Hello,

I am new to the forum (last month) and I want to quickly say thanks for all the great discussion that goes on on this site.
I began fishing the beaches and rips of Nantucket when I moved here in 1991. At the time the fishing was diminishing and by 94-95 I was wondering how anyone could maintain this vigil of inshore Bass fishing and only catching a couple of fish a night ( or even a week for that matter !).
Now it is 12 years later and I have been out there gettin' it done for some time. My instincts are more more refined but they always are being trained. The simple techniques of FISHING the lure/bait. Feeling the rod tip, the line tension. The smell of a spot holding fish (THANK GOD I QUIT SMOKING BUTTS !). It is all this acoustic experience

All these things have led up to the last 5-6 years of me being a man possessed. Albeit silently, but regardless, an angler with purpose. To learn more about consistently finding and landing Striped Bass. This is the most awesome experience I have ever experienced. Of fishing a remote spot and catching and releasing of incredible beauty. Catching and then RELEASING 40 + lb. fish. With only your word to stand by it. And no one ever knows because it just doesn't matter. That is the essence of the experience.

This past winters brutality put a damper on a lot of our moods for spring fishing and the extra long spring made the run late. On Nantucket that meant NO FISH until mid-May. It felt as though Summer would NEVER come.

And then all of a sudden it explodes.

I am so completely exhausted that, last night, when I went out for the twilight league effort I promised myself that I would fish until the tide change (10 pm ish) and get home to a warm bath and a long sleep. You see, I have been fishing 12 out of the last 16 days and getting 6 hours of just enough rest to make it through the next day before the little voice in my head starts saying " Get your gear in order, air down the truck, grab some munchies and ice. Tonight is perfect ". It is nuts. Probably 400 fish over the last 2 1/2 weeks and they just keep getting bigger.

Now to my question:

There is obviously a lot of factors involved in why the fish are showing such healthy numbers. Can anyone tell me about the influence of a cold winter and the spawn of all the associated species in this astounding event ?

Thanks and all the best to everyone who tolerated my exhausted mind !

Glad you're getting better numbers. Where I'm fishing numbers are down!

KJ,

Alright a Vineyarder ! What side of the island are you fishing ?
You don't have to be specific but I spend most of the early run on the south side of nantucket and head to the North (any day now) when the bigger fish are coming through the gap.

What and how are you fishing ?

:)

The North Shore of the vineyard has been ok... the south shore has sucked! I fished Wasque a few days ago and did nothing! Four hours of fishing, 1 29 inch bass. Others I have talked to say the same thing, the fishing should be good, it just isn't. last year Wasque was red hot for most of may, right up until the end of June. I fish from a boat, so I've been heading to the Elizabeth Islands instead of fishing vineyard haunts. On a positive note though, dogfish bar is supposedly getting hot.

KJ,

Have you any spots on the south shore to squibby that hold fish ?

Our south shore action right now is insane ! No real daytime numbers but fish being caught. Twilight to dark is an experience in itself. I planned on fishing until the tide slacked on the west current last night and THE BITE NEVER STOPPED. RIGHT THROUGH THE SLACK UNTIL THE EAST STARTED TO FLOW ! I have never, ever sean anything like it. 24"-40" fish. I landed 40-50 fish with only 5 being shorts. All plump and full of vinegar.

Try the south shore when there is a swell and be patient. Test it at twilight with a surface plug to see what is there, If nothing, move to another spot. They gotta be on the Vineyard south shore if they are on the nantucket one.

Good luck !

yeah, i suppose you're right. it's just odd.to go to wasque in june last year and come up with only one bass was unheard of. I've heard that the squid catches out in the channel and in the sound are down so that may be affecting migration patterns. And although the fishing has been slow along the elizabeth's the fish have been big. Have you been fishing surfside? I always did well there this time of year.

KJ,

Surfsude has produced fish but it is generally unpredictable because it is ledgey beach as oppossed to an ocean hole set-up on all the other south beaches. Our luck has been working the bars and holes both upcurrent and down current sides. They are packed in them after dark. I have also fished the North beaches and the east beaches ('sconset/sankaty) with good success. Last week one could almost track the migartion by the size of fish you would catch and where. Sankaty fish were smaller 25-33' and Madaket-Miacomet were larger 30-40". Now they seem to have made it all the way around anfd are increasing in size every night. They are beginning to catch them in the harbor but it is essentially boat guys with jigs. Kind of boring fishing in my opinion.
These next couple of weeks are going to be something.

try smackit surface plugs in the day (or similar looking plugs) to twilight and then switch to a swimmer. The bomber is the winner. You can throw snakes but I hate gut hooking schoolies on a 20" eel.
I will repeat. 40+ 30-40" fish on a pearl and black bomber in the surfline RIGHT THROUGH THE TIDE CHANGE ! Never seen anything like it.....

Todays a North wind and I am going to lurk up to GP fishing the east beach until the bluefish crowd get's cold and goes home. The tide isn't right at the Point until early morning but there are definetly fish about.

I'll check back in with a report tomorrow.

Keep the faith, slow and twitch the retrieve !

KJ: if you're familiar with the area, poke around Cannapissit.

Got some keepers out of there during the past week easy like...

Watch out for the rocks and breakers on the Nausauena side though.

Thanks for the info beachwalker. I've been doing pretty well on the surface with the smackits this year as well. A pink Habs squid popper has been the best producer though. I really should invest in some bombers. I keep hearing good things. likwid- were you in cannapissit on friday? my best luck has been just west of there. The boulders there are great for casting but last week the water was so dirty....

Anyone that thinks they know the reason is just speculating. You are smokin the fish on the island and reports of 50's - more than I have ever heard of - are filtering in from up and down the coast. If you ask me it is weird, but it seems like cold wet spring has brought in both numbers and size - for some, and skunked many others...
Just be glad you did not do what I did....Someone called me Thursday and offered me an all expense paid trip to the Vineyard for four days and I turned him down....I'd be there right now......g-----it!
Just be happy, enjoy the good times, and try not to spend a lot of time figuring out why a fish with a little pea-brain does what she does. The fish are where you are, keep at em' and maybe you'll get a monster large!
Good Post!

KJ: nah, missed friday to work on the boat (yeah... i pick the best day to do the worst work!)

west of can is usually full of fish if you have the nuts to chunk in there...

i've gone off the beach by the barges and pulled cows time and time again ;)

might try just around the corner south from the oyster farm soon... i remember a guy in a lobster boat sitting there and hitting a BIG fish... just need to remember where the rocks are :smash:

Hey,

Last night started with a bang as I landed 4 fish 36 -40" in about 15 minutes on the east beach up to GP (Nant.).

Bluefish were blitzing evrywhere and I had to be careful I did get to crazy on retrieve or I would probably get busted off. I run 12 lb. double - uni'ed to a 25 lb. mono leader. One bigger blue and my nice plug is gone !

I think I am going to take a break tonight and get some rest. The girlfriend is on her last bit of patience. Thankfully she has a night job !

Keep the tip up.......

sounds like solid fishing again!