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Date: October 5, 2019 Body of Water: Woods Hole Pier Boat: none With: Alone, but with several familiar folks from 2018's Albie Chase Target: False Albacore Time: 8:30 AM - 10:30 AM Conditions: Bright and windy from the North. Some tidal movement, and reports of good fishing from this spot the previous morning. In two words; Bonus! Hope! After a Gale Day of chores, a fantastic group dinner to culminate the trip and reconnecting with A., I found myself in Woods Hole with a few hours to enjoy before I began the long journey back to Michigan. Why not take a final try for tuna from the pier? As I arrived, the word was that it had been a slow morning, but that Albies had presented themselves the day before at about 9 AM. There was a little bait present, the tidal currents seemed to be increasing, and a visible foam line was approaching from the hazards of Woods Hole, center. I took my place on the pier, hedging my bets between the tip and access to the wall behind me; last year, the most active tuna had been crashing bait against this wall. I rigged an epoxy jig and a swim bait. Between 9 and 9:30 or so, a fair number of tuna showed themselves in small, loose groups. Most were out of casting range, but I did get my lure into a few groups of fish. I tried both lures and a variety of retrieves, but never got touched. Neither did anybody else on the pier, nor anybody in the boats and kayaks that were chasing each group of visible fish. The action slowed considerably thereafter, and by 10:30, I knew it was time to go. I was in the game again; but the fish were picky. Someday I'll be there when the funny fish are more abundant, accessible and vulnerable. What do I have to say about this? At least I went down swinging! This session also let me get in quite a few casts with the new Diawa rod and reel, and I expect it will be an important addition to my saltwater arsenal. The reel is super smooth, seems to have a good drag system, and has ample line capacity. The rod slots nicely into the heavier side of my tackle selection and will see action in a variety of saltwater exploits. I also left town knowing that I was on the verge of big changes for the better, and those prospects included more saltwater fishing opportunities. So while I might have lost this Albacore Battle (again), I was not really defeated. Pondering the questions of core essence and finding meaning in unexpected ways
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Date: October 3, 2019 Body of Water: Vineyard Sound, from Great Pond to Woods Hole Boat: Maritime Skiff 1480; now, officially named the "amybaby22" With: Alone Target: False Albacore, striped bass, blues Time: 7:30 AM - 3 PM Conditions: Overcast but sometimes clearing; about 55 degrees; anticipated North wind but with a much stronger easterly component, in the high teens for most of the day. Consequently, the Sound was quite a bit rougher than expected, but it was certainly fishable in Woods Hole and inside the ponds. My mind was on tuna, and I'd selected this port for proximity to Nobska Point in combination with an offshore wind at my back and calm, navigable seas in front of me. But even as I launched the boat in Falmouth Harbor, I could tell that the wind was more easterly than I had expected, and that could be a factor in the day's fishing. I was just about "out" of white swim baits, and so I had a pink one tied on. My first cast at a current seam just outside the outlet scored a familiar blue. It was good to know that the fish weren't overly finicky! But I was interested in tuna, and spent more time scanning the sky for active birds and the surface of the water for explosive eruptions than casting for blues. It was quite choppy, and I knew my ability to move quickly was limited; and so I cruised slowly while scanning and really focused my attention on areas within a quarter mile or so. When I noticed a group of birds change course, my interest perked; and soon they were diving on bait. I made my way to the east. The birds lingered, and I waited in the general area. Soon, the surface erupted within casting distance, and in one eruption, I clearly saw the dorsal fin and sickle tail of a tuna! I got two or three casts with my Hogy epoxy jig into the area before signs of life disappeared. I continued blind casting until well after the birds had left, too. I'd certainly been within range of my target species; but I'd been told they were finicky. Still, I knew that it really could happen! I decided to troll the Yozuri while scouting for another pod of tuna. In addition to bluefish, I saw no reason why an Albie or bonito would not eat the lure, and I was not really in a position to dictate exactly how I was going to catch my first Cape Cod tuna. The bluefish bite was pretty decent; going at speeds of 3 to 4.5 mph, I landed three more blues east and just west of the Falmouth Harbor outlet. I trolled almost all the way to Nobska Point with a couple more hits but no fish landed. It was getting a bit rough at Nobska, but with the prospect of protected seas and Albies around the corner, I proceeded to the mouth of Woods Hole's Little Harbor. Here, I sat, watching for birds and bait. Bird life was sporadic and spread out, but probably more intense than at Falmouth. I was treated to a single, very brief frenzy within casting distance; once again, my two or three casts into the zone were ignored, as were subsequent blind casts. I finally admitted to myself that it was also too rough for me to comfortable fish here; especially given the lack of chances. I proceeded in to Woods Hole's Great Harbor. Here, conditions were flat and comfortable. But, it was also slack tide; there was no moving water and no sign of fish. A single fisherman posted as a quiet sentinel on the little pier I'd fished in 2018; and the only other fishing boat scouted around without fishing. My timing was wrong, and I had a couple of choices; look elsewhere, or wait it out for better prospects with moving water. Additionally, I had legitimate concerns about the wind and waves; if the seas between Little Harbor and Falmouth got any worse, I was going to get trapped in Woods Hole. That wouldn't have been the end of the world, but it would have been a logistical pain; and so I decided to test the waters outside Nobska. The skiff proved to handle the size and direction of the waves well, but at low speeds only. At a maximum speed of 8 miles per hour, I made it to Great Pond in about 45 minutes. With some relief, I entered Great Pond for the first time and decided to look for stripers. Entering the pond, I noticed an aluminum bass boat overloaded with four fishermen and camera equipment. As I passed this group (bundled up for winter!), I realized I recognized a million-plus-subscribed YouTube personality. More on that, perhaps, later! I noticed quite a bit of bird activity in the center of the pond near a "no wake" marker. But when I arrived, all activity had dispersed, so I continued on to a convenient shoreline. Nothing happened there, but when