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.

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.

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.

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!

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!

Better Fisherman?

“Just a few more casts” I thought to myself as I ripped off another 90 yard cast with four ounces of lead and a nice chunk of mackerel.  It was now 9:20 and too dark to see much of anything.  I could still make out the individual rocks of the jetty so I knew I’d be ok to get back to the beach but there was one thing I hadn’t considered…what if I caught something???  Well, just as the thought crossed my mind I felt three sharp strikes and set the hook with a rather aggressive pull of the rod.  The next thing I know I’ve got something, the drag clicked as a few yards of braid spun off the reel.  I knew it was small because it wasn’t much of a fight but at least I had caught something.  I spun on a bit more drag now that I was confident that what I had caught wasn’t going to snap my rod or line and began to reel.  Once I got it to the jetty I knew I was in trouble; I couldn’t see what I had caught.  I could see a slight outline and knew that it was skinny and long; I guesses about 14 inches and half a pound.  I made the decision that it was time to pack it in so I dropped my catch into the cooler and unclipped the leader…I’d deal with it when I got home.  I figured if I was lucky I’d probably caught an eel or something else I could use for bait. 

I gathered my stuff, packed it into the car, and headed home.  When I got there I carried my stuff up to the porch and decided to examine my catch.  As soon as I opened the cooler I was taken aback, what I thought was an eel or bait was actually a shark!  I had caught a smooth dogfish or a mud shark as they are also known.  It turns out that they are one of the most prevalent shark species in the near shore waters where I fish and as they are opportunistic feeders had taken a liking to my cut mackerel.  It also explains the bait I had pulled back with just skin and bones left since they don’t have sharp teeth to cut the skin.  They do have teeth but they are for crushing shell fish rather than for cutting as other sharks do.  I quickly looked up the regulations and found that it was permissible to take and relaxed for a few pictures.  I had broken my streak.  Turns out that all it took was bait.  I had picked up some frozen mackerel and some surf clams to try as I really wanted to catch fish for a change.  The mackerel worked on the first cast, I started fishing two poles but couldn’t keep up with the bites!  After catching the dogfish it made more sense as I’m quite sure there were a ton of small fish working the outgoing current and that’s why I hadn’t hooked up on more of them.  I was fishing 6/O circle hooks and had half a mackerel taken from me before my first hook-up.  I guess I should add some smaller hooks to my tackle box…you never know.

The next morning I headed back down to the beach armed with my now unfrozen clams and the rest of the mackerel to try my luck when I could see what I was doing.  I had a similar experience with bites coming on most of my casts.  This time I was better prepared and set the hook better.  All said and done I had landed a keeper fluke!  It was fifteen inches long and a little over a pound.  I broke out the filet knife and went to work but it turned out to be just practice as there wasn’t much meat on him and no one was interested in two bites…I will mention that the only reason that I brought this guy home is because he was gut hooked; I am fishing primarily for sport, unless I get a keeper striper that is, and plan to release whenever possible.  I couldn’t believe the size of the mouth on that alien looking fish, he had swallowed the entire 6/O hook with a one and a half inch diameter hunk of mackerel on it!  I was shocked when I pulled him up with only the fluorocarbon coming out of his mouth.  I did my best to open his toothy mouth with my pliers and inspect the damage, but it was clearly deep down inside and he was certainly not going back.

Overall I had my most successful weekend of fishing ever for the cost of a few frozen mackerel, which I may add is generally less than what I spend on one lure…I also managed not to lose a single piece of gear which was nice.  I might just be tipping the scales back in my favor!  You may be wondering about the clams, well that didn’t work well at all.  I didn’t get a single bite on a clam at all.  I bought a quart, the smallest quantity you can buy, and was assured by the B&T man that he had caught a keeper striper on a clam earlier that morning.  I didn’t have the same luck; in fact all I attracted with clams were birds.  I think I’ll skip straight to the mackerel.  It seemed to be a favorite of just about everything in the spot where I was and truly, how can you beat universal bait?  I’m just waiting for the fall when the stripers really turn on!  I’ll be ready for them, I hope.

Here we go again

So here I am sitting at my desk after a lunch of Mexican and margaritas contemplating my next trip to the jetty.  I will be heading out right after work for four days of heat, food, drink, and fishing.  I’m extremely hopeful that I’ll actually catch something edible this time…after all, that it my goal.  I acquired some new swivels, snaps, and even some Yo-Zuri fluorocarbon leader.  I’m hoping that a few of my bites might turn into hook ups if they don’t see the line.  I have been using SpiderWire InvisiBraid but have found that it seems to not be quite invisible but actually white or even opaque.  I will give it to SpiderWire that the line is translucent and casts incredibly well but is far from invisible…to my eyes at least.  So I will be on the beach/jetty wearing out my arm in a matter of hours.  Wish me luck.  I may even try bait if I don’t see any action.  Who knows, maybe I’ll even try a new location.  A full report will follow my trip, hopefully I don’t lose any more tackle to fish or stupidity.

