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Date: May 27, 2020 Body of Water: Buzzards Bay - Bourne, Massachusetts Moon Phase: New Moon + 5 days Tides: Dead low at first, through and past high tide Boat: amybaby22 With: Alone Target: Striped Bass and Sea Bass Time: 8:15 AM - 1:45 PM Conditions: Inland scorcher, but with cold water temperatures, and that meant morning fog on The Cape. Fog burned off by about 10:30 AM, leaving clear bright skies and 10 mph SW winds; but temperatures in the low 70s! Expecting more big fish to have arrived, and anticipating the availability of sea bass, I wanted to use my day's leave for good purpose; and I was leaning towards the unfamiliar waters of Buzzards Bay, as opposed to my comfortable south-side haunts. I knew fog might be an issue, too, so I kept my mind open as I picked up the amybaby22 and hauled her into Falmouth to grab some bait (squid for sea bass; sandworms for trolling for cow stripers with a tube-and-worm.) Tackle Shop No.1; closed, opening at 8 AM Tackle Shop No.2; closed, opening at 8 AM Oh well, I figured I could forgo bait; I had plenty of lures to choose from! On I went to the West Falmouth Harbor Boat Ramp. On the internet, it was described as a gem as often as folks called out the faults with this facility. I arrived and quickly decided that alone, during low water, this was NOT the time to try to launch here. I decided to go Taylor's Point Marina at the head of Buzzards Bay. This would be all new water, but the generally incoming tide should be favorable for the fishing; plus, I had the Garmin chartplotter temporarily rigged but fully functional, and that would keep me safe and oriented. Guess what? Taylor's Point Marina (including launch, per their signage); closed, opening at 8 AM After last year's $100 bonus launch fee at Monument Beach for not following (unposted) regulations, and given the fog, I decided to drag my feet until that local magic hour, 8 AM. I grabbed some ice and gas, and thought I'd hit Red Top Sporting Goods for some bait. Guess what time they open? 8 AM! I prepped the boat and launched right at 8, when the attendant, now on duty, told me that I could have launched early, they would just collect the fee when I left; no hidden charges! I'd seen others doing that, but hadn't felt comfortable doing so; now I know better and will be eager to do so, because while this is a very nice facility, it does get crowded! I poked out to the Canal slowly and carefully. It was still very foggy. Once I got oriented in the Canal, I ran west to the Bay, hopscotching different areas that looked good. There was a nice rip forming at the point of Hog Neck, but a few drifts with the A27 sand eel tin produced nothing but weed. I relocated to the boulder-strewn point guarding The Widow's Cove, but a dozen casts with the popper moved nothing. My next stop was along the barren beach along Great Neck/Stoney Point Dike. Wind and current were pushing along/against this, and the bottom had lush weeds and occasional boulders. It didn't take long for a nice, 21-incher to find my Hogy Popper about 10 yards off the beach! After a few more casts, I moved down to a prominent rock pile, and an ambitious 14-incher engulfed the same popper. I thought I was onto something, but the next 15 minutes produced nothing; this was not the big group of fish I was seeking. From here, I ran across the Canal over to the southwest corner of Mashnee Island, where boulder fields were obvious. I found some nice water movement over and through these rocks. After a few casts with the popper, I decided that the current was too great and the water too confused for a topwater presentation, so I clipped on a 10-inch Hogy Original soft bait, rigged on a stout, 3/4-ounce jig head. I have long loved Sluggo-type lures for bass (and I was close to being on the original bandwagon for this style of baits in the 1990s), but I'd yet to cast a heavy one to stripers in big water. I presented my first cast with a rather slow, darting retrieve and thought I felt a touch. Same on the next cast, but after the touch I sped up my retrieve and my rod loaded. It wasn't the 24-pounder I'd imagined, but rather was still a very healthy 24-incher. Nice! Once again, I thought I might be on to something, but that was it for me with stripers. I did another half-dozen drifts here, expanding my water each time, but didn't move another fish as far as I could tell. I moved up the Canal to the point of Hog Island, where current, depth and the cover of boulders combined to scream the probable presence of stripers, but I found nothing in several drifts through this appealing water. By now it