Weather-wise it has been a pretty spectacular Labor Day Weekend and the beaches, boat ramps and restaurants have been packed with people!
The Cape has been very busy with lots of folks enjoying the tail end of summer and trying to make the most of the sunny skies, warm temps, and light winds.
Yesterday afternoon my wife Lauren, dog Rosie and I departed for the boat ramp shown below.
My thought was to bring Lauren and Rosie for a nice boat ride through the bay and then head out into the Sound for a chance at some albies.
I knew that launching in the afternoon would be risky because the area could be overloaded with boats and people, but I figured I'd still give it a shot.
When we arrived, not only was the boat ramp absolutely packed with boats and trailers, but the wind was howling. It pained me to do it, but I made the call to turn around and head to the boat ramp below.
This boat ramp can handle more boats and would give us access to waters that are more protected from the strong southwest wind.
I saw several members of My Fishing Cape Cod as I launched the boat and exited the marina, which is always pretty cool!
I also saw Cullen from Cape Star Charters who was returning with an 85 inch giant bluefin tuna.
Lauren and Rosie in the cabin of our 21' boat the Miss Loretta.
The cabin is Rosie's "safe spot" when onboard.
We exited the marina and headed straight towards the beach shown below, which was absolutely packed with trucks, jeeps and campers.
I don't think I've ever seen it so busy!
Eventually we found an open spot to anchor the boat and spend a little time on the beach.
The green head flies were surprisingly pretty bad, but we made the most of it and had a very nice time.
The water was a refreshing 67 degrees and crystal clear.
Of course on the way home I had to stop and try to catch at least one fish before calling it an evening.
Traditionally early September is dynamite in this area for big striped bass, but in recent years the fishing has been not as great as it once was.
Nevertheless I pulled the boat up to the area shown below to have a look.
I began marking fish but they didn't look like bass, and I guessed they were probably bluefish. I decided to put a Magic Swimmer out on 4 colors of leadcore line and troll around at 4.5 knots.
Suddenly fish started breaking on the surface and a bunch of gulls and terns descended on the water off the bow. I trolled over to the fish and BAM!
The rod doubled over and leadcore began peeling from the spool.
Unfortunately the fish popped off the hook, so I grabbed a spinning rod and worked a pencil popper across the surface. BAM! Another nice big hit and I was onto what immediately felt like a bluefish.
Sure enough, it was!
The schools of blues were not huge but there were enough fish to have kept us occupied if we wanted to spend more time on the water.
But all I was looking for was one fish to quench my thirst, so we decided to call it a trip.
In conclusion it was a nice afternoon and evening on the water with the two loves of my life; my dog Rosie and my wife Lauren.
We all better eat up these late summer days while we still have them...
Tight lines! 🎣
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Sounds like an awesome day on the water after a last minute audible at the ramp! That pic of you carrying rosie is frame worthy!
Thanks Leo. Rosie is getting better and better on the boat. Last year she was pretty anxious but yesterday she did great. She swims well too! Hope you’re having a great Labor Day Weekend.