As I read the reports of the site this past week, I saw one boat report they had been offshore bottom fishing and there was not another boat in site. The winter time is great for fishermen who wish to avoid the crowded waterways we experience throughout the spring and summer time. Plenty of people have found that the inshore fishing is phenomenal in the winter months and the offshore bottom fishing is also very good. Many people new to the area or fishing will venture out this month during Christmas vacation and many will not realize that when you need help there is not a boat riding by every couple of minutes like there is during the warmer months.
Years ago, before the era of cell phones, I spent a much longer day than I expected trolling for trout. The temperatures were in the low 40’s when I left the dock that mid-afternoon. As I went to crank the boat to come home late that afternoon as temperatures began to drop, the battery would not turn the motor. I tried a pull cord as my fishing partner hit the ignition to no avail. I tried to hook up the tolling motor battery, but we had fished hard and there was not enough juice to crank the boat. Thankfully the tide was pushing us up the river toward some houses and after an hour of paddling and using what little life the trolling motor had we were able to pull up to a dock and go to the house for some help. We were able to jump start the boat and drive almost an hour in the pitch black dark in freezing temperatures. We were able to call my dad and let him know we were ok from the gentleman’s house that was kind enough to help us. The good thing was that even if we had not made it to that dock, my dad knew I was fishing in Beresford creek and was getting ready to borrow a friend’s boat and come look for us just as I called to let him know where we were and what was going on.
The weather this time of year can be very dangerous as temperatures hit the freezing mark on a regular basis. Having tow insurance is a must if you plan to fish in the winter mon