Striper Talk Striped Bass Fishing, Surfcasting, Boating - View Single Post

numbskull · 08-06-2013, 06:08 PM

The issue with the hooter is swells.

The current dumping out of Nantucket Sound has built a huge delta of sand and shoals, the apex of which is the hooter. Any swell from an easterly or southerly direction is coming across the Atlantic then hitting these shoals. Particularly when the tide is ebbing this can get nasty, even on days with no wind. A 3-4 foot swell at sea can become 8-10 feet very quickly.

In contrast, the inner shoals at Wasque are more wind and current affected. This can get very messy, but only for a mile or so until you are across them and into Muskeget channel proper (which dumps between the inside of Mutton and skiff island). Once you are past skiff island the channel is more a series of big up and down swells than rough washing machine stuff like inside Wasque. As you come past Tom shoal if you stay to the east a bit and head for the Muskeget bell rather than Wasque can you can miss the worst of Wasque's tide rips but you still will have to put up with a mile of misery if the tide is ebbing and wind SW.

You can also access the hooter from the east if you run down the channel between outer Mutton shoal and Muskeget Island (stay close to mutton shoal). As you pass the SE end of mutton you can turn S and hit a shoal called paradise (no name on map however) that runs from Muskeget Island towards the hooter. This is often a very good place to target bonito and albies, often better than the hooter which is often crowded. Between Mutton and paradise is a lot of shallow water that can pop up breakers, but you can usually see and avoid these. Also you are running more quarter to the swells which makes the ride easier.

All this said, a bay boat with shallow freeboard is a risky proposition for fishing the junction between the Atlantic ocean and shallow shoals. Many years ago, after fishing the night on Tuckernuck, I ran my 20 seacraft to Old Man shoal (a place I'd spent many hundreds of hours fishing in a Dyer) on a glass calm morning. I put a line into the rip, swung my stern to it, looked at the rip towering above my gunnel, realized I could die, reeled in and ran the 40 miles home. Lesson learned. The hooter is no where near as hairy as Old Man, but respect it if your boat is small.
If you decide to go pick a day with minimal wind, try to make your run out on the incoming or slack tide, and check the swell height forecast.
Better yet, hit up Sandman and have him take you.

08-06-2013, 06:08 PM	#3
numbskull Oblivious // Grunt, Grunt Master iTrader: (0) Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: over the hill Posts: 6,682	The issue with the hooter is swells. The current dumping out of Nantucket Sound has built a huge delta of sand and shoals, the apex of which is the hooter. Any swell from an easterly or southerly direction is coming across the Atlantic then hitting these shoals. Particularly when the tide is ebbing this can get nasty, even on days with no wind. A 3-4 foot swell at sea can become 8-10 feet very quickly. In contrast, the inner shoals at Wasque are more wind and current affected. This can get very messy, but only for a mile or so until you are across them and into Muskeget channel proper (which dumps between the inside of Mutton and skiff island). Once you are past skiff island the channel is more a series of big up and down swells than rough washing machine stuff like inside Wasque. As you come past Tom shoal if you stay to the east a bit and head for the Muskeget bell rather than Wasque can you can miss the worst of Wasque's tide rips but you still will have to put up with a mile of misery if the tide is ebbing and wind SW. You can also access the hooter from the east if you run down the channel between outer Mutton shoal and Muskeget Island (stay close to mutton shoal). As you pass the SE end of mutton you can turn S and hit a shoal called paradise (no name on map however) that runs from Muskeget Island towards the hooter. This is often a very good place to target bonito and albies, often better than the hooter which is often crowded. Between Mutton and paradise is a lot of shallow water that can pop up breakers, but you can usually see and avoid these. Also you are running more quarter to the swells which makes the ride easier. All this said, a bay boat with shallow freeboard is a risky proposition for fishing the junction between the Atlantic ocean and shallow shoals. Many years ago, after fishing the night on Tuckernuck, I ran my 20 seacraft to Old Man shoal (a place I'd spent many hundreds of hours fishing in a Dyer) on a glass calm morning. I put a line into the rip, swung my stern to it, looked at the rip towering above my gunnel, realized I could die, reeled in and ran the 40 miles home. Lesson learned. The hooter is no where near as hairy as Old Man, but respect it if your boat is small. If you decide to go pick a day with minimal wind, try to make your run out on the incoming or slack tide, and check the swell height forecast. Better yet, hit up Sandman and have him take you.