lol I spoke way too soon. Drove through about 2 hrs of rain to get to tionesta. Doesn’t look like there was quite as much rain north of I-80, but there was still a good bit. It was quite a nerve wracking drive. So much for the new weather app.

The river might still be fishable. The gauge hasn’t moved yet but I’ll have to check it in the morning.

Sitting on my back deck, that faces East. Clear skies above, but watching a great lightning show towards the “horizon”. With the hills, seeing an actual horizon isn’t happening. The lightning at times looks like it could only be 10 miles. I look on the radar and the closest “green” is at least 20-30 miles away as the crow flies…. Which is pretty Interesting to know, but then I realized the thing took a clear path over the Yough, which appeared to be going back down... Looks like tomorrow will be possibly afternoon if anything now at best. I did get a bunch of odds and end things done today between rain showers. My son and I built a plyo box from some scrap wood that I was planning to burn, so that was a pretty fun father/son project. I guess if it rains tomorrow, hopefully his interest in labor transfers to some not so rewarding projects that need done. Yeah right! I’m not starting any until the lumber yards start pricing wood where it should be. Commodity price has cut by 80%, to prepandemic prices, but they are trying to keep selling like there are no trees left on the planet. Corporate greed = inflation. Can someone please usher in this recession to stop this madness?

I didn’t make it out this morning because I stayed up drinking until 3:00 am last night, but I’m definitely heading out tomorrow early.

The Allegheny looks great. It came up a tiny bit but the water clarity looks pretty good. Tionesta creek looks like chocolate milk but it’s not too high either.

Crystal clear skies up here for the last couple hours. Super calm too. Like no wind at all. It looks like these conditions should last at least until noon tomorrow.

The yough is over 5 ft at sutersville. Gonna be tough.

I didn’t even try this weekend. I was looking to get out all week with work getting busy. Got a ton of work done around the house instead, sweating like a champ. I was debating to hit some small lakes/ponds about 5 miles away, but got into the groove with the work and took advantage.

 Since I retired 14 years ago have fished less and less each year. Haven't made it out yet this year . Son bought a 20' pontoon with a 20 hp 4 stroke Honda a week ago and is sitting in my front yard now smh. He is supposed to take it to his place north end of Pymy lake on Tuesday so that is good but bringing a 16' dual axle box trailer and 20' dual axle landscaping trailer here this week he just got . Hope to make it out a good bit this fall, down to last bag of Crappie in freezer from late last season.
 
 Glad you guys are gettener done. Just got done letting Grandson feed the Koi outback so that was a start.
 
 Was 16 buck in front of camp porch a few weeks ago at Pymy. Just got a truck and 12' box trailer load of meat cutting equipment on Friday but haven't hunted in 12 years. Think I am losing my mind.
 
crappy 

I spent the weekend replacing my switch panel, and changing the oil and gear lube. I jumped into the woods early Saturday to check the trail cameras, saw a few deer. Unfortunately, most of my camera roll is some guy in a side by side ripping past the cams at all hours of the night.  

No sharks yet.   Lots of whiting and smaller pompano.  Couple bull waiting that fought well.   Down a bait rod since my son broke a rod tip.   Had one good hit on a shark rod with a whole waiting that went full slack on me but brought back an empty hook.   Tough fishing with the mass of humanity on the beach.   Having fun though.

Well, went 2 for 10 on shark hits.   Will try to post a couple pics in a day or two.  Today, my son had one that was over 5', probably pushing 6'....jumped full out of the water at the sand bar then snapped my 80# power pro.  Son had a good 30 seconds of screaming drag before that happened.   He did land a 4' or so fine tooth shark so a decent one for his first one from the sand.

Not bad.  Glad your boy was able to beach one.  Did the jumping one spin?  I love seeing those spinner sharks in action.  
 
Any more bull whiting or pompano for the frying oil/grill?  Anyone getting any macks from the beach?
 