I crossed to the pond's east side, my first cast with the popper was trailed and then sucked in by a nice striper! Once again, it was nice to find fish in new water! I scraped out another one in short order, but when I noticed birds going crazy near the same marker in the center of the pond, I slowly motored over there. Bass were forcing tiny bait to the surface and popping all around; for a few casts, they couldn't resist my popper. When things quieted, I found an even steadier bite on slow-rolled swim baits. Staying in the vicinity of the marker and a grassy point to the northeast, alternately grinding it out and following birds and splashes, I soon found myself with a new goal for the day; 22 stripers. You might recall that my new skiff's first outing resulted in a surprising 22 stripers swung over the gunnel. I thought the season might be appropriately and symmetrically packaged if I could end her 2019 efforts with a matching catch. The first 20 accumulated pretty easily, and then there was a lull. But Numbers 21 and 22 eventually ate my popper, and I was satisfied. Moreover, my skiff had finally earned her name; in honor of my best friend, she is now the "amybaby22"! I'd not caught any tuna for the trip, but I'd had some experiences; and I'd developed some quality fishing during some tough, dynamic circumstances. A Gale Warning was developing and I had to put the amybaby22 away for the winter. The fishing part of this trip was (just about) over. Just to wrap up, the water near the no-wake marker was about 6 feet deep. About half of the day's stripers were caught on the popper, about half were taken on an 1/8-ounce jig adorned with Z-Man Diezel Minnowz in pearl/blue flake shad coloration. (I was very impressed with the behavior of these in the water, and they are much more durable than some other plastic baits. They definitely earned a spot in my tackle selection!). Low tide had occurred at about 10:30 AM, and I'd experienced the fastest fishing at about 12:30 PM (low + two hours.). There's quite a bit of fishable water in Great Pond, and it is easily accessible from any of the ramps I'd used this trip; I was glad to have chosen to spend my afternoon there! What do I have to say about this? "Plans are worthless, but planning is indispensable." General Eisenhower said something along these lines with respect to D-Day. Nothing that day had gone exactly according to plan, and yet the troops were prepared to perform, and overall goals were achieved. I've adopted that philosophy for work, life and fishing, and this trip provides an excellent example of how planning, in combination with flexibility, can be combined profitably. I'd not necessarily envisioned tailor blues and topwater bass, but that's where I could make some hay, and I had the gear and attitude to make these fun, worthy targets. With about 70 bass and blues (37 bass and 31 blues, according to my records) for the trip in less than four days of fishing (and also a couple of bonus fish, too), the fishing was way better than good! And, I'd not experienced a single fishing malfunction (with the noted exception of the lost rod and reel.) The boat and trailer had performed flawlessly, and other than the lack of tuna (for my second year in a row), I'd nothing to be remotely disappointed about. Pondering the questions of core essence and finding meaning in unexpected ways Date: October 2, 2019 Body of Water: Waquoit Bay and nearby salt ponds and outlets Boat: Maritime Skiff 1480 With: Alone Target: Striped Bass and Bluefish Time: 7:30 AM - 4 PM Conditions: Just about all weather conditions. I'd expected to be held inside the bay by wind, but it was generally less than forecasted and so I was able to venture out along the Southside beaches and to other ponds. I started in the protected and familiar waters of Eel River, Waquoit Bay, targeting current seams. While a shore-bound angler was doing decently well with an aggressive topwater, I triggered more bites by slow-rolling small swimbaits. By this point, my supply had been demolished by blues, and so I was using whatever I had that was close; but all baits produced, whether they were white, natural, silver, Gulp!, shad- or fluke-style. If it was about 3.5 inches, it appealed! I quickly caught a couple of stripers and a surprise summer flounder. Things were off to a good start! The bite was not red-hot and I was losing my tide-driven current. The wind didn't seem that bad, so I headed down to the western outlet. I trolled just about the entire way without a tap. After a few casts with the popper in the area that had produced the previous day's blues, I headed out into Vineyard Sound. The water was absolutely fishable, and so I headed over to the main, eastern outlet of Waquoit Bay. I set the Yozuri plug out for a swim on the way there and scored a couple of blues before I reached the outlet. I jigged and swim-baited the outlet area with unremarkable luck and then switched to drifting the outside rocks of the eastern jetty. It looked like there was plenty of opportunity for bait and/or fish to hide along these nooks and crannies, but I only had a half-hearted bite from a blue in my first pass. The second pass featured a surprise Spanish Mackerel. At about 17 inches, it wasn't a giant, and it didn't fight any better than a bass or blue, but it was my first in Massachusetts (they are only a sporadic, seasonal visitor here) and completed a unique and First-time Slam for me; striper, bluefish, flounder and Spanish. I was hoping to encounter some Albies, but there was no sign of them. After a couple of trolling passes at the outlet (producing a couple of hard hits from blues), I noticed a bird-accompanied blitz taking place within the channel. I moved inside and got a couple of casts with the epoxy jig near the fray before it disappeared as quickly as it had emerged. These might have been Albies, but were likely blues. The tide was now flooding hard, and I picked up a couple more bluefish just inside the channel as I stemmed the tide (+ about 1 mph.) It was shaping up to be a fine day, but the surface blitz had me fired up; perhaps I'd been in the game? Or at least at the stadium where the game was being played? Regardless, I still had Albies on my mind, so I headed out of the channel to look for birds or other signs. Back at the Green Pond outlet, I came across what I was looking for; and I had a fish crash (but miss) my skipping Hogy jig. That hurt, but then I could clearly see that this commotion was caused by bluefish, not tuna. The miss still hurt, but not as badly. I spent the next hour or more looking for birds and bait. I found both, but no tuna. I did pluck another couple of blues from a blitz right along shore near Great Pond outlet. The biggest school of blues of the trip had bait trapped between shore and a short jetty. It was a cool sight, and both of my casts into the zone were rewarded with instant strikes. I ended the day by tucking into Green Pond and casting the popper into shallow water. The western side of the pond produced four stripers to 26 inches (the