Corolla in July

Crab Buzzard · June 29, 2016, 03:17:01 PM

Heading to Corolla end of July first time there I have a 20 ft jon boat is there a place to launch in the sound ?

Crabpot Man · June 29, 2016, 04:31:29 PM

I believe the County has a public ramp at the Whalehead Club.

tattoo · June 30, 2016, 11:42:18 AM

good luck , have a great time

samw72 · June 30, 2018, 05:34:38 AM

Quote from: Crab Buzzard on June 29, 2016, 03:17:01 PM
Heading to Corolla end of July first time there I have a 20 ft jon boat is there a place to launch in the sound ?

How did it go with the boat launch and the crabbing? Thinking of trying it myself this year.

chesapeak · July 17, 2018, 08:28:22 PM

Curious how either of you guys made out

samw72 · August 08, 2018, 04:30:50 AM

The ramp was just too shallow to get my boat off the trailer. I'm thinking a small skiff would probably work there, but I mainly saw kayaks.

saxon4646 · August 09, 2018, 07:58:27 AM

Should have gone south to Wanchese and gone over the high rise towards Manteo- Wildlife ramp there which is very nice- deep water and as many crabs as anywhere. Surprised someone did not point you in that direction.

samw72 · August 09, 2018, 10:50:16 AM

Quote from: saxon4646 on August 09, 2018, 07:58:27 AM
Should have gone south to Wanchese and gone over the high rise towards Manteo- Wildlife ramp there which is very nice- deep water and as many crabs as anywhere. Surprised someone did not point you in that direction.

How far is that from Corolla? We always stay in Corolla Light, our vacation is done for this year, but I'm sure we will back next year.

saxon4646 · August 09, 2018, 01:04:28 PM

Google maps says 41 miles which is a bit much I guess. If you go to Google maps you'll see a bridge going back to the mainland which more than likely has useable boat ramps that are not too shallow and much closer to Corolla. At least you have time to research them now. Sorry your trip didn't work out as planned

chesapeak · August 10, 2018, 08:32:42 PM

I am at the Whalehead club 5 days a week year round.. Thats where I spend my down time between jobs. On any given day of June, July, August and September, there are a hundred people chicken necking from shore. Mostly large family groups its the only sound access most of them have. Most have butterfly nets and a chicken leg tied to a 10" string. They throw the leg as far as they can and immediately start pulling it back in, like it is some sort of lure that the crabs are going to chase as it passes by. They actually get their lines tangled because they are so close to each other. in 7 years I have never seen a keeper crab. Thats not to say people dont keep crabs. People fill coolers and buckets full of 3-4" crabs. When they leave most people throw their chicken legs in the water. Some toss them way out there which is easy to do since the string is usually still attached. The turtles, seagulls, and catfish love that part.
You need to get away from there and you will find plenty of crabs. Water at the ramp is shallow most times. On an average no wind day I would say it is 6-10" deep at most and is not over a foot deep for a hundred feet from shore. There are days where the closest water to the ramp is 50' away. It is always interesting to watch the people who did not get their boats out before the wind turned. Many have their boats sitting in mud 100 feet off shore when they have to check out and leave Saturday morning.

Dont get me wrong.
Plenty of really nice crabs in the Currituck but like all sorts of hunting and fishing you need to give it a little effort. Go where other crabbers are not. If it was easy , we would all be crabbing for a living.

I will try and add some pictures but I need to do that with my phone

chesapeak · August 10, 2018, 08:42:15 PM

This is just the past week or so.

chesapeak · August 16, 2018, 10:33:05 PM

Water in Corolla is coming in right now. ThAt should make launching this week easier.

In the meantime , these are the Crabs I caught last night for my dinner.

Capt. Debbie · September 01, 2018, 03:39:06 PM

How much tidal change do you get to depth? I was surprised up by Hatteras its' less than a foot.

My boat dock in central jersey ( Shark River) the tidal drop was almost 6 feet without the moon's exaggerations.

chesapeak · September 06, 2018, 09:24:49 PM

The tide here is unique. There is no tide.
The water depth on the Sounds behind the outer banks is mostly determined by wind. There are only a few inlets where the ocean meets the sound and around those areas the sound reacts to tides. The Currituck sound around Corolla is about 50 miles north of an inlet to the ocean. Before the tide even gets half way here its time is up and it turns around. As a result the tide doesnt get here.
BUT
if the wind blows from the north for a few hours water will drop. If we have any south wind it will rise because the wind pushes the water