Kathy and I were in Western RI for a few days this week (9/13 - 9/16). I managed to get in a good amount of fishing time and had pretty good results.
On the first day I hooked and landed my first flyrod FA. What a rush! I've caught plenty of stripers and blues over 30" but that was the first time I've had more than the first couple feet of backing off the spool! I hadn't tightened the drag after stripping out the line to cast, so I rattled my knuckles on the reel handle a few times while trying to keep the spool from over-spinning as I tightened the drag :Eyecrazy: . I got that fish off the outside of the west jetty at Weekapaug. Later that day I found loads of stripers along the beach at Napatree. Caught a few by sight-casting and blind-casting but spooked many more than I hooked. Saw some hardtails right in the wash a few times but didn't hook up with them.
On Tuesday I started at Napatree at first light and soon found myself chasing breaking fish up and down the beach. I finally managed to intercept them and hooked/landed my second flyrod albie. While I was battling that fish, the rest of school continued to thrash the bait right in front of me for at least a minute before moving down the beach. Of course they were gone by the time I landed my fish . It was a blast fighting the albie from the beach without any rocks or other fishing lines to worry about! The albies didn't come close again but the stripers kept me busy for a couple more hours before I had to leave.
No albies for me on the last 2 days, although I did see some that were well out of casting range and had a couple of close encounters without any real shots at them. Had to work for a couple more stripers each day. There were plenty of fish around I just couldn't seem to connect.
Both of the albies and one of the bass were caught on an olive/white superhair epoxy fly. All the other bass fell for a small yellowish-brown/white bucktail epoxy fly dragged along the bottom. That fly was already shredded when I started using it this week and soon there were only a few strands of bucktail and flash left extending beyond the epoxy. It actually looked more like a shrimp than a minnow and I wondered if that was the reason for its success. I tried other flies but kept going back to the shredded fly because it was the only one that seemed to work. I think I'll retire that fly and use it as a model for some new flies.
Well, back to work on Monday :frown: . Hmm . . . maybe I can squeeze in a day trip on Sunday :lildevl: .
Q
On the first day I hooked and landed my first flyrod FA. What a rush! I've caught plenty of stripers and blues over 30" but that was the first time I've had more than the first couple feet of backing off the spool! I hadn't tightened the drag after stripping out the line to cast, so I rattled my knuckles on the reel handle a few times while trying to keep the spool from over-spinning as I tightened the drag :Eyecrazy: . I got that fish off the outside of the west jetty at Weekapaug. Later that day I found loads of stripers along the beach at Napatree. Caught a few by sight-casting and blind-casting but spooked many more than I hooked. Saw some hardtails right in the wash a few times but didn't hook up with them.
On Tuesday I started at Napatree at first light and soon found myself chasing breaking fish up and down the beach. I finally managed to intercept them and hooked/landed my second flyrod albie. While I was battling that fish, the rest of school continued to thrash the bait right in front of me for at least a minute before moving down the beach. Of course they were gone by the time I landed my fish . It was a blast fighting the albie from the beach without any rocks or other fishing lines to worry about! The albies didn't come close again but the stripers kept me busy for a couple more hours before I had to leave.
No albies for me on the last 2 days, although I did see some that were well out of casting range and had a couple of close encounters without any real shots at them. Had to work for a couple more stripers each day. There were plenty of fish around I just couldn't seem to connect.
Both of the albies and one of the bass were caught on an olive/white superhair epoxy fly. All the other bass fell for a small yellowish-brown/white bucktail epoxy fly dragged along the bottom. That fly was already shredded when I started using it this week and soon there were only a few strands of bucktail and flash left extending beyond the epoxy. It actually looked more like a shrimp than a minnow and I wondered if that was the reason for its success. I tried other flies but kept going back to the shredded fly because it was the only one that seemed to work. I think I'll retire that fly and use it as a model for some new flies.
Well, back to work on Monday :frown: . Hmm . . . maybe I can squeeze in a day trip on Sunday :lildevl: .
Q