Josiah Gummeson
After 5 million steps and hundreds of casts, I finally managed to land my first striped bass.
Now you may ask, "how could that many steps possibly be involved in catching a single striped bass?"
Well, the journey of catching my first striped bass involved hiking all 2,184 miles of the Appalachian Trail, from Georgia to Maine.
My name is Josiah Gummeson, and just like you I love fishing on Cape Cod. Growing up, my family and I would spend a week every summer camping in Nickerson State park.
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We would spend time freshwater fishing the the kettle ponds, riding on the bike paths, watching Cape League baseball games, and of course at the beach!
However, the chance to catch fish in saltwater had always eluded me - until this year.
​My Struggles while Fishing and Hiking the Appalachian
During the 2015 fishing season (prior to my journey on the Appalachian trail) I routinely drove to the Cape, hoping to catch my first striped bass.
I tried jetties in Cape Cod Bay, the canal, and the beaches of Sandwich. I cast hundreds of times at each location, and still remained fish-less.
Finding striped bass was a struggle for me. However, the journey I was about to take on the Appalachian Trail would also prove to have it's share of struggles.
I walked through the woods on flat trails, saw sunrises, sunsets, wildlife, jumped into swimming holes, and stared at beautiful views.
Although you do get to experience all of those amazing things, you're bound to encounter struggles between point A and B.
The Appalachian Trail is nearly 2200 miles, goes through 14 states, and is equivalent to climbing Mt. Everest 16 times.
Along those 5 million steps, I faced many struggles, such as:
- Blisters
- Chaffing
- Sweltering heat
- Storms
- Lack of water
- Wet shoes and feet
- Pain
The items mentioned above really just scratch the surface of the struggles on the Appalachian trail.
Similar to my 5 million step journey on the Appalachian Trail, I’ve also faced many struggles while fishing. The drive alone to Cape Cod is several hours from my home near the Connecticut River.
I love walking the beaches, making casts, listening to the waves come and go, and watching sunsets. Catching fish is really just a bonus.
However, it’s still extremely disheartening to have made hundreds of casts, and not catch a single striper.
Throughout the fishing season, I dealt with numerous struggles while trying to catch a striper:
- Lines snapping
- Snagged lures
- Watching someone right next to me catch fish (by far the worst!)
The struggle left me wondering why I was not getting any hits, and what I could be doing differently.
Never Give Up!
From struggling in 2015, to hiking the Appalachian Trail in 2016, I am happy to report that this spring of 2017 I finally caught my first striped bass!
I was jigging an estuary that feeds into Cape Cod Bay, and I was using a 3 inch rubber Storm Shad lure.
For those of you who love fishing Cape Cod, but still haven’t caught your first striper, my advice to you is to never give up!
No matter what goal you are trying to achieve, there are going to be struggles. Whether it's walking 5 million steps through the Appalachian Mountains, or fishing for striped bass, there will be astruggles you have to face.
However, I can assure you the challenges will only make you appreciate your first striper that much more. If you never give up, then you're inevitably going to catch a fish!
Not only did I catch my first striper the other weekend, but I've landed 3 more since then!
Striper Fishing with Ryan!
My friend Andrew and I were fortunate to have the opportunity to fish with Ryan Collins of My Fishing Cape Cod on May 24th, under the cover of night.
The weather was beautiful, providing us with a view of the stars in the sky. We caught a total of four stripers, all of them being schoolies. I landed three fish, Andrew caught one - his first striper ever!
We were all casting out blurple colored Daiwa SP minows and reeling them in painfully slow.
Andrew and I were using the standard size SP minnows, while Ryan was using the larger version, which unfortunately didn't produce for him this trip.
More to Come...
Although I’ve followed My Fishing Cape Cod since I started fishing the Cape in 2015, I am actually a newly subscribed member here.
I’m looking forward to sharing my future trips here with you on the website, and I will make certain everyone on here is the first to know when I finally land my first keeper-sized striped bass!
Tight lines, and never EVER give up!
-Josiah
Great story! The great aspects of surfcasting are both a hike and fishing rolled into one!
great story
Thanks so much for taking the time to read my story. Glad to hear you enjoyed it. I’m currently in Manchester Center VT- 150.7 miles into my current journey. I’m enjoying my Journey, but also looking forward to when I get home so I can resume my quest of landing a keeper-size bass!
Josiah
Great story Josiah I wish that I had your stamina. Nature is great.
Glad to hear you enjoyed my story. I’m taking advantage of the stamina I have and am currently on another backpacking trip. I’m backpacking from Salisbury CT to the Canadian Border. Nature up here in Vermont is breathtaking!
Josiah
I just connected with Josiah and he is currently 5 1/2 days into another long distance hike.
He is about 80 miles in and will cross into Vermont on Sunday – so it might be a little while until he can reply to comments!
I’m currently in Manchester Center, VT and 150.7 miles into my Journey. Finally got a chance to reply to comments!
Josiah
Great story and congrats for your first of many striper!
Glad to hear you enjoyed my story and I appreciate the support! I’ll make sure to write another post once I land my first keeper-size striper!
Josiah
Josiah,
I enjoyed reading about your trip and it wasn’t too many years ago when my son hiked the trail and the stories were incredible. I am sure you are proud of that accomplishment and catching a bass is icing on the cake. Welcome to the site!
Ron,
Thanks for the support and I’m glad you enjoyed hearing my story! Awesome to hear your son walked the trail as well! I’m sure your extremely proud of him! It’s an incredible journey and big accomplishment. Catching my first striper definitely iced the cake! I’ll make sure to let everyone on here know when I land that keeper-size striper.
Thanks for the warm welcome to this community,
Josiah
A great reason why you should always take one more cast…you just never know when they will hit but if you aren’t casting.. you won’t be catching.
Thanks for reading my story! I will never EVER stop casting. I’ll let everyone know on here when I finally land my first keeper-size striper.
Josiah
Great story Josiah and it was terrific fishing with you and Andrew.
Thanks, Ryan! Andrew and I enjoyed fishing with you as Well! Looking forward to a future opportunity! I’ll keep you posted about my Journey and when I finally land a keeper-sized striper!
Josiah