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ONE HECK of an OPENER!!!

3K views 17 replies 13 participants last post by  Nick 
#1 ·
There is so much to say about the incredible kick-off clave this weekend! I am in the office waiting for photo developing across the street, so will save the finer points for the journal BUT....

I pull up to the parking lot and see a group fishing the channel right in front of the Anchorage, and four people are hooked up simultaeously! Something really nice about having fishing at the doorstep.

The accomodations were amazing - I never thought clave digs would get this luxurious... but man, was it ever nice. We'll be staying here again for sure! Waterfront views, adjoining decks, gas grills, all the amenities and fish at the doorstep! I'll let the pictures tell the tale. Special thanks to Sean and Leslie, our wonderful hosts. Thanks for the invitation to return - in fact many had mentioned making it the official headquarters for the annual spring cape clave. The idea to hold the outer limits clave here too is ideal. Nauset Beach entrance is right there, outer beaches are easy to access, and Chatham is a no brainer, Monomoy (if it gets a fall shot this year) is an easy cruise as well. These early and late season claves are best held with indoor accomodations due to the unpredictable weather which goes without saying lately.

Despite the cold front that converted everything back to March after last weekends June-like bonanza, we adjusted and made some good calls... resulting in steady stream of action plus an absolute banner day (for any time of year) with multiple keepers at the saturday commencement sortie from shore, on flies! It was especially fortunate because it was really not a great weekend for fishing all around. It was like a ball game where the pitchers were really tough, and every hit was hard-earned. Yet despite all that, we hit a bunch of home runs. The clave Gods smiled upon us for sure.

Aside from the stellar accomodations and some homerun innings in a hard fought game, it was really the people who made it what it was.

I'd have to thank everybody to do justice to the contributions people made with their time and effort. First and foremost - her meister, Roop! <applause> If you didn't already drop a fly in his flybox at the clave, make sure you do when you seem him next!

Capt.Todd Murphy's camaraderie, advice and generosity with the flats boat out on Monomoy was a dream come true to clavers. Capt.Bruce Peters came by to meet the gang and inspire us with tales of battling tuna 50 miles out as well as wrestling cows in the rips he knows so well.

The fabulous Estes' Bros generosity with their new boat will undoubtedly bring some great tales off the water later this afternoon.

Everybody who participated made this one of the most memorable conclaves ever! I hope the upcoming journal does justice to the great times, laughs, awesome fish, and most of all friendships that we enjoyed these past 48 plus hours.

And this is just the beginning!
 
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#2 ·
Just to add my 2c. What a great week-end. Terrific camaraderie and tough but very satisfying fishing. If this is claving then I'm hooked!

Jeff Roop you're a star, thanks for putting in so much of your time to pull this all together. Thanks to Juro for freely giving so much of your local knowledge and time. It was good to meet Tod Murphy again and also say hi and chat with Capt. Bruce Peters.

Special thanks to Jim Doogue for being there with life saving coffee and sinkers both mornings, not to mention water after my big fish.

I'll leave the specifics to the journal - can't wait to see that Jimmy photo! Whilst (just for Solo ;P ) I've done a lot of Monomoy flats trips over the past few years, the last time I fished from the Chatham beaches was in 1993 with my new 9wt Loomis and zero knowledge. That was also the first time I cast a fly in salt water. Little did I know then the significance of the spot on which I was standing and what being there at the right time can produce ;-).

Now I'm going to be checking out the tide tables for the rest of the season!
 
