Tuna
06-14-2004, 08:38 AM
Friday was one of those maddening days when you thought the sun would come out but it didn't. It was out early, but by the time I hit the flats it was hidden and until after I quit around 4 PM, the Ct half of the sky was clear but there were clouds over the island.
Decided to wade anyway, thinking the sun would come out.
I saw a few fish on the flat I waded last week, but generally saw them late. The light wind helped, but usually I saw the fish as they saw me. Nice bass, only saw one obvious non-keeper.
I got a fish by casting to a maybe bass after seeing a small swirl near me. Good fish, borderline keeper, great run.
A little later I saw a big fish near me, but it didn't spook like the others. Its head didn't look right for a bass, and its tail looked like a shark. I blind cast in the direction it was headed and boom - the fight felt like a bass, and sure enough I ended up with a 30 plus inch bass. I figured I had just not seen the fish right, that the lack of sun had clouded my interpretation.
I musta waded 4 miles for about 6 hours that day. Too much for me old legs. I planned to wade smaller distances Saturday, and rest in between by moving from flat to flat.
Saturday morning was pure sun. I met up with DanD on the same flat and we worked out a plan where he would drift from one direction, and I would wade from the other direction, and we'd meet in between. I told him about my strange vision Friday but how the shark had morphed to a nice bass.
I had shots at a number of good bass before intersecting with Dan. I turned some fish, and one nice one opened its mouth to the fly. I strip struck nothing, and the bass, unspooked, headed in the direction of deeper water. I cast in front of it and boom - a smaller bass. The big bass followed it the whole fight.
Then Dan came into the area. He was on the outside of the flat, me on the inside. He too had seen good fish, had turned fish but no bites from the nice ones. We each spotted fish for each other. He listened to me curse a lot.
Then he yelled out wow. I saw a giant, not bass looking fish near him over clear sand. It looked bigger than 3 feet long. He made a number of great casts to it. It never spooked. It was not a bass. Maybe a shark? Dan also posed the possibility of cobia, although I thought it early to see southern guests.
I switched flies around this time and then saw 3 bass coming in a line and got the fly in front of them. I got a nice bass (short of keeper I think) that Dan watched run right to shore.
I didn't want to get to tired on one flat so I began thinking of heading back to my boat and moving.
I told Dan to move ahead of me so he could fish waters I had not waded.
I got into my boat, pulled the anchor and saw Dan motion for me to come closer to him. I got within yelling distance and he said, no doubt, he had just seen a shark, along with some big bass. The shark had gone under his boat so he got a good look at it.
I began to think the fish I saw Saturday was a shark. That maybe the bass hang around it in case it kicks up something to eat, the way predators follow a ray on the flats in tropical waters.
I moved to a flat I had seen bass on years ago, but that had too many rocks to make for a safe drift.
As I was tying the anchor line, I looked down in 3 feet of water and clearly saw a shark about 3 feet long.
I don't know if this is right, but when I used to bonefish the guides never seemed upset when we saw small sharks on the flats.
So I waded the area, and saw another shark that ignored my fly.
Then I saw a bass cruising over pure sand and got it to hit. Maybe a 24 incher. I kept my eyes out for sharks as I landed it.
Then I got to a portion of the flat where I found a zone bass were passing through. I got maybe 20 casts to bass without moving an inch. I turned some fish but no hits.
Then I tried the NH shore. Pulled a stupid anchor move - some offshore wind, but I anchored outside a shoal forgetting that Saturday meant constant boat waves. I walked along the shoal and saw bass coming along its edge from deeper water. I turned a few fish, then waded into knee deep water. Water was a bit murky, but I found another zone bass were passing by. I turned several fish before landing another non keeper.
I then went to repair my mistake. The waves had pushed most of the boat onto the shoal. The anchor had kept the front of the boat in 2 plus feet of water. For about 20 minutes, I inched that fat old lady of a boat off the flat. I really have to be more careful anchoring to wade - I'm too old for this.
I waded another portion of NH and saw some great fish while I was anchoring. I got shots at a few fish, but then started to feel dead from 2 days of wading and 20 minutes of boat shoal removal.
