Tuna
06-08-2003, 10:15 AM
Got out Friday morning to a stiff west wind. I took one drift in 3 mile harbor but gave up because the wind drifted me to shore too quickly (and, it not being a weekend, the sun was out and I wanted to sight fish).
Stopped off at Nichols Point, where I saw 2 bass early in my drift but nothing after.
Got to the North Haven shore before 9 am. Started seeing bass immediately, but the fish were picky. Soon after turning a fish, my "sparkling sand eel" fly seemed to be spooking the fish. On the positive side, I saw some bait fish on the flats for the first time this season. With it had come a smaller class of fish, twenty inches if that, although there were still some keepers visible.
Switched rods to a more subdued fly, a small light brown clouser and got a 20ish bass from a pod of 3. Got another from another pod. Had a refusal from another 20ish, but on second cast, with my fly moving over dark bottom, got a third.
I was having a lot of trouble with the wind, which was pushing me off the flats quickly. The rod I had switched to wasn't casting that well, and I had an agonizing 4 casts to another 20ish fish where each cast I would not get close enough, each time the bass would move to me, but each time the wind would push me away faster than the fish was approaching. Switched back to my original rod.
I was sharing the shore with a flats boat and decided to move closer to the Ferry. By this time, the tide was coming in fairly good and along this portion of the shore the wind was not catching me as well and the water moved strongly against the shore.
Saw my first pod with numbers, spooking the two lead fish but getting one of the last of about 15 in a line to turn and take the fly. This was my last 20ish bass landed.
Briefly after that I saw a big one near shore and just as my fly passed over a rock near it I got the strike. The fish ran quickly into backing and gave me a great fight. Bocca gripped it at 14 pounds, naer the best I've ever taken on a flat. The image of the fish hitting, then running into backing in 2 feet of water, then rolling on the surface off and on as I got it in, will be with me until my next good fish.
Got another keeper quickly there.
Hooked another big fish shortly afterwards, but lost it quickly. A few seconds later, I saw a big fish (probably the same one - ever notice how a bass which is only hooked for a second will hit again?) and got another hookup. The fish ran quickly and the dang wind had put a loop of fly line around the reel handle. Didn't get it off in time and the fish broke off.
I saw Josh and Jim Levison around this time, shortly after noon, and remembering only my hookups said I thought the fish were pretty active - Josh and Jim had not found the same thing, and in retrospect, the fish were only active relative to earlier in the season. Although I had had a great morning, I had seen no bass side, no bass surface, no bass run for the fly and had gotten a lot of refusals. Later that day, David Blinkin also told me he had found the bass there pretty picky.
The rest of my day was a bust. I had shots at bass at Smith's Cove, but no hookups. I tried North Haven off and on but didn't get another hit. I got one hit at Jessups but blew it.
A day like Friday, which starts well and ends poorly, often bums me out. But that 14 pounder made my day and the rest of the weekend.
Saturday was dead calm in the morning. I took 3 teenie bass in 3 mile harbor and headed for North Haven.
Although there was no sun, as Paul Dixon had once told me you can sometimes sight fish if the wind is low. Sure enough, I could see pretty well, but I was there near dead low and saw no bass.
I chased some blues at the Ferry for a while, hooking and losing one.
Then I tried Ram Island. Saw LOTS of fish - sea robbins. I also saw tons of small (1 to 4 inches) spider crabs. But no bass.
I ended up quiting early, spoiled by Friday morning. That one big fish still has me grinning.
Stopped off at Nichols Point, where I saw 2 bass early in my drift but nothing after.
Got to the North Haven shore before 9 am. Started seeing bass immediately, but the fish were picky. Soon after turning a fish, my "sparkling sand eel" fly seemed to be spooking the fish. On the positive side, I saw some bait fish on the flats for the first time this season. With it had come a smaller class of fish, twenty inches if that, although there were still some keepers visible.
Switched rods to a more subdued fly, a small light brown clouser and got a 20ish bass from a pod of 3. Got another from another pod. Had a refusal from another 20ish, but on second cast, with my fly moving over dark bottom, got a third.
I was having a lot of trouble with the wind, which was pushing me off the flats quickly. The rod I had switched to wasn't casting that well, and I had an agonizing 4 casts to another 20ish fish where each cast I would not get close enough, each time the bass would move to me, but each time the wind would push me away faster than the fish was approaching. Switched back to my original rod.
I was sharing the shore with a flats boat and decided to move closer to the Ferry. By this time, the tide was coming in fairly good and along this portion of the shore the wind was not catching me as well and the water moved strongly against the shore.
Saw my first pod with numbers, spooking the two lead fish but getting one of the last of about 15 in a line to turn and take the fly. This was my last 20ish bass landed.
Briefly after that I saw a big one near shore and just as my fly passed over a rock near it I got the strike. The fish ran quickly into backing and gave me a great fight. Bocca gripped it at 14 pounds, naer the best I've ever taken on a flat. The image of the fish hitting, then running into backing in 2 feet of water, then rolling on the surface off and on as I got it in, will be with me until my next good fish.
Got another keeper quickly there.
Hooked another big fish shortly afterwards, but lost it quickly. A few seconds later, I saw a big fish (probably the same one - ever notice how a bass which is only hooked for a second will hit again?) and got another hookup. The fish ran quickly and the dang wind had put a loop of fly line around the reel handle. Didn't get it off in time and the fish broke off.
I saw Josh and Jim Levison around this time, shortly after noon, and remembering only my hookups said I thought the fish were pretty active - Josh and Jim had not found the same thing, and in retrospect, the fish were only active relative to earlier in the season. Although I had had a great morning, I had seen no bass side, no bass surface, no bass run for the fly and had gotten a lot of refusals. Later that day, David Blinkin also told me he had found the bass there pretty picky.
The rest of my day was a bust. I had shots at bass at Smith's Cove, but no hookups. I tried North Haven off and on but didn't get another hit. I got one hit at Jessups but blew it.
A day like Friday, which starts well and ends poorly, often bums me out. But that 14 pounder made my day and the rest of the weekend.
Saturday was dead calm in the morning. I took 3 teenie bass in 3 mile harbor and headed for North Haven.
Although there was no sun, as Paul Dixon had once told me you can sometimes sight fish if the wind is low. Sure enough, I could see pretty well, but I was there near dead low and saw no bass.
I chased some blues at the Ferry for a while, hooking and losing one.
Then I tried Ram Island. Saw LOTS of fish - sea robbins. I also saw tons of small (1 to 4 inches) spider crabs. But no bass.
I ended up quiting early, spoiled by Friday morning. That one big fish still has me grinning.