Tuna
05-17-2004, 08:23 AM
I sure love to start the season with an engine that starts and runs, prior reports which indicate a chance for fish, southwest wind (good for dead drifting some flats I like) and sun all day.
Got to where bass often are in 3 mile harbor and tried a few casts with sinking line but no hints and I wanted to get out to flats to take advantage of the sun.
Drifted briefly at Nichols Pt and may have seen one bass in 4 feet of water.
Then hit the North Haven shore.
Saw a bass almost immediately. Scared it.
Saw a line of 4 bass, scared them.
Saw a keeper - terrified it.
This went on for about an hour and a half. The fish were spooky and, when not spooked, picky. Turned only 1 fish in that time, got no hits. I contributed to their spookiness with some consistent lousy casting (had a new rig and mostly was overcasting but also did some real bloopers, like lining every 30 inch fish I saw). Switched from brown to chartreuse.
Then saw one in slightly deeper water. Got a cast without spooking it, got it to turn, HIT!
20 inch fish headed to deeper water. I saw a pod follow it back, so when I got it off, I cast to the deeper water and picked up a second with the blind cast.
With the waters warming (hit 65 by mid day), the bass got a bit more active and I started seeing a few pods of bait. Blew several more shots at good fish, then picked up a 24 incher on a good cast.
By 1 PM, the outgoing tide had slowed, and the fish were scarce (I think I managed to scare most of them away). Saw DanD just before heading to Peconic.
Jessups had a few lines of keepers here and there. More active than the fish at North Haven. Even saw a few fish side. Turned a few good fish, but was not in casting form. Got a hit from a nice one, but lost it immediately.
Wind was picking up, and after seeing a small pod of small bunker near Paradise Point, I packed it in.
Great start for the season. I get the feeling things warmed up out there big time in the last few weeks. Even after a cold wet spring, my guess is it will be a short and sweet flats season for the "east of Gardiners" flats. All I need now are some more sunny days, and some more bait on the flats.
Got to where bass often are in 3 mile harbor and tried a few casts with sinking line but no hints and I wanted to get out to flats to take advantage of the sun.
Drifted briefly at Nichols Pt and may have seen one bass in 4 feet of water.
Then hit the North Haven shore.
Saw a bass almost immediately. Scared it.
Saw a line of 4 bass, scared them.
Saw a keeper - terrified it.
This went on for about an hour and a half. The fish were spooky and, when not spooked, picky. Turned only 1 fish in that time, got no hits. I contributed to their spookiness with some consistent lousy casting (had a new rig and mostly was overcasting but also did some real bloopers, like lining every 30 inch fish I saw). Switched from brown to chartreuse.
Then saw one in slightly deeper water. Got a cast without spooking it, got it to turn, HIT!
20 inch fish headed to deeper water. I saw a pod follow it back, so when I got it off, I cast to the deeper water and picked up a second with the blind cast.
With the waters warming (hit 65 by mid day), the bass got a bit more active and I started seeing a few pods of bait. Blew several more shots at good fish, then picked up a 24 incher on a good cast.
By 1 PM, the outgoing tide had slowed, and the fish were scarce (I think I managed to scare most of them away). Saw DanD just before heading to Peconic.
Jessups had a few lines of keepers here and there. More active than the fish at North Haven. Even saw a few fish side. Turned a few good fish, but was not in casting form. Got a hit from a nice one, but lost it immediately.
Wind was picking up, and after seeing a small pod of small bunker near Paradise Point, I packed it in.
Great start for the season. I get the feeling things warmed up out there big time in the last few weeks. Even after a cold wet spring, my guess is it will be a short and sweet flats season for the "east of Gardiners" flats. All I need now are some more sunny days, and some more bait on the flats.