largest of the trip.) I had to tease several of these fish into striking, and that only added to the fun. What do I have to say about this? With the unique Slam, having covered a lot of water with a variety of baits to score a combined dozen stripers and blues, and the receipt of multiple job offers while out on the water (more about that, later!), Day 3 will long be remembered as a fine day. But with only one more day likely available for fishing, I knew that I wanted to target tuna, to the extent possible, the next day. Pondering the questions of core essence and finding meaning in unexpected ways Part 1 of day Date: October 1, 2019 Body of Water: Green Pond and Outlet Boat: Maritime Skiff 1480 With: Uncle M. Target: Stripers and Blues Time: 7 AM - 11:30 AM Conditions: Gray and almost windy (SW at about 10 mph, with more forecast) Uncle M decided to join me for the morning based on Monday's success and a generally favorable weather forecast. It was, perhaps, a bit grayer and windier than had been expected, but it was still very fishable; that is, with the exception of the roguish wave that knocked us around and resulted in a rod-and-reel combo dropped overboard. Oh well, that stuff happens! I was determined to not let that affect our enthusiasm for chasing the fish at hand; but perhaps we'd stay a little closer to port than I had originally planned. We caught some outgoing tide and had some immediate luck with blues at Green Pond outlet; I caught another in the washing machine that was Bourne Pond outlet, just to the east. But the blues were slow, and I was encouraged when an oceanside striper ate my popper along the Green Pond outlet rocks. But we were truly just scraping by, and so we moved into Green Pond to look for stripers. We found a couple of groups of them, and we both caught schoolies on poppers and swim baits. Uncle M seemed most proud of his peanut bunker catch, and I was pleased to find that the bass liked my greenish popper that I used to replace my now-lost-but-never-forgotten Smack-It Jr. The tide had just not been favorably timed for us, but we still ended with two blues and six stripers for an easy morning's effort. Part 2 of day Date: October 1, 2019 Body of Water: White's Landing, Waquoit Bay Boat: Maritime Skiff 1480 With: alone Target: Stripers and Blues Time: 1 PM - 5 PM Conditions: Still mostly gray but now definitely windy (southerly at about 15 mph, with more forecast) I returned to the friendly and wind-protected confines of Waquoit Bay for the afternoon. I started by popping and probing the current breaks around my familiar spot on Eel River with a swimming jig. Despite a number of strikes, I was unable to hook up. When I finally did land a fish, it was a scup. That explained a lot, and I moved down to the Bay's western outlet. Here, the tide was beginning to flood. I found a couple of racing bluefish in very shallow water alongside Washburn Island. These provided cool, visible strikes on my popper. But the bite was still slow, and with the growing wind, I decided to cover water by trolling a Yozuri stick bait at 3 mph +/-, and then adding the approximate speed of the current. My first fish was a feisty, 25-inch bass, but the next couple were tailor blues. Each absolutely slammed the lure at high speed; this was both fun and productive. The wind continued to increase, and the bite got tougher. I ended with a total of four blues and the striper, giving me a combined Baker's Dozen for the day. What do I have to say about this? Day 2 was tough, and I expected Day 3 to be every bit as difficult, given the wind. I'd still not had a chance at any albacore, but it was turning out to be a good fishing trip. Given the variety of water, tackle, fish and conditions, I'd settled into a nice pattern of exploration and taking what I could find. That was satisfying enough! When Uncle M. presented me with a replacement for the lost rod and reel (a fine Diawa combo), I was both surprised and pleased. I could still keep five outfits appropriately rigged and ready, and the combo he had picked out with the help of staff at Falmouth Bait and Tackle quickly found a home in my tackle selection. Thanks! Pondering the questions of core essence and finding meaning in unexpected ways Date: September 30, 2019 Body of Water: Green Pond Outlet, Falmouth, Massachusetts Boat: Maritime Skiff 1480 With: Alone Target: Striped Bass and Bluefish Time: 3 - 5 PM Conditions: Sunny, northerly wind, ongoing tide After a pleasant drive from Michigan and a weekend with A. in eastern Massachusetts, I headed up Route 95 towards my boat in Maine. Surprisingly, I encountered the worst traffic of the trip in Southern Maine, but by 9:30 AM or so, I was in Falmouth, Maine, collecting my skiff. After dusting her off, checking her road readiness and double-checking that I had everything I needed, I reversed course down Route 95, through Boston, to Falmouth, Massachusetts. By the time I arrived, I'd already had a full day! I chose to go to Green Pond for the first time because of limited time for fishing, and thinking that the pretty brisk northerly winds would be at my back, making access to the Cape's south side possible. The ramp was a dream, and by 3 PM, I was motoring towards the outlet. When I saw a couple of aggressive pops on the surface of the pond's southwest corner, I redirected my course and eased into the shallows. My first cast of the trip (with my trusty Smack-it Jr. popper) was engulfed by an aggressive striper! I caught a twin, topwater schoolie bass shortly thereafter, but with time short and the bite not exactly furious, I abandoned the pond and exited with the outgoing tide. It didn't take long at all for a smallish, natural-colored Hogy epoxy jig to get intercepted. When the fish jumped, I knew it was my first blue of the season. As it turned out, the two-pound blues (tailors) were in pretty thick, and I enjoyed productive catch-and-release fishing for these feisty, yellow-eyed devils for 45 minutes or so. They seemed to prefer a slower cadence and often hit on the fall. They also seemed to like 1/8-ounce jigs with 3.5-inch, whitish paddle tail grubs, too. This was all fun, light-tackle fishing! With a bunch of fish under my belt and given good conditions for navigation, I decided to explore other water. The run east to Waquoit was only six minutes, and I found the blues to be just as willing to bite here as they were at Green Pond. I ended this short session with two bass and 15 blues. This was, in theory, Day 1 of a trip devoted to chasing false albacore, but I wanted to take advantage of any opportunities that presented themselves. With no birds or topwater frenzies noticed on the oceanside, I was very content to simply enjoy the beautiful afternoon and the welcomed company of the bass and blues. What do I have to say about this? This offered a great start to the trip. The day had gone virtually trouble-free, and I'd caught a bunch of fish, all of which pulled drag on my suitably light tackle. I still had several days to chase funny fish ahead of me; all was good! Simple