with two Crappie and a couple of Largemouth Bass as the bite slows for both of those species........

Comment by Jeffrey D. Abney on August 3, 2013 at 3:41pm

Thanks Tooty...I actually enjoy looking back through my notes and fishing diary to share the trends and elements that may have had an impact on my fishing..........I feel very fortunate here in coastal Carolina that these patterns repeat themselves most often within two weeks of previous seasons.....this allows me to target certain water temperatures for example to improve my catch both in numbers and quality........it works!

Comment by DAVID L EITUTIS on August 3, 2013 at 9:28am

CAN'T WAIT TO READ IT BUDDY !!!!!!!!!

Comment by Jeffrey D. Abney on August 3, 2013 at 8:33am

Thanks Rick and Tooty......look forward to continuing this blog when I get home.....got alot more photos and information to get through........

Comment by DAVID L EITUTIS on July 28, 2013 at 1:38pm

JUST GREAT PHOTOS AND MEMORIES FOR YA JEFFREY AND THANKS for going to the trouble of putting em all on this history piece buddy !!!!!!!!

Comment by Rick King on July 28, 2013 at 1:31pm

How you coming on the Deck of Cards

Comment by Rick King on July 28, 2013 at 1:30pm

Gorgeous pictures, Sure glad they have digital cameras now. You would go broke buying 35mm film buddy

Comment by Jeffrey D. Abney on July 28, 2013 at 12:33pm

With the fish pushing shallow and water temperatures rising.....I had to get to Fork Creek North and the 22nd of May couldn't come quick enough but finally the sun rose on this day and I headed out solo for a favorite haunt....I know it sounds like I have a lot of favorite spots but really...take a look and see if you blame me!

One of the warmest days of the year and the gills responded.......early and often!

Tooty's Silent Stingers were all stars on this trip.....

I had also recently got some new jigs from Jim Gronaw and this one also had a great day......

The big gills started rolling in under the high skies on this day......

All fish were caught fishing 12" under a float.......

Some great looking gills this day......

Woke up some frisbee gills too.....

A beautiful dark gill on a Chartreuse Filament Jig from the River Critter collection......

One of the most colorful gills of the day....

Some of the best bluegill fishing of my lifetime.....

I couldn't get over it and nobody was with me to enjoy the frenzy.....crazy bite!

Water jumped up to 78 degrees on this day.......111 gills on just an amazing morning.......I used upwards of over 100 live grass shrimp and a tube of crickets this morning.....gills were smacking them down!

Comment by Jeffrey D. Abney on July 28, 2013 at 12:10pm

The forecast was better on the 19th of May and my neighbor's son Eric had been beggin' me to go wet a line so he finally got his chance and man is he lucky.....We had a few distant rumbles of thunder on the Upper Pasquotank but it spared us so we could enjoy one of the best trips of the season to date.......

First fish of the day was a great copper and a great indication of things to come......

I had to remind Eric we were Bluegill fishing as he snagged a solid Black Crappie....LOL

That's what we're after......

Very few fish under 9" on this day.....just an amazing public bluegill fishery....

One of the best Flier Sunfish of 2013.....no surprise it came in May....

Today's creel was dominated by tannic water Coppernose...Dark Knights!

We each caught some nice Largemouth....

We then started seeing monster coppernose very often.....

I kept reminding Eric how lucky he was to be sharing the boat on a great day like this......

Are you kidding me!

Another solid Coppernose......you can't argue with the success of live grass shrimp......

A big hen in the mix!

Some very beautiful water in the Albemarle region of Northeast North Carolina..............

Eric was getting tired of taking my picture with nice gills.....LOL

We kept a nice mess but gave the largest gills a free pass after a quick picture.....I don't do this when it's real hot out.......

One of the best daily doubles of 2013.....

This is still probably one of the best trips of 2013.....not based on numbers as we caught 65 but only a couple were under 9" all day......added 2 largemouth, 11 Crappie and a Bowfin......Made some memories this day!

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