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Cape Cod &the Islands
October 8th, 2004 |
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| FishWire Coordinator: | Dave Churbuck |
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How to take a sick day
This is our time of year, the great swan song, when only the truly dedicated blow off work to do the right thing and that’s go fishing. "Going fishing" is the universal antithesis of work. It’s what Spanky and Alfalfa and Buckwheat did when they were hiding from the truant officer. It’s what Elmer Fudd does on his day off. It’s what all good people aspire to do in their retirement. This cliché of fishing as anti-work, the pastime of the unemployed, the indolent, indigent and wino-to-be, has to be disproved. Anyone who has trucked their butt down a soft-sand beach at four in the morning looking for Moby Striper will attest to the aerobic qualities of surfcasting. Planning a long-weekend’s worth of angling requires a master’s degree in project management and a team of McKinsey consultants to analyze the variables and supply chain.
These are the prime days to blow off work. Why? Well, it is truly Indian Summer ... take a peek out of your office window on a crisp fall day and think about a quiet estuary on Cape Cod, achingly blue water under cloudless skies, a heron poking in the mud, and no jet-skis, no tourists, no helpless hordes churning the waterways to a froth in search of suntans and a string bikini. Just you and nature and a nine-weight, casting to ravenous schools of blitzing blues, bass, and albacore at the height of New England’s beauty. Here’s how to do it. As a person who once had to manage 100 ingrates, let me tell you the right way to blow off work. 1. Don’t call in on a Monday. Your boss views all Monday absences as evidence of a drinking problem and your personal attempt to legislate a new three-day weekend. Same goes for Fridays. You want to start complaining about the onset of Ebola the afternoon before your planned truancy and you need to be at work Follow this instructions immediately. Get thee to the water. Another couple weeks and the big switch in the sky is going to get thrown and you’ll be using your sick days for the real thing. Don't forget to send me your own reports, and until next week...
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Then again, there are those who actually fish for a living, but have some pity on the lot of the commercial fisherman, for they are the true endangered species these days. Somehow the idea of spending the month of January out of sight of land in a rusty trawler that smells like old scallop guts in the company of other commercial fishermen doesn’t quite carry the appeal of a week at fishing lodge on Andros chasing bonefish.
to do that. As you say goodbye to your superior the day before, sniffle, complain that you’re coming down with something, and express the fond hope that it doesn’t mean you’ll be hampered in your efforts to complete the big project.
go for three days. No one will care. Sick is sick, right?Cape Cod Regions
| NEWS |
| The Fall Run is busting out all over. Albie heaven at the west end of the Canal. Blues, bass, and albies blitzing from Chatham to Woods Hole. Spanish Macks too. Scorton's swarming with hungry schoolies. The Islands are in their prime as the Derby winds down. Go! Go! Go! These are the days that bank fond memories for the winter to come. |
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Flying Scotsman reports blues and bass on the flats around the west end of the canal in the upper reaches of the Bay. Captain Terry Nugent reports: " Today I had a 1/2 day "Show me around Buzzard's Bay" trip with Alan. He is new to boating the area and wanted to learn some hotspots and get to know the lay of the land (or water) around Buzzards Bay. |
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Terry Nugent is keeping Vineyard Sound honest: " Hit the water after work with Pete Gray. Found albies and got bit a few times. None to the boat. Flyphoto reports from the sharkless Woods Hole: " Was working on the waterfront in Woods Hole yesterday and the albies were crashing pods of bunker in usual fashion: up for 15-20 secs then down again to be seen 100 yards away. Guys were fishing the jetties with no luck, but they were around in case you are in area." |
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BobG, master of all things bass, has discovered albies, lots of 'em, busting around the west end. He writes: " It's October, things can, and often do change in one tide. "Went back to the canal from 1:30, and fished till 4:45 to try the high incoming, and the top of the tide. Albacized says: " Well if this helps your decision, i was down fishing from shore yesterday after the little cold snap and caught 5 albies + a spanish mackeral (not in the canal but not far away) and also ran into folks who saw fish yesterday in the canal. the water temp was 65 degress and the air temps are going to stablize between now and the weekend. you should be all set. the fact that i took a spanish leads me to believe that we still have at least a little time left with our albies. if you hit the canal, try the east end while the water is still moving east but coming close to slacking off or try the west end on a west current....usually the last couple hours of the west is best, but they were hitting on the turn the other day. you can also do what i do which is combine the two and hit the east end until the turn then boot your a$$ to the west end. my .02 " |
As I pedalled down the bike path of the Canal on a beautiful Wednesday afternoon I saw a bunch of birds near the railroad bridge -- on the Cape side -- with a cluster of anglers hooked up to bass. Beautiful day.
But, it's fall, and that happens. Hey, there we NO bass last night. So....this could be the start of the fall ru........... 
Kind of wish I wasn't such a bass snob all these years and I got into this some time ago."
