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Dim light, windy, sleep deprived...

2K views 6 replies 5 participants last post by  doogue 
#1 ·
A LOUSY day for sight fishing... but man what an awesome day it turned out to be! After moving my college student into his dorm and running around all day, I was tossing and turning in bed due to fishing deprivation. It has been weeks since I went fishing!

My wife finally suggested I get up and go do something to deal with my insomnia so she can sleep and ziiiinnnnngggg! I was loading up the truck. Fishing cures my insomnia every time :devil:

About 2:30am I pulled into Chatham and found a place to crash. Anyway, I had too much junk in the cab and could not lay out. I got a couple of hours of shuteye - but no sleep just shut eyes. A coach seat on a budget airline would have been more comfortable. I was in no shape for a lot of walking in howing wind and soft sand.

Called Striblue at 7 or 8am, he got in about 2:30a as well, so we decided to give the beach a try. FredA was already on the case. I watched from the parking lot as another guy hitting bass and blues on a plug until a flailing fish got his finger square with the treble, a big galvanized barbed treble. He headed for the hopital (hope things went well there if you are out there, sorry I could not help out but the nature of the injury and the size of the barb was beyond any tricks I could muster). I've been fishing barbless for years and will always fish barbless, seen too many accidents.

Anyway, we headed down South beach and the surf rodders were getting schoolies and blues. I didn't get far when I got this vibe to hit the inside despite a howling wind and flats surf, cloudy day, etc. We split up and I hit the inside alone.

Long story short, I walked, watched, and waited for well over a mile when bingo - stripers and blues working the shallows aggressively. I landed a couple small keepers then moved along, passing on the shots to the bluegreen shapes with pointy blackish tails (bluefish) and kept looking for the ghostly gold and tan shadows.

Got to a piece of super flats structure and saw a back fin slicing the shallows in pursuit. I walked a large half-circle to come from the land side of the flat and sure enough it was crawling with the subtle shadows of very large bass. The first shot brought two to follow, the second shot was led further ahead and the second strip put a 36" fat summer cow on the line. Screamed the line out burning my fingers, deep into the backing. I mean depleted it to the point of worry, a very heavy and powerful fish. I finally got it to hand and admired the beast. Having not kept a fish all year despite one of the best years for legals ever, I decided this was the one to take as the season is winding down and I'm not sure when I will get back.

I regretted it right away, as soon as I got done placing the fish up on the beach small pods of giant bass were appearing from nowhere. I had my hands full so started the long walk toward the parking lot.

As I got about 3/4 mile down the beach I realized why I love C&R so much... carrying that was hard work and I had another mile to go! It will be divided so that my wife's dad, my mom and our immediate family will have a serving. I typically keep only one per year, they sure don't plan on meals from me ;)

I was heading back home by mid-day. I almost didn't make the drive last night, but sometimes those seat of the pants, wing-it type last minute sorties work out great. With the season not getting any longer and old man winter on the distant horizon, I'm glad I got out to enjoy some quality sight fishing despite the crappy conditions. Guess you just have to go for the gusto once in a while.
 
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#2 ·
***
Juro wrote:
I almost didn't make the drive last night, but sometimes those seat of the pants, wing-it type last minute sorties work out great.
***

Right on Juro!

This afternoon I decided that my fishing mojo was due to explode into a sudden onslaught of frenetic bass. And that it did!

I called Jeff B up at around 1:30 PM or so and told him that I was headed to the North Shore. He tried to resist the temptation to join me (he had just driven back from a recreational trip to the Cape) but alas, he could not resist. We grabbed the raingear and headed to (ENCRYPTED by Moderator) Beach.

Within a half an hour after our arrival at Beach A I looked over at some birds that were sitting in harms way of the waves that were pounding the southerly facing rocks. With the approach of every wave they would hop 5 feet in the air and then land as soon as the wash departed from the rocks. After landing, they would quickly peck away at the rocks. The last time I checked - birds rarely eat 200 pound rocks. Armed with this information I embarked on the slippery journey over the rocks (my heavy soled scuba boots are pretty good in the slick stuff as long as the rocks are craggy).