was 10:30 AM and the sun had burnt through the fog; I decided to switch to sea bass. I relocated to the Old Cape Cod Canal channel, near Red Nun 6. From here to the southwest, I enjoyed a pleasant 90 minutes of fishing for sea bass. Even though I was fishing blind (without sonar), so long as I stayed in the deeper water of the channel, bites were frequent. Still, bites were more frequent in a couple of isolated spots, so waypoints were acquired for future investigation. I started with a large Hogy Epoxy Jig in green with a single hook, and I caught a few smallish sea bass (marginal keepers at 15 inches), but I missed and lost a few, too. So I switched to a Hogy Heavy Jig in pink, and this caught the rest of my fish for the day. I ended with about 15 sea bass to only 17 inches, a pair of sea robins, and a single, tiny scup. I'd hoped to get a big specimen or two for gyotaku, but that just didn't pan out. It was fun though, and since this was a baitless effort, I convinced myself that these fish are readily catchable on sand-eel type jigs. I still wanted a big bass, though, and with the cleared skies and intense sun, I decided that slow-trolling a tube-and-worm was my best effort. I didn't have sand-worms, so I tipped my mustard-colored Santini tube with a pink Gulp! mullet and crossed my fingers. I focused on the deeper waters of the Old Canal and the edges of Mashnee and Hog Islands. I presented the tube on up to five colors of lead core based on depth, and I donated a half-dozen Gulp! baits to smaller pests. This will be a good technique to learn and develop confidence in. At about 1:45 PM, I realized that my smart move would be to get off the water before I ran out of steam. The boat was parked and covered by 3 PM; I took a call for work; and I was back home by 5 PM. I was in much better condition than I'd been after the weekend's efforts, and I was functional! I am not used to leaving fishing time on the table, but I think I made the right call, especially because the day's heat was brutally actualized in Arlington. ! What do I have to say about this? As pleasant and moderately productive as the day was, it was still even more important as an investment. I learned a lot about a big stretch of new water, the logistics involved, and some new-to-me techniques. It was well worth my time away from work! I'd explored just a tiny corner of Buzzards Bay, but that exploration had revealed plenty of fishing opportunity. I could have pushed farther south or west to other, new waters. I'll likely do that in the future. The late start did not reflect my style, and I took other obstacles (ramps, lack of bait, heavy fog) in stride. I'm learning to actually enjoy myself! Pondering the questions of core essence and finding meaning in unexpected ways
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Date: May 23, 2020 Body of Water: Waquoit Bay - Falmouth, Massachusetts Moon Phase: New Moon + 1 day Tides: Dead low at first, but fished through and past high tide Boat: amybaby22 With: Alone Target: Striped Bass Time: 7:30 AM - 2:30 PM Conditions: 60 degrees F but falling to 50; gray skies and patchy fog descending into persistent, heavy rain; generally calm but ending with 15 mph NE winds; Cape Cod on Memorial Day Weekend but not crowded! Red sky at night, Sailors' delight; Red sky in morning, Sailors take warning! As I left Arlington and headed east towards the highway, I couldn't help but think of this well-known nautical truism. The sky was ablaze; I knew the forecast called for showers on the Cape around 11 AM, but this sky seemed more ominous than I'd expected. I encountered some very light showers on my drive, but other than an obvious fog bank over Vineyard Sound as I approached the landing on upper Waquoit Bay, conditions were just gray and quiet. Although I'd dreamt of chasing bigger stripers in Buzzards Bay, topped off with some bottom fishing for scup and sea bass, that fog bank and the chance for deteriorating weather conditions brought me back to Waquoit. I figured I could warm up on schoolies, and then explore further afield for bigger bass as time and conditions allowed. When I arrived at the ramp and I was alone, I knew I'd made a good choice! By 7:30 AM, I was in position at a wide spot in the Eel River. The incoming tide was just starting to flow, but that current would bring food and activity to one of my favorite spots. Things got off to a "slow" start; it took three casts with the Jumpin' Minnow for a 19-inch striper to crash my party. At last! I'd caught a striper as a Massachusetts resident! Cast No. 5 got absolutely crushed by the biggest fish of the day, a healthy and hard-fighting 