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.
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.