Fireworks will take flight and fill the sky today as the country celebrates the Fourth of July, but area fishermen are hoping that underneath the water the action will be just as frenzied.
So far, a week’s worth of rain has put a damper on local fishing but that could be coming to an end soon.
“My reports have been kind of slow for the last week-and-a-half just because of the weather,” said Richard Gerard, the owner of the East Side Bait & Tackle shop located on 1218 John Small Ave. in Washington. “A lot of the guys that I get my info from haven’t fished in the last two weeks because of the weather.”
Area anglers are hoping that the sun will make its return and bring some fish with it. Gerard, a 40-year old Washington High School graduate who has been fishing since he was old enough to hold a rod and reel, said that there are plenty of good spots to drop a line for those that wish to do so during the holiday.
“I would head down by Swan Quarter and Rose Bay and go fishing down by the (Pamlico) Sound,” Gerard said. “If they want to go down by the south side maybe I would go toward Jones Bay. That way is real good.”
Gerard said when the weather has been good, so has the fishing.
“The speckled trout has been real good … And the flounder bite is starting to pick up,” Gerard said. “They’re starting to catch some keeper flounder and that’s starting to do good. The guys fishing off-shore have been doing pretty good but that’s been going on a three-week hiatus because of the weather.”
Just like any other sport, fishing with the right equipment is always key and Gerard said he has seen a spike in sales in Siena Series products.
“This year the Shimano Siena Series six-and-a-half-foot light action rod has been real good. We’ve been selling a bunch of those,” Gerard said. “You can get a good Shimano combo for $49.95 and that’s a good series reel.”