Early Bass
by RedneckAngler on Wed Mar 10, 2010 11:14 pm
3-4 days of warming weather and today I started crushing bass! As I mentioned earlier, went out Sunday and caught nada. Went out arounf 3:45 this afternoon to fish my local spots. Shallows near a spring spawn hotspot. Hoping that several days of warming might get 'em a bit hungry. Started with stick baits and crankbaits with only 1 tap. After seeing one big bass come up and several wakes from schools of smaller fish, switched over to a Storm Minnow and boom, second cast had a fish on. Just over 12". Missed a much bigger fish as I went a bit too much terrible fishing club with too many rules on it for a short strike. Small schools of juveniles were up really shallow and some larger fish were lurking. Caught 4-5 more fish right around 12" and several shorties. They were definately starting to turn on to feeding mode. Had a 5:00 appointment that I was late for as I hated leaving biting fish. No lunkers, biggest coming close to 14", but it was good to see an abundance of healthy fish starting to feed.
by RedneckAngler on Fri Mar 12, 2010 12:01 am
Went again today. Targeting fish in 1-2 ft. of water. Caught 2 on a Heddon Zara Puppy surface lure, 2 on spinners, and another 7-8 on an assortment of Panther Martin Vivif swimbaits, Matzuo Prism Grubs, and Storm Wild Eye Curl Tail Minnows. Again, only a couple over 12". Had a 4-5 lb. short strike. Think it was the same fish as yestrday. Big and pretty fat. I'm going to get her in the next week or so. I was fishing a really light trout setup since the bass have been small and had another on that stripped a bunch of line before breaking off in a tree. Over the 2 hrs. several fish broke on the surface, which is why a started throwing the topwater and spinner, but the soft plastic minnows were by far the go-to. As soon as I get my boat back, I'm going to hit a few of the other shallow water lakes. Next week is supposed to warm again after the rain. Two old guys approached and I could hear them laughing that it was too early for fish, until I pulled one out for them. If you've got s small pond or lake nearby, time to start dropping a line. I plan to hit Weathersfield Cove net weekend if the weather cooperates.
Monday, March 15, 2010
Saturday, February 27, 2010
Saturday, February 20, 2010
Islamorada in February
Fishin' in the Keys - February 2010
Well, the trip to the Keys and the kick-off of my season is in the books. Kirby's Law meant that it was the coldest February in decades and followed a massive fish kill in the backcountry the previous month. Needless to say, this would have a major effect on the bite and the options available to us. Sam and I were joined in Islamorada by my brother Doug and his girlfriend Claudia. While Doug and I had plans for fishing, they were mapping out the shopping in Key West and a trip to the Everglades!
Day one was cool (highs in the mid-60's) with winds in the 20 mph range. Doug and I were chartered offshore on the Motherload with Capt. Kevin Kelly. Our predawn conference centered on options; 1) stay in near the reefs fishing some sails, kings, black fin tuna and other reef fish, or 2) run 12 miles to The Hump in rougher water to fish the big pre-spawn amber jacks. The sails had been real hit or miss, so we went with option B. Kevin promised the jacks would be plentiful, but the seas about 4-6 feet and really choppy. After a slow start just looking for bait, we were finally off to The Hump. As advertised, we hooked a jack on every blue runner we sent 300+ feet to the bottom. The jacks were slammin' and Doug was turning green to the point I took 4 of the first five hookups. Haulin' these things up from 300'-400' gives the arms a workout. Doug wasn't recovering at all, so after I had a fish that took 3-4 big runs and giving nothing back broke off, we decided to run back into the reef. Kevin wasn't thrilled to be leaving a sure thing behind, particularly as we had put our eggs in the amberjack basket. Doug, however, regained some color as we returned to the relatively smooth reef waters, and we finished off the afternoon catching some 'cudas, black fin tuna, bonito and other reef dwellers.
Day two was scheduled to be a backcountry half-day with Capt. Ted Wilson out of the famous Bud-n-Mary's Marina. Northwest winds and cool temps meant that we shifted to a near-shore wreck fishing approach on the front side of the islands. Turns out that Ted and Doug had mutual friends, and we ended up with a great morning of light tackle fishing for snapper, grouper, Spanish mackerel and a ton of other reef and wreck dwellers. I think one of the most exciting aspects of this type of fishing is that you never know what you will pull up. I felt like I was fishing in a tropical aquarium. Doug and I had a blast fishing and shootin' the s*#t with Ted. I'm definitely looking forward to fishing with him again in some warmer weather!
Day three was the blow-out reserve day, so we picked up a last minute charter with Captain Jeff Beeler, a good friend of Ted's who has been fishing this area his entire life. With a full day, I really wanted to see the back country despite the cold weather and the limited options, so we decided to run all the way up into the Everglades past Flamingo. The water was ten degrees colder than average, and this definitely turned the fish that remained off. We fished hard to catch a handful of trout, black drum, and sheepshead. Doug absolutely killed me, as I couldn't hook anything to save my life! We fished numerous locations, but the bite just wasn't there. Despite this, the Everglades were incredible, and we were treated to rare treats such as an American crocodile and a bald eagle that took off about 50' away from us, among other exotic wildlife. I can't wait to get back down there to fish these waters in some warm weather!