A fun day on the water.
Now, I really don't know what I am doing wading. Was I wrong to assume that small sharks on the flats are not too dangerous?
Decided to wade anyway, thinking the sun would come out.
I saw a few fish on the flat I waded last week, but generally saw them late. The light wind helped, but usually I saw the fish as they saw me. Nice bass, only saw one obvious non-keeper.
I got a fish by casting to a maybe bass after seeing a small swirl near me. Good fish, borderline keeper, great run.
A little later I saw a big fish near me, but it didn't spook like the others. Its head didn't look right for a bass, and its tail looked like a shark. I blind cast in the direction it was headed and boom - the fight felt like a bass, and sure enough I ended up with a 30 plus inch bass. I figured I had just not seen the fish right, that the lack of sun had clouded my interpretation.
I musta waded 4 miles for about 6 hours that day. Too much for me old legs. I planned to wade smaller distances Saturday, and rest in between by moving from flat to flat.
Saturday morning was pure sun. I met up with DanD on the same flat and we worked out a plan where he would drift from one direction, and I would wade from the other direction, and we'd meet in between. I told him about my strange vision Friday but how the shark had morphed to a nice bass.
I had shots at a number of good bass before intersecting with Dan. I turned some fish, and one nice one opened its mouth to the fly. I strip struck nothing, and the bass, unspooked, headed in the direction of deeper water. I cast in front of it and boom - a smaller bass. The big bass followed it the whole fight.
Then Dan came into the area. He was on the outside of the flat, me on the inside. He too had seen good fish, had turned fish but no bites from the nice ones. We each spotted fish for each other. He listened to me curse a lot.
Then he yelled out wow. I saw a giant, not bass looking fish near him over clear sand. It looked bigger than 3 feet long. He made a number of great casts to it. It never spooked. It was not a bass. Maybe a shark? Dan also posed the possibility of cobia, although I thought it early to see southern guests.
I switched flies around this time and then saw 3 bass coming in a line and got the fly in front of them. I got a nice bass (short of keeper I think) that Dan watched run right to shore.
I didn't want to get to tired on one flat so I began thinking of heading back to my boat and moving.
I told Dan to move ahead of me so he could fish waters I had not waded.
I got into my boat, pulled the anchor and saw Dan motion for me to come closer to him. I got within yelling distance and he said, no doubt, he had just seen a shark, along with some big bass. The shark had gone under his boat so he got a good look at it.
I began to think the fish I saw Saturday was a shark. That maybe the bass hang around it in case it kicks up something to eat, the way predators follow a ray on the flats in tropical waters.
I moved to a flat I had seen bass on years ago, but that had too many rocks to make for a safe drift.
As I was tying the anchor line, I looked down in 3 feet of water and clearly saw a shark about 3 feet long.
I don't know if this is right, but when I used to bonefish the guides never seemed upset when we saw small sharks on the flats.
So I waded the area, and saw another shark that ignored my fly.
Then I saw a bass cruising over pure sand and got it to hit. Maybe a 24 incher. I kept my eyes out for sharks as I landed it.
Then I got to a portion of the flat where I found a zone bass were passing through. I got maybe 20 casts to bass without moving an inch. I turned some fish but no hits.
Then I tried the NH shore. Pulled a stupid anchor move - some offshore wind, but I anchored outside a shoal forgetting that Saturday meant constant boat waves. I walked along the shoal and saw bass coming along its edge from deeper water. I turned a few fish, then waded into knee deep water. Water was a bit murky, but I found another zone bass were passing by. I turned several fish before landing another non keeper.
I then went to repair my mistake. The waves had pushed most of the boat onto the shoal. The anchor had kept the front of the boat in 2 plus feet of water. For about 20 minutes, I inched that fat old lady of a boat off the flat. I really have to be more careful anchoring to wade - I'm too old for this.
I waded another portion of NH and saw some great fish while I was anchoring. I got shots at a few fish, but then started to feel dead from 2 days of wading and 20 minutes of boat shoal removal.
A fun day on the water.
Now, I really don't know what I am doing wading. Was I wrong to assume that small sharks on the flats are not too dangerous?