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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
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