All told, the trip was a ton of fun, with great people, some decent fishing, and a strong feeling of wanting to get back for more!
Well, the trip to the Keys and the kick-off of my season is in the books. Kirby's Law meant that it was the coldest February in decades and followed a massive fish kill in the backcountry the previous month. Needless to say, this would have a major effect on the bite and the options available to us. Sam and I were joined in Islamorada by my brother Doug and his girlfriend Claudia. While Doug and I had plans for fishing, they were mapping out the shopping in Key West and a trip to the Everglades!
Day one was cool (highs in the mid-60's) with winds in the 20 mph range. Doug and I were chartered offshore on the Motherload with Capt. Kevin Kelly. Our predawn conference centered on options; 1) stay in near the reefs fishing some sails, kings, black fin tuna and other reef fish, or 2) run 12 miles to The Hump in rougher water to fish the big pre-spawn amber jacks. The sails had been real hit or miss, so we went with option B. Kevin promised the jacks would be plentiful, but the seas about 4-6 feet and really choppy. After a slow start just looking for bait, we were finally off to The Hump. As advertised, we hooked a jack on every blue runner we sent 300+ feet to the bottom. The jacks were slammin' and Doug was turning green to the point I took 4 of the first five hookups. Haulin' these things up from 300'-400' gives the arms a workout. Doug wasn't recovering at all, so after I had a fish that took 3-4 big runs and giving nothing back broke off, we decided to run back into the reef. Kevin wasn't thrilled to be leaving a sure thing behind, particularly as we had put our eggs in the amberjack basket. Doug, however, regained some color as we returned to the relatively smooth reef waters, and we finished off the afternoon catching some 'cudas, black fin tuna, bonito and other reef dwellers.
Day two was scheduled to be a backcountry half-day with Capt. Ted Wilson out of the famous Bud-n-Mary's Marina. Northwest winds and cool temps meant that we shifted to a near-shore wreck fishing approach on the front side of the islands. Turns out that Ted and Doug had mutual friends, and we ended up with a great morning of light tackle fishing for snapper, grouper, Spanish mackerel and a ton of other reef and wreck dwellers. I think one of the most exciting aspects of this type of fishing is that you never know what you will pull up. I felt like I was fishing in a tropical aquarium. Doug and I had a blast fishing and shootin' the s*#t with Ted. I'm definitely looking forward to fishing with him again in some warmer weather!
Day three was the blow-out reserve day, so we picked up a last minute charter with Captain Jeff Beeler, a good friend of Ted's who has been fishing this area his entire life. With a full day, I really wanted to see the back country despite the cold weather and the limited options, so we decided to run all the way up into the Everglades past Flamingo. The water was ten degrees colder than average, and this definitely turned the fish that remained off. We fished hard to catch a handful of trout, black drum, and sheepshead. Doug absolutely killed me, as I couldn't hook anything to save my life! We fished numerous locations, but the bite just wasn't there. Despite this, the Everglades were incredible, and we were treated to rare treats such as an American crocodile and a bald eagle that took off about 50' away from us, among other exotic wildlife. I can't wait to get back down there to fish these waters in some warm weather!
All told, the trip was a ton of fun, with great people, some decent fishing, and a strong feeling of wanting to get back for more!
Sunday, November 22, 2009
Years End
This blog got a late start this season, but I'll be starting 2010 with a February trip to Islamorada, FL, and fishing hard right through the year. As for my final trip today....Skunked. This was definitely the last time out. Don't know if it's my total lack of knowing what's going on with pike (don't see them down South), the rain and muddy water; who knows. I fished from Haddam to Salmon cove, and then back up to the Higganum RR bridge on both tides. Went with the go big or go home theory. Had a few pond shines torn up, but nothing took the hook. Threw stick baits, swim baits, spinners, the whole box. Guys fishing at 53 all had the same story. Maybe it wasn't just me. Just as well, because if I caught a bunch of fish, I'd have a harder time calling it quits. I'm emptying and cleaning gear and taking the boat in for a winter service next week. Maybe in Jan/Feb when I get bored I'll head over to Norwich to knock some schoolies upside the head with jigs.
Monday, October 26, 2009
Tuna Fishing on the Skip-A-Dory
Tuna Hunter has sworn that he has never had a bad trip with Capt. Chuck DiStephano on the Skip-A-Dory out of Boston, so when he called about a last minute trip (last minute being "Can you be at my house at 1:00am tonight") I couldn't say no. After our scheduled trip was blown out by the finicky New England October weather, a cancellation was going to put us in a weather window to have a shot at some big tuna on standup tackle. Sucks for the poor sods who cancelled their trip! Leaving Hartford a bit after 2:00am, we arrived at the Skip-A-Dory around 4:15am, where Capt. Chuck and our mate Tim were ready to go. One look at the boat told me this trip was about serious fishing only. She's a working class 36' down easter with tons of space for stand up fighting.
