The Day the Ground Moved

[oddfish]

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

[cold waters]

nice work my friend

[Chris & Jack]

there is nothing better then a oddfish story....

makes me feel cozy sitting around a fireplace...

good job buddy, that's 1 pretty beast you got, i read somewhere a long time ago, that generally smaller and lighter > heavy.....

you can catch a small fish on small line, you can catch a big fish on small line, but big line you might spook anyone....

you all know that i haven't experienced the salt or marsh fishing, but i imagine the fish are a bit less lure/bait educated as our older vet freshies that see lures/bait thrown at them daily every year, but that doesn't mean we need to teach them what a fishing line looks like...

tenderness and care, patience and skill....that's what you demonstrate when you pull one in on small rigging and frayed/battered equipment oddfish

sooo

commend you on the catch and skills

[oddfish]

Thanks, but truely there was not much skill involved......That was all just luck. I did about everything wrong and got lucky with a fish, and I'll take it, but I won't confuse it with good fishing technique. I quickly tied the broken doodler on tuesday when I lost one in a school of macs, and not wanting the school to leave a I grabbed the first doodler I could find and tied it on as fast as I could befoer the school got bored and moved on. That part is acceptable, but not fixing it after the run ended was the inexcusable part. I had been waiting all day for it to break off, just being lazy.

OD

Sometime you get lucky and don't have to pay a price to learn a lesson; That was me yeasterday. Lesson learned!

"You never know what may greet the other end of your line, so be as prepared as you can for such suprises."

[Smann]

nice job guess that made your day

[Riverjim]

Great story OD. That was one huge cunner.