July 2 2014

My 5 Most Frustrating Fishing Trips Of All Time

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cape cod fishing frustrated ryan collins

This past Monday I spent nearly 24 hours on my boat. I searched far and wide, finally found fish, and then watched as the guy next to me caught them. I unfortunately could not catch a darn thing.

I then proceeded to slice my finger on the anchor and embed a hook in my left butt cheek. I burned so much fuel I may need to get a second job. By the end of the trip I was ready to sell the boat and downgrade to a canoe.

I understand I am not the only one who has frustrating days of fishing. Despite having  a fancy website, I do not always catch the fish.  I hope this post helps you feel "less alone" the next time you encounter frustration on the water.

5)  The Day I Went Fishing Without A Fishing Pole

When I was around 13 years old I used to spend all day in school planning out that afternoon's fishing trip. On this specific day I remember being super pumped up about going fishing down at a local pond with my buddy Jason Mazzola.

Once school ended we hopped on our bikes with our gear and began pedaling towards the pond. A bit of a bike ride was required to reach the pond and 15 minutes later we had arrived.

Only problem was I had forgotten my fishing pole at home. Even worse was that Jason, who had been riding his bike alongside me, had not even noticed I didn't have my pole.

4)  The Day I Hooked A Huge Bass And Kyle Kruse Intentionally Cut The Line

You do some stupid things when you're a teenager. This is a fine and rather cruel example.

I was fishing with Kyle Kruse who has been a good friend for virtually my entire life. I had just hooked into a really nice bass that was screaming line from my small spinning reel. I was all sorts of pumped up and excited to see this fish.

Kyle then decided it would be funny to take his fishing knife and cut my line as I was battling the massive fish. So that is exactly what he did. As I was reeling in this huge fish, Kyle came over and nonchalantly cut the line.

I collapsed to my knees in disbelief and I do not think I have gone fishing with Kyle since. 15 years later Kyle finally made up for this cruel act by proudly sporting his MFCC tshirt with confidence.

kyle kruse my fishing cape cod tshirt

Thanks Kyle...lol

3)  The Week I Snapped Three $300 Lamiglas Fishing Rods At The Canal

cape cod canal fishing reel gear

There were 25 pound plus striped bass feeding on mackerel smack dab in front of me. They were far away but still within casting range. I had a pencil popper tied on and there was no doubt in my mind I would hookup-I just had to place a perfect cast.

I wound up and began my cast. The rod loaded under pressure and bent into a parabola, in just the way it is supposed to. Then, within an instant, the rod snapped in two and crumpled in my hands. I watched in despair as the school of bass continued to feed, right smack dab in front of me.

That evening I returned to the Canal for redemption. I had borrowed another Lamiglas rod from my friend Mazzola. On my third cast with his rod the rod snapped in the same exact spot and crumpled into my hands just like the first. $600 worth of fishing rods now broken.

About a week later I receive a new complimentary rod from Lamiglas, to replace the first one I had snapped. I am riding my Canal bike down the service road when another fisherman approaches on his bike from the opposite direction. He has a half dozen rods sticking out from his bike and gets a little too close to me as he pedals by.

One of his half dozen rods catches the tip of my new Lamiglas and as he unknowingly continues to pedal away it rips my rod downward and snaps the top third of the rod straight clean off. That makes for three $300 rods snapped in one week. Thank goodness Lamiglas offers a lifetime warranty.

2)  The Morning We Went To Use Our Boat, And Someone Had Pushed It Off To Sea

12 foot cape cod tin boat

My Dad and I used to keep a 12 foot tin boat with a 6 horsepower motor on the beach. During the summer we would walk down and use the boat at sunrise to go fishing.

One early morning we arrive at the beach but there's just one problem-the boat is gone. Upon closer examination we see footprints in the sand leading from where we kept the boat, to the edge of Cape Cod Bay. The most probable scenario was that a group of intoxicated persons had carried the boat to the water's edge and pushed it out to sea.

Even worse was the fact that the boat's plug was not in the boat. So odds were that the boat had quickly filled with water and had sank, somewhere out in the midst of Cape Cod Bay.

Amazingly we receive a phone call later that night from the Plymouth Harbormaster. A fishing dragger had picked the boat up and towed it back to shore.

Our small tin boat had drifted aimlessly for over 10 miles, survived the open sea without a boat plug, and was now safely back on shore. Amazing!

1)  The Day I Lost 18 Huge Striped Bass In A Row

Commercial striped bass fishing was hugely important to me when I was growing up. When I was 19 I encountered a huge school of stripers, all of them 25 pounds and up.

I was drifting with live eels which was a new technique for me at the time. In other words I was still trying to figure out how to do it, and was not quite sure what the best methods were.

For the next hour my boat sat ontop of one of the biggest and most painstakingly agonizingly frustrating schools of fish I had ever encountered. The bass would grab the eel, and me being inexperienced, would miss the hook set again, and again, and again.

I would ultimately land just a couple fish, including one that tipped that scales at 43 pounds. However I had missed over 20 fish in total, 18 of them consecutively.

Finding fish like that was a rarity for me back then, and to miss out on such an opportunity was devastating for me, both financially and for my morale.

In Conclusion | Attitude Is Everything

I am a pretty positive and happy go-lucky guy, however every once in a while this fishing gig gets the best of me. It is so easy to get frustrated when fishing, especially when others around you are having great success.

Over the years I have noticed that once I get my attitude back on track, my fishing success greatly improves. In all honesty, there is no fishing situation in which frustration will help. Getting frustrated is a sure-fire way to decrease your odds of success tenfold.

This past Monday I was frustrated beyond belief, but now that a few days have passed I am back on track and ready to get back out there. I have that excited and eager feeling back in my gut, and I cannot wait to get back out onto the water later this week.

What's your most frustrating fishing trip of all time? Let us know by commenting below.

Happy early July 4th, tight lines and take care,

Ryan

  • That’s why they call it “fishing” instead of “catching !”

    Ryan, you have more striper mojo than anyone I know ….. persistence, perseverance, and patience will yield great rewards. Hang in there !!

    Tight lines !

    PS: The bite is way off in LIS to date this summer; lots of frustrated fishermen. Spent hours searching on Sunday, only marked one fish the whole time. Didn’t even take the bunker spoon out of the tackle box. Fortunately, the fluke bite cooperated !

    • Got that right John! I will most certainly hang in there. I know you and I have experienced many slow times, followed by incredible bites.

      Thanks for the update on the LIS bite. Can’t complain about the fluke, glad that is working out.

      Keep me posted when you’re in the Cape area.

  • Monday was tough for me too, I was king of the 32″ fish. I broke a reel and ran out of gas as I was loading my boat only to drift helplessly down river. luckily I got the anchor out before I went too far. I left my emergency gas tank in the driveway. So I had to swim to shore and walk my boat back. Lesson learned.

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