Star Gazing and Casting Practice

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.

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!