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Date: May 22, 2021 Body of Water: Waquoit Bay and Vineyard Sound - Falmouth, Massachusetts Moon Phase: Full Moon minus 4 days; waxing gibbous Tides: High Tide at about 9 AM; Boat: amybaby22 With: Alone Target: Striped Bass Time: 7 AM - 3 PM Conditions: About 60 - 75 degrees; shower passed through just before launching; mostly cloudy with mixed sun later; steady SW winds 10+ mph; water was brownish inside and 62 - 66 degrees F; and green and 57 - 58 degrees F in Vineyard Sound I really had high expectations for the day. With warmer weather and increased water temperatures, and based on available public reports, I had reason to believe that my chosen water would be invaded by bass. And, my experience indicated they should be blasting top-water baits as well as chewing a variety of other fun lures. But at my first two stops, I had to grind to catch seven small stripers to only about 17 inches. All were caught on small, white swim-baits. Surprisingly, poppers, walking baits and flukes didn't elicit a single response. I saw no surface activity; nor did I see any active birds or bait. Still, I had punched my Striper Cup 3-fish photo limit, and the gray skies had kept the crowds down. The day hadn't shaped up as I'd expected, but this was still a welcomed grind. But I wanted more, and so I exited the outlet at Menauhant and motored to Great Pond, arriving at about slack high tide. I had stopped a couple of times to blind cast areas with active terns, but raised nothing. I found nothing in my favorite spots on Great Pond, too, in about an hour of effort. I was tempted to find something on Vineyard Sound, but the steady southwesterly winds had built a short and steep chop. Moving about in amybaby22 would not be easy. Still, I could see a couple of collections of boats, and they didn't seem to be too far away. I carefully picked my way offshore. When I arrived at Red Marker 14, I could see that the ebb flow was being interrupted by shoal conditions here and to the east. Some of the boats were working the resultant rips. Others were working the deeper waters further out, presumably for scup and sea bass. I chose to work the south side of this rip line, and motored a mile or so east so that I could troll with the current. I was just about straight out from Green Pond outlet when I placed a Rapala Magnum X-Rap 15 about 75 feet back and trolled as slowly as I could. I tried to keep the boat just off the edge of the shoal, which dropped into 30-foot depths. I approached an area of standing white water, and my graph lit up with marks. I knew I was close when the rod bounced to a hard hit. Line pulled steadily off the drag, and I tossed the boat into neutral to fight the fish. After a stubborn fight, I turned the fish and was surprised that it was only a 25-incher. Still, this was the biggest striper of my season so far, and I expected that there were a bunch more in the same spot. Unfortunately, a guide boat slipped into position and held against the current as his clients fly-fished. I got to watch them fight and land a half-dozen similar fish in the next half hour. I tried to stem the tide, too, but immediately got sea-sick. When I returned to my trolling efforts, mung negated each pass quickly, even when I switched to a single-hooked Hogy sand eel on lead core line. I returned to Waquoit, and repeatedly struck out. I couldn't find anything in my regular haunts, and the birds were giving nothing away, this day. Eventually I returned to my starting point, the familiar wide spot on the Eel River. I knew some bass were there, and the tide had changed; I'd be presented with the last part of the falling tide, now. The small swim-bait revealed the bass' presence along a tideline/scum line in five to seven feet of water. When they tired of the swim-bait, I switched to a white fluke on a weighted hook. I had fun with these schoolies for a while, catching a half dozen or so to 18 inches. I made one last drift through this area, now throwing a pink fluke as a change of pace. This yielded a few follows, but only a single bite. Fortunately, that bite announced itself immediately as substantial. For the second time this day, my drag sang as the bass powered away, but this time on my light spinning tackle. She succumbed quickly after the initial run, and I soon captured my first "Keeper"-sized bass of the season at just a smidge over 28 inches. Of course, now I had to stay a bit longer. I even caught another bass or two on a white fluke, but the day's memories had already been made. What do I have to say about this? I hate sea-sickness! It is fortunately infrequent for me now, but I still dislike it, very strongly! This was a first on the skiff, and it probably won't be a last. Regardless, I enjoyed my time on the rips; I just need a willing and adventurous partner to really explore my capabilities there. In the meantime, I'll take satisfaction in recognizing fishy conditions and in my developing confidence that I'll occasionally capitalize on them. While the fishing seemed slow and "off", I can't really complain about a 17-bass day, including a couple of nice ones. The "keeper" was my earliest ever, which means I still have a lot of season in front of me. There's plenty of goodness ahead. And I haven't even mentioned the leaping Hickory Shad I caught. On a four-inch white swim-bait, in the deep water behind Menauhant Yacht Club during the incoming tide; just like my first, 52 weeks prior! That will give me something to think about in 2022! Pondering the questions of core essence and finding meaning in unexpected ways
