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Tip Rip - What to bring?

2K views 14 replies 9 participants last post by  TinMan 
#1 ·
Dave P suggested that we discuss things to bring, wear, flies, etc. Great Idea!

We will have the boat to ourselves. What we bring will not be bothered out there, there is no one else on foot on the entire island.

<b>Per angler</b>

You should make sure you have protection from the sun as well as potential rain or cool weather. Sunblock, hat, glasses, all the standard Monomoy stuff. It will be a full day from 7am to 4pm on a primitive wildlife refuge.

Many are bringing an extra rod in case one is damaged. I am bringing an extra two-hander for the surf side. There are three venues out there - westside shoals and coves, tip rip, eastside surf. For those who can make the walk, there are bigtime flats on the north / inside end of South Island. My guess is one should bring sinking lines first and foremost, intermediate lines for the west side and shoals / flats.

Big flies in the rip, small flies for the inside shoals and flats. Sand eels, silversides, crabs, squid... bring what you don't want to regret you left at home.

This is a learning experience for all, in fact Keith says we're the first on foot to go for the fishing! Audubon goes every year for the birds.

Bring water and snacks, there are no stores on the refuge. If you have medical considerations, make sure you tell someone and bring what you need to treat yourself. We are all individuals, this is not a group event - so the liability for your well-being is your own. If you are fishing with a buddy, make sure one of you has a first aid kid. I will leave one at the food station but that might not do you any good if you are 2 miles away.

We could either do BYO or a group shore dinner...

<b>Shore lunch?</b>

I suggested to Jeff Roop that if a two of us got day licenses for clams, we could legally dig 30 pounds of steamers on the beach. Just bring a little butter and some fresh water, a large pot and a stove...

A bit more conservative would be deli meats and subrolls with all the trimmings, even sliced pepperoncini's. Deli salads (potato, pasta, etc) and some chips, good solid lunch food. Even burgers would be awesome. If there are any vegetarians and we agree to do the group thing please let us know ahead of time.

Just suggestions, let's hear your views...
 
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#3 ·
Better bring some big (7 -8") sandeel patterns. The area is loaded with big sandeels and the bass are eating them. The ones Jeff and I brought home on Sunday were stuffed with big sandeels.
All day long we saw gulls and terns picking up these large sandeels.
Good luck!
 
#5 ·
The shore lunch sounds good but we should seriously consider bigcat's comment. Those vultures are thick!

As for being alone - if Mike's and my experience is any indication we wont be. There were a number of people on the island counting birds, one fisherman (spin, and I think he was also counting birds), and a couple small groups of beach loungers.

Only 3 more days!!
 
G
#6 ·
Re: shore lunch

The steamers idea sounds awesome (my mouth is watering just thinking of them!) Pulling it off would depend on our ability to transport a stove and enough fuel.

I have a big beer making pot (blue enamel one used at the Nickerson Monomoy Clave). I also have a steamer basket which would greatly reduce the need to lug large quanities of fuel or water (three inches or about half a gallon of water is all it would take - to heat that amount a small single burner propane stove and a 2lb. canister would probably suffice). What else? Paper bowls and trash bags, oatmeal to soak the clams in. A small cooler for the butter and perhaps a seagull proof bin for some french bread and cheese (wine decanter and crystal stemware optional)...What else???
 
#7 ·
Since we will have the boat to ourselves, the items Al listed would be a piece of cake. Still, it might be much easier to simply bring our own lunches (or no-cook lunches) and have the clam fest back on shore. I can get a *real* propane clam cooker and pot, and we won't have to worry about all the problems associated with bringing it out there, protecting it and bringing it back. We'll be back on the mainland around 4:30 or 5:00.

Ideally, clams we dig ourselves should sit in salt water (changed evey hour) for up to 8 hours before eating according to the diggers I spoke with. Lobsters might even be easier. In any case, we could do something more substantial once back on shore... opinions?
 
#8 ·
After giving it some thouhgt.....Who is going to stop fishing for monster bass for an hour to make lunch. How many times are we going to get to the end of Monomoy? I think fishing and eating on the run would be more of a realistic idea, especially once we get out there. Just my .02.
 
G
#9 ·
I say let's go with dry lunch on the island and a clam boil back on the mainland. Would this be doable near the Rip Ryder launch?

Changing the water for the clams would not be needed if we could find a place to submerge the wire baskets through the tide.

