MFCC anglers' most memorable outings of 2025 ran the gamut: an act of kindness, two personal bests and two new species in the same day, a great end to the fishing year, a bucket list striper slipping off just two feet away, and a beautiful evening interrupted only by a constellation.
Looking back on the fishing season provides an opportunity to put some perspective into the days we spent on the water. Of course we all go fishing with the intent of catching fish, but most MFCC members also have a greater perspective.
We understand how lucky we are to fish on our favorite peninsula, taking the time to appreciate its beauty, from ruby red sunrises to amazing sunsets—a new show every day for those who make the time to look.
So without further ado, here are some memorable 2025 outings as recalled by your fellow MFCC members.
Jeffrey Cotto: Quick Trip, Big Results
On June 27, a friend of My Fishing Cape Cod member Jeffrey Cotto called and asked if he wanted to hit the incoming tide on a spot close to his house.
"Quick trip he said, hour window on the tide," recalls Jeff. "We walked out under clear skies and a nice offshore wind.
Jeffrey Cotto caught this well above slot striper on a June evening. Jeffrey and a friend were treated to 45 minutes of nonstop action on the memorable evening.
"I clipped on a blue/black Albie Snax and on my third cast as the lure hit the water it exploded and my drag screamed. After a nice fight my buddy helped me land the fatty.
"On the next cast I caught a slot and after that another explosion and drag scream. 'That's the biggest yet' my buddy yelled. Unfortunately that one rubbed the line on a rock for its freedom.
"My friend was right, 45 minutes later action stopped and we headed home," concludes Jeff about that memorable evening.
Jeffrey Cotto had a number of solid outings throughout 2025, starting early in the season continuing to late this fall.
Mike Dixon: Multiple Memorable Trips
Although MFCC member Mike Dixon says he didn't get to fish a lot in 2025, there were three trips that stuck out for him.
Memorial Day Weekend at Niagara River
The first was Memorial Day weekend fishing Niagara River. Mike says his group fished hard, chased bucket list species and was lucky enough to catch all of them: walleye, drum, smallmouth bass, a white bass, two lake trout, and a muskie on the last cast of the last day! Another great example of success with "just one more cast."
Mike Dixon is all smiles, showing the big lake trout he caught during a Memorial Day trip to the Niagara River.
On his last cast of the day, Mike Dixon landed this musky, the first time he landed one these elusive predators.
Mike broke his personal best for walleye, and caught his first white bass, musky and drum. Now that's a successful weekend!
June Kayak Trip to Sakonnet Point
Mike's kayak trip to Sakonnet Point in June chasing bonito was another memorable outing. Mike caught a few bones, nice fluke, sea bass, scup and tog on jigs.
Buzzards Bay Striper Action
A Buzzards Bay outing chasing stripers was another memorable trip for Mike. On a quick afternoon trip, Mike found big stripers pushing pogies tight to shore. In Mike's words, "They were hammering spooks!"
Carl Johansen: Acts of Kindness and 75 Years of Fishing
Carl Johansen is a legend in the Cape Cod fishing community, who freely shares his wisdom on this site. One of Carl's memorable trips this year was aboard Captain Jason Colby's Little Sister charter boat. Captain Colby donated a flounder trip to senior citizens, and Carl was one of those onboard the flounder outing out of Sesuit Harbor.
"We all were put onto fish that Jason filleted and they would become one of the best meals for us this year," says Carl, adding that Jason is "a man of conscience who cares about the resource and those he takes out to enjoy what our maker has given us."
Blue Bullets at the Canal
Earlier in the year Carl's wife fractured her hip, and since then Carl's focus has been squarely on her recovery. Carl did manage to get out to the Canal to fish for mackerel this fall, a fish he refers to as "blue bullets."
Carl Johansen is pictured catching mackerel at the canal late in the year, one of the legendary angler's favorite locations and species to catch.
Over the years Carl has caught many of the "blue bullets" in the big ditch using a sabiki rig.