observations had led me to the fish. Had I not been scouting for birds and/or surface activity, I could have easily driven past the bass. And by targeting foam lines, current seams and barely discernible surface disturbances during the outgoing tide, my bluefishing might not have been as productive. I'd visited new waters, paid attention, and enjoyed some modest success. It really was a good day; and an excellent steak dinner with a couple of cold ones still awaited me at Uncle M.'s house! Pondering the questions of core essence and finding meaning in unexpected ways Once again, I was fortunate to spend the July 4th holiday week in Maine. The new Maritime skiff was waiting for me, and I was looking forward to finding new waters and new ways to catch Casco Bay's stripers. Once again, the first stop was at The Tackle Shop as we entered Falmouth at about 3 PM, June 28. I got the local scoop, picked up a couple of dozen sandworms as insurance, and headed to our property. I had a lot of chores to do before I could get out on the water. I wanted to get them done that evening, so I could start fishing without distraction! Now, for these reports, please consider an approximated 12-hour Tide Clock, with each High Tide at 12 o'clock, and each Low Tide at 6 o'clock. This will divide each complete cycle into four quadrants, with mid-tides at 3 and 9 o'clock. Let's call Quadrant I the period from High Tide to mid-ebbing tide; Quadrant II from mid-ebbing tide to Low Tide; Quadrant III as predicted Low-Tide to mid-flooding tide; and Quadrant IV from mid-flood to predicted High Tide. From past experience, I know that the best fishing at my spot on the landing is during the lower portions of the tide, i.e., in Quadrants II and III, with the very best action usually occurring about 1.5 hours before or after the predicted Low Tide. Quadrant IV is better than Quadrant I; but a worthwhile fish can happen at any time or tide, especially if bait (usually in the form of mackerel) is available for the fish. And, every spot fishes differently; so now, with a boat to fish from, I could try to go find some fish under any set of prevailing conditions! Here is a link to a pretty comprehensive site for Portland, Maine tidal information. *** Day 1 Saturday, 6/29/19 Body of Water: Casco Bay, Maine Boat: None, Landing float for this first session With: Alone Target: Striped Bass 4:45 - 7:15 AM Low Tide at 2:49 AM; Quadrants III and IV Water Temperature = 64 degrees F (*all water temperatures are from the pool thermometer suspended off the landing's float, and so they may not represent water temperatures where I fished) 3 for 5 Conditions seemed perfect; gray and still with a very light rain. The fishing started off fast, with four bites and two stripers landed before 5 AM. These were only 20- or 21-inchers, but it was still nice to have success so quickly. But, as fast as the action started, it dissipated, and I had to wait until 7 AM for my next bite, which yielded another 20-incher. All of these fish fell to sandworms under my lighted float. I observed no signs of baitfish, and nothing seemed to touch my Kastmaster spoon aimed at mackerel or my jig-and-fluke that had been so productive for stripers on Cape Cod. I concluded that I'd arrived too late! My 4:45 AM start was after the "1.5-hours-post-low" tide prime-time. Oh well, I had all week to redeem myself for this sin. Day 1 Saturday, 6/29/19 Body of Water: Casco Bay, Maine Boat: Maritime Skiff 1480 With: Local friend, DV (partial) Target: Striped Bass 11 AM - 2:30 PM Mostly Quadrants II Water Temperature = 64 degrees F 2 for 2 The boat was now splashed, and I was ready to go! Local friend, DV, was fishing off the landing's float as I dropped family off from a bit of sight-seeing; would he care to join me? We had a short window together, so we stayed close, just going to a rocky reef that guards the entrance to Mussel Cove. With the falling tide, I thought some bass might be hanging around. We both dragged sandworm/float combos from the Yak Attack rod holders I'd installed the night before while casting and retrieving lures. DV chose a hair jig, so I opted for a Smack-It Jr. topwater popper. DV had a run on his worm over the grass almost immediately, but did not hook up. After a short interval of drifting over the grass with no further success, we returned closer to the rocks near Waites Landing. Almost immediately and right up against the weedy rocks, a nice, 21-inch striper smashed my bait. The first Maine Striper to come over the new boat's gunnels had eaten a topwater lure! That was cause for celebration! We ran out of time together, but after I dropped DV off at the float to meet his daughter, I decided to look for bass on the "back" (i.e., ocean) side of Clapboard Island. Conditions here were bright and clear (and so not the best for striper catching), but the rocky and weedy structure held some bass! I had a few splashy misses on the popper as well as a few visible follows with outright refusals. These seemed to be a better class of fish (upper 20's? to low 30s?), so I kept at it. I was ultimately rewarded with a nice, 24-inch striper that fell for a sandworm under my float in about 8 or 10 feet of water, near the first line of lobster traps out from the island's south side. In addition to the quiet, natural beauty of this area, there were several dozen seals of all sizes on the nearby reef. I returned here repeatedly with family and friends to watch them. They were in this area all week! *** Day 2 Sunday, 6/30/19 Body of Water: Casco Bay, Maine Boat: None, Landing float for this first session of the day With: Alone Target: Striped Bass 4:15 - 7 AM Low Tide at 3:38 AM; Quadrants II and III Water Temperature = 65 degrees F 2 for 3 With an earlier start and good conditions (clouds and favorable tide) prevailing, I hit the dock for a pre-dawn shore session. My optimism was rewarded with an immediate, aggressive bite on the sandworm-and-float, but I failed to connect with this fish. Surprisingly, I had to wait about an hour for my next bite on the worm, but the hook missed that one, too. At 5:40 AM, the float went down with a zinging run. When I caught up to the fish, it's fight confused me; ultimately, because it was a candy-sized mackerel. I immediately deployed this out as bait under a float. It didn't take long at all for a 25-inch striper to find it! At about 6 AM, a fat 22-incher fell to my sandworm, and at about 6:15 I briefly hooked what felt like a heavy bass. Unfortunately, I inexplicably lost this worm-eating fish about three quarters of the way in. My catching for the morning was over, even though I continued to fish until 7 AM. After breakfast, a number of boat rides and seal visits, and after waiting out a line of heavy thunderstorms, I hit the water again at about 2 PM. On the falling tide, I visited the reef extending off Waites Landing. I lasted only a half hour before getting caught by another line of storms. In that time I raised a single fish on the Smack-It popper. This fish, too, was right against the weedy rocks, and I lost it