Obama economy saves fishing and fish populations in Carolina

You can’t deny the down economy has not had an impact on the fisheries. However, contrary to its negative impact on your and my pocketbooks, it has been healthy for fishing.
The result has been fewer people fishing, which in turn means fewer fish killed. Throw in some ridiculous federal regulations and you have the recipe on how to rebuild fish stocks. We have theorized that at some point more fish would be born than captured and the result would be increased fish populations; thus swinging fishing into more catching.
We have been doing a lot of fishing the past couple of years, but this year it has definitely changed. We have been having a banner year for a variety of species: king mackerel, Spanish mackerel, bluefish and red drum to name a few. I believe the time has finally come to reap the rewards of all the thriving fisheries.
As the waters cool down this fall, I look for incredibly good fishing. It is typical to see fishing pick up in the fall, but I am excited about what this fall may bring. If this is any indication, I’ve all ready heard reports of spots beginning to be caught from the piers.  
The fishing this week was sort of a mess with the storms and rains and barometric pressure jumping around. The dependable king bite at the Shark Hole and 65-foot water depth got less dependable. There were a few fish caught but very scattered. Inshore, the flounder and drum were more dependable, but in general I would say we are in a transition mode as the calendar moves from summer to fall.
To everyone back inland reading this report: Now is the time to make your plans to go fishing this fall off the Brunswick coast. All signs are pointing to “go,” so don’t stop until you get here. See you soon.

Brant McMullan, a two-time winner of the SKA national championship, is a charter captain and fishing columnist for the Beacon. Reach him at captbrant@oifishingcenter.com.