In Carl's words, "I had some time to get out early morning to fish for blue bullets at a place I have fished for now over 75 years in the Cape Cod Canal. The bottom changes each year from folks breaking off line and gear and I need to revisit how to attack the bottom and catch fish without getting hung up on gear.
"One early morning as the sun began to come up I saw thousands of mackerel finning inside the entrance to the harbor. It is a spectacular sight if you have never witnessed it before and one to remember.
"As the fish swim on the surface their eyes can be seen as they chase sand eels around in the still water, making their own waves at times," says Carl.
"My time spent on the water for me gave me a little encouragement knowing that at my age of 91 I am still able to experience the joy that fishing has to provide, and fish along some long time friends like Ron Arra and talk about the years gone by and how it saved my life," says Carl.
Carl is pictured with Ryan Collins during one of Carl's trips to the Canal to catch mackerel.
Carl continues, "The size of the fish matter not, the species matter not. The number of fish matter not. To be able to forget some of my more serious concerns for just a fleeting time is a blessing that everyone who fishes can capture, if they have an open mind," says Carl, ending his post as he always does, "Peace and Prayers."
Jeff Richard: A Grand Finale at Charlestown Breachway
A surf angler who like many others faced challenges finding stripers in 2025, Jeff Richard's most memorable outing was his last, "largely because there wasn't a lot of CATCHING for me this year," says Jeff.
"I had been searching for that last striper on the weekends leading up to November," says Jeff. "Bass River and the beach outside were very quiet. Barnstable Harbor was dead."
Jeff continues, "So the first week in November I invited a good friend of mine to join me on a glorious Friday to try our luck at the Charlestown Breachway in Rhode Island.
"I try to make this my last stop for the year, and my buddy Jim had never caught a striper before. So we met up at my place in Smithfield, Rhode Island, and drove down to South County. The reports showed decent but sporadic action. Of course, the two weeks prior were 'lights out.'"
Jeff adds, "It was a sunny, warm, late-autumn day as we arrived to a rising tide. There were birds working sporadically (a good sign). I normally avoid the jetty and stick to the beach. We were casting peanut jigs into a moderate surf.
A picture of one of the stripers that Jeff Richard and his friend Jim caught on a memorable November outing at the Charlestown Breachway in Rhode Island. Jeff and Jim caught 11 stripers using bucktails.
"After a half-hour a dozen gannets showed up and were occasionally dive bombing off the tip of the jetty and maybe several hundred yards offshore. Jim, a novice, needed to go back to the car, and I decided to move to the jetty. No one else was there.
"As I carefully climbed up the rocks, I noticed that there were swirls under the gannets up close to the tip of the jetty. Not venturing more than two-thirds of the way out, I found a spot where I could cast and pull a schoolie out above the rocks if I hooked up.
"I decided to try a one ounce bucktail, not my usual go-to, but something I need to get more comfortable and proficient with. On my second cast I'm on, and pulled a 22-inch schoolie out of the rocks around the jetty. This is my first fish since September!
"Three more casts and I have two more fish! Now, the challenge became these were larger slot-size fish and I needed to get them up on the jetty, which was six to seven feet above the water and eight feet out from where I was standing," says Jeff.
"I was able to manage grabbing the leader and swinging the fish up onto the rocks without damaging them, though it took some experimentation," says Jeff. "At this point Jim rejoined me. He tried a swimming plug, but no luck. I gave him my rod with the bucktail on it and he's on with his first ever striper.
During the first week in November, Jeff Richard helped his friend, Jim, who is pictured above, to catch his first striper on a bucktail at the Charlestown Breachway in Rhode Island.
"I took the rod he was using and tied on a bucktail too and pretty soon we were doubled up. This was problematic as I needed to land all the fish, making sure not to bang them around too much or break the rod high-sticking it," says Jeff.
"All the while the gannets were putting on a show, dive bombing 50 yards away from us. We had 45 minutes of action that was way more than any other time this past season for me."
Concludes Jeff, "This was a fantastic grand finale for me, and a great first catch for Jim. Final score: 11 stripers caught, another half dozen dropped, and an aerial show for the ages."