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Date: May 16, 2021 Body of Water: Waquoit Bay - Falmouth/Mashpee, Massachusetts Moon Phase: New Moon plus 5 days; waxing crescent Tides: Low Tide at about 9:40 AM; but my on-the-water estimate was off! Boat: amybaby22 With: Alone Target: Striped Bass Time: 7 AM - 1 PM Conditions: About 60 - 60 degrees; mostly sunny but with some mixed clouds; mild southerly breeze; water was cloudy from plankton blooms and 62 - 66 degrees F Expecting good things based on memories past and with dramatically increased water temperature (compared to my visit nine days prior), I had high hopes for an action-packed day as I motored downriver from the Childs River boat ramp. Although conditions were already bright, things were quiet, and I believed that I'd have a chance to bend some rods, try some new gear and relax after an eventful, stressful week. When I arrived at the wide spot/pond/turning basin where I've started my last two seasons, I scouted simultaneously with the small, white swim-bait and sonar. The weak tide was going out, and nothing was evident in the couple of key spots from which I've taken so many stripers. Five minutes into my fishing, I already had an indication that this was not going to be the day I had expected. I made a small move up the channel connecting this pond to Waquoit Bay, proper, and casted the swim-bait up current and alongside a prominent dock system. I felt a couple of "ticks" before the fish ate, and the day's first striper came aboard to be photographed. I had another entry for the Striper Cup, although I certainly hoped to find fish bigger than 16 inches to enter! This fish proved to be a loner, and I enlarged my search radius. The slow primary outgoing current was against the wind, and a scum-line was forming along a depth change along the bank. After a period without any contact, I switched to a topwater pencil popper, if only to move a fish. Sure enough, one revealed itself with a half-hearted chase-and-swirl. Several fish in this group visibly chased the follow-up swim-bait without eating. I was almost surprised, and may have over-reacted, when I had a solid take, swung, and immediately broke off (!?!?!??!?!!!) Down a rod, I looked to switch to a fluke, and realized that I had four "experimental" baits on my other rods... and so I took a deep breath and carefully retied a new, identical swim-bait and replaced a hard jerk-bait with a white/chartreuse fluke on a 1/8-ounce weighted hook on my other light setup. My first cast with the fluke was pounced on by a 17-incher, and a few casts later I completed my Striper Cup limit with a third fat bass of 16 inches. It was still only 8:30 AM, and my primary goals had been accomplished. After a couple of more teenaged bass from this same area, I left them to find some others. I scouted the north (deeper) end of Waquoit Bay. There was no visible bird, bait or bass activity. A lone surf fisherman at Caleb Pond's outlet landed a schoolie while I scratched around with the swim-bait. I missed a solid "thunk" but hooked up shortly thereafter with fish number six of the day. But this wasn't what I was looking for, and so I motored south. Near the southern edge of the mooring field, I noticed a large school of happy bait. I couldn't quite tell if these were bunker or herring, but they were harassed by neither birds nor bass. Still, I casted a large Hogy dog-walker with some hope of raising a larger bass, but all to no avail. I then wasted an hour or more in Great River. I was thinking I'd ride the rising tide upstream, but I was dismayed by the lack of water and movement. My calculations were off, the sky was high and bright, and I saw no fish in the areas I'd hope to encounter them. This blunder cost both time and energy. I trolled up Waquoit, hoping for a fish to reveal a productive location. I spent extra time around the happy bait; it was still in the same general area. I saw the "head" half of a freshly chopped adult bunker; there were at least some bluefish roaming about. Still, I raised nothing. I scratched two more small bass (one was a micro, the other about 17 inches) near the break at Caleb Pond outlet. I then tried the north end of the river connecting my "pond" and Waquoit. I've never fished here before, but there was good current, and I raised a fish despite the high skies. From there I relocated to the "pond" and tried my productive haunts again, without any sign of fish. By 1 PM, I was pulling the boat! What do I have to say about this? When I realized my blunder while far up Great River, I figuratively ran out of gas. I could have tackled the outlets and Vineyard Sound. But at 11 AM the breeze kicked up and I was suddenly very tired. I chose to stay comfortable in Waquoit and try to grind out or otherwise awaken a few more fish. As it went, my acquiescence to fatigue got me off the water before the ramp clustered up and before a couple of pop-up storms... so it had been a good call. And while I am used to making more from such a promising set of conditions, I learned a bit, didn't end up abusing myself too badly, and got a chance to really enjoy the new-to-me St. Croix Avid rod paired with the Shimano Vanford 4000. This light set-up is clearly a joy to fish with, even if I have to admit that I caught more fish this day on my 26-year-old, trusty homemade Loomis! Pondering the questions of core essence and finding meaning in unexpected ways Date: May 7, 2021 Body of Water: Waquoit Bay - Falmouth/Mashpee, Massachusetts Moon Phase: New Moon minus four days; waning crescent Tides: High at 10:06 AM Boat: amybaby22 With: Alone Target: Striped Bass Time: 8 AM - 2:30 PM Conditions: About 50 - 60 degrees; full sun; steady easterly winds (10-12 mph); water was clear, slightly green and 52 - 58 degrees F. (Woods Hole temperatures recorded at 51 degrees, +/-) Hoping to find my first stripers of the season, I chose to take the day off work. When I arrived at an empty ramp lot, I was okay, since this particular ramp can suffer from overcrowded and