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Chatham-10/20

2K views 18 replies 11 participants last post by  striblue 
#1 ·
Meet Dave Fix and FredA in Chatham Friday night and we had dinner at the Wayside Inn after getting thrown out of the Squire for Fighting and being too forward with the waitresses. Then back to CAC just ahead of the police. Juro showed up around 11 and we planned on heading out at 5 am. Juro left since he decided to sleep at the Chatham light Hotel... he figure if he stayed at CAC he would not get up... Anyway, when we got up juro was in his truck sleeping in the driveway.. apparently the police would not let him Check in at the Light hotel.. I could not get him up and Dave and I left and meet Fred. NO FISH.. from the point to South Beach... even at the left hand rip at the end of the sand bars.. Dave and I start walking back and directly down from the steps the ninja fisherman , Juro, is there tell us he hooked up to a brut.. over 20 pounds.. we ,of course don't believe it and about a minute later Dave yells over to me and Juro is hooked up again. I start and hook one about 27 to 30 inches.. I do as Juro suggests... cast ,drift... twitch retrieve.. I hook another about the same size, which I dedicate to Terry (Lefty). Juro stays on and we decide to take off as things quite down and drive to visit Harry at Nauset Anglers. Met DennisS and also fished for a while with Bill Stanton.. We are now tying flys at CAC for a return to the light house this eve at the next outgoing tide. Juro may be at Naust or on his way home.. Typical conversation with Juro... "John, look ,there's a fish '..John Says.. "What... where"'..Juro says "right there" pointing... John says.."no way, I don't see anything"..Juro says "watch "... cast bang...
 
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#2 ·
I started a report this morning but got blown off line by the phone. Anyhow the Wayside was nice - we had to take or hats off.

Got to the light at about 6 am. Figure I don't have much time so I'll work the beach and the bowl. Morin convinces me to go out to the point then, what the hell, one more look at the outer bars. Nothing showing. John and Dave headed down South Beach. I started in. Saw Juro hanging in the bowl and figure his knee is still bothering him - no fish in there why else would he be there. Of course, thats not the case and I hear the same old refrain "catching a lot of football shaped 25 to 30" fish". I fished with him a while and has I'm about to leave he hooks up and the fish proceeds to take him into backing and then down the beach. Nice bruiser, about 36 to 38" and really thick. As I'm leaving I hear Juro yell "hey Fred... Fred". First or second cast after releasing the bruiser he's on again. I just left in disgust.
 
#5 ·
It was good to get out again. Didn't hear the fat lady but found a "big girl". The sun was shining, there was a hint of warmth in the wind and fat fall stripers. Almost felt like the season isn't on the brink of ending.

John as usual thank you for the hospitality. Between the pogie oil, Dave's ability to whip up great conversation, and the ambience' (sp?) of the CAC it's no wonder I was a little late for the bell in the predawn hours.

Yet I did get to walk down the steps during that brilliant daybreak, and was casting as the sun broke over the horizon. With every intention of working out to the reaches of the furthest bar, stepping over the rockpile to the second rockwall rip, working the big bar around the corner on South Beach, etc, etc - my sweep-the-beach cast and step cadence was interrupted by a nice 26" and I never needed to move. Fish of 26"-37" were roving in pods, the action was either hot or cold but as soon as I would get wanderlust they would appear again.

When I finally started walking toward the bars, Fred came back from way out yonder so I walked back with him to the original spot to see if he could get off the schneide... kinda like the MARINERS - can you say 14-3!! Sorry, back to fishin'

Anyway, as I am explaining how the morning fishing went... >WHUMP< ScreeeeEEEEEeeeeeeEEEEEeeeeeeee.......... and I danced the tug of war dance 50 yards down the beach with a very fat, very strong big girl in the mid to high thirties. She swam strong from my grip and disappeared into the deep current. If I end this incredible season on that note, I would have no regrets.

Great to see Bill again, meet DennisS, and to the mystery flyguy with the black sweatshirt who I had the pleasure of slammin' those nice stripers with this AM - if you're reading this say hello.

Got a bunch more nice feisty fish but nothing in the "big girl" class so eventually headed for a quick nap, then an espresso, then a pleasant ride home. Dennis mentioned today that where we stood, Cape Cod, was the destination of people from around the world, and maybe we should appreciate just what we have. How true, how true.
 
#6 ·
Spent a good part of the morning on south beach watching a beautiful sunrise and birds working a quarter mile off shore. My hope for them to swing by the shoreline was not in the cards. Not a tug to be had and after talking with a few pluggers, I would have sworn the beach was barren of fish. Heading back to the car I was soon proved wrong as John and Juro are into fish. Techniques learned from Juro this morning will be put to good use next year. Headed up to Coast Guard at 11:00 for a walk to the inlet. Spotted several good fish about mid incoming but failed to get the right cast off. Leaving the beach knowing it was last call made for a long ride home...but it was a good year...
 
