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2007 Fishing Highlight Collection

4K views 34 replies 24 participants last post by  Korean_fly 
#1 ·
Was just reflecting on some memories of this past season and thought that maybe it may make an interesting thread.
Sad to say, my highlight experience of the year was a fish that got away.
I was fishing the "guzzle" in late June........about one hr from the low. All of a sudden two huge stripers came out of a trough and swam onto the flat in about 1 ft of water. As initially I was looking in another direction, the pair of fish were actually swimming away from me ...I shot the line to their deep side and about 3 ft ahead on them. Started to retrieve......one of the stripers actually did a u-turn and came after the fly (I have never had a fish do that before).....I saw him engulf the fly and then leap at least 3 ft clear out of the water....sad to say, he landed on my tippet and the rest is sad history.
I was fishing with Garry that day and when I saw the fish just yelled..."there are 2 ********* big cows".....Garry of course ignored me until he saw the jump. We both estimated the fish to easily be in the 40 inch range.
The odd part was that I really wasn't too disappointed......I just figured...I just saw the 2 biggest stripers of my life in 1 ft of water...I got a shot at them...one made a u-turn...I saw the take and jump......not a bad consulation prize!
Ron
 
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#2 ·
For me it was watching CJS60 land his big 43" striper. Before he caught the fish he asked me how the fishing was on the inside I told him to try the ocean side.
As luck would have it a pod of huge cows came through and Craig caught and landed the fish.
Another highlight was meeting and fishing with Jamie and his crew. Finally got to meet the Brits. We had a great time at the CAC inducting them into the secret club.
Also, fishing with the Penguin at the Rip Trip which was a lot of fun even though I broke my T&T rod on a huge blue fish.
Yakking with Sean Juan and Frank F . There will be more of this in 08.
Fishing with VtLoon(Todd) and Jim Miller at the Bone Cl;ave. Two master anglers . Fun watching Jim get an albie.
And last but not least fishing with the Iron Man which is always a pleasure.
FidhHawk
 
#3 ·
Fishing a couple of times with Jim Simms more fun than a man should be allowed to have.
I have to agree with Fishawk, the rip trip with the Mayor, Sean Juan & Penguin was a memorable experience to say the least and you Fishhawk are not bad company yourself:D
 
#4 ·
Odd season but not bad. Maybe a bit too much company kept me off the beach a bit more than I like.

Early season fishing on morris island

Fishing the crib in june with sims and son, mike oliver, craig, et al

Bayside with OC in june

Vacation bayside fishing end of june early july, some nice sight fishing and early morning tailing fish on the trophy house gravel bars. Hooked up with a nice, thick, 38"+ tailer.

Approached my home waters from different angles more often this year, which was interesting

Always nice to renew old aquaintences and make new friends on a rip trip

Sorry that I missed frenchcreek.
 
#5 ·
Highlights

A lot of them this year, but a few stand out. Overall, a renewal of an old love: fishing the N.E. salt.
Road trips with Jim D., Jim M. & Warren. Several new friends sensible enough to be obsessed with fly-fishing: Spring-clave; Rip trip; Bone-clave; chasing pods of 80# Bluefin busting bait.
Bone-clave: the overall gestalt & comraderie, plus roaring around my old haunts in Vineyard Sound and seeing that the old bones can still hack it.
Fishing Narragansett Bay with younger brother, watching my 11 yr old Grandson contesting 20 ft of mono with a ticked-off 8# Bluefish.

Can't wait for Spring-clave 08!
 
#6 ·
I would have to say my most memorable outing was doing that video shoot for a potential big network show. Still on their case for not providing my DVD draft copy :mad:

But aside from lack of follow thru out on the refuge with an HD camera crew, smokin' hot model, 40" fish cruising in a foot of water (footage they totally blew) and the guzzle pumping out fish for the camera, it was almost as much fun as the festivities at the Squire afterwards!

Now some of you including the Brits were in on that video action at the Squire with Molly and the crew. In fact after the toast to the camera I think Captn' Keith showed up for a few pints and things got really out of hand for the UK contingent on the dance floor :hihi:

Thinking about it more seriously - there was no one day and although I didn't really get out too much but just the continuity of the 'escape hatch' being there when I really needed it meant a lot to me this of all years.

And next year will be even better.
 
#7 ·
Highlights for me were the friday night drinking and the saturday afternoon fishing at the spring clave, craigs 43" (and the waves of huge fish passing us immediately afterwards), finding a 'new' flat which doesn't require a boat trip :)cool: ), my first rip trip, and generally the craic with Craig, Bill, John and Jim.