26-incher. I'll fish for such all day; this fish, a couple of 24s and a lost-but-thought-to-be-larger fish all kept me here for longer than I'd expected. I never patterned them like I have in a few previous trips (where I knew I would get touched almost every cast for a period), but this was still the best fishing I'd experienced in over seven months. And, since they seemed to prefer the top-water to the swim-bait, I enjoyed it while it lasted. After a bit of a slow stretch, I moved to the Bay's minor outlet behind Menauhant Yacht Club. I knew the increasing incoming tide would get any local fish going, and I had a vision of bouncing a tin or jig along bottom with the current. But when I got there, another boat was posted in position. This forced me to look elsewhere. I didn't have to look too far; the current here sweeps along the inlet shoreline to the west, and I observed some top-water feeding in the current seam. The current here was a bit too strong for "walking the dog" with the Jumpin' Minnow, but the swim-bait swung across current quickly doubled the day's catch to 16 stripers and beyond. With the exception of the first, stout 24-incher here, these were smaller fish. But after a rather fishless winter and spring, each bite was satisfying enough for me! My local current seam slowed, and so did the fish. They were no longer biting my swim-bait, but I still saw splashy risers. I decided to try a hand-tied Clouser Minnow as a teaser behind a popper. This quickly fooled a couple of fish, representing my first-ever fly-caught stripers. My last fish here surprised me when it jumped clear of the water during the fight. I now expected a blue, but it turned out to be a shad; a Hickory Shad, I believe, based on the protruding lower jaw. It was like catching a very-mini tarpon, and added to the day's fun. Now with 22 stripers and the shad and approaching high tide, I went in search new spots and bigger fish. By this time, it was raining steadily and heavily, but the winds were still calm. I rode west to Falmouth Harbor outlet, where the current seam produced nothing. I then headed into Great Pond, where I caught my last striper of the day. This 24-incher crushed the Jumpin' Minnow in 18 inches of water (or less), but continued searching with both this bait and the trusty swim-bait told me that I was not really on fish. I could have pushed further into the pond, but instead, chose to run east to Waquoit Bay's primary outlet. The easterly current and outgoing tide here produced some roily water. It looked fishy, but my small swim-bait was not getting deep enough. I switched to an A27 sand eel jig; I thought it might be too large to be enjoyable to fish, but I knew it could reach bottom. My first cast near the end of the eastern rock jetty produced a hard, thumping strike on my aggressive, hopping retrieve. I beautifully large scup came aboard, to my surprise. Over the next few drifts, I caught an additional five scup, including another couple of large ones. After the first couple of drifts, they seemed to prefer a smooth, gliding retrieve over the bottom. I was now thoroughly wet and chilled; I decided to call it a day. It was a good call, because the wind started to pick up from the north, and my chill edged towards hypothermia. Hot coffee, the truck heater, a seriously hot and long shower and a few hours brought me back to temp. What do I have to say about this? This was a good albeit overdue trip involving some quality fish, lots of action, new techniques, baits and species, and a couple of new, productive spots. I had rigged the new Garmin for temporary use as a chart plotter, and I was both pleased and impressed with its performance. Nothing went too wrong or broke. I feel as though the 2020 season has truly begun, and my Massachusetts residency is finally starting to kick in. P.S. I missed my opportunity to recognize Striper No. 200 over amybaby22's gunwale. Now standing at 203, No. 200 it was the next-to-last bass captured behind Menauhant Yacht Club, so it was either on-the-fly or tiny. Usually, I am on-point for such occasions, but this one, I simply missed. Regardless, another sticker signifying another 100 stripers captured will be applied to her side. Next Milestone: 1,000 Documented Stripers in a mere 39 bass. Pondering the questions of core essence and finding meaning in unexpected ways Date: May 15, 2020 Body of Water: Lower Mystic Lake Moon Phase: Full Moon + 1 week; waning gibbous quarter moon Boat: None, shore fishing with waders With: Alone Target: Striped Bass Time: 5:30 AM - 6:30 AM Conditions: Calm, gray, humid and 55 degrees; warm night after a warm, sunny