#4 ·
I don't know where to begin ,except to thank Juro and Jeff for all the hard work they did in putting this together, including Sean for recommending his place at the Anchorage... what a great place for clave central. There were to many highlights . Some that come to mind,starting with the scout day, my falling off my Yak trying to grab an anchor which was sliding out only to find that I did in fact leave the knot at the end of the line anyway . Thanks to Steve and Peter G. for pulling me off the flat and Jimmy , Jeff ,Brian, etc for not laughing in front of me. Good to meet all the Guys, including meeting old Dougue and seeing young Doogue again sporting his new 10 wt Winston XTR. Jeffsod.Bill, the Esteys Bros. Capt Peters, Todd , Chris, FishHawk, Adrian, MattB., FredA ,..etc.. etc...etc... It was nice to have Jeff, Jimmy and DFix over at my place(CAC) for the weekend (Jeff staying Thursday eve). Spotting Brendan O"B on his new boat in the Bath Tub. Bob P. for not being to mad at me for not making the 5 AM meeting... Stayed up to late with the house guests. Saturday was the day.... All those late morning hook ups at the point at the Chatham Light, Me watching Adrian bring his big keeper in while I was trying to land mine at the same time. Trying to bring mine in first in case his was bigger..( it was and I did bring mine in first... thank God). Jimmy landing his fish with a new WWF full nelson grip which had us with raised eyebrows watching as he attempted to... well... the tail was..ah... in a location that...ah...ah.. Well moving on... Juro striking out on his own elsewhere at the light house with a "casual" description of what he was seeing on the flats. It was great seeing everyone hooking up that morning.... All of us hunched around one bag of food brought back by Bill and Brian.. I think. Looking like a bunch of renegades on the run.. Tourists walking by us with each couple telling the other."I think it best that we don't make eye contact with them". A great ending with the cook out and watching some of the crew fishing out in front of the Anchorage. I hope Bill took something at Bridge Street after we came back from the light house. It can go on and on but these are the things that stick out right now. On to a great summer and new discoveries...perfecting our casting ,tieing flies and making good friends with this common passion. (Where's Dave P. and Craig.. I know they were on the Cape Saturday)
 
#5 ·
Great - Clave! Thanks Jeff for pulling this together and putting a lot of you time in to make this happen. Juro thanks for sharing your knowledge of the area.

It was a great weekend with a whole bunch of great guys. Right from the Friday night fishing in front of the Anchorage to the small group of us who worked the south beach back towards the Sagamore Bridge.

Thanks to all of you that made this weekend so great!!!

TL,

Dave
 
#6 ·
Thanks to all the attendees for making this a success.

Juro: for providing the forum & the community that made this possible & your unselfish sharing on knowledge to help others catch fish.

John M for the awesome experience of a night at the CAC.

OldDoogue for the more than generous donation of beer & my new favorite - RED BULL!

Jim Doogue for taking over & managing the whole Satruday night feast.

Sean for allowing a group of fly fishermen to invade his facilities at the Anchorage, I want to get my family down there at the end of a the season. What a place for everyone & anyone, families, couples, a group of friends, fly fishermen (try 1 hour after the flood starts).

The Estey's for the generously sharing their boat to access Monomoy.

There's more I want to say and will post more later as the cobweb's clear.

Thanks everybody for the camaraderie & good will that took what could of been a crummy weekend into a very fond memory.

Roop
 
#7 ·
Smokin' OPENER!!!

Roop (05-21-2001 07:01 a.m.):


OldDoogue for the more than generous donation of beer & my new favorite - RED BULL!

Oh no! I can't believe someone introduced Roop to Red Bull! God help us.

Seriously, First Class job Roop! Thanks a million. Awesome time meeting everyone and learning tons more about the great Cape fishery. Glad to see something that I tied actually got you into a fish.

Hope things heated up on Brewster during the incoming. I can't wait to head back there with my Kayak. It should allow a lot more fishing time on the flood.

Roop, when are we going for the center island in Chatham by kayak? I think we might find some of the "bad" big girls ;-).

nick
 
#9 ·
Just wanted to say I am glad I was able to get over to the Brewster Flats Saturday afternoon and fish with everyone. Although it seemed quiet for catching, especially for me, it was nice to be back out there after a long cold winter. I managed to make it over to the Ancorage in time for the cookout and social hour. Very glad I did. I am jealous of those who stayed there. What a location. I really enjoyed the cookout and meeting all in attendance. Everything was first rate! Just a tad on the cold side. Hard to believe you could have been on that deck in shorts last Saturday night. Thanks to all who coordinated the effort, well done. I hope the fishing on Sunday went well for everyone.
 