when it burrowed into the heavy grass adjacent to its hiding spot. The weather for the remainder of the day was too uncertain to get out again. *** Day 3 Monday, 7/1/19 Body of Water: Casco Bay, Maine Boat: None, Landing float for this first session of the day With: Alone Target: Striped Bass 4:15 - 7 AM Low Tide at 4:26 AM; Quadrant III Water Temperature = 63 degrees F 1 for 2 Conditions were (too) bright, calm and still. Despite the favorable tide condition coinciding with the awakening day, I had only two bites. A 21 (plus)-inch bass ate my jig/fluke at dead low tide at 4:30 AM; and I had a single, strong run on the sandworm/float at about 5:25 AM, which I failed to convert. Once again, there as no bait evident close to the float, but as dawn progressed, I was able to watch a school of adult pogies go unharassed further out in the anchorage. Day 3 Monday, 7/1/19 Body of Water: Casco Bay, Maine Boat: Maritime Skiff 1480 With: Alone Target: Striped Bass 9:30 AM - 4 PM High Tide at about 10:30 AM; predominantly Quadrants IV and I Water Temperature = 63 degrees F 2 for 2 It was time to expand my radius. I headed past Clapboard Island and out to Hussey Sound. Here, I targeted obvious tide lines and current seams and trolled for mackerel. Working with the outgoing current, I trolled a 2.75-ounce silver spoon as an attractor behind a 6-hook Sabiki Rig. I caught about 20 in an hour (this seemed easy! and without chum, less messy!) The mackerel seemed to be happy and healthy in my modified bait well. Since the only other boat I'd seen making bait had headed out of Hussey (instead of back into the Bay through Diamond Pass or such), and since conditions were so peaceful and calm, I too, decided to head out. A long time ago I was told by a local captain to always try the Southwest Points of islands on Casco Bay. I guess the striations and glacial deposits just about guarantee some fishy habitat at these locations. Since the southwest point on Overset Island just outside the Sound was already occupied, I headed out to Vaill Island. The water here was wonderfully clear, depths dropped off quickly, and I quickly encountered the largest school of bunker that I'd ever seen. These were large adults, though, and they seemed to be unmolested by bass. I tried a variety of topwaters and plastic baits alongside and over these, but without any action (other than snagging a couple.) With so much bait here and no sign of predation, I decided to explore the island. I encountered more of the same at the northeast portion, but once I got away from that school of pogies and got into a comfortable groove of both fishing and controlling the boat near the rocks, I started to fish more productively. Live-lining around the south and southwest portions of the island produced a pair of 23- to 24-inch stripers on my fresh macks. I missed a couple of runs, too, typically because the circle hook buried back into the bait. Whatever; this was my idea of Maine Striper Fishing! Flush with success and now down to just mackerel that were simply too large for the resident bass, I decided to explore some more. I tried trolling tube-and-worm combos on both lead core and straight braid around the Diamond Islands, but that was unproductive (and it hurt to lose a 20-dollar tube!) When I attempted to navigate behind Mackworth Island, I wisely chickened out. My portable GPS/Sonar combo had run out of juice, I'd never been boating here, the tide was still falling, the channel is not well marked, and all I know about the area is mud and mussel flats. I chose not to get stranded or damage my boat. Thus, I cut what had been a pretty darn good day a bit short. *** Day 4 Tuesday, 7/2/19 Body of Water: Casco Bay, Maine Boat: Maritime Skiff 1480 With: Alone Target: Striped Bass 4:30 AM - 2:30 PM Low Tide at 5:13 AM; High Tide at 11:27 AM; All Quadrants fished Water Temperature = 65 degrees F 16 for 20 or more The fabled New Moon of June was pending, and this was the day that I managed to pull it all together. I skipped the dock and jumped straight into the boat. Because Quadrant III was presenting itself, I chose to stay close and fished the shoreline west of the landing. The first fish of the day was a beautiful 24-incher that ate the Smack-it Jr. popper. I missed one too, but the bites on sandworms came in steady between 5:45 - 6:15 AM. (Note, this is predicted Prime Time for this area.) With six fish in the boat already, and with the sun brutally rising higher and higher, at 7 AM I took off for Hussey Sound to make bait. This was efficiently accomplished and by 8:30 AM and with a full bait-well, I was positioned along the south shoreline of Vaill Island. Here, I landed four more bass to 24 inches; I had 10 bass by 10 AM! Plus, several other encounters! Now on the higher side of the incoming tide, I made quick work of my second batch of mackerel for the day. While I was becoming accustomed to seeing seals and porpoises, this time I was greeted by a Minke whale feeding in my chosen current seam. What a beautiful, wild encounter! Confronted with slack high tide, I chose to travel to House Island, directly across the harbor mouth from South Portland. I recalled from previous experiences that this spot fished well at higher tides. Although it had been 15 or more years since I'd been to this location, my first cast with a live mack against the rocks was instantly eaten by a 23-inch bass. I collected a twin a bit later further down the shoreline. This spot fishes small, though, and another boat cut in and anchored just down-current from me as I landed this second fish. I chose to take my mackerel across the bay to Pomeroy Rock off Portland's Eastern Promenade. Pomeroy Rock doesn't look like much, but it has treated me well in the past. It treated me very well on this day and high-but-ebbing tide. My first cast to the sandy shoal along the rock's southern exposure resulted in an excellent chase and strike; this hard-fighting striper thought it was much larger than it actually was. Many of his schoolmates thought the same, too, and I landed an additional three stripers to 23 inches while encountering several others, too, as I "circumnavifished" this small island. Meanwhile, the sun had maintained its intensity all day. I was spent. I released my remaining, few, large mackerel and called it a day. It had been enjoyable and productive! *** Day 5 Wednesday, 7/3/19 Body of Water: Casco Bay, Maine Boat: Maritime Skiff 1480 With: A (partial) Target: Striped Bass 4:30 AM - 12:30 PM Low Tide at 6:01 AM; High Tide at 12:17 AM; Quadrants II, III and IV fished Water Temperature = 67 degrees F 3 for about 8 strikes This day was even clearer, brighter, and still. Once again, I chose to stay close for the earliest bite, and between 4:45 and 5:30 AM, I scored three bass to about 20 inches on sandworms. I had three slashing misses on the popper, too. By 6 AM, I was attempting to make bait on Hussey Sound; but clearly, my timing was off. At the bottom of a slack tide, things were unusually slow, and I caught only a single mackerel in an hour. When A