If only every trip could be this fun and productive!
I met Anthony, Tom and Adrian this morning at 4AM. The guys were all fired up and so was I. We had picturesque, flat calm, crystal clear conditions. Needless to say the morning had a ton of potential.
Both Tom and Adrian were looking for their first ever striped bass. I had a good feeling that today may be their day, but I held back from saying anything because you just never know with fish. Thankfully the bass cooperated!
We cruised out to this past week's mackerel hot spot and I gave the guys a quick lesson on jigging macks. It took us a little bit to zone in on the mackerel but we were eventually able to load up the live well with big macks and a sea herring or two.
As the sun rose we eased into our first striper spot of the day. I gave the guys a quick run down on how to fish the macks on light spinning gear and put them to work.
I could ramble on for hours about this report so I'll just cut to the chase. Within 5 minutes the guys had 4 keepers, all between 36 and 38 inches flopping around on deck-amazing!
The bass were coming right up to the surface and smacking the mackerel. Some of the macks would speed along on top, with a bass in close pursuit. It was quite the show to say the least.
Both Tom and Adrian had caught their first ever striped bass (and nice size ones at that) and it was only 6AM. Great start!
We continued drifting along, pitching live macks to the left and to the right. All three guys quickly became accustomed to the technique and had no problem hooking bass.
Before we knew it we were almost in double digits, as far as keeper bass were concerned. We had quite a few double hook ups which is always exciting.
Around 7:00AM we decided to make a big move and load up on more live bait.
The mackerel fishing this year has been stellar and I'm happy to say that it continued today. We found macks way out deep beyond the fleet and had about 40-50 in no time. With a chock full live well we headed back to the bite, hoping the fish were still around.
The tide had changed and the bass had moved but we were fortunately able to find them again in no time. If only things worked out this well on every trip!
We had a much better class of fish to work with today-the average bass before 9AM was 35-38 inches. The fish continued to put on quite the top water show, slamming and running with the macks, pulling line from the reels and putting bends in the rods.
The action began to slow mid morning until we made a move in tighter to shore. By chance we happened to stumble upon a shoal that was absolutely paved with fish.
By now we had just dead baits but the stripers did not care one bit. We bounced dead mackerel along the bottom and had pick ups during each drift.
Due to equipment failure I rigged Adrian up with a light freshwater setup that is better suited for large mouths than stripers. Sure enough the ultra-light setup produced, and Adrian had one hell of a time battling bass up to 20 pounds on the flimsy rod.
By 11:30AM we had landed somewhere in the vicinity of 25 keeper bass between 28 and 38 inches. All of these fish were incredibly FAT with huge stomachs and good shoulders. It was obvious that these fish had been feeding extremely well.
Today was hands down the best day we've had so far in 2012. I can't wait to get back out there!
The great spring fishing on Cape Cod is showing no signs of slowing up. Hopefully the bite will continue right on into summer. For more information on today's hot spots and techniques, click here for the extended report.
Big thanks to Adrian, Tom and Anthony for making the long drive from Worcester. I'm looking forward to getting back out there again with you guys soon.
Tight lines and take care!
Ryan
Nice Catch! I love it when people document their catches. I know this is super old but I just posted about gulf fishing (down near clearwater fl), and the different varieties there. Man it’s so fun angler fishing, especially in the gulf…which can provide SUPER calm waters, and really easy angler fishing. If you want any tips on the gulf if you ever make it down there, clearwaterwestfloridafishingtrips. blogspot. com just read about the different types of fish to target, etc. Pick the right charter and captain who can guide you on the right boat and get you the best catches. I’m sure you already know that, and probably don’t need a charter, but just in case you maybe travel there you may want to borrow another boat or hop aboard someone else’s. obviously. : ) Blessings to all yall, happy catch! -Kristie
Sounds excellent! Blessings to you as well Krisite and thanks for chiming in with those tips!!!
It was absolutely the best fishing trip I have ever been on. Just like Anthony stated above; you will definitely see us again!!!
Ryan, we will be sure to recommend you to EVERYONE !!!!!
Great to hear Adrian! I always appreciate any and all recommendations.
Take care and best of luck with the car sales,
Ryan
On behalf of the guys thanks again I don’t think we could have asked for a better trip. You will absolutely see us for another trip this year.
No problem Anthony! Glad you guys had fun. Looking forward to the next trip.
Best of luck until then,
Ryan