#10 ·
Fabulous couple of days!

Thanks, Roop, for all the coordination (and letting me squeeze in to make some casts when the action started at that point on Saturday).

Thanks, Juro, for the usual great advice and planning. That was one BIG blue you had on Saturday morning! I saw it surface. Too bad she took your fly to Rockport. As Striblue pointed out in another post, we saw those migrating subs (very skittish) cruising those sandbars Saturday afternoon. It was worth the hike.

Thanks, Striblue for the bridge pointers. Great spot. That was quite a trek we took out to check out what USED to be the BGB.

Wish I could have stayed for the Sat pm get together. Great bunch of people. Super start to the season!
 
#11 ·
Just had to express a special thanks to the Doogues! Between the copious libations provided by Mark even in his absence, the camaraderie and optimism of brother Mike despite any conditions (catching fish in front of us helped too), and the sheer energy ("tornado" fits) and genuine good will of father Jim Doogue - we are talking about a special family thing here. Great to have you on board!

Mike - we hear you are getting married. I look forward to the day we have three generations of Doogues clavin' ;D

Unless - the Esteys beat you guys to it!

Ok - I am gettin' in over my head here, over and out.
 
#12 ·
The most fun I've with my pants on! Thanks to all who were involved. I really had a great time. It was nice to finally meet some of the people on the board. I normally don't like to mention names when thanking an entire group of people. I always forget to mention someone. But there are a few people I really need to thank.
Roop, you did a great job.I think you should quit your regular job and do this stuff full time. Thanks for letting me tag along on Friday and the pointers. I had a blast. You're aces.
Juro, I really need to thank you for getting this whole thing started. You have opened up an entire new world for me. Your enthusiasm for this sport is contagious. Don't ever let it fade.
Todd Murphy, your casting instruction is beginning to pay off. It still may not be the prettiest casting technique, but I managed to go through the entire weekend with out a single wind knot. I even avoided hitting myself in the back of the head with a Juro deep sand eel. Todd, you're a miracle worker.
Finally, a special thanks to John. The accommodations at the CAC were 5 star. But most of all, for uttering those immortal words," Get rid of that #*&*%$#%*&* spinning rod and bring your fly rod!" Thanks. It's because of you this weekend happened.
I know I forgot some people. Sorry. But a blanket thank you goes out too all. Sign me up for next year!

Jimmy

BTW. My wife saw the pic. She walked off muttering some thing about it being the only tail I'll be seeing for quite some time....
 
#13 ·
This was the balls, only fished saturday and only one fish but what a great group. Thanks to all who put this together I look forward to doing it again soon. Props to Roop, awesome trip dude. Watch for Postings on the Kennebec coming soon.
 
#14 ·
Yet another great clave!!!! It is amazing to me how, with such relative ease, we can put together such amazing events on a consistent basis. I think it really speaks to the quality of the people involved.

Thanks to all who attended and made it what it was! Special thanks to Roop for his organization/spearheading and for his company on Sunday morning (we have your tackle bag and have not decided if we should ransom it or not. :) Juro for his leadership and passion, the Douge bros for donating and delivering such an astounding supply and assortment of beverages, Craig for his company and the first fish fighting shot taken on my new camera, Don for his company, patience with our boat handling, and assistance in hammering all those blues on Sunday, and finally Todd Murphy for sharing his wisdom and experience with a couple of neophyte boat anglers you led us to one hell of a great day on the water.

