Bourne Need advice

[Marc]

I am fishing Bourne this week end. Any spot I should concentrate my effort???I will be from the shore.

[Thunder Rod]

Gotta be a little more specific there Marc......

Fly?
Wading?
Canal or Beaches?

Bait?
Live or chunk?

Spinning?
Swimmers, plugs or Jigs?
Lite or heavy tackle?

Also, everything depends on time, tides and current.
http://tbone.biol.sc.edu/tide/sites_useastupper.html

Good Luck.

[Marc]

Thunder Rod, Thank you for the reply.
I have never fished the area. I will be fishing the canal with the kids with live baits. Friday or Saturday?
I also want to go Sunday and Monday by myself with my fly rod. We are going camping and I have no idea of where to go. I will probably fish either early morning or before dark. I am an experience fly fisherman. I usually fish the Boston Harbor or Chatham. It would be nice to find a place close to flyfish and to take the kids to the Cannal. What are your thoughts?

[Thunder Rod]

I don't fly fish much, so I'll leave that angle for the experts.

Hmmmm, kids huh?
Getting herring at the run?

Might as well fish right there at the Herring Run when live lining. I've gotten all my fish there so far in 2000. (if you don't mind the crowds) If you're fishing around the campground, just look for points, bridge abutments, and eddy's. Scout them during low tide and fish them as the tide ebbs and/or floods. Keep in mind a few things.

1) You'll be going during the height of the (UGH!);
Canal Striper Tourney. Mark my word, it'll be
crowded at the run.
Unfortunately, you'll only be allowed 10 live herring
per permit on Sat and Monday. Kids will go through them in an hour. Though, sometimes you can
pick up dead ones along the shore and do OK in a
pinch. You can also pick up FRESH (if possible!);
herring and other baits for chunking (pogy) at area bait shops. Don't be fooled, YOU DO
NOT HAVE TO SET UP RIGHT AT THE RUN to catch the best
fish. Set up down or up current of the crowds. Look for the points, eddy's, rips and holes.

2) Do not forget to rig yourself a Live Well for
floating your live herring in the canal. A round laundry
basket with a styrofoam life ring tied to the top with
a rope attached will do nicely in a pinch. If your the
"Tim Taylor" type, you can make it even better with a
lid, access door, etc.

3) Don't forget your buckets. You need to transport
your herring from the distribution area to your chosen
(unoccupied) spot. Since you have kids, all the
better. Borrow Jr's little red wagon to put your
buckets in and do your back a favor.

4) Canal ediquette: If the guy next to you hooks up,
pull your line in till he has control. The guy DOWN CURRENT casts first in order to avoid tangles.

Links for you which will help:

http://www.fishingne.com/fne.htm (click features);
http://www.wmi.org/saltfish/saltboard/surf_fishing/

Good Luck.

[riptide]

Marc if you want to do some Fly Fishing close to the canal there are several places in the area. On the Canal you can hit the mud flats on the Cape side on the West end. Waders are needed. If you want something different you can try Shell Point in Onset or the Narrows in ButterMilk Bay in Wareham. Both are good for the shore bound Fly Fisher and both are within 5-10 miles of the Canal. If you need more info on these places you can Email me directly and I'd be happy to help out.

Capt. Terry Nugent<BR>Riptide Charters<BR>www.riptidecharters.com

[PJTsui]

Many folks who fish the canal wouldn't know that the 'down current' person should cast first. This is etiquette only learned by experience after a few frustrating tangles.

Thank you for the information and technique here. I'm sure all this must have taken some time to learn on your own - if not a whole season but only 5 minutes to disseminate to others. Even if I don't fish the Canal, at least with this info I can spot the inexperienced vs. veterans down there.

[Thunder Rod]

Thank You, my pleasure.

Even after all these years, I still forget the pecking order sometimes....

Another interesting ediquette is:
if there are guys drifting bait around a hole, don't camp amounst them in order to cast a jig, swimmer, spoon etc. (and vice versa) The 2 techniques don't mix. It's vertical vs horizontal fishing. Whoever is there first rules the technique used......unless there's plenty of room, cast elsewhere with that jig. (and vice versa with the bait)

Ooh, and now that I'm on a roll......I hate it when I throw out a scoopful of chum and the guy nearest me tosses his own baited line right within it's midst before I can bend over and get my rod back in hand for a cast. ("Grrrrrrrrr...");

And.....If a hole is occupied, I always politely ASK the guy already fishing there if he minds if I pull in a bit close to him. I've never been denied..........

Good Luck out there..........