|
Date: June 18, 2021 Body of Water: Barnstable Harbor - Barnstable, Massachusetts Moon Phase: Waxing quarter Tides: High Tide at about 5:50 AM; Low Tide at about 12:30 PM Boat: amybaby22 With: Alone Target: Striped Bass Time: 6:45 AM - 1:15 PM Conditions: About 60 - 75 degrees; super clear and bright; still unit 11 AM when a stiff southerly breeze commenced; water temperatures from 62 - 64 degrees. I welcomed a new State Holiday to my calendar - Juneteenth! What better way to enjoy* the day than hitting the water on a beautiful weekday? It was too nice a day for the fishing to hold up; I struggled to land seven stripers to just 24 inches. The bright conditions and weaker, mid-moon tides perhaps made the stripers more selective; and there was very little bird activity other than small terns at the very end of my day. I found most of my fish around 7:30 AM, on a micro-rip on the down-current side of Horseshoe Shoal. There were lots of sand eels evident across the shoal, just not much working them! I pulled five stripers to about 20 inches from a deeper hole just up-current of the bar forming this rip during the outgoing tide. By 8:30 AM, I had abandoned these fish and the shallows to search the depths for bigger bass. My first drop with a Ben Parker Magnum Flutter Spoon took place in about 28 feet of water near Marker 6 and was intercepted by an eager bass. I saw another boat pulling wire land a couple of keepers nearby, but I had a tough time controlling the boat, avoiding traffic and getting my spoon to the bottom during this time of peak flow. By 9 AM, I was trolling deep-diving stick-baits down the channel. I quickly caught a small striper from about 22 feet of water on the Rapala Magnum XRap 15. This rod bounced again as I proceeded down the channel with the current, but the hooks failed to find flesh. Both hits came near waypoints marking previous success. When I got past Marker 1 without further success, I decided to jig the spoon nearby based on marks on bottom. But without action, I switched to trolling Cape Cod Bay. At 10 AM, I checked my sea worms; I had allowed them to dry out?!?!? So, my initial plan to troll Sandy Neck Beach with tubes-and-worms was replaced by trolling faster with cranks. I ran to the west, so I could troll back to port with the current and the building wind at my back. I soon encountered multiple schools of menhaden (between 40 and 50 feet of water), but each school was happy and not attracting any predators. Dog walkers, stick-baits and slow jigs were all ignored. I continued my run to the west before setting up my spread including the Rapala Magnum Rap 15 and a new, Yozuri 20. I first trolled in from 50 feet, and then bounced along the beach, now heading east, between 22 and 45 feet of water. My trolling speeds varied from 2.5 to over 4 mph. I found more bunker, but only a few marks, and never had a whiff of a strike. By Noon, I was near the channel and the wind was honking. My initial thought of trolling for a big, lazy, slack-tide bass was hampered and ultimately kiboshed by the wind, boat control and recreational boat traffic. So, I picked up the spread and ran inland, but stopping to visit Marker 6. The wind was working against the slow, incoming tide, and I was able to control my spoon in 40 feet of water. I got slammed by the best fish of the day, and approximate 24-incher that I dropped boat side. Passing traffic made this spot difficult to enjoy, though, so I followed some terns onto the adjacent flats. They were diving on tiny bait right along the edge of the flat and adjacent channel. I saw a few small bass, but couldn't find any biters (spoon and fluke). I was back at the ramp at 1:15 PM. I had a lot of chores ahead of me; amybaby22 was going to Maine! What do I have to say about this? I was a little surprised at how much the fishing had changed in just a few days; but it really wasn't a catching kind of day. Still, I had enough success, and with an extra day in my weekend, I didn't mind the extra efforts that I made. The Flutter Spoon fish are always enjoyable, and this was my first success with these in a year. I do need to be able to expand my use of these, because they are exceedingly effective when conditions are right. I suspect that this setup will be in the boat at most times for the summer in Casco Bay, Maine. Tough days such as this keep one humble, and make the surprisingly good days that much sweeter. I'm glad I don't know what to expect (with any certainty) from any given trip. *Enjoy, as compared to Celebrate. I know there are more important ways to celebrate/commemorate/acknowledge this day than to go fishing! Pondering the questions of core essence and finding meaning in unexpected ways
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
Steve LachanceRI --> NH --> MI-->MA-->ME Archives
June 2024
Categories
All
|
Proudly powered by Weebly