My clave fishing report: Saturday morning we were on the south beach flats soon after dawn to find the fishing great but the catching a bit challenging. Mike caught his first fish of the season and it was a keeper (we joked with him all day that he should quit now so he can claim a “perfect” season with only keepers). As the tide rolled in we all split up and I headed to the surf side to meet the challenge of the huge waves. I used my extended body herring fly (about 9”) with an intermediate line and fished fast just below the surface. I had some truly spectacular strikes but no hook-ups (I need to tie the fly with a stinger or in a tube style). One strike in particular will be etched in my memory forever. My fly was about two thirds up in a wave before it started cresting. The wave had that aquarium look and I was really enjoying watching my fly surf the inside of the wave and somewhat smugly congratulating myself on finally getting the thing to swim properly. Just as the wave started getting a bit of white up top a nice sized bass came cruising through the wave and attacked my fly – a truly amazing sight! I got tired of missing all those hits and switched to a smaller and less rigid bodied herring fly and started connecting. Total for the day for me was about 8 stripers in the 26” range. The bite died and we made our way back with a couple of fruitless stops at the humps and the harbor entrance. This great day on the water was followed by great fun at the clave BBQ.

Sunday we started out at 7ish with Don and Roop and hit the flats on the west side of South Monomoy just a bit north of where Todd intended us to go. We saw some great water but no fish aside from a couple of bumps missed by Roop in an incredibly fishing looking channel. Todd arrived and we decided to head south a bit to try and find the fish he had found there yesterday. Roop took a station on Todds boat to even out the loads and we played follow the master as he lead us to acres of productive water with pods of blues working under diving and chattering terns. We lost count of the fish landed but there were many times we had double headers. What a blast!!!! Thanks again Todd.

Have we made plans to repeat last years Monomoy clave?
 
#15 ·
Life has been busy over the past couple of days and I now realize that I need to take some time away from work to post my report concerning the fabulous (ooh - for fear of ridicule from Roop I will cash in that fabulous for the more masculine awesome) weekend.

I cannot thank all of the participating forum members enough for their
contribution to the weekend. Some provided excellent advice concerning fishing and fishing gear, others added to the surprising comraderie inherent in this Spring Clave experience and still others provided both comraderie and precious nuggets of their fishing knowledge.

Last weekend's fishing was not spectacular but it was still good -
mostly thanks to Big Girl and the surprising schoolie action in front of the Anchorage. I really enjoyed seeing Pete Gray double hook-up on schoolies near the Anchorage. All in all I ended the weekend entirely satisfied with all facets of the Clave.

A special thanks to Roop and Juro for, as always, rising to the
occassion and putting events such as this one together. You can sign me up (and maybe even my Dad and his tornado fits of energy) to host a clave sometime in the future. Maybe then you guys can relax a bit more and get in some more fishing. I am curious what would
have occurred if we had hung around until the fish came out of the hole on the Brewster Flats. Cooking duties tore us away from that affair.

Speaking of my Dad...
I think that the clave may have turned my Dad into a full time SWFF fanatic. It is just a hunch but I bet that he will think twice about grabbing the spinning rod the next time that we go striper fishing. When I was a kid and he first started fly casting he once told me that "once you start fly fishing you will never go back to spin
fishing." He was right, at least with me. From here on out I can say that the majority of all of my future time on the water will be with the flyrod in hand. Last weekend my Dad had a chance to once again drink from the flyfishing fountain and I think that he is now a
full time convert. I do not think that it would be very difficult to
get him to attend a clave in the future.

Last but not least, Juro, I am getting married in the fall. The timing
of things will put a damper on my fishing schedule this season but I will still be joining you guys as often as possible. In regard to the third generation of SWFF Doogue boys you can look to my brother and his son (he will be 1 year old Friday). As for now I hope to hold off for a few years before I add any more brethren to the Doogue clan.

I cannot wait to Clave it up again in the future.

I will scan in some pictures tomorrow night.

See you on the water...

Mike Doogue
 
#16 ·
One final thought/ thank you.

Friday night's pizza dinner was provided by Bryan & Jeff, which I failed to acknowledge.

My thanks to these guys, one's getting married & the other is a struggling med student. So money is a little tight for them.

So, let's buy them a beer next time we see them as a token of our appreciation.

Roop
 
#18 ·
I have a favor to ask. I forget who took my picture at the beginning of the Big Girl Bar during the Spring Clave on Saturday morning, but I was wondering if they could post it on the board when it gets developed. I would love to have a copy of it.

Thanks,
Nick
 
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