An Odd Day

[oddfish]

Not the day I was hopeing for but a good day all in all.

I was panning to be on the boat by 0600, but the bendryl has been playing havoc on my sleep. I awoke finally at 0547 to find myslef sleep killing the snooze...apperently this had been going on for over an hour. Kids already up...Guess the alarm will do that too them. I realize the day will be late, reset pans for being on site at 0900, got there at 0909. My goal was a big cod and some exploratory work on new areas. When I got to my first stop I was hopeful, there were a few boats around. After about an hour I had a red hake to show for my troubles, along with 2 dogs. Decide to make a move to another reliable cod area. Another red hake (by the way my first hake on R&R ever). Give up on cod and decide to do the mud exploration. Get out to 280-300' in mud start slow drift. 1.5 Lb whitting, only my second ever whitting. Miss somthing else, then goes dead. Try two more spots nothing, wind starts up. Move back to NH water. Decide to jig for Mac, Cod, Pollock, Cunner. I fgure I don't have a lot of time since the seas were 4-6 and a SE wind at 15 will froth that up in no time. Did well there, got 47 turd pollock for bait and tail fillet, 5 cunner, 3 cod (one the smallest ever and up to 15"), 5 macs. Fun jiging when you get a sabiki with two species hanging off of it. Waves got bad went inside and put boat away.

No whale cod, like my daughter told me to get. I showed her Roc's cod pict, her comment was you can get a bigger one......I tried to explain that Roc is one of the best, I probably can't compete with that, but she would here none of it. Got to like her positive thinking though.

I learned a bit more about the bottom, and think next time I will probably put the extra 3-4 knts out and hit the islands, not quite rigged for 400' fishing right now but should have made the attempt anyway.
I used the green cloth like line all day and am absolutly sold on it. The ability to feel is about a magnitude better than anything else I have used. I can feel a crab touch at 250' and distiguish it as such. I could also feel a 3" cunner hit a 3.0 OZ. jig very clearly.......I'm switching a few more poles over, want to see how it will work as a striper line.

In the end I put 4 Lbs of white fillets int he freezer and the cats and I dined on mackeral and put the rest away for bait, and had a seven species day (Odd species, but that's what I'm here for comic relief)

Sea was 4-6 (mostly 4') from the east at about 9-10 seconds, 57.5-59 F surface. Good depth visability, not much current. Confirmed Dogs are with in 6 kn of shore, and Blues are on shore.

Oddfish

[47onthewall]

Justin Nudd broke down(again!) and while waiting for a tow he was surrounded by football tuna chasing mackerel out of the water. He fishes in state waters and was fairly close to Hampton Harbor.

I finally got into some bigger flounder yesterday, a couple 17". I also caught a 22" striper on my flounder gear, and he was NOT happy about it!
Seven flounder in about an hour, just before high tide in the river.