venture
10-16-2001, 10:20 PM
For some, this report being posted on a fly fishing forum may be seem a bit out of place, but I do so for one big reason. We all have one common thread; passion for challenge. It doesn't matter if your waving a flyrod around on a favorite south shore beach, or out smarting a weary albie from a skiff, or trolling the high seas for monsters. It's all done with the same fire in the belly, the same passion for conquest, the same desire for consistant excellence. Whether you tie a beautiful Atlantic Salmon fly, or rig a swimming ballyhoo, it's all the same.
I am quite unique character myself when it comes to the offshore clan. Most of these guys have always fished from boats. Many of them have only fished for big fish. Most of my life long fishing experiences have been from the beach. It's only in the last 10 years or so I have explored the blue waters offshore in search of large prey. I can easily relate to this board, because I've been there, where most of you fish. I hope that you can relate to this post as I do to your posts. The fact is that most offshore fishing is just like the inshore fishing. You find the fish, and fish for them. Nothing is so different than what you already do, it's just a bit bigger, a bit scarrier, and a bit more involved. I have no doubt that some of you will get into it within your life times. With me, it was a progression.
The Giant Tuna school up in the northern waters off Nantucket every year from late June through October, with the latter months sometimes being very hot. This does not happen at Montauk. The waters off the BB bouy, 50 miles south east of Nantucket are filled with life during the season. Humpback and pilot whales, dolphin, and shearwaters abound, showing you where the fish are. Find the whales and you've probably found the fish.
The fish are monsters. A keeper must be 73 inches long, which usually is pushing 300 pounds. Anything smaller is a short. The average fish is around 500 pounds with many, especially this year, being closer to 750 - 900 pounds.
The tackle used to land such a beast is huge, with 200 pound test running line, and up to 400 pound leaders. Harpoons are used to subdue him, and block and tackle to put him on the deck. The whole thing is huge, and couple this with whales racing around your boat in eight foot swells, and you have an experience you'll never forget. In fact on guy next to me out there lost a fish in the final moments because a 25 foot humpback cut his line while battling a running tuna.
This fish attracts many different souls from all walks of life. They all converge during the season to fish. There are young strong tuffs from Glouster out to bag some big bucks. There are famous professional offshore crews fishing muli million dollar custom sport fishers, and there are the weekend maniacs that must challenge themselves with the fish and the sea. And the sea up there is really a challenge. Try hitting the Monomoy rips on the way out in the pitch of night when the waves are standing straight at ten feet. Then get hit with huge waves on the shoals of Rose and Crown 25 miles offshore where it shallows to less than a fathom. You must get through it all to hit the grounds. These are treaterous waters especially when the tides and winds are running. Many a crew have been lost out there. We all test our nerves. We all are scarred sometimes. It all adds to the challenge.
The harbor where I stay is called Saquatucket. It's a sleepy harbor most of the year, with a down east quaint New England flair. But when the Giants are off Nantucket the place changes. It becomes filled with the roudy boys from New Bedford to Glouster, and the proper sportsman from Palm Beach.
They are all there for the same thing. To pit their skills against the fish and the sea. At night, when the buyers roll the trucks in to haul the catches from the boats waiting, the place is a scene from the Crows Nest Cafe in the Perfect Storm. Boastful young lads on down east single diesels back their boats down to the crane to unload their monsters, take on bait and ice, fuel up and get out to the grounds again. I don't know what keeps them going day and night. They all are high on the shear adventure of it all, maybe diesel fumes but probably a little contraband as well. The little harbor becomes a Thunderdome.
I made some big mistakes out on the seas this year. Without going into too much detail, I trolled one short of about 170 pounds the first day on a swimming ballyhoo in an offshore rip filled with whales. Killed it for the table. You are not allowed to sell a short. I gave most of it to my long time Chatham friend whose home I stayed at. The second day the bite was off. No one did well. The third day I found the fish late and busted a big one off at a knot. Yes I did, right at the knot. I am ashamed. I was marking big ones at dusk, and sent a dead bait down 125 ft and pow, right away. After I broke him off, we were continuing to mark fish at around 100 ft but we ran out of bait. Yes we ran out of bait. The forth and final day (Saturday), we were so prepared, but mother nature had other plans for us. Swells from the south to 12 ft, coupled with a north east blow causing a 4 -6 chop made it impossible to fish correctly, not to mention the white knuckle ride home through the shoals in the dark. One guy lost a windshield, and another guy beached himself off Monomoy with the coast guard coming to the rescue. I kissed the dock when I returned.