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This morning, Friday, the water is like glass and there are fish blitzing inside of Cotuit Bay. Sea smoke. Sunrise. What could be better? I'd favor the western end of the Sound if I were a betting man. South Cape Beach and Waquoit and along the pond entrances is where I'll be. BigT reported early in the week: " Fished From Pommpy To Cotuit Last Night Incoming Tide And Had A Great Night. Wind Was Very Light And Bait Was Everyplace. Bigger Fish Were Down Towards Cotuit And They Were Kissing The Beach. Got About 20 Fish On The Rattle Fly, A Few 30" Then Got Smoked When I Went To A Bigger Fly On A Fish That Pulled Me Well Into The Backing And Snapped Off The 16# Leader On A Moring. Had It On For About 5 Min. After A Few Frustration Words I Retied And Went At It Again. Moved Futher Down The Beach This Time In Case It Happened Again. Well It Did And This Time I Really Put Alot Of Pressure On The Fish. It Worked And The Fish Ran Back To Me Against The Current Several Times Before It Made Deep Runs With The Tide. The Battle Lasted About 10 Min Before I Landed A 40" Female Fat As A Pig. I Learned Alot About How To Fight These Mama's After Loosing The Other One. I Think Moving The Extra Distance And Putting A 20# Leader On Made The Difference As Well As Putting More Pressure On When It Took Off. This Was The Highlight Of The Year For Me. But I Still Wonder How Big The First Fish Was. All In All A Great Night. ALL FISH WERE RELEASED. " Yozuriman has been quiet of late: " The pre-dawn & sunup bite has been good too down thata way. There are still way too many small blues. Shaun Ruge says: " Launched at Oregon, headed West to chase the Spanish rumors off the golf course. Hit a few blues on the way down. Over the mottled bottom just west of the Tee box there were bass mixed with blues pushed to the beach. Never did see any spanish jump, but did see what I am pretty sure was a bonito launch twice in the same area, not more than 20 yds from shore. Why I thought they were bonito, definate hgard tail, green, striped, slender body, and one long dorsal flared up in the air. I was close enough to see clearly. Anyway, ended up with a bunch of blues, and some schoolies despite chasing a bird all afternoon. Went back east around 4:30 pm hopped the spit and wnet inside Poppy. Bass in the center of the bay on Silversides. ENORMOUS amount of silverside in thore. When that empties out its going to be epic. Anyway, sounds like I shoyuld have stayed and worked towards the narrows. " Eddy Merckx rained on the southside parade: " Yup, south side dead dead dead yesterday, at least during the daylight hours. Hit the south side because it was fishable with the fly rod, wind was pretty tough in most other spots yesterday in the morning and early afternoon. |
There's an argument to be made that this is the place to be in the big world of Cape and Islands fishing this weekend. You've got lights on in the form of bait galore, blues eating like it is their last meal, spanish mackerel launching themselves out of the water like Polaris missiles, and albies popping up within casting range from shore.
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Captain Leslie Smith reports: "The Derby is into its final week, and there are some incredible fish coming into the weigh-in scales. There's still room to grow, especially in the bluefish category. For the latest results, go to www.mvderby.com. When I've been fishing, I've been targeting the albies which are still much in evidence, with a few macs and bonito thrown in. The inshore fishing for them has been the best by far in the past few years, but with the cold temps arriving, expect them to push on out. When they leave, we usually get a nice run of very large and hungry bonito, right until the end of the month. As I'm in the midst of moving, I will probably pull the "Backlash" after the tournament, but that doesn't mean there isn't some great fishing to be had right into November." Chumtini reports: " Yep. I fished Cape Pogue to Wasque to the hooter and back last weekend. Wasque is covered with small blues (as it has been all year). Got into a mess of Albies off Pogue. Ended up breaking two flyrods (a tip and pulled guides). I'll be taking advatage of Sage's lifetime warrantee :^). Fished the southside the week before between Devil's Bridge, Nomans and Squib. Lots of bluefish (sigh). Finally hooked up off Squib - an ablie double trolling around Squib up near the shore/rocks with just me on the boat. Talk about mayhem! |
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Captain Lynne Heyer is in Islamorada fishing a Ladies Bonefish Tournament. Hope she nails the bigt one. Therefore, I need a Nantucket report! |
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Not much being reported from the land out east. But here is a picture of esteemed founder of all things Reel-Time: Mr. Sparkman, holding an albacore which is false.|
Things looked a little iffy on the northside early in the week -- thanks to the titantic northerly huff and puff visited on us by Hurricane Jeanne. But now all seems well and good with reports of blitzes under birdies around Scorton Creek. I'd also be stalking around the boardwalk in the old harbor if I were a northside stalker. ScottNe reports: " Day started late as all my days seem to start lately with the little one. Buddy was kindly waiting for me as I arrived at the ramp 30 minutes late. Realized I was low on fuel and that killed another 15 minutes. Nada at the east end of the canal so we headed east looking for marks. Nada...dead as a doornail. No birds, no fish, no bait, almost no boaters. Saw a few comerants and decided to give it a shot that maybe they were on the bait. Rewarded with a small blue and about 15 minutes later an 18 pound bass. We're marking fish but they aren't eating it seems. Another 30 minutes pass and finally we mark a pretty large school, I get a small blue (thank god) and am busy getting it off when my buddy goes tight. About that second so does the skin on a few of my fingers as Mr. Bluefish has a death grip on a couple of knuckles. I remember reading here don't try to pull yourself free, you have to "unhook" your skin from the blue. The trick for the next five minutes was "how do I get this bluefish to open his mouth without biting off the flesh on my fingers?". Every time my buddy tried to stealthly insert pliars into his mouth so he couldn't clamp down...he'd see it coming and bite harder. Well, the old wives tale works, when all was lost and blood was pouring from my finger I tickled under his chin and he opened up just enough to unhook my finger. Fish swam off laughing and I got out the first aid kit. Cleaned out the wound and used that new J&J glue stuff and it worked great. The fifteen minutes we lost was critical as the fishfinder showed nothing but vacant bottom after removing the fish from my finger, and the 5 pound blue on my buddies line. |
So, all bass were keepers, 18,23,24,30 in that order but it was a frustrating day for the number of times we marked big schools but came up dry. There weren't many opportunities, maybe 3 periods of 20 minutes when the fish were in heavy. In the AM we connected okay on the chances, in the afternoon we stunk. One blue puked a decent sized herring clear over the deck, other than that the fish were clearly feeding but on what I don't know.