Finally started my season this past weekend. I spent a few hours on the beach and came up empty, but wasn't at all unhappy about it. My new gear worked gread and I was glad to have the opportunity to try it out. I ended up with a Tsunami graphite rod of the 10 foot variety and a Quantum Cabo to go with it. It casts so mich better than my Ugly Stick but may not be quite as good with a sinker and bait. I was also trying out a few new pieces of kit to go along with my new stick. I had purchased a pair of neoprene Glacier Gloves and a Helly/Hansen Roan Anorak with neoprene cuffs to keep out the cold and wet. These coupled with my waders made for a toasty bad fisherman...In fact I was actually hot at one point despite a 10kt wind in my face and temps in the 40s. I also had the fortune to come across a nice set of aluminum pliers to hang from my new Simms wading belt. A very professional looking setup if I do say so myself...Now I just have to live up to the appearance.
I tossed about half my plugs before breaking off a bucktail due to nothing more that my own stupidity. Resigned to a night of beautiful stars I decided that casting practice was far more purposeful than continuing to work an empty water column. I wound up, not unlike the "pros" I had seen in a few YouTube videos, and attempted to hit Martha's Vineyard with a 2 ounce bucktail only to be greeted by a resounding"crrraaaccck" as my 30lb Cajun Braid parted ways with what was left on my reel; I had completely forgotten to open the bail. The saving grace was that it took forever to hear the splash of my now liberated lure so it is entirely possible that I set a new personal best casting distance record. It wasn't particularly cold, but it was far too cold to take off my Glacier Glove and try to re-tie. So all in all I ended up spending my time star gazing and practicing my casting. I don't really even think I had a single bite although there was one that felt like a nibble but could have been something in the water like seaweed or structure. Another trip is already planned for two weeks from now and I'm really hoping that there might actually be something in the water then. In the mean time I'm going to retie some knots and make sure I'm ready when the next opportunity arises.
Thursday, April 12, 2012
Monday, February 13, 2012
Off-Season
Off-season - [awf-see-zuhn]
noun
1. a time of year other than the regular or busiest one for a specific activity: Fares are lower in the off-season.
2. a time of year when business, manufacturing activity, etc., is less than normal or at an unusually low point.
3. a time of year when fishermen start to go out of their mind and their heads spin with unrealistic expectations of all the fish they will catch this year
Not that we've had any real weather that one could call "winter" but it is never the less the off-season. The time of year when surf fishing can be unpleasant and is almost always unproductive. Just because we haven't had much of a winter doesn't mean the fish stick around. I have however, had the opportunity to get out a couple times to try new gear and just mess around in general. New gear has been abundant this off season with lightweight, breathable, boot-foot waders, a new bait knife, a set of glacier gloves, a bunch of Dick's gift cards, and some korkers...Christmas was good to this Bad Fisherman!
This is actually my second set waders, and that's a bit of a funny story. The waders were purchased from Dick's thanks to a combination of gift cards and scorecard rewards points. The day I got them I took them right out to Rye state park where I know the beach gradually slopes to the water and is free of rocks and obstacles for the most part.
I pulled the waders on, grabbed my gear and trudged to the waters edge before carefully stepping into the water feeling not unlike an astronaut. Having never previously thought about what it must be like to walk in the water without being wet, it was quite the experience...for a few minutes at least. After popping on a 1oz. bucktail I began to work the water column; I saw bait ripple the surface on a few of my retrieves but never had a hit. I was up to my waist at this point and happy as a clam...until I felt it that is. At first all I noticed was a little bit cold around my calf. For all I knew this was normal so I didn't give it too much thought but within the next five minutes cold had turned to wet. Completely bummed I headed back to my car where I took the waders off and found a soaked right leg and a damp left one. Obviously this company's quality control leaves something to be desired. With the waders (somewhat) packed back into their box I headed back to Dicks's, luckily they didn't have a problem exchanging them for a new pair.
Fast forward to my last trip to the beach when I managed to hook and loose something big as well as a bucktail to a errant cast. That brings me to the final point about the off-season, it is a time to reflect on and evaluate the previous season and to set expectations of the upcoming season. Below is last seasons catch stats.