I will be back there with a vengence next year. I learned some new tricks, made some big mistakes, but all these things are expected when you keep pushing the envelope.
Buy the way, when I returned on late Sunday afternoon, I passed by the Point and Shagwong on the way to the harbor. Nothing doing there. You didn't miss anything.
Howie
I am quite unique character myself when it comes to the offshore clan. Most of these guys have always fished from boats. Many of them have only fished for big fish. Most of my life long fishing experiences have been from the beach. It's only in the last 10 years or so I have explored the blue waters offshore in search of large prey. I can easily relate to this board, because I've been there, where most of you fish. I hope that you can relate to this post as I do to your posts. The fact is that most offshore fishing is just like the inshore fishing. You find the fish, and fish for them. Nothing is so different than what you already do, it's just a bit bigger, a bit scarrier, and a bit more involved. I have no doubt that some of you will get into it within your life times. With me, it was a progression.
The Giant Tuna school up in the northern waters off Nantucket every year from late June through October, with the latter months sometimes being very hot. This does not happen at Montauk. The waters off the BB bouy, 50 miles south east of Nantucket are filled with life during the season. Humpback and pilot whales, dolphin, and shearwaters abound, showing you where the fish are. Find the whales and you've probably found the fish.
The fish are monsters. A keeper must be 73 inches long, which usually is pushing 300 pounds. Anything smaller is a short. The average fish is around 500 pounds with many, especially this year, being closer to 750 - 900 pounds.
The tackle used to land such a beast is huge, with 200 pound test running line, and up to 400 pound leaders. Harpoons are used to subdue him, and block and tackle to put him on the deck. The whole thing is huge, and couple this with whales racing around your boat in eight foot swells, and you have an experience you'll never forget. In fact on guy next to me out there lost a fish in the final moments because a 25 foot humpback cut his line while battling a running tuna.
This fish attracts many different souls from all walks of life. They all converge during the season to fish. There are young strong tuffs from Glouster out to bag some big bucks. There are famous professional offshore crews fishing muli million dollar custom sport fishers, and there are the weekend maniacs that must challenge themselves with the fish and the sea. And the sea up there is really a challenge. Try hitting the Monomoy rips on the way out in the pitch of night when the waves are standing straight at ten feet. Then get hit with huge waves on the shoals of Rose and Crown 25 miles offshore where it shallows to less than a fathom. You must get through it all to hit the grounds. These are treaterous waters especially when the tides and winds are running. Many a crew have been lost out there. We all test our nerves. We all are scarred sometimes. It all adds to the challenge.
The harbor where I stay is called Saquatucket. It's a sleepy harbor most of the year, with a down east quaint New England flair. But when the Giants are off Nantucket the place changes. It becomes filled with the roudy boys from New Bedford to Glouster, and the proper sportsman from Palm Beach.
They are all there for the same thing. To pit their skills against the fish and the sea. At night, when the buyers roll the trucks in to haul the catches from the boats waiting, the place is a scene from the Crows Nest Cafe in the Perfect Storm. Boastful young lads on down east single diesels back their boats down to the crane to unload their monsters, take on bait and ice, fuel up and get out to the grounds again. I don't know what keeps them going day and night. They all are high on the shear adventure of it all, maybe diesel fumes but probably a little contraband as well. The little harbor becomes a Thunderdome.
I made some big mistakes out on the seas this year. Without going into too much detail, I trolled one short of about 170 pounds the first day on a swimming ballyhoo in an offshore rip filled with whales. Killed it for the table. You are not allowed to sell a short. I gave most of it to my long time Chatham friend whose home I stayed at. The second day the bite was off. No one did well. The third day I found the fish late and busted a big one off at a knot. Yes I did, right at the knot. I am ashamed. I was marking big ones at dusk, and sent a dead bait down 125 ft and pow, right away. After I broke him off, we were continuing to mark fish at around 100 ft but we ran out of bait. Yes we ran out of bait. The forth and final day (Saturday), we were so prepared, but mother nature had other plans for us. Swells from the south to 12 ft, coupled with a north east blow causing a 4 -6 chop made it impossible to fish correctly, not to mention the white knuckle ride home through the shoals in the dark. One guy lost a windshield, and another guy beached himself off Monomoy with the coast guard coming to the rescue. I kissed the dock when I returned.
I will be back there with a vengence next year. I learned some new tricks, made some big mistakes, but all these things are expected when you keep pushing the envelope.
Buy the way, when I returned on late Sunday afternoon, I passed by the Point and Shagwong on the way to the harbor. Nothing doing there. You didn't miss anything.
Howie