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When the striped bass just won't bite |
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Written by Roccus
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Wednesday, 24 June 2009 |
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catch 'em... quite honestly, if I see bass crashing the surface, they are easy pickins.. I've never had a surface feeder not take my artificial..
I have had them finning on the surface and refuse conventional methods... for these times, I add a small dropper 18" in front of a surface swimmer, I've always used pork rind or a large slim streamer fly.. modern day fisherman favor soft plastics.. I say give 'em pork!.. this does two things, first it appeals to their competitive nature,they are feeding on small bait and "think" the other fish ( being the plug) is going to eat the baifish ( pork dropper) greed is a mighty thing and has been the undoing of many a man... and fish!
My 3rd 50+ lb striper came on a pork rind dropper in front of a yellow darter from Head of the meadow beach in '86... on a night when everyone was racking their rods in disgust because the bass were feeding on pin sized sand eels and those fisherman that October night were all armed with large surface swimmers because that is what was entrenched in their brains... think outside the box! - Roccus When they just won't take... |
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Written by Oddfish
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Tuesday, 23 June 2009 |
The Day the Ground Moved
I wasn't expecting much form today. I thought I might get to Hampton and have to turn around and go home. But to my surprise the beach didn't look too bad for a small craft warning day. I figured that I would not be able to pull traps though because of the wave, but I took the bait any way (luck thing). The swell was not steep and there was not wind to speak of, so I set about to pulling. Cruddy only six bugs, but this time of year you take what you can get. After the pulling was over, I went about to Mackerel fishing. I was looking for another 250 or so. Went to my reliable site. stayed there for 45 min with not one bite. Moved to where I had had some luck this last Tuesday. Right off the bat I hid a pollock / Mack combo off the shrimp sabiki. I get the line back down and come up with a double mack. That was the last fish caught there, even after a few resets. Move to another site that has been good to me. Not too long before a double mac. Then a pollock and another mac. But it's not like it was earlier just slow work...Then goes dead. Begrudgingly move to a new spot where I got a big cunner earlier in the week. The ground looks promising but has not given up it's secrets. I get down and nothing for 10 Min. Getting ready to move and I get a micro cod. Then a few solitary macks, then a few cunner, and cod and a lone pollock. Then it goes dead for about 15 min. I move back on the anchor and get a few more cunner, but I think the best part of the bottom is still behind me. The wind is picking up but not too bad so I drop back even further I now have about reasonable anchoring scope I'm out about 250 in 50 feet of water. I get a few cunner and then a small cod, then another, then a larger than infant one. Some more cunner , and then a 19" cod. My thought is that if there is a 19" cod there should be a legal one down there too. Bite goes dead again. I cum in some mussels and clams. I am about to pick up and leave when I get a decent fish on. It comes up a cunner over a pound. Then another big cunner. So Now I rig for cunner ; tiny bits of mussel on the shrimp sabiki w/ the squid doodler. I throw on a fat clam part on the doodler, against my better judgment. I am doing this on my open faced reel attached to a casting rod. I let the line bounce off my finger every time it goes around the spool. I finally get down with the big clam and just as I suspect, with the clam I get jangled up with the bottom. I'm about to break the line after two unsuccessful attempts at recovery, when the ground moves.....I think I must have tangled the line on the bottom too, don't know how but it seems to be coming off in many places. I get the line up about 5' and the bottom is still tugging and bouncing.......Nor really believing or processing this funny ground problem I look at the tip of the pole and it is pulling down and bouncing........The light bulb finally lights I have a big F'en fish on the pole. Now I get scared I have literally tied the doodler with several overhand knots. The sabiki is only good for about 10# test. and I've got something big. I realize that the line is most likely frayed in several places. I keep working the bottom up and being gentle. I finally get it to the surface and net it. It's an 11 pound cod on the doodle, caught in the cheek with the doodle and in the mouth with one of the sabiki hooks. I got my Father's Day present form God a day early. There is no reason that that fish should have been landed. I had even by may standards a full blow googan event going.......Over hand know, the doodle has a broken fin that is sharp, I didn't realize I had a bid fish.........The list goes on. But none the less it was a good day 9 mack's, 12 cunner, 5 pollock, one black sea bass, and 7 cod. Half the cod was served for dinner.
Oddfish |
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Gloucester to Maine fishing report |
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Written by Cold Waters
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Tuesday, 23 June 2009 |
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Flounder fever has gripped the North Shore as well. A Nahant kayaker I know of, who like many of us lives to catch bass, has taken a striper sabbatical for a while to cash in on all the flounder he has been spotting below his craft by Bass Rocks, Saunders Ledge and off the Kerry Club. Generally, the water here is so clear you can see the flatfish lying around the ledges, sand and mussel beds. Harbor pollock on the North Shore, while still numerous, have slacked off when compared to the action a few weeks ago. When this happens, they seem to be more valued by stripers. I’ve found more pollock on the flooding tide than the ebb, and from shore they work well about 8-feet below an unweighted Styrofoam float, while boaters will do best slowly trolling them around areas such as the Shags, Tinkers Gut and Castle Rock... |
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Last Updated ( Wednesday, 24 June 2009 )
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Read more...
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More custom wood plugs contests coming soon! |
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Written by Administrator
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Tuesday, 23 June 2009 |
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We will be having some more custom wood plug contests soon! Keep an eye on the Contest section of the MM forum for updates and how you can win! |
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NH Striped Bass | New Hampshire striper fishing reports |
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Written by Administrator
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Saturday, 20 June 2009 |
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Striped Bass fishing in New Hampshire has improved greatly so far this season. New Hampshire striper fishing reports are EXCELLENT, and we are happy to pass along the exciting news of such a great start to the striper fishing season here in NH. We are under the impression it will be a great year for Striped Bass here in New Hampshire, as well as Maine and Massachusetts. Get local, up to date fishing reports from New Hampshire, Maine and Massachusetts on our forum. New Hampshire Fishing Reports - Freshwater / Saltwater Maine Fishing Reports - Freshwater / Saltwater Massachusetts Fishing Reports - Freshwater / Saltwater |
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Last Updated ( Saturday, 20 June 2009 )
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6.21.09 Fixed links on the front page of the site! |
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Written by Administrator
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Friday, 16 January 2009 |
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Fixed the links on the main site. Had some redirect problems and the buttons were not going to the proper destinations. Fixed! |
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Last Updated ( Tuesday, 23 June 2009 )
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