2011 Stats:
Money Spent - Lots$$$
Scup - 5
Bluefish - 3
Lost Lures - 3
Sea Robbin - 2
Smooth Dog Fish - 1
Fluke (Summer Flounder) - 1
Crab (significant other) - 1
My hopes/expectations for 2012:
Catch a Striped Bass
Hire a shore guide
Fish with a friend/my dad
Fish freshwater
Hone my bucktail skills
Read more fishing books
Learn "my" beach and jetty inside and out
Blog more.
So, that being said here's to tight lines and fish on the hook! Good luck in 2012 all.
-Bad Fisherman
noun
1. a time of year other than the regular or busiest one for a specific activity: Fares are lower in the off-season.
2. a time of year when business, manufacturing activity, etc., is less than normal or at an unusually low point.
3. a time of year when fishermen start to go out of their mind and their heads spin with unrealistic expectations of all the fish they will catch this year
Not that we've had any real weather that one could call "winter" but it is never the less the off-season. The time of year when surf fishing can be unpleasant and is almost always unproductive. Just because we haven't had much of a winter doesn't mean the fish stick around. I have however, had the opportunity to get out a couple times to try new gear and just mess around in general. New gear has been abundant this off season with lightweight, breathable, boot-foot waders, a new bait knife, a set of glacier gloves, a bunch of Dick's gift cards, and some korkers...Christmas was good to this Bad Fisherman!
This is actually my second set waders, and that's a bit of a funny story. The waders were purchased from Dick's thanks to a combination of gift cards and scorecard rewards points. The day I got them I took them right out to Rye state park where I know the beach gradually slopes to the water and is free of rocks and obstacles for the most part.
I pulled the waders on, grabbed my gear and trudged to the waters edge before carefully stepping into the water feeling not unlike an astronaut. Having never previously thought about what it must be like to walk in the water without being wet, it was quite the experience...for a few minutes at least. After popping on a 1oz. bucktail I began to work the water column; I saw bait ripple the surface on a few of my retrieves but never had a hit. I was up to my waist at this point and happy as a clam...until I felt it that is. At first all I noticed was a little bit cold around my calf. For all I knew this was normal so I didn't give it too much thought but within the next five minutes cold had turned to wet. Completely bummed I headed back to my car where I took the waders off and found a soaked right leg and a damp left one. Obviously this company's quality control leaves something to be desired. With the waders (somewhat) packed back into their box I headed back to Dicks's, luckily they didn't have a problem exchanging them for a new pair.
Fast forward to my last trip to the beach when I managed to hook and loose something big as well as a bucktail to a errant cast. That brings me to the final point about the off-season, it is a time to reflect on and evaluate the previous season and to set expectations of the upcoming season. Below is last seasons catch stats.
2011 Stats:
Money Spent - Lots$$$
Scup - 5
Bluefish - 3
Lost Lures - 3
Sea Robbin - 2
Smooth Dog Fish - 1
Fluke (Summer Flounder) - 1
Crab (significant other) - 1
My hopes/expectations for 2012:
Catch a Striped Bass
Hire a shore guide
Fish with a friend/my dad
Fish freshwater
Hone my bucktail skills
Read more fishing books
Learn "my" beach and jetty inside and out
Blog more.
So, that being said here's to tight lines and fish on the hook! Good luck in 2012 all.
-Bad Fisherman
Thursday, October 20, 2011
End of the season?
Well, this might be the end of my season. Its getting cold and I don't own waders...yet. We'll see if I can find some I like, for a price I like. I tried last weekend to get some more casts in, but only managed one short evening as the winds were far too strong to cast anything. Even my heaviest lures were falling far short of their usual mark and into an area without any fish big enough to bite. I could see some small fish (less than 6 inches) and figured that the larger fish were waiting out the waves in deeper water. I may have one more opportunity to get out this weekend with some bait, I figure trying the bottom might yield something tasty or at least a good fight. Well, that's all for now. Once my season is truly at an end I'll write up a recap and discuss my ideas for next season.
