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Fished the outer Cape yesterday, Tuesday Oct. 23rd. Arrived in Wellfleet around 1:30 P.M. and began my usual scouting mission to determine which ocean beach to fish after dark. Wellfleet beaches badly fouled with mung (low tide at 3:30 P.M.), less so the Truro ocean beaches. Maybe at high tide the mung disperses but the Truro beaches were not fishable yesterday, at least not for a surfcaster.
Drove up to Race Point. Parked in the Race Point parking lot (I don't have a beach permit) to take a look around. BLITZ IN PROGRESS!! Mostly stripers, a few blues, feeding on peanut bunker. Tons of fish right in the wash, right at the parking lot. Ideal daytime fishing conditions: cloudy, wind blowing southwest at 25 knots, sun setting in one hour. Caught, tagged, and released several smaller bass to 15 pounds on teaser and popper when it happened. I let down my guard and grabbed a hooked bass by its lip instead of grabbing and securing the plug first. Using a yellow popper with treble hooks. One jerk of the fish's head and I had a treble hook embeded in my left thumb. I crush the barbs on every hook I use but there's usually a small stub remaining, just enough to keep a hook from being easily backed out. I tried to removbe hook myself on the beach but no luck.
I was forced to walk off the beach at the height of the blitz. Spent the evening driving to Hyannis for medical treatment. Lesson learned.
I could see only a handful of fishermen on the beach at Race Point yesterday afternoon (maybe 8 men). Tourists outnumbered fishermen 4 to 1. Just a few cars in the parking lot.
When (If!!) the mung disappears I'll be back to fish the Truro beaches at night. The next windy day I'll be back at Race Point.
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