By the time I traversed the rocks the birds were going crazy and bass were cartwheeling out of the water. After a handful of weed riddled casts I was fly deep into the blitz. My deceiver was demolished by a 26-27 inch striper and he was off to the races. Damn that felt good. After getting pounded by some more waves (I was soaked but did not care) the school moved on to deeper water. I was still thrilled. I took my spare t-shirt out of my waterproof Patagonia pack (I love that pack) - donned the dry shirt and then my precious wading jacket. No more soakings for me tonight.

Met back up with Jeff and we took off for some recon. We wound up at another beach that was incredibly choked with peanuts. After a half an hour we were getting ready to return to beach A when all hell broke loose.

To make a long story short we watched hundreds of legitimate cows throw themselves "bucket mouth first" out of the bunker-stained water. This lasted for 2 hours! We had many shots at the bass (blues too) with the fly and with the Devil's Gear (to steal another man's expression). All in all we landed a few fish but the spectacle was very much worth the trip.

I know where I will be fishing in the evenings this week.

It was an awesome night - and it was all the result of a whimsical trip to the North Coast.
 
#3 ·
After we split up...why I did that I will never be able to figure out...anyway after hearing about hard tails off the ocean side I continued down about 2 miles...Though Juro was going to stay around the corner and fish the outgoing...I did not want to fish the out going there... Wind strong...but SW....anyway I manage two good size Blues...but no stripers or Hardtails...so I head back looking for Juro...but he is not on the ocean side... I turn the corner heading up the inlet side and I hear a muffled shout behind me coming over the dunes... and there he is with a bueatiful fish... I act like ..."so what's the big Deal"...man.... from now on I am his shadow...but with the wind wipping both sides I made the choice. Fred had left earlier...so Juro cleans the fish and the stomach is packed with Peanut bunker and some worms.... Had dinner at the Squire and met Sagebrush who had just moved fron Scituate to Chatham. Jimmy called from Connecticut and we talked for awhile and will expect him at CAC for the Rip Trip. Jim Simms called me as well and was the only one at the Rip Rider earlier but they apparently were not running so he headed to Scortons and did well ther..Hope we get together next time....Back next Sunday.
 
#4 ·
I was at the bottom of the stairs, ready to throw in the towel and there's Juro at the top saying "go back to the point, there's bass and blues". I trudge back muttering "how the hell does he see the fish from way up there". But if the fishing mystic says go back, I go back. Of course I learn the truth, about the guy who impaled his finger, when Juro gets to the water. Nothin mystical about it at all.

Up at 3:00am, feeling a bug coming on, I forced myself down to Chatham to meet John at 5:00am. No John so I worked my way down South beach a mile or so then back. Nothing happening. As Juro and John started towards SB I decided to call it quits and save some points for better weather. I knew it was a mistake, that I should follow the ninja and try to break out of my fishing funk by emulating (sp?) him but, with my stomach growling, figured I'd be best off home.
 
#5 ·
Just a related note:

Last year was an exceptional year in that the July / Aug fishing never slowed down (in fact I'd have to say it was some of the best of the year). The fall was pretty much a dud, I hit it pretty hard and except for a good tide here or there it was slower than mid-summer.

This year is more typical with a big lull mid-season as witnessed by many people here. It also looks more typical in that the September activity inside seems to be hot and heavy. I saw more birds, busting fish, blues and big bass cruising per hour than I have in a long time. If I hadn't kept my annual fish so early I am certain it would have been a fall classic.

I think the howling south wind pushed the plankton, tide and bunker in and the fish came in for the buffet. With prevailing winds and all this bunker, the sight fishing is bound to continue until the migration pulls them south.

We can only hope! :)
 
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