Seconds to minutes and minutes to hours

I didn't get a chance to go fishing this weekend due to real life's perpetual interruptions but I did find the time to sort through all my tackle and make a few new rigs. One of the things I enjoy about fishing is the "tinker-ability."  I have always gravitated towards hobbies and pastimes that have a component of tinkering and why should fishing be any different.  I spent some well deserved time on the couch messing with knots, sharpening hooks, and  retying terminal tackle.  By the time Thursday afternoon hits I'll be beach bound and loaded for bass.  Wish me luck as I try to break my 0 for 8 streak.

How do I get there from here?

So, I've been back at work and away from the beach for almost a week now...Plenty of time to think and Google.  I'm not sure what to do next to try and catch something.  I am contemplating buying some bait and using one rod for bait while I continue to plug away with my other rod.  I've still got to go buy some snaps and re-spool from my last adventure but I can't help but think that maybe I need to try a different time of day; maybe evening into night rather than false-dawn to daybreak.  I've had some suggest that I try other spots and while I understand why they would say that I am quite attached to the area I've been fishing in and am committed to catching fish in that area.  Foolish, maybe, futile, maybe...That is the challenge that I am attempting though so we will see what I can manage.  For now there is a trip to the bait and tackle shop in my future.

Heartbreak

Daybreak on "my" jetty again and I am having no luck as usual.  I've brought both rods this time and it's a good thing because I end up with a rather serious wind knot, my first, in the first hour of fishing.  I decide not to mess with it and switch to the other.  I have a few nibbles, but nothing significant.  I decide that I'm just going to work on my casting technique and distance because I recently witnessed a feeding frenzy about fifteen yards beyond my previous best cast.

I put on a diamond jig and start trying to slow down my motion, focusing on the mechanics of the cast rather than pure power.  I find that my releases are somewhat inconsistent and that is hurting my distance.  Sometimes my lure takes off for the stratosphere like a rocket and in turn lands short because I've waster so much for the energy on altitude rather than longitude.  I play around with a few different way of holding the line as well as the drop from the tip and figure out my sweet spot.  I must have looked like I knew what I was doing to all but an experienced fisherman since I drew a bit of a crowd.  Joggers often stop by where I like to fish as there is a porta-poty for their early morning pit-stop.  I decide to switch lures and reach for my favorite casting lure, the Gags Bluefish Bomb.  This lure casts farther than anything I've ever used; it's aerodynamic, heavy and doesn't have a lot hanging off of it.  I wind up and throw my weight into it...next thing I know my rod feel strange and I realize that the lure has liberated itself from my line.  DAMN.  The good news was that I easily reached the distance that the feeding frenzy was.  So feeling satisfied with my cast, but heartbroken at the loss of my lure coupled with my previous wind knot I decided to call it a day.  That ends yet another unsuccessful day of fishing.

Third Time...not a charm

Another trip to the tackle shop had resulted in three new lures, a package of Lunker City Fin_S_Fish soft baits, and a spray bottle of Gulp Herring scent.  I was armed to the hilt and ready to hit the shore.  I marched out to a new jetty, one with significantly more current and hopefully larger fish, and set up shop as daylight began to break.  I decided that my “old faithful” swim shad would have the honors of the first cast.  Cast, retrieve, cast, retrieve, stop for a boat to come by, cast, retrieve, pull clumps of sea weed off, cast, and retrieve.  My new spot wasn’t as good as I had hoped since I had to hold my cast and then deal with churned up water as each boat came through so I decided to move on. 

I made my way back to my original beach and jetty only to find someone in “my” spot…I took up residence on another jetty a little way further up the beach and resumed the Sisyphean task that fishing can be…cast, retrieve…  An hour of casting and lure changes had only resulted in one curiosity bite (or it could have been a pity bite as some fish sat there watching me and thought, ‘I’ll give him a nibble just to keep his spirits up’) and a sore wrist.  I had changed lures about every twenty or so casts but even that didn’t seem to help, nor did the foul smelling herring spray.

With one final growl of my stomach I decide to pack it in for the day having had no luck at all.  As I was walking back to the car I had a passerby ask the ubiquitous question that all fishermen are asked “did you catch anything?”  “Nope, not today” I responded which was followed by “better luck next time.”  I sure hope so.  I realize that fishing is not called catching for a reason and that fishing is about more than the fish themselves…It’s a relaxing, peaceful way to enjoy the sea shore that occasionally results in excitement, exhilaration, and sometimes even dinner!  Better luck next time is right.

Second Time's a Charm?