Tuesday, October 11, 2011
A few recent highlights
Last weekend I managed to hook my two largest fish to date! Sadly I only landed one of them. I landed a 22 inch 4.8 pound Bluefish! What a fight and what teeth marks on my lure (Yo-zuri Crystal Minnow) I also had luck the night before buck-tailing in the dark. I had an epic fight; the strike was like nothing I'd ever felt before...or since. The fight lasted about four or five minutes before the fish outsmarted me and either parked itself in the rocks or wrapped me around something. My fight with an immovable object...whatever it was lasted at least another ten or fifteen minutes as I worked up and down the beach trying to free my catch and buck-tail. It was not to be and I eventually broke off losing my personal best and a favorite buck-tail. All this ended up with me making a trip to the B&T this week to "resupply." Two new buck-tails, one with an eel tail, and one in a lighter weight. I also added a jointed Bomber Long A with a rattle and bit more weight for those windy days. I'm going to try and make it out this week and maybe spend a bunch of time this weekend. So far the fall run has been good to me. I'm really starting to contemplate gearing up so that I can continue to fish as the weather gets worse. What should I invest in? Waders? Neoprene or breathable? Dry top? Let me know what is essential to having a good time fishing in cold weather.
Monday, September 12, 2011
Teeth like razor blades and glowing eyes!
What an interesting weekend...I saw every possible extreme of conditions due to Hurricane Katia that was churning off the east coast. One morning the water was as smooth as I've ever seen it, the next day there were the largest waves I'd ever seen at that particular area. The fishing was just as different too!
The morning with the glassy water brought a ton of fish, I managed to land Scup and Bluefish. In addition to the water being calm it was also clear and fairly free of sea weed. I saw tons of little minnows and hundreds of little jelly fish (they looked like moon jellyfish to me, but I'm no expert.) It was only my second encounter with blue fish...My first one ended up with a lost lure, this time I also lost another lure, but at least landed two snapper blues of about 13 or 14 inches. The lure I lost was a diamond jig that I had hooked directly to the snap on my braid. It was a great fight and I suspect that the fish was in the 5 to 8 pound range and a corresponding 20 to 25 inches. Too bad I wasn't using a wire leader or I might have landed the biggest fish of my short fishing career! It was a great fight though and I was glad for the experience, but maybe not for the trip to the B&T to buy a replacement lure.
Trips to the local B&T are always fun...but also always expensive. I don't really mind giving this particular B&T my money though as they have always been kind and helpful. This time they managed to sell me a replacement diamond jig, a handmade 6 inch 1 3/4oz pencil popper, and a two pack of mackerel. They also gave me some great location info that I will have to remember for next time. Sometimes it pays to pay!
The next morning couldn't have been more different as there was a 20 to 30 mph wind and huge waves made conditions awful. Every time I would bend down to cut some mackerel a "rogue" wave would make sure that I ended up wet. This was the first time that waves had regularly topped this particular jetty. Once I had set up I commenced casting only to find that if I didn't snap the bail closed as soon as the sinker hit the water I would end up spooling an extra thirty or forty yards of line out in a wide arc between the tip of my rod and the water. The wind was also so strong that I found it nearly impossible to distinguish the bites from the wind and waves. I'd cast about ten times when I was approached by another fisherman...odd for this early in the morning and when none of the other jetties were occupied...Oh well, it turned out to be a nice babushka (head scarf and all) offering me fresh squid if I would give her any Scup that I didn't want. We made polite small talk over the roar of wind and waves but I decided to leave her to it. I bid her good luck and wished that I could remember how to pronounce that famous Russian toast "Za uspiekh nashevo beznadioshnovo diela" (to the success of our hopeless task.) Of course I wasn't sure if she was Russian or not, she was certainly Eastern European but I couldn't be sure much beyond that, I just thought that it was a perfect sentiment for the conditions.
That ended my fishing for the weekend as the day didn't improve and my motivation to endure the crappy conditions was non existent. I hope to make it out one afternoon this week, but we'll see, real life calls and there is much to do around the house. I just hope I don't miss the fall run entirely.
