Thanks Mark!

[ssully]

Mark,

Thanks for setting up the trip Saturday to Monomoy. I had a great time but was to tired to stay past 1:00. I caught the ferry back with Tim. Working on four hours sleep and covering all that terrain just proved to be enough for these tired old bones. ;-) I didn't want to be fighting off sleep on the long drive home with the July 4th traffic.

I did manage to hookup and lose on fish at the first flats we stopped at on the last hour of incoming. I bailed off the sandbar as a precaution against getting stranded out there.
Plus a pretty big seal swam right up to me. All I saw was a very large dark shape swimming directly at me. Thank God I didn't see a fin or my waders would have been real messy. :-O

And those aggresive nesting gulls on the other side made me feel like I was in an Alfred Hitchcock movie. I had to poke a couple with rod to make them keep their distance. A paintball gun would have done the trick! ;-)

Thanks again for everything. Monomoy is such a beautiful place I'll be sure to fish there again.

[Bob Parsons]

Ditto on the thanks Mark.

I was soooo sore this morning. My ankles felt like they were wrapped in broken glass. All that wading. I'll definitely give it another shot. Thorne, were did you launch your boat?

[Cmangiaf]

This was my first trip to Monomoy. A tremendous fishery and resource we should all appreciate. I was lucky enough to fish alongside Mark for a bit on Saturday, and did manage a 22"-24" fish on the dropping tide. Great day and great company.

Hoping to attend more of these Claves!

Tight Lines to all......Carmelo

[IronMike]

Brain Dump Ahead
================

This was also my first trip to Monomoy as well as my first trip sight casting in salt and I have to say that without a doubt that was the most scenic and challenging trip I've ever been on. It was great meeting new people by the way! Hope I made a friend or three!

I'm still recovering. For days after my feet hurt and I have newly found respect for when my kid suffers from diaper rash (I wet waded, leaving my waders for the gulls to nest in until my return).

Missed breakfast - kids were up and down through the night - but we made excellent time (Mark The Endurodriver), leaving Worcester about 4:15 and in Chatham 6:10). By noon (heck, but 10!) I was starving and remembered that I left my munchies in Mark's truck - I was dying to catch a keeper because if I did, it was sushi on the spot! ;-);

If it were not for Thorne - I would definitely have gone back (THANKS THORNE, still owe you that brew).

THANKS MARK for arranging the trip and also mentioning to Thorne that water and food wouldn't be a bad idea. ;-);

The fishing was tough - these fish behaved just like trout. Sometimes, even raising my arm to begin a back cast to a sighted fish would cause it to take off. I had one decent sized fish follow my fly all the way in to me and when it got 3 feet away it saw me, gave me the middle fin, and took off leaving a wake in the surface of the 3 feet of water I was in. Yes, I was frustrated, but HOW COOL IS THAT?! Quite. Saw about 5 more fish that size as I was leaving.

Many seals. BIG SEALS. Lots of sand eels of all different sizes - some about 6-8". Grass shrimp, snails, zillions of different types of crabs and, as sully mentioned, seagulls. Hitchcock indeed!

Of course, like an old cliche, "They were catching'em by the boat on the way home!". Never thought fish would sit under all that boat traffic.

My casting needs to be better for this - that much is obvious. But you also need to learn where exactly to cast when you see this fish - they are extremely finicky and quick. Water boiling fish these ain't.

I kept thinking all day how lucky we are to have this treasure doable by car. I'd go there without a rod to be honest - that's how great it was to just walk around and watch. At one point I was standing near the channel on the edge of a flat as the tide was still coming in and you just watch the bait fish zip by you into the riffs (probably being eaten below by bass).

Careful not to step on horseshoe crabs. Seagulls eat those things? Man, those birds are tough.

Guy next to me using spinning gear pulled up half a sluggo. Not sure if a striper could bite it that hard and quick - maybe a blue.

I was extremely happy at one point that Mark decided to walk back from the edge of a flat - AT HIGH TIDE! Water mark was his beard and he was my ride home! Thanks again Mark ;-);

I'll be on vacation the week of Labor Day in Chatham, so I'll definitely be back there - another Conclave that week would be most appropriate, or if anyone just wants company.

PS: That brew at the Squire afterwards was great scenary as well ;-);

[Mark Cahill]

I had a great time. Reminded me of why I like the guys on this board so much. After a full day of fishing the flats, first thing everyone did at the pickup point was get out to fish some more!

We should go again soon. No need to make it a yearly thing.

Best site of the day: Bob Parsons spots a shape that turns out to be 200 lb. of seal coming in and without missing a beat got off a great cast, perfectly placed. If I thought I was casting to that large a bass, I would have peed myself!

Did I mention I had a great time? I sure did...

Mark

[IronMike]

Lets make it a yearly thing ;)