I can't wait for next year, hopefully around April 19th in RI - 19 weeks and counting . . .


Mark.
 
#8 ·
2007 was a great year, landing Craigs' 43" (and not dropping it in the surf)-is definitely on the memory board. Hanging with the Crew (CA and New England)-Jim, Bob, Jay, Craig, Chris, Brad, Fishhawk, Pete, Walt, Tom, Tommy, Fred, Keith, Ed, etc. having my boys, Dan and Jeff, Vinnie/Wolf catch a few and learning some new tricks from a way old dog..., Art.
Spring Clave is always a fun way to start the season.
Cheers,
DK:Eyecrazy:
PS- Merry Christmas
 
#9 ·
No keepers, but lots of consistent hot action during the Spring Clave and numerous (thanks to John, Jim S, Keith) Rip Trips. Most importantly, great times with a host of new fishing buddies (Warren, Ron, Gary, Mark, Quentin, Jamie, Stevo- to name a few) and equally great times with the established crew. First ventures to the Bayside (but definitely not the last- will be getting a Brewster permit in 2008 for sure), and a new appreciation for bluefish on the fly.
Will finish out the season with the trout and salmon in the local ponds, then to the vise pending the annual March trip to the Sarasota area to try for some reds.
Anyone going to the Bear's Den Show? Sounds like it might be their last, according the the website.
Happy Holidays, and a fishy New Year!
Flydoc
 
#10 ·
2007 was a very good year on the Cape; albeit, different with the Southway closure. It prompted the flats rats to find and explore new areas. We weren't diasspointed. Craig (CSJ60), Ken (KMcFly) and Silas (Basses) caught bass up to 38 inches in those new locations. That didn't include Craig's 43-incher on the outside.

I found a new target specie this year, bluefin tuna. While I didn't hook one on the flyrod, I got introduced to this fishery with Jeff Smith. If you want a mega rush, watch a pod of 80 to 100 pound tuna pushing a baitball to the surface within casting range. Sean McDermott and his buds were the envy of the tuna crowd this year with multiple hookups and landings on the flyrod.

There are new areas to explore, new patterns to tie, and new people to meet in 2008. I'd be remiss if I didn't salute Juro for making this forum possible to share the passion that has brought us all together.
 
#11 ·
The CCB tuna where definitely the highlight for me as Jim eluded to. I hope to get some time later this week to put together a full year in review but if I had to pick one day it was my trip with Slinger. Steve has always been willing to share with everyone whether it be some flies, a trip on the bay or some sage advice. After all he went through this year it certainly feels good knowing I was able to give a little something back and help him achieve a goal. Of course I think we both could have done without the pounding/wet ride home.





Sean
 
#12 ·
That's classic photo Sean - just about say's it all :smokin:

It was a patchy year for me since I didn't get to spend as much time on the Cape as I had planned. The clave was a blast of course and fishing the Guzzle with Juro that afternoon was a bit special. At one point it was blasting through like a West Highland spate river and there were keeper stripers lined up in the dips & hollows. Not sure what it was about that tide but that spot never quite produced the same effect for me on subsequent visits. But from all accounts, it did for others so thats cool.

Fishing in impossible conditions (ludicrous would be a better adjective) in the tub with Jamie one clave afternoon. Horizontal rain, 40mph+ winds and an acre of blitzing pogies :hihi:

Watching Jamie clean up in the crib a couple of weeks later was pretty cool. Great to see the Brits back on this side of the pond.

One day in late July when the only four shots of the day resuted in four fish was probably the high point on the flats.

The trip to the Vineyard to fish the crazy all-night fly rod tournament in June made me determined to go back for more.

I also got to know the "Big Ditch" slightly better this year under the ever watchful eye of the "Basser" with both fly-rod and dark-side gear. By the way, he is available for cribbage lessons during the winter months :lildevl:

Bring on 2008 :smokin:
 
#13 ·
All the other posts say all of it... All the great company.... and the greater number of rip trips... looking forward to more in 2008 including one or two during the spring clave and finally getting that Lighthouse overnight to happen.....More than just once... I can even point to all of the highlights...the other posts covered it all for me.
 
#14 ·
One time at the Squire----

Getting the SS ROAD RASH to float.