Johan Frenje: The One That Got Away
Johan Frenje recalls his most memorable 2025 outing. "Sometimes things don't go as planned, and that's exactly what happened during my most memorable trip this season," he says.
"For more than 10 years now, I've been chasing that 30 pound-plus bucket list bass, sight fishing on the flats. This season I had that fish about two feet from my hand when it got unbuttoned and swam away. I revisit that event in my head every day, such a heartbreaker," says Johan.
Here is a part of Johan's original post recalling the outing in Fly Fishing and Fly Tying 2025 thread. "Once again I put the fly 10 feet in front of the wake, and I hooked up again, this time to a much larger fish.
"At first the fish didn't realize it was hooked. With added pressure, it finally realized it was hooked and it took off. The first run was easily 100 yards," said Johan. "I saw the line pointing in one direction while the fish was breaking well off the direction the line was pointing.
"After a few nerve-wracking minutes, I got the fish in, close enough to see the dorsal fin and tail when it dawned on me it could be the fish I've been searching for years, a bucket list fish over 30 pounds on the flat. It did another run, a little shorter this time.
Continues Johan, "Brought it back in again and when it was about 10 feet away from me I grabbed the leader trying to bring it in. About two feet away from my hand, it makes a few head shakes and the fish gets unbuttoned and very slowly swam away from me in 2 feet of clear water. I think that broke my mind because this is the fish I had been searching for as long as I can remember."
Mark Bonvouloir: A Night with Orion
Mark Bonvouloir is a frequent poster on the forum, detailing outings with solid stripers, often caught in the Canal. But for Mark, his most memorable outing didn't include catching fish.
In Mark's words, "October 22. Beautiful night. Light wind. Soft surf. Gonna be a great night. Outer Cape. I walked three miles easy," Mark recalls.
Sometimes the most memorable fishing outings don't include fish. Mark Bonvouloir recalls being on an Outer Cape beach in October, expecting a great night for fishing, and it ended up being just him and Orion (the constellation) on the perfectly clear evening.
"Just me and Orion (the constellation) talking to each other. What I think were shad were nipping at the lure (memo to self, target shad again). No fish whatsoever but that's why we do this," concludes Mark.
On a late October trip to the Canal, Mark Bonvouloir landed this solid striped bass on a jig.
Ken Holt: Two Personal Bests in One Night
Ken Holt is one of those anglers torn between two memorable 2025 outings. Says Ken, "In mid-April my first fish of the season was taken in Montana on the Ruby River and this trip will certainly stay in my memories as a top 10 outing!
Ken Holt's first fish of 2025 was caught in Montana on the Ruby River - a trip Ken refers to as a top 10 outing.
"I think, however, that I'd have to say that the most memorable outing had to have been September 6 during a nighttime exploration.
"I had tried to connect with a number of my fishing buddies but alas, none were available to join me so I ventured out on my own. I suspected that migrating fish might be arriving on the bay side so I set myself to exploring the beach with the intention of fishing three casts, walking 50 steps, fishing three casts until I found fish.
Continues Ken, "When I arrived at the place I had planned to begin, there were no other anglers to be seen. Truth be told, I love to fish with my friends but if I am alone, I want to be alone.
Ken's September 6 outing was his most memorable of 2025, catching at least 14 stripers, beating his personal best twice in one evening!
"I get a little jolt of adrenaline when I arrive at 'my' spot and find that there is no one else around! This is true if I am on a stream, in my kayak or exploring the flats or a beach. I also, if I'm being honest, I have the unreasonable suspicion that if a car turns onto the same road that I am traveling to get to my spot, that they are headed to the same place, despite the fact that this has not actually ever happened.
"So I geared up and started my walk," recalls Ken. "At my first stop things were quiet and no fish bothered me or my fly. Fifty steps, same result. Fifty more and the same thing except for the fact that now I heard a loud commotion from what must have been a huge flock of birds.
"I had never heard of birds feeding after dark but figured I should check it out. I abandoned my 50 step routine and just started walking. After a while, I saw what looked like a huge pile of rocks and pebbles at the water's edge, but as I got closer I realized that I was looking at an enormous flock of birds just sitting on the ever-expanding sand bar.