After a run out to Stellwagen and little action other than blues, lines were hauled in and we made a run all the way down to P-Town. The run was worth the wait, as not long after putting out 2 live lines and a kite, TH had the first of our fish on the line. After a good fight, he boated a tuna just under 47". More boats began arriving on the grounds, trolling spreaders and jigging. Hookup #2 was all mine. I've caught lots of smaller yellowfin in the Carolinas and Greece, but this was the first big tuna I'd fought. The sound of line burning off the reel is sweet music to my ears, and for a while, that was the story. Get a little, lose a lot. Anticipating smaller fish, I had gone with my smaller belt rather than the larger Briad belt that rests on the thighs. Big mistake. I spent the next 30-40 minutes with crushed nuts. Finally seeing some color, what I landed was a 69", 205-210 lb. tuna!
I was pretty stoked, but the fun wasn't over. A third line was crushed by another big tuna. At this point, the only thing we could keep would be a 73+" fish that would sell commercially, and this fish was fighting like it had the size. Charles, then TH and I all had a go before it finally came alongside the boat. It was big, 70+, but just short of the 73" minimum. After a good fight, this fish was released to hopefully grow to be one of those giants.
With a 150 gallon coffin cooler full of bluefin tuna, I can now join TH in saying, "I've never had a bad day w/ Capt. Chuck." In fact, I had a spectacular day! Many thanks to Chuck and Tim, and I look forward to fishing on the Skip-A Dory again next season.
After a run out to Stellwagen and little action other than blues, lines were hauled in and we made a run all the way down to P-Town. The run was worth the wait, as not long after putting out 2 live lines and a kite, TH had the first of our fish on the line. After a good fight, he boated a tuna just under 47". More boats began arriving on the grounds, trolling spreaders and jigging. Hookup #2 was all mine. I've caught lots of smaller yellowfin in the Carolinas and Greece, but this was the first big tuna I'd fought. The sound of line burning off the reel is sweet music to my ears, and for a while, that was the story. Get a little, lose a lot. Anticipating smaller fish, I had gone with my smaller belt rather than the larger Briad belt that rests on the thighs. Big mistake. I spent the next 30-40 minutes with crushed nuts. Finally seeing some color, what I landed was a 69", 205-210 lb. tuna!
I was pretty stoked, but the fun wasn't over. A third line was crushed by another big tuna. At this point, the only thing we could keep would be a 73+" fish that would sell commercially, and this fish was fighting like it had the size. Charles, then TH and I all had a go before it finally came alongside the boat. It was big, 70+, but just short of the 73" minimum. After a good fight, this fish was released to hopefully grow to be one of those giants.
With a 150 gallon coffin cooler full of bluefin tuna, I can now join TH in saying, "I've never had a bad day w/ Capt. Chuck." In fact, I had a spectacular day! Many thanks to Chuck and Tim, and I look forward to fishing on the Skip-A Dory again next season.
Monday, July 13, 2009
7/12/09
Went out today w/ Jack Ballant from the Fishing Connection. Didn't look promising at 5:30 with wind and overcast skies, but turned out OK. Ran out to Watch Hill Reef (6:00am) on outgoing tide - stripers were rolling all over the place but very picky. I dropped one, as did my friend Jeff. My brother, who never fishes, caught two in the mid-20" range. These bass were all over butterfish but finicky when it came to lures. It's frustrating to see that many fish and not be killing them. As the slack tide approached, we ran to sugar for a bit (Doug caught another shorty) and then to Fisher's Island. I slammed my first two right off the bat, the largest being 38". Doug caught another, but Jeff was just getting killed by the scup. They seemed to be laser guided to his tube and worm. I ended up getting two more in the low-30s and Doug one more. Jeff had a tough day, but finally found some love about noon. Just like a teenager trying to get laid, wait long enough and it will eventually happen. Though it took a bit of patience, we landed several keepers and took a pair of the 30's for fillets. My 38' was also a tagged fish (USFWS), so I get a hat! It's back out there to maybe grow to 50+.
Nitty Gritty:
Departure 5:30 am.
Winds SE 10-20
Temp 63/Overcast
Water 63?
BlackWatch Reef outgoing 6:15-7:00
Striper Schools rolling on surface, 2 mid-20's on small split-tail plastics. Few bites.
7:00 - Sugar Reef same as above. 1 on/mid-20's.
Low Tide - Fishers Island 7:32
38"x20" SE Point - slack tide, tube and worm
32" slack tide, tube and worm.
Incoming tide, wind decreasing less than 10. Sunny. Water clear w/ debris, seaweed. 9-12:30
3 30+" keepers by square house. Trolling T/W.
Nitty Gritty:
Departure 5:30 am.
Winds SE 10-20
Temp 63/Overcast
Water 63?
BlackWatch Reef outgoing 6:15-7:00
Striper Schools rolling on surface, 2 mid-20's on small split-tail plastics. Few bites.
7:00 - Sugar Reef same as above. 1 on/mid-20's.
Low Tide - Fishers Island 7:32
38"x20" SE Point - slack tide, tube and worm
32" slack tide, tube and worm.
Incoming tide, wind decreasing less than 10. Sunny. Water clear w/ debris, seaweed. 9-12:30
3 30+" keepers by square house. Trolling T/W.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)