#7 ·
My delayed report from Friday morning ... I left a good 1.5 hours later than I should have from Falmouth and didn't get to Chatham until close to 8am. Weather was beautiful, the tide running out hard, and just a handful of flyfisherman scattered around the beach. I made my first cast about 100 yards right of the staircase in the deep channel next to the beach and bingo, fish on! A few minutes later I slid a fat 27" striper onto the beach. So I stuck around that spot for close to an hour but failed to hook another fish. Slowly fished my down to the bar, spoke with a few fishless anglers, and ended my day around noon without another touch. And I didn't see anyone else with a fish the whole time. I finished the day fishing the flood tide at the little point-rip right in front of the staircase.
Unfortunately, I failed to meet up with Bob Pink, my late arrival did me no good on that end. A few of the guys I spoke with had fish earlier in the day. Anyway, had a good morning and was thankful for that one fish. Thanks to Juro for his remote guiding, and to Bob Pink for the generous offer. Sorry I missed you, and I hope you found some fish.

From the Friday night-Saturday report, I get the impression that I left town a day early!

Nate
 
#12 ·
Good to see you guys Sat am. Juro - I was way out on the point at the far right end of the beach and I could see that large one you pulled from the water after you walked it down the beach. It looked to be only slightly smaller than the kid who ran down to the water to see it! Thanks for the tips. As always, you were very generous with your "how to" info.

John - I saw one of your hook-ups. Beautiful morning.
 
#13 ·
Bill, thinking back on the morning, when we could not find any fish out at the bars or at the large bar down on South Beach (I fished there for about 10 minutes and I think it may have been DennisS out at the farthest rip.. only two of us at that bar at that time)., It may have been my technique... I was summer stripping. I still wonder if there were no fish out there... doesn't make sense... If I had slowed the strip down by 2 inch twitches I wonder if the results would have been different.. I should know better ... the fall fish are usually more sluggish and could easly pass up on fast swimming sand eels. Hmmmmmm. next weekend we will see.
 
#14 ·
Good point, John. Now that I think about it, I was probably stripping too fast. Another thing I was thinking about (on the way home) was leader length. How long was your leader? Juro, what were you using for a leader? Juro made the point about the sand eels coming out of the sand, and, in hindsite, I know I got my line down, but I think my leader may have been too long - the fly was probably too far from the bottom.
 
#15 ·
Bill -

I was casting approx 6 ft... started as my standard 7ft for sink lines but made some adjustments after finding out my tippet was hosed from Rhody sand and surf.

Although there were some very good fish running certain channels, they certainly weren't everywhere. Even when a good traveling lane was located, they would appear and disappear - probably roving and grubbing for the unbelievable numbers of sand eels in the loose sand and current. Stunned sand eels were being picked of by gulls (not terns this weekend, but gulls) often indicating the presence of hunting fish upcurrent. No swirls or breaking fish seen anywhere.

I'll bet the bayside will be hot with these tides, Tod's report proves there are plenty of fish around and each fall the big boys come in to chow right in tight along the shore. Bass Hole / Chapin is a favorite fall haunt of mine - right across from Sandy Neck. Large bass never left Brewster this year, thankfully.

With the reports of multiple 30# bass in NH still I think we have a lot more fishing to go, too early to start the indoor casting get-togethers just yet.

Let's hope the warm currents from the southwest hang in there and give us a late season to remember.
 
#17 ·
Someday, I'll get it right -

Juro, you're too kind with your pleasantries re: my conversational abilities, regardless of the truth ;-) . Thanks for the pogie oil and remote guiding tips as well. Sorry we didn't believe you initially - it was just too true to form to have you standing right below the stairs catching fish while we'd trudged all over the beach for nothing. Glad John hooked up in the same vein when we got there. It WAS kind of a laugh to holler over to him when you hooked that ick specimen - of course you know what Bill and I came up with for a thread title afterward :-D

Still don't believe IronMan Morin was out there in sandals and nylon pants, though it was a glorious day. After I heard the duty watchstander pipe Reveille at the Light Station, I turned to see the most beautiful sunrise I've seen in a long time - made the rest of the day pale by comparison, regardless of my lack of success. I DID get to touch a fish, though, when John and I went back in the evening and I unhooked his first fish of the evening - thanks, John - I almost forgot what it felt like to have a little slime on my fingertips :-D

I really should have walked back to the truck and gotten a reel frame that worked, but I never checked the drag before I got down to the water - damn spindle grease ! :-(

Somehow, I don't think anybody was listening when the Fat Lady was warming up - not with the reports we're hearing from NH, the temp of the water over the weekend, and the current weather forecasts - I hope it continues to and through November - I might still have a chance to beat the "Polecat de Peu" this year - maybe I should tie up a black and white striped fly and try that against the last gasps of the season :-o

Nice to run into Fred and Bill - too bad we didn't know Pink was around or meet DennisS - who knows - perhaps we'll all get together again REAL SOON }>
 
#18 ·
So. is anyone fishing Chatham on Sat.? John M. you say above that you got football on Sat. Does that mean no sat. this week? Bummer I was thinkin gof coming down one last time to revisit the "myth" (you know the one.."first cast 36"..2nd cast 40"....bla bla bla").

Lefty
 
#19 ·
I am somewhat up in the air on this weekend.. I would like to go down ..but don't know yet. I have extended the closing of my place until November15 anyway... This weekend looks tough.. but if I do go it will change to Saturday instead of Sunday.
 
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