called to ask to join me, I ran in, got some coffee and cooled off. Returning to Hussey with A at about 8:15 AM, we continued the struggle to make bait. Fortunately, A really enjoyed this fishing and we also enjoyed the company of some dolphins. With only a half dozen mackerel in the live well, we finally went to Vaill. Somehow, we failed to convert our two or three bass strikes. But, this was still super pleasant! The current in Hussey had really picked up, and so we attempted to make bait again; this time it was much easier and more productive. We decided to try the "back" side of Clapboard Island. Our baits went untouched, and I missed my only splashy strike on the popper. I chose to save some energy for the evening. Hopefully the bass wouldn't be so guarded in lower light conditions. Day 5 Wednesday, 7/3/19 Body of Water: Casco Bay, Maine Boat: Maritime Skiff 1480 With: Alone Target: Striped Bass 4 PM - 7 PM Low Tide at 6:07 PM; Quadrants II and III fished Water Temperature = 67 degrees F 0 for 0 Conditions remained clear and bright; my hopes rested in the southern sea breeze reducing light penetration enough to make the bass feel at ease. However, worms and swim-baits around Mussel Cove went unnoticed; and at 6 PM I decided to try a deeper tube-and-worm presentation along the marked channel north of Clapboard Island. After another hour of nothing, I had the boat moored just after 7 PM. *** Day 6 Thursday, 7/4/19 Body of Water: Casco Bay, Maine Boat: Maritime Skiff 1480 With: Alone Target: Striped Bass 4:30 AM - 7AM Low Tide at 6:50 AM; Quadrants II and III Water Temperature = 67 degrees F 6 for about 10 strikes With more bright, clear and calm conditions, and with plans to head out with A and K later in the morning, I stayed close again. I was pleasantly surprised by the quality of the topwater bite, as I landed five stripers to 24 inches on about 8 legitimate strikes. Unlike many previous outings, these bass were interested in eating the bait, and I made drag-pulling contact with even the fish I missed. As this bite slowed, I moved out to the Waites Landing ledge, where I quickly went 1 for 2 on sandworms along the closest lobster pot line near the ledge's point. Day 6 Thursday, 7/4/19 Body of Water: Casco Bay, Maine Boat: Maritime Skiff 1480 With: A and K Target: Striped Bass 8 AM - 10:30 AM Low Tide at 6:50 AM; Quadrants III and IV Water Temperature = 67 degrees F 1 for 2 It took an hour to collect a half dozen mackerel on Hussey (the tide was too low, the current too slow?), but we enjoyed the company of terns, gulls and the Minke whale before we all went to Vaill Island. We missed a couple of chances, but K caught a bright, 20-inch striper from a shoreline pocket that made our morning! It was a hot, bright, classic 4th of July! There were things to do, people to see, and an 8-foot submarine sandwich to eat. I didn't make it back out on the water this day. *** Day 7 Friday, 7/5/19 Body of Water: Casco Bay, Maine Boat: Maritime Skiff 1480 With: Alone Target: Striped Bass 4:30 AM - 8 AM Low Tide at 7:40 AM; Quadrants II and III Water Temperature = 65 degrees F 4 for about 5 strikes This was my last day of fishing, and I'd lost my morning tide. But still, the shoreline between Waites Landing and our landing had been reasonably productive, especially early. I decided to keep on working it, but with an open mind; if it wasn't producing, I was going to change my tactics. Plus, I wanted to stay close, because I was scheduled to pick K up at 8 AM for another trip. Conditions were a bit hazier than recent mornings, but still hot and calm. I caught a nice topwater bass early on, and missed another. At 6 AM, I went to the Waites Landing reef; but this was too weedy to fish. I motored over to the back side of Clapboard, but that too was suffering from an invasion of weeds. I finally landed at Clapboard's eastern end, where I slowly drifted with the current. I could hear a whale exhaling, but could not see it; finally, a Minke appeared in just 20 or so feet of water and not too far away. There was a spray of small baitfish as it surfaced and exhaled. Other than the whale and my quarry, I could convince myself that I was fishing for smallmouths on a Canadian Shield lake. They'd have eaten my popper that I continued to throw against the rocks! I got knocked out of my brown bass day dreams as my bait-runner reel awakened; I caught a small bass on a sandworm. The northeast portion of Clapboard is guarded by a ledge. I fished around this and snuck in behind it as the tide continued to fall. At just about dead low tide, a striper exploded on the Smack-it; soon after releasing this fish, I caught a twin, which also confidently ate this popper. These fish capped another fine morning session for me. Topwater stripers in a new spot; that's tough to beat! Day 7 Friday, 7/5/19 Body of Water: Casco Bay, Maine Boat: Maritime Skiff 1480 With: K Target: Striped Bass 8 AM - Noon Low Tide at 6:50 AM; Quadrants III and IV Water Temperature = 67 degrees F 2 for about 3 strikes I was pleased to host K on what would be the final fishing session of the trip. We simply could not make bait on Hussey (fishless between 8:15 and 10:15 AM?!?!?!) At about 10:30 AM we were in position on Vaill, anyway. K fished a sandworm against the rocks while I explored with the popper. I was lucky to have an aggressive striper provide a fantastic strike in a pocket along the rocks! It was obvious that the sandworm was not working here, and with the prospect of increased current flow, we went back to Hussey. We were running out of time, but were fortunate to collect three mackerel very quickly. We returned to Vaill, I chose my spots carefully, and each one got eaten! K expertly converted one of these strikes into a beautiful, 23-inch bass. This was a good way to end the trip! What do I have to say about this? Despite the fact that lack of sleep, heat and my failing back just about killed me by the time I got back home to Michigan, I have to acknowledge what a fortunate position I am in. My fishing efforts are fully supported by friends and family; I've acquired this new, fishy boat; and I am in a position where (although unnatural) it's no big deal to simply replace a worn-out and deer-crashed vehicle. The fishing this trip was neither overly generous nor easy, and the biggest bass I landed (25 inches) was rather small. But, I am willing to admit that the overall quality of the fishing experiences more than overcame the lack of big numbers or size. I caught more stripers on topwaters than ever before in Maine, and I truly enjoy live-lining mackerel for bass. I got to see, explore and successfully fish new parts of the bay, often surrounded by true wildness (in the form of seals, porpoises, whales or bunker.) I didn't have a single real problem; and I didn't even have a single tackle or knot failure. I got to share all this with family, both close and extended. And, I have a lot more of this, I hope, in my future. Pondering the questions of core essence and finding meaning in unexpected ways Date: May 21, 2019 Body of