BTW, just to explain the oatmeal for anyone who doesn't already know this trick....While in grad school I worked in the seafood business for some time with GregO's brother. I learned all sorts of things about mollusk intestines and the like. Cape Cod steamers can be VERY sandy if not soaked properly. The eight hours Juro mentions is essential but can be reduced greatly if a cup of oatmeal is added to the soak water. When the clams ingest the oat grains, it induces fits of "vomitting." The contents of the clams' intestines are expelled including the sand. As a by product they take on a unique taste and increased tenderness. Some people prefer cornmeal over oats. Same effect, different taste. I have yet to experiment with rye or wheat.
 
#10 ·
Plan to bring:

In addition to Juro's excellent must-bring list, I also plan to bring insect repellant and fly paste (little green monster protection, just in case). I also just ordered a portable sun/rain shelter that I can bring (assuming it arrives in time), since it's going to be a high sun, low wind, cloudless day (ancient good weather chant goes here……). Good for breaks, lunch, and the many fish tales at base camp. Have a small weatherproof camera to bring too (for those Kodak moments).

Bringing a cell phone. Let's make sure those with cell phones trade phone numbers before we head off on our individual adventurers. We should also make sure Keith has the numbers.

Shore Lunch?:

Clams on the mainland gets my vote. If so, any volunteers to buy the related supplies and collect $$?

Besides, being the nomad type that loves sight fishing on flats, I'll be contemplating the long trek. If not, I'll probably still be on the move. Hmmm, add Palm Pilot and GPS receiver to the equipment list (I'm geeky that way).

I always have a pack stuffed with energy bars and water and eat at times when the fish aren't. Problem is, it's always when I'm drinking, snacking, bio-breaks, etc., when I see the most fish. Can anyone explain this phenomenon <G>???

Flys:

MikeF - Thanks for the tip on "big" sand eels. Back to the tying bench…... Color/material suggestions would be greatly appreciated!

Juro - After reading your fly list, I tied some very spastic looking squid (first attempt) last evening. Can bass eat during giggling fits?

The anticipation builds…..

DP
 
#12 ·
This seems like extreme fly fishing.....cool!

Location:
I like flats. I will probably make the hike to the northern flats on the west side and try some sight fishing since the conditions will probably be suitable.

Food:
I prefer not having an organized lunch because of the time and energy consumption....I want spend as much time fishing as possible. I will just eat dry snacks and drink water (and maybe a Mountain Dew!) only when necessary.

Flies:
I tried tying some crab flies of various designs, following designs I saw at the downtown Boston Orvis shop and at Stoddard's. All are pretty sad looking critters. I think I need better yarn and perhaps some felt. I'm also not sure about the colors but am going towards olives, sandy browns and combinations. For squid, I tied up some deceivers in pink/red/white and I'm wondering whether I should tie some similar half n half's so they have some weight to fish deeper? Thanks for the large sand eel tip, most of my fish are silverside imitations and so perhaps I need some sparse weighted flies to mimic eels also....

Charles Whitehurst
 
#13 ·
DaveP,
The east side of S. Monomoy is surf fishing, just like any of the outer beaches. You'll probably need a sinking line to deal with the surge created by waves.

THe sand eels which we saw in the area Sunday and which were in the stomachs of the 2 bass we kept were very large. They were 6 - 8" in length. They had silvery sides and a very dark green back.

I tied up some imitations on 4/0 EC 254 hooks. They are sparse spin offs of Jeff Smnith's Buffy pattern:
Tail: White Kinkyfibre folded over with a lot of Silver/Pearl Polarflash inside
Spreader: Medium EZ Body Tubing (its like Corsair)
Sides: Same as tail but shorter (extend to 3/4 length of tail)
Topping: Dark Green (I think the exact color is Herring Back) Yak hair folded with Chartreuse Polarflash (its really a very dark green color) inside.

Comb out the materials. Add eyes prisma eyes with Goop. Coat the head area (over spreader) with Softex.

Some I weighted with 10 turns of 0.030 lead wire.

Hopefully the surf will quiet down before your trip. Last night at Coast Guard Beach in Eastham it was big (8-10'). The surf there was certainly unfishable with a flyrod. There was a lot of suspended sand in the water, so it probably was unfishable period( unless you wanted to walk to the inlet).

Good luck!
 
#14 ·
Mike,

Thanks for the recipe. Off to the grocery store for supplies!! Being relatively new to saltwater pattern tying, I don't have a few of the materials you mentioned.

For lines, I'm taking a few different grain shooters and an intermediate. Like all expeditions, I'm more trying to decide what not to bring.

Also hope the conditions quiet a bit. That is some monster system moving through the area. This is where you tell me that the weather drives the fish in closer to shore so it's gonna be killer. Right?….. 8~)

Thanks again, hope to see you on the water sometime.

DP
 
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