The morning with the glassy water brought a ton of fish, I managed to land Scup and Bluefish. In addition to the water being calm it was also clear and fairly free of sea weed. I saw tons of little minnows and hundreds of little jelly fish (they looked like moon jellyfish to me, but I'm no expert.) It was only my second encounter with blue fish...My first one ended up with a lost lure, this time I also lost another lure, but at least landed two snapper blues of about 13 or 14 inches. The lure I lost was a diamond jig that I had hooked directly to the snap on my braid. It was a great fight and I suspect that the fish was in the 5 to 8 pound range and a corresponding 20 to 25 inches. Too bad I wasn't using a wire leader or I might have landed the biggest fish of my short fishing career! It was a great fight though and I was glad for the experience, but maybe not for the trip to the B&T to buy a replacement lure.
Trips to the local B&T are always fun...but also always expensive. I don't really mind giving this particular B&T my money though as they have always been kind and helpful. This time they managed to sell me a replacement diamond jig, a handmade 6 inch 1 3/4oz pencil popper, and a two pack of mackerel. They also gave me some great location info that I will have to remember for next time. Sometimes it pays to pay!
The next morning couldn't have been more different as there was a 20 to 30 mph wind and huge waves made conditions awful. Every time I would bend down to cut some mackerel a "rogue" wave would make sure that I ended up wet. This was the first time that waves had regularly topped this particular jetty. Once I had set up I commenced casting only to find that if I didn't snap the bail closed as soon as the sinker hit the water I would end up spooling an extra thirty or forty yards of line out in a wide arc between the tip of my rod and the water. The wind was also so strong that I found it nearly impossible to distinguish the bites from the wind and waves. I'd cast about ten times when I was approached by another fisherman...odd for this early in the morning and when none of the other jetties were occupied...Oh well, it turned out to be a nice babushka (head scarf and all) offering me fresh squid if I would give her any Scup that I didn't want. We made polite small talk over the roar of wind and waves but I decided to leave her to it. I bid her good luck and wished that I could remember how to pronounce that famous Russian toast "Za uspiekh nashevo beznadioshnovo diela" (to the success of our hopeless task.) Of course I wasn't sure if she was Russian or not, she was certainly Eastern European but I couldn't be sure much beyond that, I just thought that it was a perfect sentiment for the conditions.
That ended my fishing for the weekend as the day didn't improve and my motivation to endure the crappy conditions was non existent. I hope to make it out one afternoon this week, but we'll see, real life calls and there is much to do around the house. I just hope I don't miss the fall run entirely.
Wednesday, September 7, 2011
Fall run???
I am looking forward to this coming weekend as I will make it back to my favorite jetty to see what I can snag. I'm really looking forward to bringing home dinner as we will have friends with us. Not that I'm looking to show off or anything, but I feel like I'm really getting the hang of things and more specifically my equipment. I'm also excited to use a new rod and reel that I got; it's an Abu Garcia level-wind on a 6 foot stand-up rod. An odd combo by some accounts, but perfect for me. I'm planning to use it for pier and eventually boat fishing. It will be my first "conventional" reel experience. I'm also hoping that the lighter weight and shorter length will work better for the significant other. I may also have a fishing buddy if our friend wants to hit the surf with me. It would be nice to "teach" a little as I've always found the best way to truly learn and retain something it to teach it.
There will also be some new hooks on my line this time out. Despite the relative jump in price I sprung for some cutting point hooks by Owner. I have a feeling that my self sharpened "cheap" hooks aren't doing the job as I have significantly more bites than hookups. I'll also be trying some thin wire hooks as teasers in hopes that I can bring more fish to shore, even if to only use them for bait.
Well, expect a full report upon my return. Here's hoping for good luck and tight lines!
There will also be some new hooks on my line this time out. Despite the relative jump in price I sprung for some cutting point hooks by Owner. I have a feeling that my self sharpened "cheap" hooks aren't doing the job as I have significantly more bites than hookups. I'll also be trying some thin wire hooks as teasers in hopes that I can bring more fish to shore, even if to only use them for bait.
Well, expect a full report upon my return. Here's hoping for good luck and tight lines!
Monday, August 22, 2011
Mackerel shortage??? No shortage of Scup though!
I finally managed to make it back down to the water to do some fishing this weekend. A long string of little things, better known as real life, conspired to keep me from the beach for longer than I’d hoped. I will say that my break from the jetty probably came at a perfect time as I’ve heard nothing but sob stories from fellow anglers who have been repeatedly skunked in the late summer fishing slowdown. I’m really looking forward to the fall run and maybe even hooking a nice cow striper!
