Hanging it up

[Danny]

I fished plum island and the mac for years from a small, unstable fiberglass boat. Never went Near the mouth, I was terriffied by it. Caught plenty of fish with occassional keepers, the limmit was 36" then. If I new then what I know now, it would have been a lot more without ever going near the mouth.

Then I upgraded to a 14' starcraft with a 25 hp for 7 years and started Venturing out in the ocean for Mackerel and fishing the mouth of the Mac on the right days. Caught Plenty of keepers.

Now I'm in a 16' with a 40hp and do my best fishing away from the slamming seas, but still enjoy fishing the mouth in June.

You just got to pick your days and be smart. This weekend you wouldn't find me fishing the mouth of the mac during the day in any boat, it was a white knuckle ride just trying to get out with the guys in the speed boats using everyone else as a slalom coarse. It was truely crazy, and amazing to me that no one got killed, but once you got outside it was a lake.

sunday evening coming in through the mouth there where only 2 other boats as far as I could see, it was top of the tide and it was a flat easy enjoyable sunset ride. Very nice way to end a hectic weekend.

I'd say early weekday mornings with a light west wind, the mouth is usually no problem.

But like everyone else said, there are plenty of flat water places inside to get lots of good fish.

I would fish that 14 footer without thinking twice. If you think your frustrated now, what happens if you drop big money on a bigger boat and still are not getting them?

[Spike10]

Good work, this does get frustrating and most times you just have to re-think what you are doing and fish your way out of a slump.

I am working on the opposite situation. I moved up from a 17' to a 23' this year and it has been great. more range, more comfort, etc. But there are a lot of places in the Merrimack that I love to fish (if you don't go aground now and again then you are just not fishing hard enough) but can't be quiet enough and just don't feel comfortable in a big expensive boat.

So I am now working on setting up a 12' tin boat as my "flats" boat.

[Riverjim]

Don't give up...

I have a 16' aluminum Starcraft with a fourty hoss Merc, but due to health issues and finances it has been on mothballs since 2002. In addition, my health problems have made it very hard to fish from the rocks, which eliminated about fifteen miles of Newhampshires eighteen mile coast from the spots I can fish.

Don't get discouraged by your limitations, like Roccus said fish smart. I am limited to very few spots I can access these days, but it is not stopping me from fishing. Instead I have tried to learn and understand the places I am fishing from. Unlike many people with boats who can move to "wherever" if the fishing isn't good in their original spot, I have to learn to coax the fish from a certain location and can't move around.

It takes more patients, and is not as succesfull as those who can chase the fish, but I was able to catch ten keepers from shore so far this year. No pigs, but the biggest was 33 inches and about 15 pounds. A few years ago I caught 25 keepers by June 15, all from shore. I find the fishing to be slow fishing from shore during July and August, but by September through early October the fishing is great again along the shoreline as the years herring fry, and peanut bunker start to empty out from the estuaries. This normally coincides with a fall Mackerrel run and the cows will come tight to the shoreline as they pack on the pounds for ther migration south and a long cold winter. Three years ago I caught a 37" and 39 " from the shore durring this fall run.

As others have said, there are many flat water places you can fish with a boat your size, infact many folks are catching large Stripers from kayaks, so if they can do it from a kayak, and I can do it from shore, so can you. I would say that you just have to give yourself some more time on the water, and don't listen to the people who are fishing places like the mouth of the Mac unless you are 100% sure of yourself and your boat. It just isn't neccessary.

[jnj]

AMEN

[Yettie1]

Gotcha Roc, Thanks.

Originally Posted by Roccus

not so much harder as smarter.... stay away from the mouth... to many boats.... your size boat is perfect for shallow water night fishing in the flats....

[Yettie1]

Today was my 28th trip for Stripers, 18th in the Merrimack.
Friday night I slung Eels in the flats, in the rain and wind.
Today, went out at 6:30am fished the flats again, fished a few rips, drifted up a channel, tried under the rt.1 bridge, tried the beachfront, even went 3-4 miles out for cod.
I've tried Eels, worms, clams, chunk mac, herring, plugs, etc.........
I think I'm just cursed and will not get a keeper.
Every trip I make is between 10-14 hours every time.
So, I've decided to try the Piscat. 2 more times and that is the end of this nightmare.
28 trips at $60-$100 a pop between bait and gas, with nothing to cook up for dinner.

I've tried everything that everyone has told me to try, maybe not in the right times/tides/moons/etc., but, I guess my brain just doesn't compute the right answer for catching stripers.

This is completely torturing me and my bank account, gotta call it quits after the Piscat.

Thanks to everyone for all of your help, very much appreciated.

Originally Posted by Roccus

not so much harder as smarter.... stay away from the mouth... to many boats.... your size boat is perfect for shallow water night fishing in the flats....

[fish4life]

Yettie, we have a sickness and that is indisputable. I call what we have a primal instinct, presently I am feeling the urge for fishing waning, giving way to the fall hunting season.

You spent alot of time on the water this summer and had experiences that others don't have. You are a lucky man, believe it.

[Mason]

I've been out 2 to 3 times a week, mostly with my wife, and have had nothing to show for our efforts but receipts. We've hooked into two fish that have thrown the hooks withi 30 feet of the hookset. We haven't even had a non keeper. We still go just for the time on the water. With all the bait fish in the rivers and just off shore the fishing is that much harder. Keep at it, the season aint over yet.

[prakoski]

Can't quit now...the fall run is in session!

[bbt030]

I'm not quitting. 1 1/2 seasons from the beach with nothing. This is a quest and it's personel now.