I woke up this morning at 3:39AM - exactly one minute before my alarm was set to go off. I stepped outside to dead calm conditions. There was not a breath of wind and the stars were shining bright. I could tell it was going to be a very nice morning.
I arrived on the beach well before sunrise. False dawn is probably my favorite time of the day to be fishing. Not only is it serene, but striped bass are often most active just before sunup.
The tide this morning was ebbing, and rushing quickly around my waders. By sunrise I was settled into an area I felt would have some life. I got to casting, eagerly anticipating some sign of fish.
As the sun rose above the horizon I heard a good "SLAP!" somewhere off to my left. Way off in the distance was a bass chasing down a hapless bait fish right on the surface. The fish was well out of casting range but I didn't care - there was life.
A few minutes later I heard another slap, however this fish was much closer. I spun my head around just in time to catch sight of the swirl. The bass was a mere 30 or 40 feet away, well within casting range.
I plopped a perfect cast right on the fish's noggin, and turned a few cranks of the reel handle. My lure swam untouched for the first 20 feet of the retrieve, but as the current swung the shad directly in front of me I felt a solid pickup.
I dropped the rod tip, reeled up tight, set the hook and I was on.
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