After being told by one bait shop that frozen mackerel were impossible to come by due to the “Europeans buying them all up…’cause no one would want to pay $12 a mackerel,” I was able to find a two pack at my favorite tackle shop for a mere $5. All the more reason for a fisherman to create a good relationship with one tackle shop…I’ve never had anything but great service from Falmouth Bait and Tackle in East Falmouth MA. Check them out if you are in the area!
I fished one night with little success, although the significant other managed to land a crab that liked the taste of the frozen herring I bought from the first bait shop…That was a first, but she was very excited to have something on her hook! The next morning I finished up the rest of the herring with scarcely a bite. Herring isn’t something that I’ve seen around the area so I suspect that the fish didn’t know what to make of the foreign food being waived in their face.
That afternoon I spent fishing a tidal pond that almost landed me a nice Cusk. I saw it make one pass at my lure and thought it was a great big eel, but on the next pass, without a bite I may add, I was able to see it entire body and identify it as a Cusk. Too bad I couldn’t land it as I’ve heard they taste great!
The evening came and I, armed with my mackerel, headed down to the water. I took up position on “my jetty” to fish the outgoing tide and within three casts had a scup on! Boy do they fight hard for their size. To the amazement of the fellow on the next jetty I pulled up another about five casts later. I would pull up a third before the light and my bait ran out. I think I need to find some sharper hooks as I’ve tried sharpening my own but still seem to miss fish. I’ve also tried both circle and offset J hooks to mixed results. If anybody has any suggestions I’d love to hear them.
I’ve had a lot of luck with making my own rigs though; I tried two different types of Hi-Lo rigs and caught fish on both, although I still haven’t really landed anything worth eating I’m going to keep plugging away. I’ve had people suggest that I should try other areas and while I might at some point, my goal is really to catch whatever I can from the specific beach. I know that will sound backwards to most fishermen as it is the reason that fishermen use boats…to go to where the fish are; but I am enjoying fishing and don’t as of yet get discouraged at not catching.
Well, I had some success and hope to have more soon!
After being told by one bait shop that frozen mackerel were impossible to come by due to the “Europeans buying them all up…’cause no one would want to pay $12 a mackerel,” I was able to find a two pack at my favorite tackle shop for a mere $5. All the more reason for a fisherman to create a good relationship with one tackle shop…I’ve never had anything but great service from Falmouth Bait and Tackle in East Falmouth MA. Check them out if you are in the area!
I fished one night with little success, although the significant other managed to land a crab that liked the taste of the frozen herring I bought from the first bait shop…That was a first, but she was very excited to have something on her hook! The next morning I finished up the rest of the herring with scarcely a bite. Herring isn’t something that I’ve seen around the area so I suspect that the fish didn’t know what to make of the foreign food being waived in their face.
That afternoon I spent fishing a tidal pond that almost landed me a nice Cusk. I saw it make one pass at my lure and thought it was a great big eel, but on the next pass, without a bite I may add, I was able to see it entire body and identify it as a Cusk. Too bad I couldn’t land it as I’ve heard they taste great!
The evening came and I, armed with my mackerel, headed down to the water. I took up position on “my jetty” to fish the outgoing tide and within three casts had a scup on! Boy do they fight hard for their size. To the amazement of the fellow on the next jetty I pulled up another about five casts later. I would pull up a third before the light and my bait ran out. I think I need to find some sharper hooks as I’ve tried sharpening my own but still seem to miss fish. I’ve also tried both circle and offset J hooks to mixed results. If anybody has any suggestions I’d love to hear them.
I’ve had a lot of luck with making my own rigs though; I tried two different types of Hi-Lo rigs and caught fish on both, although I still haven’t really landed anything worth eating I’m going to keep plugging away. I’ve had people suggest that I should try other areas and while I might at some point, my goal is really to catch whatever I can from the specific beach. I know that will sound backwards to most fishermen as it is the reason that fishermen use boats…to go to where the fish are; but I am enjoying fishing and don’t as of yet get discouraged at not catching.
Well, I had some success and hope to have more soon!
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