Got in Saturday and took awhile to get situated.   Wind was onshore and stiff the entire time we were there but decently fishable unless the weed rolled in (which it did at times).  Water was sandy to murky.  Never "green" clear to the beach.  Got my son fixed up for bait fishing on Sunday but weed was bad and he only caught a palm size pompano and missed a few hits. We hit Neuse River sport shop (loved that place...lots of everything hunting and fishing) on Sunday afternoon and I got my tourist license and bought some frozen mullet and boston mackerel.  
 
Went out for some night fishing Sun. night and never got a bite from 8:30 to 10:45 pm.  Crabbed out on the frozen baits.   Called it quits to hit it hard Monday.  
 
My son caught lots of whiting (up to 18") and a few more palm size pompano and a couple big pin fish that were all put to good use on the bigger rods.  Two of the whiting would have been worthy of the pan but we used them for bait instead. 
 
We went 2 for 10 on shark bites on Monday and Tuesday.  He was hooked up on my big spinning rod with 80# braid on something def. over 5'....maybe pushing 6', that full jumped completely out of the water at the first bar 150 yds off the beach.  It screamed drag for 30 seconds before that and after it hit the water after the jump, my 80# braid snapped.  Personally, it looked like a tarpon to me but my son said he thought it looked like a shark.  I really wasn't sure if tarpon were in NC waters this time of year but apparently, they are, and they are big.  We will never know for sure.  He had his mind made up on catching his first shark from the beach so I am sure that was what was on his mind. (did catch that 4' one later so all is good).  Lost a full 6' - 800# test cast leader on that one.  Son got to feel the power and saw the jump so that got him amped up.  My 10' Tsunami rod was doubled over and screaming drag.

The shark he caught, it was at low tide and I swam a live 12" whiting out to the first bar then casted it as best I could on my 12' Oceanmaster with a 4/0 hlw.  Got it far enough I suppose.  Bar was only knee deep at low but was over my head for a little bit trying to get out there and I am sure much deeper on the oceanside of it.  Waves out there were solid 4 to 5 footers breaking hard.  With 15-20 mph steady onshore breeze, made that swim out and back a little sporty.  The kicker here is, when the shark hit, there were 6 or 7 teens body boarding in the break at the first bar, directly in line with my line.  Not 5 min. before the shark hit, I was messing with the rod and getting ready to pull it in since they were there but didn't want to rip my line/hook back in at their feet.  When the shark hit, it pulled down my 12' rod hard and almost pulled my rod into the water...my pvc holder started to fall fwd.  The shark also must of breached or jumped a little by that group of teens or, they felt the line ripping by them as they all pointed at the same time and then skedaddled upcurrent 50 or so yards on the bar.  It literally hit the bait right out in front of their feet.....I handed the rod off to my son and he fought it back to the beach but after that initial run, was mainly a few head shakes and the fish swimming up and down the gut.  That rod was way too big for a small shark like that.  Can say, the water around us cleared of swimmers for the next 2 hours after we beached that little shark.  Can't imagine what the tourists would have done if we brought in a thick 5' to 6' one.  

Should have been using smaller hooks/chunks but I only brought my premade leaders with mostly 16/0 and 20/0 circles.  Had several great hits/runs or full slack rods that we brought back with empty hooks.  Had two bite offs on a the two 3.5' premade redfish cast leaders I did have with 12/0 thinner wire circle hooks.  They were only 200# mono leaders and didn't have twisted/doubled bite sections.  I didn't put any steel leaders out.  Crabs were bad but always had skin/bones left on those baits.  Weed was bad at times too where we couldn't even fish for bait.  My weights and line were heavy enough on my big rods to deal with the weed if I set the lines right but, was pretty tough fishing with all the people in that section of the beach.


Pork, water was too dirty to bring the smacks within casting range, I think.  Didn't even walk to the Bogue Inlest pier nor did we try to get out on the beach down by the point.  I was outvoted on the condo up on Indian Beach that would have been a closer walk to the beach, had a sound view and would have had a WAY LESS crowded beach.  Wife will go with my choice next time, I think.  We could have fished soundside and beachside at the other condo but, we would have had to book for a week (I wanted to, she didn't want to) and this other place was available for just 2 nights.  Hopefully a couple of these pics will post.