day; water temperatures on the rise; fishy! Thinking to take advantage of quiet, uncrowded conditions with herring on the run, I hit the water for a pre-work session. Nothing happened, but I did enjoy the company of three bald eagles, a dozen cormorants and uncounted gulls and herons. I enjoyed the gray quiet as I casted swim-baits, a Diawa SP Minnow and a Rebel Jumpin' Minnow. I cut the session when I was certain that no stripers were evident and the sole kayaker planted himself within my casting radius. There's still plenty to look forward to. What do I have to say about this? It's tough to realize one can't catch a fish on May 15! Spring is popping and this is a favorite time of year for me. This year is, of course, different, and so I will simply accept this as a pleasant hour spent in the water, with lots of birds to watch and admire. I could tell pretty quickly that the stripers were not in, but I still felt in tune with my tackle, lures and companions. And, I was back at my "desk" in plenty of time for work! Maybe better things will start tomorrow - I hope to recovery my skiff and perhaps intercept some schoolie stripers on Cape Cod's south side. P.S. Current data at www.mysticherring.org/video#/#current-data indicate that over 20,000 herring ran through the dam on this day, and videos seem to indicate that later in the day is MUCH more active than day-break. So, I had a good idea, but perhaps my timing was 10 or 12 hours "off". Live and learn! Pondering the questions of core essence and finding meaning in unexpected ways Date: May 10, 2020 Body of Water: Mystic River and Lower Mystic Lake Moon Phase: Full Moon + two days Boat: None, Shore fishing with waders With: Alone Target: Striped Bass Time: 4 PM - 6:45 PM Conditions: Mid 50s and sunny, but with NW winds around 20 mph; the warmest it has been in 72 hours and on the heels of snow and record low temperatures; water remains very clear. Some fishing pressure evident at both locations and a rumor heard of "stripers caught" below the Mystic Lake dam at a previous time. I targeted Sunday evening for a fishing attempt; my quarantine would be completed (symptom free!), we'd be winding down from Mothers' Day, and perhaps the warmest available recent temperatures, when combined with decreasing light levels, could conspire to get a striper to eat my lure! I first visited the base of the Amelia Earhart Dam on the Mystic. This is the first barrier on the river, herring are known to be running, stripers should be arriving in Boston Harbor and chasing them, and I thought I could try the falling tidal conditions. Perhaps moving water would coax some activity. Conditions were pretty appealing, but this area was lifeless. In 20 minutes or so, I saw no sign of birds, bait or predators. I chose to cut these losses and reposition myself at the base of the dam between Upper and Lower Mystic Lakes. I have an ingrained mental image of a striper hitting a top-water bait here; perhaps this would be the night! A few other folks thought so, too, but I had plenty of casting room as I waded out to the shallow bar fringing the base of the damn. I started with a bone-colored SP Minnow swimmer, toned that down by switching to a small Z-man swim bait, but spent most of my time for the evening casting and retrieving top-water baits, including a popper and a Rebel Jumpin' Minnow. I was mildly surprised by the apparent lack of fish activity and the total lack of action. In addition to the other, human, fishers, I was joined by a variety of fish-eating birds, including a bald eagle, an osprey, and many gulls, herons and cormorants. Most of these were generally idle, but they were there for the same reasons as I, and were welcomed partners for the evening. As far as I could tell, we all got skunked for the evening. The data below probably says it all; while herring had been locally active during the week, the recent cold front and snow had pretty much shut these fish down. What do I have to say about this? It took a bit of time and the shift in location for me to leave my thoughts behind and get into any sort of relaxed rhythm. By then, I realized that success, once again, was a long shot. I was still able to appreciate what had brought me to this particular spot, enjoy the quiet company of so many fish-eating birds, and focus on the not-quite-predictable pattern of my Jumpin' Minnow as it walked across the quieting surface of the lake. My goal for the week (or month, or season); be there when the herring return with stripers in tow! Pondering the questions of core essence and finding meaning in unexpected ways |
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