What an AWESOME day! My dear wife decided since she wanted to totally veg out at the beach maybe I should go fishing. I said "well, ok if you insist" :devil:
Met with da gang at the Rip Ryder and tied a leader onto a new Wulff Triangle Taper Intermediate (a tarpon line) for one of the two-handed rod configs and took a test toss - much better than the clear intermediate taper for this application.
Had some fun chatting and fishing with some of the ol' gang... two of whom had invisible waders:
Tied on one fly, never ended up taking off that fly all day - it worked on the beach and on the flats. Hooked up several times on the high surf, lost 2x more than I landed, had the fumble fingers this morning.
Crossed over to the flatz with penguin and diego (from redfish TX country) and got the party started. Overcast and nearly impossible to see but within a few minutes I saw what I needed to see. First cast got a 5 foot follow, quick flip to the other shadow and a couple strips and BANG! (see img below)
Then another group moved over a shallow flat in front of me and I led the pod. They were intent on moving into a deep trench and I got no grab. Once in the trench, they made a move back onto the flat and I made a cast. Strip... strip... TWONK! Fish on, fish off - it came unbuttoned. I turned around to say something to Diego about the fish I just led and hooked before stripping the fly in, and before I could finish the sentence a large fish inhaled the fly on the dangle and was jerking the rod out of my hands. I turned and set the hook which got the fish churning the surface and it was clear it was a big legal fish, but that fish came unbuttoned too. Man, what a weird sequence. They stuck their noses out again to the shoreside and I led the pod, hooked and landed a schoolie. Well with three casts I had hit three fish out of the pod but two came on the same cast! I only ended up with a schoolie to show for it despite hooking a very large fish. Weird but at least I didn't end up blanked thru the strange sequence.
Last week I hooked two stripers in consecutive casts, different fish, that both flew out of the water no less crazy than an atlantic salmon to throw the hook. I have three witnesses. Really. Honest. I average a leaper about 1 every ten years, and then two consecutive fish fly out of the water like tarpon in two casts!
The day got better as the sun came out :smokin: I ended up with a bunch-o-schoolies and three 30+, four if you count the one that spit the hook as I was reaching for release after two hard long runs deep into the backing.
I stopped for a pile of littlenecks and 2 pounds of smoked salmon, capers, red onion, lemons, fresh garlic, fresh dill, butter and made an appetizer for the fourth of july dinner for the gang to say thanks for letting me indulge in the Cape's finest fishing. Life is good!