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Date: September 6, 2020 Body of Water: Great Harbor at Woods Hole, Massachusetts Moon Phase: Waning gibbous; Full plus four days Tides: Just about Low at first, flooding throughout and then the turn of tide Boat: None, pier fishing With: Alone Target: Little Tunny, a.k.a. False Albacore Time: 5:45 AM - 2:15 PM Conditions: Low at 5:30 AM; High at 11:45 AM; Clear and bright; 60-75 degrees F; becoming windy from the SW With a day to try to make something happen from shore, I decided to try False Albies at Woods Hole. Certainly, Cape Cod on a long weekend day marking the end of summer is a choice potentially fraught with problems, but the stubby public pier on Great Harbor was a pretty safe bet, so long as I arrived early enough. The small amount of available real estate, the limited but enforced metered parking and the known arrival of funny fish in the area made it a reasonably attractive choice, if still a long-shot for success. Plus, it seems that chasing Albies may have become my saltwater version of choosing to fish for muskellunge in Michigan. Be in the right place with the right presentation on well-cared-for gear, and good things can happen. Otherwise, be prepared for a long slog! Finally, while I am not really tuned in to the albies' behavior relative to tide and current at Woods Hole, it looked like I would be able to experience a slack-to-flooding tide corresponding with daybreak, and that sounded good to me. Woods Hole tides are available here, at www.usharbors.com/harbor/massachusetts/woods-hole-great-harbor-ma/tides/#monthly-tide-chart After the 90-minute drive, I arrived to find myself second on the pier. While I could not claim the coveted pier tip, I settled in comfortably on a flat-ish casting rock about 60% of the way out. By 6 AM, another half-dozen or so folks joined the chase. So far, my planning had paid off. I had three rods rigged with a small epoxy jig, a 7-inch amber Hogy, and a slim plastic eel on a jighead. All three offered good cast ability, could be worked at a variety of speeds, and could cover the water column from top to bottom. Early talk on the pier indicated a strong presence of finicky tunny the previous day at about 9 AM, and so things remained promising; this would correspond to the end of the strongest portion of the tidal flood currents, and I intended to be ready when the fish arrived. They seemingly arrived early, as the most showings occurred between 7 and 7:30 AM or so. Most were well out of casting distance, but the pier had a few moments of excitement when the fish got marginally close. Two small school bass and a Spanish Mackerel hit the deck collectively, but nobody hooked a tunoid. A fleet of boats and kayaks pursued the obvious fish throughout the morning, but I didn't see or hear any of them hooking up, either. By 10 AM or so, pier-bound fishers starting looking for breakfast or another spot. I chose to stay and wait out both the conditions and the fish. If the flood wasn't magic, perhaps high slack or the ebb would be (?) I continued to cast until 2:15 PM or so, when my body just couldn't take it any more. The hours between 10 AM and 2:15 PM had been exceedingly slow. It didn't make any sense to beat myself up any longer. I left the fish to a young couple who were just arriving, full of enthusiasm for their first Albie. What do I have to say about this? I can't call it a skunk, because I did catch a seven-inch snapper blue on one of my first shakedown casts with a slowly rolled epoxy jig. Such fish used to represent the entirety of my saltwater experience, which was okay at the time; but my expectations have apparently grown. Regardless, it was nice to encounter such a fish, it has been years since I've seen one this size. With bluefish stocks "down", I'll take this fish and its peers as a collective good sign. Moreover, I may have had a chance at a Spanish Mack. During the active period I did have a "thunk" almost at the base of the rocks, and my plastic eel was definitely torn. But, the day was certainly about tunny, and they were conspicuously absent, again. I fished hard! I tried a variety of epoxy jig sizes, colors and retrieves, but I also spent serious amounts of time with the plastics and a sub-surface Crippled Herring. I've learned from my previous two years of unsuccessful effort that I cannot rely on being a one-trick fisher with these fish; they simply might not be showing, and/or they might be finicky! Getting old is difficult! I seriously wrenched my shoulder while guiding myself along the pier but holding onto the cable rail. I avoided passing out and shock, but barely. And, when I recovered enough to start fishing, I managed to slip and fall on this shoulder again. At least the consultation with the surgeon is already set up! Pondering the questions of core essence and finding meaning in unexpected ways
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