"Since I could see that this was one of those places where water would fill in behind the bar on a rising tide, I figured that maybe there had been fish there before and the birds had simply remained.
"I waded out and before I was up to my knees I spooked a decent sized schoolie. My first few casts did not result in anything but now I was seeing and hearing fish. The moon was so bright that I could see the dark shapes darting into and out of the shallows.
Ken Holt caught this 38-inch striper on a memorable September evening. As Ken revived the fish he walked it through the water and down to the beach, coming across Mike Marcus and his MFCC Beach Boys group who were also enjoying the memorable evening.
"I had been fishing a black snake fly that was about 6 inches long so I figured that maybe I should go smaller to match whatever they were on. I put on a black clouser and on my first cast had a solid bump but no fish. My second cast and I was onto what felt like a pretty good fish. This fish turned out to be 37 inches which was a new personal best for me on the fly!"
Ken continues, "My night was already made by that one fish but they kept hitting consistently for the next hour. I landed at least 14 fish before the incoming tide made me have to retreat.
"As is, the trough behind me had filled in quite a bit and I was a little bit deeper than comfortable heading towards the beach. Before leaving, I landed another nice fish at 38 inches, so I beat my personal best twice in the same night!
"As I was reviving that 38-inch fish, I saw that among some of the anglers who had arrived while I was enjoying one of my best nights of fishing ever, was one person who had likewise retreated to higher ground and was only a couple of hundred yards from me.
"So I used my boga grip like a leash for a dog and walked the fish through the water and down the beach and called out to ask if he wouldn't mind taking my photo with my new personal best. Turns out it was Mike Marcus @StriperMadness of the Beach Boys and he was there enjoying the same productive evening that I had been.
"This was a GREAT night for me and all the friends who could not join me that night were kicking themselves when they heard my story!
"There were other great outings as well including my first striper of the year which coincidentally was the first fish caught on a new Thomas and Thomas rod. Good juju that the first fish on that rod was a slot fish!
"Then there was another evening when I got seven stripers in seven consecutive casts using a fly I have since dubbed the 'POC' (pimped out clouser)."
On another memorable evening, Ken Holt caught seven stripers in seven consecutive casts using a fly he has since dubbed the “POC” (pimped out clouser).
Ken concludes with, "All in all though, September 6th was my most memorable outing!"
Dan Nahorney: Sharing the Passion
From this writer's perspective, "memorable" can take on a different meaning. It could have been taking my new pedal kayak out to a lake I hadn't fished since I was a teenager, and quickly catching a good sized largemouth bass from one of the hotspots I remembered.
Or it could have been a bucket list trip, checking off catching a salmon in Alaska, not to mention halibut, and cod.
Catching a salmon in Alaska in 2025 was certainly a highlight of this author's year.
But for me, the most memorable fishing trip of 2025 was taking a charter out of Pompano Beach, Florida, with my two sons-in-law in late November. We were between seasons, so no large fish were caught on the sunny, 80-degree day. Yes, we did catch fish, a large porgy and some small almaco (which are delicious).
The trip was memorable because my sons-in-law know how much I enjoy fishing, so they planned the trip during a family vacation. I thoroughly enjoyed their company, the weather and their thoughtfulness for planning the trip. That night with our catch we made fish tacos and the best ceviche I've ever tasted.
Fishing for me is a passion, but like my father and namesake uncle taught me as a youngster, it's also about sharing that passion with those we love. When I think of my now deceased father and uncle (who are brothers), I picture them sitting in the backseat of our Chevy Nova while I drove them home, coming back from a fishing trip to the Connecticut shore, listening to the Red Sox on the AM radio and drinking cold beverages.
Sometimes we caught fish, oftentimes we did not. But we always enjoyed being together, sharing a hobby that brought us closer, making memories that last a lifetime.
Here’s to an unforgettable 2025 season – tight lines!
Dan Nahorney
MFCC Forum
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Dan, nice write up and read. Everybody’s adventures make you want to be back out on the water.