Water: Waquoit Bay, Falmouth, Massachusetts Boat: Maritime 1480 With: Alone Target: Striped Bass Time: 5:30 AM - 9 AM Conditions: Clear and bright; another Small Craft Advisory in place, with the wind swinging through the west to become WNW. With skies already bright, I chose to start my Quests for 3 and 7 with the fluke and jig. I caught two almost immediately, but then had to work for No. 3. Keep in mind, 10 minutes without contacting a fish during this trip constituted "work". At about 6 AM, Striper No. 100 for the trip came aboard! By 6:30 AM, I'd caught six for the morning, and I picked up the popper to try to make No. 100 for the Boat a memorable one. I almost immediately hooked and fought a beautiful, mid-20 inch striper to near boat side. I must have already been thinking about the picture and this blog, because I lost focus and flubbed the fish! Waquoit Bay then made me wait almost a half hour before my next strike (now, on the jig/fluke), but finally striper seven for the morning, No. 100 for the Maritime, came into the boat at 7:07 AM. For good measure, my next cast produced another striper. With all goals now met, I decided to go on the hunt for some bigger fish. Unfortunately, the westerly component of the wind was still too strong, and I was unable to control the boat and fish at the same time; I abandoned the Waquoit Bay outlet, even though I suspect there were bass present. I completed my circuit of Waquoit Bay without identifying other, obviously fishy spots; I returned to my starting point to finish off the fishing portion of the trip. The fishing had picked up, and I captured 6 more in the final half hour. The deeper water "north of the yellow buoys" appeared to be holding the most fish. All fell to the jig and fluke; my topwater bite had evaporated. The morning's stripers had all been caught on the jig and fluke; 14 fish to 21 inches. I'd had only a single topwater strike, and it had been a better fish. Now with 111 stripers for the trip (107 over the Maritime's gunnels) and 99 for my Childs River/Eel Pond area, I motored back to the ramp. It was time to transfer the boat to the property in Falmouth, Maine! I'd applied this striper decal to the new boat after my first session. Her primary quarry will be stripers, and she'd immediately proven herself to be mighty capable. Now, I'm thinking about applying the same decal every time 100 stripers are documented to have come aboard. What would she look like in 10 or more years? What do I have to say about this? First off, thanks to those that made this trip possible, enjoyable and productive! My hosts, my family, my Beantown Visitor; thank you! Second, despite the wind, I was able to fish new waters and catch fish! I was likely a bit early for the biggest bass and sea bass, and my boat is too small to access less protected waters in such windy conditions, but I was more than happy with the fish that I had access to. I enjoyed this light-tackle action; and I caught more stripers on lures this trip than in the rest of my life, combined. Third, the Maritime met and exceeded my expectations; I suspect she'll be a welcomed, long-term partner in my coastal pursuits. I capped off the trip with a trouble-free trip to Maine. There, I learned that the bass had arrived! But I was out of time; they'll have to wait for me to return. Pondering the questions of core essence and finding meaning in unexpected ways Date: May 20, 2019 Body of Water: Waquoit Bay, Falmouth, Massachusetts Boat: Maritime 1480 With: Alone Target: Striped Bass Time: 6 AM - 9 AM Conditions: Overcast but clearing; building tide, southerly wind well in excess of 15 mph; another Small Craft Advisory. I launched into the slack, low tide, and returned to my little area where the Childs River enters Eel Pond. The bite was pretty slow to start; after a brief flurry at about 6:30 AM, it was a slow grind until 8:30 AM or so, at which point I'd landed "just" 6 stripers to 23 inches for the morning. As the growing tide increased in velocity, the fishing picked up, and an additional six fish fell for the jig and fluke before 9 AM. At that point, conditions were clear and bright, and it was time to pick up my visitor for the day. K was visiting from Boston! We'd not fished together in nearly a year, and she was looking forward to catching some fish! Date: May 20, 2019 Body of Water: Waquoit Bay, Falmouth, Massachusetts Boat: Maritime 1480 With: K! Target: Striped Bass Time: 11:30 AM - 3:30 PM Conditions: Clear and bright; building tide until 1 PM or so, and then falling; southerly wind well in excess of 15 mph; another Small Craft Advisory. We were both in a great mood as we made our way down the Childs River. We don't see each other enough, we hadn't fished together in about a year, it was a bright and sunny day, and I knew there were some stripers to catch! K opted to use the jig and fluke in a bid to optimize her bites and chances at catching a few stripers. I chose to complement her presentation and "go big" with the popper. I missed a nice one almost immediately, and K totally outfished me for the session. The stripers were shy about eating the topwater (although we enjoyed several splashy misses), but seemed willing to take her slowly-presented jig. I also caught a single bass on a smallish Hogy paddle tail swim-bait. While these mid-day bass were on the small side, we were having fun! When we lost the tide and the bite slowed, we decided to explore a little bit. As we neared Eel Pond Outlet, we noticed a few birds working over some bait on a sandbar. K threw out her jig and connected with a 20-inch striper in a new spot! The wind-driven tide was really piling super-clear water into the outlet at this point, and we carefully worked visible current seams and eddies to no avail. I switched to a heavier, bottom-oriented presentation (1-ounce Crippled Herring tin) and got touched on my first cast. I failed to hook up, but my next cast got thanked hard as I swung the lure along bottom with the current. This turned out to be a hard-fighting, beautifully bright 21-incher. What a cap to a nice day! What do I have to say about this? The day's fishing had been a bit of a grind, but this will be the day from this trip that I will remember. K's presence and our care-free afternoon were gifts. The day also brought a couple of goals into focus; with a half-day of fishing still available to me, I'd caught 97 stripers, of which 93 had been captured from my new boat. Clearly, the next demanded that I catch at least 3 stripers (100 for the trip) and preferably at least 7 (100 for the new Maritime.) While truly meaningless, goals such as these provide some fun motivation for me; I formed and accepted these challenges willingly. Pondering the questions of core essence and finding meaning in unexpected ways Date: May 19, 2019 Body of Water: Waquoit Bay, Falmouth, Massachusetts Boat: Maritime 1480 With: Alone Target: Striped Bass Time: 5:30 AM - 9:30 AM Conditions: Clear, but clouding over; strong and persistent southerly wind The wind kept me at the junction of Childs River and