After my first fish was caught I decided to call it a day and head in as it was getting dark, tide was rapidly coming in, and I was unfamiliar with the area I had been fishing; I didn't really want my first time to be my last time if you know what I mean.  I decided to head to the bait and tackle store for my next fix...a new rod and reel, a few more lures, some new line, and a pair of release gloves left my wallet a bit lighter, but left me grinning like a kid in Toys R Us.  I proceeded to spool the new reel and rearrange my tackle bag to accommodate the new lures while waiting for the tide to shift to outgoing so I could retake my position on the very same jetty.  Soon enough the tide had switched and I was geared up and ready to go so I set off for the beach.
I marched  down the jetty, rod in had, and a swagger in the step because I was a fisherman now!  Or something like that, I must have looked quite the fool...good thing the beach was empty and all I have is the memory.  Anyway, despite the new lures i had bought I decided to start with the same swimming shad that I used the last time but use the new rod and reel.  The new line and rod were tremendous and I was casting farther than ever before.  Three casts is all it took to get my first nibble and once again my heart was racing with the anticipation of the bite.  It would take another hour before I would have a real bite, but I knew what to do this time, I set the hook and had another fish on.  I fought for a couple of minutes being careful to not to get over aggressive and pull the hook out until a familiar rust colored shape emerged from the depths...Another Sea Robbin.  I took him to shore just like the last one and donned my new release gloves (purchased specifically for fish like a Sea Robbin with their sharp spines and mild poison.)  I grabbed the tail, reached for my pliers, took hold of the hook and proceeded to try and remove it from the fishes oversize upper lip...no luck, the hook just wouldn't come out.  I tried a few more times with no luck before giving him a minute in the deeper water to be sure I wasn't doing permanent damage.  Sea Robbins aren't great eating from my research so I decided catch and release was in order.  I pulled him back in, took off my left glove, grabbed the lure and pushed straight down and into the sand, the lure popped free!  Still holding him by the tail I walked him into the surf and waited just a moment for him to thrash away and back to his home in the briny deep.  Two trips to the shore and two fish on the hook.  Not bad for a relatively clueless newbie.  I was satisfied!

Fishing and I

I can remember being seven years old and going fishing with my dad.  He had bought a pole and tackle box for me so I could go fishing with him.  We packed up the car and headed to a local pond where I proceeded to pull fish out as fast as he could release them.  I caught sunfish, blue gills, a small mouth bass, and even a pike that day and just like the fish was hooked!  We would go on to fish as often as possible, even going so far as to buy a canoe to explore other locations and structures.  I wound up winning a fishing tournament at age twelve and an ice fishing tournament the following year.  By the time I was fourteen though school, boy scouts, and sports occupied much of my time leaving little time for fishing.  The canoe was left under the deck, the rods hung in the workshop and our pass-time was no more.  While I longed for the father son time we used to share fishing I was all too busy with everything else to realize just how fast the time would pass.  We eventually replaced fishing with mountain biking and skiing but there were still times I'd drive by a lake and wonder what was lurking just below the surface.

That brings us to an evening last summer when I was combing the beach for sea glass with my fiancee and we came across a gentleman having luck much like my first time fishing.  It seemed that no sooner did he cast that he was reeling in another decent sized (much larger than anything I'd ever caught) striped bass.  I was mesmerized watching him cast and reel into the frothing ocean and determined that I wanted to do that too!

Fast forward to this May when after thinking about all winter I decided to look into surf casting.  A few Google searches lead me to a plethora of saltwater fishing resources; from videos, to books, and forums, I had found more knowledge than I could ever dream of absorbing.  I bought a crappy rod and reel, just enough tackle to get by and a bag to hold it all in and set off to the beach.

My first evening fishing also turned into my first saltwater catch.  I was standing on a jetty casting an artificial shad and varying my retrieve when I felt a sharp strike and then nothing so I retrieved all the way to the rocks and cast to the same spot.  I tried to remember how I retrieved the cast before and tried my best to reproduce the bite...It worked, with another sharp strike I yanked back and set the hook; I had a fish on!  It was the best fight I'd ever had while fishing and with my heart pounding I spotted my catch for the first time below the surface of the water.  It was the color of rust and looked huge to me but I didn't have much to compare it to so I decided to play out some line and walk it back to the beach for a closer look.  As I reached the sandy shore and began to real I got my first real glimpse which was followed by the surprise of "It has wings!"  What I'd caught was a Sea Robbin and a big one at that, the fish was about 15 inches long and about 2 pounds.  I was ecstatic at having caught a fish my first time out.  I pulled him up in the surf to release him when after being rolled by a wave he spit out the hook and swam away.  I was hooked again, just like that first time so many years ago.

Here we go

Well, here I go, jumping into this online world of anonymous ramblings.  I decided to write this blog for a few reasons, one is that I've always toyed with the idea of writing but never found the right forum, another is that I am really enjoying learning to fish and wanted to share my experiences, and finally I wanted the freedom to write anonymously as I feel that it will allow me to be more creative and experimental with my writing.  So feel free to comment or contact me, I'm open to all suggestions and criticism.  Thanks in advance to anyone who reads this!