The One That Got Away (and the Ones That Didn’t)

It’s human nature—you think about that one that got away. It’s always going to be bigger than the one you landed. Photos and videos by Cal Wheaton

Conditions were ideal Friday morning when we left Bass River at 6:30. Sunrise was spectacular as we were getting ready to board Captain Tyler’s 28’ Whitewater. Water was calm, air was cool with just a light breeze.

The day would eventually warm up into the low 70’s. Perfect. I’ve been on a handful of Tyler’s striper trips, but this would be my first going after Albies. Everything everyone ever told me was that they were finicky, you had to cast well, and you needed to track them down, which was no easy task. Given that, I was going in with low expectations and planned to enjoy the day out on the water.

A Great Crew

These trips provide an opportunity to meet up with some amazing folks all looking to get fish on board, and this group was one of the best. Cal @Calwheaton, Brendon @OuterCapefish, and @Stark134, along with myself, had varying levels of experience, and we were all looking to hunt down Albies. I have to give a shout-out to Cal, who took a ton of photos and videos which we’ve included here in this post.

Getting Started

Captain Tyler headed west out of the mouth of the Bass River, and things started a bit slow. Tracking down birds and surface activity, we were able to land a couple of blues.

So much of a trip’s success boils down to having a captain put you on the fish. Tyler has never failed in the past, and he would come up big again on Friday.