Eel Pond. I'd started my day a bit earlier, hoping to capitalize on a strong topwater bite. Despite that plan, I had more obvious refusals than hookups to start, and the catching started slowly. I turned to the jig/fluke combination to scratch out a few fish. The bite I envisioned commenced at about 7:30 AM. Targeting shallower water near the height of the tide with a slightly smaller and more subtle popper provided an hour or so of excellent action. As that bite fizzled out with the slackening tide, I returned to the fluke and had a slow pick of fish. But these tended to be smaller. With plans to go sailing that afternoon, I stopped at 22 stripers to 22 inches, all in about four hours of effort. Date: May 19, 2019 Body of Water: Bourne Pond Outlet, Falmouth, Massachusetts Boat: None - Surf fishing With: Alone Target: Striped Bass Time: 2:15 PM - 4:30 PM Conditions: Overcast but clearing; strong and persistent southerly wind over 20 mph; mid-falling tide at outlet of Bourne Pond I scored a quick nap while my hosts considered their sailing plans and waited out a line of rain storms. After an hour's delay and some oceanside reconnaissance, it was determined to be too windy to comfortably sail! I knew it was too windy to consider launching my little boat, even in the protected waters of Waquoit Bay. But, with the tide starting to fall, I decided it would be an excellent time to try surf fishing at one of the various salt pond outlets. My arrival at Bourne Pond coincided with the strongest portion of the outgoing tide, and a group of birds identified the likely presence of bait. The strong wind and some mung limited my presentation options, and I pretty quickly settled in to throwing a single-hooked, 1-ounce Crippled Herring tin. This lure provided the necessary casting distance with the desired small profile. I concentrated on the outlet current seam and the adjacent white water over a shallow bar. On an initial cast, I felt a tap; and on the next cast, I hooked up. It was the first of four stripers up to 24 inches that I would land here. I missed a couple of fish, too. I'd made another good call; this audible had payed off. I was surprised at how yellow these fish were. The oceanside water was much colder, too, and these fish were a bit lethargic, as compared to the inland fish. What do I have to say about this? Recently at work, we'd been handed a pile of lemons. We managed to turn them into a Turd Sandwich. Here, the wind had handed me another pile of lemons. I'm pleased to think that I turned them into some delicious and refreshing lemonade! Pondering the questions of core essence and finding meaning in unexpected ways Date: May 18, 2019 Body of Water: Waquoit Bay, Falmouth, Massachusetts Boat: Maritime 1480 With: Alone Target: Striped Bass Time: 6:30 AM - 10:30 AM Conditions: Bright and clear with a brisk, but fading wind from the NW; building tide. Once again, I launched at Falmouth's White's Landing on the Childs River. I wasn't sure how I could top the previous day's success, but I managed to land 28 bass to 26 inches in this intense session. Only a couple of early fish fell to the Smack-it popper, with all other bass eating the jighead and fluke. I made a concerted effort to target any visible current seams, and to work at identifying where the bass were holding. The old steelheaders' adage of "following the bubbles" proved useful, as typically these edges offered more bites than other areas. Moreover, my little stretch of water proved to be dynamic, as tide, wind and current interplayed to apparently move the bass around. I even had a little time to explore, but I never found another group of active fish. I left early, because it was time to pick up my host, Uncle M, and hit Buzzard's Bay for the sea bass season opener! Date: May 18, 2019 Body of Water: Buzzards Bay, Bourne, Massachusetts Boat: Maritime 1480 With: Uncle M Target: Sea Bass Time: 12:30 PM - 4:30 PM Conditions: Bright and clear with a brisk, but fading wind from the NW; this swung around to the south and gradually intensified. High Tide for Buzzards Bay was at about 3 PM; the current from the Cape Cod Canal was 2 - 3 knots at the beginning of the trip We launched at Bourne's facility at Monument Beach. Beware, despite the lack of signage, there's a hefty fine here if you are not properly identified as a Bourne resident or non-transient visitor! Regardless, as we approached the main shipping channel at the west end of the Cape Cod Canal, I saw a boat lift what appeared to be a hefty sea bass from the water. We decided to start here. We made a few drifts with the outbound current from about buoys 12 through 16. Working the spoils off the eastern edge of the Canal, we covered depths of about 18 to 40 feet with squid-tipped 2-ounce bucktails. It didn't take long for Uncle M to catch the first fish of the afternoon, a fine porgy (scup) approaching 16 inches. This was not the type of scup I remembered from my youth! We managed a few more scup, smallish sea bass to just over 15 inches and a sea robin in the first hour or so. The wind had diminished to near calm and started to swing to the south. We decided to take advantage of the conditions and make the run to Cleveland Ledge, a known sea bass haunt. As we progressed on our run, we noticed that there didn't seem to be any boats near the ledge marker, and that a group of boats had gathered to the north and east. We stopped short and joined this group in about 35 feet of water to the east of the shipping channel, approximately off Megansett Harbor. The next couple of hours were filled with nibbles, bites and hookups. Repeated drifts (many boats were anchored, but I prefer to drift) yielded a couple more sea robins, a small flounder, a half dozen more sea bass to 16 inches, and probably a dozen more scup, including another really nice one (16 inches.) With the wind continuing to strengthen, we declined the opportunity to continue on to Cleveland Ledge. We played it safe and comfortable and stayed with these fish. We never found the sea bass like we'd hoped (and several boats commented that it was still early and the big ones were likely out deeper), but it was still a very pleasant afternoon. The boat was working out great! My portable sonar was marking well on the drift, and its GPS kept us safe and on-track. We'd iced the two largest scup and the biggest sea bass. I wanted to try to "print" them. As it turned out, one cannot rush art, and the results were not satisfactory. But, after reviewing a YouTube video on "how to clean a god-damned scup", I harvested their meat to the best of my abilities and equipment. A fine meal capped a great day! What do I have to say about this? When that south wind developed, it never relented for the rest of my stay. I never made it out to Buzzards Bay again; I fell a bit short of my Sea Bass Dreams. No complaints, though; despite not aligning with my plans, everything was working out pleasingly. Pondering the questions of core essence and finding meaning in unexpected ways |
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