Going to the Squire and praying to be drunk, while watching the Brits, the Simms boys and Juro during their try outs for "So you think you can Dance":Eyecrazy:
I don't think we will EVER be the same Jamie.

Capt Keith
 
#15 ·
The best single moment this year was when a bluefin exploded on my fly not 40' from where I was wading, that was pretty cool. The fly was about a foot long and suddenly seemed very small.

Had a great fly-in pike trip with forum members Dble Haul and Frenchcreek who hosted us. Any fishing trip where you catch the biggest pike of your life is a good trip I may have done that 9 times that trip - was doubly nice because group got back together on Cape for some fall stripers.

Fishing on Cape was a bit of a mixed bag - caught more keepers in May and the first part of June then I have all other seasons combined - but this fall which is typically the best for me may have only caught a handful - live and learn. Speaking of learning took a lot of time this year to figure out 2-handed casting: have some scars and there were some tears - but the knowledge is definitely worth the tuition.

The best part of this year though was definitely how many trips I got to do with the guys here. Dble Haul, JimS, FishHawk, Warren, FredA, Craig, Striblue, Frank, the good Doctor, Penguin - I mean Stripers Blues and the history of how Rommel was truly defeated all in the same day, how can you beat that? I even got to meet Juro this year - but his armpits were wet.

Hopefully 2008 we'll have even more adventures.
 
#16 ·
Recently I`ve been learning a lesson that I should have embraced many years ago. I`ve been accused of getting lazy, not fishing hard like I used to, it`s all true. Because I`ve finally come to realize that it`s not about how many you catch or even how big, it`s about the friends you make along the way, the stories that will last a lifetime. When I fished for money the last thing you wanted was company, to share the fish, to get distracted. Get em in the box , as fast and as many as you can. Say nothing, share nothing, become a shadow in the night, let your pinks do your talking. All for what? When I think of all the chances to make friends that I squandered it makes me sad. Now I`ve adopted a differant philosophy. I get my greatest pleasure from seeing a youngster get thier first fish, putting someone into a 6 hour blitz where they get more bass than they ever thought they could, whatever.
What stands out this season? That Bluefin with Sean was the highlite of many years. It was my first, it was an adventure, it damn near killed me getting it in and it was fabulous on the grill but what I really remember most was the trip, beating our way back to Sandwich through the 4-5`s and the wind and Sean saying " At least it`s not raining" minutes before the sky opened in a deluge that left my boots full to the top. Or Phil insisting I try his rod during the Icebreaker and on the first cast landing one of the few fish of the get together and Basser commenting over and over " Gee was that your rod Phil". Or when Capt. Ray recieved a pair of suspenders," To keep the moon from rising over the Bay". Having Mike Z and his son out on the boat, we didn`t find a fish that day but Matt got to run the boat and I bet he won`t soon forget that. Or the day with Reefrunner when the Tuna were busting all around the boat but the fog was so thick we couldn`t see them till they swam right under us. Most of all it was about the friends that stepped up when CantAnchorUs siezed up and salvaged what could have been a lost season.
Capt. Ray`s avitar says "It`s all about the strip", nah... It`s about the people!
On a high note, the house is sold, CantAnchorUs is getting repowered and it`s only 4 months till we start making new stories!
Slinger
 
#17 ·
Where to begin? My first memory was the day Paxton and I were fishing the guzzle and he yelled over that he had a big fish on. I almost didn't look, thinking he was just busting my chops. Well, I looked over just in time to see a 40 incher launch itself completely out of the water, something I've never seen a striper do before. Unfortunately for Ron, it landed on his leader...SNAP! it was gone but, what a visual memory.

Big Brother day morning on Monomoy with the venerable Fishhawk and Striblue...

The first day I saw RoadRash out cruising for mermaids...:hihi:

The day Paxton and I were exploring the west side of Monomoy and stumbled upon a bunch of fish flashing in a trough.

The rip trip in September.... putting faces to a lot of screen names from the forum.
Seeing fish busting for over 2 hours...Decorating a lot of bluefish....Fish on for most of the day....Twin stripers on with Flydoc...
 
#20 ·
The one second from the left looks a right dodgy git (but I bet he's a good dancer) :chuckle:

My highlight could also be described as a lowlight especially as I can barely remember it. :Eyecrazy:
It is of course that night in the Squire that Juro made reference too... what a night!

2007 has probably been my best fishing year to date with many, many great memories meeting friends old & new. I have caught PB's on both sides of the pond in good company and sharing these with friends makes it all the more special.
 
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