dysfunctional conditions. On the other hand, I now suspected that I was in for some tough fishing conditions. Surely, if the stripers were abundantly available, others would be in pursuit, even on a weekday. Still, I was encouraged by the slightly elevated water temperature at the ramp; almost 54 degrees F, even after a cool night and with a rising tide. But I saw no signs of birds, bait or life, and when I graphed my favored downriver deep hole, I revealed nothing. After a few casts with a small Keitech-style swimbait over this deeper holding water, my attention wandered to the nearby, sun-soaked shallows. My second or third cast onto the flat resulted in several bass showing themselves and following the lure intently, but none seemed inclined to strike before they peeled off. So, I now knew there were some fish around, but they might be difficult to get to bite in the "cold" water. I saw several other groups of fish (from singles to a herd of what I suspected to be bluefish) in waters less than four or five feet deep. I think they were drawn in by the sun, but wary of the shallow, bright conditions in such clear water. Other than a couple of lethargic, dime-sized crabs, I saw no signs of bait as I prospected this wide spot in the river at the head of Waquoit Bay. I mostly threw my 3.8-inch swimbait, but I also incorporated a small popper, a Rapala Twitching Mullet, and a Husky Jerk minnow bait to keep everybody honest. I had one slight touch on the swimbait in about six feet of water, but did not hook up. Otherwise, the only "contacts" I had were paralyzing follows on the swimmer and a couple of disinterested passes on the mullet. Still, it was nice to know there were some stripers available, and I thought the action might pick up if the waters warmed in the day's sun. I expanded my search areas, trolled to Menauhant outlet, and prospected the deeper, incoming water there at the height of the tide. I couldn't get anything to bite, and as I had approached Menauhant, I had seen fewer fish. So, I relocated to the head of the Bay, hoping to find something sunning itself on the flats outside Caleb Pond or in the deeper waters nearby. When I noticed a surf fisherman here, I veered off towards the mouth of the Quashnet River. I found the warmest water of the day, so far, here at 57 degrees. I started seeing more bass, but they also would not bite! The beautiful day, the bright sun, the clear water and a visibly pronounced bottom/color change reminded me of smallmouth fishing in Northern Michigan. I picked up a line of obvious bottom transition and started following it to the north. This led me directly to a group of cruising schoolies, which immediately ignored my lures and dispersed to nearby deeper waters. Encouraged by the presence of my targeted quarry, I casted the swimbait blindly into six or eight feet of water and retrieved the lure as slowly as possible while still maintaining contact with it. Thunk! Fish on! But after a brief, surging run and head shake, my line went slack; the hook was thrown. That had felt like a nice fish! I was disappointed at the loss, but still, after 4.5 hours of fishing, I'd made my first real contact with a striper! Just a cast or two later, I swung on a slight "tick" and the rod loaded; soon, Striper No. 1 of 2021 (all 16 inches of it!) was in the boat! I'd avoided a skunk, broken the ice, and had accomplished my primary goal for the day! The 2021 Fishing Season had officially begun! I caught two more stripers in the next half hour or so. Each was 15 or 16 inches, and each fell to the same 3.8-inch swimbait on a 1/8-ounce jighead. Each strike came during blind casts into this "deeper" water, all on a painfully slow retrieve. My secondary goal of the day (three photographed stripers for Week One of the 2021 Striper Cup) was now in the can! I missed a couple of strikes, too. I decided to try my original spots in the sun-warmed water. I'd left fish to find fish, and I paid the price. I saw a couple, but once again, I could not get them to bite. I pulled the plug, was off the water at 2:30 PM, and home just after 5 PM! What do I have to say about this? I'd struggled with the idea of taking the day off, when I knew the fishing might be marginal. I could save the time for some better, more productive day. Still, it was a beautiful day, any stripers caught would be my earliest salties ever, and I needed a break. Once I'd had the thought, the deed was virtually done. While the fishing was a grind, I really was served well by my Michigan smallmouth experience. I knew the rewards were there, if I could execute well and keep grinding. In fact, I might be at my best under such conditions; I am focused and present. Three tiny stripers are nothing to write home about; but working hard to make something positive happen, might be. The day's catch wasn't the real benefit of the day; I'd learned some new spots and presentations, had started the success part of my saltwater season earlier than ever, and had both relaxed but also challenged myself and focused on matters of importance to me. It had been a good day! This was my first trip really using the new Shimano Vanford 4000, and I was impressed. Light, smooth, and with good line lay and an infinitely adjustable drag, it's certainly a pleasure to fish with. If this reel holds up to the salt, it will definitely be a favorite of mine. It's now paired with a suiting new arrow in my quiver, a St. Croix Saltwater Avid in medium power. I picked this up, (barely) used at Portland's The Tackle Shop, the day after this trip. This is finer equipment than I am used to, but I look forward to long use and many fish with this combo. Here's to 2021's Striper Season! Pondering the questions of core essence and finding meaning in unexpected ways |
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