Steve O'Malley
Spring is officially here, and I plan to soon be on the water to welcome the first migrating stripers to our area!
Dreaming about all of the places I want to explore and fish in 2017, I realize that there just aren’t enough days to do it all, so I’ve taken a step back to consider what is really important to me this season.
In the past, my fishing bucket list has included “catching a keeper during each of the summer months”, and “fishing Race Point in June”, but this season I’m approaching things differently.
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Putting Friends on Fish
My goal for 2017 is to put friends on fish. That is, to provide a new and memorable experience for friends and kids who might otherwise never get the opportunity.
Pictured above is author Steve O'Malley (right) with MFCC founder Ryan Collins (left) during a Friday group fishing trip with captain Cullen of Cape Star Charters.
The idea to dedicate 2017 to putting friends on fish, came to me last spring after I experienced several successful solo trips.
With my confidence strong, I decided to invite my friends Howie and Omar (pictured above) up for a weekend of bass fishing.
This turned out to be a very stressful, but also greatly rewarding experience, that I still think back upon and smile. However, I will never forget the pressure I felt to put these guys on fish.
Feeling The Pressure
I had been feeling the pressure all week and had spent a lot of time preparing. The boat was clean, full of fuel and stocked up with water bottles and snack foods. I had three good rods with new braided line.
For tackle we would have Sabiki rigs, circle hooks, popping plugs, swimming plugs, jigs, and a box of frozen squid, just in case.
Suddenly my phone beeped with a text message from Howie.
“Hey, we just passed Providence. Be there in an hour” the text message read. Excited with thoughts of 30 pound stripers, Howie and Omar had bugged out of work early in New Jersey and would be on my doorstep hours ahead of schedule.
Both are experienced fishermen, Omar spent his youth chasing marlin and mahi-mahi off the coast of Puerto Rico, while Howie has made his living on northeast commercial scallop vessels.
Upper Buzzard's Bay
Seabass to Start
The author was able to get Howie and Omar (pictured above) into good seabass action in upper Buzzard's Bay soon after they arrived from New Jersey.
All spring they had been listening to my tales of fishing success and now they were looking at me to put them on big Cape Cod bass. It was the first weekend in June and all was in place for a safe and successful trip.
I met the guys in my driveway around 5pm and it was clear that they didn’t want to waste a moment. As an "appetizer" we made a quick evening run out to the black seabass grounds in upper Buzzards Bay.
We dropped bucktail jigs with squid strips onto a rocky bottom and within an hour had landed a few nice keepers.
Back at the house we enjoyed cold drinks and fresh grilled seabass, while discussing the plan for the morning.
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About the author
Ooops, I realized after my accidental double comments that the post was from Steve, not Ryan. Anyway, the thoughts still apply. Great post, very entertaining and informative. I am a novice but to some of my friends I am the expert. So I feel a bit of pressure even when we fish off the beach. I just try to give them a fighting chance. But the odds are on the side of the fish.
Enjoy your summer.
Thanks AS. Best to you this season!
Yeah that really was a fun article to read and really makes me think about what I want to do this season as the warm weather hit today and my mind turned to how soon I could put my boat in.
Glad you enjoyed it. Thanks.
Nice post Ryan. I went out with you and a couple of members of MFCC one night last summer and I was the only one who didn’t land a striper. I did manage to boat a couple of blues though. They were getting in the way of the stripers. But, you did you best to try to get me on a fish. You kept switching spots until it was finally time to give up the ghost.
Maybe this summer. (I’ll put fishing Race Point in June on my Bucket List)
What a Great story with an even Better ending, I felt the pain of that also when I told my fishing buddy that I would take him to my favorite lake for Lake Trout. He saw my pictures and heard my stories.
There was A lot of mental stress on that particular trip for some reason.
I totally enjoy taking people out and showing them a good time, what I do and how I do things, but every now and then …ohh boyy , I wonder if I bit off more than I can chew LOL !!!
Great write up Steve, This is what its all about, good times and Great friends !!!
Thanks Stephen. Hoping to read posts this year of you and others doing the same.
Thanks Steve, This is what MFCC is all about. Helping each other, and enjoying being on the water with friends and family. I have great memories of putting the founder of MFCC on fish when he was very young. Enjoyed this post and will see you in the bay.
.. and your lessons have been passed it on to the MFCC members. Thanks.
Great article! One of the things I enjoy most is the fellowship; whether its meeting an old timer in the surf, or bringing a beginner for the first time. One of the things I hate the most is the stress of putting friends on fish, especially when you have a great spot and you know the fish have been there. Fortunately most dedicated fishermen know that catching a fish is just bonus.
Couldn’t agree more Brian. Fishing is a great excuse to just be out there.
Wow, that was so good! I didn’t want it to end, and I will likely read it several more times as I count the days. I don’t get to the Cape for the summer until 6/20, but I will be there for the long weekend over Memorial Day. My plan is the exact one you outlined. Up early! Run through the canal, fill the live well, catch big fish at the West End. I live so close and last summer never caught a striper there (it was my first season catching striper, didn’t get many, but i am addicted) Top of my list this summer. I will have my very inexperienced buddy with me, so putting us both on fish is the goal! Hope to end the day with lunch in Onset at Marc Anthony’s for some lobsta bisque.
Fantastic write up!
Thanks for the kind comments WedgeWorld. It’s nice that there are a couple of MFCC’ers working the west end. I hope to see you out there sometime soon.
While reading your report I was impressed with your fishing prowess. It is a great thing to share that with others!
Thanks Dex. I’m honestly still a newbie when it comes to the finer techniques. But just a couple of years participating in MFCC has helped tremendously!